The world around Steven began to dissolve into pitch black, the Fated Colosseum fading away from his eyes. For a moment, he felt hate towards the place, finally glad to be pulled out of this curse, but at the very last second Steven paused and took a long look at it.

This place was a part of his life now, something that had broken him down and sharpened his resolve in equal measure. If it were any other person, they would discard these memories and call them nightmares, but to Steven these weren’t nightmares; they were parts of him now, fragments carved into his existence, part of who he truly was.

And as the last light of the Fated Colosseum disappeared from his sight, Steven made sure to burn the image deep into his mind.

At that moment, he found himself back in the reflective darkness, naked and drifting through what felt like space within his own soul, rid of all the pain from his injuries and scars, from his lost hand and eyes. He was whole again, at least as whole as he had been before entering that horrid Realm.

{You will now be taken to your Domain}

Domain, Steven repeated within his mind. He had heard about domains before, how all awakened possessed one. It allowed them to connect with their sponsors more deeply, like a sea fed by countless rivers where their power truly lay. And for an awakened, the Domain was what they protected the most, because if it was destroyed, the awakened would be cursed even further. A curse Steven had no knowledge of, nor any desire to learn firsthand.

Soon enough, a low red glow met Steven’s eyes, and it was as if his entire being was suddenly being pulled apart. His gaze faded out, then snapped back in.

Then he was standing in a vast area; a sea, to be precise. The first thing his eyes met with, in shock, was his feet, which were standing on the surface of the obsidian sea without sinking through it.

"Oh shit!" He panicked at first, staggering back a few feet, and then as the realization struck him, that he wasn’t falling through. He stopped, a deep frown appearing on his countenance.

"Couldn’t you have warned me!" He complained, but no reply came from either the system or his sponsor.

Searching the sea of his Domain, he glanced up at the blood-red moon that illuminated the entire expanse, and then at two swirling forms of energy before his eyes. They resembled dark balls of gas hovering in the distance, floating above the sea itself.

{Ding}

{Welcome to the Domain of the Undead God}

{Your domain descriptions will begin}

{Domain: The strength of an awakened}

All of a sudden, several pillars burst out of the sea of black with a violent turbulence, sending waves rippling outward and causing the surface Steven stood upon to tremble for a moment, until each pillar finally settled in place.

{Please walk forward to each pillar to receive descriptions}

Steven hesitated briefly, scanning all the pillars. Each of them had a dull grey color, but atop every single one was a distinct crystal engraved with writings he could not decipher, no matter how hard he tried.

’Probably the language of the Realm... or the Deities?’

He wondered as he walked up to the first pillar.

{First pillar of your Domain}

{Limitless Undead System: A system that allows the user to copy an infinite amount of skills, as long as he is the one that paves their way into the hands of the Undead Deity}

{Pillar status: Improved}

{Before, the user could only copy skills. Now, the user can see the ranks of the skills being copied and the ranks they become after being copied}

Steven was already quite fond of the Limitless Undead System, but the Improved status sounded genuinely useful. "Seeing the ranks of my skills will make it easier to prioritize stronger skills over weaker ones when I get more abilities in the future." He smiled faintly as he walked over to the next pillar.

{Second pillar}

{Undead Summoning: The Undead Deity has blessed you with another wonderful gift innate to his blessings, the ability to command and summon those that have been lost to the Realm as your own}

{Pillar status: Rare}

[Undead summons: 0/20]

[Souls: 0/1000]

{Pick a summon: Knight, Assassin, Slave}

Steven took quite a long time reading through this. ’This sounds way too good to be true.’ He frowned slightly. ’i have the ability to summon as well? Isn’t summoning supposed to be an entire class on its own?’

"With this, I can really level up and become truly strong." He thought as his mind flashed to Drake and the King Beast.

He had been far too useless to face them back then, but the next time a battle like that unfolded, he would be prepared. This, he swore to himself.

Steven stepped away from the pillar and moved toward the next, too excited to hide his anticipation over what the last two pillars of his Domain might hold.

{Third pillar}

{Astral Chat: How would you like to be the third party in every discussion}

This one genuinely confused Steven. He furrowed his brows, searching for any other notification, anything he might have missed, but there was nothing. That single line was all the information the Astral Chat offered.

"You think this is friggin’ funny?" He cursed, throwing his fingers up into the air at his sponsor.

His sponsor remained silent, and Steven knew he was watching, probably slapping his thighs while laughing at the irony of it all.

"The day you meet me physically is the day I send you to the grave," he muttered as he walked toward the final pillar at the farthest edge of the Domain.

Apparently, the last was the Dimension Shop, the shop having nothing particularly different from how it was originally designed, apart from the fact that it possessed no further use according to the system.

In the end, Steven could only sigh. ’They couldn’t all be winners.’

’But seriously... I’m extremely lucky. Or maybe extremely blessed with a sponsor that rewards quality TV.’

’A summoning class, a copy class, a shop where I can buy rare items, and a stupid chat.’

’Are there even awakened out there with half the rarity of what I possess?’

{Fateless Steven}

A notification sprang up before his face, drawing his attention.

{It is time to return from the Realm of Entry}

{Your sponsor is quite satisfied}

{Or would you like to venture into the First Realm}

Steven glowered at the last notification, throwing both hands up at the system. "Take me home, you damned god."

{Request accepted}

{Soul integrating}