Will leaned back against the chair inside the quiet inn room, the wooden frame creaking softly under his weight. The room was modest, clean, and deliberately unremarkable, chosen specifically so that no one would remember it even a few hours later.
Outside, the city continued its restless hum, but inside the room there was only silence broken by the occasional flicker of the mana lamp.
Then the notifications arrived.
[Bond detected: Maximus Sinclair has awakened.]
Will's eyes narrowed slightly, though his posture remained relaxed. He had been expecting this, yet the confirmation still carried weight.
Maximus was not just another bound individual; he was the first true villain of the first main arc, a person whose fate had already diverged violently from what most would consider normal.
[Bond has awakened SSS Rank Talent: Slave master.]
[Bond has awakened Darkness Affinity (SSS).]
Will exhaled slowly, fingers tapping once against the armrest. His abrupt awakening just after Lia's disappearance alone confirmed that Maximus's villain arc has started.
[Calculating rewards…]
The pause felt longer than it actually was.
[ding!! Congratulations, you have acquired Legendary Talent: Lord of Slavery.]
[ding!! Congratulations, you have acquired Darkness Affinity (Absolute).]
Will stared at the interface in front of him for several seconds before letting out a short smile.
"Sweet," he said quietly.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as his mind worked through the implications. Maximus's original talent had already been considered absurd in the novel, something that could easily rival a protagonist-level cheat if allowed to grow unchecked.
Now, through the system, his rewards had surpassed even that.
"If it wasn't for Ethan," Will muttered, "I'd honestly think Maximus was the real main character."
He shook his head slowly. "That talent is almost unfair."
The thought lingered for a moment before he pushed it aside. Fairness had never existed in this world to begin with. Power decided everything, and those without it were simply swept aside.
Still, something else caught his attention.
"System," Will said, straightening slightly, "what exactly does absolute rank affinity mean? Even Ethan doesn't have that."
The response came immediately.
[At absolute affinity, any technique or skill aligned with that element undergoes natural evolution. Initial mastery of elemental techniques begins at the grandmaster stage. All preliminary training stages are skipped.]
Will blinked once.
Then again.
"…What?" he said, unable to stop himself. "You're telling me I skip beginner, intermediate, master, and everything else?"
[Correct]
"and elemental skills and techniques will evolve on their own?"
[Correct]
A grin slowly spread across his face. "That's insane."
This was no longer just a numerical advantage, This was a structural one. Training time, comprehension barriers, bottlenecks that trapped most cultivators for decades or even lifetimes were simply erased.
"Alright," Will said after a moment, calming himself. "Show me the effects of Lord of Slavery.
[understood]
-------------
Lord of Slavery (legendary)
1. The host can forcibly enslave any being weaker or equal in rank to the host.
2. there is no limit on the number of slaves host keeps.
3. The host may forcefully initiate a slavery Pact Battle with beings of higher strength. During the pact the host's strength will be brought equal to the opponents strength.
4. Beings can be enslaved if they call the host 'master' for even once consciously.
5. For every enslaved being, the host will acquire all the talents and affinities of the slave.
6. host can swap places with the slave anytime irrespective of distance.
7. host can mentally communicate and share senses with the slave irrespective of distance.
-------------
He read through the talent carefully, line by line, his expression shifting from curiosity to genuine interest.
Unlike the original version Maximus possessed, this evolved form had removed nearly all restrictions. Rank limitations were gone. Slave caps no longer existed. Even distance and resistance had been rendered meaningless.
When he finished reading, Will leaned back again, letting out a satisfied breath.
"This is ridiculous," he said honestly. "The effects are exaggerated, and the limitations are basically nonexistent."
[the Host can now enslave the entire main cast if desired.]
Will snorted. "Yeah, that's not happening."
He shook his head firmly. "The only race that deserves enslavement is demons. I'm not turning into the exact thing I hate. Unless someone crosses a line they shouldn't, I'll avoid using this on others."
The moment he finished speaking, his body trembled violently.
His expression changed instantly.
Multiple alarms rang through his consciousness at once.
[Warning: Darkness Affinity (Absolute) is clashing with Sun Affinity (SSS).]
[Darkness (Absolute) is overpowering Sun (SSS). Sun affinity is being consumed.]
"What?" Will shot to his feet, panic flashing across his face. "Wait, what the hell?!"
He could feel it clearly now. A strange pulling sensation deep within his mana core, as if something fundamental was being stripped away. The warmth he had grown accustomed to since awakening his sun affinity flickered unsteadily.
"I'm not losing my sun affinity over this," he said sharply. "That's not happening."
Before he could take any action, another notification appeared.
[Absolute Adaptation is activating.]
[Sun affinity consumption has been paused.]
[Sun affinity has been upgraded from Sun (SSS) to Sun (Absolute).]
[Elemental balance achieved.]
Will froze.
Then slowly exhaled.
"…Hehehe," he laughed, running a hand through his hair. "That's more like it."
He straightened, feeling the internal balance settle into something stable yet immensely heavy. The presence of both elements was no longer conflicting.
Instead, they existed in equilibrium, neither dominating the other.
"System," Will said, his tone filled with satisfaction, "I now have two absolute affinities."
[Congratulations, Host.]
Will nodded, letting the reality sink in. Absolute sun. Absolute darkness. Either one alone was enough to place someone above nearly all the beings. Together, they represented extremes that rarely coexisted.
"Alright," he said after a moment. "Now training actually matters."
He walked toward the window, looking out over the city lights. For the past two years, he had not wasted time. Every move, every purchase, every delay had been calculated.
In those two years, he had gained twenty-four free shop purchases.
Four had been spent on system binders.
One had gone toward the chocolate vending machine that funded everything else.
The remaining nineteen had not been wasted.
Among those purchases was the
-------------
Domain of the Infinite.
- A private training domain completely isolated from the outside world. Inside, time flowed at an absurd rate.
- One year within the domain equalled a single day outside.
- Aging was halted entirely, and the environment was saturated with dense, pure mana that far exceeded anything found naturally.
----------------
For Will, it was the perfect tool.
Now that his shop was destroyed, he had no reason to reopen it immediately. Repairs would take time.
he would not re-open the shop till two weeks in the real world translated into fourteen years inside the domain.
Fourteen uninterrupted years of training.
His eyes sharpened.
"That's enough time to change everything."
Next on his list was the technique.
A God-rank sword art.
Heaven-Sundering Divine Sword Art.
Will had chosen a sword path without hesitation. Ethan was a swordsman. Maximus was a swordsman. Through the bonds, Will was already absorbing their growth, comprehension, and instincts. Following the same path was the most efficient choice.
The goal of his first seclusion in the domain of infinite was clear.
Master the first form.
------------
FIRST FORM: ORIGIN SEVERANCE
- The foundational form. Upon mastering this form, the wielder forges the most perfect Sovereign SwordIntent, pure, refined, and sovereign of all other intents.
- swords won't damage the host anymore, any sword attack directed at the host is 100 percent reflected toward's the attacker.
----------------
He opened the technique description and read it carefully. Unlike lower-rank arts, the wording was simple, almost blunt.
No flourish. No unnecessary explanations. Just direct declaration indicating absolute superiority.
When he finished reading, Will let out a slow breath.
"So that's how it is," he murmured.
Even in saint techniques like Tempest Sword Art, sword intent only began to manifest around the fourth form, and perfection was achieved at the final stage. It was a gradual, dangerous process that broke countless practitioners.
But this technique was different. Sword intent would be completely mastered from the first form itself.
It was forged immediately.
"Just mastering the first form," Will said quietly, "already puts me above most of the main cast in the first arc."
He closed the interface and clenched his fist.
"I will lay foundations no one can shake"
With absolute affinities, a divine physique, adaptive talent, and god-rank techniques, the margin for error had narrowed to nothing. From this point on, every decision mattered.
Will turned away from the window.
"Time to enter seclusion" he said calmly.