POV: Liam
The bedroom, which only moments ago felt like a stagnant tomb, was now the epicenter of a swirling, ethereal storm. A thick, pearlescent white fog bled from the system screen, swallowing the tattered rug and the moth-eaten curtains. It wasn't just mist; it felt heavy, charged with a primal energy that made the very air hum against my skin.
As I sat small and frail on the oversized bed, three silhouettes began to coalesce within the haze. They grew taller, sharper, and more imposing with every passing second. The silver fog began to dissipate, retreating like a tide, and revealing the trio that would become my sword and my shield in this treacherous world.
Standing to the left was a man who looked like he had been forged in the fires of a thousand wars. He was middle-aged, his face a map of jagged scars and weathered wisdom. He wore crimson war armor that seemed to pulse with a faint, bloody light, and in his hand, he gripped a spear so long it nearly touched the ceiling—its tip stained a permanent, dark rust.
To his right stood a woman who radiated a lethal, predatory grace. She was a demi-human, her lithe frame draped in obsidian cultivation robes. Two sleek, black horns curved elegantly from her forehead, and patches of shimmering scales traced the line of her jaw and neck, glinting like diamonds in the dim light. Her golden eyes were slitted, reminiscent of a dragon's, cold and unwavering.
And then, nestled between them on the floor, was a small, snowy creature that looked entirely too innocent for this grim room. A young, nine-tailed white fox. Its fur was like spun silk, and its nine tails swayed behind it in a mesmerizing, rhythmic dance.
Before I could even draw a breath to speak, all three of them dropped to their knees in a synchronized display of absolute submission. Simultaneously, translucent windows ignited above their heads, displaying their hidden truths to my eyes only.
The Warlord's stats flickered into view:
[Name: Not Given Yet]
[Title: Genius Warlord, Supreme General of the Bloodthirsty Army]
[Age: 60 Years Old]
[Cultivation Qi: Fifth Stage - 4th Level Mind Palace]
[Cultivation Body: Third Stage - 3rd Level Bone Refining]
[Skills: Spear Master Lv.8, Berserker Lv.9, Martial Arts Lv.5]
My heart hammered. A Fifth Stage cultivator? In this backwater city, he was essentially a god. Then, I looked at the woman:
[Name: Not Given Yet]
[Title: Demi-Dragon Shadow Guard, Genius Assassin, Leader of Shadow Guards]
[Age: 28 Years Old]
[Cultivation Qi: Second Stage - 4th Level Qi Gathering]
[Cultivation Body: Fifth Stage - 4th Level Body Forging]
[Skills: Martial Arts Lv.8, Assassin Lv.9, Dagger Master Lv.9, Beast Language Lv.8]
A Fifth Stage Body cultivator. She was a living weapon, capable of tearing through steel with her bare hands. Finally, the little fox:
[Name: Not Given Yet]
[Title: Divine Beast]
[Age: 1 Year Old]
[Cultivation Qi: First Stage - 2nd Level Body Refining]
[Skills: None]
The air in the room felt different now—thicker, safer. I took a deep breath, trying to modulate my high-pitched voice to sound as authoritative as possible.
"Hi... it's nice to meet you all," I began, my voice small but steady. "Please, stand up. I am Liam. It is my pleasure to have you here."
They rose as one, but none dared to meet my eyes directly. Their heads remained bowed in a gesture of profound reverence. The armored man stepped forward, his voice a deep, gravelly rumble that seemed to vibrate the floorboards.
"Your words are our commands, my Lord. We exist only to serve your will. We possess no names of our own in this world; we ask that you bestow them upon us as you see fit."
The woman and the fox nodded in silent agreement. I looked at the old soldier, his presence reminding me of a mythological god of war.
"Then, I shall call you Thor," I decided. It was a name that carried the weight of thunder.
The man—Thor—let out a breath, a wide, genuine smile breaking through his stern expression. "Thor... I accept this honor with my life, my Lord."
I turned to the demi-human woman and the tiny divine beast. "And what about you two? Any preferences?"
"Please, name us anything you wish, my Lord," the woman replied, her voice like silk over unsheathed steel. The fox let out a soft yip, its nine tails wagging with frantic expectation.
"Hmm... for you, the shadow of my path, your name shall be Ren. And for our little friend here... Kurma."
"Thank you, my Lord," Ren said, her slitted eyes glowing with a brief flash of joy. Kurma, meanwhile, began jumping around my feet in a blur of white fur, his tails tangling in his excitement.
I sat back on the bed, watching them. The weight of the situation finally started to sink in. "Now, tell me the truth. Why do you call me 'Lord'? How did you come to be in this place?"
Thor looked genuinely confused, as if the answer should have been as obvious as the sun in the sky. "Because you are our Lord, and we are your shadows. We are your loyal servants, bound to your soul. Our origin is irrelevant; our purpose is you. Please, ask us for anything—your enemies' heads, the fall of kingdoms—anything."
Ren stepped closer, her movements silent as a ghost. "We have always been by your side in spirit, Lord. We are loyal only to you. No emperor, no god, no law stands above your word in our hearts."
I leaned my head against the bedpost, my mind racing. The system had clearly hardwired this loyalty into them. This wasn't just service; it was a religious devotion. It was exactly what I needed. In a mansion full of spies like Old Zhu and greedy guards, I finally had a foundation that wouldn't crumble.
'I have to be careful,' I thought, my gaze flickering to the closed door. 'If the world finds out I have Fifth Stage cultivators at the age of four, the Emperor won't just ignore me—he'll destroy me. I need to grow my power in the shadows before I turn fifteen. That's the year of the marriage... the year the original Liam's execution began to take shape.'
I looked at Ren. "Ren, you are a leader of assassins. You know how to take the discarded and turn them into ghosts, don't you? I want you to scour this State. Find the orphans, the forgotten, those with nothing to lose but a spark of potential. I want you to build me a shadow guard."
Ren knelt instantly, her golden eyes burning with a terrifying intensity. "My Lord, it would be my greatest honor. Using the secret techniques of the Demi-Dragon Clan, I can promise you this: within five years, I will deliver two hundred Shadow Guards at the Fifth Body Stage. They will be more than soldiers; they will be extensions of your will. No one will ever dare to breathe a word against you in the darkness."
Two hundred? My brothers, the "geniuses" of the capital, struggled to maintain thirty cultivators of that level. My heart leapt.
"Good. I am counting on you, Ren. And Thor..." I turned to the Warlord. "This State is a lawless wasteland. It's crawling with bandits, mercenaries, and underground syndicates. To the Emperor, this is a dumping ground. To me, it's a recruitment center. You are a genius warlord. I want you to take control of every underground organization in this territory. Build me an army."
Thor let out a booming laugh, his hand gripping the shaft of his bloody spear so hard the wood groaned. "Of course, my Lord! Give me four years—no more. I will bring the entire underground community to its knees. I will forge for you an unstoppable force... the Bloodthirsty Army! We will be the nightmare that keeps the Empire awake at night!"
Ren's eyes narrowed, her scales bristling. "Liar! Lord, do not listen to this old brute's boasting! Give me two years, and my Shadow Guards will be the finest force to ever walk this earth. We don't need a noisy army when a single blade in the night can achieve more!"
Thor's smile vanished, replaced by a dark, crimson mist that began to radiate from his armor. "What did you say, you overgrown lizard? My army will crush empires while your 'ghosts' are still sharpening their toothpicks! Lord, give me a year, and I will place the Emperor's throne at your feet as a footstool!"
The room's temperature seemed to drop as the two powerhouses locked eyes.
"Hmph!" Ren sneered, her hand resting on the hilt of a dagger that hadn't been there a second ago. "You and what army, you lowly human? Know your place! You get excited over a mere empire? Lord, ignore this pathetic monkey. I will make you the ruler of this entire world. Just trust in my shadows!"
Thor's skin turned a deep, angry red, his Berserker aura beginning to flare. "Monkeys? You arrogant lizard! All you can produce are low-level rats who use underhanded tricks! Lord, I, Thor, the Supreme General, never lie! I will make you the ruler of the universe! Every star will bow to your name!"
"Monkeys love to brag!" Ren hissed, her body coiled like a spring. "I could end your life before you even have time to blink!"
Kurma, sensing the tension, stood up on his hind legs and let out a series of angry, sharp "Squeak! Squeak!" noises, seemingly offended that he wasn't being included in the promise of world domination.
I stared at the trio—a legendary warlord, a demi-dragon assassin, and a divine fox—all arguing like children over who could give me more power. I didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity or cry at the sheer chaos of it all.
"Enough," I said, though I couldn't hide the small, hopeful smile tugging at my lips.
The room went silent instantly. They dropped back into their kneeling positions, their heads bowed low.
"We have a long road ahead," I whispered, looking at my small hands. "But for the first time... I think I'm going to enjoy rewriting this story
."
I lay back on the bed, exhausted but satisfied. The cannon fodder was gone. The Ruler was just getting started.
Latest Chapter
99
While Doynes had spoken those words with casual confidence, the truth was far more complex: reverse-ether manipulation was not a skill just anyone could pick up through simple determination. Those capable of channeling reverse-ether were almost exclusively individuals born with freakish, innate talent or rare, divine blessings stamped into their very bloodline. Elona lacked the natural constitutional alignment to harness reverse-ether natively, but looking at her determined expression, Doynes felt entirely secure in his own capabilities. If anyone had the knowledge and skill to guide her toward bridging that gap, it was him."I can teach you the core principles and share what I know," Doynes offered with a faint smirk. "Whether you actually succeed in mastering it, however, will depend entirely on your own discipline and raw talent."Elona's face lit up with fierce determination. "I will dedicate myself to it completely. I won't let you down."Doynes chuckled, turning his attention bac
98
Stepping forward past the murmuring crowd, Elona approached Doynes, offering an apologetic, solemn bow of her head. "Please accept my sincerest apologies for my retainer's disgraceful behavior, young master Argent. I give you my absolute word that I will take strict disciplinary measures to ensure such an embarrassing incident is never repeated."Doynes cast a final, blistering glare down at the bleeding guard. "See that you do. It would save everyone a lot of unnecessary bloodshed."Mars, meanwhile, was silently burning up with a toxic mixture of white-hot fury and utter humiliation. He was a trained, sworn protector—a warrior of substance—yet here he lay, completely dismantled and disgraced by a mere teenager right in front of his master, forcing Lady Elona herself to offer apologies on his behalf. Blinded by wounded pride and uncontrollable rage, Mars let out an animalistic roar, yanked his broadsword violently from its scabbard, and lunged forward in a reckless, blind-side assault.
97
When Mars’s gaze dropped downward and caught the distinct family crest gleaming proudly upon Doynes's left chest, the blood drained entirely from the guard's face. The realization struck him like a thunderbolt: the teenager standing before him belonged to the fearsome House Argent.Instantly, all the defiance drained out of Mars, replaced by a cold wave of dread. His knees nearly buckled, and his voice dropped an octave into a desperate, trembling register. "F-Forgive me, young master... This is merely a private misunderstanding concerning Lady Elona. There is truly no need for you to involve yourself in such trivial matters."Ignoring the groveling guard entirely, Doynes closed the distance in a blur of motion, stepping protectively in front of Endroma. He reached out, gently checking Endroma's arms and shoulders. "Are you alright, End? Did this piece of trash manage to hurt you or scare you in any way?"Both Elona and Mars stared at the interaction with a mix of shock and bewildermen
96
All around the perimeter of the main castle, auxiliary observation towers rose proudly toward the sky, pulsating with a rhythmic, luminous glow. Even from a distance, Doynes could distinctly feel the thick, concentrated density of the ether radiating outward from those arcane spires."Good grief..." Doynes murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowing slightly as he analyzed the ambient currents. "The ether concentration leaking out of those structures is practically nipping at the heels of a semi-special-class mage..."Before Doynes could finish his thought, a sudden burst of restless energy overtook Endroma. Without warning, the young elf broke into a light, joyful sprint, his silver-blonde hair catching the sunlight like spun glass. Caught completely off guard by the sudden movement, Doynes blinked, standing frozen for a split second before shaking his head with an indulgent, fond smile and chasing after him. Endroma was running freely, fueled by a surge of unadulterated excitement,
95
The sprawling administrative procedures and initial threshold formalities had finally drawn to a close, marking the official beginning of their journey. Doynes and Endroma stepped side by side across the polished marble flooring, diving straight into the sprawling labyrinth of the legendary wizard tower. Every corridor hummed with an invisible, ancient resonance, vibrating with the collective concentration of hundreds of elite practitioners striving to grasp the fundamental secrets of the cosmos."Isn't this place just breathtakingly beautiful?" Endroma whispered softly, tilting his head upward to gaze at the soaring vaulted ceilings where shimmering constellations of magical energy drifted like slow-moving fireflies.Doynes glanced sideways, a gentle, softening warmth touching his usually sharp golden eyes. "Yes, it truly is magnificent. But to be entirely honest, the one thing making this place genuinely beautiful is right here beside me."At the unexpected compliment, a violent, cri
94
Doynes shrugged nonchalantly. "So what if he can? I might not have been born with two overpowered innate techniques like you, but I'm still more than strong enough."Realizing he was losing his temper over a teenager, Blade let out a long sigh, sank back down into his seat, and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Fine. The vajra you hold... it truly is as unique as mine."Herry cleared his throat to break the lingering tension. "Alright, enough idle chatter for one day. Doynes Argent, would you be so kind as to explain your vajra to us and perhaps give us a live demonstration?"Doynes clasped his hands together casually. "My vajra is a summon-type ability that I call the 'Ten Sacred Treasures'."Inside his mind, Blade smiled inwardly, thinking, 'Show me your true power so I can copy every single piece of it.'Doynes quickly formed a precise hand seal shaped like a wolf's head. "Divine Wolves." Instantly, two massive wolves materialized out of thin air—one stark white, the other pitch b
You may also like

System Blessing For The Poor Son-in-law
Pein49.6K views
God of System Analysis
NFA82.6K views
U.L.S: Rise of HAKHAMANESH
Erfan_Sh27.3K views
Became a billionaire with system
Dee Hwang 44.2K views
The Last Timeline : Reborn for the spire
NARU417 views
The Summoner: Rise Of The Night Vanguard
The Writer 167 views
The Beast Tamer's Unwanted Nursery
Kim Tina48 views
The Billionaire Mirage
Pena Zaint316 views