Light snapped back into existence.
I lay flat on my back, staring at the spiraling pattern above . The Elder Tree. Still here. Not vaporized. Not floating sideways. Not teleported to the moon. So that was a win.
The fla shard at my hip pulsed once like it wanted to know I was still its problem.
Then the system voice ca back. No sarcastic jokes. No dry quips. Just calm, neutral authority.
[System Recovery Complete]
[Sovereign Class: Verified]
[Mythline Entanglent: Stable (For Now)]
[Stat Adjustnt Calculated]
[Status Screen Available]
I blinked.
Wait. I hadn't looked at my full [Status] in... a long ti. I'd been too busy not dying, building houses, not dying again, leading, and not dying so more.
I sat up slowly. My ribs ached. My tail felt like I'd slept wrong on it for six years. But my claws still worked. I opened the screen.
[Na: ??? (Sovereign - Ashring)]
[Species: Kobold]
[Title: Sovereign of Ashring, Flabearer, System-Anomaly (Flagged)]
[Class: Civilization Sovereign (Tier I evolving)]
[Level: 47]
[HP: 1680 / 1680]
[MP: 920 / 920]
[Strength: 74]
[Agility: 82]
[Endurance: 91]
[Intelligence: 119]
[Charisma: 125]
[Leadership Affinity: MAXED (Overcap)]
[Sovereign Traits: Fla Sensitivity (Advanced), System Synchronization, Civilization Mimicry (Dungeon Variant)]
[Relic Equipped: Sovereign's First Fla (Bound)]
[Warning: You are operating outside standard dungeon paraters]
[Optional Quest Pending: Seek Origin Fla Fragnt]
I stared blankly.
When did I get that much health? When did my Leadership Affinity max out? When did I get flagged as an "anomaly" like so broken file soone forgot to delete?
"Oh no," I whispered.
I scrolled back to the Leadership line and tapped it nervously.
[Leadership Affinity: Your people will instinctively organize around your commands. Allied morale and battlefield response drastically enhanced when within your aura range. Effects have exceeded Sovereign Tier I limits. System monitoring...]
The system had nothing snarky to add. It was dead serious. That made panic more than anything else.
"So technically I'm strong now," I muttered. "That feels illegal."
Movent behind .
"Boss?"
Relay. Of course. The rest of the disaster brigade followed close behind. Cinders, Flick, Glare, Tinker, even Stonealign. They crowded in, eyes wide, whispering in panic.
"You disappeared!"
"We thought you exploded!"
"Or got eaten by trees!"
"Or worse, joined the tree cult!"
I waved them off weakly. "I'm fine. System glitch. Nothing exploded."
Flick stared at intensely. "Are you sure? You're glowing a little."
I glanced down. The fla shard was still faintly pulsing. Not ominous at all.
"Yes," I sighed, standing up slowly. "I'm fine. Mostly. Maybe. Let's not test it."
The system helpfully pinged.
[Condition: Mild System Instability Detected]
[Recomnded Action: Rest, Hydrate, Stop Touching Ancient Myth Artifacts]
"Noted."
I limped out of the hollow root chamber into the soft light of Eshara's forest paths. My squad trailed behind like a pack of overexcited, badly trained dogs.
Cinders clanked after , arms crossed. "You should've told us you were going to randomly vanish into myth space!"
"Yes. My bad. Next ti I'll pencil it into my nonexistent calendar," I muttered.
Relay scribbled furiously in his notebook. "Historic Myth Trigger Day: Sovereign survived, probable divine intervention, pending verification."
Tinker's scanner beeped softly at my side. "Still detecting mild mythline interference. You're probably fine. Mostly."
"Comforting," I deadpanned.
Flick tilted his head, wide-eyed. "Does this an you're, like... super strong now? Can you punch a mountain?"
I paused. "Maybe a very small mountain. A disrespectful hill, perhaps."
The sun—or whatever weird sky orb they had—was starting to set behind the towering trees. Dappled gold light danced along the mossy ground. The half-elf settlent was strangely quiet.
As if on cue, the system popped up.
[Status: Settlent Observation Ongoing]
[Allied Sentint: Cautious / Intrigued / Mildly Terrified]
[Optional Quest: Avoid Further Incidents (Difficulty: Impossible)]
"Yeah, figured."
We made camp outside the Elder Tree grounds. The squad's attempt at setting up tents imdiately devolved into chaos.
Glare tried to tie a tarp between two trees only for the trees to move. Cinders cooked with local plants, sending Flick flying with a chemical explosion. Tinker got his scanner stuck. Relay labeled everything "Highly Aggressive Plant Life - Do Not Touch" then touched all of it.
I sat down at the campfire and stared at my open [Status] again. Stronger. Sharper. Officially terrifying on paper. Still just . Still tired.
Night fell. The forest turned darker than seed natural.
The fla shard was hot against my side. Wrong. I opened my eyes.
System ping.
[Warning: Unknown Entity Approaching]
[Classification: Non-Dungeon Origin - Hostile Intent Detected]
[Distance: 84 ters. Approaching rapidly.]
[Recomndation: Prepare for Engagent]
I stood quietly. Tinker blinked awake. "Wha?"
"Trouble."
The figure moved fast. Low crouch. Professional steps. Too big for kobold. Leather armor, light weapons. Bandit.
I slipped my claws toward my weapon, breath held.
The scout reached the periter. The forest betrayed him.
A whistle. A vine cord snapped upward, tangled his ankle. The scout twisted free, but three silent figures fell from the trees like stars.
The first elf struck low with a spear. The second flipped over the scout, staff cracking his shoulder. The third blocked his escape path, blade drawn, faint green glow.
The bandit recovered fast. Slashed wildly. One swipe missed, another nicked cloth. The lead hunter slipped inside his guard, spear haft slamming into ribs with a crack.
The man staggered, reversed grip, desperate slash. t nothing but a green shimr parry. The third hunter swept both legs. Bandit hit dirt hard.
Fight done in eight seconds.
The system chid.
[Observation: Eshara Guardian Corps Combat Efficiency: Grade S]
[Recomndation: Do Not Pick Fights]
I lowered my claws slowly.
"I was totally about to step in. Honest."
The lead elf bound the bandit.
"Your fla stirred. We suspected soone would co."
"Who?" I asked.
The captive groaned. Human. Scarred. rcenary.
"Outsiders. Raiders. Never dared cross Eshara borders before tonight."
I stared at the black trees.
System ping.
[Optional Subquest Added: Identify and Eliminate External Threat To Verdant Ring Stability]
[Reward: Unknown]
[Failure Penalty: Catastrophic Settlent Reputation Loss]
I sighed heavily.
"And now I have side quests too. Of course I do."
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