"You definitely have to participate in this System Event. This is our chance to prove that our faction is the elite of the elite." Nyssa explained, sounding almost excited.
"Six months should be enough for you to reach D-grade as well. It won't be easy, but it should be entirely doable. In the end, we might even have to order people to capture beasts so you can kill them without wasting time flying around and searching for targets if it looks like you're falling behind. The other elven gods are already bragging loudly and, even worse, the Oracle has joined them, which will definitely give their Chosen a huge advantage in the coming trial. I myself have heard that the Oracle can foresee even System Trials, which would be an extraordinary accomplishment. There will also be another show before and after the Third System Event and we've already told everyone that you would attend."
Thalion wasn't quite sure what to say.
One thing was clear though: he wasn't going to reach D-grade in six months.
In fact, that was completely out of the question.
He first needed to find a way to get rid of the System's mark and that simply wasn't happening in such a short period of time.
Even his armor wouldn't be finished by then.
On the other hand, this would put pressure on the gods to provide him with some good forms if they wanted him to perform well.
"Great. Do you have any idea what the Oracle's motivation is? Also, how are things looking regarding my forms? Did you find anything useful?"
The Oracle was becoming more mysterious with every passing day.
Thalion couldn't understand why they cared so much about the affairs of mere mortals.
Shouldn't they be worrying about gods instead?
"Hmm, if I'm being completely honest, I have no idea. The Oracle isn't gaining levels and it isn't acquiring new lands or natural treasures. My conclusion would be that it is either completely insane or trying to advance some particular skill or bloodline. On the positive side, I'm currently having a little talk with several gods who visited the Oracle not that long ago. So far they have been holding up surprisingly well, which means we might actually get some answers, but that will take time."
Nyssa paused before continuing.
"On the positive side, however, I found a form for you. I was told that you were searching for something capable of manipulating souls and I may have found one of the creatures with the highest affinity for souls in the entire multiverse."
Nyssa hissed, though this time it sounded considerably friendlier than usual.
"Currently we're still experimenting with ways to get it through the portal. I've left some parts intact, dissolved others in substances that slowly erode flesh, and fed a few pieces to a common flesh-eating caterpillar. I'm confident that at least one method will work. If the caterpillar can be sent through the portal, you'll simply have to cut it open and use that skill of yours on whatever remains of the black flesh."
She paused for a moment.
"Just out of curiosity, you don't actually feel what the creature experienced during its final moments, do you?"
The question almost sounded as though she cared.
"Eh, no. Why is this form so special in the entire multiverse?"
"Oh, good. Because I may have done some things before I carved it apart..." Nyssa quickly replied before waving the matter away. "Back to your question. What I found for you is an Echovore. They are known for devouring souls. Most of the time they don't actually swallow them. Often they suck them directly out of living victims."
That certainly got Thalion's attention.
"Inside their stomach they gather those souls into massive clusters of agony. Whenever they require additional power, they surround the souls with a strange black mist that causes immense suffering. In return the souls release tremendous amounts of power, though doing so can destroy them entirely, which is why one always has to be careful. The mother is still alive, by the way, so we can ask her questions if you need specific information about the form."
Nyssa's explanation sounded rather ominous.
Thalion had the creeping feeling, that he was missing something important.
Still, wasn't it great to have a god of such a powerful race voluntarily helping him?
Especially when it came to souls, this sounded exactly like the advantage he needed.
Nyssa and Solan probably possessed considerable knowledge regarding souls themselves, but a creature that specialized in them should know far more.
His thoughts were already racing.
This could be the key to pushing the Eclipsari to the next level.
"I need even more help. Do you know how to fuse an amulet with the core of an elemental?"
His hopes were high and thankfully the goddess didn't disappoint.
"Of course. There are many ways to accomplish that. What kind of amulet do you have? You could simply place the elemental's core inside the amulet and allow it to grow outward. That's the most common and easiest method. The elemental essentially uses the amulet like a snail uses its shell."
Nyssa shrugged as though the process was completely ordinary.
"Hmm, I don't think that would work for me since my amulet is already something like a prison for souls. Actually, I imagined it exactly the other way around. That the amulet would sink into the elemental's core so that the elemental has access to all the stockpiled souls."
Thalion desperately hoped that this approach was possible.
At least that was how he had always imagined the perfect outcome.
"Sure. It carries a great risk of killing the elemental and would require a lot of preparation, but it can absolutely work. Now to the more important matter. I'm about to send the first body parts through. If it works, don't take the form yet. I can still get one with a higher rarity. This one is mostly for testing."
Nyssa's gaze shifted toward something behind the screen.
Thalion quickly glanced out of the window where he could see part of the portal in the distance.
A group of elves was currently carrying some sort of altar through it with something black resting on top.
The black substance seemed partly ghostlike, which immediately raised the question of whether he could even absorb it. Since the test appeared to be working, however, he wanted to tell the goddess first.
He had no idea whether there were restrictions when taking the same form twice and didn't want to take unnecessary risks.
"In case that black thing is part of the creature, it seems to be working."
Thalion stepped back into the communication circle.
The elves had also transported several boxes through the portal as well as the strange flesh-eating caterpillar. Since the black flesh wasn't disappearing, he guessed the other body parts had made it through as well.
"Perfect. This will take a few hours though. I need to be very careful with this one. Since its mother possesses quite a powerful bloodline, you might inherit it. The chances are low, but maybe your skill gets lucky."
Nyssa commented before disappearing.
Thalion was admittedly a rather greedy person and obtaining a bloodline from a rare soul creature simply by taking its form sounded far too good to be true in his opinion.
Still, if it worked...
Oh god, would he become powerful.
Since Nyssa needed some time, Thalion finished the last remaining pieces of his armor and stored them inside the blood pond.
The armor still needed to be assembled, but aside from that, most of the crafting process was finished.
It fit surprisingly well and the only things still missing were the crystals and a few runes.
Thankfully, adding those later wouldn't be a problem with Saranya.
The sword still cut through the armor with ridiculous ease compared to any other tool he had tried.
Overall, Thalion was extremely pleased with his progress.
His only concern was whether six months would be enough.
During the Third System Event he would likely face numerous Chosen and if the armor wasn't completely finished by then it would almost certainly be destroyed.
After all the effort and time he had invested into creating it, the last thing he wanted was to lose it.
There was still half a year left.
Maybe it would be enough.
In his opinion, however, the chances weren't particularly high.
On the positive side, there were still many upgrades left to pursue.
What excited him the most was fusing the darkness elemental with the amulet and learning how to replicate the things Ankhet had done during their battle.
Creating entire specters that hunted down enemies was probably still beyond him.
On the other hand, producing those devastating soul-infused lightning attacks or enhancing his own body sounded considerably more realistic.
Thalion, of course, had absolutely no understanding of how souls worked or how they were manipulated.
Still, creating an explosion or empowering himself should be far easier than constructing an entire specter from scratch.
Back then Ankhet had been far from his former self.
His power had been reduced to roughly a quarter of what it once was. He had likely suffered severe backlash from being revived after such an absurd amount of time and there had also been the lingering remnant of a god inside his head constantly fighting him for control.
All things considered, Thalion was beginning to wonder just how terrifying Ankhet had been at his peak.
With those unique soul attacks, he might even have been capable of fighting early D-grades despite being a mere F-grade himself.
The biggest advantage Thalion had possessed during that battle was his title that allowed him to detect the incoming soul attacks before they landed.
Acquiring abilities like that combined with his fear aura would make his Eclipsari form truly terrifying.
At the very least, powerful enough to contend with D-grade Chosen depending on what bloodlines they possessed.
Then there was still the issue of his other forms.
His human form was fine.
With Saranya in hand, he should be capable of cutting through nearly any defense a Chosen could muster.
His aquatic form probably wouldn't see much action.
That left the wyvern.
Overall it was extremely powerful, but with its massive frame it probably wasn't fast enough to reliably hit a D-grade Chosen, especially classes such as rangers or assassins.
Chosen were incredibly talented even if they had been handed a golden spoon in the form of a powerful bloodline and the divine blessing.
Simply hoping they would make a mistake during battle wasn't a realistic strategy.
He needed something that could genuinely pressure them.
The biggest issue with the wyvern was that it needed to become more agile and learn how to fight in close quarters.
He had trained extensively with the poison wyvern, but the fundamental problem remained.
The creature was probably simply too large and too slow to effectively battle a high-level Chosen.
Normally, his domain would kill anyone who came close while his scales resisted most attacks.
Chosen, sadly, were likely capable of completely ignoring his domain and the scales probably wouldn't stop their attacks either.
Those Chosen had already been dangerous at E-grade.
Now they were D-grade.
The gap between E-grade and D-grade at the top was far larger than the one between F-grade and E-grade.
Statistically, this trial would probably be even harder than the First System Event.
Still, Thalion now possessed a few additional advantages.
The first was his absurd rarity.
All of his forms were significantly more powerful than before.
The Primordial Bloodseed also couldn't be compared to what it had once been.
With all those advantages, he could still pull it off.
And there was plenty of time left to improve.
So far, the Eclipsari was the form with the greatest potential for growth, and six months was a long time.
Long enough to improve his other forms as well.
Thalion just wondered what the Third System Event would actually be about.
Ratgul had been a hunter at heart and created a treasure hunt.
Lyrian had created one gigantic shitshow of a trial that Thalion still preferred not to think about.
Now only the crazy elemental remained.
And Thalion didn't have the slightest clue what kind of challenge the Third System Event would bring.
The only thing helping him at this point was the knowledge that round rocks were the best kind of rocks.
Unfortunately, that wisdom didn't provide many clues about the future.
What did improve his mood, however, were the dark body parts currently being transported through the portal in the distance.
"Echovore. How interesting..."
A wide grin spread across Thalion's face when he placed his hand on the remains of the creature and acquired its form.
So, I just want to tell you all that I have been a very strong Curator this past week.
There had been complaints that the story was becoming more of a comedy and some readers were wishing for more crafting and progression. Let me tell you, it was incredibly difficult for me—not to spoil anything—when I had already written all of this week's chapters in my endless motivation.
Yet when I went back through the chapters and comments, I didn't find a single compliment. Not one. Not even the slightest praise for my sooo chillingly evil writing style.
A true tragedy.
That said, how excited are you for the Third System Event?
More importantly, what do you think it's going to be?
Because this final event is going to be an absolute treat and something you have never seen before in a LitRPG story.
Which is only natural when you have a Trialmaster like R-87 who actually thinks outside the box.