Tales of the Endless Empire
Chapter 161: Power Leveling (2)

Sylas stood on the high walls, gazing out over the vast savanna stretching endlessly before him. Things hadn’t gone well for them. The revelation that vampires could control such a massive horde of undead was far beyond what they and their patrons had anticipated. Their only hope now was that things might be different on the fifth stage. But that seemed highly unlikely, given that the stronger vampires had likely already moved ahead and were preparing something even more dangerous.

Sylas had been looking forward to the confrontation on the fourth stage, especially since he himself wasn’t in much danger. His impressive skills allowed him to cut down multiple undead with ease, earning him a considerable influx of credits and experience. Right now, he was saving credits to purchase an expensive staff. But accumulating sixteen million credits was no easy task.

The failure to kill Thalion was also a major setback. The amulet Thalion carried was now valued at seventy million credits. Obtaining that item would be a massive boost to Sylas’s power and would secure his ongoing survival. From the moment he had received his blessing, his patron had urged him to prioritize the acquisition of rare items like that amulet. It was a missed opportunity, but perhaps he would get another chance later.

Sylas’s patron was one of the strongest gods in existence and had chosen their champion in a different tutorial. The power that individual currently possessed was unimaginable, and Sylas looked forward to meeting the chosen one. With someone that powerful by his side, Sylas was confident that he could grow even stronger. Nothing would stop him.

This was the one advantage of their tutorial—it was undeniably harder, but the rewards for surviving were significantly greater. Sylas would survive; he was sure of it.

What irritated him most at the moment was his patron’s order to kill Evelyn. He hadn’t understood the reasoning behind the task. Evelyn was a kind person and would have been a valuable asset in their fight against the undead. However, his patron didn’t argue or justify orders—he simply gave them. Sylas had no choice but to obey.

A few days later, he discovered that he wasn’t the only one with this task. Kael and Kai had received similar orders from their patrons, and they too thought it was a waste of resources. Sylas knew he’d have to carry out the task quietly, preferably when Kargul wasn’t around.

If the orc found out, it would result in a bloodbath. However, if he could make Evelyn’s death look like the work of the undead, Kargul might turn into a powerful ally, willing to sacrifice everything to avenge his best friend.

That would be perfect, Sylas thought with a smile. He had become so powerful that killing a healer like Evelyn should be easy. His arsenal of skills was extensive. He had powerful shields, mobility abilities, and a variety of offensive techniques.

There was a skill for every situation—one for fast targets, another for sniping distant foes, a domain ability to continuously damage elusive light warriors, and devastating attacks to break through defenses and secure instant kills. He was no longer as fragile as he used to be, making him difficult to defeat in almost any scenario.

Sylas was also eager to face Thalion again. It seemed his former friend was struggling to level up, and without the support of a god, Thalion had no chance against him. A strong patron provided countless advantages.

The blessings alone made Sylas more powerful than most participants in the tutorial. His only real concern was other people with high-rarity blessings, which offered similarly significant advantages. Those individuals were the true threats in this competition.

Sylas didn’t even care that much about Thalion. If Thalion willingly handed over the amulet, Sylas might consider letting him live—at least if Kael wasn’t paying attention. There was no need for unnecessary bloodshed, and Sylas didn’t care about Kael’s obsession with obtaining the Sanguine Thorn. The gods had already declared that Thalion wouldn’t make it far in the future, so why not let him live a quiet life after forfeiting the amulet?

At this point, Sylas was confident that Thalion had no chance of fighting him. That cursed sword Thalion carried wouldn’t help much, either. Oh yes, Sylas could hardly wait for the moment when he claimed the amulet for himself.

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Thalion killed flying beast after flying beast—nothing could stop him. He was too fast, and his attacks were too powerful. On the top layer, the most powerful beasts guarded the largest crystals. Among them, he spotted a blue hawk and a massive sky turtle surrounded by a swarm of smaller turtles, all soaring through the air.

Don’t worry—when I’m done with these lesser beasts, I’m coming for you, Thalion thought as he blasted a raven out of the sky with a lightning beam. The raven exploded on contact, black feathers scattering in all directions.

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Thalion had been testing a variety of maneuvers and attack patterns since sneak attacks were ineffective at this altitude. So far, he had refrained from using his powerful domain skills. They were his ace up his sleeve for when he faced the “big boys” hovering around the largest crystals.

He was confident he could defeat them even without relying on his domain abilities. However, he hoped to learn something new about aerial combat during his fight with the hawk and test his talons and beak against the sky turtle’s shell. It would be a challenge, but one that promised growth. Until then, there were plenty of other beasts to slay.

His next target was a flying snake over seven meters long. It was slim and agile, and Thalion had observed it using wind blades to slice apart attacking birds. The snake also had remarkable camouflage, making it nearly invisible as it glided through the sky.

Even with his relatively high perception as an eagle, Thalion had difficulty tracking it. To him, it screamed “awesome passive skill.” He hoped that he could also acquire the wind blade ability. It seemed incredibly powerful and would diversify his arsenal.

At the moment, he was overly reliant on his lightning beam for long-range attacks. Sure, he had powerful domain skills as well as his talons and beak, but all of those were situational. For example, in a dense jungle, his domain’s lightning bolts would mostly hit the canopy, rendering it nearly useless.

His talons and beak were great for melee combat, but they were ineffective if an enemy managed to maintain its distance—or worse, if the enemy was stronger or faster in close quarters. A wind blade ability would give him more options, allowing him to intercept or pressure enemies from afar.

Thalion could already fire charged lightning beams almost instantly, thanks to the storm crystal. However, in direct combat, a strong enemy could often anticipate and dodge the attack. Having a wind blade in his arsenal would make him much more versatile.

The wind whistled through his feathers as he approached the snake, which was peacefully meditating while coiling around a crystal. The moment the snake noticed Thalion, it exploded into action, releasing a burst of power and speed as it shot upward into the sky. Thalion smirked—this was interesting. He had expected the snake to attack immediately, not flee.

Adjusting his flight, he leaned slightly to the right, giving a few powerful beats of his wings to gain altitude. The snake wasted no time and unleashed a barrage of wind blades—at least ten in quick succession. It must have sensed that Thalion was no ordinary beast, even with his aura hidden. Perfect, Thalion thought. This confirmed his suspicion: the snake was a high-rarity beast.

Thalion’s eyes gleamed with greed as he fired a crystal-empowered lightning beam at the snake. The serpent twisted its body in an attempt to dodge, but Thalion turned his head slightly to the side, maintaining the beam’s trajectory. The lightning tore through the snake, cutting it cleanly in half. The kill notification appeared instantly as the snake’s severed body fell from the sky, both halves twitching violently.

Thalion quickly swooped down, taking the snake’s form for his records and storing its body in his spatial ring. Let’s see what we’ve got here, he thought, examining the snake’s abilities.

Wind Blade (Exalted)

The beast channels the power of wind through its claws, fangs, or wings, unleashing devastating air slashes that can rend through foes with ferocious precision. The Wind Blade is a primal attack, embodying both the wild fury of nature and the precision of a predator's strike.

Sky Veil (Legendary)

The flying beast blends seamlessly with its surroundings in the sky, using a combination of natural coloration and subtle wind manipulation to render itself nearly invisible. Whether gliding silently through clouds or hovering against the sunlit horizon, the beast becomes a phantom of the skies, evading detection and striking with deadly surprise.

Thalion felt as though he had hit the jackpot. A legendary passive skill and an incredible attack ability. Wind Blade was exactly what he needed: a fast, powerful attack skill capable of ripping enemies apart. And the legendary passive skill, Sky Veil, was far beyond his expectations.

Without hesitation, he transferred both skills to his eagle form and discarded the snake’s form. It was no longer needed. Perhaps now he could finally manage some sneak attacks. Overjoyed, Thalion performed a quick victory dance in the air, his wings flaring dramatically.

It was time to take on the big shots. His gaze turned toward the massive crystal the hawk was circling. Let’s see how awesome this boss fight is going to be, he thought.