Chapter 288: Crimson Eidolon

Thalion arrived in the system shop with mixed feelings. Would the voice of the system kill him now that he had learned what Amun had told him? Was Amun’s death truly the work of the other gods, or the system itself, trying to keep its secrets buried?

Yet when he stepped in front of the golden statue, a wave of relief washed over him as his title shimmered softly with golden light.

"Good job, my little rising upstart," the voice of the system greeted him cheerfully.

Okay... probably no cause for concern, Thalion thought, partly relieved. He summoned the massage chair from his spatial ring and let himself collapse into it. He took two long breaths before realizing he had forgotten to say hello. He had been so worried about getting incinerated that it had completely slipped his mind.

"Hey. Sorry for being weird. The last few hours have been... intense," Thalion said, closing his eyes and sinking deeper into the massage chair, which was working wonders on his sore muscles. He probably should spend all his system shop time relaxing and healing his soul to be fully ready to fight the undead when he returned to the surface.

"Yeah, I know," the voice of the system laughed, clearly elated. "You've brought me quite a bit of joy in the short time you’ve been here. First the bloodline business and now this."

It was a bit surreal for Thalion to stare at an unmoving statue while hearing such lively and expressive words echo directly into his mind.

"Yeah, that last fight was definitely a close one," Thalion agreed. "And since I’m here now, I think it’s time to address the elephant in the room. Are you planning to sacrifice me?"

His voice was more serious now. He was sure the system had seen everything related to Amun, so he might as well ask directly. In his mind, this could only be beneficial.

"Ah, yes. That," the voice said casually. "Well, you've brought joy to my existence, so let me return the favor. Here, this one’s on the house."

A glass filled with golden liquid appeared in Thalion's right hand.

Well... that was a bit weird.

Thalion stared at the drink. Was the voice trying to poison him? Probably not, it could just kill him outright if it really wanted to. But still... maybe there were rules that prevented the voice from doing so directly?

Even Thalion found that theory hard to believe. Still, getting handed a glowing drink after everything that had happened felt a little suspicious.

"Great, thanks," he said cautiously. "Could you tell me what this whole system is really about? And this time, for real?"

"Yes, of course," the voice replied. "Just give me a few moments. I need to check on a few things before I can tell you more. You see, not everything here is as it seems. Why don’t you tell me about your plans and ideas for the future while I finish up? Then we’ll have a proper talk about our... friend."

There was a hint of seriousness now, as if what they were about to discuss was something few were ever allowed to know.

That was fine with Thalion. Why not share a bit of his future plans? He assumed the voice was just trying to give him helpful tips anyway. An entity like that could likely guess what he was planning regardless.

"Well, I made a to-do list, and until the end of the tutorial, I’m pretty booked," Thalion said, leaning back for maximum comfort. "After the tutorial, I don’t know yet. I heard there are supposed to be some major system events I should participate in."

The chair rumbled softly as it massaged his back and shoulders.

"Yes, you definitely should join every single one of those," the voice said enthusiastically. "But we’ll talk about the event quests later. What are your plans for the tutorial?"

"Okay, so first I’ll go back up, kill a few vampires, and reunite with my friends. I hope they’re okay. After that... I haven’t decided on the exact order yet, but I want to shrink the fear pillar and fuse it with the darkness elemental. That combination makes sense to me. I also want to study the runes from the Leviathan I killed and maybe engrave them onto the Tidecaller Serpent. Oh, totally forgot about that massive crystal I stole from the beast too!" Thalion exclaimed as the memory suddenly returned to him. So many life-and-death situations, it was easy to forget things.

"Haha, that sounds exciting," the system voice rumbeld . "But be careful with that big crystal. Don’t just absorb it after shrinking it down. I know your healing abilities are strong, but if the power inside is too dominant, it could have negative effects. As for the darkness elemental, I agree. That’s a solid path and a great addition to your strength."

"While we're on the topic of forgotten things, I also want to learn some of those nasty spells the Bloodwitch used in that fight. Do I have enough credits to buy them for my human form?" Thalion asked. There were just so many ideas running through his head. He should really get a piece of paper and a pencil to write everything down.

"Hmm, you've got a solid amount of credits, but it might not be enough to buy all the skills. The two strongest ones should be within reach though. That said, I’d actually advise you to get just one of the skills and invest in an information crystal that teaches you about ritual skills in general. The value you'll gain from that will be well worth it in the long run, especially when it comes to upgrading those skills later. Remember, once the tutorial ends, there won’t be a system shop anymore, and chances to get new skills will be rare. The knowledge of learning and mastering multiple ritual skills will carry you far."

Thalion felt a twinge of guilt for having forbidden Evelyn to kill the Bloodwitch.

"Cool, thanks. I’m also planning to transfer the fear crystals in my armor into the pillar and replace them with blood crystals. Then I’ll add more blood runes, similar to the ones on my bow, to strengthen my blood-based abilities. Oh... and I borrowed a ring that lets the fishfolk recall their spears. I want to make something similar for my sword. Maybe I could even guide it mid-air and have it fight beside me," Thalion said with a chuckle.

"Sounds like a solid plan and a lot of work. What about the upcoming palace treasure? And the two powerful bloodlines in the tutorial?" the voice asked slyly.

"Right, the treasure. If it’s something good, I’ll keep it. If not, I’ll just give it away. Uh, what do you mean two bloodlines? I only know about the female elf," Thalion asked, suddenly suspicious.

This was the best time to acquire bloodlines. The strongest contenders probably hadn’t evolved yet, which was necessary for him to steal them.

"Well, I won’t say too much, but there might be a former elven prince, now undead, who has a rather impressive bloodline. One that passively enhances nearly all of your skills."

"Thanks. I’ll definitely look into it," Thalion nodded, mentally adding another point to his already long to-do list. There really was a lot to handle before the tutorial ended.

"On another note, should I buy the Bloodwitch’s skill now or wait?" he asked, genuinely curious. He wanted to try it out, but maybe the system voice had a better plan.

"You can go ahead and buy it now. I don’t think it’ll make much difference, and it might actually come in handy during the next fights. I’m confident you’ll have plenty of money when you come back next week."

"What would be the two skills you'd suggest I choose?"

"Hmm... honestly, the only one I think you're interested in and the one I consider far better, is this one," the voice replied, and a window appeared next to Thalion’s status, displaying the name and description of the skill.

Crimson Eidolon (Empyrean)

When you activate this skill, all your senses are transferred into a phantasmal specter formed entirely from mana with high blood affinity and will, known as the Crimson Eidolon. It has no eyes and is connected to you by a line of red mana that’s very difficult to break. Even if someone cuts through it, the connection quickly reforms. The Eidolon is almost immune to most attacks and will continuously rebuild itself as long as the user has the strength and will to maintain it. The specter flies and possesses long, razor-sharp claws. Any skill you can cast with your real body can also be used by the Crimson Eidolon, which is what makes it so feared. The only real defense is to flee or locate the caster quickly because destroying the Eidolon is nearly impossible.

Three sub-skills come bundled with it:

Banshee’s Screech: The Eidolon opens its mouth, filled with sharp teeth, and emits a piercing screech that releases a shockwave, killing nearby enemies.

Blood Claws: The Eidolon’s claws lengthen and sharpen, empowered by crimson mana. Perfect for slicing through heavy armor.

Blood Absorption: The Eidolon absorbs the blood of its victims, using it to fuel its next spell or to strengthen the caster.

The Crimson Eidolon can also phase through solid objects for a short time, turning it into a silent assassin. But be aware, your main body is completely defenseless. If an enemy finds you, it’ll likely be your end.

It was such a cool skill. If he managed to get a few more ritual abilities and understand how to use them properly, the Crimson Eidolon would be incredibly useful. Besides, he was never really alone. Sanguis Impera would always be watching his back. The rarity of the skill was surprisingly high. Empyrean wasn't normally even available. Legendary was usually the highest tier the system sold. Probably a perk of his “friend” status, Thalion figured with a smirk.

Next, he checked the scroll the voice had sent as well.

Scroll of the Crimson Rite

This scroll teaches you everything you need to know to begin working with blood rituals. Sacrifice your enemies to grow stronger, until no one can stand in your way.

It was a short description, but Thalion liked the sound of it. He was all for sacrificing enemies. Besides, the system recommended it, so it had to be worth it.

Neither the skill nor the scroll had a price listed, which likely meant they weren’t part of the regular shop system. It would cost him all of his credits, but that was fine. It looked more than worth the price.

"This looks great. I’ll take it," Thalion said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Excellent. Here you go. Now that I’ve finished my preparations, let’s move on to the interesting topic," the voice of the system replied as a scroll materialized on Thalion’s lap and he quickly stored it in his spatial ring.

Then something unexpected happened.

The void around him shifted, turning a metallic bronze. He watched as cracks formed across the statue in front of him. In mere seconds, the statue shattered and a figure stepped out from within.

The dragonkin looked like the statue before, if only a very thin layer of gold had covered it before.

Not only a dragonkin but dragon god.