I did not linger longer than needed in the place, turning back toward the forest and beginning the run toward my own sanctuary.

The path felt shorter this time.

My body moved easier, faster, every step carrying more force than before, and within minutes the familiar golden shimmer of my safe zone came into view, standing in contrast to the darker tones of the forest around it. I crossed the boundary without slowing, the faint resistance recognizing me instantly and letting me pass.

The moment I stepped inside, a notification appeared.

[Safe Zone Upgrade Available]

[Would you like to upgrade your Safe Zone using the acquired core of the believer safe zone?]

I didn’t hesitate.

"Yes."

The response triggered instantly.

The ground beneath my feet trembled, a shift that spread outward from the center of the zone, the same kind of energy I had seen before now moving again, but on a larger scale. The boundary of the dome expanded visibly, the golden shimmer pushing outward, stretching beyond its previous limits as it absorbed the territory I had captured, the space around me widening as the safe zone grew.

New structures began to form.

At a short distance from the central fountain, the ground rose slightly in three separate spots, and from each one, a hut took shape, similar in design to the original but spaced apart, their positions deliberate, forming a loose perimeter within the expanded zone. The construction was completed quickly.

I stepped forward, moving toward the closest one. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside and paused.

At the center of the room, carved into the floor, was a circle etched with faint patterns that glowed softly.

A teleportation circle.

I stepped closer, studying it for a moment before stepping back out and heading toward the second hut. This one was simpler inside—just a bed and space for storage.

The third was the same.

I nodded slightly.

New notifications appeared before me.

[Territory Integrated]

[You have acquired associated treasures]

[Bone Sap Trees Acquired]

→ Resource nodes transferred to Safe Zone

→ Sap production will resume over time

[Emerald Pool Acquired]

→ Restorative resource integrated

→ Recharge cycle initiated

I looked toward the edge of the zone, where the forest now extended further out, knowing that somewhere within this expanded territory, those resources now existed under my control.

"They regenerate..." I said quietly, understanding the implication immediately.

A steady supply for growth for those who will be under my sanctuary.

I opened the panel and checked my current points.

Combat Points (CP): 1010

Influence Points (IP): 1260

I smiled.

"Finally..." I murmured, and without wasting any time, I selected the option I had been holding off on.

The moment I confirmed it—

[Communication System Acquired]

[Please check the interface]

A new panel expanded in front of me, different from the others I had seen so far. The layout adjusted itself quickly, settling into a clean interface divided into multiple sections.

At the center was a list.

Contacts.

The names began populating one after another, each entry carrying basic details beside it—name, designation, and level—arranged in a vertical column that extended further than what was visible at once. Some were marked as Believers, others as Defiers, and a few names were already familiar from the Deathboard.

Aldric Voss — Believer — Level 18

Viktor Voss — Believer — Level 17

Kael Heavens — Defier — Level 16

Marcus Thorne — Believer — Level 15

Lucien — Believer — Level 14

On the left side of the panel, smaller tabs appeared, each one labeled clearly.

Contacts || Recent || Requests || Broadcast

I shifted my focus briefly, selecting Contacts again as the main window refreshed slightly, highlighting the list more clearly. Each name could be selected, and when I hovered over one, additional options appeared beside it—Message, Call, View Status—simple but enough.

On the right side, a blank panel waited.

Message window.

It was empty for now, a space meant for conversation, with a faint input bar at the bottom that pulsed lightly, waiting for a command. Above it, a small indicator showed connection status as stable and active—suggesting there were no range limits, just as the system had said.

At the top of the interface, a subtle line caught my attention.

[Global Communication Active]

"No range..." I said quietly, taking that in.

My eyes returned to the list.

Knight and Lyrate.

Both names were there.

I sent requests to both of them immediately, my focus shifting between their names in the contact list, but nothing followed. There was no response. The system remained silent for a moment before the reason became obvious.

They hadn’t unlocked it yet.

"Figures..." I muttered under my breath, closing the panel and letting it fade out of view.

There was no point waiting.

I opened the map again, expanding it outward, scanning the area ahead. Two more red-marked zones appeared in a straight line from my current position, both similar in size to the one I had already taken, but beyond them was a much larger mark.

A city marked as Seum in the map.

It sat clearly on the map, highlighted in red, its scale far larger than any safe zone I had seen so far.

"So that’s my next target..."

But something about it didn’t add up.

"Hey system, when does the tutorial end?" I asked as I began moving again.

[2 more days.]

I frowned slightly as I continued forward, stepping into a steady sprint.

"Then what about the cities right now. Who is living inside them?"

[Outside forces who have agreed to support Goldius.]

"Outside forces..." I repeated. "So aliens... or people like me who got pulled into this world."

[Confirmed.]

I chuckled.

"Good... that makes things interesting."

I didn’t slow down after that.

The first of the two zones came into range soon enough, and unlike the earlier encounter, I didn’t need to draw them out or test anything. The creatures inside were different this time - Hobgoblins.

Their numbers were decent, their coordination better than the orcs I had fought before, but it didn’t change the outcome. The fight was fast and direct, the yellow glow of my strikes flashing through the battlefield as I cut through them one after another, not giving them space to adapt. Their core fell soon after, and the zone followed.

I didn’t stop or return to my own zone to upgrade it, choosing instead to keep moving forward, the forest parting gradually as I followed the direction marked on the map until the second red zone came into range.

I slowed slightly as I approached the boundary, the faint shimmer of the barrier becoming visible once again, but before I could step closer, movement stirred within.

And I was surprised again seeing that they were humans.

Twelve of them.

All of them wore white robes that moved lightly with their steps, and across their chests, embroidered clearly in dark thread, was an emblem of two swords crossing each other. Each one carried a greatsword, the weapons resting easily in their hands.

My gaze shifted across them once. Then settled on the one in front.

A middle-aged man.

"You don’t have to continue down this path," he said, his voice steady, carrying across the distance without strain. "We can see what you are. A Defier."

I said nothing.

"There is still time to step away from that choice," he continued, his grip resting lightly on the hilt of the greatsword at his side. "You don’t understand what you’re walking into. This world... is not something you can stand against. On top of this world sits a god."

The others remained silent behind him.

"Join us," he said after a brief pause. "Lay down that path, and you won’t have to fight this war."

I listened and let him finish.

Then I exhaled lightly.

"No."

That was all I said. The shift was immediate. The calm in his expression faded. The barrier meant nothing after that.

The fight that followed was fast. Their coordination was strong, their movements practiced, but it wasn’t enough to match the pace I set.

The yellow glow flared around each strike. I cut through their formation, breaking it apart before they could recover, forcing them into smaller engagements that ended quickly. One after another, they fell.

In the end, the middle-aged man stood alone for only a moment longer before he too fell, his greatsword slipping from his grasp as the fight came to its inevitable conclusion.

I stood there for a moment, looking at the fallen weapon, then lowered my gaze to the axe in my hand.

Without hesitation, I threw it away and picked up a greatsword for myself. I straightened slowly, the blade resting against my shoulder now as I turned away from the zone without looking back.

The zone fell. I claimed the core again, the energy settling into my system as the notifications followed.

After finishing both the zones I gained.

[Influence Points +1300]

[Combat Points +900]

I kept moving.

The forest began to thin gradually as I pushed forward, the density of the trees reducing until the terrain opened up enough to give a clearer view ahead. My pace slowed slightly as I approached the edge of the tree line, my steps coming to a stop as I stepped behind a large trunk and looked out.

Seum.

The city stretched across the horizon. It looked like a small city.