What does the average high school kid do over break?
He spends most of it on his computer.
Azrael lounged in his chair, watching the latest North American Lords' Conference. Despite the name, the Lords never showed; their representatives took their seats and answered questions.
"Mr. Shaw, what are the chances of North America seeing the Eighth Lord anytime soon?" a reporter asked the First Lord's representative.
"It's the Lords who keep our planet safe from invasions from other worlds and keep us near the top of the rankings. Even a single Lord can tip the balance in the Lower Universe. It doesn't matter whether North America or any other continent adds a new Lord; the whole world benefits.
"As far as I'm concerned, our military schools are producing outstanding students across the continent, so I'm optimistic. I believe we'll see the Eighth Lord sooner than we think."
Azrael popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth. No way a Lord would ever choose me, let alone take me on. Should I just give up and settle for normal work?
He attended one of the military schools. The whole point was to awaken innate talents and prepare new generations to serve the Lords and help them expand their influence across the universe.
To put it simply, Azrael was average, and he didn't seem destined for anything grand in the field.
At most, he'd be a typical soldier, another body on the front lines.
He didn't linger on it.
Where's that stacked reporter? Oh, there you are, sexy one.
"Mr. Beckett, the news of the Third Lord getting badly injured while expanding her domain has shocked the world. Some are saying other countries have even started looking into our pockets, eyeing our assets. Do you think we could see a World War III once the balance breaks?"
Just then, Azrael heard his doorbell. He clicked over to the camera feed on his computer and saw a mail carrier. He hurried downstairs to see what he'd brought.
It was a letter.
Azrael turned it over. "For me?"
His heart skipped a beat. Mia?
Maybe it was his older sister, who'd gone missing 5 years ago and left him alone.
She was all he had. He'd enrolled in a military school so that maybe he could find her. With his average talent and a mediocre innate skill, his dreams of ever finding her had faded.
But then something even more stupefying happened.
North America's Third Lord had written him a letter.
Has to be a fucking prank. Why would the Third Lord write to me and send a letter in such an old-fashioned way? She should email me or something… man, who am I kidding?
Just as Azrael was about to crumple the letter and toss it in the trash, it exploded with raw mana that coalesced into something like a hologram.
It wasn't a hologram, though. It was a fragment of the Third Lord's consciousness.
She looked like she'd stepped straight into his house, standing in front of him in a Gothic dress. Her face was hidden behind her famous dark veil, leaving only her black lips exposed and a small beauty mark at the corner of her mouth. One elegant hand, sheathed in a fitted glove, rose as she stepped closer.
Her presence slammed into Azrael and knocked him onto his ass. As she moved closer, her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm with each breath, the dress drawn tight over her curves.
Azrael's gaze drifted to the two peaks, helpless, like his brain had latched onto them for balance.
So stacked.
"To display any part of yourself, lust included, before me proves my judgment sound. You may compete for my seat, Azrael Nightfall," the Third Lord said, her tone cold but somehow soothing.
Most people would have fallen to their knees and lost their minds.
Azrael wasn't any different, except for one detail: his mind was filled with the sight of her cleavage. It kept him sane and not sane at once, which confused even him.
He'd never imagined chests becoming his sole purpose in life. Yet the Third Lord made him think that tits really could be a reason to live.
"It falls to you now to meet my expectations, and truly, your own. Domain Recreation."
Wait, wait, wait! Wasn't that one of the Lords' ultimate skills? Summoning their domain straight into the world?
The Third Lord's lips curved into a faint smile as Azrael's frustration showed plainly on his face. That alone was enough to cut through his lust and make him think straight. It was another good sign of his potential.
Dark walls carved themselves around the house, swallowing it whole. A second later, the entire house was gone, along with a chunk of Azrael's land.
He was teleported straight into the Third Lord's Domain.
Beyond the windows, the view changed to bright purple-and-orange skies that looked enigmatic and strangely charming.
The Third Lord's presence began to wane.
"Humans are granted skills twice in their lives."
Twice? Not once?
"At birth, and again when a Lord chooses."
Something tightened in Azrael's chest.
[You have awakened a new skill: Infinite Dungeons (SSS).]
"Your only way out of this partial domain lies at the foot of that mountain. If you do not descend, you will never return home. There are 9 other candidates vying for my seat, just as you are. Do not disappoint me, or humanity."
Her presence vanished completely after the last word.
The moment she was gone, Azrael finally caught his breath and screamed, "NOOOOOOOO! I MEAN, YESSSSSSSSSSS! BUT NOOOOOOOOOO! COME ON! Your tits are so beautiful!"
A new chapter of Azrael's life had begun.