Elian stood before the pulsing gateway of his new territory, the violet winds of the Realm whipping at his hair. He didn't hesitate. He pulled the ten summoning scrolls from his Void Storage. As he unfurled them, the silver light from his arm surged into the parchment.
The ground groaned as ten pillars of light erupted. From the shimmering ether, his first subjects materialized. Four of them were draped in heavy, midnight-blue plate armor, wielding massive halberds that hummed with kinetic energy—Four-Star Warriors. The remaining six were different: a woman in clean white linens with a glowing caduceus at her hip (3-Star Medic), a stout man carrying a set of obsidian knives (3-Star Cook), a wizened man clutching a glowing scroll (2-Star Scholar), and a sharp-eyed woman dressed in fine silks with an abacus made of bone (2-Star Bank Acquisitioner).
Elian stared, mesmerized by the sheer power standing before him. He was so deep in his own head, calculating the odds, that he didn't realize he wasn't alone at the altar.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, My Lord. I began to fear the void would never release you."
Elian nearly jumped out of his skin, his hand flying to the hilt of the Phase-Shard. Standing a mere foot away from him was a woman dressed in a pristine black-and-white uniform, her hair tied back in a silver ribbon. She wasn't just a servant; the air around her warped with a terrifying, silent pressure.
His eyes widened as his Soul-HUD flickered to life.
[Unit Identified: Primordial Shadow Maid]
[Rank: 9-Star Outstanding]
"You... you've been standing there the whole time?" Elian gasped.
"Since the moment of your Bloom, My Lord," she bowed deeply, her movements fluid and haunting. "I have waited a very long time for your arrival. How may I best serve you?"
Elian took a step back, his heart racing. "A 9-Star... Why would a 9-Star be here?"
"I was personally selected for you," she replied, her eyes shimmering with Luminous Silver. "The higher the soul, the more the Realm provides. While most Lords start with nothing but the dirt beneath their feet, your resonance demanded a steward. I am your shadow, your shield, and your voice."
She gestured toward the horizon of the floating plateau. "You are in the Obsidian Reach, My Lord. It is a harsh region. The beasts that roam the valleys below us are not the typical 1-Star scavengers. They are Three to Five-Star Apex Predators. Normally, a new Lord would be slaughtered within minutes, but your luck is... unique. It is highly uncommon, statistically impossible even, for a first-time summoning to produce four-star warriors. But then again, you are an impossible Lord."
Elian looked at the warriors, then back at the maid. He began to pace, his mind racing through the possibilities. If he had 5-Star beasts nearby, his Extraction trait could catapult his strength, but he needed to secure his base first. He needed the medical facility; he needed a perimeter.
"My Lord," the maid interrupted his frantic thoughts, her voice like velvet. "A word of advice. Do not look at them as mere tools. In this Realm, the Loyalty of your subjects is a tangible force. As their devotion grows, so does your internal strength. A Lord with a thousand treacherous soldiers is weaker than a Lord with ten who would die for his smile. Their faith feeds your traits."
She walked to the edge of the plateau, pointing to a shimmering, translucent dome of light that encased their territory.
"You have time to win them over," she said. "The Realm is merciful to the new. You have a Protection Barrier that will last for ten days. No beast can cross it, though you may leave it to hunt if you wish. But remember the conversion, My Lord."
She turned back to him, a cryptic smile on her lips. "Time here is stretched. These ten days of safety in the Realm will be a total of thirty days in your world. Your sister will wait a month for your return, but for you, it will be over before you know it. We have much work to do, Lord Thorne."
Elian looked at his silver-sleeved arm, then at his 9-Star maid and his 4-Star warriors. The weight of his thirteen stars felt less like a burden and more like a weapon.
"Then let's get started," he said, his voice finally steady. "Tell me about the nearest 5-Star beast."