Balberius flashed a sarcastic smile as he replied, "This forest is known as the Darkwood for a good reason. It was home to the most powerful demon beast in the entire kingdom. None of the common folk know the truth, and the nobles avoid talking about it as if it were a curse."
'What?! Stronger than the Winged Flame Lion? But the System didn't tell me anything about that.'
I felt a slight tightness in my chest.
Was there something stronger than me here this whole time? And why didn't it show up in the System's analysis? Were there obstacles preventing clairvoyance? Or was the System itself hiding something from me?
"Congratulations, Commander…" Balberius said sarcastically, staring at the vaporized remains of the beast. "You are now the strongest person in this humble kingdom. Not that it means much, if you ask me."
"Huh? Oh! What is this nonsense?" I furrowed my brow sharply. "I know this kingdom is weak, but I didn't expect it to be this pathetic… Fine, we'll get out of here first, but answer me. You said I'm the strongest person here now. What did you mean by that, exactly?"
Balberius replied, his sarcastic tone replaced by a kind of reserved respect, "The king of the Northern Kingdom—the Silver Sun Kingdom—is himself merely a level 60 warrior. Just like me. The difference is that I chose not to advance and went into hibernation, while he reached his peak to no avail."
"As for the beast you killed? It was likely on the verge of reaching level 71, meaning it had surpassed even the limits of the Golden tier of the Second Transcendence."
I lowered my head for a moment. I didn't need the praise, but the facts he stated were chilling.
The gap between tiers in the Second Transcendence is enormous, even if they are in the same awakening state.
A mere five-level difference means death.
Fifty levels? That's a legend.
Of course, Balberius must be forming theories about my origins. Who am I? How did I do what I did? But honestly…
I no longer cared.
In what world could a mere Silver Dormant—not even at the peak of his tier—defeat a creature nearly fifty levels higher with just a one-star spell?
Aside from Millennium, perhaps only a handful in the entire universe could achieve such a feat!
And I will strive to change that soon!
If that was the case… it was no wonder this forest was devoid of humans.
Awe, not wisdom, is what kept them away.
But where was the sense of adventure? Where was the noble madness that drives one to stand against the impossible?
This kingdom didn't even deserve its name.
And yet… the more miserable the beginning, the more thrilling the ascent. I will crush this feeble reality and reshape it with my own hands.
Not as a savior… but as the world's new nightmare.
'Legacy, show me the map.'
A black screen materialized before me, displaying a detailed map of the entire continent.
This was one of the System's blessings: knowing my exact location without wasting time on guesswork or fruitless exploration.
"Alright, Balberius, guard this area for a bit. I'm going to try something."
He gave me a suspicious look but didn't object. Of course, it's not like I trusted him. But he was weaker than me—in terms of combat power—so even if he tried to attack, he couldn't do much.
[Reflection World]
I sat cross-legged and began to meditate, trying to send my consciousness into the inner domain, but… nothing happened.
"What is this crap? Didn't the System say the first seal was opened? Why can't I enter?"
[Although the domain is linked to the Host's body, it is simultaneously an independent dimension. This means the Host must transfer their entire body into the domain, not just their consciousness.]
"Heh, this System never ceases to amaze me."
[Do you wish to transfer into the domain?]
🔘 Confirm
🔘 Decline
I didn't hesitate. I chose "Confirm."
Suddenly, a dense, dark aura enveloped me, and I quickly vanished from my spot as if I had fallen into a sudden coma.
When I opened my eyes, I couldn't close them again…
"What… is this?!"
I was sitting on a black throne floating in the sky. Before me were three paths, each leading to a massive island, though not large enough to be called a continent.
The three islands rotated slowly in the void, as if time itself hesitated to approach them.
The air was charged with a strange energy, like an invisible pressure piercing my bones, testing my very existence, yet I felt no threat.
I looked around to see a barrier of pitch-black darkness surrounding everything, as if it were trapping this strange world within a closed circle, preventing anything from entering or leaving.
[Welcome to the Reflection World.]
[This pocket dimension is divided into three parts:]
[Part One: Fief of the Host and Followers – Can be customized as a sect headquarters, an imperial base, or even a kingdom.]
[Part Two: Training Grounds – Consists of 12 towers, each containing vortexes of advanced classes, qualification tests, and exceptional development resources.]
[Part Three: Resource Zone – Contains elemental gems, mana pools, and mines of rare spirits.]
[Further parts of the domain will be revealed when the Host reaches the required level.]
"Damn… I can't believe this…"
Then I remembered something… I had almost killed myself earlier! If I had succeeded, I would never have discovered this place!
"…I'm starting to regret trying to commit suicide at the beginning. I never imagined something like this existed."
You damned System… how long have you been hiding features like this from me?! No, right, you were ten damn years late!
[Please do not insult the System, or a system point penalty will be imposed.]
"Stop threatening me!"
[Just kidding...]
I sighed deeply. "My god, even my System has a sense of humor."
Despite that, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"I'll start by going to the Resource Zone first…"
But as soon as my foot touched the island, the ground trembled slightly, and what appeared before me was… a slime? It was abnormally huge, standing over three meters tall and radiating a strange glow, as if made of a semi-liquid substance that danced in the light.
"…Wait, why is there a slime here? Isn't this my inner domain?!"
I didn't feel scared, but before I could act, this thing started… bowing before me?!
My eyes crinkled in confusion. "What is it doing? Is it… trying to kneel?"
Before I could finish the thought, I lifted my foot and kicked it with all my might!
BOOOOM!
Its gelatinous body splattered in all directions like drops of water. I was about to applaud myself before I noticed something strange…
The slime began to reassemble!
I watched coldly as it reformed its entire body as if it had taken no damage at all. Damn it, does it have infinite regeneration?!
Then suddenly… its gelatinous eyes glowed with a mysterious crimson light, and the atmosphere became abnormally heavy!
I felt a strange energy flowing in the air. Then, without any warning, the giant slime bent down on one knee, placing a part of its body over what seemed to be its chest.
"Gralaks welcomes the arrival of the young emperor."
I froze for a moment, staring at it, then I smiled.
"…Oh… right. I'm the emperor here, huh?"
[Ding!]
[Heir has not met the minimum requirement!]
[Heir's level is too insignificant and cannot withstand the presence of Gralaks, Duke of the Northern Chaos!]
[Gralaks will be resealed until the Host reaches a specified level!]
"...Oh! Huuuh?"
As soon as the System finished its sentence, golden lights emanated from beneath the giant slime, and spectral chains began to emerge from the void, wrapping around its body.
Gralaks showed no resistance, merely closing his "eyes"—if you could call them that—as if this were part of a familiar ritual.
[Resealing the entity...]
[Compressing the dimension around the entity...]
[Activating temporal stasis layer...]
[Complete.]
Gralaks vanished into a black crystalline cocoon that emitted intermittent pulses of mana, then it descended gently to the edge of the island, as if it had been part of the scenery since the dawn of time.
I stood in place, staring at the empty spot, shocked and bewildered.
"A duke? In my empire? A monster?"
I was silent for a moment, then I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand as if I'd been hit by a dose of logic.
"Ah, of course… Why not?"