The attendant's gaze remained impassive for a moment longer, as if weighing Lysander's words and the conviction, or perhaps desperation, that underlay them. Then, with a subtle shift in posture, they tapped a command on the holographic interface before them. A soft chime echoed through the hall.
"Indeed, sir," the attendant finally replied, their tone still neutral but now tinged with a hint of professional courtesy. "We have a variety of Lord's Awakening Crystals available. The price varies depending on the batch and the perceived potential within."
A series of holographic images flickered to life above the counter, displaying various crystalline formations. Some were small and cloudy, others larger and radiating a faint inner light. Each displayed a price beneath it, ranging from what looked like a month's worth of his meager earnings to sums that were utterly astronomical.
Lysander's eyes narrowed, scanning the options. Perceived potential? What exactly does that even mean? Some charlatan's guess based on the crystal's shimmer? Or is there some deeper resonance they can detect? He felt a familiar wave of cynicism wash over him. This entire process felt shrouded in a veil of manufactured mystique, designed to prey on the hopes of the desperate.
"What is the standard crystal?" Lysander inquired, gesturing towards one of the more moderately priced options, a palm-sized crystal with a soft, opalescent glow. It still looked exorbitant, a painful sacrifice of his hard-won savings.
"The standard crystal," the attendant explained, their finger hovering over the holographic image, "offers a baseline chance of Awakening. The success rate remains consistent across all crystal types, but the perceived 'potential' often correlates with the… quality… of the Awakening, should it occur. Higher-priced crystals are rumored to have a greater chance of yielding more potent Lord skills or rarer unit affinities."
Rumored, Lysander thought with a wry internal snort. Of course. Nothing concrete. Just enough ambiguity to justify the exorbitant price tags. He knew, deep down, that he couldn't afford to gamble on the most expensive options. His savings were finite, a fragile bulwark against the tide of his uncertain future. If this failed, he would be left with nothing.
He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking back to the cheaper, cloudier crystals. The thought of spending so much for a potentially fruitless endeavor was sickening. But the image of his stagnant life, the endless cycle of drudgery, spurred him on. He had to take this chance.
"I'll take the standard crystal," he said, his voice firm despite the knot of anxiety in his stomach. "The one with the opalescent glow."
The attendant nodded curtly. "Very well, sir. That will be three thousand credits."
Lysander's breath hitched slightly. Three thousand credits. It was a significant sum, almost all he had managed to scrape together. He reached into his inner coat pocket, his fingers brushing against the smooth, cool surface of his identification chip. He swiped it across the payment scanner on the counter. A small beep confirmed the transaction.
The holographic image of the crystal shimmered and then solidified into a physical object. The attendant carefully picked it up and placed it in a small, velvet-lined box, which they then slid across the counter to Lysander.
"The process is simple, sir," the attendant instructed, their tone now purely perfunctory. "Find a designated Awakening chamber. Focus your intent upon the crystal. If you are deemed… compatible… it will merge with you. If not…" They let the sentence hang in the air, the implication clear. Failure meant the shattering of both the crystal and his hopes.
Lysander picked up the box, the weight of it surprisingly substantial in his hand. It felt cold, alien. This small thing holds the potential to change everything, he mused, a strange mix of anticipation and dread swirling within him.
"And the Awakening chambers?" he asked, his gaze sweeping across the hall.
The attendant gestured towards a series of archways lining the far wall, each glowing with a soft, ethereal light. "They are through there, sir. Choose an unoccupied one. May your Awakening be… fruitful." The last word held a hint of something unreadable, perhaps even a sliver of genuine well-wishing in the practiced neutrality.
Lysander nodded curtly, clutching the velvet box tightly. He turned and walked towards the archways, each step feeling heavy with the weight of his decision. He could feel the eyes of a few other hopefuls in the hall tracking his progress. They were all here for the same desperate gamble, their faces etched with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
He selected an unoccupied chamber, the entrance shimmering like heat haze. Taking one last deep breath, Lysander stepped through, the velvet box containing his uncertain future held firmly in his grasp. The cool air within the chamber wrapped around him, and the door shimmered shut behind him, leaving him alone with the crystal and the precipice of his destiny.
The Awakening chamber was a study in minimalist design. Smooth, obsidian-like walls curved gently inwards, meeting a seamless ceiling that pulsed with a soft, ambient light. There were no discernible features, no distractions, only the smooth, cool floor beneath his boots and the pervasive sense of quiet anticipation. Lysander took a slow, deliberate turn, his glacial eyes absorbing every detail. Purpose-built for this singular moment, he mused. A crucible of potential.
Satisfied that there were no hidden mechanisms or unexpected elements, he walked to the very center of the room and settled into a meditative cross-legged position on the floor. He carefully opened the velvet box, his gaze drawn to the opalescent crystal nestled within. It pulsed with a gentle, internal luminescence, a soft beacon in the otherwise muted chamber.
He reached out, his long fingers closing around the smooth, cool surface of the crystal. It felt strangely alive in his hand, a subtle vibration humming against his palm. He lifted it, his gaze unwavering.
"Here we go," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper in the silent room. A nervous flutter danced in his stomach, a stark contrast to the carefully cultivated composure he usually maintained. Hopefully this is worth it. Hopefully this isn't just another fleeting hope destined to crumble into dust.
He closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath. He focused all his intent, every fiber of his being, onto the crystal in his hands. He pushed aside the doubts, the cynicism, the ingrained weariness. All that remained was the singular, burning desire for change, for something more. He pictured the crystal not as a mere object, but as a key, a potential gateway to a different reality. He poured his mental energy into it, a silent plea, a desperate command.
Then, it began.
A faint warmth emanated from the crystal, spreading through his hand like a gentle caress. The internal luminescence intensified, the opalescent glow shifting into a vibrant, swirling vortex of colors he had never witnessed before. It pulsed faster, brighter, drawing his entire focus into its mesmerizing depths.
The warmth intensified, becoming a searing heat that yet didn't burn. It felt… transformative. A tingling sensation spread through his limbs, as if unseen energies were coursing through his veins, rewriting his very being at a fundamental level.
The light from the crystal erupted, a blinding flash that filled the chamber, banishing the soft ambient glow. It was a light that seemed to possess substance, a tangible force that pressed against his closed eyelids.
Outside the chamber, in the main hall of the Awakening Center, startled gasps rippled through the gathered hopefuls and the stoic attendants. A brilliant, otherworldly glow emanated from beneath the door of Lysander's chosen room, bathing the hallway in an ethereal radiance. It pulsed with an intensity that seemed to defy the very structure of the building. Even those on the street outside paused, their gazes drawn to the inexplicable light radiating from the seemingly ordinary building.
Within the chamber, the light continued to intensify, and the crystal in Lysander's hand began to hum with a resonant frequency that vibrated through his bones. He could feel something shifting within him, a profound alteration taking place at a level he couldn't comprehend. The world around him seemed to fade, consumed by the all-encompassing light and the strange, exhilarating power surging through his soul. He was no longer just Lysander Adrian Veilstone. Something new was being born.
The blinding light began to recede, not abruptly, but like the slow fade of a dying star. As his vision cleared, Lysander blinked, his surroundings still bathed in a soft, residual glow. The crystal, moments before a tangible weight in his hand, was gone. There was no trace of it, no dust, no lingering warmth – it had simply… vanished.
A slow smile spread across his lips, a genuine, unrestrained curve that reached his glacial eyes, softening their usual intensity. It had worked. The gamble, the sacrifice, had paid off. He had Awakened.
A strange sense of… completeness… settled within him, an awareness of something new and powerful residing just beneath the surface of his consciousness. It was an intuitive understanding, a silent language spoken not in words but in pure sensation.
The Lord's interface, he thought, the concept arriving fully formed in his mind, unbidden yet instantly familiar. It was like remembering something he had always known, a hidden layer of his being now unlocked.
With a mental command, as natural as blinking, the world around him seemed to subtly shift. Overlaying his vision was a translucent display, shimmering with intricate text and glowing icons. It was a personalized system, tailored to his very essence.
His eyes scanned the information, his sharp intellect instantly processing the flood of data.
[Lysander Adrian Veilstone]
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Homosexual
Lord Rank: 1
Lord Level: 1
Lord Exp: 0 / 1000
Beneath his core information, a series of attributes were displayed, each accompanied by a numerical value:
Constitution: 24
Strength: 24
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 24
Charisma: 24
Those are… surprisingly even, he mused, a flicker of curiosity sparking within him. Are these baseline for all Lords? Or do they reflect something inherent in me?
His gaze then drifted to the designations that now accompanied his name:
Title: The Twilight Ascendant
Moniker: The Veiled One Shrouded in Twilight
Epithet: Veiled in Twilight, where the elements dance in the fairies' gleam, The grave in their shadows, their power a light and seraphs' dream.
A wry smile touched his lips. The Twilight Ascendant… rather dramatic, isn't it? And the epithet… poetic, in a morbid sort of way. It seems the system has a flair for the theatrical. He actually found a strange sense of satisfaction in the titles, a feeling of finally possessing an identity beyond the transient existence he had known.
His attention then snapped to the section that held the most immediate interest: his Lord-specific skills. Three slots were filled, each displaying a name that resonated with a strange, primal power.
[Lord Skills]
Skill 1: Twilight Sovereignty Ascendant (SSS+ Passive)
Skill 2: Whispers of the Infinite Horde (SSS+)
Skill 3: Echoes of Mastery (SSS+)
Skill Name: Astral Concord: Gates of the Boundless (SSS+)
Lysander's breath hitched. SSS+ rank? All of them? That… that can't be right. He reread the names, a whirlwind of disbelief and burgeoning excitement swirling within him. These were not just skills; the 'SSS+' designation pulsed with an aura of immense power, far beyond anything he could have imagined.
He focused on the first skill, Twilight Sovereignty Ascendant, and a detailed description bloomed in his mind
[Skill Name: Twilight Sovereignty Ascendant]
SSS+ Passive Skill: Twilight Sovereignty Ascendant
This skill embodies the Lord's supreme authority over all creatures within their dominion, granting them a myriad of potent abilities and enhancements.
Sub-Skills:
* Unified Subordination: The Lord passively absorbs the innate and learned abilities, skills, and stats of all living subordinates (celestial, infernal, undead, fay, and elemental) under their command. These are permanently added to the Lord's own capabilities at the subordinate's current level and mastery. The Lord's mastery over these acquired skills can grow independently, and their growth is also passively linked to the growth of their subordinates' mastery. The Lord's body will automatically and seamlessly manifest any necessary biological components to utilize these acquired abilities. Subordinate stats are retained as long as the subordinate lives.
* Lord's Authority: All troops, heroes, and subordinates under the Lord's command gain a permanent 100% boost to their production (resource gathering, crafting, etc.) and combat abilities (attack, defense, speed, etc.). The Lord also gains a permanent 100% boost to all forms of resource generation occurring within or for their territory.
* Twilight Aegis: The Lord and all subordinates under their command benefit from an 80% reduction to all forms of damage. They are also rendered completely immune to charm, fear, or any other form of mind-altering or behavioral control without the Lord's explicit consent.
* Ascendant Evolution: The Lord possesses the innate ability to evolve any entity, structure, resource, profession, their own class, or item within their dominion by up to one rank, consuming the necessary resources. This process can be repeated multiple times until the maximum rank is achieved. Each evolution has a 20% chance of triggering a potent mutation, significantly enhancing its strengths beyond the standard evolution.
* Sovereign Economy: The resource costs (for building, upgrading, evolving, researching, and recruiting) and the time required for all such processes within the Lord's dominion are permanently reduced by 50%.
* Fated Dominion: The Lord's inherent luck is increased by 1326%, influencing events in their favor, from resource acquisition to combat outcomes and the chance of mutations during evolution.
* Unbreakable Edicts: The Lord can forge unbreakable contracts and deals. If the terms agreed upon by the other party are not met, the predetermined consequences will automatically be enforced, regardless of external factors or resistance.
* Aura of Twilight Sovereignty: The Lord passively emanates an aura of Twilight Sovereignty, which they can consciously control and retract. This aura has three distinct modes:
* Benevolent Twilight: Radiates kindness, compassion, and inspires loyalty and cooperation in allies.
* Ruthless Twilight: Projects coldness, calculation, and instills fear and obedience in enemies.
* Harmonious Twilight: A balanced blend of benevolence and ruthlessness, capable of inspiring both devotion and dread as needed.
* Twilight Pocket Realm: The Lord possesses a personal pocket dimension that they can cultivate by introducing external elements. Non-sentient or non-animalistic elements brought into this realm become endless resources (plant life, elemental energy, ores, minerals, various types of water, etc.). The dimension can be expanded to accommodate new types of resources. Living beings can survive within this realm. The Lord can create unique keys to this pocket dimension, granting access only to those they
A pocket dimension? Endless resources? The ability to steal the very essence of my subordinates? His mind raced, trying to comprehend the implications. This single skill felt like an entire arsenal of power in itself.
He moved on to the second skill, Whispers of the Infinite Horde, and his jaw dropped.
[Skill Name: Whispers of the Infinite Horde]
Rank: SSS+
Description: This ancient and potent lord skill grants the user the uncanny ability to whisper into the fabric of reality, causing non-sentient entities and items to multiply exponentially. This effect can be applied to a vast array of assets, regardless of their origin, creating seemingly endless abundance.
* Mass Troop Generation: When recruiting troops, the number of units summoned is multiplied by a staggering one hundred thousand (100,000). The resources consumed for recruitment remain equivalent to the cost of summoning the base number of units. For example, a single instance of recruitment intended to yield 10 soldiers will instead manifest 1,000,000 soldiers at the cost of resources for just 10. This multiplication occurs automatically and passively upon the initiation of the summoning process.
* Universal Item Duplication: Any non-living resource (wood, stone, ore, food, mana crystals), item (weapons, tools, building materials, potions, scrolls), summoning card (for creatures, elementals, constructs, etc.), treasure chest (and its contents), or similar non-sentient entity that the Lord possesses or acquires can be instantly multiplied by a factor of ten thousand (10,000). This replication can be performed on items regardless of whether they were produced within the Lord's territory or obtained externally.
Limitations: This skill cannot be used on sentient beings (people, heroes).
Type: Lord Skill (Only one territory lord can possess this skill at any given
The ability to multiply recruited troops by one hundred thousand and any non-sentient item by ten thousand? The sheer scale of it was staggering. An instant army? Limitless resources? This… this is beyond anything I could have conceived.
The third skill, Echoes of Mastery, sent a shiver of potent anticipation down his spine. He focused on it, and a detailed explanation unfolded in his mind:
[Skill Name: Echoes of Mastery]
Rank: SSS+
Description: This extraordinary skill grants the Lord the unparalleled ability to perceive, understand, and permanently replicate the skills and abilities of others with remarkable ease. It also bestows an ultimate form of appraisal, allowing for profound insight into the very essence of beings and objects.
Sub-Skills:
* Effortless Skill Mimicry: By observing a skill or ability in use, or even by analyzing it through their ultimate appraisal, the Lord can instantly and permanently copy it for their own use. This process transcends skill type, rank, and origin (innate, learned, racial, class-specific, etc.). There is no learning curve or training period required; the skill becomes an integral part of the Lord's repertoire immediately upon acquisition.
* Omniscient Appraisal: This is the ultimate form of appraisal granted by Echoes of Mastery. It allows the Lord to perceive the complete information of any target (living or non-living). This includes:
* Complete Skill and Ability List: A comprehensive breakdown of all skills, abilities (passive and active), talents, and traits possessed by a being, including their rank, mastery level, and any unique properties.
* Statitudinal Insight: A detailed understanding of the target's current physical, mental, and spiritual attributes, along with any inherent strengths and weaknesses.
* Origin and Lineage: Information about the target's background, species, ancestry, and any significant events that have shaped their abilities.
* Potential and Limitations: An assessment of the target's future growth potential in their skills and abilities, as well as any inherent limitations they might possess.
* Essence Analysis: For living beings, a glimpse into their core essence, motivations, and even their current emotional state. For objects, an understanding of their composition, history, and any imbued magical properties.
* Lingering Echoes: Once a skill or ability is copied, a faint "echo" of its original user's mastery and nuances remains accessible to the Lord. While the Lord gains the full functionality of the skill instantly, they can delve into these echoes to gain insights into advanced techniques, unique applications, and potential future development paths of that skill. This accelerates their own mastery over the acquired abilities.
* Adaptive Integration: The Lord's body and mind seamlessly integrate any acquired skill or ability. This means they can utilize skills that might normally require specific biological structures, affinities, or training without any impediment. Their inherent adaptability allows for the flawless execution of any copied ability.
* Skill Resonance: When the Lord copies a skill, it subtly resonates with their existing abilities, potentially creating unexpected synergies and unlocking new applications or enhanced versions of their own powers. This passive interaction can lead to unique and powerful combinations of skills.
Effortless Skill Mimicry, Omniscient Appraisal, Lingering Echoes, Adaptive Integration, and Skill Resonance.
To learn anything, simply by observing it? To know everything about a person or object? This is… terrifyingly powerful. The implications of this skill were staggering. He could potentially learn any skill, any ability, from anyone he encountered. The concept was dizzying, the possibilities limitless.
Lysander leaned back against the cool wall, a bemused smile spreading across his face. He had hoped for something… useful. He had received something that felt almost godlike. The weight of his previous life, the years of struggle and uncertainty, seemed to lift slightly, replaced by a burgeoning sense of possibility and a hint of something far more dangerous: ambition.
He still had much to learn, much to understand about this new reality. But one thing was certain. Lysander Adrian Veilstone was no more. The Twilight Ascendant had arrived. And the world, or perhaps worlds, would soon know his name.