Thalion followed the flaming warrior with mistform, landing a few meters behind him. On the main ship, battles raged everywhere, which was why he hadn’t activated his armor—he didn’t want to harm his own people after all.
Now, he stood in front of two of the elite fighters. Moments later, he received a message from Kaldrek, stating that he needed help fighting two of the leaders. Thalion would need to finish this fast, but that wouldn't be easy as he looked at the two elite fighters in front of him. One of the opponents was a woman, some sort of fire mage, dressed in a black robe adorned with red runes and holding a staff crowned with a red ruby. The other was the guy he followed with the Viking helm.
“Watch out, this guy is dangerous,” the flaming warrior warned the woman, stepping in front of her.
That wouldn’t save them—Thalion was on the clock. He couldn’t afford to lose Kaldrek and needed to end this fight quickly. More importantly, he liked Kaldrek, and it was definitely time to let loose and rip those people into pieces. Before the woman could respond, Thalion appeared in front of the flaming warrior, gripping the Blade of the Blooded Templar in both hands. He unleashed a powerful mana slash aimed at bisecting the flame warrior while simultaneously sending the strike toward the woman.
The flaming warrior’s eyes widened as he saw the speed and power of the attack. He transformed into flames and shot upward. The woman, reacting instantly, propelled herself sideways by firing flames from her hands. She retaliated with a dense beam of fire aimed directly at Thalion, while the flame warrior dove down, trying to smash him into the ground.
Thalion countered by firing a bloodthorn over the fire beam, aiming for the woman’s face, and dodged the beam by dashing aside. The woman was forced to halt her fiery assault to avoid the bloodthorn, which narrowly missed her. Meanwhile, the flame warrior crashed into the spot where Thalion had stood just a second earlier.
Unrelenting, the flame warrior charged again, but Thalion summoned a mana barrier in front of him. The flame warrior slammed into it face-first and stumbled back. Before he could recover, a rune-inscribed black sword descended upon him, piercing his forehead and brain.
“No, you bastard!” the woman screamed, her voice laced with pain and fury, as her aura flared with raw power.
The ruby atop her staff burned with such intensity that it appeared almost molten. A moment later, she unleashed a massive flame spear at Thalion. Even with his reflexes, dodging it completely was impossible. Gambling on mistform seemed too risky—what if part of his mist form was consumed by the flames? He spun to the side, raising his sword to deflect the spear. The blade absorbed some of the spear’s energy, filling Thalion with a surge of power. Thalion narrowly managed to avoid most of the skills force by deflecting the attack and partly through his sword absorbing some of it. The rest was tanked by his armor, which had no trouble, and even when it grew a bit hot in there, it was far better than the alternative.
The woman prepared to launch another attack, but Thalion kept her occupied by firing bloodthorns at her. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to maintain her defense. The thorns proved too fast for her to evade entirely, and her flame shields failed to fully block one of them. The thorn penetrated halfway through her thigh bone, accompanied by a loud, painful screech from the woman.
Without hesitation, Thalion seized control of the embedded thorn, commanding it to grow and drain her energy. Her eyes widened in horror, and she must have paid the fifty thousand credits to teleport to the next stage, as her body vanished moments later.
Thalion fired a few more bloodthorns at nearby enemies in black armor adorned with red runes, providing some relief to his allies before leaving. Transforming into an eagle, he flew back to his ship. The sight awaiting him was grim.
Kaldrek was struggling to hold his own against two formidable opponents. Both were far superior in attributes and equipment. Only Kaldrek’s skill kept him alive during the first few clashes, but it was clear he wouldn’t last much longer.
The man with the staff, a highly skilled and precise fighter, pressed Kaldrek relentlessly, looking for an opening. Kaldrek knew better than to block any of his opponent’s swings directly; the sheer force behind them would disrupt his balance. With his fire-related skills rendered useless, he relied solely on his lightning-based abilities.
Kaldrek attempted to maneuver around his attacker to create an opening, but the staff-wielder was too skilled to fall for such tactics. Meanwhile, Edrion faced the warrior wielding a broadsword but was quickly overwhelmed. Only after a few clashes did an upward swing cleave Edrion in half, his body falling lifelessly to the ground.
Kaldrek had hoped to assist with his speed, but his enemy proved too strong. Even a moment’s carelessness could spell his doom. Most of the other warriors were already occupied, leaving Kaldrek to deal with both opponents alone.
The broadsword wielder began charging some sort of fiery skill, his blade burning with intense flames. The staff-wielder capitalized on the distraction, ramming his staff into Kaldrek’s shoulder. The blow shattered the bone, and a follow-up kick sent him sprawling to the ground. Pain overwhelmed him, and he dropped his weapon.
As the broadsword wielder unleashed a slash of pure fire aimed at him, Kaldrek thought with sorrow filling his heart, “This is the end. I’ve failed. I’ll never see my family again.” He attempted to roll away, but a lightning beam struck the fiery attack from the side, triggering an explosion that sent him flying several meters back.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw a man in black armor engaging two fighters alone. In his right hand was a sword engraved with crimson-red runes that hummed with incredible power. Before the two fighters could react, the man blurred into motion, attacking with astounding speed.
The skilled fighter with the staff was caught off guard, allowing Thalion to exploit an opening. He dodged a swing, and after a brief exchange, delivered a clean upward slash that severed one of the man’s hands. The other opponent attempted to ram Thalion with his shoulder after missing his swing, but before he could connect, Thalion transformed into the umbral predator. Pure darkness surrounded him as the strong warrior rammed into him, which didn't even move him one bit.
The surprised warrior screamed in panic as he saw Thalion's open maw closing in on him and unleashed a massive firewave from his body. Flames also erupted from one of his hands, propelling him away from Thalion. Thalion endured the firewave, shielding his head with his claws. The mist-like darkness enveloping his body snuffed out the flames like a candle in the wind. Any minor damage he sustained healed instantly as he launched himself at the warriors.
Fear flashed in the eyes of the stronger opponent. A moment later, both fighters disappeared, teleporting to the next stage.
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With the immediate threat gone, it was time for cleanup. Thalion moved quickly, cutting down the remaining fighters. Seeing their leaders flee, many of the enemy combatants panicked. Those with enough credits followed suit and teleported away moments later. It didn’t take long to dispatch the remaining enemies. Some attempted to escape by leaping off the ship, seeking refuge in the forest below.
Although many enemies escaped, their fleet of five airships remained. The skyships were badly damaged, but each one had repair features that would restore them with time. The cost of victory was steep—they had lost over forty fighters. Still, those who survived would grow stronger from the experience. That was not the only bonus, as many snatched the equipment of their fallen foes. The credits gained were also good. The mood was not high due to the many dead, and at the moment the anger at the attacker was stronger than any other feelings.
As for mercy? After such a bloody battle, no one was in the mood to offer it to the attackers, and many groups kept chasing the escapees through the jungle.
Kaldrek was back on his feet, though visibly battered. Healers were sent around to treat the wounded, and the crew took full control of the remaining skyships. After some discussion, most of the fighters left, including Thalion. There was no real reason to stay any longer, as all of the enemies had fled to the higher stage or into the jungle. Over half of the survivors stayed behind to guard the powerful skyships until they were fully repaired.
Thalion was relieved. They had won. But the constant pursuit by enemies was wearing on him. He intended to use this downtime productively—to birth a darkness elemental, enhance eagly, upgrade his armor and sword, and expand his underground base with additional rooms. One of these rooms would house natural water treasures for the tidecaller serpent. So much needed to be done before they advanced to the next stage, especially since the war against the undead loomed on the horizon, he thought while flying back to his base. There was no time to waste. It would only get harder in the future, and he wanted to be prepared.
<--
Liam and Alexander appeared on the fourth stage after their harrowing encounter with the man in black armor wielding the powerful sword. That had to be Thalion, Liam thought, recalling the descriptions they had obtained from captives in the jungle.
According to the reports, Thalion was a shapeshifter and blood mage—but how was it possible for someone at level 50 to be so overwhelmingly powerful? His swordsmanship was unparalleled. Not only had he overpowered them with raw power and speed, but his skill had been undeniable, as evidenced by how he had easily severed Liam’s hand.
They had thought themselves strong enough to conquer the other base, which was filled with many weak newcomers. The credits to be gained from being a city lord or leader must have been astronomical. Normally, wars between humans were forbidden, but this particular base lacked divine protection since its leader was not blessed by any god.
In their minds, nothing could be better—those without blessings should never stand a chance against the blessed. Their arrogance was fueled by the fact that they hadn’t received mere common blessings but epic ones.
Liam’s thoughts shifted to his siblings. He could only hope his sister and brother were safe, but he doubted they were strong enough to defeat that man. Their patron, Pyraxis, the Blazing Champion—god of flame and combat—would undoubtedly be furious upon hearing of their loss. Pyraxis had hoped to gain a favor from the other powerful gods by ensuring his blessed followers played a pivotal role in the war against the undead.
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Perhaps they would be lucky. Gods often forgot events that occurred during the tutorial phase, particularly minor details like survivor names. Missions, however, were another story—such things were rarely forgotten.
This was the first time Liam and Alexander had been separated from their siblings. They had always been close, even after beginning their careers. Perhaps it was because they had lost their parents so young, or maybe their bond was simply unique.
At seven years old, they had been placed in an orphanage. From that point on, they preyed on the weaker ones.
This was easy for them, as most other kids had no one to stand up for them and didn’t dare mention anything to the adults. For Liam and Alexander, it was fun, and they never stopped their criminal activities. They tried a variety of schemes—waiting for drunk people on their way home to rob them or approaching older individuals, especially those over 60, and asking them to donate money for people suffering or for supposed medical operations. Of course, they always pocketed the money.
They had a great life on Earth, and when the System arrived, it made things even better. It granted them superpowers, and by the end of the first week after integration, they had reached the third stage. From there, their strength only grew. It took time, but eventually, they founded their own city and received their blessings. The power they gained daily was intoxicating, and they reveled in the fear they inspired in others.
Now, they had nothing. Worse, they had even lost contact with their other two siblings. If they met Thalion again, they would make him beg for mercy before killing him.
<--
Thalion stood in his underground garden. The saplings had grown incredibly fast and now stood at least one meter tall. He wondered how long it would take before the darkness elementals began to form. Moving to the blood pond, he inspected its contents. The blood was potent and ready for consumption. He had two more full containers waiting and didn’t want to dilute the powerful blood in the pond with weaker samples.
He was curious to see how strong the sanguine thorn would become after consuming this vast amount of blood, which likely was more than it had ever consumed before. Having thousands of people gather blood for him certainly had its advantages.
The vines of the sanguine thorn greedily absorbed the blood in the pond. After the first hundred liters, Thalion could already feel the thorn growing stronger. Normally, it consumed blood almost instantly, but this time it took over an hour to finish draining the pond. Every ten minutes, the sanguine thorn experienced a power surge, sending waves of searing pain through Thalion’s body as the plant grew.
When the pain subsided, another wave of pure power rushed through him. With each surge, the pain intensified, but it was worth it. The vine now hummed with incredible energy. Its appearance had also transformed: the small, slender vine that once drank from the pond was now thick and lined with long, nearly black thorns. These were just the visual changes; the power radiating from the vine had increased fivefold. If he unleashed it on someone now, there was no doubt it would kill them.
This was an excellent development, especially since Thalion hadn’t gained a single level in the last fight, unlike the other fighters. In the next two weeks, the first of them would likely evolve to E-grade. Thalion wondered if he would be able to keep up.
Thinking about E-grades reminded him of the termite queen. He needed to kill her in the coming weeks, but it wasn’t clear if that was still possible. Her guards might have reached E-grade as well, and every level-up would widen the gap between them. For now, Thalion believed he was still one of the strongest in the tutorial at the moment.
Several factors worked in his favor. First, the outsider provided crazy regeneration. Without it, he would have run out of mana during the invasion of the first ship. Second, his swordsmanship and combat skills set him apart. With over a year of training, he was vastly superior to most opponents in battle. Finally, his title gave him a critical edge—it alerted him to incoming danger and made ambushes or sneak attacks nearly impossible.
At the moment, Thalion was confident he could defeat Kael in a one-on-one fight. He hoped Kael wouldn’t evolve anytime soon, instead focusing on fighting the undead while Thalion cultivated furiously on the third stage.
The blood supplies flooding in were absurd. Many alchemists were also working on dark-affinity plants for him. His human form and umbral predator were progressing well. However, Eagly and his "nuclear weapon" were falling behind. This was particularly frustrating because he wanted to evolve Eagly into a wyvern.
The Tidecaller Serpent, by contrast, remained powerful. It would likely be in excellent shape once the water cultivation cave was finished. Eagly, however, required a Storm Crystal to empower its form to new heights. Body tempering wouldn’t be too difficult—there were plenty of mages with lightning and wind skills that he could enlist for help. The real challenge was the Storm Crystal itself.
While some were available in the shop, they were expensive and not nearly powerful enough. He still had the giant crystal guarded by the jellyfish, which was already attuned to wind. The only thing missing was lightning.
This meant it was time for some crazy experiments, Thalion thought with a grin spreading around his face.