Finally, it was ti for uninterrupted cultivation. Thalion felt a surge of relief at the prospect—no distractions, no interruptions, just pure focus. He couldn’t wait to get it all over with.
When he finished upgrading Eagly, he would finally have ti to level up. Building the aquarium wouldn’t be a monuntal task, and growing the darkness elental was more of a passive endeavor.
Perhaps he could acquire an item to enable his warriors to hunt air elentals, which he could then use to feed the darkness elental. Yes, everything was falling into place.
The oceans offered opportunities not just for leveling but also for exploration, and the termite hive—rich with potential—seed like the perfect place to acquire new skills.
The termite queen was cunning, a formidable adversary, but defeating her could provide an imnse payoff. If everything went according to plan, the power-ups he could achieve in the coming weeks would elevate him to an entirely new level of strength.
Descending to the basent, he paused to check on the storm crystal. It remained potent, its energy palpable in the air. The sheer power it radiated sent a faint buzz through the room, making his feathers twitch with anticipation.
Thalion wasn’t entirely certain he could handle it yet; his wind affinity likely needed further refinent before attempting such a dangerous integration. He made a ntal note to work on that.
Before settling into the magical circle as Eagly, Thalion consud a handful of rare plants, each bite granting him a boost of four intelligence points.
It wasn’t a staggering improvent, but every gain mattered. With each breath, he drew mana infused with high wind affinity into his body and feathers. The air shimred faintly around him, crackling with energy as his progress surged forward.
While absorbing mana, he examined the storm crystal again. Its vibrant, stormy core pulsed rhythmically, almost daring him to take the next step. The more he studied it, the clearer it beca—his body wasn’t ready.
He sighed, imagining the rounds of body-tempering he would need to endure in the training hall. Lightning strikes from multiple mages, relentless and searing, until his feathers burned—literally. It wasn’t ideal, but necessary.
For now, Thalion focused on pulling in mana, making it stick, weaving it into his very being. Hours slipped by unnoticed, the chamber lit only by the faint, shifting glow of energy swirling around him.
ssages ca from Kaldrek and Maike, both reporting that the situation above ground was progressing smoothly. Perfect, Thalion thought, grinning to himself. Well, as much as he could grin with a beak—it was more of a sharp, amused curve.
Satisfied for now, he moved to check on his elental project. Between three tall, dark trees, a shadowy mass had gathered, thick and alive with potential.
Darkness Elental — Level 2
The words hovered before him, and his feathers ruffled slightly in surprise. That was better than he had anticipated, and the fact that it had already reached level two was promising. Still, there was a lingering question: How could he upgrade the rarity of an elental?
He berated himself for not considering this earlier. At least he had an elental now, and it didn’t seem particularly weak. The system shop would likely hold the answers, though that was a problem for later.
For now, body-tempering was the priority. Eagly was small, which made progress in body-tempering relatively fast and resource-efficient. Thalion sighed as he prepared for another grueling round of wind-affinity cultivation.
The process was tedious, but the results would be worth it. After the system shop’s arrival, he would undergo lightning tempering, and then—finally—it would be ti for Eagly’s ultimate upgrade.
He glanced again at the elental, considering its future. He needed to find the best way to make it as powerful as possible. Information was key, and he’d have to gather more before proceeding. Once everything was in place, it would be ti to hunt. Non-stop battles, relentless leveling, and perhaps even new skills awaited him.
Speaking of skills, Thalion suddenly rembered the passive ones he had acquired with the Tidecaller Serpent. Endless Appetite and Devour Essence—he’d neglected them entirely. A groan escaped him, a rare mont of exasperation. If he had paid attention to this earlier, his progress might have been far more advanced. Still, mistakes were inevitable, and juggling so many forms and tasks was overwhelming.
Steeling himself, he focused on what mattered most now. First, he fused the two passive skills, feeling the anticipation build as the system’s arcane chanisms worked their magic. The result appeared before him:
Gluttonous Assimilation (Epic)
This powerful skill combines the insatiable capacity of the user's stomach with the unique ability to rapidly assimilate the essence of consud materials. Gluttonous assimilation allows the user to consu and store an extraordinary volu of sustenance, treasures, or magical items without discomfort while instantly breaking down and absorbing their energies for amplified benefits.
That was excellent—exactly what he needed. The newly fused skill perford the sa function as its predecessors but only occupied one skill slot. Thalion still didn’t know how many skills he could assign per form, but that was a question for the system’s enigmatic voice. He made a ntal note not to forget it, though distractions were far too common these days.
The skill was quickly transferred to his Umbral Predator form, and the feast began anew. With the enhanced abilities, he devoured with a ferocity that could only be described as voracious. His consumption yielded greater rewards now. After consuming literal hills of mana-rich plants, his efforts were rewarded with a gain of six intelligence points.
Thalion’s grin turned sharp, tinged with amusent as he briefly wondered how Kael and the others were faring. He imagined their progress—or lack thereof—with a satisfaction that bordered on smugness.
As he settled into the magical circle for another round of body-tempering, he entertained the idea of a duel with Kael. That would be the perfect way to top off the day.
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Still, he reminded himself to temper his desire for revenge. Revenge was a tempting force, but in the higher stages of cultivation, monts of emotional weakness could prove fatal. The path to godhood required discipline, precision, and clarity—qualities that blind rage could erode.
Even so, Thalion wouldn’t spare Kael or his allies if the opportunity arose. Eliminating them wouldn’t just be satisfying—it would be necessary. Kael was too persistent, too dangerous, to leave alive.
For now, he pushed the thought aside. He couldn’t afford to let anger cloud his judgnt. There were countless obstacles ahead, and only a clear, focused mind would see through them.
His foundation was strong—ticulously cultivated—and he was confident it would allow him to outpace Kael and anyone else in his way.
He turned his thoughts to Eagly’s evolution. Fusing with the storm crystal might alter the very essence of the form, paving the way for a future transformation into a wyvern. The potential gains excited him, though he wasn’t entirely sure what they would be. Still, uncertainty only made the prospect more thrilling.
His other forms weren’t neglected either. The Tidecaller Serpent, though it had received little direct attention, was already powerful and would likely grow stronger once he began hunting in the ocean. He also needed to consu a few pearls—how had he forgotten about those? With an irritated sigh, he resolved to take care of it imdiately.
Swallowing six pearls in quick succession, Thalion shifted back into Eagly, the transformation seamless and efficient. He paused for a mont, scanning his thoughts for anything else he might have overlooked. Nothing ca to mind, though he knew distractions often led to oversights. With a deep breath, he focused. It was ti for more body-tempering.
The night passed in relative calm, the hours lting away as he worked tirelessly on his wind cultivation. By the ti he was confident his progress had reached the necessary threshold, the system shop had appeared. Finally, he thought, the next phase could begin.
After the shop, his plan was clear: lightning tempering, followed by the long-anticipated fusion with the storm crystal. The thought alone was exhilarating—his feathers practically tingled with anticipation as he appeared before the system’s voice.
“Greetings. What do you seek?” The voice echoed in the void, its tone both indifferent and authoritative.
Thalion didn’t hesitate. He had a clear list of priorities. “I need sothing to capture air elentals to feed my darkness elental,” he said. “Also, how can I upgrade its rarity before its evolution? Do elentals have any equivalent to body-tempering?”
The voice answered smoothly, as though such questions were child’s play. “I have an item that will suit your needs. It’s not overly expensive. As for rarity, it’s determined by the energy the elental absorbs. The more you provide, the higher the rarity—it’s quite simple, really.”
An item materialized before Thalion, its design intricate and srizing.
Lantern of Elental Binding (Uncommon)
A beautifully crafted lantern, its core housing a shifting, multi-colored fla that represents the primal elents. When activated, the lantern unleashes chains of elental energy—fire, water, earth, air, and more—to bind and suppress a target, rendering them unable to move or use their elental powers.
[90,000 Credits]
It was perfect—exactly what he needed. He inspected the lantern closely, noting the faint, shifting light within. It seed alive, pulsating faintly with raw elental energy. The only caveat was that the target would need to be weakened before being captured.
Thalion grinned, sharp and eager. Lucan had finished the second portal—a gateway that now teleported individuals to a skyship stationed by the mountains. With the new infrastructure in place, elental farming could finally begin in earnest.
How many lanterns should he buy? Five, ten, maybe twenty? Thalion tapped a claw thoughtfully against his beak. The real question was how many air elentals his darkness elental could consu in a day. Credits weren’t an issue—he had millions at his disposal—but he preferred to plan ahead.
As the elental grew stronger, its appetite would likely increase, and items in the system shop were becoming more expensive by the day. Better to stock up now than regret it later.
Satisfied with his reasoning, he turned his attention to his next priority. "Next, I need sothing like an aquarium—large enough to serve as a cultivation cave for my Tidecaller Serpent. It should also have runes to infuse the water with additional mana. Oh, and sothing to transport enough water from the ocean to fill it."
The system voice responded without hesitation. "That will be expensive, but the water container is comparatively cheap," it said, as two items materialized before him.
The aquarium cost six hundred thousand credits, and the container a re ten thousand. Thalion examined the aquarium with interest. It was cube-shaped, as tall as an Olympic swimming pool and engraved with intricate runes across its walls. Four elegant pillars stood at its center, each radiating a faint hum of power. For its price, it was an absolute steal.
"What’s next?" Thalion mused, his list growing shorter. Ah, yes—the ability to compel soone to divulge their secrets.
"I recently encountered won in my base who can place others under their control—or sothing like that," Thalion said, his tone contemplative. "Do you have a similar skill I can buy?"
The voice paused briefly before responding. "There are skills, but they may not work as you expect. Most require specific circumstances to succeed. For example, the won you ntioned rely on multiple skills to emotionally manipulate their targets, effectively persuading them to allow access. Without that consent—conscious or subconscious—the process risks destroying or damaging the souls, rendering them useless."
Thalion frowned. "How expensive are these skills?"
"The cheapest starts at twelve million credits, but even that one has limited effectiveness," the voice replied, its tone blunt.
Twelve million? That was far beyond what Thalion was willing to spend, especially for sothing so unreliable. "No ntal skills, then," he muttered, crossing the idea off his list.
What else did he need? His thoughts drifted, and he had the nagging feeling he’d forgotten sothing important. Ah, right—the altar for Eagly. That would complete the cultivation chamber, sparing him from sitting on the cold, hard ground. It didnt take long to buy everything and he even had so credits left for more defenses.
For a mont, Thalion chuckled to himself. "Am I going crazy?" The thought lingered as he recalled the brutal nature of the tutorial—the betrayals, the impossible decisions. He’d been forced to kill helpless slaves, all in pursuit of his dream. But was it madness, or simply determination?
The system voice remained impassive, but Thalion could almost sense its disinterest. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the thought aside. He was near the finish line of the tutorial—just one colossal war remained before it ended. But this wasn’t truly the end. It was rely the beginning of his journey to godhood.
He smiled faintly, his resolve hardening. The system shop existed outside of ti, so there was no rush. Why not indulge in a little luxury before the war?
Thalion leaned back in a comfortable lounger back in human form, a cold beer in hand. The frosted glass felt good, and for the first ti in months, he allowed himself to relax. The beer’s bitter tang lingered pleasantly on his tongue, though the effects of the alcohol were fleeting. Thanks to his body’s instant healing, any intoxication was short-lived—a curse for soone who might have appreciated the occasional escape.
"So, what do you think? Have I gone crazy?" Thalion asked the system voice with a smirk, as he raised the glass for another sip.
The voice responded with a casual tone. "Nah, just a bit overloaded. Happens to the best of us."
Thalion chuckled, the sound low and rumbling. Good. If the voice of the system didn’t think he was crazy, then he probably wasn’t. Or maybe that’s exactly what a madman would tell himself. "Doesn’t matter," he muttered. Dwelling on it wouldn’t change a thing. His desire to beco a god had never wavered.
He stretched, feeling the weight of his exhaustion for the first ti. No wonder—he hadn’t slept since bonding with the Sanguine Thorn. Months of relentless work, even years when counting his trip to the other reality, had left him drained.
For now, a few hours of rest, a cold beer, and the luxury of doing nothing were exactly what he needed. But when he walked out of this shop, things would be different.
When the fusion with the storm crystal was complete, Eagly’s transformation would be unparalleled. Power-leveling would begin imdiately afterward—a campaign of carnage that would leave nothing standing in his way.
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