Clark stood before the towering crystal altar that had materialized at the edge of his domain after his ascension. It pulsed faintly with a dull, golden light—the Recruitment Pool.
Seraphiel stood silently behind him, her brilliant silver hair dancing softly in the wind, black-feathered wings tucked neatly against her back, and her sharp amber eyes calmly observing. Even though she had been summoned just recently, she carried herself like a warlord with centuries of experience.
Clark exhaled.
"So this is where my followers will come from."
The system pinged softly.
[Recruitment Pool Activated]
Pool Type: Banished Crusaders (D-Rank)
Pool Level: 0
Recruitment Slots Available (This Week): 10
The crystal pulsed again, like a heartbeat, as he pressed his hand against its smooth surface.
"Recruit."
The air rippled around the altar, and faint streaks of golden mist gathered, twisting upward into ten swirling pillars of light. One by one, silhouettes began to form inside the light—humanoid shapes, armored and kneeling.
Clark watched with wide eyes as the first of his believers materialized.
Their armor was worn and scratched, old but serviceable. Heavy cloaks of deep crimson hung over their shoulders, and each bore the mark of a broken sword etched across their breastplates—a symbol of their banishment.
As the light finally faded, ten individuals knelt in perfect synchronization before him.
"By the grace of the Verdant God," they spoke in unison, their voices solemn, "we pledge our swords and lives."
Clark felt a strange weight settle in his chest. This was no longer a game or system screen—real lives knelt before him.
The system promptly displayed their collective stats.
[Banished Crusader – Level 1 (Standard Troop)]
Type: Infantry
Class: D-Rank
Loyalty: 80
Health (HP): 100
Defense: 20
Attack: 15
Divine Essence: 30 (Magic Energy Pool)
Skills:
Shield Wall (Consumes 5 Divine Essence per activation)
Holy Strike (Consumes 3 Divine Essence per activation)
"They're... stronger than I expected," Clark muttered.
He studied the panel carefully.
"Solid base units," he murmured. "Not overwhelming, but definitely a start."
He turned his eyes to Seraphiel, who remained silent, waiting for his command.
"Seraphiel," he said firmly, "take them and begin scouting the fog zones around the edge of the domain. Prioritize mapping the land and identifying any immediate threats or resources."
Without a word, Seraphiel nodded. She extended one hand toward the kneeling crusaders, signaling them to rise. The soldiers obeyed instantly, falling into formation behind her as they marched toward the outer edge of the domain where the thick, unknown fog began.
As Seraphiel and the ten Banished Crusaders disappeared into the swirling fog, Clark stood silently, watching them vanish into the unknown.
"They've only just arrived, and already their first mission begins," he muttered.
The mist-covered wilderness outside his domain was thick and dangerous. Mapping the terrain was critical if he was to expand safely and secure precious resources.
But for now, another task took priority.
Clark turned and walked toward the center of his domain where his God's Palace stood.
The structure looked as pathetic as ever: a bare stone hall with cracked columns and a rusted iron chair serving as his so-called throne. It hardly deserved the title palace, but it was the heart of his growing domain nonetheless.
With a thought, he summoned its status screen.
[God's Palace – Rank 0]
Defense: 100/100
Upgrade Requirements:
Divinity: 100
God Rank: 1 (Completed)
Clark rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So simple... yet so difficult for others," he said with a wry grin.
For most, gathering 100 divinity would take considerable time and effort, since divinity was rare, only obtainable through ascensions, rare treasures, trading, or divine events.
But for him?
He opened his own status to confirm:
[Divine Name]: Verdant God
[Personal Name]: Clark
[Race]: Human
[God Rank]: 1 – Ascendant (Low God)
[Divinity]: 10,000
[Faith]: 0
[Titles]: Verdant God
[Innate Talents]:
[D-Class] Dominion (Growable)
[EX-Class] Divine Multiplier (1000x)
[Territory]: Tier 0 Domain (Seedling) — 5 km radius
[Followers]: 10 (Banished Crusaders)
[Territory Affinity]: +5% Growth and Construction
Clark couldn't suppress a grin.
"Ten thousand divinity... I still can't believe this."
His mind flashed back to the moment when his Divine Multiplier unexpectedly activated on the 10 divinity reward from his ascension chest, instantly multiplying it into 10,000.
"This... This changes everything," he whispered, still feeling a chill of disbelief.
Most gods would need months—if not years—to gather that much divinity. For him, the bottleneck was already gone.
He walked slowly up the steps to his crude throne.
"With this stockpile… I can upgrade not only my palace, but eventually my entire domain."
He clenched his fist, eyes gleaming.
He opened the system interface.
[God's Palace – Rank 0]
Defense: 100/100
Upgrade Requirements:
Divinity: 100
Basic Resources: 1000 Wood, 1000 Stone, 1000 Divine Crystals
God Rank: 1 (Met)
He had the resources — thanks to his absurd starting multiplier — and the divinity from his recent ascension. Without hesitation, he confirmed the upgrade.
-1000 Wood
-1000 Stone
-1000 Divine Crystals
-100 Divinity
The ground trembled as divine energy surged from the palace foundation. Pillars of green light spiraled upwards as the structure began to shift. The cracked stonework was filled and reinforced with living emerald veins. The once crude hall expanded outward slightly, its interior ceiling rising, walls growing smoother. Faint runes of life and stability etched themselves across the inner surfaces.
The ancient, rusted throne was gone. In its place stood a modest but solid Verdant stone Seat, faintly pulsing with divine light.
[Upgrade Complete: God's Palace → Seedling Sanctum – Rank 1]
Defense: 300/300
Domain Rank: Tier 1
Territory Size Expanded: 5 km radius
Faith Collection System Activated
The fog at the edges of his domain rolled back, revealing more of the lush valley: winding rivers, low hills, denser forests, and distant glittering mineral veins. The air itself felt slightly richer.
He pulled up his updated territory panel:
[Territory Status – Verdant Domain]
Domain Name: Verdant Domain
Domain Rank: Tier 1 (Seedling Sanctum Active)
Territory Size: 5.0 km radius
Terrain: Verdant Valley
Stability: 100%
Divine Energy Flow: Low
Mystic Veins: Dormant
Core Building: Seedling Sanctum (God's Palace Rank 1)
Resources:
Wood: 998,900
Stone: 998,900
Divine Crystals: 998,900
Divinity: 9,900
Population: 10
Max Follower Capacity: 200
Territory Affinity: +5% Growth and Construction (Dominion Talent)
The next section quietly activated for the first time: Faith Generation.
[Faith Collection Active]
Total Followers: 10 Banished Crusaders
Loyalty Breakdown:
10 Believers (Loyalty: 70–84) → 100 Faith/day
1 Hero (Loyalty: 90 - still considered Believer tier) → 100 Faith/day
Total Faith Generation: 200 Faith/day
Conversion Rate: 1000 Faith = 1 Divinity
He closed the interface, noting the extremely slow pace of faith income compared to how quickly resources were gathered. It was immediately clear: divinity would become the hardest currency to acquire as his divine journey advanced.
But at least the domain was growing.
For now.