In the dark, widened basement, Alex Glory stood in calm concentration. The air around him thrummed with power—his power—raw, cosmic, and barely restrained. The shadows danced subtly, bending toward him like worshippers sensing the presence of a supreme being.
Closing his eyes, Alex reached outward with his mind. It no longer felt like imagination or meditation—no, this was real. Realer than the physical world itself. He could feel space: the ever-expanding void, the unseen curvature of dimensions, the whisper of stars millions of light-years away.
It was intoxicating.
With a single thought, he invoked his authority.
A cold wind slapped him across the face.
Alex opened his eyes and found himself standing atop Mount Everest.
"Fuck—didn't think it'd be THIS cold!" he hissed, trembling. "System, how the hell do I stop this?"
[Host need not worry. Simply concentrate and feel the energy dwelling in your body. Circulate it from the heart and—]
"Speak English."
[Circulate mana unless host wishes to become a popsicle.]
"Better."
Gritting his teeth, Alex focused mana into his heart and pushed it outward. Warmth flooded his veins instantly, like a second bloodstream igniting. Gamer Mind sharpened his control, while Gamer Body automatically adapted him to the extreme altitude.
Within seconds, he felt… normal.
"Damn, that actually worked."
He spent the next few hours bending space in every way he could imagine—stretching it, condensing it, slicing it. He even managed to open a flawless, shimmering blue portal, eerily similar to the Space Stone's.
When he stepped through, he was back in his basement.
"Let's see… I can teleport, expand and contract space, manipulate it freely… space magic, spatial constructs, even spatial creation. Yeah, this isn't Stone-level. This is Authority-level," he said, smirking. "TOAA really gave me the real deal."
Inspired, he snapped his fingers.
Space rippled outward.The basement expanded, growing ten times larger in an instant.
He chuckled. "Perfect."
Now came the fun part.
"I should familiarize myself with darkness and corruption too."
He inhaled slowly, letting the shadows gather. They thickened around him like fog, merging with his aura, crawling along his skin like curious serpents. His eyes dimmed until only glowing purple irises remained visible in the gloom.
Darkness obeyed him.
Not reluctantly—eagerly.
"Darkness… is even more versatile than I expected," Alex whispered, his voice echoing unnaturally. "Stealth, illusion, manipulation, combat. And I get stat boosts in dark places. I can even control creatures that thrive at night."
He grinned wickedly. "Hahaha… I'm seriously busted."
Once he combined his Space and Darkness Authorities, he triggered something new: shadow-warping. He stepped into one shadow and emerged from another across the room. With effort, he realized he could likely travel through any shadow in the world.
"Okay, that's borderline cheating."
His thoughts drifted.For corruption, I'll need a test subject… later. For now, stats.
"Lilith. Come out."
The shadows behind him rippled before a stunning figure emerged. Her body was voluptuous yet lithe, her beauty inhumanly refined. Wearing a tight dark outfit that hugged her curves, she knelt gracefully the moment she fully materialized.
"Yes, master," she said, her voice smooth like velvet.
Alex cleared his throat. "You don't have to kneel every time. Really."
She rose obediently but her eyes remained soft—devoted.
"I need a partner to practice close combat. And I'm not going easy on you," Alex said, shifting into a battle stance.
Lilith nodded, her expression unreadable.
Alex blitzed forward like a bullet.His fist shot toward her face—
But she caught his wrist gently and redirected it to the side like it was nothing.
What the—?!
She retaliated with a barrage of punches, fast enough to blur. Alex barely dodged by pushing his speed stat to its limit.
"So much for being talented in combat, huh!" he taunted, grinning.
Lilith paused—then her eyes sharpened.She inhaled once, and suddenly her movements changed dramatically. Her steps grew lighter, fluid, calculated. She dodged his kicks with barely a tilt of her body, parried his strikes with absolute precision.
She's adapting?!
Alex accelerated, trying to overwhelm her. The moment he did, she threw a counterpunch at just the right moment, forcing Alex to twist awkwardly to avoid her strike.
He finally managed to land a downward chop, but she slipped away. The chop missed… but her dress split from her thigh to her hip.
Alex's eyes widened.
…nice.
Her exposed skin was flawless and pale, like carved jade.
Lilith didn't react to the torn fabric, but Alex noticed something—something subtle.
Was that… a smirk?
Hold on.Is that a smirk I see?
He stared harder. Her lips were definitely curved—slightly—but unmistakably upward.
"System," Alex muttered mentally, "is she… growing? Or developing emotions?"
[Affirmative. Servants created from Authority naturally evolve. Lilith's abilities, mind, and emotional capacity will increase based on host's power level and interaction frequency.]
"Meaning she's getting stronger because I'm getting stronger?"
[Correct.]
"And she's gaining emotions because…?"
[Host's presence is a catalyst. She adapts to fulfill her intended purpose more effectively.]
Alex blinked."So she's basically leveling up by being around me?"
[Yes.]
"…Terrifying. But cool."
Their spar continued.Minutes later, Alex lay panting on the ground, drenched in sweat. Lilith stood beside him, victorious, breathing lightly—her chest rising and falling in a surprisingly human way.
Her lips curved again.
A small, confident smile.
Definitely a smirk.
Alex groaned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. No need to rub it in… I'm still getting used to this body. I need more training… and definitely more skills."
Lilith stepped closer and extended her hand."Shall we continue, Master?"
Her voice carried the faintest hint of playfulness.
Alex stared at her, then up at the ceiling.
"…She's evolving too fast."
But he took her hand anyway.
Because deep down…
He loved it.