CHAPTER 5 — Authority Ascension
The forest was silent.
Not peaceful… not calm…
Silent in the way battlefields fall silent after slaughter.
Draven stood at the edge of the Red Zone, chest rising heavily, breath ragged, blood dripping from his leg in a slow crimson trail behind him.
The ground was torn apart.
Claw marks… shattered bark… frozen earth… and corpses.
Dozens of them.
Mutated wolves.
Venom-fang boars.
A split-jaw panther.
And among them…
One body that did not belong to chaos.
A creature of elegance even in death.
A Frost Deer.
Its antlers were crystalline, glowing faintly blue even as its life faded. Frost still clung to its fur, chilling the air around it.
Draven stared at it.
"…You almost killed me."
His voice was hoarse, but amused.
His left arm was numb from frostbite. His ribs still ached from the beast's charge. If not for the Manipulator System stabilizing his vitals mid-battle…
He would've died.
He grabbed the rope binding the hunted beasts together.
Then dragged them.
Slowly.
Step by step.
Blood staining the leaves behind him.
Return to the Bunker
The hidden bunker door opened the moment he stepped into the Safe Zone.
The forest itself obeyed him.
No creature dared cross the invisible boundary.
Inside, the cold mechanical hum of the bunker welcomed him like an old ally.
Draven dropped the bodies near the sacrificial chamber entrance.
He leaned against the wall for a moment…
Breathing.
Smiling faintly.
"…I survived."
Not relief.
Satisfaction.
Because survival meant power.
And power meant progress.
He grabbed the Frost Deer corpse first and dragged it inside.
The sacrificial chamber door sealed behind him with a deep metallic echo.
The Sacrifice Begins
The chamber was dim.
Only the central altar glowed — veins of dark crimson light pulsing through the stone like a living heart.
Draven threw the Frost Deer onto the altar.
Then the rest followed.
The system activated instantly.
[Sacrificial Targets Detected]
[Rare Beast — Frost Deer]
[Mutated Beasts — 17]
[Total Energy Yield: High]
Draven smirked.
"High… huh?"
He placed his hand on the altar.
The stigma on his back ignited.
Dark tendrils spread from his palm into the corpses.
The chamber trembled.
Then—
They were consumed.
Not burned.
Not dissolved.
Absorbed.
As if reality itself swallowed them.
Notification Storm
The moment the last body vanished—
The system exploded with alerts.
[Authority EXP + Massive Increase]
[Rare Core Acquired — Frost Deer]
[Cold Resistance Gained]
[Frost Affinity Unlocked]
[New Crafting Materials Added]
[Sacrificial Authority Rising…]
Draven's eyes widened slightly.
Then—
[Authority Level Up]
Authority 1 → Authority 2
A shockwave burst from his body.
The stigma on his back flared violently, glowing through his torn clothes.
Pain followed.
Sharp.
Deep.
As if his spine was being rewritten.
He dropped to one knee but didn't scream.
He endured it.
Because he knew—
This pain was evolution.
System Expansion
New panels opened before his eyes.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
He stood slowly, staring at them like a king reviewing new territories.
Unlocked Panels
Advanced Manipulation
Puppet Creation
Expanded Familiar Control
Bunker Fortification II
Authority Shop
Lucky Draw
Domain Influence (Locked)
Draven chuckled softly.
"…Now we're talking."
The Frost Core Decision
A glowing blue crystal floated before him.
The Frost Deer Core.
Pure elemental essence.
The system prompted:
[Absorb for Stat Boost]
[Craft Artifact]
[Create Skill / Entity]
Draven's eyes sharpened.
"Skill creation…"
That option intrigued him most.
Because skills scaled with intelligence — not just power.
He grabbed the core.
Cold surged into his palm instantly.
Frost crawled up his arm…
But his stigma burned hotter.
Darkness and frost clashed violently.
He forced his will into the core.
"I don't want raw power…"
"I want utility."
The crystal cracked.
Reshaping.
Rewriting.
The system processed his intent.
Skill Creation
Light and darkness fused.
Wood particles formed from thin air.
Then assembled.
Carving…
Shaping…
Until—
A figure stood before him.
A wooden humanoid.
Same height.
Same build.
Same face.
Draven stared at it.
"…A puppet."
System confirmed:
[New Skill Created — Puppet Avatar]
Type: Authority Construct
Material: Adaptive Spirit Wood
Functions:
Obeys all commands
Can operate independently
Shares sensory data
Stat growth possible
Learning speed: 3× Draven's adaptation rate
Can fight, scout, infiltrate
Draven walked around it slowly.
It looked exactly like him.
But hollow.
Soulless.
Perfect.
He tapped its chest.
Solid.
"Useful…"
He imagined scenarios instantly:
Sending puppet into danger first
Using it as a decoy
Infiltrating cities
Faking death
He grinned.
"Yeah… I like this one."
Authority Shop
A new panel opened.
Massive.
Categorized.
Bunker Upgrades
Reinforced Walls
Automated Defense Turrets
Hidden Traps
Magic Barriers
Surveillance Nodes
Food & Luxury
Cooked Meals
Alcohol
Energy Drinks
Processed Snacks
Exotic Dishes
Tech (Previous World Imports)
Firearms (Locked)
Surveillance Cameras
Motion Sensors
Communication Devices
Weapons & Armory
Steel Blades
Crossbows
Enchanted Arrows
Armor Sets
Draven whistled softly.
"I can literally industrialize this bunker…"
But he restrained himself.
Authority Points were limited.
Spending blindly would be stupid.
He prioritized strategy.
Safe Zone Fortification
He selected upgrades:
Perimeter Barricades
Hidden Spike Traps
Alarm Runes
Camouflage Field
Outside, the Safe Zone transformed instantly.
Wooden barricades rose from the ground.
Spike pits formed beneath leaf cover.
Runes etched themselves into trees.
The bunker entrance became nearly invisible.
Draven nodded approvingly.
"Now we're secure."
Lucky Draw Panel
Then his eyes fell on something…
A glowing golden tab.
Lucky Draw
He opened it.
System Description
Minimum Rewards: 2
Maximum Rewards: 5
Reward Pool: Unlimited
Includes: Skills, Weapons, Artifacts, Materials, Entities, Bunker Upgrades, Rare Items.
Draven exhaled slowly.
"Gacha system… seriously?"
He laughed.
Even in another world, gambling mechanics existed.
He had enough Authority Points for one draw.
He hovered his finger over the button.
Paused.
"…Not yet."
Luck was valuable.
He'd use it when stakes were higher.
He closed the panel.
But the temptation lingered.
Injury & Recovery
Only now did exhaustion hit.
His leg trembled.
Blood still dripped.
He walked into the Blood Spring Chamber.
The crimson pool glowed gently.
He stepped in.
Instant warmth.
The liquid crawled over his wounds like living medicine.
Flesh knitted.
Bruises faded.
Frostbite vanished.
He leaned back, relaxing.
"…This place is broken."
A bunker that heals.
Shops that supply food.
Systems that grant power.
It was less a base…
More a throne in the making.
Familiar Expansion
A new sub-panel blinked.
Familiar Evolution Available
Current familiars:
Cursed Centipede — Heart Binding Parasite
Surveillance Crows — Outdoor Recon
Web Spiders — Indoor Monitoring
New unlocks included:
Venom Wasps — Assassination
Bone Leeches — Corpse Control
Shadow Moths — Night Surveillance
Plague Ants — Area Devastation
Draven's eyes gleamed.
"An intelligence network…"
Perfect for manipulation.
He deployed more spiders into bunker vents.
Sent crows toward the forest canopy.
Expanded surveillance radius.
Now nothing could approach unnoticed.
Outside — Movement Detected
Hours later.
Night fell.
The forest shifted.
And Draven's crow familiar saw them first.
Adventurer Party
Five figures entered the Green Zone.
A sword user
A shield bearer
A mage
An archer
A healer
Standard formation.
They carried guild insignia.
Their target: monster subjugation quest.
They laughed casually…
Unaware they were already being watched.
Draven observed through crow vision.
"…So the world comes to me."
He didn't move yet.
He studied.
Analyzed.
Learning their combat patterns from afar.
A Second Presence
Then—
Another signal.
Different.
Silent.
A lone figure.
Black robes.
Face hidden.
Moving through the forest carefully.
Avoiding monsters.
Avoiding adventurers.
Avoiding detection.
But not avoiding Draven.
Because spiders watched the ground…
And crows watched the sky.
The robed figure stopped briefly.
As if sensing something.
Draven narrowed his eyes.
"…You're not normal."
The man carried no guild insignia.
No visible weapons.
Yet the forest itself reacted to him uneasily.
Even beasts avoided his path.
Draven smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
Two new variables had entered his domain.
Adventurers.
And a shadow.
Strategic Thought
Draven leaned back in his chair inside the bunker command room.
Options formed in his mind:
Test puppet against adventurers
Capture one for sacrifice
Infect them with centipede familiars
Track the robed man
He didn't rush.
Because manipulation required patience.
"…Let them walk deeper."
He released the puppet avatar.
It opened its eyes.
Awaiting orders.
"Scout the Green Zone."
It bowed slightly.
Then left the bunker.
Silent as a ghost.
Ending Scene — Rising Authority
Back in the sacrificial chamber…
The stigma on Draven's back pulsed again.
Authority Level 2 had stabilized.
But something else stirred.
A new message appeared.
[Next Authority Evolution Requirement]
Sacrifice Intelligent Beings — 3
Establish External Influence
Expand Domain Control
Draven read it quietly.
Then smiled.
Not shocked.
Not hesitant.
Just thoughtful.
"Intelligent beings…"
His crow familiar showed the adventurer party setting up camp.
Five targets.
Perfect candidates.
He stood.
Walked toward the bunker exit.
Eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
"…Let's hunt something smarter this time."
Outside—
The forest wind howled.
And far away…
The black-robed figure stopped walking.
As if sensing a predator had awakened.
End of Chapter 5