The Weight of an Empty Throne The private corridor leading to the Sovereign’s personal chambers was a long, winding artery of polished black stone, entirely cut off from the rest of the Spire. No guards were stationed here. The security of this hall did not rely on flesh and steel, but on the terrifying reputation of the man who walked it. To the rest of the Obsidian Dynasty, an armed guard outside Lord Vortex’s bedroom would be an insult—as if a god required mortal blades to protect his sleep.Vortex walked with a slow, rhythmic pace, his heavy black robes dragging lightly against the spotless obsidian floor. Half a step behind him, Kai marched in perfect silence, his eyes fixed on the floor slightly ahead of his master’s boots. The fanatical, reverent glow in the young commander’s eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest. If anything, the flawless subjugation of Chieftain Grok had only solidified his belief that Vortex was an omniscient mastermind who held the fate of the entire world

Knowledge is power Standing atop the massive open-air balcony, a genuine, bright smile slowly appeared on Vortex’s face. He leaned his hands against the cool obsidian railing, breathing in the crisp, biting mountain air of the early morning. He had always read about reincarnation in web novels and manga during his boring lunch breaks in his Earth cubicle. To him, those stories had always been just fairy tales—a cheap, entertaining form of escapism designed to help a miserable office worker forget about student loans and corporate deadlines for an hour or two. He had never, in his wildest, most desperate dreams, truly expected that a day would come when he would actually be reincarnated in another world. Everything about his current situation was well... completely unplanned, terrifyingly dangerous, and chaotic. But as he looked out at the sprawling horizon, he couldn't deny that it was sort of amazing. "I guess you really shouldn't expect everything," Vortex murmured softly to h

It would have been significantly more difficult for him to navigate such an overwhelming labyrinth of text, but luckily, each colossal bookshelf had its own distinct description carved neatly into the dark, polished wood plaques at the end of the aisles. They were some bookshelves meant for information on commanding armies and military structures, some for deep mana control and raw energy manipulation, some for dangerous beast taming in the outer fringes, some for dimensional summoning, some for elemental magic, and so on.Vortex was genuinely amazed by the sheer size of the room. He had expected the royal library to be quite big, just like the prestigious public archives or modern university buildings he had seen back on Earth... But he had never thought of seeing such a incredibly spacious room completely filled with millions of leather-bound books from the floor to the vaulted ceiling. It was a literal ocean of ink, an absolute treasure trove that made him feel microscopic in co

The realization dawned on him. If everything here was exactly like it was back on Earth, that meant he was going to have to give something he desperately didn't feel like doing. A speech. Vortex, back when he lived on Earth, absolutely despised giving speeches. He was the kind of guy who avoided speaking up in simple department meetings, preferring to stay invisible in the corner of his cubicle. Though he had never actually gotten the chance to deliver a grand address to a crowd back then, he had always known he would freeze up under the spotlight. But now, his situation was terrifyingly different. He was a freaking leader—the absolute ruler of a dark empire. And as a supreme leader, he needed to stand before thousands and deliver a speech that would sound profoundly inspiring, which was going to be quite troublesome.He let out a sharp, controlled sigh to keep his external facade steady and turned back toward Kai, who was still bowing rigidly on the floor. "Go and get prepared. Al

The Royal Appetite and the Ancient Threshold The transition from night to day within the capital of the Dragon Dynasty was never a subtle affair. The next morning arrived with a sudden, violent brilliance as the sun’s piercing light shattered the horizon, casting crimson and gold rays across the sprawling, jagged stone spires of the kingdom.Inside the royal chambers, Vortex opened his heavy eyes with a slow, agonizing groan. His mind felt like it was trapped in thick mud. Yesterday had been an absolute nightmare of stress and social engineering.To the rest of the world, he was an absolute monarch, a fearless warrior chosen by a primordial deity. But to himself? He was just a regular guy playing the most dangerous game of pretend in history. Not only had he been forced to spout an absurd, over-the-top speech to a courtyard packed with terrifying, scaly killers, but he also had to endure the excruciating torture of royal etiquette. Eating with rigid posture, lifting his golden chali