Alex wasted no time opening his [World Map].
His eyes darted across the screen, quickly locating Alice, who was still inside the [Double Experience Zone].
“So he didn’t kill her…” he mumbled.
Without hesitation, he selected the nearest point to her location and activated the teleportation function.
Moments later, he materialized within the dense, glowing forest of the zone, the faint shimmer of residual magic surrounding him.
Alice stood a short distance away, scanning the area with her bow drawn, her expression shifting from focused to shocked as Alex emerged from the light.
“Alex?!” she gasped, rushing toward him. “Are you okay?!”
He barely had time to answer before she threw her arms around him in relief.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex replied, patting her back reassuringly.
He was touched by her concern but eager to move forward.
Alice pulled back, studying his face intently, her wide eyes searching for any hint of injury.
Satisfied that he was truly unharmed, she gave him a soft smile. “Good. You scared me for a second there.”
Alex returned her smile briefly before glancing back at the map.
“We need to leave. Let’s head back to the [Fox Tribe Village].”
With a nod from Alice, he grabbed her hand and teleported out, vanishing from the forest in a swirl of light.
The familiar, serene surroundings of the [Fox Tribe Village] greeted them as they arrived.
Lilith, the ever-cheerful fox princess, was the first to spot them, her bushy tail swishing excitedly as she ran up to greet them.
“Alex! Alice! You’re back!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “You’ve been gone for a while. Did everything go okay?”
Alera, the regal fox queen, followed shortly behind, her usual composed demeanor softening at their return.
“Welcome back,” she said warmly. “Come, you must be tired. We’ve prepared a feast.”
The group settled in, the tension of recent events melting away as they shared stories over a hearty meal.
The food, prepared with care by the fox tribe, was as delicious as ever, and Alex found himself savoring every bite.
The rest and cheerfulness were exactly what he needed after the ordeal he had just endured.
Later that evening, Alex sat quietly against one of the trees of the tribe, far from everybody else, his mind racing with possibilities.
Artemis’s “betrayal”, if you could even call it that to begin with since he still acted the same, still stung, but he knew dwelling on it wouldn’t help.
Instead, he focused on his next steps. He had several objectives to accomplish, but which one should take priority?
As if in response to his thoughts, a faint green light flickered before him, gradually solidifying into the familiar form of the [Helping Light].
Its emerald glow cast a soft illumination around the room, and Alex leaned forward, intrigued.
“Oh, it’s you.”
Ding!
[Helping Light has decided to help you!]
[Impress me, and I shall give you a hint!]
“Again, huh…”
Your adventure continues at empire
The green orb hovered silently, almost as if taunting him.
“Well, fine. Let’s see if this gets your attention.”
He summoned his [Demonic Spear] and launched it directly at the light.
The weapon sliced through the air with deadly precision, only for the [Helping Light] to remain completely unaffected.
[You already did that last time. That’s boring.]
“Huh…” Alex frowned.
Clearly, brute force wasn’t the answer. He needed to think outside the box.
An idea struck him though, “Alice!” he called out.
Moments later, Alice emerged from one of the houses, her head tilted in curiosity. “What is it?”
“Let me borrow your bow,” Alex said, holding out his hand.
“My bow? Uh, okay…” Alice handed over her [Glacial Requiem], though her confusion was evident.
Alex then pulled out the [Divine Bow of the Angel], which he had acquired during his recent battle, from his backpack.
Holding both weapons in his hands, he smirked at the glowing orb. “Watch this.”
Focusing his energy, Alex activated one of his unique talents: [Synthesis].
A surge of power flowed through him as the two bows began to merge, their forms glowing brightly.
The process was over in seconds, and what remained in Alex’s hands was a single, magnificent weapon.
Ding!
[You have fused “Divine Bow of the Angel” and “Glacial Requiem.”]
[New Divine+ Item: “Divine Requiem of the Frost Angel”!]
The system displayed the bow’s stats:
[Divine Requiem of the Frost Angel]
[+15,000 Spirit; +10,000 Agility; +50,000 Mana, +200% Ice Damage Boost; +100% Divine Damage Boost]
[New Unique Skill: Frost Barrage]
[Frost Barrage: Unleashes a storm of Ice and Divine Arrows, dealing 500% of spirit damage and applying Frostbite to all enemies within range; 10-minutes cooldown]
The cooldown was reduced by a third, and the amount of arrows as well as the damage was increase!
Alice’s jaw dropped as she stared at the weapon.
“WHAT?! Alex, this… this is incredible! I-I don’t even know how to thank you!”
“It’s fine,” Alex said with a grin, handing the bow back to her. “Just put it to good use.”
Alice clutched the weapon tightly, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Thank you, Alex. Really.”
She went back to fox queen’s house moments later, practically skipping as she went to show off her new weapon to Lilith and Alera.
On the other hand, the [Helping Light] pulsed with approval.
[Impressive, human. Let me help you, then.]
Ding!
[Hint: The Dragonheart Essence can be located on the fifth floor of the Tower of Destiny. It lies with the floor boss inside a Secret Realm. Caution is advised.]
[Recommended Level: 600-650]
[Note: You need a “Key” to access this Secret Realm!]
Alex’s eyes widened slightly as he read the notification.
“The Tower of Destiny? Fifth floor, with the floor boss, a key?”
He sat back, processing the information.
This could only mean one thing: [Helping Light] was asking him to drop the idea of getting the [Angel Bloodline], and instead focus on healing Alphox with the [Dragonheart Essence].
However, the mention of a secret realm within the floor suggested that the task wouldn’t be straightforward.
He didn’t plan to do that at the start, but when you think about it, it was the most logical of solutions as it would also allow Alphox to heal.
He didn’t know where the essence was before, but if it was with the fifth floor’s floor boss, then it would definitely be possible.
He’d have to locate the key, then the secret realm, defeat the boss, and secure the [Dragonheart Essence].
“Alright, I got it,” he grinned, going back to Alera’s house too.
…
The next morning, Alex discussed his plan with Alice, Lilith, and Alera as he had nothing to hide from them.
The fox queen listened intently, her sharp eyes betraying a hint of concern.
“The Tower of Destiny is no ordinary challenge,” Alera said. “Even reaching the fifth floor will be dangerous.”
“I know,” Alex replied, “But I’ve already done that.”
Lilith chimed in, her usual playfulness replaced by seriousness.
“If you need help, my tribe is ready to fight alongside you.”
Alex considered the offer but shook his head.
“Not yet. But I might take you up on that later. In the meantime, I think we should work on strengthening your tribe. If everyone is at a higher level, it’ll help us down the line.”
Alera nodded. “Agreed. I’ve been meaning to undergo my Tier-7 Advancement Task, but I’ll need time to prepare.”
And yes, even NPCs needed to do that, though at this point you shouldn’t consider them as NPCs.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Alex said.
…
A few days passed afterward, during which the group focused on training and preparation.
Alex helped Lilith and Alera strategize ways to strengthen their tribe, while Alice continued to grow more proficient with her new bow.
He also tried to use more perks of his [Blood Art], like for example using the blood of others, but without success.
The gap was just too big for that, and he would need to increase his mastery for that to work.
By the end of the week, Aurelia returned from her own [Tier-5 Advancement Task], her expression one of triumph.
“I got an SS-Level Rating!” she announced with a grin. “The boss and his demons nearly did me in, but I managed. Thanks for the dagger, Alex. I couldn’t have done it without it.”
“Glad it helped,” Alex said, genuinely impressed.
Finally, it was time to move.
Alex opened his [World Map] and selected the fifth floor of the Tower of Destiny: [Canyon of Death].
Before teleporting, he turned to Aurelia.
“Wanna come with us?” he asked.
Aurelia stretched, her exhaustion evident.
“I’d love to, but I’m beat. I need to log out and take care of things in the real world with my family. Catch you later, though.”
“Alright. See you,” Alex said.
With that, he and Alice teleported to their next destination, the ominous [Canyon of Death].
