Aric stared at the floating interface in front of him. There were dozens—no, hundreds—of tabs to choose from.
Terraforming. Architecture. Climate Control. Population Simulator.
And one glowing ominously in the corner:
[Summon First Servant – Recommended]
He poked it, half-expecting an explosion.
Instead, the air shimmered and compressed. A magic circle drew itself in radiant gold. Then… a hand emerged.
Delicate. Clawed. Glowing with code.
Then came the voice—smooth, bored, and very, very done.
"Designation: Architect confirmed. You may call me Lysara—Blueprint Soul of Origin Nexus. I will assist you until you inevitably collapse under the weight of your own stupidity."
Aric blinked. "...A pleasure?"
A shimmering woman emerged, dressed in flowing lines of architecture and light, her eyes glowing with pure calculation.
"By the way, you selected the 'Intelligent Personality Add-On' when summoning me. That includes sarcasm."
Aric scratched his head. "I did what?"
"Subconscious wish. You wanted someone to call you out."
"...Well. I do feel oddly seen."
[Meanwhile – Nexus Lobby Event Board]
Back in the World Nexus, players from across galaxies gathered in the colossal Universal Lobby—a city-sized meeting point built from polished starsteel, suspended above swirling space.
Holographic billboards flashed:
[Event Announcement]
First Deathmatch Begins in 5 Minutes
Banana Cult Now Recruiting! "Slip into Salvation!"
New Trading Function: Inter-Realm Auction Now Live
Organization Creation System Unlocked
F-Rank to C+ Rank Lottery Opening Tomorrow
Reward for First Town Establishment: 10,000 System Points + Rare Servant Token
One young man in a frog onesie screamed, "I just bought a dimensional fishing rod!"
Another replied, "Why?"
"TO FISH DIMENSIONAL FISH."
[Back on Planet Genesis – First Blueprint Begins]
Lysara snapped her fingers.
A vast translucent model of a city spiraled into the sky. Floating districts. Energy-efficient wind tunnels. Defense towers disguised as gardens.
"You have one EX Blueprint and full Terraforming rights. I recommend starting with defensive cores, food distribution, and a governance AI system."
Aric crossed his arms. "Nah."
Lysara turned, blinking. "What?"
"I want a pancake fortress. With lava moats. And a dragon-shaped bathhouse."
"…I hate you."
But the system didn't. It chirped.
Design Accepted. Creativity Bonus Applied.
System-Generated Unique Structure Title: The Syrup Citadel
Special Effect: Generates passive morale buff and monthly tourism points.
"Boom," Aric grinned. "Creative stupidity wins again."
Lysara's eye twitched.
[Servant Summoning – Attempt 1]
Servant Slot: Unlimited
Token: 1 Rare Servant Available
Summoning…
A beam of light formed beside him.
Aric raised his hand dramatically. "Come forth, my guardian!"
The light faded…
And a duck appeared.
With sunglasses.
And a gold chain that read: "Driplord."
"...Quack," it said, with menacing dignity.
Aric stared. "...Why."
Lysara muttered, "He's Rare Rank. You got the Dracoduck. Technically has dragon ancestry."
"Does it do anything?"
The duck exhaled.
A jet of blue flame ignited a nearby tree.
"…I stand corrected."
[Lobby – Organization Craze Begins]
Back in the Nexus, everyone was forming guilds, factions, and cults.
"The Banana Cult" now had 500 members.
"Kingdom of Eternal Ramen" was forming an alliance with "Holy Order of Catgirls."
And the top 10 players were listed on the public board.
[TOP 10 DOMINION HOLDERS]
Aric Myles – Planet Holder – Rank EX – "The Syrup Citadel"
Ar'Talon of Krex'Mora – Continent Holder – Rank SS
Mira Elandra – Kingdom Holder – Rank S
Zhao Yi – City Holder – Rank A+
Unknown – Town – Rank ???
6–10: ??? (Hidden)
The mystery player at Rank 5 had no public data—only a name:
"Null."
And somewhere, in a shadowed space between realms, someone was watching Aric very carefully.
End of Chapter 2