On the desolate horizon, a stark white line stretched endlessly, cutting across the icy expanse like the mark of time itself.
The land resembled a world locked in a perpetual ice age—endless snowdrifts and towering glaciers carved an unbroken chain of white-capped mountains into the distance.
In this frigid void, a solitary figure staggered forward, each step crunching into the snow, leaving behind a trail of fading footprints.
Disheveled and worn thin by the elements, he moved like a dying flame resisting its final flicker.
"Heh... Can I even survive this…?"
His words, barely a whisper, dissolved into the howling wind.
Whooosh—
A savage wind sliced through the silence, flinging shards of ice like razors. They carved red streaks across his cheeks, but he didn't flinch. The pain barely registered. Even his consciousness was beginning to blur.
"Am I… going to die?"
His lips, cracked and purple from the cold, moved sluggishly. His voice sounded foreign, as though spoken from someone else's mouth.
Thud.
He collapsed, limbs numb and heavy, unable to go any farther.
As he lay there, half-buried in snow, he looked skyward with a bitter, crooked smile.
"So this is how it ends...?"
His thoughts turned inward as his vision blurred, memories flooding back.
Just days ago, he had been Arthur, a tired office worker on Blue Star. He'd planned to relax with a few episodes of anime after a long day—Tensura, ironically his favorite.
Then, the inexplicable happened. A magic circle had appeared beneath his feet—complex runes glowing with power—and in the blink of an eye, he'd been pulled into this world.
But unlike the vibrant isekai lands he expected, he was greeted by silence and cold. No monsters, no magic cities, no guilds. Just... this frozen wasteland.
Maybe he had transmigrated, sure—but into what? A forgotten, dying world?
For days, he had wandered. No food, no shelter, no warmth. Hope turned to despair.
"I really… I'm not ready to die like this!"
His final cry echoed into the void.
Ding.
[Unique Trait: Indomitable Will detected. Initializing System Interface...]
[System Integration: 5%... 15%... 100% Complete.]
An artificial voice rang in his ears—mechanical, calm, and far too composed for the moment.
He barely noticed it. His mind chalked it up to a hallucination born of frostbite and despair.
Then warmth surged through his body.
"Ugh… hot…"
The sensation was disorienting. A moment ago, he'd felt nothing. Now, his core burned like a furnace being rekindled.
[Scanning soul matrix... Matching skill archetype... Match successful.]
[Unique Skill Acquired: "Power of Domination."]
[Due to the host's resistance and spiritual interference, skill is evolving...]
[System Evolution triggered: Power of Domination + Administrator Protocol = Unique Skill: "Overlord."]
[Skill "Overlord" successfully acquired. Initiating adaptive synchronization...]
Despite the urgency in the voice, he could barely keep his eyes open.
Even with the warmth spreading, his body had already reached its limits.
[Warning: Host's life force critical – 10%... 5%... 1%.]
[Analyzing dimensional interference… Transmission anchor point unstable.]
[Solution Found: Emergency Reincarnation Protocol engaged.]
His final breath fogged into the cold air.
…
When next he opened his eyes, he was not dead.
Above him was a cavern ceiling of black stone, glittering with faintly luminescent blue crystals.
The ground beneath him was dry and warm.
He blinked. His vision cleared slowly.
"…What… happened?"
His voice was clearer than it had any right to be. His body felt alive—too alive, considering what he'd just gone through.
Had he died?
Or... had he been reborn?
Arthur blinked, his senses slowly returning—yet something felt profoundly off.
"Why... does my body feel so light? Like I'm floating?"
His eyes darted downward—and widened in shock.
"What the hell?! I'm actually floating?! Don't tell me... I died and turned into a ghost?!"
Hovering inches above the ground, Arthur's confusion turned into quiet panic—until a calm, mechanical female voice echoed directly into his consciousness.
"Notice: Emergency Activation of the Reincarnation Protocol—successful."
"Commencing assessment of host's life status... complete. Vital force: 98%. Condition: Stable."
"Notice: Unique Skill 『Overlord』 has been successfully integrated."
"All inherent abilities are functioning within expected parameters."
The disembodied voice continued to report in a monotone, leaving Arthur slack-jawed.
"So I'm not hallucinating... This voice—it's real? Could this be... a system?"
His heart fluttered with cautious hope. Maybe he hadn't been abandoned by fate after all.
"Clarification: The entity previously conceptualized by the host as a 『System』 has evolved into a Unique Skill: 『Overlord』."
"What?! You mean the system's gone?! Then what the hell is 『Overlord』?"
He wasn't ready to lose the very tool that once helped him survive. But the voice responded patiently:
"Reassurance: 『Overlord』 functions as a transformed and upgraded interface, providing enhanced capabilities."
"Current Available Subskills:
● 『Material Analysis』 – Breaks down and interprets the composition of matter.
● 『Synthesis: Creation』 – Combines known materials into new items or constructs."
Arthur's head throbbed from the overload. "Hold on—just... stop. That's too much to process."
Taking a deep breath (or the closest thing an incorporeal being could manage), he tried to refocus.
"Alright, 『Overlord』—can you analyze my current condition?"
"Notice: Due to a misalignment during dimensional transit, the host's former body was lost. Emergency reincarnation protocols were invoked. A new vessel has been created."
"Race: Lesser Ice Spirit – Variant: Non-Corporeal."
"Form stability: 92%. Wings detected: Type – Ethereal Cryo-Wings."
Arthur stared blankly. Ice Spirit? Non-corporeal? No wonder he felt weightless—and those wings on his back weren't a hallucination.
"So I really died back there... but it wasn't planned?"
"Affirmative. Transmission Anchor Point Error – cause unknown."
"Further information – restricted."
Arthur's mouth twitched.
"I went through all that... pain and confusion... because of a glitch?"
He buried the frustration, replacing it with determination. "Fine. I'll make the most of this body. But you'd better not screw up again."
"Acknowledged. Host's resolve has been recorded."
Arthur pulled up the interface again, scanning through his personal status. Sure enough:
Race: Ice Spirit – Lesser Variant (Non-Corporeal)
Unique Skill: 『Overlord』
Subskills: 『Material Analysis』, 『Synthesis: Creation』
Traits: Cryo Affinity, Ethereal Form, Flight
He exhaled—or pretended to. "Guess this is my second chance... as an elemental of all things."
He looked at his hands—or rather, where they should be—shimmering outlines of ice energy, and the corners of his lips lifted in a lopsided smile.
"Let's see what I can do with this."