Chapter — The March of the Calamity
The sky above the corrupted forest was no longer the same sky that once belonged to the eastern empire.
Dark clouds drifted slowly above the endless canopy of twisted trees, their branches stretching like the fingers of ancient corpses clawing toward the heavens. Mist rolled between the trunks, thick and alive, whispering with the voices of long-dead warriors buried beneath the soil.
And through that sky—
A shadow moved.
Draven.
His wings cut through the air like blades tearing open the horizon.
They were not ordinary wings.
They were formed from dense black shadows and crimson veins of demonic energy that pulsed like living arteries. Each flap released ripples of pressure that made the forest below tremble.
His new armor reflected faint red light from the domain barrier.
A long dark cloak flowed behind him like a banner of war.
Behind him—
An army followed.
The Generals of the Domain
At Draven's right side flew A1.
His transformation after evolution was obvious.
The silver aura that once surrounded him had changed. It was no longer merely the aura of a skilled swordsman.
Now it carried mana circuits woven through it.
His sword floated beside him as if alive.
A Magic Swordsman.
Every movement of his body created small distortions in the air, traces of sword aura and mana blending together.
Behind him were dozens of elite undead knights.
To Draven's left moved B2.
His bow no longer looked ordinary.
The wood had changed color into a dark bluish metal-like material, and runes floated around it.
Arrows of wind formed automatically around his fingers.
An Elemental Archer.
He could fire arrows of lightning, fire, frost, or pure mana without even touching his quiver.
Even the corrupted ravens kept their distance from him.
Floating slightly behind them was C3.
His robe now had patterns of glowing spirit symbols.
The Spirit Wizard had become something far more dangerous than a normal mage.
Small spirit flames danced around him.
Behind him walked the massive Hellflame Bison, now completely loyal.
Its hooves burned the air with molten sparks.
Every step felt like a small volcanic eruption.
Further back—
A massive figure flew using heavy stone wings.
The Gargoyle General.
His new weapon rested on his shoulder.
A gigantic magma battle axe.
The weapon glowed with molten cracks.
Every time he moved, gravity around him warped slightly.
His new powers:
Weight Manipulation
Gravity Control
Petrification War Cry
Even the air seemed afraid of him.
Marching on the ground below was another terrifying unit.
The Blood Lancers.
Rows of undead warriors riding skeletal beasts.
Their crimson spears glowed faintly as they rode through the forest.
Every tree bent away from them.
And walking behind them like a silent shadow—
The Death Knight Samuel.
The former knight commander.
His armor was darker now.
The symbol of the underworld had appeared across his chest plate.
New abilities flowed through his body:
• Death Aura
• Unit Command Authority
• Claw of the Underworld
Every undead soldier instinctively obeyed him.
He had become the general of death itself.
Draven's System Awakens
While flying above them all—
Draven suddenly stopped midair.
A blue interface appeared before his eyes.
The system had finally resumed.
SYSTEM NOTICE
Processing paused rewards…
Reward distribution resumed.
Draven smirked slightly.
"Finally."
The first reward appeared.
Reward 1 — The Domain Model
A small glowing object materialized in front of him.
It slowly floated into his hand.
A miniature model of the corrupted forest.
It was incredibly detailed.
Tiny trees.
Mountains.
The bunker.
Even the barrier.
And something else…
The border town.
Draven's eyes narrowed.
The model even showed moving figures.
People.
Guards.
Buildings.
Smoke from chimneys.
The system explained.
DOMAIN CONTROL RELIC
Authority Tool
Effect:
Changes applied to the model will affect reality if compatible with the user's authority level.
Draven laughed quietly.
"Interesting."
His finger touched a small hill on the model.
The hill shifted slightly.
Miles away in the forest—
The real hill trembled.
Stone cracked.
Trees slid down its slope.
Draven's grin widened.
"A toy worthy of a king."
Reward 2 — The Eggs
Three eggs appeared next.
They floated before him.
Each radiated different energy.
The first egg.
Pitch black.
Covered in small spikes.
Dark energy leaked from its shell.
Even Samuel instinctively looked up.
Something inside that egg was not friendly.
The second egg.
Deep blue.
A shining crystal gem embedded in the shell.
It pulsed with calm mana.
Almost like ocean energy.
The third egg.
Brown with scale patterns.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The aura coming from it felt… primordial.
Like something that belonged to the age of dragons.
Draven stored all three in his domain inventory.
"Let them hatch later."
New Skills
Two glowing symbols entered his body.
Skill acquired
Hypnosis
Allows manipulation of weak-willed targets through eye contact.
Draven chuckled.
"That will be useful in negotiations."
Skill acquired
Telekinesis
Allows manipulation of objects through mental force.
He raised his hand.
A nearby rock lifted from the ground.
Then shattered into dust with a flick of his fingers.
The soldiers below watched silently.
Their king had grown even stronger.
The Ocean Appears
Hours later—
The forest finally ended.
Before them—
The endless ocean.
Blue waves crashed against the shore.
But the sea was not peaceful.
Hundreds of figures stood along the beach.
Massive creatures with scaled skin and webbed limbs.
The Morlocks.
Sea monsters.
Normally hostile.
But today—
They were kneeling.
Their cores resonated with Draven's presence.
The moment he landed on the shore—
Every Morlock lowered its head.
Acknowledging a superior predator.
Meanwhile — Border Town
Far away.
Inside the border town.
Panic had begun spreading.
The adventurer guild hall was nearly empty.
A large map hung on the wall.
Every monster hunting zone near the forest had been marked unavailable.
Because of the barrier.
Adventurers slammed tables in frustration.
"No quests again?!"
"How are we supposed to eat?!"
"Damn that cursed forest!"
The economy was collapsing.
Merchants had stopped arriving.
Caravans avoided the area.
Food prices were rising.
Crime was spreading.
The town was slowly becoming lawless.
Emergency Meeting
Inside the city hall.
Five important figures sat around a large wooden table.
The City Lord
A middle-aged noble with tired eyes.
The Guild Master
A giant man covered in scars.
Saint Steve
Representative of the holy church.
The four noble families of the town.
The atmosphere was tense.
Then—
A soldier burst into the room.
"Report!"
The soldier knelt immediately.
"We found the guard commander's horse."
The room went silent.
The City Lord stood.
"Where?"
"Near the forest road."
"And the commander?"
"…Missing."
Murmurs erupted.
The soldier continued.
"There were blood stains on the saddle."
The guild master clenched his fists.
"And the letter?"
The soldier hesitated.
"The luggage was untouched."
"Food."
"Water."
"Travel gear."
"But…"
The room felt colder.
"The letter to the capital was missing."
Silence fell.
Saint Steve slowly spoke.
"That means…"
The City Lord finished the sentence.
"…The capital never received the warning."
The guild master looked toward the forest.
His voice dropped.
"If the knights from the capital arrive without knowing what happened here…"
He didn't finish.
But everyone understood.
The coming disaster.
Back at the Ocean
Draven stood on a rock overlooking the kneeling Morlocks.
Thousands of glowing monster cores pulsed before him.
The sea wind moved his cloak.
Behind him—
His army waited.
The Monster Kingdom had begun.
And the border town…
Was only the first piece of the world he intended to swallow.
TO BE CONTINUED.....