The world was ablaze with chaos. One moment, Liam had been going about his mundane routine, lost in the monotony of everyday life. The next, he found himself engulfed in a blinding light, his surroundings melting away into nothingness. Panic surged through him as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings—or lack thereof.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the light receded, leaving Liam standing on unfamiliar ground. His heart pounded in his chest as he took in his surroundings—a vast, sprawling landscape stretching out as far as the eye could see. Towering mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks lost in the clouds, while dense forests and winding rivers crisscrossed the terrain.

But it was not just the landscape that caught Liam's attention. Everywhere he looked, people milled about in confusion, their voices rising in a cacophony of fear and uncertainty. Some wept openly, while others shouted and gestured wildly, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and horror.

Liam's mind reeled as he tried to process what was happening. Had he been transported to another world? Was this some kind of elaborate prank or hallucination? Nothing made sense, and yet, the evidence of his senses was undeniable.

"what the hell is going on!?" 

As he stood there, grappling with his newfound reality, a voice cut through the clamor, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Greetings, lords and ladies of the new plane!"

The voice boomed from somewhere overhead, its source hidden from view.

"I am the Overseer, the guardian of this realm. You have been chosen to embark on a great journey—a journey of conquest and exploration. Hahahaha!"

Liam's breath caught in his throat as the gravity of the situation sank in. He had been chosen—summoned, even—to play a role in this strange new world. But what role, he wondered? And for what purpose?

Before he could ponder the question further, the voice spoke again, its tone solemn.

"Know this, lords and ladies: you are not alone. Each of you has been granted the title of lord, with the power to command your own armies and territories. But beware, for this world is not without its dangers. You will face trials and tribulations beyond imagining, and only the strongest among you will survive." 

With those ominous words, the voice fell silent, leaving Liam and the others to be stupefied on the spot. 

How can they just accept it? Being brough to a strange place that contradicts to their norm and even their recognition of what is normal and what is the opposite of it. 

How can they just accept it blindly?

Everyone was at the state of a loss, not knowing on what to do and even on how to react to this current predicament. But before they could ponder even further, the familiar light engulfed them in an instant.

_

"Where is this?... " 

Liam staggered in his steps as his gaze fell onto his surroundings. Huge gasps kept coming in and out of his mouth with his eyes frantically looked at the surroundings in panic.

"How can this be... all of us got separated?"

He frowned.

As Liam's eyes darted around the unfamiliar landscape, his mind raced with a whirlwind of questions and uncertainties. The realization that he had been separated from the others only added to his sense of disorientation and unease.

"Stay calm,"

Liam muttered to himself, trying to steady his trembling nerves.

"Focus on what you know. Assess the situation."

Taking a deep breath, Liam forced himself to survey his surroundings more closely. The landscape stretched out before him, a vast expanse of untamed wilderness teeming with the unknown. Towering trees loomed overhead, their branches swaying in the gentle breeze, while unfamiliar sounds echoed through the air—a chorus of chirping insects and rustling leaves.

But amidst the chaos, Liam's keen eye caught sight of something that caught his attention—a glimmer of light flickering in the distance, obscured by the dense foliage of the forest.

With a sense of determination burning in his heart, Liam set off in the direction of the light, his footsteps quickening with each passing moment. As he ventured deeper into the forest, the air grew thick with the scent of earth and moss, enveloping him in its embrace.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, Liam emerged into a small clearing bathed in dappled sunlight. Before him stood a curious sight—a building nestled amidst the trees, its walls adorned with intricate carvings and dimly lit runes.

Liam's heart skipped a beat as he approached the building, his curiosity piqued. There's a strange and yet familiar feeling that was coming from this thing, he felt it deep inside his soul as if this place resonated with his very existence.

As he stepped through the entrance, Liam found himself engulfed in darkness, the air thick with the scent of ancient stone and incense. But it was not the darkness that gave him pause—it was the figure that materialized before him, bathed in an ethereal glow that seemed to emanate from within.

"Greetings, traveler," the figure intoned, its voice echoing through the chamber. "I am the Guardian of this summoning gate, keeper of its secrets and custodian of its power."

Liam's breath caught in his throat as he took in the figure before him—a being of indescribable beauty and power, its eyes ablaze with wisdom and knowledge.

"What is this place?" Liam ventured, his voice barely above a whisper.

The Guardian inclined its head in acknowledgment. "This is the temple of the summoning for the Lords, a place of great significance and power for you, the very beginning for your path. The key to unlocking your true potential and mastering the forces that shape this world."

Liam's mind raced with possibilities as he absorbed the Guardian's words. 

And without waiting for Liam to respond, the Guardian continued with his words.

"My role is to activate the summoning portal, which will allow the lords to summon their very initial troops. And after the process is considered done, I will disappear, for my existence was only meant to serve for this very moment."

Liam listened intently to the Guardian's words, a mixture of awe and determination swirling within him. 

"Activate the portal, Guardian,"

Liam said, his voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions raging within him.

"I am ready to summon my troops. "

The Guardian offered a solemn nod in response, raising its hand toward the shimmering vortex at the center of the hall. With a flourish of movement, the air crackled with energy as the portal hummed to life, its radiant light bathing the chamber in a soft, ethereal glow.

Liam watched in awe as shapes began to coalesce within the swirling vortex, taking form and substance with each passing moment. And then, with a burst of light, his initial troops emerged from the portal, standing before him in all their glory. 

The moment these shapes had finally taken its final form, Liam smiles froze immediately as his face stiffen upon these new terrifying facts. 

"S-slime?"

He asked while turning his head towards the Guardian, seemingly to inquire the legitime of his summons. Squatting down next to the wobbling slime on the ground as he poked the soft gelatin cheeks, and in response the slime wiggled back happily.

"..."

Liam was in disbelief.

Discerning Liam's gaze, the Guardian simply replied while coughing.

"I do not have the power to influence the summoning chances, Lord. It is simply upon luck's playfulness that you were assigned to such a troop." 

"Wha?"

"Then... farewell!"

"h-HEYY!??"

The guardian bid his farewell in a hurry and vanished alongside the structure, leaving Liam dumbfounded with his outstretched hand froze in midair. 

"Am I cooked?"

Liam blinked his eyes and look down,

"Oh, but you're so adorable..."

The gelatin creature was crawling towards Liam, and the blond man picked it up, lifting it up as they shared the eye contact.

"But aren't slimes a lower-class troop? Won't this be a disadvantage to my growth...?"

Liam pondered, unaware of his expression visibly depicted on his face.

And the slime wobbles in dissatisfaction upon Liam's remarks regarding it. Wobbling towards Liam's arm that was holding it and headbutting in anger as if to vent his emotions.

Seeing this, Liam couldn't help but sigh and laugh a little with his current situation. At the very least, this little guy can give him some warmth in this new cold reality that he was forced into.

"You're lucky."

And he continued on to add.

"Because it's my fortune that it was you."

Smiling, he stroked the slime's wobbly jelly head.

"Shall we take a look around the building, little guy?"

Saying this, he rose to his feet and headed back towards the entrance. And of course, he wouldn't abandon this building, this place would be a very good starting point for his Lord path in this world, and logically speaking, every other lord would also be doing the same thing. 

The building appeared to be small from the outside, no more than 3 meters tall and 10 meters wide in diameter, but the space inside it is three times the original measurement. These discoveries baffled Liam as he kept on exploring the building.

Other than a bedroom and the large hall with 4 glistening old rustic pillars, there was nothing else worthy to mention.

And while he was exploring the building, suddenly a thought came to his mind.

"There should be a panel or something right? for the lord to use..."

thinking of this, Liam the urged his thoughts to summon the panel.

[Lord of the human race] [Earth, Human]

[name]: Liam Adermin's

[age]: 18/80

[Lord level]: 0 

[Exp to the next level]: 0/100

[Lord Class]: None

[Base troop]: Slime (common) (rarity: E) (level : 0)

[Description]: a normal slime, the lowest form of monster that you can encounter in the wilderness. Possessing an extremely weak defense, attack and also agility.

[Skill]:

[Summon space]: 1/10

Overlooking at the information that the panel was providing, he nodded.

And he added.

" let's summon a little bit more slimes, even though they are not strong, but at the very least, the number advantage should be there... hopefully... "

clutching his clothes into his heart as Liam prayed hard in his heart... and proceeded to summon even more slimes in an attempt to increase his troop count. It was his first time doing so and such it was quite strange with his hand movement stiff during the summoning process.

And after several seconds of convincing himself, he waved his hand resolutely to the front and said in a deep voice.

"Summon!"

Upon hearing the Lord's command, a bright flash of light immediately appeared in the air, illuminating the entire vicinity. And when the light finally receded, 9 slimes were summoned, completing the entire number.

The summoned creatures stood silently as they waited for their Lord's command, but just then, Liam suddenly felt something tugging his foot.

Surprised, he looked down only to find a slime tugging at his boots, as if the slime wanted to cuddle against his feet.

Seeing that the slime was about to headbutt him, Liam squatted down and cradle the jelly in his hands.

" You want to headbutt me again?"

With a laugh, Liam reached out to touch the slimy head.

As the blond man cuddled the slimy jelly and the others crowded towards him in a circle, the system issued an announcement, echoing within his consciousness.

+1 Intimacy with his base troops

"HUH?"

"...."

"Why would it work?"

" Why would the intimacy level be increased even though it was my base troop? "

"... Is it because we are the first form of a Lord and troop meeting, and I should consider myself fortunate even though that my troop is the weakest.?"

And looking at the cute gels before him, they seemed really happy with this arrangement.

"Well, might as well enjoy this interaction while it last."

Pulling out 10 dried fruit chunks from his pocket, he let each one of the Slimes has a share as they enjoyed the meal in a happy feast.

"Perhaps you guys are the key to my success?"

Although his troops might have been just the basic low-tier army, but there might a miracle at least, right?

RIGHT!?