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."

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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."

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