The light from the mass teleport faded, leaving everyone dizzy and disoriented. We were all standing in the exact same spot—right outside the crumbling cathedral—but the view was all wrong. There was nothing but flat, cracked, dusty earth stretching out in every direction. The wind blew, kicking up little clouds of dry dirt. It was the most boring, dead place I'd ever seen.
The silence was heavy. You could feel the confusion and fear coming off the Ursine and Shungmo in waves. The kids were hiding behind their parents' legs. The warriors were looking around, clutching their weapons like the dust itself was gonna attack them. This was a graveyard.
The old Ursine scholar, the one with the braided beard, stepped forward. He bowed, his staff shaking a little in his grip.
"My Lord Hades," he said, his voice rough with worry. "Forgive this one's doubt… but… how can we live here? There is no water. No shelter. Not even a weed. The land is… it is dead."
It was a fair question. I couldn't blame him.
I gave him a calm smile. "Well, leave it to me."
But inside, my mind was already racing. I'd been thinking about the whole 'manifesting a city' thing. That sixth wish… [Manifestation]. I'd accessed the [Divine Registry] on a whim, searching for it in the system's skill encyclopedia. And I'd found… nothing.
It wasn't listed. It wasn't a skill at all. It was something else. A trait. An innate authority. It had created the potential for the fortress—a powerful, invisible framework, a divine barrier waiting for my command on the final design. I'd left it on standby because, frankly, designing a whole city from scratch sounded like a pain in the ass if I changed my mind later.
But right now, I didn't need a fortress. I needed an ecosystem. I needed a forest for the Ursine, a bamboo grove for the Shungmo, a lake, farmland… I could use [Khaos] to brute-force it all into existence, sure. But that would create everything saturated in raw, heavy magicules. It would feel… unnatural will be leaking with magicules well I don't want mutations to happen. I didn't want that. I wanted it to be real.
I needed a better tool. A more precise one.
'Scholar,' I thought. 'I need a skill. Something for large-scale, precise terraforming inside my territory. Total control. No magicule pollution. Think… a divine interface. A builder's menu.'
<<...Processing. Analyzing user command and world parameters.>>
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'Confirm.'
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The moment the skill clicked into place, my vision changed.
Overlaid onto the barren land in front of me was a shimmering, semi-transparent blueprint. It was a perfect, top-down map of my entire domain—all the Barren Lands. It looked exactly like a strategy game. I could see the whole area divided into neat grids.
The interface was stupidly easy. I could mentally select zones and a menu popped up: [Biomes], [Structures], [Resources], [Pathways].
'Oh, this is awesome,' I thought, a real grin spreading on my face. 'Now we're talking.'
I got to work. I mentally dragged and dropped.
I selected a huge zone to the west. "[Biomes]: Ancient Ursine Forest." The blueprint highlighted the area, a preview of huge trees popping up.
I selected a zone to the east. "[Biomes]: Serene Shungmo Bamboo Grove." The preview switched to show tall, green bamboo.
I carved out a big central zone. "[Features]: Freshwater Lake." The map showed a giant, sparkling blue basin.
I boxed off a sunny spot to the south. "[Features]: Arable Farmland." The land on the map turned a rich, dark brown.
I clicked on the edges of the new forests. "[Structures]: Ursine Timber Lodges." "[Structures]: Shungmo Wooden Longhouses." Little icons of houses appeared.
Finally, I connected it all. "[Paths]: Stone Pathways." Lines of white stone snaked across the blueprint, linking everything together perfectly.
The plan was set. The divine menu was ready.
Now, I just had to hit 'Execute'.
All of this took less than a second in my head. To everyone else, I'd just been standing there smiling.
I raised my hand, focusing on the blueprint only I could see.
"First, the basics," I muttered.
"[Sandbox]: Execute."
The ground in front of the cathedral shuddered. A massive hole carved itself into the earth with a deep rumble. Crystal-clear water bubbled up from nowhere, filling it into a huge, beautiful lake. A little waterfall started splashing down one side.
The crowd gasped.
I wasn't done.
"[Sandbox]: Execute."
The land to the west erupted. Not with noise, but with life. The soil turned dark and rich. Dozens of massive oak and pine trees grew to full height in seconds, their canopies spreading out into a deep, cool forest. Berry bushes and ferns popped up everywhere. It looked ancient.
The Ursine tribesmen stared, their mouths hanging open. A few took shaky steps toward the familiar smell of the woods.
"[Sandbox]: Execute."
To the east, the earth softened. A whole forest of giant, green bamboo shot up, rustling as it grew. It formed a peaceful, shaded grove with soft, mossy clearings. It was perfect for them.
The Shungmo people let out soft cries of wonder. The little girl who'd been scared now pointed, a smile on her face.
"[Sandbox]: Execute." Farmland flattened out to the south, the soil turning into perfect dirt ready for planting.
"[Sandbox]: Execute." "[Sandbox]: Execute."
At the edges of the forests, buildings * grew*. Sturdy lodges made of thick timber appeared amongst the Ursine trees. Graceful longhouses woven from bamboo rose in the Shungmo grove. They looked like they'd always been there.
"[Sandbox]: Execute."
Smooth, white stone pathways seamlessly formed on the ground, connecting the forests to the lake, to the farms, and to each other.
I lowered my hand. The entire transformation, from dead wasteland to a thriving, green paradise, had taken about a minute.
The silence that followed was broken by the new sounds. The splash of the waterfall. The rustle of leaves. The sigh of the wind. It was the sound of life.
My people were stunned. Warriors had tears in their eyes. Mothers were hugging their kids, pointing at their new homes. The old Ursine scholar was on his knees, crying as he touched the real, green grass beneath him.
They all looked at me. And I saw it in their faces. It wasn't fear or just awe anymore.
It was something deeper. It was belief.
I smiled.
"The lake is for everyone. The forests are your homes. The farmland will feed us." I jerked my thumb toward the new stone paths leading into the trees. "Now stop gawking. You've got unpacking to do."
Author's Note:
---Auxiliary---
--Skills--
Unique Skill [Sandbox]
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Concept: A divine interface that allows the user to manipulate the terrain and environment within their domain as if it were a malleable simulation.
Effect:
«Divine Blueprint»: Upon activation, the user perceives a top-down, holographic map of their entire claimed territory. This interface allows for precise planning and visualization of alterations before they are executed.
«Terrain Editor»: The user can define and generate natural, non-magicule-saturated biomes (e.g., forests, groves, lakes, mountains, plains) anywhere within their domain. All creations are 100% genuine and permanent, seamlessly integrating into the world's natural order.
«Structure Builder»: The user can construct buildings and infrastructure (e.g., houses, pathways, bridges) using the natural materials present in the designated biome. The structures appear as if they were crafted and aged naturally over time.
«Resource Generation»: The user can generate natural, sustainable resources within their created biomes, such as freshwater springs, fertile soil, and mineral deposits.
Limitation: The skill's effects are strictly confined to the user's claimed territory. It cannot be used to affect land outside the user's domain.
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