Thalion was furious. He had been cultivating in his human form for only a few hours, standing resolutely in the gravity array, when a message interrupted him. It informed him that one of the council members had called an emergency meeting. The subject? Two newly discovered human camps.
It was, to say the least, deeply frustrating. Every single hour was crucial for his cultivation. More and more E-grades were appearing, and Thalion couldn’t predict how much longer he would be able to dominate them. And as if that weren’t enough, the termite hive loomed as a constant threat. This cascade of challenges was becoming suffocating.
With a low growl, Thalion triggered mistform as he exited the tower. The vapor-like transformation allowed him to surge through the settlement's streets at unnatural speed, heading directly for the council building. He gritted his teeth, knowing that some members wouldn’t even be present—many were out hunting or scouting. Kaldrek, for instance, was still investigating the murders. Thalion had assured him he’d cover his absence, but now he was regretting that decision.
"In fact, he cursed himself for assigning Kaldrek the task." Tracking killers wasn’t nearly as urgent as leveling up and honing Kaldrek into a formidable fighter. The murders? They were inconsequential to Thalion. A few slaves dead? A negligible loss. "Yes, a few slaves were gone, but they cost next to nothing, and their deaths scarcely warranted his attention."
Lucan was preoccupied as well, laboring over the teleportation circles. Thalion silently willed him to work faster. Those circles needed activation as soon as possible. His thoughts wandered to the tidecaller serpent. Maybe the ocean would serve as an escape route if everything spiraled out of control in the higher stages. Most fighters weren’t attuned to water, and the ocean depths could offer safety—or at least a reprieve. The ocean might even prove to be the ultimate sanctuary if disaster struck.
The council chamber buzzed with agitation as Thalion arrived. The faces of those assembled were etched with panic.
“Hello, everyone. I called this meeting because we’ve discovered two new human camps,” Vespera began, her voice calm yet tense. She was one of their best scouts, closely aligned with Maike.
“What do they want? Are they like the last one—did they try to attack us?” Elise asked, her expression flickering between curiosity and concern.
Thalion frowned. “And what happened to the survivors of the last camp?” he inquired, leaning forward. “We took their ships, but I haven’t heard a word about them since.”
Vespera’s lips curled in disdain. “The base was empty when we arrived. They slaughtered each other before making their move against us.” Her words carried a note of disgust.
Thalion clenched his fists. His mental list of enemies had grown significantly since arriving in this system.
“So, what’s so special about these two new camps?” he pressed, eager to understand why this warranted a meeting. He itched to return to his basement and immerse himself in cultivation.
“They’re friendly so far,” Vespera said, though her furrowed brow betrayed her worry. “But each camp houses over 5,000 people.”
“Okay, I don’t see the problem,” Thalion replied dismissively. “We leave them alone, and that’s that.”
Vespera hesitated. “The camps are ruled by humans blessed by gods,” she finally said. Her gaze darted to everyone in the room except Thalion. “And... you’re not blessed. There are a lot of people living here, Thalion.”
The air thickened. So that was it. The gods were staking their claim, rallying followers for the impending war against the undead. This settlement was ripe for conquest, and Thalion’s lack of divine favor made it an easy target.
Thalion’s jaw tightened. The story of his unblessed status must have spread, probably thanks to Kael and the others. If war broke out between his settlement and the camps, the undead faction would be the true victor. What were the god-blessed plotting? Assassination? Mass conversion? He had heard rumors of high-blessing individuals baptizing others, spreading divine power. That could destabilize everything.
And what if he sought a blessing himself? No. The risks were too great. The gods might uncover his connection to the outsider, and that revelation could destroy him.
Another reason was that Thalion refused to copy the path of a god. He would forge his own way, no matter the consequences. He already had plans for his future and would not abandon them merely to appease a god’s whims. There was no way—absolutely none—that he would allow such interference.
“Okay, but what’s the issue now? We have many blessed in this base, too,” Elise said, her brow furrowing in confusion. “They shouldn’t be able to attack us; we have more than enough defenses—and a fleet of skyships.”
“It’s not that they want to attack us,” Vespera replied, her voice tinged with worry. “But both camps are already sending emissaries to negotiate... about the war with the undead faction.”
Thalion’s eyes narrowed. It was obvious to him that these negotiations weren’t as innocent as they seemed. But what could he do? In fact, why not just send the messengers back the moment they arrived? He doubted a war with him was in their best interest.
“We won’t negotiate,” he said finally, his tone flat and decisive. “Just send them back and tell them to leave us alone.”
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“Are you sure about that?” Vespera asked, her concern deepening. “I’ve seen their warriors. They’re far stronger than those we fought during the last attack.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Arrange for our scouts to intercept them early and turn them back,” Thalion said with unwavering determination. He couldn’t risk having individuals blessed with divine power running free in his base. The murders were problematic enough.
“And what if they refuse?” Vespera pressed, visibly uneasy.
She had a point. If these emissaries brought elite fighters with them, it could cause trouble—at least for whoever was tasked with driving them off.
“In that case, change the plan,” Thalion said after a moment. “If you spot them, retreat and notify our battleships. That way, they’ll never have a chance to engage anyone. By the way, how far are their camps?”
“About six days away at full speed with our fastest scouting vessels,” Vespera answered quickly.
“Good. Then the plan should work perfectly.” Thalion allowed himself a small smirk, satisfied with his solution. Finally, he could retreat to his basement and resume his cultivation.
He’d deal with those blessed fools when the time came. For now, his focus was on cultivation and feeding. He had nearly a hundred beast corpses stored in an extra spatial ring, waiting to be consumed. The trees he’d purchased from the system shop had already grown to two meters tall, their forms shrouded in darkness as light vanished around them.
It wouldn’t be long before the first elemental wisps began to form—perhaps one or two weeks until the trees matured fully, and then another week or two for the elementals themselves to grow. The question lingered: how long should he let the elementals develop before integrating them as a soulbound weapon into the body of the umbral predator?
To boost the area’s affinity for darkness, Thalion had instructed alchemists to transmute over ten wind crystals into dark crystals. He hoped this would enhance the mana density in the environment, accelerating the elementals’ growth. If the darkness elementals consumed the crystals as air elementals had above the mountains, the process would be even faster.
Yes, everything was progressing perfectly—assuming nothing else went wrong. Thalion activated the gravity array and began another round of cultivation. The progress he made with it was staggering. He was fortunate his muscles hadn’t bulked uncontrollably, as they had during his first attempts. For this device, natural regeneration was critical, and few humans could rival his regenerative abilities.
He hadn’t even started working on his other forms yet, but that was a matter of time. He was particularly curious about Eagly's growth potential on the first day. In body tempering, the bird form always outpaced his others, likely due to its smaller size.
And yet, one task loomed ominously on his list: merging his bird form with an incredibly powerful storm crystal. It was a process he had postponed for weeks, knowing it required him to literally open his chest.
The imbalance between wind and lightning affinity in Eagly's body was still too great. Until he bridged that gap, the operation would have to wait. Eagly was less essential than the umbral predator or his human form for now, so its cultivation had been delayed.
For now Thalion had grand plans to improve his combat prowess as the umbral predator and the termite hive would provide the perfect training ground.
Their massive, sturdy bodies seemed perfect for training, but Thalion couldn’t shake his unease about how far the termites might have advanced. The last time he encountered their queen, he hadn’t stood a chance, and he feared that not much had changed since then.
Still, the only way to find out was to face them again, and he was eager to try. This time, he would push the umbral predator and his human form to their limits, testing his strength against the queen’s guards. Perhaps he could lure them out of the hive chamber and take them down one by one.
His confidence had grown since his last encounter. With his increased power, he was now able to endure the second level of difficulty on the gravity array—a point where even breathing became a struggle. Yet, rather than dread the challenge, Thalion reveled in it. The grind had always been his favorite part of training, and his pain tolerance, honed on the golden mountain, made him relish the exertion even more.
Moreover, his connection to the outsider ensured that his injuries healed almost instantly, making this body-tempering method even more effective. He wondered briefly whether the gravity array would benefit the tidecaller serpent too. While it was more of a spellcaster, the added stats from body-tempering could make a noticeable difference when the time came for its evolution.
For now, he didn’t have the time to experiment, but it was a task he planned to revisit before its evolution. It was strange that water pressure hadn’t shown the same effects—though perhaps he hadn’t dived deep enough for it to matter.
The rest of the day was spent standing on the gravity array, resisting its crushing pressure while simultaneously infusing the heart of the sanguine archon with mana. Each pulse strengthened his blood further, though the strain made it impossible to fully focus or meditate. Even so, every bit of progress was worth it. With his insane regeneration, he had mana to spare and could afford the inefficiency.
As he trained, he noticed the sanguine thorn processing the blood it had absorbed. Or perhaps it had taken in so much blood that it was now using its power to reinforce its vines. Whatever the case, its vines were growing stronger—a welcome addition to his current power-ups.
With preparation moving at such a rapid pace, Thalion felt confident about reaching E-grade soon. Once he could hunt multiple E-grade beasts, the resulting experience would surely boost his progress even further. He speculated on the creatures that might await him in higher stages. If beasts on this stage occasionally reached E-grade, the higher tiers would undoubtedly feature even rarer, stronger creatures.
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The prospect of acquiring new skills thrilled him. With his fusion abilities, he might create something truly extraordinary. For now, he was satisfied with his current arsenal, but more passive skills—like the one he had gained from the Glowhorn—would be invaluable.
He decided to dedicate one more day to training his human form before shifting focus entirely to the umbral predator. How much strain would the predator feel under the gravity array? The thought intrigued him.
Meanwhile, multiple alchemists were at work enchanting various plants. These weren’t the same as the dark affinity plants he’d commissioned earlier but ordinary herbs used for agility, vitality, and intelligence-enhancing elixirs. It was crucial that he consumed these plants normally, without using his tendrils of darkness, as doing so would negate their effects on his stats. Conversely, devouring dark affinity plants with the tendrils amplified their potency significantly.
Thalion was already imagining himself sprawled on the ground, stomach full after a feast of enchanted herbs. Unfortunately, he couldn’t rely on his body-tempering manual to digest them faster. If only he could find a method similar to his darkness-fueled tempering process—it would be a game-changer.
After his feeding frenzy, Thalion planned to finish crafting his armor and embark on a termite-hunting trip. Perhaps it would be wiser to assess their strength first, collect souls for his amulet, and return a few days later.
Even with troubles on the horizon, Thalion felt ready. And should anyone dare interrupt his cultivation, they would quickly regret it.