Smoke still curled into the sky. The remains of the corrupted Forest Guardian had long turned to ash, carried off by the wind like the last breath of a dying curse.
Dominic stood in the clearing, breathing heavily, his dual daggers still faintly glowing with energy. Blood and dirt streaked his face, but he was calm.
Very calm.
"Status window," he muttered.
The system interface flashed before him in divine gold.
➤ [ STATUS WINDOW: DOMINIC MENDEZ ]
Name: Dominic Mendez Level: 78
Age: 18 Race: Human (Modified)
Title: Outcast God Synchronization: 10.0%
Health (HP): 10,000 Mana (MP): 4,000
Qi: 20 Years Cultivation Divine Power: 6,000
Faith Resonance: 10
Attributes:
• Strength: 531 • Agility: 509
• Defense: 523 • Intellect: 545
• Willpower: 592 • Charisma: 501
• Luck: 50
Skills:
• All Resistance (Lv. 10)
• Chain Combat Mastery (Passive)
• Elemental Mastery – Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning
• Intimidation (Passive)
• All-Seeing Eye – Observe all movement, structures, and energy signatures within your domain. All senses temporarily enhanced.
• Domain Control – Claim territory. Gain perfect awareness and control within it. Buff all stats by +20% while inside.
Traits:
• Divine Spark – Your soul contains fragments of divinity.
• Lone Origin – 2x EXP gain when fighting alone.
• Adaptation Engine – Rapidly learn enemy patterns and evolve tactics.
• Domain Lord – You can create a domain that reflects your will.
• ??? (Locked)
• ??? (Locked)
Inventory:
• Guardian's Blade (Mythic Grade – Sealed)
• Dual Dagger Set – Sharp Twinfang (Rare)
• Cloak of Blue Veil (Mystic Grade)
• System Tablet (Bound)
• Gold: 200,175
• Health Potion Flask ×6
"Ten percent sync…" he whispered. "And my stats are already over five hundred? What the hell happens at fifty? Or a hundred?"
He tapped on one of the new skills.
[Activating: All-Seeing Eye]
A flash of pain. His head rang. His eyes dilated violently. He stumbled, dropping to one knee.
Every sound grew louder. Every blade of grass… visible. Every movement in the wind… trackable. The pulse of the land, the breath of a sleeping bird in the treetops, the heartbeat of a squirrel thirty meters away.
It was overwhelming—like a floodgate opening inside his skull.
"Ghhhaah…!"
But then it settled.
He stood up slowly. His gaze was calm now. Still. Measured.
He could see everything in the entire forest. Every. Single. Thing.
"So this is the All-Seeing Eye…"
He turned back to the burned clearing, then muttered:
"System… activate Domain Lord. I want this entire forest under me."
The ground beneath him trembled.
Golden glyphs etched themselves into the soil around the glade. Trees responded, standing straighter. The very air shimmered.
[Domain Claimed: Purified Forest of Elarian]
[All hostile presence: nullified]
[Monitoring: Active]
A subtle pulse passed through Dominic's body.
He could now feel everything that happened within the forest. If a twig broke, he'd know. If a beast stirred, he'd sense it.
This was his domain now. He was its god.
"Now… I need a base."
He pulled up the system interface.
"System. I want to build a house. Something livable. Modern. Earth-style. Like my old home, but better."
[Blueprints found across Multiversal Archives.]
[Suggestion: Modern Smart Villa – 2 Floors, Earth-Based Design]
[Construction Cost: 49,500 Gold. Time: Instant.]
[Confirm?]
"Do it."
The forest rumbled again.
A wide patch of land in the center of the clearing shifted. The ground leveled. Concrete formed. Windows shimmered into existence.
Within seconds, a modern glass-paneled villa stood in the heart of a magical forest — complete with solar roofing, reinforced gates, clean lighting, and even a floating insignia of a blue winged "M" above the front porch.
Dominic blinked.
"Holy... crap."
He stepped inside.
The air was filtered. The floors polished. A system-powered fridge hummed. The master bedroom overlooked the treeline with floor-length windows. There was even a rooftop pool.
He chuckled, letting his tired body fall onto the couch.
"From exile… to this."
❖ Meanwhile… Inside the Kingdom of Avelion ❖
At the capital palace, inside the Hall of Divination, magic sensors lit up.
"Your Majesty," a royal scribe rushed in, bowing, "the cursed forest to the south… it's been cleansed."
King Eldric rose slowly from his obsidian throne.
"Cleansed?" he asked, voice heavy.
"Yes. Both dungeons. Vanished from the sensors. The land is no longer corrupted."
The king narrowed his eyes.
"Which priest did this?"
"No priest, Your Majesty. We detected no divine signature of the Light Temple."
The king's eyes darkened.
"Then who did it?"
The doors opened again. A knight captain entered.
"We're already dispatching a squad to investigate the source."
The king nodded.
"Take the heroes with you. I want answers. If another faction is moving in my kingdom, I want their head on a pike by nightfall."
❖ Back in the Forest ❖
Dominic stood on his rooftop, gazing at the trees below.
He had no idea that his purification had drawn the kingdom's eyes. No idea that knights were already on their way.
The wind shifted.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Someone's coming…"
He activated his All-Seeing Eye again — and instantly saw a squad of heavily armed knights, and behind them…
Jake and Annabel.
His expression darkened.
📍End of Chapter 10
🔥 Cliffhanger: The kingdom has noticed the purification — and now the very people who cast Dominic out are heading straight for him. But will they recognize the god they betrayed?