Chương 160: Chapter 154: Transformation

Thalion reappeared in his cultivation chamber, his resolve sharper than ever. The storm of determination within him left no room for hesitation. He was done waiting. The crystal awaited him, and he was ready to transform Eagly into an unstoppable force. Without pause, he activated Mistform, dissolving into a swift, ghostly haze that surged toward the training hall. This detour was necessary. A final boost to his lightning cultivation would strengthen him for what lay ahead.

Afterward, there would be no respite—only relentless combat. Not just to gain levels or experience, but to hone his instincts until they were razor-sharp. The future bristled with battles and a war against the undead, and Thalion had no intention of losing. If the vampires had gorged themselves on high-quality blood, so much the better—it would feed the sanguine thorn, granting him the strength to ascend to E-grade.

The undead would serve as his nourishment, fuel for his transformation and the power-ups that awaited. The air seemed to hum with momentum, the invisible thread of destiny drawing taut. Thalion reached the training hall and pushed open its towering gates with a smirk. Inside, mages looked up expectantly, their gazes flickering with anticipation. A moment later, the room was alive with crackling energy with Eagly right in the middle.

Bolts of lightning tore through the air, converging on Thalion in a ferocious storm. He absorbed the power hungrily, forcing it to resonate with his wind affinity. The raw energy scorched his body and sent waves of pain through his nerves, but he embraced it all. Pain was a familiar companion, one he had learned to master.

"Yes," he thought, satisfaction blooming in his chest. In mere hours, he would be ready to fuse with the storm crystal. By tomorrow, Lucan would complete the second portal, opening access to the skyship stationed near the mountains. Though Thalion didn't need more crystals, the constant flow of air elementals would be invaluable for the darkness elemental. Everything was falling into place. A surge of restless excitement prickled through him.

He had to clamp down on the wild urge to yell at the mages like a pirate, demanding they blast him harder with lightning. The thought of bringing carnage to the beasts ahead, of leveling up through sheer destruction, sent an almost manic thrill through him. Thousands would have to die for him to reach E-grade, but he was more than willing to do so. The hours passed in a blur of agony and progress. The lightning carved through him with ferocity, its energy overwhelming his limits. Thalion didn't falter.

He gritted his teeth—or rather, his beak—and pushed through the searing pain, tuning his body to harmonize with the storm's relentless power. When the training ended, his body was battered but his spirit unbroken. He turned to the mages who had assisted him, gratitude flickering through his intense gaze. Reaching into his stores, he handed each of them a wind crystal. Their stunned expressions were almost comical.

These rare treasures were beyond the reach of most in his base, where over fifteen thousand inhabitants often had to barter desperately for even a chance at one. But Thalion was unconcerned. They had earned their reward, and he had plenty to spare. After that he made his way back to his cultivation chamber. He was ready to fuse with the extremly powerful stormcrystal. The storm crystal loomed before him, radiating an almost unbearable power.

Its prismatic surface glimmered with barely-contained energy, and though it was smaller than a football, it seemed enormous to Eagly's smaller form. This was no ordinary artifact. It had been guarded by a monstrous jellyfish, preceded by two eagles, and before them, a wyvern of titanic proportions. Shrunk down with the formation, its power was still overwhelming—and amplified with lightning affinity through the efforts of the mages of this base. Thalion's beak twisted into a wry grin.

"This is madness," he thought. The crystal's energy could very well tear him apart if he lost control. He remembered a brutal video he'd once seen of a man feeding chickens explosives; the aftermath had been grotesque. Something similar could easily happen here. One mistake, and he'd end up a giant, feathery explosion. Still, there was no turning back. The thought of failure only sharpened his focus. Before him lay the Blade of the Blooded Templar. Thalion gripped it tightly and leaned on it in his Eagly form.

He took a steadying breath, then he cut his chest wide open. The pain was immediate and searing, his blood staining his feathers. But he didn't stop. He lowered his open wound onto the crystal, his body trembling as its energy surged into him. His skin began to split further as the crystal forced its way into his chest. The agony was like nothing he'd ever endured. He clenched his beak tighter, his mind a blur of determination.

Slowly, inch by inch, the crystal embedded itself deeper, its power merging with his very being.

"This is how legends are made," Thalion growled to himself, his voice barely audible over the crackling energy. There was no room for doubt. He kept pushing until half of the prismatic crystal was embedded in his body. Then he held his position. His body couldn't heal or close the wound—it had to accept the crystal as part of itself. At least, that was how the beast tamer in the book had done it. The pain grew worse by the second as the crystal slowly connected with his body.

He was probably only about ten percent synchronized, but the surge of power was already extreme. Maybe using such a powerful crystal had been a mistake. No. No doubts. He would see this through to the end. It was impossible to be the strongest without taking risks, and this pain wasn't going to stop him. More and more of the crystal merged with his body, and with it, more power surged through him. He briefly considered whether he should have built another chamber for testing explosives.

But he didn't have time to dwell on the thought. Every ounce of focus was needed just to hold his body together as an absurd amount of energy coursed through him. At some point, his bones began breaking under the intense pressure. The pain was excruciating, but Thalion refused to pass out. Lightning and fierce winds erupted around him, his body convulsing uncontrollably on the ground. When the crystal fully merged with his body, the agony reached its peak, threatening to overwhelm him entirely.

His surroundings blurred. It felt like his bones and feathers were melting. If his lungs had been full of air, he was certain he would have screamed loud enough to shake the mountains. Thalion had always had a high tolerance for pain, but this was something else entirely. Luckily, there were no onlookers, and he couldn't scream anyway, so at least he was spared that humiliation. In desperation, Thalion activated all his domain skills, giving the raging mana an outlet.

The storm that erupted tore his cultivation chamber apart. Nothing could withstand the fury of the tempest unleashed within. Then, gradually, the pain began to subside as his body finally synchronized with the crystal. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His wounds healed rapidly, and Thalion gasped for air.

"Holy shit, what have I done?" he thought, staring at the carnage around him. He definitely needed a chamber for testing dangerous experiments. And the altar! Damn, he had just bought that nice altar with the runes. Renovations would have to wait until after he reached E-grade. Thalion slowly got to his feet, his Eagly form feeling entirely different. He pulled out one of the mirrors he'd stolen from the blue-robed mages back on the second stage and stared at his reflection. His eyes widened in shock.

What had become of Eagly? Quickly, he checked his status screen. His race hadn't changed, though the rarity had. He was still a wind eagle—but now of ethereal rarity, one level beyond even mythic. Before the infusion of the storm crystal, Eagly had already been a legendary creature thanks to all the body tempering Thalion had done. But becoming the first beast to surpass Mythic rarity was beyond his expectations.

He studied his reflection again, the realization dawning on him why the transformation had been so painful. What he saw looked nothing like the Eagly he remembered. Yes, he was still an eagle, but he was also something else now—something extraordinary. His feathers had turned a very light grey, almost white in some areas. His beak and claws gleamed as though they were forged from the storm crystal itself. His wings seemed longer, more streamlined, as if perfectly designed for speed and precision.

He looked like a creature sculpted by evolution to thrive in the harshest of environments. His horns had changed too, now thinner but also crystalline, mirroring his beak and talons. The most striking feature, though, was the prismatic storm crystal embedded in his chest, radiating raw power.

"Damn," he muttered. He needed to test his new abilities. He felt like he'd been reborn. Maybe he'd go for a dive in the ocean. Or perhaps take out those termites. A quick flight in the mountains sounded perfect. Unable to wait any longer, Thalion soared out of his ruined cultivation chamber. The narrow corridors didn't faze him; his control was absolute. In his haste, he nearly forgot to activate the defenses for his chamber but corrected himself before flying out entirely.

"Okay, don't overdo it, Thalion," he muttered while holding back his grin as he shot into the sky. He contacted Lucan mid-flight, asking if the portals to the mountains were ready. They weren't finished yet, but Lucan assured him they'd be operational by tonight or early tomorrow. Next, Thalion found Kaldrek in a rapid flyby, handing him all the lanterns and instructing him to gather as many air elementals as possible with the fighters' help.

Thalion had planned just now to hunt by the river to test Eagly's new capabilities, but a message interrupted his thoughts—a council meeting was about to begin. He ignored it. It wasn't an emergency, and they could handle the less important issues without him. Flying toward the grasslands, Thalion began testing his abilities. First was Tempest Glide. The boost was much stronger than before, and the clouds forming around him were darker, charged with electricity.

When he triggered his other abilities, he was astounded. Every single one operated on a completely different level now. The lightning bolts erupting after activating Stormcaller's Fury were nearly twice as thick as before, with almost double the power. The winds from Thunderous Eye had also grown significantly stronger, now laced with bits of storm clouds that made Thalion even harder to spot. Hitting him with projectiles was nearly impossible—the powerful winds should redirected them with ease.

Eagly's speed had improved dramatically, likely due to his heightened wind affinity. Thalion was pleased with how things had turned out. Choosing Eagly as his primary form instead of one of the larger creatures had proven to be a blessing. Thanks to Eagly's smaller size, he required far fewer resources to achieve high levels of body tempering. This bit of luck had worked out well, but Thalion vowed that in the future, he wouldn't take such a risk again. Instead, he'd choose stronger forms from the start.

Well, that's assuming I even take another form, he thought. Managing multiple forms was already challenging enough. Recently, he'd considered passively leveling one form and transferring its abilities to others. He had even asked the Voice about this plan while idly browsing the system shop. The answer wasn't great. Apparently, he would need to discard a form before he evolved to E-grade, or else the evolution would negatively impact his other forms. It seemed strange, but Thalion didn't question it further.

These evolutionary processes were beyond his understanding, anyway. Flying just a few meters above the treetops, he raced toward the river at high speed. The moment he spotted a beast, he would engage it in battle. Choosing the river might not have been the most effective spot for power leveling, but testing Eagly's new form was a priority. Thalion knew that if he wasn't careful, Eagly could get one-hit, which would mean instant death for him. Understanding his new capabilities was crucial—not to mention fun.

Deactivating all his domain skills, he noticed the damage his flyby had caused. Lightning bolts had struck several trees, leaving trails of destruction in the jungle below. Despite the chaos, flying felt incredibly natural and relaxing—soaring on the wind, letting it carry him at incredible speeds. Then he saw them. Below, termites were gathered around the carcasses of two large beasts—likely bears, though it was hard to tell with their heads and front legs already gone.

The termites were dismantling the corpses with ruthless efficiency. Without hesitation, Thalion banked sharply, circling above them. There were four snipers, two workers, and one of the larger juggernauts. Interesting. Did termites form hunting parties now? Not that it mattered to him at the moment. His eyes glinted with greed as he considered the skills those termite snipers might have. They noticed him immediately—no surprise there. His approach had been anything but subtle, with Tempest Glide still active.

While he was fast, his presence was obvious, and the heightened senses of the snipers quickly registered him. One sniper dove to the side, firing stingers from its shoulders Thalion noticed something different. The snipers' wings seemed longer, and their bodies were slimmer—adaptations that likely improved their flight capabilities. Now it was time to kill. Thalion veered right, flapping his wings twice to dodge the stingers. He also climbed higher to keep the rest of the termites in view.

Below, the workers began empowering one of the snipers, which caught Thalion's attention. Normally, workers would assist the juggernaut. Speaking of which, the juggernaut stood guard over the two workers, an unusual behavior. Thalion was intrigued. This level of coordination was far beyond anything he'd observed before. Were they adapting to the situation? Maybe he was overthinking it, and the sniper was simply the strongest member of the group.

But that still didn't explain why the juggernaut was prioritizing the workers' protection. Enough speculation. It was time to act. The snipers remained under the tree canopy, attempting to shoot at him from below. Thalion considered picking them off one by one but decided against it. He didn't want any surprises. Instead, he opted for brute force. Activating all his skills, the wind surged around him as Thunderous Eye and Stormcaller's Fury came to life.

Lightning bolts tore through the trees, striking tall trunks and splitting them apart. Thanks to his connection with the Outsider, Thalion didn't have to worry about running out of mana. In fact, he might have been regenerating it faster than he was using it. Flying through his own storm, Thalion charged a massive lightning beam and unleashed it on the empowered sniper. The sniper managed to dodge to the side, but Thalion kept the beam running for a second longer, adjusting his aim.

The attack incinerated one of the sniper's wings, sending it plummeting to the ground, its body convulsing from the electricity coursing through it. As Thalion turned his attention to the remaining snipers, he noticed one of the workers rushing to the downed sniper. The worker cast a powerful healing spell, rapidly regrowing the sniper's wings. Thalion's eyes narrowed. The termites had undergone tremendous upgrades to pull off something like this. This fight was going to be far harder than he'd initially thought.

<author note> It has been long but it is finally time for powerleveling before the true war will begin. I had a lot of fun writing the coming chapter:) Cheers <author note>