The morning light filtered into the cramped apartment, illuminating dust motes that danced over Lin Aether's phone. He was deep into a web novel titled Tribe: I Become Invincible with My 10,000x Bonus from the Start. He scoffed, adjusting his grip on the device.
"If it were me," Lin muttered to the empty room, "I would've done things differently."
The moment the thought left his lips, the world froze. The hum of the refrigerator died. The dust particles suspended in the air became static, like stars in a photograph.
Lin tried to draw a breath, but his lungs refused to move. Then, the light of his bedroom collapsed into a suffocating, absolute darkness.
[Welcome to the Lost Continent, Lords. We hope you have a wonderful journey!]
A voice, cold and ethereal, vibrated within his skull.
Lin's eyes fluttered open. The smell hit him first—damp earth, pine needles, and woodsmoke. He groaned, pushing himself up from the dirt.
Gone was the wallpaper of his apartment, replaced by a towering canopy of ancient trees. Behind him sat a cluster of primitive structures: a small thatch-roofed hall and a guttering campfire.
Around the fire stood ten people—seven men and three women. When their eyes met his, they didn't hesitate. As one, they dropped to their knees, their heads bowed in synchronized reverence.
"We greet you, Our Lord!"
Lin's heart hammered against his ribs. Is this actually happening? As if in answer to his silent question, a translucent blue pane of light shimmered into existence before his eyes.
[Lord Panel]
Name: Lin Aether
Race: Human
Level: 1
Talent: Rewards Multiplier (SSS-Rank)
Lin's breath hitched. He focused his mind on the talent description, and the text expanded.
[Talent: Rewards Multiplier]
Effect: Automatically multiplies the value and quantity of all acquired rewards by 10,000x.
A chill of pure electricity ran down his spine. Ten thousand times? Finally! He quickly scanned the rest of the interface, noting tabs for Regional Chat, Inventory, and Crafting.
He tapped the Regional Chat icon. The screen exploded with a frantic scroll of messages.
Gin: Help! I'm in a desert! Does anyone have water?!
Melisa: Mommy? Where is everyone? I'm scared, it's too quiet here.
Alex: Finally! This is my moment! With my [Limitless] talent, the world will bow to its Daddy!!
The messages were a blur of desperation and ego. Lin closed the window. He didn't have time for the chaos of others. If he really had a 10,000x multiplier, he needed to test the limits of his reality immediately.
He stepped toward his kneeling subjects. Above their heads, names and stats floated in dim white text.
All were Iron Tier 1, but their professions were varied: three hunters, three guards, an architect, two officials, and a housekeeper.
The hunters gripped recurve bows, while the guards held sturdy spears. The architect and officials, looking somewhat out of place in the wilderness, clutched quills and parchment.
"Stand up," Lin commanded, his voice steadier than he felt. "Since we are in this together, tell me about yourselves."
As they spoke, Lin noticed a [Loyalty] stat hovering near their names, averaging around 50. Their memories were a fog; they knew their crafts and their names, but their pasts were "blurry," as if they had been conjured from thin air specifically to serve.
They explained the world's hierarchy: Tiers 1 through 9. Everything—people, items, buildings—had a ceiling, a limit to its potential. Except for me, Lin thought, eyeing his talent. To raise their Loyalty, he realized he would need to provide the four pillars of leadership: food, security, opportunity, and a future.
Lin turned to inspect his "estate." The Lord's Hall was a 10x10 meter wooden cabin. Inside, it was functional but spartan—an office, a dining area, and a bed that looked like it would be a nightmare for his lower back. To the left of the hall, a shimmering, three-meter-tall portal pulsed with light: the [Iron Tiered Recruitment Portal]. To the right stood a sturdy timber Warehouse.
Beyond the clearing, a faint golden dome shimmered, encasing his small territory.
[Novice Protection Period: 6 Days, 23 Hours Remaining]
"No time to waste," Lin said, turning to his people. "Hunters and Guards, find game. Rex, take the officials and map the immediate perimeter. The rest of you, gather every fruit and vegetable you can find. Do not leave the golden barrier. Go!"
"Yes, Lord Lin!" they shouted in unison.
An hour passed in tense silence. Lin sat by the fire, plotting his expansion. When the hunters finally emerged from the brush, they were dragging two deer and a small rabbit.
"Lord, the woods are plentiful," the lead hunter, Geralt, said breathlessly.
As Lin reached out to touch the carcasses, a heavy, metallic ding echoed in his mind.
[Rewards Multiplier Activated!]
20,000 Units of Venison acquired
20,000x Deer Fur acquired!
10,000x Rabbit Meat acquired!
CRACK.
The ground groaned. In an instant, the three small carcasses vanished, replaced by a small mountain of raw meat and a towering stack of cured furs that rose higher than the Lord's Hall itself. The sheer weight of the reward caused the earth to divot.
The hunters fell back, their eyes wide with terror and awe.
[Ding! Geralt Loyalty +10]
[Ding! Ainstrad Loyalty +10]
[Ding! Gordand Loyalty +10]
The notifications flashed rapidly. To the subjects, this wasn't just magic—it was a god-like sign of providence. They would never starve under this man.
Lin stared at the mountain of flesh, his excitement suddenly curdling into a realization.
"This is going to be a problem," he whispered.
He looked at his small, wooden Warehouse. It was meant to hold a few weeks' worth of grain. He now had enough meat to feed a small city, and it was sitting out in the open sun.