Thalion decided that testing could wait until he was finished with his other forms. He needed to push them as high as possible before activating the One Form, before concentrating the entirety of his bloodline into his human body. The armor could be tested later, or while hunting on New Earth. Crafting, however, could not be postponed.

The alchemists would record the runes from the leviathan, but the matter of the Fear Pillar could not be delayed. Thalion also believed that fusing with it would elevate his race itself, which in turn would empower the One Form. And this was only one of the tasks before the end of the tutorial.

He had meetings to attend, discussions about how they would keep their base functioning once they stepped into the new world. Builders were scarce, far too few to raise homes for the tens of thousands of his citizens. And food would soon become another pressing concern.

Not everyone needed to eat often. For F-Grades, a single meal every three days sufficed, and E-Grades required only one per week. Thalion himself hadn't needed food at all, though he suspected that was more than mere physiology. Perhaps it was a byproduct of his absurd recovery speed, or the thousands of liters of blood consumed by the Thorn. Perhaps it was the feasts he had devoured as the Umbral Predator. The mountains of food might have been enough to sustain him for weeks. Whatever the cause, he no longer felt hunger except for the deep gnawing thirst of the Sanguis Impera, the constant call for more blood.

But his people were not the same. They would still require food. In the tutorial, it was manageable. With so many scouting vessels, they could hunt across wide territories, gather vegetables, and bring back what they needed. But once they left, those vessels would be gone. Feeding thirty thousand people might prove a monumental challenge, depending on how far beasts roamed in the new world. In the tutorial they could also buy food for almost no credits.

From what he had heard, Kaldrek and Maike had paid dearly for more information about the new world, just as others had. They had yet to share their findings with Thalion, but tonight's meeting would bring him up to speed. The first meeting was scheduled for this evening, which left him the day to work with the alchemists.

A quick flyby in his eagle form showed him that the Fear Pillar was stable and progressing well. No need for his intervention yet. Eventually, the killing of elves and the few orcs still resisting would need to accelerate, but that could wait until tomorrow. No doubt Kaldrek and Maike would press him for answers tonight. Answers like "How long must the Fear Pillar remain active?" And he would tell them he would begin the process immediately. A perfect plan, simple and decisive.

That left him time to experiment with rune placement on his body. Yet a problem remained: how could runes be inscribed onto his serpentine form?

In human form, his essence blood acted as a cheat, allowing him to engrave and inscribe with relative ease. But as a Tidecaller Serpent, that was no longer possible. His scales were like living armor—hard, ever-healing, and resistant to even the smallest mark.

The advantage of the Tidecaller Serpent, however, was in its appetite. It had devoured every blue crystal Thalion had swallowed, digesting them with alarming speed. At present, he could consume and absorb a crystal in only three days. With every crystal, the serpent's body grew stronger: its scales hardened like tempered steel, its length stretched by another meter, and mana flowed through it more smoothly, like a river cleared of debris. Already, its mana circulation surpassed that of his eagle form.

But how to carve runes into scales that healed as fast as torn parchment knitting itself whole? Tattoos would not work either. The scales simply rejected such marks. What he needed was a material that could bind itself with the serpent's body, integrated as if it were part of him. Without that, the project was doomed.

He had even asked the Voice of the System, but it had refused to provide help. That was irritating. He had hoped for guidance, but silence was all he received. If nothing else, he would preserve the knowledge until a proper method revealed itself. This was the kind of advancement usually achieved only at late D-Grade or early C-Grade. Attempting it now was ambitious reckless even but then again, the leviathan itself had been a creature beyond natural limits.

When he arrived among the alchemists, he offered a brief greeting. They hurried about beneath the colossal tentacle, chalking runes and adjusting formation lines. The air hummed with power, and the runes glowed faintly, like embers waiting for a breath of wind.

Borrowing parchment from a young woman with short red hair, oversized glasses perched precariously on her nose. Only two of the tentacle's runes remained untranslated. With time, the alchemists would surely decipher them. Until then, his task was clear: design.

He sketched combinations of runes, countless variations. One arrangement would draw in mana ceaselessly, feeding it into the Tidecaller Serpent like air filling a bellows. Another design enhanced its movement, granting its coils speed and grace like waves racing across the sea. Others still bolstered the destructive force of its abilities.

Hours passed. The table filled with sketches, lines, symbols, half-finished concepts. Each idea a thread tugging at the future. Yet none satisfied him. Every design felt incomplete, a song missing its final note, a weapon without its edge.

For now, the serpent's scales remained unmarked and waiting.

Thalion wasn't sure if permanently carving the runes into his scales was even a good idea. What if it had a negative effect on his evolution, like chains dragging down a growing beast? For the System, such an act could look like someone far stronger was secretly assisting him. Or worse, what if the runes disrupted the way his body absorbed the crystals?

So many questions, and every single one of them could prove true.

He disliked his current position. His hopes had been high after witnessing the leviathan weave its overwhelming powers with its tentacles, each spell shaking the chamber like thunder rolling through stone halls. He had wanted something similar for the Tidecaller Serpent, but reality wasn't cooperating.

Once you started working on such projects, you immediately realized how little you knew, and how much had to be built again from the ground up.

The day passed quickly as Thalion worked without rest, pausing only once to eat with the alchemists at a nearby inn. They served excellent noodle soup, its warmth melting the tension in his chest like snow under the pleasant spring sun. With a calmer mind, he threw himself back into the sketches, hoping to find the right method to inscribe the runes.

By the end of the day, Thalion had produced eight new designs. They might prove stronger, but the core problem remained: he still had no idea how to engrave them onto the serpent's scales. And the more he studied them, the more he realized he wasn't satisfied. The sketches were shallow, providing little real boost and some could even harm his evolution if he was unlucky.

Frustrated, he abandoned the entire underwater rune project. Before leaving, he gathered the sketches he had made. They could still prove useful if the System ever revealed a scroll with guidance. But the last time he had checked, the answer had been no. Perhaps it was knowledge reserved for late D-Grade or early C-Grade, making it too valuable before the tutorial ended. Or perhaps the cost was simply astronomical. Either way, most items in the System Shop were beyond his reach for now.

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Annoyed and in a sour mood, he entered Maike and Kaldrek's home. A massive table dominated the center of the room. His disappointment weighed heavily on him. He had not only failed to design a worthy inscription but also had no idea how to carve runes into the serpent's scales at all.

"It doesn't matter. Setbacks are normal. I need to keep trying later." He repeated the thought to himself again and again, trying to steady his mind.

Inside, Maike, Kaldrek, Jack, Josh, Evelyn, Kargul, Annie, Jakob, and several others were already seated. Among them were newcomers, survivors who had proven themselves as builders, tasked with constructing much-needed houses. Others had begun experimenting with farming inside the System, hoping to multiply valuable ingredients and provide food for the growing population.

Thalion noticed immediately how much these individuals had improved. Their auras pressed against the room like waves against a cliff. Jack and Josh's energy had sharpened, condensed, like blades honed on a whetstone. Annie's staff glowed faintly with power, a constant pulse that hinted at heavy upgrades. Jakob's skin now resembled polished marble. His Stonewarrior class showing itself more vividly than ever. Kargul looked broader, carrying at least five kilograms of new muscle. Evelyn's aura had deepened in strength, and her new dark-green hair gave her a striking, almost fey beauty.

After greetings were exchanged, more people trickled in until over ten new faces joined. When the last chair scraped into place, Maike began.

"Hello everyone. I'm glad you could all make it. We have a lot to discuss today, because as things stand, I don't see how we can keep this base together in the new world."

Thalion blinked, surprised. Damn, were things really looking that bad? He had known they faced difficulties, but this sounded disastrous.

Kaldrek, however, looked unsurprised. For most others, the news hit like cold water, disbelief flashing across their faces.

"Wait, what? Why can't we stay together? It's worked so far," Jakob exclaimed, his voice echoing with confusion. His words mirrored the expressions of most present, except the builders and farmers, who had already seen the cracks forming.

Maike sighed and continued. "We've thought long and hard about life on New Earth. The truth is, it might be best if we spread out. There are over thirty-two thousand people across all the bases. When we arrive, we will lose everything—our walls, our buildings, our defenses. Even if every builder works without pause, we could only raise housing for a few thousand in the first week. Food is the next problem. Even if we need less than before, we still need to eat from time to time. Some of the higher blessed asked their gods about the strength of the beasts awaiting us on New Earth, and the answers…"

She paused, her voice heavy.

"…were not comforting."

"On New Earth there won't be any weak beasts like in the tutorial," Maike continued, her voice heavy. "Hunting for food will likely be out of the question. And many of our people still aren't even close to E-Grade. I don't know how we're supposed to help them level once we arrive. We'll also need operations to gather water. In the tutorial we had barrels filled with thousands of liters, purchased for just a few credits. In the new world, the System Shop won't be there to replenish our resources.

We do have water mages who can draw moisture straight from the air, like squeezing dew from a leaf at dawn, but for all the other resources… with so many mouths to feed, the problems will be enormous.

That's why it would be best to separate the population into large groups that can set out on their own. Without the System Shop, trying to maintain one giant city will collapse in on itself. Just think of it. No more tokens to track murders, no more cheap shortcuts for food or shelter. And that's without considering incursions, neighboring factions, or powerful beasts hunting us."

By the time she finished, Maike looked drained, as if each word had been pulled from her like stones from a quarry. Kaldrek nodded gravely, and it was obvious the two had spoken about this at length. The builders and farmers also wore no surprise.

Annie leaned forward, worry tightening her brow. "But what are we supposed to do then? You said it yourself, there are so many weak survivors. We can't just tell them to fend for themselves."

"Groups might be the wrong word," Kaldrek explained, his tone calm but firm. "The plan is to send scouts to find suitable locations for the citizens to settle. We'll spread out instead of cramming everyone into a single city. That solves supply issues and makes it harder for murderers to hide in the crowd. Four thousand people are much easier to protect than thirty thousand. To keep everyone connected, we'll still build portals linking the settlements. But a massive city? Without the System, that's impossible. Villages and towns are our best chance."

Thalion found himself nodding. It made sense.

"There are even more advantages," Kaldrek added. "Spreading out means we can find and cultivate more rare plants. Speaking of which…" His eyes turned toward Thalion. "When are you going to collect your dark-affinity plants? The alchemists have eight spatial rings full of the stuff, waiting for you."

"Ah, right. I didn't forget," Thalion answered, though his embarrassed tone betrayed him. "I'll visit them after the meeting."

"Good," Annie sighed in relief. "For a moment, I thought we were all going to split up completely."

Maike shook her head. "No, that's not going to happen. But there will be more troubles. Not only are the beasts on New Earth stronger, but we also have to worry about the other races. A few Chosen dominated the tutorial here… but who knows what monsters thrived in the other ones? We must be as strong as possible if we want to build a true city one day."

"Do we know who our opponents are going to be?" Josh asked, glancing at Evelyn—the only one who constantly communed with her patron.

Evelyn hesitated, then spoke. "My patron can't tell me about the other tutorials. But she warned me that many powerful adversaries will come. She said not a single god's Chosen has ever failed to dominate their tutorial. So one way or another, we'll face fierce competition on New Earth."

Josh leaned forward, his eyes sharp, the edge of violence in his voice. "And the incursions? How dangerous are they exactly? What do we do if one appears near us?"

"They must be closed immediately," Evelyn replied without hesitation. "The factions pay a heavy price for opening them. If the warriors they send don't dominate, their own faction will hunt them down. The incursion leaders themselves will be extremely powerful. Even Thalion will have to be careful."

Her certainty hung in the air like a blade. Clearly, she had spoken with her patron—the Spider Queen—at length.

Jakob's eyes widened. "Wait—even Thalion? Are you sure? Because if he needs to watch out, what chance do the rest of us have?"

"Hold on, what?" Thalion blurted, shocked. "I know god's Chosen are strong, but incursion leaders too? Really?" His frustration bled into his voice. After everything he had done to grow stronger, it still wasn't enough. He could accept that the Chosen stood above him, but if incursion leaders were at that level as well…

Then New Earth would be far more dangerous than he had imagined.

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