Scott’s gaze shifted between Toi and the other examiners—two female orcs with unnaturally human features and exquisite beauty. Their glassy eyes sparkled with an ominous light, while their silver hair contrasted sharply against their flawless green skin. Like Toi, they wore the customary suits of all examiners, though they had brown trench coats draped over their black suits.

  Scott refocused on Toi, who had narrowed the distance even further. “Where have you been?” he questioned.

  “Forgive me, my friend, but I had other assignments. Don’t worry, I’ll be done with them soon, and you’ll have me all to yourself,” Toi quipped, winking with his singular eye.

  Scott rolled his eyes, his expression remaining impassive as he watched the examiners come to a halt.

  Toi continued, “Like I said, I come bearing bad news and compensation. I can’t go into the specifics, but it’s mandatory you vacate this territory for the examiner committee—”

  “What is my compensation?” Scott interjected.

  Toi cracked an eerie smile, chuckling. “This is why I like you. Straight to the point as always,” he teased before retrieving a sealed parchment from thin air. “Naturally, since a territory is being stripped from your possession, it’s only fair that you receive something of similar value. In essence, you will be given exclusive rights and aid in securing any unclaimed territory of your choosing.” He tossed the parchment toward Scott.

  Scott caught it absentmindedly, but his gaze remained locked on Toi, who continued. “With that out of the way, there’s also compensation related to invaders from higher realms. Although unspoken, all champions within the Endless Bridge are guaranteed protection from beings above the mortal— I mean, in higher realms, via numerous treaties. Should any champion suffer from a violation of these treaties, said champion would be compensated accordingly.”

  Toi paused again, producing another parchment. “Being a territorial lord, there’s nothing more important to you than acquiring new territories. So, on behalf of the examiner committee, you will be compensated with exclusive rights and aid in securing any unclaimed territory of your choosing.” He tossed the parchment toward Scott once more.

  Scott caught the item again but neither stowed them away nor opened them. His gaze remained locked on Toi. “To clarify, what do you mean by exclusive rights and aid? Will the examiner committee actively assist me?”

  Toi coughed dryly. “Unfortunately, examiners can’t actively interfere in the activities of Territorial Lords and champions alike,” Toi explained, avoiding Scott’s gaze. “What we mean is that no other champion will be able to claim that territory for themselves until you fail in acquiring it. Regarding the ‘aid’ aspect, well… it’s a matter of perspective. Don’t expect any direct aid from the examiner committee, but it isn’t a violation if we request the inhabitants of your preferred territory to assist you in conquering it. There’s also a possibility that we might request and reward some champions to support you.”

  Scott chuckled while shaking his head. “Let me get this straight,” he began, his gaze eerily fixed on the examiners. “I nearly lost my life and suffered countless near-death experiences, and now I’m being forced to vacate my territory without question. All for what? That nothingburger of a compensation?”

  Toi wore a bashful expression, avoiding Scott’s gaze. The orcs, however, remained indifferent, their eyes locked on Scott.

  “C’mon, you’re making it sound worse than it is,” Toi retorted. “Think about it this way, you can—”

  “If you’re going to hand out compensations, the only thing that would satisfy me right now is a map of the Endless Bridge,” Scott interjected.

  “Whoa, that’s not how this works,” Toi replied without pause. “You can’t just dictate what we compensate you—” He suddenly stopped as a strange echo escaped from his vibrating breast pocket.

  “Excuse me,” he said, retrieving an emerald gemstone, neatly cut with runic patterns swirling like active sigils across its surface.

  Scott observed the item curiously. What the hell is that thing? he pondered.

  Though the gemstone looked ordinary, the expressions of the orcs and Toi shifted immediately. Their visages remained tense even as the gemstone continued to ring and vibrate.

  Seconds stretched into minutes, silence festering between Scott and the examiners. Scott watched as Toi held up the vibrating gemstone, staring at it with full concentration.

  A moment later, Toi returned the item to his breast pocket and sighed softly, his gaze returning to Scott.

  “What is it?” Scott asked with a thin smile. “You have the look of someone who just got chewed out by their superior.”

  “It’s that obvious, huh?” Toi chuckled softly before sighing again.

  For real? Scott’s eyes widened. I was only messing around. I can’t believe I actually got it right, he thought.

  Toi’s voice came once more. “Normally, no—we never do this—but the examiner committee is willing to grant your request,” Toi announced.

  Toi flicked his wrist, and the parchments flew out of Scott’s hands, returning to the orcs at either side of his position. Toi, meanwhile, retrieved a fist-sized glowing crystal before cautiously tossing it over to Scott.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Scott caught the item, his fingers tracing its glowing surface. Then Toi’s voice reached him. “Well, you asked for it. That’s a map of the Endless Bridge,” he declared.

  This is a map? Scott stared at the crystal. It was nearly weightless, feeling like a mix of glass and steel, though he couldn’t fathom how that was possible. Wait a minute… Scott narrowed his gaze, noticing peculiarities in the glow emanating from the crystal. Is that what I think it is?

  As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the crystal unleashed an even brighter glow. Instantly, a resplendent map seemingly stretching into infinity projected itself into Scott’s mind. An array of sigils, mostly unfamiliar, decorated a minute section of the vast map.

  This… this place is truly endless, Scott thought, stunned by the sheer scale of what he observed. Compared to the vast regions devoid of sigils, the marked areas resembled tiny dots. They weren’t kidding when they said we haven’t even conquered ten percent of this place…

  Toi’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Judging by the look in your eyes, you must have activated the map.”

  Scott shifted his attention to the examiner, and the illustrious map vanished. He nodded softly, prompting Toi to continue. “Good,” Toi said, readjusting his jacket. “Please note that the map adjusts to your current rank.”

  “What does that mean exactly?” Scott pressed. “Are you saying the map will become even more detailed if I ascend to a higher rank?”

  Toi chuckled, clapping enthusiastically. “Brilliant,” he said. “That’s exactly what I was hinting at. The current version of the map is aligned with your Ascendant status. If you advance, additional information will become available.”

  “What kind of information?” Scott asked.

  Toi shook his head. “No, no, no,” he teased. “That’s for you to find out. No one is going to tell you about it,” he declared. “However, the map does have a directional feature, which I’m obligated to explain. As the name implies, if you search for a specific region, and if it’s accessible at your rank, the map will guide you through the safest route there. Which brings me to my final point.” Toi paused briefly, his cracked smile returning. “There are regions on the map that are inaccessible to you. Examples include areas reserved for Apex Champions and above, hidden territories requiring specific qualifications, and Links to treasured or prime timelines… then—”

  One orc suddenly tugged on Toi’s arm, halting the discussion.

  “Sadly, our conversation must end here,” Toi declared, his voice turning stern. “You have received your compensation. I trust you’re satisfied?”

  Scott didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied the examiners, whose features had unnaturally stiffened. It seems what Orion warned me about is becoming active, he thought. He couldn’t think of anything else that would suddenly make them so tense.

  “I believe you’re satisfied with your compensation, correct?” Toi repeated, his features growing even more rigid.

  Scott considered dragging the issue out a little longer to observe the unfolding situation, but he abandoned the thought. “Yes, I’m satisfied,” he declared.

  Instantly, a system notification appeared before him.

  That quick, huh? Scott’s brows rose at the speed with which his territory was revoked.

  “Alright then, time for you to leave,” Toi announced.

  As his voice echoed, the orcs stepped forward. Before Scott could say another word, they raised their index fingers toward him—and he vanished from the territory.

  Scott reappeared in an unfamiliar grass field besieged by howling winds. Numerous floating islands stretched before him, stacking high into the clear blue sky.

  I had no idea I had somewhere as pleasant as this among my territories… Scott mused as he took in the scenery.

  Scott ignored the system notification, instead focusing on the fist-sized crystal in his hand. Orion was right. I’d rather have a route to conquering numerous territories than be handed two on a plate. With this, my conquest should be much easier.

  Scott smiled, gently tossing the item into the air and catching it, repeating the motion absentmindedly. Then—his thoughts began to wander.

  I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t curious about what’s happening in that place right now, Scott thought, his imagination drifting to the territory he had forfeited. Should I take a sneak peek? He pondered but soon shook his head, dispelling the thought. I left one of my summons within the territory. Although I’m curious about the blooming process, I shouldn’t jeopardize my safety or do anything that could create hostility between me and the examiners, he reasoned, nodding slowly as he organized his thoughts.

  For now, I’ll let the summon observe in my stead. If it’s discovered, then fine. There’s nothing I can do about it. If it perishes during the blooming, so be it… however, if it survives, I’m curious to see how it will be transformed.

  With that, Scott tossed the crystal one last time, catching it with finality. I should prepare to move out, he thought, activating the crystal once more.

  “Guide me to the nearest unclaimed…” Scott suddenly paused, his gaze flickering with a peculiar light. A stray thought raced through his mind. Should I test it out? A smile crept onto his face. I might as well try, he decided, raising his other hand.

  Manipulating the blackened tendrils, he twisted them into a strange sigil depicting a roaring three-headed dragon. Then, his voice echoed, “Guide me to the territories with this sigil.”

  He stared keenly at the inert crystal, watching for a reaction. Barely a moment after his words rang out, the crystal unleashed a flickering luminescence, perfectly mirroring the sigil Scott had formed from the tendrils.

  At that same moment, the crystal projected a radiance into Scott’s gaze, and a stardust-like trail appeared before him, seemingly guiding him into the unknown. His smile widened further, and a low, ominous chuckle escaped his lips.

  “I’m going to have a lot of fun with this,” he muttered, his eyes gleaming with murderous delight. “I can’t wait to see the faces of those bastards when I come calling.”

  The crystal returned to its inert state, but the trail remained—visible only to Scott. He sent the item to his inventory, and the shimmering path persisted. With that, he advanced forward, guided by the invisible stardust.