Thorwald, flanked by his trusted right-hand scout Joe and their band of n, arrived at the colossal stronghold of the Raha. The air was heavy with anticipation as they gazed upon the bastion, hidden seamlessly within the towering trees of the jungle.
Its scale was staggering—massive steel gates over twenty ters high blended perfectly with the jungle’s hues, making the fortress nearly invisible from afar. The structure appeared to have grown out of the trees themselves, an intricate fusion of nature and design that spoke of centuries of mastery.
Thorwald stood in awe, yet the thrill of command coursed through him. These people, the Raha, had pledged their allegiance to him after he had baptized them in the na of Solarion, the Blazing Emperor.
Despite their overwhelming strength—each of them easily surpassing his party in power, many at levels near ninety—they had submitted. Thorwald couldn’t suppress the smug satisfaction rising within him. This was how it should be. He, the chosen one, would rise above all.
The Raha were ancient, seasoned warriors. One of their weaker mbers, an elder with piercing amber eyes, had revealed that most of them were over a hundred years old. Thorwald’s mind raced with possibilities. An army of such unparalleled strength, experienced in both battle and the mysterious intricacies of the system, was now his to command.
Yet, as they approached the gates, a lingering doubt crossed his mind. For all its grandeur, the bastion housed only seven hundred people—a surprisingly small number.
He had envisioned thousands, a legion ready to crush any opposition. Still, seven hundred elite warriors were better than none. Perhaps he wouldn’t need them all to vanquish the undead and conquer the tutorial.
The gates creaked open, revealing a settlent of mushroom-shaped hos nestled within the fortress. As they entered, the Raha paused their work, their sharp gazes falling on Thorwald and his followers. Whispered murmurs filled the air, and the tension was palpable.
“What are those... things doing in our base?” A stern female voice cut through the silence. From atop one of the towering mushroom hos, a woman leaped gracefully to the ground, landing before the group. She moved with the predatory grace of a seasoned warrior, her erald eyes fixed on Thorwald with suspicion.
“We were fortunate,” Bardo, the leader of the Raha escort, replied calmly. His voice rose, commanding the attention of the gathered Raha. “We have found one blessed by the legendary Solarion, the Blazing Emperor. His na is Thorwald, and he will baptize us all. Finally, after decades of bloodshed between our sects and the countless sacrifices we’ve endured, our future is no longer uncertain.”
The crowd erupted in murmurs, their expressions shifting from disbelief to awe. The woman’s erald eyes widened, and she stepped closer to Bardo, her voice trembling with hope. “Bardo... is this true?”
“Of course,” he replied, his calm deanor unshaken. A knowing smile played on his lips. “When have I ever lied to you?”
Thorwald stood tall, suppressing a grin as the Raha surrounded him, their reverence palpable. The baptism began shortly after, a process that consud the next two hours.
One by one, the Raha knelt before him, their fierce loyalty cented as he granted them access to Solarion’s path. Thorwald reveled in the mont. These were no re soldiers—they were killing machines, disciplined warriors honed by decades of survival. And now, they were his.
In the days that followed, the Raha proved invaluable. They shared rare materials, assisted in hunting, and conducted grueling training sessions for Thorwald and his followers. Each day brought imnse progress, and Thorwald could feel his power growing exponentially. Their advice, rooted in hard-earned wisdom, shaped his strategies.
“Do not rush your evolution,” one elder had cautioned. “Hunt and strengthen yourself as much as possible before taking that step. Most of us evolved early out of necessity—on our planet, the competition for resources was brutal. But you have the luxury of ti. Use it wisely.”
Thorwald learned that their planet had been thrust into the tutorial as part of a world-wide quest. The struggle to claim the opportunity had been fierce, with factions vying for dominance. He also discovered a critical detail: the Raha were not counted toward the survivor score, as they were an established force integrated into the system long ago. This revelation reassured Thorwald. He could grow in strength here, unbothered by the need to protect his allies or ensure their survival.
Thorwald had even begun dabbling in soul cultivation, a practice he’d previously dismissed as too slow. One of the Raha elders had convinced him otherwise, stressing its importance for long-term growth. Every day, Thorwald felt his power solidifying, his confidence building.
He often thought of his rivals—Steven, Kael, Kai, and even that insufferable mage, Thalion. They had dared to oppose his will, and for that, they would pay. Thorwald imagined their faces contorted in terror as he crushed the life from their bodies. He envisioned their heads mounted on spikes, a display of his dominance, a reminder to all who dared defy him.
His future was glorious, inevitable.
As he stood at the edge of the bastion, the jungle stretching endlessly before him, Thorwald’s lips curled into a dark smile. He could feel the power of Solarion’s blessing coursing through his veins, his army at his back, and destiny within his grasp. Soon, the world would tremble before him.
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