The hillside stretched beneath him, rolling green and gold under the late afternoon sun. Dominic's boots sank slightly into the soft earth as he surveyed the aftermath of his silent purge. Four dungeons—ranked S—purged, cleansed, their corruption erased without a single living Beastkin noticing who—or what—had done it. The Beastkin kingdom below buzzed with activity, but not a trace of him existed in their collective memory. To them, the purifications were miracles, blessings… or perhaps divine judgments.
Dominic lifted his gaze, eyes narrowing. With All-Seeing Eye activated, he scanned every corner of the Beastkin kingdom, tracing patrol routes, dungeon ruins, and the faint ripples of residual corruption dissipating into the air. The guards scrambled at what they assumed were minor disturbances, while he silently watched, observing patterns, behaviors, and territorial claims. His presence remained hidden, his aura carefully suppressed, though he allowed just a hint of pressure to ripple outward—enough to tease himself with the reminder of the power he now held.
"Time to view the rewards," he muttered, voice calm but tinged with anticipation.
"Hey, System," he said clearly in his mind.
"Yes, Dominic?" The system's reply arrived instantly, crisp as ever.
"Show me what I got." He let a smile creep onto his face, one corner of his mouth tilting upward. "Don't hold back."
A holographic interface flickered into view, suspended midair, bathing his face in the soft blue glow of digital magic.
NOTICE!!"You're two dungeons away from reaching half of your System's power. I advise waiting until then to process rewards fully," the system warned.
Dominic rolled his eyes. "Nah. I can't wait. Curiosity is killing me, and I need to see my growth before the Eastern Continent. Besides, my blood's boiling—Murim head and Heavenly Demon won't wait, either."
The system hummed, tone laced with amusement. "Very well. Processing rewards individually… and simultaneously."
A cascade of energy swirled around him as the first wave of power poured into him, subtly bending the air around his form. The smell of ozone mingled with the faint metallic tang of raw power. Dominic felt his muscles pulse with vitality, a surge that made him grin uncontrollably.
NOTICE!! REWARDS:
System Synchronization +20%
Nexis Power +20%
Qi +40 Years Cultivation
Mana +8,000 | Health +20,000
Divine Power +12,000
Traits Unlocked: Absolute Will, Parallel Thought, Resonant Perception
Skills Unlocked: Echo Step (a skill allowing instantaneous movement with spatial displacement), Mist Control (manipulate dense fog to obscure, transport, or suffocate), Void Walk (enter the shadows to bypass dimensions briefly), Shadowforge Creation (forge weapons from shadows that absorb or augment enemy abilities)
Gold: +400,000
Items: Chimera Heart (legendary, boosts stamina, strength, and vitality exponentially), Sands of Reversal (reverses age and fatigue temporarily), Abyssal Cloak (Mythic Tier, grants near-invisibility and resistance to magic), +20 Health Potions, +10 Elixir of Life
Dominic's eyes shone. He flexed his fingers, testing the energy flow, feeling the subtle synchronization of Qi, Nexis, and System integration humming inside him. "Damn… these are insane," he muttered, allowing a chuckle. "Skills I didn't even know I'd get. Echo Step, Mist Control… hell, I could play with half the continent now."
He tapped the status window, watching his numbers update in real-time.
➤ [ STATUS WINDOW: DOMINIC MENDEZ ]Name: Dominic MendezLevel: 407Age: 18Race: Human (Modified)Title: Outcast GodSynchronization: 40.0%
HP: 40,000 MP: 16,000Qi: 80 Years Cultivation Divine Power: 24,000
Attributes:
Strength: 2,040
Agility: 2,400
Defense: 2,010
Intellect: 2,200
Willpower: 2,000
Charisma: 2,196
Luck: 600
Skills:
All Resistance (MAX)
Chain Combat Mastery (Passive)
Elemental Mastery – Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning
Intimidation (Passive)
All-Seeing Eye
Domain Control
Heavenly Rend
Stasis Chain
Sixth Sense (Passive)
Health Regeneration (+600/sec Passive)
Echo Step
Mist Control
Void Walk
Shadowforge Creation
Traits:
Divine Spark
Lone Origin
Adaptation Engine
Domain Lord
Absolute Will
Parallel Thought
Inventory:
Guardian's Blade (Mythic – Sealed)
Sharp Twinfang Daggers (Rare)
Cloak of Blue Veil (Mystic)
Abyssal Core Fragment (Mythic Material)
Guardian Bow (Mythic)
Chimera Heart
Sands of Reversal
Abyssal Cloak
System Tablet
Gold: 754,245
Health Potion Flask ×35
Elixir of Life ×10
Dominic exhaled slowly, tilting his head back to study the horizon. The Beastkin kingdom glimmered like a distant jewel, untouched by his presence, its guards still running chaotic patrols, utterly unaware of the silent god watching from above. The wind brushed his hair back, carrying the faint scent of wildflowers, earth, and distant fires of purification—a reminder that while the world seemed stable, it was only temporarily calm.
"System," Dominic said, voice casual but laced with anticipation, "how do I get to the Eastern Continent? I don't want to waste time with ships or caravans."
"There exists a hidden gateway," the system replied, tone neutral. "Through it, you can access the Eastern Continent directly."
Dominic's grin widened. "Good. Show me the map."
A translucent holographic map unfurled in the air above his hand, rotating slowly. His location marked with a pulsing blue dot. Zooming outward, the western empire sprawled like a living tapestry, but beyond the darkened haze to the east… the Murim world. Mountains, forests, rivers, and glowing arcs of unknown power formed a chaotic pattern. Names written in ancient runes he had only read in the oldest webnovels—Mount Hua, Daein Peaks, and the Shadowed Sea—dotted the landscape.
Dominic exhaled, eyes narrowing. "Alright… two days of prep, then I head east. No distractions."
He retreated to a hidden hollow beyond the Beastkin kingdom's borders. Four S-rank dungeon cores lay behind him, dormant and cleansed. He sat cross-legged, eyes closed, feeling the energy streams intertwine. Nexis flowed stronger now, Qi harmonized with his Divine Power, and his Synchronization interface hummed faintly, reading all parameters in perfect balance.
"System," he muttered softly, "time to… stretch a little."
Echo Step, Mist Control, Shadowforge Creation—they were all there, humming in his mind like dormant beasts awaiting release. He began with Echo Step, moving rapidly between two points fifty meters apart. Each step sent afterimages shimmering through the air, confusing the eye and testing his mental speed. With a thought, he combined it with Mist Control, letting a thin fog swirl around each teleport point, wrapping shadows and reflections in an almost invisible cloak.
A grin tugged at his lips. "Not bad… could be useful for keeping secrets."
Void Walk followed next. Dominic merged briefly with the shadows of the hillside, slipping into a secondary dimension for a heartbeat before returning. The shadows clung to him, faint and imperceptible, a reminder that every movement carried hidden potential. Shadowforge Creation came last. With a subtle gesture, he shaped a blade from darkness, testing its weight and edge against the air itself. Sparks of void energy fizzed off as the weapon cut through nothing, yet his senses registered every nuance, every vibration.
"All functional," he said aloud, tone laced with satisfaction. "Next time, enemies will see me coming… too late."
The two days passed in near silence. Dominic meditated, absorbed energy, and cataloged every lesson learned from the Beastkin dungeons. Each night, he stared at the faint glow of the four cleansed cores below, allowing subtle threads of his aura to seep into the dormant ruins, ensuring the purifications held. He reflected on everything:
The rapid growth he had achieved.
Nexis' true potential.
The system, which now hummed like a second heartbeat inside him.
The eventual confrontation with the Murim world's warriors.
And the Heavenly Demon, whose presence he could already sense from legends whispered across dimensions.
He did not fear. He prepared. And preparation, as he had learned, was half the battle.
By the second evening, Dominic finally rose, stretching and flexing his limbs. The wind carried the faint scent of autumn leaves, mixed with the distant aroma of the Beastkin kingdom below. His eyes shifted to the faint glimmer of the hidden gateway, still faint and obscured by natural magics and layers of divine sealing.
"System," he said. "Prepare the carriage."
A soft hum, then the golden Mendez chariot materialized beside him. Its engines were silent, but its presence radiated authority—a mobile sanctuary of divine engineering. He climbed aboard, settling comfortably as the system hummed in the background.
"Eastbound?" it asked.
"Direct," Dominic replied, eyes narrowing as he looked toward the darkened eastern horizon. "I've cleared Avelion. The minor dungeons are handled by my friends. Now… it's time to see how strong the Murim world really is."
With a subtle gesture, he activated the chariot. The air shimmered, folding around him like water. The golden wheels rose, leaving the hillside behind, the Beastkin kingdom shrinking beneath him. A light breeze whispered past, carrying a single thought that remained unspoken:
The world was changing. And Dominic Mendez… was the one reshaping it.