Ten days.
To a person on Earth, it was a little over a week. A handful of lectures, a weekend, a few meals with friends.
In the silent, unchanging void, ten days felt like an eternity.
Ryan's entire existence had shrunk to a simple, grueling routine.
Each "day"—a 24-hour cycle he tracked meticulously on his system clock—began the same way.
He would place his hands on the smooth, cool surface of his Territory Core and initiate the Manual Infusion.
A wave of exhaustion would instantly wash over him, a familiar ache that started in his bones and spread to every inch of his body.
It felt like he'd run a marathon and then stayed up for 48 hours straight.
He'd watch his stamina bar plummet from 100 to 0, and in exchange, the number next to his Evolutionary Energy would tick up by a precious ten points...
For the rest of the day, he would drift in the void, feeling as limp as a wet noodle, his mind fuzzy with fatigue.
His only solace, and his only connection to the outside world, was the Global Chat.
It was a firehose of information, a chaotic blend of terror, discovery, and the occasional spark of hope.
Ryan spent hours absorbing every message, piecing together the rules of this new world.
On his second day of floating, after he had just completed his second infusion and was staring at the satisfying [Evolutionary Energy: 21/100] on his panel, a lord named 'Navigator' made a groundbreaking discovery.
[Navigator]: "Guys! I think I see something! Faint lights in the distance! My talent is C-Rank 'Telescopic Vision'."
A flurry of messages followed, but a few minutes later, Navigator posted again, his words sending a shockwave through the chat.
[Navigator]: "They're other Territory Cores! I can count five others. We're in some kind of cluster!"
The chat erupted.
People started using their own perception-based talents, and soon a consensus was formed.
They weren't alone in their individual pockets of space.
They were being grouped into "Novice Zones," each containing six new Lords who would, presumably, be starting their journey together on the same plot of land.
Ryan's heart beat a little faster. He wasn't going to be alone. He'd have five neighbors.
Were they friend or foe? It was impossible to know, but the thought of human contact after this profound isolation was a comforting one.
A day later, another major piece of the puzzle fell into place.
[MonsterSlayer_69]: "I DID IT! I KILLED ONE!"
[RandomLord123]: "Killed what? Don't just yell at us!"
[MonsterSlayer_69]: "My territory is a small cave, and this green, ugly thing with a stick came at me! It was a Goblin! I have the A-Rank talent 'Berserker's Strength'. I smashed it with a rock!"
[System Announcement!]:
[Lord 'MonsterSlayer_69' was the first to slay a monster. Rewarded with +10 Development Points.]
[MonsterSlayer_69]: "Whoa! I got points! A screen just popped up… it's a 'System Shop'! I can buy stuff! A loaf of bread costs 1 point! A basic wood axe is 5 points!"
The revelation of the System Shop and Development Points changed everything.
It provided a clear goal: get stronger, develop your territory, kill monsters, earn points, and buy what you need.
It was a classic game loop, and the familiarity of it was strangely reassuring.
It meant there was a path forward.
Ryan watched all of this unfold with a quiet, burning intensity.
While others were already fighting monsters and earning points, he was still just… waiting.
The gap was widening with every passing hour. Yet, his resolve never wavered.
His high spirit stat kept his mind sharp and focused, even when his body screamed with exhaustion.
He knew his path was different. Slower at the start, but with a potential no one else could even dream of.
On the fifth day, he witnessed a conversation that stuck with him.
A young woman named 'Sunny' posted a message, her tone laced with desperation.
[Sunny]: "Does anyone know how to find clean water? My territory is a muddy field. My F-Rank talent is 'Water Divination', but it just keeps pointing at more mud…"
Before anyone could offer helpful advice, the ever-arrogant Kaiser appeared.
[Kaiser]: "An F-Rank talent? Hahaha! The system must have a sense of humor. 'Water Divination' that finds mud! That's priceless. Some people are just destined to be cannon fodder."
[Sunny]: "That's not very nice…"
[Kaiser]: "It's not about being nice, it's about being realistic. My S-Rank talent has already allowed me to build a two-story wooden house and stockpile enough food for a month. What have you done, F-Ranker? Enjoyed your mud?"
The chat filled with a mix of Kaiser's sycophants cheering him on and others defending Sunny, but the damage was done. Sunny went silent.
Ryan felt a pang of anger on her behalf.
Kicking someone when they were down was just cruel.
He made a mental note of her name, a silent promise to himself that if he ever had the chance, he'd help the underdogs that people like Kaiser looked down on.
The days crawled by. Six... Seven.... Eight....
With each infusion, Ryan felt weaker, but his spirit burned brighter.
He was so close. The initial despair had been forged into steely determination. He had gambled everything on his talent, and it was almost time to see if it would pay off.
On the morning of the tenth day, Ryan's hands trembled as he placed them on the core for the final time.
The infusion process was agonizingly familiar, but this time, it was filled with a triumphant finality. As his stamina hit zero, a beautiful, perfect number appeared on his screen.
[Evolutionary Energy: 100/100!]
A new prompt immediately appeared, glowing with a soft, inviting light.
[Sufficient Evolutionary Energy has been accumulated!]
[Would you like to proceed with the first evolution: Territory Creation?]
Ryan didn't hesitate.
With a thought, he selected 'Yes'.
"Let's do this," he whispered into the void.
The Territory Core in front of him began to vibrate.
Then, with a silent, earth-shattering crack, the stone shattered into a million points of light.
The shards of light did not scatter. Instead, they swirled and danced, drawn together by an invisible force. They flattened, expanded, and coalesced, forming a perfect, one-meter square of land floating in the void. It wasn't rock or sand or mud. It was rich, black earth, the kind of fertile soil that promised life and growth.
For the first time in ten days, Ryan felt something solid beneath him. He was no longer floating aimlessly. He was standing. He took a deep breath, and for the first time, he smelled something other than the sterile nothingness—the crisp, clean scent of soil after a spring rain.
He had done it. His gamble had paid off. He had land!
But before he could even fully celebrate his victory, a sound he had never heard before echoed, not just in his mind, but throughout the entire global system.
It was a majestic, resounding chime, followed by an announcement that appeared in every single Lord's chat window, written in brilliant, unmissable gold.
[GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT!]
[Congratulations to a nameless Lord for being the first to successfully evolve their Territory Core through a unique, talent-based method!]
[Your innovation and perseverance have been recognized!]
[As a reward for this world-first achievement, you have been awarded the 'Novice Lord's Gift Pack (SSS-Grade)'!]
Ryan stared, utterly dumbfounded.
A global announcement? For him? He had just wanted to catch up, but instead, he had somehow leaped ahead and achieved a 'world-first'.
In the corner of his vision, a new icon was blinking furiously.
It was a shimmering, golden gift box, practically vibrating with contained power.
The letters 'SSS' were emblazoned on it, a mirror of his own legendary talent.
His slow, arduous start had just been rewarded in a way he could never have imagined.