The first rays of dawn bled across the ruined valley, staining the sky in hues of crimson and gold.
Ethan stood at the peak of Broken Fang Fortress, overlooking the lands below. The shattered fields. The broken cities. The wild, unclaimed territories.
All of it would be his.
He flexed his hand, feeling the surge of new power humming under his skin — the result of the Ritual and the successful capture of the Dungeon Core.
Behind him, Lyra approached, wrapped in a simple cloak. Her silver hair caught the morning light, making her look almost ethereal.
"You're ready," she said softly.
Ethan smiled without turning.
"I was born ready."
He lifted his arm — and the Dungeon Core embedded above the fortress gates pulsed with power.
A great bell sounded.
A deep, resonant boom that rolled across the land like thunder, waking the sleeping wilderness.
[System Notice: Proclamation Initiated.]
[New Faction Created: Dominion of Eros.]
[All nearby factions and entities alerted.]
[Warning: Founding a Dominion will attract hostile challengers.]
Far across the wildlands, ancient beasts stirred.
Warlords, rogue mages, dungeon lords, and even wandering gods turned their gaze toward the new, audacious signal.
A single thought resonated in the minds of all who sensed it:
A new power rises.
And with it, opportunity... and bloodshed.
Back at the fortress, Ethan lowered his arm.
A shimmering golden banner now flew above the ruins — a sigil of a crowned serpent devouring the stars.
His emblem.
His dominion.
Lyra came to stand beside him.
"Now comes the hard part," she murmured. "Keeping it."
Ethan chuckled, low and dangerous.
"Let them come."
They didn't have to wait long.
Barely an hour after the proclamation, the fortress scouts — simple spirits and lesser constructs Ethan had summoned — sounded the alarm.
Lyra tensed, her hand falling to her dagger.
Ethan drew his black saber, calm and smiling.
At the edge of the valley, a figure approached.
He moved like a storm wrapped in human skin, his armor fashioned from the bones of fallen beasts, his spear trailing wisps of dark magic.
The man's presence twisted the air around him.
Even the winds seemed to shy away.
[Challenger Detected: Valen the Butcher King - Lv. 25]
Rogue Warlord.
Affiliation: None.
Known for: Slaughtering minor dungeons to absorb their cores.
[Danger Level: HIGH]
Lyra hissed under her breath.
"I've heard of him. He's insane. Kills not just enemies, but allies. Whole towns slaughtered just because they didn't kneel fast enough."
Ethan's grin widened.
"Perfect first example, then."
He stepped forward, his cloak billowing behind him like the wings of a fallen god.
Valen reached the broken gates, his crimson eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
"You the fool who thinks he can claim these dead lands?" he roared, voice like a hammer striking iron.
Ethan stopped at the top of the stairs leading down from the gates.
He rested his saber casually against his shoulder.
"I'm not claiming," he said, voice carrying across the field.
"I'm taking."
Valen laughed, a deep, ugly sound.
"Big words from a pup! I'll break you, feed your bones to my hounds, and piss on your ruins!"
Without waiting for a reply, Valen charged, his black spear glowing with death magic.
The ground cracked under his feet.
The world seemed to shrink to a single, brutal line.
Ethan moved like a shadow freed from its master.
Their weapons clashed with a sound like the sky tearing open.
Valen was strong. Brutally strong. Every blow of his spear carried the force to crush a boulder.
But he was also predictable.
Ethan ducked, twisted, sidestepped with uncanny precision, the Boundless System feeding him real-time analysis of Valen's movements.
[Combat Mode: ACTIVE]
Speed Boost: +30%
Reaction Time Enhancement: +40%
[Skill Activated: Phantom Step]
To Valen, it must have seemed like Ethan was teleporting — here one moment, gone the next.
The Butcher King snarled, magic flaring wildly around him.
"Stand still, you little—!"
Too late.
Ethan slid inside his guard, ducking a wild swing, and slashed across Valen's thigh.
Blood sprayed.
Valen bellowed in rage and pain, swinging in retaliation — but Ethan was already gone, dancing away like a phantom.
Lyra watched from the gate, her heart pounding.
She had never seen anyone move like that.
Not even the highlords of the old kingdoms.
This wasn't just a man.
It was the beginning of something unstoppable.
Valen roared, the ground shuddering as he unleashed a shockwave of black magic.
Ethan skidded back, planting his saber in the ground to steady himself.
The air grew heavy.
Valen grinned savagely, dark magic pouring from his body.
"You're good, kid. Real good," he rasped. "But not good enough."
From the swirling darkness around him, three spectral hounds formed — twisted, half-rotted things with burning eyes and snapping jaws.
They lunged.
Ethan exhaled slowly.
The System offered options — calculated paths of survival.
But Ethan didn't want to just survive.
He wanted to dominate.
He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.
And let go.
The power of the Dungeon Core flared within him — wild, pure, untamed.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, glowing golden lines spreading outward.
The spectral hounds froze mid-lunge, whimpering.
Valen's grin faltered.
"What the hell—?"
Ethan's eyes snapped open.
They blazed with golden fire.
[New Skill Unlocked: Dominion Pulse]
Emits a shockwave of pure Dominion energy.
Stuns enemies and suppresses magic for 10 seconds.
[Cooldown: 5 minutes]
The pulse exploded outward.
The spectral hounds shattered into smoke.
Valen stumbled, dropping to one knee, his spear cracking under the force.
Ethan was on him in a heartbeat.
He kicked the broken weapon aside and grabbed Valen by the throat, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
The Butcher King struggled, snarling, his legs kicking.
Ethan leaned in close, his voice a soft, lethal whisper.
"Welcome to the new world, old king."
With a savage twist, he drove his saber into Valen's heart.
The Butcher King shuddered once — and then was still.
Ethan dropped the corpse without ceremony.
[Challenger Defeated: Valen the Butcher King!]
[EXP Gained!][Level Up: Lv. 14 → Lv. 18]
[Loot Acquired:]
Bloodforged Spear (Epic)
Skullplate Armor (Rare)
Dark Beast Core (Rare)
Lyra approached slowly, her boots crunching on the broken stones.
She looked down at Valen's broken body, then at Ethan.
"You killed him like he was nothing," she said softly.
Ethan shrugged.
"He was nothing."
He turned back toward the fortress, already issuing silent commands through the System.
Rebuild defenses.
Expand constructs.
Fortify the Core.
This was just the beginning.
Lyra followed him, heart pounding.
She could feel it in the air.
The old world was dying.
A new dominion was rising.
And at its heart stood a man who bowed to nothing — and no one.
As they crossed the threshold of the fortress, the Dungeon Core pulsed again, responding to their victory.
A new notification appeared before Ethan's eyes.
[New Milestone Achieved: First Blood of Dominion.]
[Reward:]
Sub-Dungeon Unlocked.
Access to Resource Extraction Nodes.
"Summon Elite Guardian" Option Unlocked.
Ethan smiled, a dark and hungry thing.
An empire was not built in a day.
But it could be forged in blood.
And he was just getting started.