The sun was dying behind the jagged peaks of the Blackfang Mountains, its last rays painting blood-red streaks across the sky. Clark stood alone on a moss-covered slope, overlooking the dilapidated cottage he now called home—though *home* was too generous a word. A leaky roof, a rotting fence, and a stone well with no water were all he had left.
He wiped the sweat from his brow with a frayed sleeve. His arms ached from chopping wood, and his stomach growled. Still, he was alive. Barely.
Two days ago, he'd woken up in this world.
Or more accurately, *this body*.
The original Clark—barely eighteen, a farmhand with no prospects and fewer friends—had taken his own life after being thrown out by his foster parents, discarded like a broken tool. Something in his soul had shattered.
And in that moment, *another* Clark—the Clark from Earth, an otaku and part-time delivery boy who'd died on alcohol poisoning —had been pulled across the veil of worlds to take his place.
Clark didn't know why he'd come here, or who had chosen this body for him. But he was certain of one thing:
This world wasn't normal.
Even now, as he rested against a tree and watched twin moons rise, he felt it: the weight in the air, like something ancient sleeping just beneath the soil. The people in town whispered of strange ruins buried in shadow, beasts with too many eyes, and forgotten gods whose names were forbidden.
The world was called **Umbra**—a place once believed to be lost to time, or myth. Scholars described it as a cursed land, rumored to be the battlefield of a long-lost war between **celestial gods, abyssal demons, outer gods**, and **primordial beasts**. And now, somehow, it was just... *the world*.
A broken, stagnant land haunted by echoes of its apocalyptic past.
Clark had just begun trying to fit in—learning how to draw water from the river, barter for bread, and keep his head down. He wanted peace, a quiet second life. No drama. No magic. No fate.
But fate doesn't care what we want.
---
It began with the sound of bells.
Not earthly bells, but deep, cosmic tones that echoed in every direction at once, vibrating the bones in his body. The sky cracked. Not visually—literally. Thin black lines crawled across the heavens like glass under pressure.
Clark stumbled backward. His vision swam. Birds screamed and took flight. The ground shook beneath his feet.
Then the Voice came.
Not from the sky. Not from the earth. From *everywhere*.
---
> **[Universal Will: System Initialization Complete]**
> *"The Continent of Umbra has been judged...
> Its era has ended."*
>
> *"Inhabitants of Umbra: you have been chosen.
> You now enter the Age of Divinity.
> The world shall rise once more—as part of the Divine Continent."*
>
> *"All mortal souls will be scattered across the Divine Realms.
> Each shall receive their own Domain.
> Each shall walk the path of power.
> Struggle. Ascend.
> And if you dare… seize the Throne of the Gods."*
---
Clark fell to his knees, clutching his head.
The world around him was collapsing. Light speared down from the cracked sky, swallowing the mountains, the fields, the rivers. Screams echoed from distant villages as men, women, and beasts alike were torn from the earth, sucked upward like leaves in a divine hurricane.
"What the hell is this?!" Clark shouted, but his voice was lost in the roar.
The cottage exploded into shards of light. Trees fractured into pixels. Time seemed to slow—and then stop.
A pulse of blinding white surged outward, and Clark's consciousness slipped.
---
### [Transmigration Complete]
### [Welcome to the Divine Continent]
### [Initializing Personal Domain… Success]
---
When Clark opened his eyes again, he was no longer on Umbra.
He stood barefoot in the center of a massive floating island, suspended in an endless sea of stars. Vast skies stretched out in every direction, yet gravity held firm beneath his feet. A solitary tree with golden leaves swayed beside a crystal-clear spring. Hills rolled gently toward a horizon that didn't exist.
It was… peaceful.
Too peaceful.
A transparent panel blinked into existence before him, and the Voice returned—calmer this time, like a teacher addressing students:
---
> **[UNIVERSAL SYSTEM – MANDATORY RULES]**
>
> 1. Every being has been granted an isolated *Personal Domain*.
> 2. You may cultivate, build, conquer, or defend as you please.
> 3. After 7 days *Divine Pressure* will descend. You must be prepared.
> 4. Killing other Ascendants grants you Divinity.
> 5. The weak will fall. The strong will rise.
> 6. Only those who ascend beyond the Mortal Realm may challenge the **Divine Throne**.
The moment the rules ended, a pleasant chime echoed like wind chimes on a mountaintop.
---
> **[Basic System Functions Unlocked]**
– *Status Panel Activated*
– *Regional Chat Activated*
– *Trade Area: Locked*
–*Territory Overview Activated*
– Protection Period Begins*
---
Suddenly, Clark's vision flooded with light again—not a message this time, but chaos.
The **Regional Chat** window opened automatically, and the panic was instant:
---
**\[Regional Chat – Divine Continent Sector 23]**
**\[Zara\_Hawkblade]:** WHAT IS THIS PLACE?! WHERE AM I?!
**\[??User\_Kai]:** My house was just vaporized—what the hell is going on?!
**\[Gladiator777]:** This better be a VR game or I'm suing somebody.
**\[Nameless]:** No system told me anything. What's a personal domain?
**\[Zara\_Hawkblade]:** Who do we even fight?! Where are the others??
**\[Tani]:** My brother was right next to me and now he's GONE.
**\[Hegemon\_Truth]:** Calm down. Check your Status Panel. We're in some kind of cultivation system.
**\[jark]:** …So we really did transmigrate. And they gave us domains?
**\[WraithMonk]:** What kind of god builds a world like this…
---
Messages poured in faster than Clark could read. A flood of panic, speculation, and disbelief. Some asked for help. Others threatened anyone nearby. One or two tried to laugh it off.
Clark just sat down cross-legged and watched. The madness made sense—no one had been given any time to prepare. Most probably didn't even know how to open their system screens yet.
Just as the Regional Chat was spiraling into mass confusion and arguments, the entire Divine Continent shuddered again.
A ripple of golden light spread across the heavens—calm, commanding, and absolute.
Then the system spoke once more, its voice etched in the air like divine law:
[FINAL INITIATION: GOD'S TALENT DISTRIBUTION]
"Each Ascendant shall now receive one innate ability: a Divine Talent."
"Divine Talents are graded as follows:
E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, and EX (Exclusive).
Talents are chosen randomly according to soul affinity, karma, and potential.
May fortune favor the worthy."
A circle of glowing symbols rose beneath Clark's feet, ancient and complex, shifting through languages not made for human eyes. His heartbeat quickened as warmth gathered in his chest, then surged outward like a second heartbeat.
A single stream of light beamed down from the starless heavens above and struck his body.
[Divine Talent Acquired: D-Class – Dominion (Growable)]
Description:
You possess an inherent connection to territory, power, and command. The Dominion talent enables you to expand, influence, and enhance your personal Domain beyond normal limits.
-Grants mild bonuses to all building, population growth, and territorial control.
-Improves loyalty and productivity of followers.
-May evolve over time into higher-ranked Dominion forms.
###A solid foundation for future rulers.###