I looked toward the sun as it only just rose.
For a moment, it almost felt peaceful.
Then reality caught up.
System, is there any way to know where my territory ends?
Yes. You can use Sovereign's Sight.
I frowned.
But doesn't that only give information about monsters or humans?
It can be used for other things as well.
A moment of silence.
Then—
…sigh.
Just look in any direction and use it.
I exhaled slowly, forcing my body still, then narrowed my focus and triggered Sovereign's Sight.
A pulse—like a ripple in my vision—spread outward.
And then I saw it.
A boundary.
Faint at first.
Then clearer—pulsing like a heartbeat against the horizon.
It was miles away, but unmistakable once my eyes caught it.
Is that the boundary?
Yes. If you pass that boundary, you enter another Lord's territory. Be careful not to do it by accident.
I angled my body west.
Then moved.
Fast.
The forest blurred into streaks of green and shadow as I ran, my body slipping over roots and stones like they weren't there.
I didn't stop to rest.
I just kept going.
Days passed.
By the time the pulsing line finally drew near, the sun had risen and fallen so many times it blurred together.
Finally.
Three days straight of running—and I'm here.
But as I neared the boundary, something felt… off.
The ground ahead was littered with debris.
Splintered trees.
Gouged earth.
Stone cracked like something had slammed it apart.
It looked like an intense fight had happened just beyond the line.
They said the region is vacant.
I wonder if something foreign defeated the lord.
Maybe humans?
I shook the thought away and refocused.
I stepped toward the pulsing boundary—
and walked through.
For a heartbeat, I expected… something.
A change.
A weight.
A sign.
But it was just… land.
The wind moved through the leaves the same as before.
The dirt felt the same beneath my body.
But it wasn't mine.
I took a moment, letting that sink in—every sound, every shift in the forest carrying a different weight now.
Unknown.
Unclaimed.
Dangerous.
…How do I claim this land?
Because there is no current lord, most monsters will fight between themselves for control.
The system paused.
Normally they will converge at a single point of the region and fight until something wins.
Where would this place be?
The system made a noise I hadn't heard before—like it was scanning the world.
There seems to be a large quantity of monsters centered around this point.
A map appeared in front of me.
A translucent outline of the region.
And then—
red dots.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
All clustered around one point like blood pooling in a wound.
When could you do this?
I scoffed
Since you reached level 20.
I let out a short laugh.
And I assume you weren't going to tell me.
You would assume correct.
I laughed a little longer than I meant to.
Then stared at the map again, the red mass pulsing like it was alive.
Looks like I'm going to this congregation.
I moved.
As I got closer, the forest changed.
Not in shape—
in behavior.
Wings beat overhead.
Creatures flew past me without interest, all drawn in the same direction.
Others ran through the underbrush, not hunting, not fleeing—just moving with purpose.
It felt wrong.
Like the forest had decided something important was happening…
…and I'd arrived late.
I pushed forward.
Then the trees thinned.
And the world opened.
I stepped out of the foliage-covered forest into a massive clearing—
and froze.
Hundreds of monsters.
All different races.
Different sizes.
Different shapes.
Some clustered in groups like packs.
Others stood alone like they didn't need anyone.
And almost every group had a leader—one creature standing forward, the rest behind it like an audience…
or a shield.
Is this some kind of duel situation?
Yes. Believe it or not, monsters can be civilized… sometimes.
This world never ceases to amaze me.
The weaker ones stayed further back, keeping distance—but refusing to leave.
They wanted to see what happened.
I walked past them.
My focus locked on the center.
As I got closer, I saw them clearly.
Seven monsters stood forward—each one positioned like it represented an entire species behind it.
Some had one or two kin beside them, like servants…
or bodyguards.
And there was a gap.
A deliberate space in the circle of leaders—wide enough for one more.
Waiting.
I stepped into it.
And sat.
The clearing quieted.
Not silence.
Attention.
I glanced around.
Some monsters looked familiar.
Most didn't.
I assume these are the leaders of their species.
So do we just fight?
I've never experienced this before. I cannot be certain.
Even you don't know.
Great.
Then I should stay on my toes—if I had any.
Moments passed.
Nothing moved.
Nothing spoke.
Then one monster made its presence known.
It stepped forward.
Stomped a foot into the ground—
and a pulse of energy blasted through the clearing.
It struck the leaders like a wave.
Two monsters stumbled backward immediately.
Three more shook, strained, but stayed standing.
One didn't react at all.
And me?
I barely felt it.
But I watched the others struggle.
As the pulse faded, the two that had stumbled turned away without protest.
They retreated back to their groups.
Admitting—without words—that their strength wasn't enough.
That leaves four.
The remaining leaders began to look at one another.
Testing.
Measuring.
Then one locked eyes with me—
and smirked.
It was tall and reed-thin, limbs too long, body smooth like glass.
Its surface reflected the world in warped, distorted fragments, and faint lines of light crawled beneath it—slow, shifting, like something thinking.
Its head tilted unnaturally, never fully facing what it watched.
I used Sovereign's Sight.
Nyssrae — Level 17
I almost laughed.
This thing is trying to intimidate me? Really?
Just because I'm a mimic doesn't mean I'm weak.
It moved toward me.
But the movement was wrong.
Light bent around it.
My eyes stuttered trying to track it—
and for a split second, the world felt… disorienting.
Then it vanished.
Did it disappear because it's fast…
…or because it confused me?
It appeared to my right.
I adjusted instantly and punched—
—and it shattered.
Hard fragments of light burst outward like broken glass, clinking against the ground in a sound that didn't belong in nature.
What—?
Another appeared on my left.
I punched again.
Another shatter.
Two illusions?
More?
Are these some kind of reflections?
A third appeared—
this time I didn't strike.
I dodged instead, shifting my body just enough that it passed.
And as it slid by, the surface caught me.
I saw myself in its reflection.
For a moment, it confused my eyes—like seeing my own movement from the wrong angle—
but then my perception sharpened.
Because behind my reflection…
something else moved.
A shape in the distorted background.
A spear of glass—already mid-flight—aimed at where my body would be.
I pivoted at the last possible moment.
The spear sliced through the air where I'd been.
And as the body moved past—
I twisted, grabbed its neck mid-motion, and slammed it into the earth.
It didn't shatter like the others.
It cracked.
A sharp, ringing sound—like glass fracturing under pressure.
A groan slipped out of it—low and furious.
So this is your real body.
Interesting ability.
I lifted it and flung it back toward its species.
It bounced across the ground, cracking further, and the uneven reflection of sunlight flashed into nearby eyes, briefly blinding a few spectators.
Nyssrae staggered up, limping.
Then retreated back to its group, conceding without a word.
Two of the other leaders watched that exchange—
and decided they wanted none of it.
They backed away.
Left the center.
No fight.
No pride.
Just survival.
I turned to the last remaining leader.
And immediately felt the difference.
Its presence was wild.
Not controlled like the others.
Not measured.
It felt like something that wanted violence for the sake of it.
It faced me.
Its eyes glowed red.
He's not going to back down, is he?
I used Sovereign's Sight.
Orrick — Level 21
I let out a slow breath.
So you aren't weak.
Good.
Then this won't be boring.
Orrick shifted, its broad, hunched frame sagging as it lowered itself.
Its thick body compressed unevenly, skin dull and mottled where shallow fractures pulled and refused to close.
One arm dragged heavier than the other, scoring faint lines into the ground.
Then the Orrick roared.
The sound hit the clearing like a physical force—an intense pulse that made weaker monsters recoil.
But I stayed still.
And stared back.
Only focus in my eyes.