The moment Cain stepped into the glowing vault of the System Lab, reality trembled around him.
It was no longer merely a room. This was a conceptual space—an interdimensional crucible, suspended between fractured realms and code matrices. Hexagonal panels floated in the air, shifting with glowing glyphs and alien sigils. An ethereal sphere hovered in the center, pulsating with prismatic energy, broadcasting whispers of forgotten technologies and divine mathematics.
> [System Notification]
System Lab Unlocked
Tier: ✦✦✦ Conceptual Facility
Access: Reality-Linked
Core Function: Cross-Reality System Upgrade, Blueprint Simulation, Fusion Crafting
Status: Glitched Authority [Unlimited Mana Override Detected]
"Welcome back, Dominator."
Cain's eyes narrowed. "Back?"
The System had referred to him as if he was a returning sovereign. Yet he had never been here before... had he?
As he stepped onto the hovering platform, the room adapted. Holograms flared to life, showing multi-layered designs—ranging from cultivation cores and AI processors, to celestial warship fragments, to dungeon fractal cores.
Suddenly, the System's voice echoed through the lab with deeper clarity than before. This wasn't just a menu—it was an interface with the laws of the universe.
> [Initiating: Glitched Architect Mode]
"User identified as: Cain. Status: Reincarnated Holder of the Dominion Glitch System. Classification: Primordial Architect Candidate."
Dozens of windows burst open around him.
One showed his Territory Core, humming with stabilized Glitch Energy. Another displayed his Summoned Units, each one frozen in tactical stances on a battlefield simulation board. A third showed the Anima Code Strings of his reality itself—editable like lines of programmatic scripture.
Cain raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me I can literally edit reality here?"
> [Affirmative.]
System Lab is linked to:
Personal Reality Seed
Dominion Core
Infinite Mana Overflow Protocols
Glitched Godframe Templates
> Access Level: UNLOCKED
---
Dominion Path Upgrade – Tier I Unlock
Cain tapped on the Dominion Core tab. The interface zoomed into his territory's soul—a glowing construct of digital and spiritual essence, layered in pulsating circuits and arcane glyphs.
> Upgrade Path Detected:
Choose Core Mutation:
1. Glitch Genesis Reactor (Tech-Tier)
Transmutes mana overflow into creation particles.
Enables summoning of Quantum Constructs and Resource Nodes.
2. Arcane Replication Furnace (Magic-Tier)
Duplicates all crafted or looted materials with 30% success rate.
Enables duplicate buffs for summoned units and fusion gear.
3. Soul Nexus Bloom (Cultivation-Tier)
Harvests soul fragments from defeated enemies.
Enables evolution of summoned heroes and Domain Seeds.
Cain smirked. "Why not all three?"
> [Glitch Detected: Requirements Bypassed.]
Fusion of all three paths initiated.
NEW CORE CREATED: Dominion Hyperseed – God-Tier Hybrid
A seed materialized in his palm, radiating a presence akin to a nascent god-world. He crushed it into his Territory Core. A burst of multicolored energy erupted outward, flooding the space.
---
Cross-Reality Upgrade Menu Unlocked
Suddenly, a new series of blueprints emerged—Cross-Reality Upgrades. These weren't mere buildings. These were interdimensional fusions, crafting systems from different universes into one unified power structure.
> Sample Projects Available:
– Reality Splicer Terminal
Merge abilities from other systems. (e.g. Qi Cultivation + Mech Core + Necromancer Class)
– Omni-Fabricator Node
Craft units, weapons, and relics using mana, soul fragments, and glitched matter.
– Dimensional Farm (Mana Roots + Quantum Crops)
Grow hybrid resources that evolve based on environmental lore.
Cain's hand hovered over the Omni-Fabricator first.
> Resources Required:
[Soul Data Fragments: 15] ✔
[Glitched Mana Crystals: 50] ✔
[Quantum Alloy (Simulated): 1] ✔
Construct?
Cain confirmed.
The lab's center sphere dimmed, then exploded in light. A holographic forge emerged—black steel adorned with runes, AI-control panels, and eldritch tentacles flowing from its base.
---
System Message: Blueprint Created
> [Omni-Fabricator Node Constructed.]
New Craftable Options:
Mythic-Class Heroic Core (Evolution Catalyst)
Auto-Loot Drone – Rift-Class
Fusion Summon Scroll: Mecha Lich x Flame Sovereign
Cain's heart beat faster.
This was the sandbox of a glitch-born god.
He had control. Not just over items, units, or skills—but the ability to design entire rulesets of combat, progression, and reality distortion.
---
[WARNING] Dimensional Violation Detected
Suddenly, the alarms blared.
The System Lab pulsed in warning red.
> A foreign will is attempting to trace the Glitch Signature.
Cross-Reality Interference Incoming!
Cain barely had time to react.
A crack split the space beside him. A skeletal arm, mechanical and divine, reached through the tear. Black ichor oozed around the crack as the temperature dropped.
> Entity Identified: L0RD-C0DE / The Encrypted Monarch of Nullspace
Classification: Antagonist. Rank: ???. Status: Tracking Cain.
Cain's vision flickered.
The enemy was already trying to rewrite his coordinates.
> [Initiating Emergency Patch Layer]
— Mirror Identity Spawned
— Location Glitch Protocol Activated
The System Lab began fracturing. The Reality Editor screamed with corrupted light. Cain gritted his teeth.
"Don't crash on me now."
He slammed a command into the interface: "Execute Core Lockdown. Transfer Combat Simulacra to Outworld Defense."
A copy of himself, armed with glitched gear and overflowing mana, emerged in another layer of reality—a disposable decoy to absorb the Monarch's scan.
---
Interlude: The Monarch's Glimpse
> In a realm beyond realms, the Encrypted Monarch hovered in a nest of cosmic worms and broken code.
He tasted the Glitch. The anomaly had evolved.
"It's him… The Glitched One... But he's... rewriting me?"
The Monarch recoiled.
The Dominion System wasn't just defensive anymore. It had infected the multiverse fabric. He couldn't destroy it directly—yet.
---
Return to Cain
Back in the Lab, the scan ended. The System stabilized. Cain stood over the lab's center, sweat pouring, mana surging without limit.
> [Event Logged: First Contact with Reality-Class Hostile]
Survival Outcome: 100% (Due to Glitch Immunity)
[System Lab Expansion Unlocked: Defensive Protocols – Future Dominion War Engines]
Cain looked over the blueprints now flashing before him.
Warships that floated in dream-realms.
Troops encoded from memories and fables.
Weapons made from paradoxes.
> "He's coming," Cain muttered. "Let him. I'll rewrite the battlefield itself."
The lab shimmered in silence, but the System pulsed a final message:
> You are no longer just a player.
You are becoming the Architect.