The core began to hover a few inches above the stone. It spun slowly, emitting a hum that vibrated through the mountain itself.
Suddenly, the ground trembled. A swirling mist of blue light and dust rose from the plateau. Within seconds, the light solidified into wood and thatch. A dilapidated wooden hut, barely covering 25 square meters, creaked into existence. The wood was grey and weathered, the roof had patches of missing hay, and the door hung slightly crooked on its hinges. It looked like it would blow away in a strong wind, yet it felt strangely rooted to the mountain.
At the same time, a pulse of energy rippled outward from the [Lord`s Manor]. A transparent, shimmering shield expanded in a perfect circle, forming a dome.It covered a radius of 50m, centered exactly on his new [Lord`s Manor].
As the shimmering dome settled into place, the vast, cold voice boomed once more.
"CONGRATULATIONS, LORD AKASH77. YOUR TERRITORY IS ESTABLISHED. YOU ARE 44876th LORD TO ESTABLISH TERRITORY IN YOUR REALM"
The gap is staggering. Forty-four thousand Lords already have a head start. We can't outrun them with raw labor; we must outsmart them with Efficiency.
"A SEVEN-DAY NOVICE PROTECTION IS NOW IN EFFECT. A RADIUS OF 50 METERS ENCIRCLING YOUR[LORD`S MANOR] SHALL BE ENVELOPED IN AN IMPREGNABLE BARRIER. NO HOSTILE OR NEUTRAL ENTITY SHALL BREACH THE BARRIER WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT"
"A RAINBOW TREASURE CHEST HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO YOUR [LORD`S MANOR]. USE IT WISELY."
The voice grew heavier, its tone shifting from a welcome to a stern warning.
"WARNING: THE REALM DOES NOT NURTURE WEAKNESS. IN 7 DAYS, THE NOVICE LORD TEST WILL BEGIN. PREPARE YOUR DEFENSES. SURVIVE, OR BE ERASED."
"ALL FUNCTIONS OF THE LORD'S PANEL ARE NOW UNLOCKED. TALENT INITIALIZATION BEGINNING NOW..."
Suddenly, the sky above the plateau seemed to crack open. A pillar of pure, starlight-silver light descended from the heavens, piercing through the transparent dome as if it weren't there. It struck Akash directly.
He didn't feel pain; instead, he felt a terrifying surge of power. It felt like the World was reaching into his DNA, rearranging the very fabric of his being. His soul hummed, his muscles tightened, and the blood in his veins began to boil like molten gold. It was as if the realm itself was bestowing a divine right upon him, carving a unique authority into his soul.
After the silver light faded, Akash stood in the silence for a moment, patting his chest and arms. He felt more "present," as if he had been high-definition all along but only just now realized it.
Curious to see the damage—or the gain—he Focused on [Personal Attributes]. The interface snapped to the foreground, displaying a local time of 09:25 AM. An hour and a half had elapsed since he arrived in this brutal realm.
[Personal Attributes]
[Name]: Akash77
[Race]: Human
[Physique]: 6
[Spirit]: 5
[Magic]: 4
[Skills]: None
[Talent]: Architect of Essence
[Inventory]: Empty
[Spirit Coins]: 0
"Architect of Essence" he muttered and focussed on the text. Then the panel changed.
[Lord's Talent : Architect of Essence]
[Grade]: Common
Description: Everything in this world has an essence—from the stone of the mountain to the soul of a monster. You are the one who can rewrite this essence.
[Talent Skills]:
[Extract Essence]: You can pull Essence Properties or properties out of items, materials. (Current Limit: common grade items. Note: Targets destroyed get upon extraction).
[Infuse Essence]: You can take an extracted essence and inject it into a compatible item or material. (Current Limit: common grade items. Failure of the Infusion destroys all items).
[Manifest]: Summon the [Architect's Crucible], a physical manifestation where you perform extraction and infusion.
[Essence Space]: A space where extracted essences get stored.
[Essence Vision]: Allows you to perceive the Essence Properties of any item or material you appraise.
Upgrade Conditions:
Extract 50 unique Essences.Infuse 25 items to 'Uncommon' Grade or higher.
Akash stared at the talent panel. The words sounded grand with immense potential, but "Essence" felt like a vague concept. Was it the weight of the stone? Its hardness? Its color? .
"I can't just guess how this works," he muttered. "I need to see it."
He focused on the skill [Manifest]. Suddenly, the air in front of him rippled like a heatwave. A heavy, metallic object shimmered into existence. It was the [Architect's Crucible]—a waist-high, circular basin about a meter wide, crafted from a strange, matte-black material that seemed to swallow the sunlight. It looked ancient, solid, and intimidating.
Curiosity piqued, Akash leaned down and picked up a jagged, grey pebble from the plateau floor. As he focused his gaze, a translucent window flickered into view.
[Pebble]:
[Grade]: None
[Durability]: 5/5
[Essence Properties]: Subpar Toughness
[Description]: A common stone fragment.
Drawn by a strange instinct, he tossed the pebble into the glowing basin.
Immediately, a small interface floated above the flames:
[Target: Mountain pebble]
[Options: Extract / Infuse]
He chose [Extract]. A prompt flashed in a cautionary red: "Cost: 1 Spirit Coin. Item will be destroyed. Proceed?"
Akash paused, his eyes narrowing at the persistent red warning on the Crucible's interface. He focused again on his profile and found the small, previously ignored info flickering at the very bottom.
[Spirit Coins]: 0
"Right there, plain as day," he muttered, shaking his head. "Staring at a big fat zero while the world asks for change." To the system, he was currently a penniless Lord of a pile of rocks.
Realizing he was broke, he cancelled the action and watched the Crucible dissolve back into light as he unsummoned it. He wasn't going to get any "practical experience" by staring at an empty wallet.
He turned toward the dilapidated wooden hut. The door creaked on one hinge, swaying in the mountain breeze. Inside, the dim interior held his only hope for a head start.
Akash stepped into the [Lord`s Manor], the dim light filtering through the gaps in the thatched roof. The interior was bare, smelling of old wood and dry earth. At the far end of the room stood a stone pedestal—the Core Platform—where his Lord's Core now floated, pulsing with a steady, rhythmic blue light.
Curious, he focused his vision on the crystal.
[Lords Territory Core]
[Durability]: 100/100
[Function]: The anchor of your [Lord`s Manor]. Non movable
[Warning]: If this core is destroyed, your Lord status will be immediately revoked. You will become "Unprotected Prey."
"So, if this breaks, it's game over," Akash muttered
He turned his attention to the floor just in front of the platform. There, sitting in the middle of the dust, was a chest that looked completely out of place. It wasn't made of wood or iron; it shimmered with a rainbow-colored metallic sheen, shifting hues every time he blinked.
He leaned in, focussed on the treasure chest.
[ Rainbow Treasure Chest]
[Grade]: Special
[Description]: A supply box granted to all Lords upon territory establishment. Contains basic survival essentials.
This chest is just the difference between a rough night and a deadly one.
As he made contact, the treasure chest dissolved into mist, revealing a collection of items that looked more like "Stone Age" than "Magic Realm." Akash stared at the bounty, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
[Chest Contents: Rainbow Treasure Chest]
Wild Bananas : x8
Rough Leather Water Bag : x1
Crude Stone Axe: x1
Crude Stone Pickaxe: x1,
Sharp Stone Knife: x1
Akash sat on the dusty floor of his [Lord`s Manor], the silence of the mountain peak pressing in around him. He pulled the items from the chest one by one, laying them out on the floor. He focused his mind, and the system windows snapped into existence over each object.
[Wild Banana]
[Grade]: None
[Description]: A thick-skinned, starchy fruit. It isn't delicious, but it provides enough sugar to keep a human moving for a few hours.
[Rough Leather Water Bag]
[Grade]: None
[Durability]: 3/3
[Contents]: Fresh water(5L)
[Description]: A simple container stitched from a coarse animal hide. It is currently filled with lukewarm, fresh water.
[Crude Stone Axe]:
[Grade]: Common
[Durability]: 15/15
[Essence Properties]: Inferior Toughness, Inferior Cleaving
[Description]: A sharpened flint stone lashed to a wooden branch with dried vines. It's heavy and unbalanced, but it can fell small trees or crack bones
[Crude Stone Pickaxe]:
[Grade]: Common
[Durability]: 15/15
[Essence Properties]: Inferior Toughness, Inferior Penetration
[Description]: Designed for breaking rock. The head is sturdy, but the vine bindings are prone to snapping under heavy impact.
[Sharp Stone Knife]:
[Grade]: Common
[Durability]: 15/15
[Essence Properties]: Inferior Sharpness
[Description]: A small, jagged flake of obsidian-like rock. Useful for carving wood, but far too brittle for serious combat.
"Basic. Truly basic," Akash muttered, his eyes lingering on the Sharpness of the knife and the Inferior Toughness of the stone axe. Akash stared at the balance on his profile, the zero mocking him like a silent insult.
"A Lord with a grand talent and a bank account of zero," he muttered, a self-deprecating smirk tugging at his lips. "I'm essentially a lord of dust."