Player Chapter 6. Forbidden Dominator
[Congratulation! You have reached level 10!]
The notification blinked faintly at the edge of his vision like it was trying to be cheerful about the fact that he had just almost died five seconds into existence.
Riven lay flat on cobblestone.
He could feel the uneven grooves beneath his spine. Cold. Real. Slightly damp from evening dew.
The air smelled different here.
Bread.
Smoke.
Horse manure.
And something sweet, candied nuts from a nearby street stall.
It took him a second to realize the ringing in his ears wasn't combat aftermath anymore.
It was people.
Voices.
Laughter.
A lute playing somewhere off-beat.
He blinked upward.
Instead of vaulted gothic dungeon ceilings, he saw wooden balconies and hanging lanterns swaying gently in warm orange light. Medieval buildings leaned slightly inward like they were gossiping about him.
A save-point town.
Of course.
He slowly sat up.
His chest still ached. Not sharp. Just bruised pride and internal mana shock.
The paladin knelt beside him immediately, heavy armor clinking.
"Are you okay?"
The healer crouched on his other side, eyes wide with worry. She still looked like she'd aged ten years in the boss room.
Riven raised one hand calmly. "Give me one minute."
He didn't look at them.
Didn't reassure them.
Didn't explain.
He just tilted his head slightly, eyes half-lidded.
"System." His voice was quiet. "Give me your name, my status and skills."
A pause.
Then…
[Welcome to Forbidden Domination System, host!]
The tone was bright.
Annoyingly bright.
[I will give you your status and skills, although I'm still mad because you dismissed me and skipped the tutorial phase. That's rude!]
Riven's eyebrow twitched.
He wanted to say something.
Something sharp.
Something sarcastic.
But his HP was still flirting with death.
So he swallowed it.
"Right, sorry. Status."
The screen expanded in front of him.
Clean.
Minimal.
[Name: Riven Goldborne]
[Title: New Transmigrator]
[Class: Forbidden Dominator]
[Transmigrator Rank: F]
[Level: 10]
[HP: 150/2200]
[Mana: 50/500]
[ATK: 300]
[M.ATK: 300]
[DEF: 300]
[Stamina: 130]
[Agility: 130]
He stared at the HP.
150 out of 2200.
He almost laughed.
One aura spike.
Just aura.
And it nearly deleted him.
His fingers flexed against the cobblestone.
Not fear.
Excitement.
The kind that crawled under your skin and refused to leave.
"Skills."
The list unfolded.
[Predator Instinct (Passive)]
[Enhances combat awareness. Allows the user to detect enemy weaknesses, predict attack patterns, and react faster in battle.]
[Dimensional Storage (Utility Skill)]
[Creates a personal dimensional inventory. Allows the user to store weapons, equipment, resources, and food. Items can be accessed instantly. Stored items are automatically organized. Time inside storage is frozen.]
[Pocket Dimension (Legendary Skill)]
[Creates a private pocket world owned by the user. Acts as a safe guild hall and personal base. Only the user and approved members can enter. Enemies cannot enter without permission.]
[Create Weapons (Active Skill)]
[Allows the user to condense mana into physical weapons. The created weapon is made from pure mana, shaped according to the user's intent.]
[Omnimana Core (Legendary Passive)]
[Allows the user to control all types of mana. Mana automatically adapts to the current world system. Removes elemental compatibility restrictions.]
[Mana Manifestation (Active Skill)]
[Converts mana into elemental attacks. Element type is chosen by the user's intent.]
[Examples:]
[Fire -> Flame Blast]
[Ice -> Ice Spear]
[Lightning -> Thunder Strike]
[Wind -> Air Blade]
[Shadow Contract (Binding Skill)]
[Creates a magical contract between the user and another target. Breaking the contract triggers punishment.]
[Possible Punishments:]
[Stat Reduction]
[Magical Pain]
[Forced Obedience]
Then…
[New Skill Acquired!]
[Queenmaker Protocol (Authority Skill)]
[Elevates a chosen companion to elite status. Upgrades companion's class. Unlocks new abilities. Greatly increases loyalty and devotion.]
Riven's lips curled slightly.
"…That one's dangerous."
The system hummed smugly.
[You asked for facilities.]
He rolled his shoulders slowly.
"Inventory."
[Inventory:]
-3X Low Healing Potion
-2X Low Mana Potion
-5X Loaves of Bread
-2X Raw Meat
-150 Coins (from looting vampire servants)
Silence.
He stared at the list.
Then slowly tilted his head. "This is the worst newbie package I've ever seen."
[You skipped the tutorial.]
"Petty."
[Accurate.]
He almost smiled.
The paladin shifted awkwardly beside him.
"Are you talking to someone?"
Riven glanced sideways. "Customer support."
The healer blinked.
"…What?"
He stood slowly.
Carefully.
His HP ticked up by one.
[HP: 151/2200]
Embarrassing.
He brushed dust off his coat.
The town square stretched out before him, market stalls, blacksmith smoke rising, children chasing each other with wooden swords. A bard played near a fountain, badly.
It was so… alive.
So painfully normal compared to the throne room.
His eyes moved automatically.
Mapping.
Evaluating.
No obvious threats.
Low-tier NPC guards.
Merchants.
Civilians.
And yet…
Somewhere in this world…
A Vampire Empress who knew what WiFi was.
He exhaled softly.
"The game," he muttered. "Tell me."
The system complied.
[Game Name: Eclipse of the Twin Thrones]
[Genre: Dark Fantasy]
[World Status: Low Chaos]
[Requester: The people of Solmire]
[The abnormal war escalation between Light Temple and Night Kingdom continues to worsen. The people despair. The Light Temple blames the Vampire Empress. The Night Kingdom claims innocence. War intensifies.]
Riven's eyes narrowed. "Requester is the people? Like… the NPCs?"
[Correct.]
"Is this some kind of transmigration logic?"
[Once again, correct.]
He folded his arms slowly.
That meant mass despair triggered the intervention.
Meaning the narrative was broken enough to destabilize the world itself.
He looked toward the tower silhouette in the far distance beyond rooftops.
Victoria Nightfall.
Blood Sorceress.
And possibly not the real villain, although she should be the main villain.
The paladin stood beside him. "We barely survived. We need to regroup at the Light Temple. The members will resurrect there."
Riven glanced sideways at him without moving his head, eyes half-lidded like he was still measuring something invisible in the air. The town square buzzed softly behind them, vendors closing shop, lanterns being lit, a drunk arguing with a chicken. It was almost offensively normal after what he had just felt in that throne room. Almost. He could still feel the phantom pressure in his ribs, like her aura had left fingerprints on his bones.