The twilight wind blew through the giant black trees, carrying an increasingly pungent scent of wet earth and rusted blood. Inside the softly glowing protective dome, Orion stared intently at the armored warrior still kneeling before him.
"What is your name?" Orion asked.
The warrior looked up, his sharp eyes radiating absolute loyalty. "The System did not give us names, My Lord. We were born from dust and light, existing only to become your sword. I beseech you to bestow upon me a name."
Orion nodded slowly. "From now on, your name is Kael. You are my first commander, the spearhead of this territory."
"Kael accepts this honor with his life, Lord Orion!" Kael slammed his fist against his iron breastplate, creating a resounding metallic clang that echoed around the dilapidated shack.
Orion motioned for Kael to stand. He reopened the [Buildings] menu on his holographic interface. The Summoning Gateway he currently possessed was only Normal-tier, and his two summoning quotas for the day had already been exhausted to synthesize Kael. Tomorrow, he would only get two more Peasants (or other trash units).
The Absolute Synthesis Talent was indeed insane, but it had one strict condition: it required two identical objects.
"To synthesize a Normal-tier Summoning Gateway into a Black Iron-tier one, I need another Normal Summoning Gateway," Orion analyzed the situation. "Wood and stone aren't a problem with these Black Iron tools. But I need one more Basic Magic Crystal."
He opened his [Inventory] menu. He had zero Magic Crystals left. In the [Regional Channel], several Lords had complained that Magic Crystals could only be obtained from initial gift packs or dropped as loot by killing monsters outside the protective dome.
Orion's gaze shifted beyond the boundary of his 50-meter radius dome of light. Out there, the forest's darkness was thickening. The roars of wild beasts grew closer as the sun sank below the horizon.
"Kael," Orion called out.
"Ready, My Lord!"
"How strong do you feel right now? If we step outside this dome, can you guarantee your own safety?" Orion asked, testing the warrior's understanding of his own strength.
Kael drew his steel longsword from its scabbard. The sound of sliding metal rang cold and deadly. "My Lord, my body feels practically bursting with explosive power. Even though I am only Level 1, the Black Iron rarity you bestowed upon me makes my muscles and bones as hard as steel. I am confident I can tear ordinary wild beasts apart with my bare hands."
Orion smiled in satisfaction. "Good. We can't just hide inside this dome for the full seven days. We need Magic Crystals, and that means we must hunt."
Orion retrieved the Black Iron Axe from his inventory, gripping it tightly as an improvised weapon. Even though Kael was strong, Orion was not the type of leader to sit idly by if the situation deteriorated. He had to be prepared for the worst.
The two walked toward the edge of the protective dome. When Orion touched the transparent wall of light, it felt like passing through a warm membrane of water. He could pass through it at any time, but the monsters outside could not enter.
"We won't go too far. Stay within a ten-meter radius of the dome. If we face an insurmountable danger, we retreat inside," Orion instructed.
"As you command." Kael stepped out of the dome first, his body tensing, his combat instincts instantly taking over. Orion followed closely behind, immediately sensing a drastic shift in the atmosphere. Outside the dome, the temperature plummeted, and the primeval forest's killing intent felt like a hand wrapping around their throats.
The two of them crept among the roots of the giant trees. It didn't take long for them to find their first prey.
Behind a purple-leaved thorny bush, a creature was gnawing on a wolf carcass. The creature resembled a wild boar, but it was the size of a fully grown bull. Its bristles were stiff and sharp like metal needles, and two giant, curved fangs protruding from its snout gleamed with a silvery sheen.
Orion focused his gaze on the monster, and the System automatically displayed its basic information:
[Iron-Fang Boar] [Tier: Normal] [Level: 3] [Description: An aggressive monster with strong physical defenses. Its fangs can pierce thin steel plates.]
"Level 3..." Orion muttered. Kael was only Level 1, but Kael had a Black Iron rarity, while the boar was only a Normal tier. This would be the perfect test to see exactly how much "Rarity" influenced the balance of power in this world.
"Kael. Execute," Orion whispered softly.
"Die!"
In the blink of an eye, Kael dashed forward. His speed vastly exceeded the limits of ordinary humans, leaving a trail of dust where he launched himself. The Iron-Fang Boar sensed the incoming threat. It snorted angrily, its red eyes flashing, and immediately lowered its head, preparing to ram Kael with its silver fangs like a speeding truck.
Clang!
Kael did not dodge. Instead, he twisted his body, using the boar's charging momentum, and swung his sword with all his might.
[Active Skill: Fatal Slash activated!]
The blade of Kael's steel sword emitted a faint black glow. It slashed squarely at the boar's thick neck. The screech of metal rang out as the sword sliced through the needle-like bristles, pierced the thick hide, and ultimately severed the monster's head from its body in one smooth, seamless strike!
Fresh blood sprayed into the air, soaking the black soil around them. The headless boar's body skidded forward a few meters before finally collapsing with a heavy thud.
Orion stared at the scene, wide-eyed. "One strike? A Level 3 monster killed in a single strike by a Level 1 soldier?"
That was the absolute law of the Endless Continent: Rarity Suppression. A Level 1 Black Iron warrior possessed base attributes that far exceeded those of a Level 3 Normal monster, let alone with the addition of a lethal attack Skill.
[Ding! Your troop (Kael) has killed an Iron-Fang Boar (Level 3).] [You gained: 15 EXP] [Kael gained: 15 EXP] [Loot Obtained: 1x Boar Meat, 1x Iron Fang.]
Orion approached the monster's carcass. The boar's body slowly dissolved into particles of light, leaving behind two chunks of fresh red meat and a pair of fangs on the ground. Orion quickly picked them up and placed them into his inventory, but he frowned.
"No Magic Crystal," he complained. "It seems the drop rate for crystals is very low for Normal-tier monsters."
Kael flicked the blood off his sword and sheathed it. "My Lord, the smell of this blood will attract other predators. Should we return to the dome?"
Orion looked around. The forest was growing darker. However, his thirst for resources was far greater than his fear. With Kael possessing such absolute power in these early stages, he had a tremendous advantage over the other Lords who were likely still cowering inside their shacks.
"No. We hunt again. I need at least two Basic Magic Crystals," Orion ordered coldly. "Use this boar's blood as bait. We will ambush whatever comes."
For the next three hours, the area just outside Orion's protective dome turned into a small slaughterhouse. Three Shadow Wolves (Level 2) and four more Iron-Fang Boars (Level 3) came consecutively, lured by the scent of blood. All of them were mercilessly decapitated or cleaved in half by Kael's sword.
Although Kael began to look fatigued and his steel sword showed slight nicks, their hunting haul that night was extraordinary.
[Ding! Kael has leveled up to Level 2!] [All of Kael's attributes have increased by 2 points.]
When the final wolf collapsed, Orion finally heard the notification he had been waiting for.
[Loot Obtained: 1x Basic Magic Crystal.]
Orion picked up the small, blue-glowing crystal from the ground triumphantly. Alongside it, his inventory now held 6x Boar Meat, 3x Wolf Meat, 4x Iron Fangs, and 3x Wolf Pelts.
"Good work, Kael. We're heading back," Orion said, leading his warrior back through the safe, protective dome of light. The oppressive atmosphere instantly vanished, replaced by the warmth and silence of his territory.
Kael sat down, leaning against a felled log, catching his heavy breath. Orion tossed him a bottle of water and a piece of hardtack from the Novice Pack. Kael ate it with immense gratitude.
Meanwhile, Orion didn't waste any time. He had the 150 units of wood and 150 units of stone he had mined that afternoon, as well as the 1x Basic Magic Crystal he had just acquired.
He stood next to his first Summoning Gateway, opened the [Buildings] interface, and selected the [Blueprint: Summoning Gateway]. Since he already had the blueprint stored in his system memory, he could build it again as long as he had the materials.
"Build a second Summoning Gateway," Orion commanded.
The earth trembled once more. Stone and wood assembled themselves, and within ten seconds, a second stone gateway, identical to the first, stood proudly beside it.
Both gateways looked worn, emitting a weak, grayish aura. They were Normal-tier buildings, the most basic structures in the Game of Sovereigns.
Orion stepped forward, standing right in the middle of the two giant gateways. His heart pounded wildly. He had synthesized stones and tools. He had synthesized living beings. Now, it was time to test the absolute pinnacle of his Origin-Grade Talent: synthesizing a Building.
He spread his arms wide, aiming his palms at each of the gateways. His eyes flashed with a golden, cosmic glow that made Kael stop chewing his bread and stare at his Lord with reverence, as if looking at a god descended to earth.
"Forge of Genesis: Synthesis!"
A deafening roar erupted inside the dome. A massive golden energy cube, far larger than any he had summoned before, swallowed the two three-meter-tall stone buildings.
The world seemed to hold its breath as the golden light began to rewrite the laws of reality right before Orion Vance's eyes.