The rich aroma of roasted meat and natural fat filled the air inside the protective dome. Lyra, the newly synthesized Elven Shadow Sniper, proved to possess extraordinary survival skills. Using her small dagger, she rotated the chunks of boar meat over the campfire until their surface turned a mouth-watering golden brown.
"It is cooked, My Lord," Lyra said politely, offering the largest piece of meat skewered on a clean wooden branch to Orion.
Orion accepted it. The heat radiating from the meat immediately warmed his palms. He took a slow bite. The savory, juicy sensation and the dense texture of the meat instantly exploded in his mouth. It was miles, absolutely miles better than the hardtack from the Novice Pack that tasted like thick cardboard.
Not only was the taste incredible, but Orion also felt a warm stream of energy spread from his stomach throughout his entire body, banishing the fatigue from a full day of chopping wood and mining stone.
[Ding! You consumed Roasted Iron-Fang Boar Meat.] [Stamina recovered by 100%. Obtained temporary buff: +2 Strength for 4 hours.]
"Incredible. Monster meat actually provides recovery effects and stat buffs," Orion muttered. He turned to Kael, who was also eating his portion quickly yet maintaining the etiquette of a disciplined soldier. "Eat up, both of you. Tomorrow, our hunting grounds will be expanded."
"Yes, My Lord," Kael answered in unison with a subtle nod from Lyra.
After a satisfying dinner, Orion stood up and walked toward the center of his territory. The dilapidated wooden shack still stood pathetically in the darkness, but the Territory Core—the diamond-shaped crystal floating in front of it—continued to pulse with a soothing white glow.
He opened the Territory Core interface. It was time to leave this slum behind.
[Territory Core Status] [Current Tier: Level 0 (Shack)] [Upgrade Requirements for Level 1 (Basic Wooden Cabin): 500 Units of Wood, 500 Units of Stone, 1x Basic Magic Crystal.]
Orion smiled faintly. The cost of upgrading the territory was clearly designed to be a milestone that would take ordinary Lords days to achieve. Without advanced mining tools and a powerful army to monopolize the food auction, gathering a thousand units of materials on the first day was an absolute impossibility.
"Upgrade the Territory Core," Orion commanded without hesitation.
[Warning: The territory upgrade will consume 500 Wood, 500 Stone, and 1x Basic Magic Crystal. Proceed?]
"Yes."
Instantly, the materials in Orion's inventory evaporated. The Territory Core in front of him suddenly spun at high speed, shooting a pillar of white light into the night sky, illuminating the surrounding area like a lighthouse beacon.
The ground beneath Orion's feet trembled violently. The dilapidated shack that had been his shelter crumbled into glowing dust. The dust swirled into the air, merging with the new materials supplied by the system, and began to form an entirely new structure.
Thick, polished wooden planks assembled themselves to form sturdy walls. A black stone foundation sank into the earth, providing absolute stability. A roof made of tightly packed wooden shingles covered the top, promising protection from storms and rain.
In just thirty seconds, the slum shack had vanished, replaced by an elegant and incredibly sturdy 10x10 meter wooden cabin.
Simultaneously, the protective dome of light, which previously only had a 50-meter radius, suddenly flickered, expanding rapidly toward the forest before halting at a 100-meter radius, doubling Orion's safe zone.
[Ding! Congratulations, Lord Orion Vance! Your Territory Core has been upgraded to Level 1.] [You are the first Lord in the entire Game of Sovereigns to successfully upgrade a Territory on the First Day!] [Obtained Global Achievement Reward: 1x Treasure Chest (Bronze), 1000 Fame.]
[Global System Notification: Lord 'Orion Vance' has become the first person to upgrade their territory to Level 1! Let us pay our respects to the pioneer of humanity!]
That last notification didn't just appear on Orion's screen; it echoed in the minds of all 8 billion surviving humans on the Endless Continent. Giant golden text scrolled across every Lord's interface, triggering a shockwave that shattered their sanity.
The [World Channel], which required the rare 'World Megaphone' item to post a message, was suddenly flooded by bewildered billionaires and elites from Earth's various factions.
[World Channel] Arthur Pendragon (Lord with a Gold Talent): "What?! My hundreds of subordinates and I just finished gathering 200 wood, how could he gather 500 wood and stone plus a Magic Crystal?!" Li Wei (President of the Dragon Guild): "Orion Vance... Isn't he the guy who sold monster meat in Regional Channel 77-A this afternoon? Find out who he is! I bet he's monopolizing resources!" Isabella (Lord with a Silver Talent): "Lord Orion, please make me your ally! I am willing to be anything for you!"
Orion ignored the uproar in the World Channel. He knew that exposing his name on the first day carried risks, but in a world dictated by absolute power, hiding forever was the mentality of losers. With his Fame and his name at the very top, in the future, when he began recruiting other human Lords, they would kneel willingly.
Orion shifted his attention to the Territory Core, which was now neatly embedded in a stone pedestal in the center of his new cabin.
"My talent is the Forge of Genesis," he thought, touching the crystal. "If I can synthesize tools, troops, and buildings... can I synthesize my own Territory Core to upgrade it from Normal tier to Origin-Grade?"
He attempted to activate his talent on the crystal. However, a system notification flashed red.
[Warning! Synthesis failed. You require a minimum of TWO identical objects (Level 1 Territory Core) to perform Synthesis.]
Orion took a deep breath. His theory and logic were sound. His talent was Synthesis, not just miraculous upgrades out of thin air. He needed two identical objects. Since every Lord was only given one Territory Core, he could not synthesize his own independently.
Orion's smile slowly faded, replaced by an ice-cold glare. The implication of this notification was cruel and absolute.
"To make my Territory Core reach the Mythic or Origin tier, I can't just sit around chopping down trees," he muttered, his voice dripping with dark ambition. "I have to destroy the territories of other Lords. I have to kill them, steal their Territory Cores, and synthesize them with mine."
This world was not a peaceful city-building game. It was a game of cannibalism. To birth a single Absolute Sovereign, billions of others had to be crushed and used as stepping stones.
Knowing this truth, Orion's mentality fully transitioned. He was no longer just an analyst trying to survive; he was a prospective conqueror ready to devour the world.
He pushed the thought aside for a moment and turned to the reward he had just received from the System for breaking the global record. A [Treasure Chest (Bronze)] floated in his inventory.
"Open."
The bronze chest opened with a creak, emitting a blue and green glow.
[Ding! Opening Treasure Chest (Bronze).] [Obtained: 1x Blueprint: Archer Tower (Normal)] [Obtained: 1x Basic Storage Ring (Black Iron)] [Obtained: 100x Gold Coins (Continental Currency)]
Orion took out the plain black iron ring from his inventory and slipped it onto his right index finger. The ring was a spatial relic that granted him an additional 50 emergency inventory slots. It was extremely useful so he wouldn't always have to rely on the system interface.
However, his main attention was drawn to the [Blueprint: Archer Tower].
Its construction requirement was 200 Wood and 200 Stone. He only had 50 Wood and 50 Stone left in his inventory after the cabin upgrade. He couldn't build it tonight, let alone the fact that he needed two towers to synthesize into a Black Iron tier, as per his habit.
"Tomorrow," Orion said, looking toward Lyra and Kael, who stood guard outside the newly built wooden cabin. "Tomorrow, after our Summoning Gateway resets its quota, we will double our troop production. We are going to chop down half this forest and build our defensive perimeter."
The first night on the Endless Continent felt agonizingly long for most people. But for Orion Vance, inside his warm wooden cabin guarded by his two elite subordinates, he slept soundly like an emperor awaiting his golden dawn.