Chapter One: Optimism Toward This Harsh World
Darkness had settled over the city. Nothing remained in the small apartment but the glow of a computer screen, casting its light on Kaiden's tired face as it always did. Dust gathered on the shelves, and empty cups were scattered beside the keyboard.
An orphan who had never known the warmth of a family, he had learned to depend on himself in everything. After graduating with honors in programming, finding a job at a reputable game company had not been difficult — yet his life remained confined between the walls of this apartment that barely had room for his bed and desk.
That night, he was struggling to fix a stubborn bug that had halted one of the applications he was working on. His eyes were red from the sleepless hours, his fingers moving across the keyboard with mechanical speed.
Then, without warning, a blue window appeared — one he had never seen before — filling the screen with a strange message:
[Congratulations! You have been selected to become a Lord in the World of Orandra. Begin your journey now!]
What he saw made no sense. It was either a hallucination from exhaustion or an intrusion into his network. Kaiden moved the mouse to close the window, but his hand froze halfway.
There was no time to react. A blinding white beam erupted from the screen and engulfed his body completely. A wave of intense dizziness hit him, as though the ground had been pulled from beneath his feet — and then he fell into darkness.
....
An unknown amount of time later...
A blast of hot, dry air struck Kaiden's face, jolting him awake. He opened his eyes with difficulty, finding himself standing on a near-barren land that stretched to the horizon. There were mountains and rocky hills scattered about — some close, others so distant that only their shadows were visible. There was no trace of civilization or life; only a scorching sun blazing in a clear sky, and winds carrying sand particles that stung his skin. This was no dream. The pain was real.
He turned his head slowly, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Behind him stood a crumbling wooden hut that looked on the verge of collapse. Stranger still was the translucent wall encircling the entire area, glimmering with a faint blue light and forming a near-invisible protective dome.
Before he could collect himself, the air trembled with a deep voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once:
[Welcome, new Lord... All races have been transported to the World of Orandra to battle for dominance. All transported Lords have been granted a Lord's Crown — the source of your power and the symbol of your authority. By upgrading it, you will gain new properties that will accelerate your growth.]
[Your mission is clear and simple: Survive, Expand, and Ascend. You have seven days before the Protective Barrier shielding your nascent Region disappears. Use them wisely. Good luck!]
The unknown entity continued speaking, but this time in a flat, emotionless tone — almost mechanical:
[System Alert: You have acquired a Region Talent — Region Quest Generator, Rank: SSS+]
The system's voice vanished as it had come, leaving Kaiden in the cursed silence of the barren land around him. His heart pounded hard.
"Orandra? A Lord? What kind of damned game is this?"
He whispered to himself, his voice hoarse from the dryness.
Then, as if his thoughts had been read, a translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes — resembling the game interfaces he had worked on, but real, floating in the air.
---
Lord: Kaiden
Crown Rank: Straw Crown
Region: (Unnamed)
Region Talent: Region Quest Generator (SSS+)
Lord's Inventory:
Stone Axe x1, Stone Pickaxe x1
Bread x3 (Loaf), Water Bottle (1L) x2
Storage Capacity: 20 slots, up to 99 of the same unit per slot
Buildings:
Lord's Hut (Level 1)
---
[World Chat] [Region Chat] [World Market] [Region Status] [Lord's Crown]
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"What are these interfaces? They look like they came straight out of a game..."
Kaiden muttered, trying to stay calm and process the situation he had found himself in.
He crouched down and touched the ground beneath him, finding the soil warm under the morning sun. Just moments ago it had been night in his city — and now he stood in a near-barren wilderness. It was hard to absorb, let alone believe.
---
While Kaiden was still reeling from the confusion of it all, a terrifying scratching sound suddenly reached him from the direction of the Protective Barrier — without any warning.
Skrrk!... Skrrk!...
He turned toward the source of the sound, and what he saw was a creature he had only ever seen in dinosaur films. A giant lizard, two meters long, covered in hard scales, its red eyes glinting with a hungry stare, slashing at the Protective Barrier with its sharp claws.
Kaiden froze in place from sheer terror before losing his balance and dropping hard onto the ground.
Several seconds passed. Only when he realized the giant lizard was unable to break through the Protective Barrier and reach him did his mind begin to slowly function again — and he recalled what had been said to him at the beginning about a barrier protecting him for seven days.
He scrambled to his feet and dusted off his clothes in embarrassment, but his heart continued to pound like war drums.
'Staying out in the open is not an option,' Kaiden muttered, moving toward the only building in this godforsaken place, feeling that standing exposed would only agitate the beast further.
He took several steps toward the old hut, and before entering, glanced back one last time — not moving until he confirmed the lizard was still unable to cross the Protective Barrier.
Inside, there was nothing worth noting: no table, no tools — only a white bed with a simple wooden frame.
Kaiden paid no attention to the hut's dilapidated condition and sat on the bed, exhausted. The standing and the fear had drained him completely.
'What a terrifying creature,' he muttered, his body still trembling, his legs weak from the shock.
But on the bright side, he no longer had any doubt that he had been transported to another world — one entirely removed from his previous life.
As for the possibility of it being a prank — Kaiden was not important enough for anyone to pull something of this scale on him.
With that reality setting in, he began to seriously think about understanding the rules of this world. He recalled the system interfaces that had appeared before him earlier, and the moment he focused on them, they returned — as if responding to his will.
---
[World Chat] [Region Chat] [World Market] [Region Status] [Lord's Crown]
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"These interfaces seem to be for region management," Kaiden muttered, then tried opening the World Chat.
Instantly, a flood of messages erupted before him, streaming at a staggering speed. He barely managed to slow the flow enough to read them.
---
World Chat: (Language auto-unified)
Total Lord Count: 999,971,876
Notice: Each Lord may send one message per day.
Lord Isaac: Does anyone know where the hell we are?!
Lord John: No idea either. I was answering the call of nature, and suddenly a strange interface appeared saying something incomprehensible — then I found myself here!
Lord Kevin: The voice said all races were transported here to battle for dominance — damn it! Does that mean we will be fighting aliens?!!
Lord Mustafa: What?! How?! My talent is Rank F — just a 10% boost to soil fertility.
Lord Maria: Monsters! There are massive monsters outside the barrier! Help me! Dad! Mom!
---
Screams of panic, boasting, naivety, and desperate cries — all tangled together. Kaiden did not last long before closing the window with a single thought, leaving the chaos behind him.
He exhaled deeply, trying to settle his nerves.
"So... this is like a mass survival game. But I cannot treat it as a game in the true sense. The danger here is real... and it seems like the loser actually dies."
Kaiden noticed that the total Lord count was dropping at a terrifying rate — thousands every second — making it clear that this world was lethal, even with the Protective Barrier in place.
But what caught his attention more was the talk among some Lords about "Region Talents." He remembered that he had received one as well, and focused his thoughts on it without hesitation.
A new interface appeared before him.
---
[Region Talent: Region Quest Generator — SSS+]
Description: The Quest Generator is linked to the Lord's Region, generating a random number of quests each day related to the Region's development and prosperity.
Each quest has a time limit. If the deadline passes before completion, the quest fails and disappears automatically.
Note: There is no penalty for failure.
Completing quests grants generous rewards.
The quest generation window is available for today. Would you like to begin?
---
"SSS+!" Kaiden said, and his mood lifted by several notches. As a veteran gamer, he understood that such talents belonged to the highest tier — especially compared to what he had seen in the chat, where most talents were Rank F.
Without hesitation, he selected Yes, and a new interface appeared.
---
Generating daily quests... 7 Region Quests generated:
1 — Knowledge is Power
Details: Explore all sections of the System Interface.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: 2L Fresh Water x6
2 — First Summon
Summon the first Settlers through the Crown.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Random Elite Soldier x1
3 — Resource Gatherer
Details: Collect 20 units of Stone and 20 units of Wood from within your Region.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Roasted Chicken x2
4 — First Upgrade
Upgrade the Lord's Hut for the first time.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Apprentice Blacksmith Workshop Bundle Blueprint
5 — First Kill
Kill a monster of any level.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Black Iron Treasure Chest
6 — Name Your Region
Choose a fitting name for your nascent Region.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Random Region Aura
7 — The First Step Toward Dominance
Upgrade the Crown to the next level.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Physical Enhancement Fruit x1
---
Kaiden studied the quest list carefully and grasped the nature of his Region Talent. He would need to complete these quests to earn the rewards — a privilege that belonged to him alone.
With that understanding came a rising excitement, and a new sense of optimism toward this harsh world.
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End of Chapter One
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Author's Note:
Crown Rankings:
Straw Crown — Bronze Crown — Black Iron Crown — Silver Crown — Golden Crown — Diamond Crown — Royal Crown — Imperial Crown — Continental Crown — World Crown