Chương 147: Chapter 143: Schemes in the Shadows

Abigal was a shapeshifter who had entered Thalion's camp a few days after the debacle with Garrick and Michael. She had already been roaming the jungles of the third stage for a while and had reached level 37 by the time she joined. Upon arrival, she heard the astonishing stories about the legendary shapeshifter Thalion, who had single-handedly defeated Michael, Garrick, and their followers despite being under-leveled. Such a feat was unheard of, and it piqued her curiosity.

Abigal hoped this Thalion could help her find a new form, but he was elusive, rarely seen around the camp. Frustrated, she turned her attention elsewhere—she was too weak to join the others on dangerous missions, like battling the termite hive or fighting the skyships. Now, however, a new opportunity had presented itself. With the teleportation circles complete, they could finally visit the ocean. Abigal already had an excellent flying form: a Fireborn Eagle. Her standard fighting form was a sleek black panther.

Now, she was eager to claim her third form, one suited for the ocean's depths. When one of the guards announced that all shapeshifters were encouraged to use the teleportation circle to explore the ocean for new forms, Abigal leapt at the chance. This was also her chance to meet the legendary Thalion, the man who ruled the entire base. She could hardly contain her excitement as she thought of telling Ellen, her new love, about this opportunity.

Abigal had left behind four children and a wonderful husband on Earth, but here, she had found Ellen—a woman who eclipsed everyone she'd ever known. Ellen worked at one of the "nightclubs," though the establishment was much more than that. Abigal and Ellen had spent many magical evenings together, and Abigal was eager to share her news.

"She'll be green with envy," Abigal thought, smiling to herself as she navigated the streets of the city. This part of town was bustling with life. The streets, more than twenty meters wide, were flanked by towering buildings. Thanks to the wind mages who "pressure-washed" them at night, the streets gleamed with cleanliness. People hurried about their business, the air alive with energy, but Abigal grew impatient with the slow pace.

Shifting into her flying form, she soared above the crowds and quickly arrived at her destination. She landed before one of the tallest buildings in the area—over thirty meters wide and forty meters high. The structure was ornately decorated, with glowing embellishments that made it stand out even in a city full of remarkable architecture. Above the towering three-meter entrance door hung a sign depicting the silhouette of a woman, the words "The Crimson Lounge" glowing in bold red letters.

Abigal shifted back into her human form and entered through the heavy door. Only then did she glance down at her current outfit—a green robe she'd chosen after becoming an archer after entering the system. Quickly, she swapped it for the red dress Ellen had gifted her. The dress hugged her figure, accentuating every curve and leaving little to the imagination. Inside, the lounge was much larger than its exterior suggested—a common feature of buildings purchased from the system shop.

The grand hall was lavishly decorated, with a long bar stretching across one side and numerous couches and tables on the other, offering guests a comfortable place to relax. Multiple staircases led to private rooms above, where more intimate moments could be shared. Abigal had spent many such evenings with Ellen, and each time was more amazing than the last. Scanning the room, Abigal quickly spotted Ellen behind the bar, her smile lighting up the room.

Abigal's heart skipped a beat, just as it had after her first kiss. She hurried over, unable to contain her excitement. It was early morning, and the establishment was relatively quiet, with only a few patrons lounging on the couches.

"Hello, my dear Abigal," Ellen greeted her in a sweet voice, leaning forward across the bar and giving Abigal an unobstructed view of her cleavage.

"I have wonderful news! In just a few hours, I'll be using the teleportation circle to travel to the ocean for a new form—and it's probably going to be a good one!" Abigal exclaimed, her voice brimming with excitement. She tried to maintain eye contact with Ellen but found her gaze wandering to other parts of Ellen's body.

"But who's going to help you get such a good form?" Ellen asked, her smile fading into a slight frown. Concern flickered in her eyes.

"The water mages in the base aren't very strong, and none of them have any real experience fighting underwater."

"You'll never guess," Abigal said, her grin widening.

"I'll be accompanied by Thalion himself, the leader of this base!" Her voice rose with excitement as she watched Ellen's eyes widen in surprise.

"Oh, Abi, that's amazing!" Ellen exclaimed, her expression transforming into pure joy. She jumped over the bar in a single, fluid motion and threw her arms around Abigal, pulling her into a tight embrace. Their lips met in a long, passionate kiss, and for a moment, Abigal's world was filled with nothing but the warmth of Ellen's touch. She didn't want to let go, but Ellen gently pushed her back before things could go further.

"You absolutely have to tell me everything about Thalion after the hunt," Ellen said, a teasing smile on her lips as she looked at the still-breathless Abigal.

"Of course! I'll watch his every move," Abigal promised with a nod, barely able to contain herself. She leaned in for another kiss, but Ellen playfully pushed her away.

"Ah-ah, pleasure after work," Ellen teased, her grin widening.

"I can't let you get distracted before your big mission." Abigal sighed, half in frustration and half in amusement, but she couldn't help smiling back at Ellen's mischievous expression. She adjusted her dress and stepped back, her excitement for the upcoming adventure renewed. <-- For Thalion, the days passed in a blur as he stood in the middle of the cultivation chamber, his form shifting effortlessly into that of Eagly. His focus was razor-sharp, honing in on perfecting his soulshape.

The nearly passive body-tempering process had worked far better than he'd anticipated—Eagly was now deeply attuned to wind affinity. It wasn't quite as harmonious as his lightning affinity, but the improvement was undeniable. Hardening the skin of his spirit body, however, proved to be a far more time-consuming endeavor than he'd first anticipated. From time to time, he would shift forms, curious to see how the changes appeared in his other manifestations.

When he first created his complete spirit body, he'd needed to reorganize parts of his soul to fit each form's unique structure. To his relief, the hardening process required no such adjustment. Once accomplished in one form, it translated across all of them seamlessly. Still, he'd hoped that using Eagly's smaller form might speed up the process, but the spirit body seemed indifferent to size. Hardening its outer layers took just as long in his compact avian shape as it did in his towering humanoid or beast forms.

Thus, he remained as Eagly, using the time to progress his body-tempering alongside his soul-hardening efforts. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Thalion also discovered how to create weak pulses from his spirit core, a technique to repel any external influences from his soul. Surprisingly, it was much simpler than he had initially thought. All he had to do was briefly seal his spirit core, letting pressure build before releasing a tiny shockwave.

The ripple washed over his entire spirit body, cleansing it of impurities and foreign energies. Now it was time to gather materials for the Tidecaller Serpent form and focus on leveling. The ocean had consistently proven to be the most rewarding area for leveling in this stage of the tutorial. His plan was straightforward—provide the shapeshifters with a powerful underwater form and set them to work farming the small pearls scattered along the coral reefs.

Meanwhile, he would venture deeper, far beneath the surface, where the massive blue crystals were growing. Those crystals, larger than anything he'd seen on the reefs, held immense power. He was confident in his ability to gather enough for himself without outside help. Thalion had spent countless hours in the Golden Palace poring over texts about water serpents and beast enchantments. He'd learned that a Tidecaller Serpent could absorb pearls slowly, growing stronger over time.

But why bother with mundane pearls when he could shrink down one of the enormous blue crystals instead? The idea intrigued him, but there was one problem. The serpent's body, as it stood, wasn't well-suited to housing such a crystal. It might be better to simply consume the crystals directly, letting them upgrade the serpent's body as a whole. He also envisioned building a personal aquarium in his basement, a sanctuary where he could continue cultivating his Tidecaller Serpent form long after leaving this stage.

But unease lingered in the back of his mind. Leaving the base openly now might set his adversaries' plans into motion. He was almost certain that war would break out upon his return from the ocean—or worse, that enemies would lie in wait near the portal, prepared to ambush him. To counter these possibilities, Thalion had been careful to mislead his enemies. He spread word among the shapeshifters and water mages that the ocean expedition would last three days. In reality, he intended to leave after the first day.

Though he would have liked more time to farm and collect resources, the risks were too great. If his enemies were better organized than expected, they might destroy the teleportation circle, leaving him stranded—or worse, raid his carefully hidden basement in his absence. The trees near his base had grown tall, now standing over fifteen meters. It wouldn't be long before the elementals began to form, a crucial step for his next major power-up as the Umbral Predator.

This process had to continue uninterrupted, no matter what. A notification broke his train of thought, informing him that the mages and shapeshifters were ready and waiting. Lucan had constructed the teleportation circle in one of the large plazas near the smithies. The plan was to teleport to a ship hovering above the ocean, which had a corresponding circle onboard. Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm the ship's position—the range of their communication methods was far too limited.

Thalion suspected that as each week passed, the system shop introduced new items to address their evolving needs. He theorized that the gods were breaking the tutorial's rules constantly, forcing the system to adapt by providing similar tools to other participants. Normally, he wouldn't care about these developments—except for Isolde. That woman had made it her mission to pester him endlessly about the long-range teleportation token he hadn't purchased.

"Gods, that woman grows more irritating by the day," he muttered. He'd taken to ignoring most of her messages since they were often irrelevant nonsense, almost as if she were deliberately trying to distract him.

"Oh no," one recent message had read, "there's another strong beast preying on the survivors a few kilometers outside the base." Thalion sighed, shaking his head. He had no time for distractions—not when so much hung in the balance.

"We've lost another. Go check what killed them—it could be a real danger," someone had messaged. Thalion didn't bother to respond. Interrupt his cultivation for that? Not a chance. After ensuring his tower was sealed tightly, with no point of entry for any intruder, Thalion stepped out and began his walk toward the teleportation circle. In his human form, he always wore his armor, robe, and mask, the hood pulled low over his face. It probably looked strange, even intimidating, but that was precisely the point.

He wanted no one to see his face or discern any weakness in his expression. Let them believe the myths—the ones that whispered of his inhumanity and untouchable strength. If fear kept them at bay, it was worth it. E-grades were becoming more common, much to Thalion's annoyance. He wasn't yet sure if he could contend with them long-term if their progress continued unchecked. Thankfully, most of these newly ascended E-grades were of lower rarity, and leveling as an E-grade was significantly harder than as an F-grade.

A full week had passed, and most had only managed to gain one or two levels since their evolution. That bottleneck, at least, played in his favor—for now. The afternoon sun bathed the crowded streets in warm light as Thalion strode forward. People parted like water around him, their whispers barely audible over the hum of city life. Despite his aura being completely retracted to avoid activating the effects of his armor, those who recognized him still dashed out of his way, fear and respect etched on their faces.

As the teleportation circle came into view, Thalion's pace quickened. It wasn't a circle at all, he realized, but a portal—a masterpiece of engineering that stood leagues beyond what he'd anticipated. A massive, vertical metal halo towered over a pedestal, its radius over five meters. Runes, glowing faintly, were etched into its surface, each formed from the same liquid crystal they used for advanced enchantments.

"Jo, that's on a completely different level," Thalion sent to Lucan through the communication token, keeping his excitement private. Lucan's response was immediate, and Thalion could practically hear the grin in his voice.

"Took me much longer to build this beauty, but it's flawless. It'll work perfectly."

"How does it function?" Thalion asked, his curiosity piqued, as he approached the portal. The crowd around it was massive—hundreds of people, mostly water-class users and shapeshifters, gathered in anticipation.

"Simple," Lucan replied.

"I trigger the control rune, and the portal activates. It connects to the circle on the ship above the ocean. It can stay active for up to two days straight, but it'll need a few hours to cool down afterward." Thalion nodded, silently impressed. The portal's construction seemed robust enough to withstand attacks, which was critical. His enemies were crafty, and they'd destroy this in a heartbeat if they had the chance. The crowd shifted uneasily as Thalion approached the portal.

Those who recognized him immediately stepped aside, some even bowing, though he ignored the gestures entirely. He climbed onto the pedestal beside Lucan, his imposing figure silencing the murmurs around them. Thalion scanned the sea of expectant faces. He hadn't prepared a speech, but improvisation had always served him well.

"Greetings, everyone," he began, his voice steady and commanding.

"Today, we embark on a journey to the ocean to harvest pearls from the reefs. We don't know how much time we'll have in the higher stages to gather materials, especially with undead roaming the land. It is of utmost importance that we collect as much as we can now." The crowd nodded in agreement, a ripple of determination spreading through the group. Lucan stepped forward, triggering the control rune. White energy crackled to life, racing along the portal's runes.

Each crystal flared with light, and a mirror-like surface materialized in the center of the halo. Through the shimmering portal, they could see the deck of a skyship hovering above the vast blue ocean. The scene was serene, almost deceptively peaceful. Thalion's lips curved into a faint smile.

"So far, so good," he thought, nodding to Lucan before stepping through the portal. The sensation was seamless, nothing like the jarring, invasive experience of forced teleportation.

"Thank the gods," Thalion muttered under his breath, memories of his time in the Golden Palace flashing briefly in his mind. He had hated the disorientation of being whisked away against his will. Stepping onto the ship's deck, Thalion moved quickly to the bow, his sharp gaze scanning the endless expanse of ocean. The mainland was nowhere in sight—they had traveled far, which was exactly as he had planned. As long as they found the large reef, this expedition would be a success.

Behind him, more people poured through the portal, their excitement palpable. Thalion gestured for the ship to descend—it had hovered hundreds of meters above the water's surface, far too high to begin their work. The time had come to gather materials, and he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.