I waved my hand and allowed my domain to fade. The giant tablet, the mirages, the chains, the clouds, everything dissolved quietly.
I stayed floating in the air as the Essence tornado around me began its final cycle. The energy pressed against my skin like warm wind, tightening once... twice... and then slowly sinking into my body.
Five more minutes passed, and the tornado finally vanished. All the Essence had been absorbed.
Then the system notifications began ringing one after another.
[Rank Up]
[Grandmaster → Transcendent]
[Domain Activated]
[Lifespan: ~ 1000 years]
[Level Up!]
[Level 310 → Level 320]
I blinked, surprised.
"Levels? Really?"
I wasn’t expecting that at all.
[Strength +500]
[Constitution +500]
[Agility +500]
[Psynapse +500]
The sudden jump in stats felt like a strong wave moving through my blood. My body felt heavier and lighter at the same time. My perception sharpened again, as if the world had been polished.
Then another notification appeared.
[Right Unlocked]
[Right to Anchor: Within the Domain, select any physical, elemental, or law-based condition and bind it to a fixed state. While anchored, it cannot rise, fall, speed up, slow down, or transform until the Executor releases it.]
"So this is the next one..." I muttered.
If I had known I would unlock a new Right today, I would have written it directly into the domain tablet during its creation. But getting it now wasn’t bad, in fact, it was perfect.
A new Right... it had been a long time since I unlocked one.
Another notification chimed.
[Talent Level Up]
A smile finally formed on my face.
This was the part I had been waiting for. The Dawn Core, the domain, the construct, everything had pushed my Essence output and comprehension high enough for the system to respond.
[Generator Prime Level 2 → Level 3]
When the last notification faded, I let out a slow breath. Finally, no more messages.
I placed a hand over my heart and summoned them out.
Crimson circles flared around me, and one by one my summons stepped out, Lyrate, Knight, Silver...
Except Ragnar.
Instead of his body, a crimson cocoon appeared in front of me, pulsing faintly like a slow heartbeat.
Lyrate frowned. "What happened to him?"
I sighed. "He was hurt during the trial."
"Trial?" she repeated, confused.
"I’ll explain everything later," I said. "Right now, it’s time for you all to rank up."
I gave her a small wink.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and then excitement washed over her face.
"Finally!" she yelled, then her body dissolved into crimson light as the upgrade pulled her away.
"You two go ahead as well," I said to Knight and Silver.
Knight stretched his shoulders, a deep growl rumbling from him.
"I’ve had a feeling about this for a long time. This one is going to change everything for me."
He vanished into light.
Silver chuckled softly, lifted his wings, and shot upward before disappearing as well.
The clearing fell quiet. Only the cocoon remained.
I stepped closer and rested my hand on it.
Natural Essence rushed toward us immediately, gathering so fast it stirred the air. Within seconds, a thick second layer formed around the cocoon, an Essence shell wrapping over the crimson one.
Ragnar’s rank-up had begun.
Satisfied, I let go and straightened up.
Everything that needed to be done here was finally complete.
I took a single step forward and crossed a huge distance in an instant, landing on the peak where I had left the trio.
It was time to see how they were holding up.
When I landed on the peak, all three of them turned toward me with the same expression, shock mixed with confusion.
Primus pointed at me like I had personally offended physics.
"That... THAT was your domain? That thing with the giant sky-tablet, lightning, chains, and whatever else you cooked up?"
He shook his head. "I’ve seen domains before. I’ve read about domains. Nothing, absolutely nothing, looked like that."
North crossed her arms. "It covered half the realm."
I shrugged. "I needed the space."
Primus blinked.
"You needed the—" He slapped the side of his head. "Billion, domains are usually small spaces! A circle! A field! A patch of land! Yours looked like a second world forming on top of this one."
Steve added, "I thought the clouds were going to fall on me. They were... staring."
"Clouds don’t stare," I said.
"They did," Steve insisted.
Primus jumped in, excited. "And that giant stone tablet in the sky? Why was it so much bigger? Why did it look like it was judging me specifically?"
"It wasn’t judging you," I said.
"It felt like it was."
North raised her hand like she was in a classroom.
"I have a question. Were those... volcanoes? Behind the tablet?"
"Yes," I said.
She stared at me.
"Why?"
"They represent my laws."
Primus spread his hands.
"Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they. Laws as volcanoes. Normal day."
Steve rubbed his forehead. "Yours looks like something that belongs to a god, not a Transcendent."
North nodded. "To be honest... it was beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful."
I smiled slightly. "Thanks."
Primus groaned. "And the lighting, it was like an apocalypse. Why did it keep hitting the ground?"
"I was testing something."
"Testing what? How close we all were to a heart attack?"
I ignored that and sat on the nearest rock.
"So," Steve said, sitting beside me, "how do you feel? Now that you’re... officially a Transcendent?"
I paused. "Not that different."
All three stared at me.
Primus threw both hands in the air. "Not that different?! You just gained almost a thousand years of lifespan!"
"It doesn’t feel any different," I said honestly. "Still me."
Primus jabbed a finger at my chest. "That’s because you’re already young! If you were eighty year old human and suddenly became a thousand-year-old monster, you would feel the youth pouring into your bones like lightning."
Steve nodded. "This is like giving a rich man more gold and expecting him to react."
North asked quietly, "Any changes at all?"
"Better perception. Stronger body. Essence feels smoother. And... maybe I can evaporate Vaelix without even moving now."
Primus clapped sarcastically. "Oh wow. So casual."
Steve leaned forward. "Did you make a law construct?"
"Yes."
Primus squinted at me.
"Show us."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Not feeling like it."
Primus stepped back.
Steve laughed. "At least he’s still the same. I thought he might come back talking like an elder."
I smirked. "I wish."
North smiled softly. "Congratulations."
"Thanks."
Primus slapped my back.
"Now that you’re basically immortal with extra steps, can we eat something? I feel like I aged a hundred years watching your domain."
Steve nodded immediately. "Yes. Food. Today we party."