My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 371: Ethan’s life as a Lord

Ethan stood at the center of a circular clearing. Sharp obsidian pillars rose from the fractured ground around him, resembling the skeletal remains of a massive beast buried eons ago. Before him sat his designated "Manor," a title the System bestowed with a level of generosity that felt like an insult.

In reality, it was nothing more than a cramped, one-room shack built from splintered grey boards and stacked slate tiles. A campfire pit lay nearby, devoid of fuel, its stones cold and lifeless.

He ignored the pathetic structure.

His attention was locked onto the shimmering translucent interface floating in his field of vision.

[Territory: Waste Land of Despair]

[Level: 1 (Village)]

[Lord: Ethan Hunt]

[Population: 0/10]

[Resources: Food (0), Wood (0), Stone (0), Iron (0)]

[Condition: Desolate. High danger of monster intrusion. Survival probability: 0.01%]

"Zero population," Ethan muttered, his tone remarkably steady. "Unsurprising. By choosing the edge of the Forbidden Zone, the System couldn't even find peasants desperate enough to be brought here."

These potential subjects displayed by the system were actually entities Ethan could manifest himself.

These beings were the indigenous inhabitants of this world. At his current level of power, the act of creating life was a trivial matter.

His eyes narrowed with focus.

"So the Fate algorithm has categorized this as a suicide spawn."

The display flickered as he opened a different window.

[Unique SSS-Rank Talent: The Source Architect]

>Passive: All-Seeing Eye. View the hidden potential, durability, and evolutionary paths of any object or being.

>Active: Origin Refinement. Spend ’Existence Points’ (EP) to upgrade the quality, rank, or nature of a target.

Current EP: 100 (Starter Bonus)

Ethan’s gaze shifted toward the crumbling hut.

[Target: Basic Lord’s Manor (Level 1)]

Hidden Attribute: Termite Infested. (Structural integrity will fail in 3 days).

Hidden Attribute: Leaking Roof. (Morale decreases during rain).

Evolution Path 1: Reinforced Stone Hut (Cost: 50 EP).

Evolution Path 2: Sentinel’s Outpost (Cost: 500 EP - Locked).

He refrained from spending his points.

A lord lacking subjects was merely a hermit. Within the world of Primordia, hermits were not survivors; they were prey.

He required labor.

He required sentries.

He required eyes other than his own to watch the horizon.

Ethan strolled toward the perimeter of his land, where a shimmering blue line marked the edge of the System’s jurisdiction. Past that boundary lay Neutral Territory—a lawless expanse where the Lord System held no sway and only the brutal laws of nature existed.

Suddenly, movement in the distance caught his eye.

Roughly fifty yards away, a beast prowled through the dust, sniffing the air with its head low. It looked similar to a wolf at first, but its skin was translucent, showcasing veins that pulsed like liquid mercury. Its front legs possessed two extra joints, creating a disturbing, arachnid-like movement.

[Entity: Void-Tainted Scavenger]

[Rank: Common (Level 3)]

[Status: Hungry. Has detected a ’Fragile Soul’ (You).]

The creature struck.

Its form flickered as it lunged, the space around it warping due to the instability of the Forbidden Zone. To a normal human, it would have been a mere blur of shadow and fangs closing in for a kill.

Ethan didn't even blink.

He did not unleash the world-shattering power he possessed. He had already sealed his supreme Cultivation until he could fully comprehend the final percentage of his Source of Existence.

Though confined to a mortal shell, his mind functioned with surgical precision. Vectors, geometry, and force distribution processed instantly. The beast's path appeared in his mind like a completed mathematical equation.

As the scavenger jumped, Ethan shifted exactly one inch to his left.

The monster flew past him, its claws tearing through the empty air where his neck had been a moment before. Before it could land, Ethan’s hand shot out and grabbed its tail.

The movement was effortless, nearly casual, yet it perfectly harnessed the beast's own momentum. With a forceful twist and a violent yank, he redirected its weight and smashed it into an obsidian column.

CRACK.

[You have slain a Level 3 Void-Tainted Scavenger!]

[Gained 15 Experience Points.]

[Gained 5 Existence Points.]

"Existence Points through slaughter," he noted softly.

He looked down at the remains.

[Target: Void-Tainted Scavenger (Corpse)]

Evolution Path: Shadow-Stalker Guard (Cost: 20 EP).

Hidden Attribute: Essence Fragment. (Can be extracted to summon a loyal soul).

"Extract," Ethan ordered.

The carcass dissolved into swirls of grey light, spinning inward until they solidified into a marble-sized orb in his hand. He walked back to the center of his camp and tossed it into the cold fire pit.

"Refine. Loyal Subject."

[Consuming 20 EP...]

[Consuming Essence Fragment...]

[Success! You have summoned your first Subordinate.]

The rising smoke did not take a human shape.

Instead, it solidified into a tall, skeletal figure clad in rotting bandages and scraps of rusted iron armor. A notched spear was held in its hand. Where a face should have been, two pinpricks of freezing blue fire flickered.

[Unit: Revenant Militia (Unique Variant)]

[Rank: Iron (Level 1)]

[Loyalty: 100 (Soul-Bound)]

[Note: Because you harvested a void creature, your subject carries the ’Phasing’ trait.]

"My Lord," the entity croaked as it knelt, the sound echoing like dry parchment scraping against stone.

"Go," Ethan commanded, gesturing toward the obsidian peaks. "Collect wood. If nothing grows there, bring me the bones of the titans that perished in this place. We require fuel."

The Revenant became a blur and disappeared, its body phasing effortlessly through solid stone.

Far away, in the much more hospitable Beginner’s Valley, another lord’s journey was beginning under much kinder circumstances.

"Listen up, everyone!" Leo yelled, standing on a stump. Three peasants stood before him—two men and a woman in burlap clothes, their eyes filled with hope. "The System warns of danger. We need a defensive wall. Peter, get wood. Sarah, find food. Hans, come with me. We’re crafting spears."

Due to Leo’s S-Rank Talent, Aura of the Brave, his subjects felt no fear. A soft light enveloped them as they worked with a twenty percent boost to their strength, hacking at trees with stone axes with great fervor.

"Lord Leo!" Sarah shouted, pointing at a bush covered in vibrant red fruit. "These look edible!"

Leo approached as his screen pinged.

[Identify: Blood-Drop Berries. Edible. Provides a small stamina boost.]

"Gather every single one!" Leo exclaimed, his heart racing with excitement. This felt just like the strategy games he played at home, but now the consequences were real. The air was filled with the scent of pine. For the first time, he felt truly significant.

A leader.

A king in the making.

As the sun touched the horizon, a deep, guttural howl echoed from the surrounding woods. The "Beginner" label didn't signify safety; it only meant survival was possible.

Back in the Waste Land of Despair, night did not simply fall.

It suffocated.

The temperature dropped forty degrees in mere minutes. Ethan sat by the fire, which now burned with an eerie, pale blue flame. The Revenant had returned, not with wood, but with thick white bones laced with crystalline veins.

[Resources Gathered: 40 Units of Ancient Bone (Fuel/Material)]

The fire flared up, providing warmth.

[Level Up! Lord Ethan is now Level 2.]

Ethan inspected a corroded iron ring he had found partially buried near his shack.

[Target: Rusted Iron Ring]

[Hidden Attribute: Seal of the Fallen House.]

[Hidden Attribute: Conductivity for Mana (Low).]

[Evolution Path: Ring of the Sovereign’s Command (Cost: 80 EP).]

"Refine."

The EP was consumed. The rust transformed into gleaming black gold, and a small crimson jewel ignited at its center.

[Item Created: Ring of the Sovereign’s Command (Silver Grade)]

[Effect: Increases Max Population cap by 5. Increases loyalty gain speed by 25%.]

He slid the ring onto his finger. The massive influx of data from his SSS talent began to stabilize.

"Ragnarok," Ethan spoke.

A shadow detached itself from a pillar. The ancient butler appeared, bowing low.

"My Lord. You have selected the most grueling path. The Ancient Demons are less than ten miles away. Their scouts will locate this camp by morning."

"I am aware," Ethan answered. "They will see a target, and that is exactly what I intend."

"Do you wish for me to step in?"

"No." Ethan smirked. "The System operates on Existence. The closer you walk to the brink of extinction, the more power you can seize. I seek the true meaning of life; I seek the very source of existence."

He stood up. "Is the Caretaker watching?"

"He is terrified that the local Demon King will end your life."

"Tell him to stay out of it. If any Admin interferes with my territory, I will turn them into a footstool."

Ragnarok faded away.

[Warning: A ’Scout Party’ of the Ancient Demon Race has detected your campfire.]

[Estimated Arrival: 4 Hours.]

Ethan stepped beyond the protection of the blue boundary.

The night wind wailed.

Ethan's objective was to hunt monsters to accumulate experience and existence points.

These existence points were vital for his unique talent.

Slash.

Kill.

Slash.

[Level Up! Lord Ethan is now Level 5.]

[Total EP: 240.]

The four hours passed quickly.

The demons finally arrived.

"Kill them," Ethan said indifferently.

He had acquired another servant during his hunt.

It was a Bronze-ranked Calamity Knight. These ranks indicated potential; a level 10 Bronze being would easily overpower a level 10 Iron being.

The knight soon began a one-sided slaughter of the demons.

In this world, demons who were slain would provide significant cultivation resources and reappear in their home world as a reward for their participation.