Izumi stood at the edge of his world, gazing upon it with unmistakable satisfaction.
There was no denying it now.
Among the countless worlds scattered across this region of the dimensional sea—
His world stood supreme.
Like a blazing sun at the center of a system, it radiated overwhelming presence. Compared to it, the surrounding worlds looked like dim stars, quietly drifting in its orbit.
And just as he expected—
They had begun to react.
From afar, the smaller worlds trembled slightly.
They moved.
Slowly… instinctively…
They were drawing closer.
Not out of will.
But out of instinct.
"These guys don't even have proper world wills…"
Izumi muttered, folding his arms.
Most of those worlds were too weak to even give birth to a true world consciousness. At best, they operated on basic survival instincts.
And now, faced with a powerful world like his—
They were doing the only thing they could.
Clinging to strength.
Izumi couldn't help but laugh.
"This really looks like a bunch of underlings trying to find a boss…"
It was ridiculous.
But also—
Exactly what he wanted.
After all, placing his world here had a clear purpose.
To attract.
To absorb.
To grow.
"How many will come, I wonder…"
A faint anticipation flickered in his eyes.
Still, he knew this process wouldn't be instant. The distance between worlds, even in a dense region like this, was still vast.
Fusion would take time.
"Alright, that's enough sightseeing."
With a casual wave, Izumi turned and stepped back into his world.
Alaya, Gaia, and the Dragon God followed behind him.
Back inside, everything looked the same as before.
But Izumi knew better.
His world had changed fundamentally.
It had become—
A beacon.
As they landed atop the great tree, Izumi turned to the Dragon God.
"By the way… does Gensokyo have any valuable treasures?"
"The kind that would be… worth something."
The Dragon God blinked, slightly confused.
"…Treasures?"
She tilted her head, clearly not understanding why someone like Izumi would need such things.
Still, she didn't question him.
"I do have some collections," she said, raising her hand.
"They're things I gathered while traveling across different worlds."
A moment later—
A series of items appeared before them.
Strange artifacts.
Ancient relics.
Objects imbued with unfamiliar laws.
Izumi's eyes lit up instantly.
"Now this is what I'm talking about."
Without hesitation, he began picking through them.
"This one. That one. And… yeah, this too."
After selecting several items, he glanced back at her.
"Want anything in return?"
"If it's within my power, I can give it to you."
The Dragon God shook her head.
"No need."
"These things don't have much use to me anymore."
"Take them."
Izumi didn't argue.
"Then I'll gladly accept."
Moments later, he returned to his room.
Without wasting time, he opened the system interface and tossed in everything—his own stored items, along with the Dragon God's collection.
As he looked at the shrinking pile of valuables, he couldn't help but sigh.
"…I'm poor."
That realization hit harder than expected.
"To use this system properly, I need more foreign treasures…"
Anything native to his world was practically worthless in the system's eyes.
It only wanted items from other worlds.
Rare ones.
Valuable ones.
"And if I throw in something useless…"
Izumi's mouth twitched.
"…it might just spit back something ridiculous."
Shaking his head, he confirmed the exchange.
The familiar process began.
Compression.
Division.
Reconstruction.
Then—
New items appeared in his inventory.
Izumi immediately opened it.
And froze.
[World Invitation Letter]A self-replicating invitation. Once a coordinate is set, it will travel through the dimensional sea, locate individuals with potential, and bring them to the designated world.
[Simulated Star Creation Chart: Avesta]A power that mirrors opposing concepts. It can reproduce and invert an enemy's cosmology, integrating it into the user. The more enemies present, the stronger the user becomes.
[World Fusion Card ×3]
"…Not bad."
No—this was far beyond "not bad."
The three fusion cards alone were already a huge gain.
But what truly caught his attention—
Was the second item.
"Avesta…"
Izumi's eyes narrowed slightly.
A simulated star creation chart on par with the strongest authorities.
A power that grew stronger with enemies?
"That's… ridiculously broken."
A grin spread across his face.
"With this, even facing overwhelming odds won't matter."
If anything—
The more enemies he faced…
The stronger he would become.
"…I'm getting closer."
Closer to the next level.
Closer to becoming a true top-tier existence.
Then—
His gaze shifted to the final item.
The invitation.
He tapped it lightly.
And his eyes immediately lit up.
"…Oh?"
"Inviting people from other worlds…"
He leaned back slightly, a slow smile forming.
"Isn't this basically asking them to deliver treasures right to my doorstep?"
The idea clicked instantly.
Crystal clear.
His world was now anchored in the dimensional sea.
Which meant—
Visitors could come.
And once they entered his world…
They would be bound by its rules.
"And under my rules…"
Izumi chuckled softly.
"I can trade with them."
Abilities.
Artifacts.
Knowledge.
Everything they carried—
Could become his.
He looked at the invitation again, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"…You're definitely hiding something, aren't you?"
"System."
No answer.
As expected.
Izumi shrugged.
"Fine. Stay silent."
It didn't matter.
Because now—
He had a plan.
With a snap of his fingers—
Two figures appeared before him.
Alaya.
Gaia.
Izumi crossed his arms, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Alright, you two."
"Let's discuss something important."
The two blinked.
"…What is it?"
Izumi's smile widened.
"How to… properly scam people from other worlds."
A pause.
"…Huh?"
From that day onward—
Izumi made a decision.
He would no longer simply wait for worlds to come to him.
He would—
Invite them.
Trade with them.
Exploit them.
And turn his world into something far greater than a mere nexus.
A marketplace.
A stage.
A center of power.
A place where countless worlds would gather—
And where everything…
Would eventually belong to him.