The expansion of a territory wasn't just a visual change; it was a sensory overhaul. As the black, mana-conductive stone rippled outward from the "Cursed Triangle," the very air began to change. The smell of ozone and burning rubber was replaced by a sterile, cool breeze.
Kang-Jin stood atop the solidified corpse of the Stone-Gaze Basilisk. From this vantage point, he watched his domain swallow the intersection. The system notifications were scrolling so fast in his peripheral vision they were almost a blur.
[Expansion in progress: 1.2 Acres... 2.5 Acres...]
[Acquiring 'Ruined Commercial Building A'...]
[Acquiring 'Public Transit Hub B'...]
[Total Authority: 45]
"Master," Unit-01 buzzed, its rusted shell beginning to flake away, revealing a sleek, chrome-finished interior—a sign of the drone leveling up alongside its creator. "The expansion is consuming mana at a rate of 400 per minute. At current levels, the Alpha Core will be exhausted in less than an hour. We need a sustainable power source."
Kang-Jin looked down at the survivors huddled below. There were now nearly fifty of them. Some were huddled in groups, crying, while others stared at him with a mixture of hunger and resentment.
"The power source is standing right there," Kang-Jin said, his voice carrying the weight of his increased [Authority] stat.
In this new world, mana didn't just come from cores. It came from participation. The System was a parasitic entity that fed on conflict and growth. By housing people within his territory, Kang-Jin wasn't just being a landlord; he was creating a "Human Battery."
He descended from the stone statue, his boots clicking sharply on the black marble. He approached the group. Director Song and Min-Ho stood at the front, having already established a primitive hierarchy.
"Listen up!" Kang-Jin's voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the murmurs like a blade. "The walls have moved. The sanctuary has grown. But safety is a luxury, and luxury has a maintenance cost."
He waved his hand, and a massive, translucent holographic screen projected itself against the side of a half-collapsed department store. It was a list of rules—the [Abyss Tenancy Agreement].
Article 1: All residents must contribute 20% of their daily mana-gain to the Territory Core.
Article 2: Theft, violence, or unauthorized use of skills within the Abyss results in immediate 'Eviction' (The wall will literally spit you out into the monster-infested ruins).
Article 3: All 'Loot' found within the territory boundaries belongs to the Sovereign. Residents receive a 30% finders-fee in 'Credits'.
"Twenty percent?!" a man in a tattered security uniform shouted. "We're the ones out there risking our lives while you sit behind these walls! That's robbery!"
Kang-Jin didn't even look at the man. He looked at the edge of his new territory, where a pack of lesser Wolf-Kin were pacing, waiting for the black barrier to flicker.
"The robbery happened the moment the System turned your world into a playground for monsters," Kang-Jin said coldly. "I'm the only one offering a fair trade. You give me mana, I give you a world where you don't wake up with your throat being ripped out. If you think the deal is unfair, the gate is right there. Feel free to negotiate with the wolves."
The security guard looked at the gate, then at the snarling beasts, and slowly sat back down.
"Min-Ho," Kang-Jin called.
"Yes, Boss?" The boy was looking more confident now. He had found a discarded leather jacket and a metal pipe, looking like a low-level henchman in a post-apocalyptic movie.
"The basement of that department store—Building A—is intact. It used to be a luxury grocery floor. Take five of the 'Labor Contract' signees. Clear the debris. I want the refrigeration units dismantled. We don't need the cold; we need the mana-compressors inside them."
"On it!" Min-Ho pointed to a few shivering men. "You, you, and you. Move it! The Boss doesn't like waiting."
Kang-Jin turned to Director Song. The older man was staring at the [Abyss Tenancy Agreement] with a practiced, calculating eye. He was a shark of the old world, and he was clearly trying to find a loophole in the new one.
"Director Song," Kang-Jin said, approaching him. "You've spent thirty years managing people and assets. I need an Accountant."
Song's eyes sharpened. "And what does an Accountant get in your 'Abyss'?"
"A private room. Level 2 clearance. And the right to handle the 'Credits' exchange. You take a 2% cut of every transaction. But," Kang-Jin's eyes glowed with a faint, threatening blue light, "if even one credit goes missing from my ledger, I'll turn you into a decorative pillar for the lobby. Do we have an understanding?"
Song swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. He looked at the stone Basilisk, a silent reminder of what happened to those who crossed the Architect.
"I... I believe we can reach a mutually beneficial arrangement," Song stammered, bowing slightly.
With the foundation of his "administration" set, Kang-Jin turned his attention to his own growth. He opened the [Blueprint of the Hidden Workshop] he had received from the Boss kill.
As the blueprint unfurled in his mind, his heart raced. In his previous life, he had never seen anything like this. It wasn't a blueprint for a building; it was a blueprint for a dimension.
[Blueprint: The Void Forge (Rank: Unique/Relic)]
[Requirements: 500 Mana-Cores, 100 Tons of Refined Steel, 1 'Soul of a Traitor'.]
A Soul of a Traitor? Kang-Jin frowned. The System was getting darker. But the rewards were undeniable. The Void Forge would allow him to craft "System Items" that didn't exist in the natural world. He could create armor that ignored physics and weapons that never blunted.
But he was interrupted by a notification that turned his blood to ice.
[Global Announcement: The first 'Hero' has awakened!]
[Name: Choi Sung-Hoon]
[Class: Light-Bringer Knight (S-Rank)]
[Guild: 'The Sun Pillar' has been established.]
Kang-Jin clenched his fist. Choi Sung-Hoon. In the future, Sung-Hoon was the "Golden Hero" of the public, but to Kang-Jin, he was the man who had signed the demolition order for the Aegis Gate. He was the one who had smiled as the charges were set.
"He's early," Kang-Jin whispered. "In the original timeline, he didn't appear for another week. My presence is accelerating the System's response."
If the S-Rank Heroes were appearing, the Guild Wars weren't years away—they were months, maybe weeks. The Guilds would soon start claiming territories, and a high-value zone like Gangnam would be their first target. They wouldn't like a "Landlord" holding the most strategic spot in the city.
"Unit-01," Kang-Jin barked. "Forget the refrigeration units. Tell Min-Ho to start stripping the structural steel from the entire block. We aren't building a hotel anymore."
"Master?" the drone chirped.
"We're building a fortress," Kang-Jin said, his eyes fixed on the horizon where a pillar of golden light was rising from the Seoul outskirts—the sign of the Light-Bringer's awakening. "If Sung-Hoon wants this land, he's going to have to pay more than just credits. He's going to have to pay in blood."
Kang-Jin walked toward the center of the Abyss, where the Alpha Core was pulsing. He reached into his interface and pulled out the [Alpha's Heart-Core].
"System," he intoned. "Execute 'Over-Clocked Construction'. Use my own Leveling Points to accelerate the 'Void-Seal' on the perimeter."
[Warning: This will lock your Level at 12 until construction is complete!]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
"Do it," Kang-Jin said. "Leveling up is for warriors. I'm an Architect. I don't need a higher level to win—I just need a better vantage point."
The black walls began to groan and thicken, rising higher and higher, blocking out the view of the ruined city. To the survivors inside, it felt like the world was disappearing. To Kang-Jin, it felt like the world was finally under his thumb.
The "Abyss" was no longer just a shop. It was a black hole in the middle of Seoul, and it was getting hungry.
[Stats Check:]
Name: Kang-Jin
Title: Sovereign Architect
Level: 12 (Locked)
Authority: 52
Territory: The Abyss (3.2 Acres)
Current Projects: Void-Seal Perimeter (12%), Gorgon's Battery (Refining)