2026-06-29 00:40:24Xander and Lira descended the stairs side by side, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the concrete void like a death knell for anything that still breathed in that building. The Nexus rookie sword rested on the makeshift belt Xander had fashioned from a strip of curtain. Lira carried her makeshift bow, now reinforced with mana, and a quiver full of arrows they had collected from the destroyed apartments.
The air was heavy. The metallic smell of blood, the acrid odor of alien ichor, and the sweet stench of decaying flesh created an almost suffocating atmosphere. But neither of them complained. They had gone beyond the point of disgust. Now only purpose remained.
"How many more are left?" Lira asked, her voice low and controlled. Her red ponytail swayed with each step, stained with dried blood.
Xander opened the mind map generated byOmniscient AnalysisThe 12-story building appeared as a three-dimensional structure with flashing red dots.
"Twenty-four living monsters. Most are concentrated on the first three floors and the 11th and 12th. The 10th seems to have been transformed into a kind of nest. Let's clear from top to bottom. Better not leave enemies behind us."
Lira nodded. She didn't question it. From the moment he had lifted her chin and laid down the rules, something had changed in her. There was respect. There was attraction to his brute strength and the cold calm he exuded. And, above all, there was the clear realization that following Xander was, at that moment, the best—and perhaps only—chance for survival.
They started on the 12th floor.
The door to the hallway was ajar. As soon as they pushed it open, they were met with a chorus of high-pitched squeals. Four[Spine Rat Alphas – Level 7]and two[Hybrid Drones – Level 8]They had turned the hallway into a slaughterhouse. Bodies of residents—some whom Xander recognized by sight—were hanging from the walls, partially devoured, serving as a source of biomass for the monsters.
"My God..." Lira murmured, her face pale.
Xander did not hesitate.
"I'll go ahead. You stay behind and use Mana Arrow on the targets I mark. Conserve mana."
He moved forward.
His agility of 41 allowed for movements that seemed like blurs. The sword cut through the air with surgical precision, activatingBasic Sword Mastery Level 3The first Alpha lost its head before it could even jump. The second spat spines — Xander spun his body, dodging three and slicing the others in mid-air with his blade.
Lira didn't stand still. She pulled the bowstring. An arrow glowed with bluish mana.
Mana Arrow.
The projectile struck a Hybrid Drone in the eye with explosive force, piercing its skull and exiting through the back of its neck. The creature collapsed with a gurgling cry.
The fight lasted less than ninety seconds.
When the last monster fell, Xander took a deep breath and opened his screen.
[You killed 6 monsters.]
[XP: +1.920][Level increased to 8!]A wave of energy enveloped him. His muscles heated up. He felt the power growing again. Lira also rose to level 6 after the kills.
They continued.
Floor by floor, the pattern repeated itself with brutal variations.
On the 11th floor they found a[Blood Leech Hound Pack Leader – Nível 11]Leading five pups, the creature was larger, with thicker tentacles and a reinforced carapace. Xander fought directly against it while Lira provided long-range support. The leader managed to land a blow that tore Xander's shoulder, but he retaliated with a downward strike charged with rage and mana, slicing the monster from shoulder to hip.
[Level 9]
With each level, Xander felt his body change. His once narrow shoulders broadened. His chest expanded. His presence became more imposing. Lira noticed. Her gazes at him grew longer, more intense.
On the 10th floor, the horror was even greater.
The hallway had been transformed into a nest. Pulsating egg sacs covered the walls, teeming with writhing larval forms. In the center, a[Parasite Queen – Level 13]— a smaller and weaker version of the one that would appear later — protected its offspring.
"That's disgusting," said Lira, swallowing bile.
Xander activatedOmniscient Analysisno maximum.
Weakness: Core at the base of the neck. The eggs explode if punctured. Burn them afterwards.
The fight was the most difficult yet. Queen used long tentacles and spat acid. Xander was hit twice, but his increasing Vitality allowed him to continue fighting. Lira fired arrow after arrow, each infused with mana, targeting the weak points Xander indicated.
When the Queen finally collapsed, letting out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the building, both were exhausted and covered in viscous fluids.
[You killed Parasite Queen (Level 13)]
[XP: +2.850][Level increased to 11!][Lira Voss has leveled up to Level 7!]A special golden screen appeared, just for Xander:
[Discovery of Territorial Mechanics!]
[You can convert apartments or safe areas into "Safe Zones" using Authority Points.][Base cost: 50 Authority Points per small apartment. Effect: Monsters cannot enter. +200% Vitality and Mana regeneration within the zone. Can be expanded later.]Xander blinked, surprised. He didn't even know he possessed Authority Points until now.
He opened a new, invisible tab for Lira.
Authority Points: 180 (earned by being the first to claim territory and by killing initial bosses)
"Interesting…" he murmured. "We can turn my apartment and a few others into safe zones. That will change everything."
They rested for twenty minutes inside a clean apartment. Xander used a Light Recovery Potion he had bought at the Nexus Shop with his accumulated points. Lira sat beside him, her shoulder brushing against his. The contact was deliberate.
"You're changing fast," she said, looking at his arms, now clearly muscular. "Just a few hours ago you were... different. Now it seems like you were born for this."
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Chapter 30: Zone Boss – “Devourer Tyrant” (Level 55) Part 2
He activated Nexus Domain to its greatest extent yet—250 meters. Within the domain, the laws of reality bent violently in his favor. Tentacles were crushed by inverted gravity. His allies' wounds healed in seconds.For nearly fifteen minutes, they dominated the fight.The Tyrant roared in fury as parts of its body were severed and purified by Nexus energy. Xander used Overwrite three times, temporarily rewriting its "Infinite Regeneration" to "Negative Regeneration."But the boss was a Zone Boss for a reason.In a moment of carelessness, as Xander moved in too close to strike the exposed core, the Devourer Tyrant activated Soul Consumption.A dimensional tentacle tore through Xander’s Domain as if it didn't exist and pierced his chest.The pain was indescribable.Xander felt his soul literally being sucked away. His vision darkened. His stats began to drop in real-time. Level 37… 36… 35… The Tyrant laughed as it devoured his essence."WEAK! LITTLE SOVEREIGN! YOU ARE NOTHING!"Lira scr
Chapter 29: Zone Boss – “Devourer Tyrant” (Level 55) Part 1
The Southern District now belonged to the Nexus.Four days after the territorial expansion, the new domain pulsed with frenetic activity. Nearly 400 loyalists worked day and night to integrate the new areas—fortifying secondary walls, converting buildings into Safe Zones, and training in the multiple Basic Training Rooms Xander had created. The title "Lord of the Southern Dominion" granted him a steady increase in Authority Points, and the territory responded to his will like a living organism.But not everything was peaceful.In the heart of the old Southern Industrial Park, a dimensional anomaly had manifested two days after the conquest. A gigantic black-and-purple vortex swirled slowly above an abandoned factory, releasing an oppressive aura that drove even common monsters to flee the region.Xander Voss stood in the makeshift command center—the former city hall building—surrounded by his three closest vassals and his general.He wore only black tactical trousers; his bare torso o
Chapter 28: Conquest of the South District – Part 2
Late in the afternoon, as the final Anchor was planted in the center of the South District — right atop the old City Hall building — a colossal screen appeared solely for Xander, glowing with intense golden light:[Nexus Territory successfully expanded!]Current area: 7.8 km² (South District fully claimed)Current loyal population: 387 (mass recruitment initiated)[Title “Lord of the First Domain” evolving…]New Title: Lord of the Southern Dominion (Stage II)Updated effects:+45% authority over all humans within the territory (previously +25%)+30% to all attributes while within one's own domain+50% efficiency in creating Territorial Laws and QuestsUnlocked “Territorial Decree” (once a week, can impose an absolute law across the entire territory)The larger the controlled territory, the stronger the title becomes. (Next tier: Control of an entire city → “Sovereign of the First City”)Xander felt power surging through his body like a torrent. His attributes rose even further simply
Chapter 27: Conquest of the South District – Part 1
The dawn following the battle against the Void horde painted the sky a blood-red that felt like an omen. Xander Voss stood at the highest point of the southern wall, the cold July wind buffeting his bare torso. His body had become something almost mythic—1.96 meters of dense muscle, shoulders as broad as a titan’s, an abdomen sculpted like plates of living steel, and veins pulsing with visible dimensional energy. The ethereal crown of the System Sovereign slowly rotated above his head, casting golden reflections into his blue-gold eyes.Level 37.The victory against the Void General had been more than just a battle; it had been a statement. His 94 loyal followers now looked upon him as a living god. The Defensive Quest had left permanent marks—the temporary title "Sovereign’s Defender" still granted a +15% boost to all attributes for every participant.Lira, Elena, and Sylas approached from behind. The three women formed a dangerous, magnetic triangle around him.Lira wore her light a
Chapter 26: The Level 30 Horde – Part 2
The horde arrived twenty-seven minutes later.They came like a black avalanche.Thousands of creatures corrupted by Void energy—wolves with hides that resembled holes in space, giant insects with light-warping carapaces, and deformed humanoids that had once been people. At the center, mounted on a colossal six-legged beast known as an Abyssal Behemoth, sat the Void General.The creature stood nearly five meters tall, clad in organic black armor that pulsed like living flesh. A spear of pure, condensed darkness rested in its hand; its eyes were bottomless pits."SURRENDER THE SOVEREIGN!" the General thundered, his voice echoing like a thousand overlapping tones. "THIS WORLD SHALL BE HARVESTED!"The first wave crashed against the wall.The impact was cataclysmic.Monsters scrambled over one another, forming living ramps. The wall shuddered but held firm, bolstered by its runes. Archers and marksmen stationed atop the ramparts fired ceaselessly. Lira was a whirlwind of action—each arrow,
Chapter 25: The Level 30 Horde – Part 1
The night over Nexus Territory was eerily silent.Xander Voss stood atop the southern wall, gazing into the darkness beyond the blue lights that marked the boundaries of his domain. The air held an oppressive weight, as if the world itself were holding its breath. His imposing physique—1.96 meters of dense muscle, bulging veins, and an overwhelming presence—was clad in black-and-gold armor freshly forged by Elena. The ethereal crown of the System Sovereign slowly rotated above his head, casting golden reflections in his eyes.Level 31.The past few days had been a time of consolidation. The territory now housed ninety-four loyal subjects following the arrival of seven more refugees fleeing the Iron Cross. The wall had been reinforced with additional runes. Marcus drilled the soldiers mercilessly. Lira expanded her network of scouts. Elena delved ever deeper into the secrets of the Parasite Queen’s Core.And Sylas "Ghost"... she had integrated herself like a blade honed in the darkness
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