When Karl's eyes fluttered open, the world was drenched in the hues of twilight. Shafts of amber light filtered through the canopy, the once-vibrant forest now wrapped in the calm stillness of evening.
His body ached less, the golden fruit's energy still lingering like a faint ember in his veins.
Slowly, he sat up, brushing moss from his clothes, and for a moment, simply breathed, letting the chorus of insects and distant bird calls wash over him.
The thought struck him immediately—the hatchling. Heart quickening, he made his way to the small nest he'd fashioned earlier. Relief softened his features when he found it curled tightly, chest rising and falling in deep, untroubled sleep. A fragile life, safe for now.
Turning back, his gaze locked on the towering silhouette of the treehouse above. Now that his exhaustion had ebbed, its grandeur seemed even greater. Lantern-like glow seeped faintly from its windows, as if inviting him closer.
Karl stood at its base, vines swaying gently in the evening breeze, the air thick with the scent of bark, earth, and blooming flowers. The Treehouse Sanctuary had made him wait for long time. He thought and now he would uncover the secrets it held.
Karl tightened his grip on the vine ladder, the living tendrils warm beneath his palms. In that instant, a strange sensation stirred in his chest—an unspoken question, as if the tree itself awaited his consent. The moment he let his will align, the world shifted.
His feet never climbed. Instead, in the blink of an eye, he was within.
The interior stretched vast and welcoming, far grander than its modest exterior had promised. A wide chamber opened before him, lit by soft glows seeping from the wooden walls, the air humming faintly with life. Polished roots curved seamlessly into supports and beams, shaping natural arches that gave the place an aura of quiet majesty.
Stairs spiraled upward like braided vines, leading to a second floor, and beyond that, doorways hinted at multiple rooms—far more than the outside silhouette could ever contain.
Karl's breath caught. "It's… bigger inside."
The Treehouse Sanctuary wasn't just shelter—it was alive, adaptive, and impossibly vast, as though the tree had bent reality itself to gift him this home.
Inside, it wasn't that soft bedding or the welcoming cushions that drew his eyes first. No—his gaze was immediately stolen by the structure at the heart of the chamber.
A majestic control panel, carved seamlessly from living wood and glowing with veins of emerald light, stood like the very core of the Sanctuary. The moment he approached, the surface stirred to life, projecting a translucent image around him. His breath caught—it was a complete, panoramic view of his territory, a living map that shifted and pulsed as though reflecting the heartbeat of the land itself.
Every tree, every boulder, even the faint movements of birds and insects within the forest flickered across its display, but what stunned him most was the scale.
Before, his protective barrier had circled only fifty meters outward from the seed at the center, enclosing a modest safe zone. Now, the boundary had doubled, stretching a full hundred meters in every direction. The increase wasn't just distance—it was potential.
Twice the land for development, twice the resources to harvest and cultivate—all of it still wrapped securely within the shimmering protection of the barrier.
It wasn't the expansion of land itself that brought a smile to Karl's face. He could always claim ground beyond the barrier if he dared. No, what truly stirred his heart was the freedom this growth offered: the ability to develop without fear.
More resources to shape, more ground to build upon—all safely guarded from the prowling beasts of the wilderness. For the first time since arriving, he could imagine fields swaying with crops, sturdy workshops ringing with the sound of hammers, shelters rising strong and proud. A foothold. A beginning.
Karl's pulse quickened. The vision burned bright in his chest. And deep within the Sanctuary, it felt as if the tree itself whispered to him—this was only the beginning.
The information unfolded in layers. Karl staggered back, clutching the railing of the platform as he tried to process it all.
The Treehouse Sanctuary was more than a home—it was the command center of his domain. Without it, no other structure could exist. Its walls held not only safety but authority, shaping the very rules of what he could build and how far he could reach.
At Level 1, it provided the basics—rooms woven seamlessly into its living wood: storage chambers where gathered resources, a control panel that displayed his territory, a bedroom with living-wood bedding that pulsed faintly with healing energy
But what made Karl's breath quicken was the knowledge of special buildings. At Level 1, he could grow three of them freely, woven into existence by the Sanctuary's power. Their names burned in his thoughts like promises:
[ Summoning Gate ]
A structure of ancient design, grown not crafted, the Summoning Gate would allow Karl to draw forth allies from beyond—beasts, spirits, or even people—bound in loyalty to the Sanctuary itself.
The rules unfurled clear and precise:
The gate granted five summoning shards daily at its Bronze Level 1 state. Each summon required the offering of an Essence Crystal, the life-blood currency of this world. The outcomes varied by chance:
• 90% to summon a Bronze Level 1 beast or human.
• 9% to summon a Bronze Level 2.
• 1% to summon a Bronze Level 3.
Even at its weakest form, the gate represented possibility. A loyal Vine Wolf to scout the wilderness. A small band of workers to gather resources. Perhaps even a warrior to guard the Sanctuary while Karl slept.
And as the gate grew in level, so too would its power: two additional summons granted with every advancement, until one day it might call forth twenty-five allies in a single day.
More than that, the Sanctuary whispered of elemental embedding. Infuse the gate with fire essence, and it would favor flame-born creatures or being more adapt to flame element.
Feed it with life essence, and healing companions might emerge. The possibilities stirred Karl's imagination with dangerous allure.
[ Portal Node ]
The second building struck Karl with equal force. A bridge between worlds. Once grown and activated, the Portal Node would link directly back to Earth. Not just a one-way path but a true crossing, allowing him to bring supplies from his old world, or even ferry others into this new one.
He could trade, transport, even build a network of exchange between two realms.
But it came at a cost. To awaken the Portal Node for the first time, Karl would need twenty Essence Crystals. Until then, the pathway remained dormant, a dream waiting for the right offering.
[ Special Building Slots ]
at every level up, one more additional slot will open, each slot able to anchor structures that could shape his territory—training grounds, mage towers, alchemy labs, workshops of infinite design with its own special abilities or boost.
But for now, the Sanctuary was young, its potential waiting to be carved.
[ Treehouse Sanctuaryupgrade Requirement — Level 1 → 2 ]
The words struck like a brand across his mind.
Essence Crystals Required: 25.
Type: Level 1 Crystals only.
Each level demanded higher purity, higher cost. To raise the Sanctuary, he would need to gather not just resources, but the very essence of life spilled across this world.
[ Territory Control — Level 1 ]
The final truth nearly made Karl laugh aloud.
Radius: 100 meters.
Area Covered: ~314 m².
An empire, small yet secure, stretched beneath him. No beast could breach the barrier; no enemy could strike from outside. For now, this circle of land was his kingdom. And as the Sanctuary grew, so too would his dominion.