Thalion switched to his human form as he neared the fortress and walked out into the clearing. There were many people waiting in front of the gate. He even spotted that fire guy from yesterday—the one who fought Steven—waiting by the gate.

Thalion approached the nearest group. “Hey, what are you all waiting for? Aren't they opening today?”

“Yes, they said they bought something from the system shop, so we can all enter,” a woman said happily.

“Do you know who owns this giant fortress?” he asked the group, assuming they were Steven’s enemies since the fire guy was seeking a new home here.

“It’s Kael’s. He’s some sort of ranger,” the woman replied, pointing to a large tower integrated into the wall. “You can see him up there.”

They had progressed further than he expected.

Thalion was not someone who typically experienced strong emotions, and even when he did, he rarely showed them. He had learned the hard way during his time at the orphanage, where any sign of weakness was quickly exploited by kids who had veered toward a more criminal path. Many of them sought fast, easy money and craved recognition, yearning to be accepted in a world that often looked down on them. But Thalion had never cared about such things.

From an early age, he realized that true happiness came from doing what you loved. An excursion to the beach solidified this belief for him. The serene atmosphere and the salty breeze washing over his face gave him a glimpse of what he truly wanted in life. This realization eventually led him to pursue a career as a marine biologist.

Now, with the arrival of the system, a new and thrilling goal presented itself—immortality. While Thalion wasn’t willing to abandon all morals in pursuit of it, he was prepared to go far to achieve his ambition. After all, friends were good to have. They kept you grounded, especially during the difficult times. Though he rarely relied on his friends for help when facing trouble, he deeply valued the moments they shared.

Thalion especially enjoyed drunken evenings at the bar, which often ended with the group lounging on the beach, sipping beer and wine, and indulging in wild fantasies about how the world could be and what they would do if...

His time with Sylas and the others had been genuinely enjoyable. Having someone to share jokes and moments of camaraderie with had made everything feel a little brighter and he was looking forward to a nice reunion.

"Thanks for the info. I hope you find safety here,” he said, then leaped into the air, propelling himself forward with a telekinetic dash. His training paid off as he shot up toward the tower with telecinetic dash.

He had to be careful not to touch the runes forming a transparent barrier above the wall, extending much higher than the actual stone structure.

He heard shouts from the ground and battlements as he shot up to the tower. With another dash, he reached its height. Since the last system shop, bases have expanded greatly. Previously, walls reached up to ten meters, but now this one stood at around twenty meters, with the tower probably around forty or fifty meters tall. It wasn’t even the tallest. Inside the base, buildings reached double the tower's height.

Moments later, he stood on a mana barrier before Kael and two archers, both staring at him in disbelief.

“Hey there, you’ve come a long way,” he greeted Kael, who was standing on the tower with wide eyes.

“Thalion, is that you? We haven’t heard from you in ages!” Kael exclaimed. “Come on in, it’s great to see you!” With a wave of his hand, the shield in front of Thalion disappeared.

“Cool trick,” Thalion thought as he stepped onto the battlements. Before he could say more, Kael pulled him into a big hug.

“Wait, this is Thalion, the fire mage who attacked Thorwald after he hunted two vampires!” one of the archers exclaimed in surprise.

“Speaking of Thorwald, what happened to that guy? Did you kill him when he was chasing you?” Thalion asked Kael.

“Sadly, no. He joined Steven and is much stronger now,” Kael replied, clearly still hating the man who tried to kill him.

“Wait, does he by any chance wear heavy white armor with a big axe and small forearm shields?” Thalion asked, wondering if the guy he failed to kill last night due to Steven’s interruption could be Thorwald. Nah, that couldn’t be... what are the chances?

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“Yes, exactly. Did you encounter him on this stage?” Kael said, confirming Thalion's suspicion.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Thalion muttered aloud. He said, “I saw him from a distance yesterday, smashing into a castle wall.”

“Ah, that was Michael’s base—the guy outside the gate.” Kael nodded downward at the fire guy, who was yelling, wondering why Thalion was allowed in while he was still waiting outside.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Now you’re the only one maintaining the resistance, and there’s that special quest coming up. Ankhet is strong enough that even some gods are worried about him,” Thalion said, spinning the story a bit. He couldn’t openly tell them he was invited by the greatest vampire god.

“Oh, so you already know? Not surprising you got blessed, too,” Kael nodded.

“Wait, you got a blessing? I thought blessings were rare,” Thalion said in surprise.

“Normally, yes, but the special quest changed things. Nearly every strong warrior here got blessed,” Kael replied. “Which blessing do you have?”

“Well, the blessing offered to me didn’t fit my path, so I had to decline,” Thalion said, avoiding the subject.

“You’re the first I’ve heard of rejecting a blessing,” Kael said with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve got organizing to do with all these new recruits. Here, take this,” he continued, handing Thalion a white crystal. “It grants you full access and allows you passage through the shields.”

“Kai and Sylas are training in one of those halls. If you want to spar or catch up, we can talk later. We’ve got so many stories to share! Would you believe that some slaves joined us after a wolf-tiger hybrid spoke to them?” Kael said, heading toward the gate.

“Nah, I can’t,” Thalion replied, chuckling as he kept a straight face. He was glad the slaves had made it, but he wasn’t ready to reveal his secrets.

With a wave, he said goodbye to Kael, who leapt from the tower to the gate below. Turning inside, this wasn’t just a fortress. It was more like a city, much larger than the Blue Robes' base.

He dashed toward the building Kael had pointed out near the wall, almost as tall as the tower. Entering the three-meter gate, he was stunned.

Thalion had seen strange space effects before, but this was beyond anything he’d experienced. The building was over a hundred meters high and even wider. Multiple sparring matches were taking place on the ground. In the distance, he spotted Kai fighting with two other warriors and nearby, he saw mages experimenting with powerful spells, far more potent than his fireball unless fully charged.

He walked to the side, observing the fighters. Some were even learning the second form of the sword, though they were far from perfect. He wondered how many lived here. It could be close to a thousand.

At the mage station, Sylas noticed him. “Thalion, no way! You’re alive!” Just then, Sylas was hit by a lightning bolt that slipped through his defenses, knocking him back three meters, his chest smoking.

“Oops, sorry,” the other mage—a beautiful woman—said.

“Ah, don’t worry, it barely hurt,” Sylas gasped, using a healing spell on himself, and the last sparks of electricity faded along with his pained expression.

“Did you buy a healing spell from the system shop?” Thalion asked, surprised by Sylas's newfound strength.

“Yeah, I was blessed by a mage god who gave me a rundown on the essentials. I even got a movement skill!” With that, he demonstrated a wind dash.

“Up for a spar? I’m curious how much you’ve improved. Surviving alone must have been brutal,” Sylas challenged him with a grin.

“Sure. What are the rules?” Thalion asked, though he didn’t plan to use his blood spells.

“No lethal hits, and we fight until one of us can’t continue,” Sylas replied casually, motioning for Thalion to step in the circle.

Thalion stepped into the twenty-meter-wide circle, and Sylas activated something that made runes on the ground glow. A shield rose around them, isolating them from the rest of the hall.

“You can start,” Sylas said with a confident smile.

Thalion summoned a small fireball, tossing it at Sylas to gauge his strength.

Sylas countered with a gust of wind, turning the fireball into lingering flames. Thalion disrupted the fiery wind with a mana wave, noticing Sylas casting lightning from the tip of his staff.

Thalion dodged by a hair. Sylas was stronger than he’d anticipated.

Sylas cast more lightning. Thalion, testing something, summoned his mana blade and swung it to block the lightning.

It worked well. He was thrown back a few meters but was pleased with the result.

Thalion threw another fireball, slightly larger, aiming just above Sylas's eyes to briefly obscure his vision. Sprinting after it, he knew the wind might affect the fireball at any moment but trusted his reflexes.

When the fireball erupted, Thalion used a strong mana wave to blast the fiery wind toward Sylas. Sylas quickly summoned a mana barrier, blocking the flames entirely.

Thalion approached, not at full speed. He didn’t want to reveal his full strength.

As he got close, he stabbed at Sylas through the barrier, but Sylas wasn’t there. He’d dashed into the air, lightning glowing on his staff. With a swing, he unleashed a lightning wave at Thalion.

Thalion sprinted forward, dodging between bolts with telekinetic dashes. Those he couldn’t avoid, he deflected with his mana blade, precisely catching each spell with his sword and redirecting it aside.

Sylas’ eyes widened as Thalion closed in, throwing gusts of wind to push him back, but Thalion dodged to the side, then forward.

Sylas tried a mana barrier, but Thalion cut through it and punched Sylas, sending him to the ground.

“Ouch! You didn’t have to punch that hard,” Sylas exclaimed, channeling his healing spell.

“I could have thrown a fireball if you’d prefer that,” Thalion joked while landing on the ground before Sylas.

Sylas had grown strong, but he seemed to be holding back as well.

Then Thalion noticed the training had stopped around them, and everyone was watching.

He overheard murmurs, "How is he that fast?” “Who is that guy?” “Is he stronger than Kael?”

He hadn’t meant to draw so much attention. To ease the pressure, he waved at a small man near the shield. “Hello, Kai, long time no see!”