After thirty minutes of following the squad of five, Thorian could finally see the sprawling stone walls that protected Locksley. He smiled at the nostalgic sight of a city that did not have magical barriers or mana cannons.
This place would have been razed in an hour if it was ten years in the future.
The white and black kobloids stood at the forest's edge, observing the soldiers from a safe distance. The human troops, carrying the captured blue goblin, marched along the main road and entered the city through the colossal gates.
Though night had fallen, Thorian was able to navigate using the stars. He had learned about celestial navigation from his great-uncle when he was just a child. The memory of the betrayer pained him deeply, but Thorian swallowed his pride and relied on the knowledge passed down from his old mentor to guide him.
Which one was it again?
Thorian looked up to the sky and scanned it for a few seconds before his eyes lit up. He found it.
So that’s the south star.
As he found his point of reference, Thorian could easily find where the sun was going to rise from. He grinned as he looked at the closing portcullis in front of them; it was the east gate.
“Let’s go back,” Thorian smiled at Nox. “Tonight will go down in history.”
Nox looked confused at Thorian but he did not say anything. He just shook his head and followed after the white kobloid.
As they no longer needed to walk at a crawling pace, the two crossed the four-kilometer distance in but a few minutes. As they reached close to their destination, the two stopped.
Thorian looked at Nox and laid out his plan, “I will be searching on this side, you will be going to the other side of the road. If you find a big stone with a demon’s face on it, do not touch it. Come and find me immediately, do you understand?”
“Face demon?” Nox furrowed his eyebrows at the explanation.
Thorian let out a sigh, “You will know it when you will see it. Now, do you understand?”
Nox nodded his head, “Nox understand.”
“Good luck,” Thorian patted the night kobloid on the back. “I trust you.”
With those words, Nox ran to the other side of the road and disappeared into the dark forest. Thorian turned around and started searching.
It should be buried somewhere around here, but it shouldn’t be fully under the ground.
Thorian darted about, his eyes scanning the surroundings intently. He focused on anything that stood out from the trees, examining it with great meticulousness.
As minutes ticked by, Thorian's gaze fell upon a rock outcropping concealed behind dense shrubbery. He made his way through the bushes and circled the formation, his lips soon parting in a triumphant grin.
Found you.
Thorian chuckled under his breath as he covered his face with his hand. It took all of his self-control not to indulge in a maniacal burst of laughter. He then put his hand on top of the demon’s face and said the incantation that he had memorized for so long in his head.
I, Thorian Steelblade, claim this territory by the divine right I have been given.
Thorian’s vision shattered. It was as if he was looking at the words through a shattered window. Words and screens started appearing in front of his eyes.
System Error…
The “System Error” message kept repeating itself in front of Thorian’s eyes before his vision was assaulted with a myriad of colors. Black, red, and gold all merged and accentuated one large screen.
“Create Dungeon… Become the dungeon boss!”
While that one message was taking most of his vision, Thorian could see that there was another message below it. Its screen was small and grey, making it easy to ignore when compared to the fanciness of the first one.
“Create village… Become lord!”
Thorian couldn’t help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation.
I see, so the system does not want me to create a village. Well then, I am very sorry…
Without wasting a second, Thorian chose the second message. At first, nothing happened, but his vision suddenly swirled with shadows and darkness.
System Error.
System Error.
System Error.
Compatible host found.
System Recalibration.
“Congratulations, Thorian Steelblade, you have become a lord. Please choose a name for this village.”
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Thorian thought for a second before smiling when he found a suitable name, “Wolvendale. The village shall be named Wolvendale.”
Let it be an homage to the future I have robbed from you, Raven’s Nest.
A golden light emerged from the Territory Altar and merged with Thorian. He felt it digging deep into his flesh and bones and merging with his blood. A sense of connection tied him with his territory as if he could feel anything that was inside of it.
Four bursts of light emerged from the four cardinal directions. Each of them was exactly forty meters away from the Altar.
The statues have emerged. This will prove useful.
As the apocalypse had not yet begun, Thorian was uncertain about the extent the system was functional. He could only feel fortunate that the class statues had appeared and that he did not need to wait until all the monsters crawled from the depth of the earth.
Thorian walked to the west where he found a two-meter statue of a woman wearing a robe and a hat while wielding a staff topped with a gem. He put his hand on the statue and a message appeared in front of him.
[Would you like to choose the Magus class?]
“Yes, I would.”
A sky-blue light seeped from the statue and merged with Thorian. As with the golden light that appeared from the Altar, this blue one also merged with his body at a fundamental level.
[Choose one of these starting abilities]
Fireball You conjure a fiery orb and hurl it at your enemies, leaving them charred and weakened. Waterball You summon a watery orb and launch it at your enemies, drenching them and knocking them off balance. Rock Bullet You create a barrage of rocks that fly toward your enemies, pummeling them and leaving them vulnerable. Wind Gust You summon a powerful gust of wind that can knock your enemies off balance, extinguish fires, and enhance your speed and agility.
“Fireball.”
Thorian did not need to think for a second. In his past life, he was a fire archmagus, one of only two in the whole kingdom. His flames had burned to ashes tens of thousands of his enemies and won him many wars. They even killed his marshall and great general, two of the greatest warriors of the realm.
Wait, wasn’t there an amazing class that you could get?
Thorian’s mind flashed with the picture of a young man in a purple robe. As he remembered the terror that the young man had caused, he tapped his foot in thought.
If I remember right, that brat Aiden got his class advancement by increasing the rank of all the starting spells.
Thorian chuckled as the thought fully formed in his brain. Aiden, a young magus that started three years later than all of them, joined the top ten magus council even without being an Archmagus. The secret was from his first-class advancement, where he became an Elemental Magus. It was a class that was terribly hard to advance but gave its users immense power. Even as a lower rank, he was able to go toe to toe with other archmagi.
I won’t be able to advance as early, but I will become that much stronger later.
Thorian weighed the pros and cons in his mind before shaking his head.
What is there to think about? It is one, if not the strongest class advancement possible. I will be spitting in the face of my ancestors if I do not take this opportunity.
Thorian took a deep breath as he steeled his resolve. Now that he had become a magus, he would be able to accelerate his plans.
Display Panel.
Ding
Status Panel Race White Kobloid Level 8/15 (exp: 60/110) Class Magus Level 0/20 (exp: 0/10) Lifespan 40 years Cultivation realm Qi Gathering First Stage (7.9%) Stats Strength 18 (22) Agility 19 (24) Constitution 8 Mana 4 Qi 1 Skills Minor Moon Boost (Passive) Fireball (active)