Chogacrum’Albeo strode through his forest, brushing his thick brown fur against the towering trees as he passed. The storm he had experimented with from two nights prior had torn through the land, with its relentless lightning strikes leaving scorched scars across his territory. If not for the torrential downpour that had accompanied it, the entire forest might have gone up in flames.

  Not that he was sure that would have been such a bad thing.

  Patrolling his domain, marking it with his scent, and keeping it in order was exhausting work. If the fire had spread, perhaps he wouldn’t have had to bother so much. It would finally let him go back to being able to sleep the whole day and experiment at night.

  The only reason he even did it was to stop the 'strong, big, boom lizard' from sending loud booms into his head.

  She was also the reason he even had a name.

  She had called him stupid for not having one.

  Chogacrum’Albeo didn’t think it was so bad. He just had to stay strong—and when weak creatures wandered into his forest, he gave them a simple choice: give him shiny things or food if they wanted to stay, else they would become food.

  He got what he wanted without lifting a claw.

  Even the strongest creature in the forest eventually died when hit by his booms, and after that, everyone in the forest stayed quiet and paid their weekly tribute.

  , Chogacrum’Albeo remembered.

  He had forgotten to do so the night before last, too preoccupied with his own magical experiments. he decided with a resolute nod. He didn’t want to deal with her booming again. The last time he mentioned that he’d forgotten to add to her collection, the booming was so loud he was sure that his ears had fallen off by the end.

  After all, he was a Wizard—at least, that’s what the strong, big, boom lizard had called him when she saw the crown he always wore atop his head. And from what she said, Wizards experiment with magic.

  He had found it in an empty human den, sitting atop a strange spinning thing. The moment he laid eyes on it, he knew it was special. And if it was special, then it belonged in his hoard.

  Chogacrum’Albeo had watched that human den for many, many moons. For the last ten moons, not a single human had left it. So, he went inside.

  And there, amidst the dust and forgotten things, he found his glorious treasure—a wide-rimmed, drooping-tipped, grey head covering.

  He had seen the human cubs wearing something like it many moons ago, before they disappeared and back when he was a small cub.

  Now, it was his.

  His Wizard Hat.

  And ever since that day, he had never once taken it off. Not even during his tri-weekly soaks in the river.

  When he -

  “Smaller moon,” Chogacrum’Albeo growled as he stared at the sky above, his fur bristling.

  He’d forgotten that tonight was the night other beasts would invade his territory. This happened every four nights, and it was annoying and tiring.

  Unlike the fellow beasts he lived around, these were far stronger and far more dangerous. Well, they were dangerous the first few times, but not anymore, just annoying.

  A deep snarl rumbled from his chest, his fangs bared. Lightning crackled along his teeth, shrouding them in flickering arcs. The sharp cracks of the lightning broke the silence of the forest as he stepped forward, his heavy paws pressing into the earth.

  Chogacrum’Albeo bared his fangs, the sharp points now wreathed in a thin coat of crackling lightning. Each step he took produced sharp cracks of thunder that echoed through the forest, shattering its previous silence once more.

  He lifted his snout, inhaling in quick, frequent bursts. The scent of fresh blood and wet dog filled his nose. There were no wolves that paid tribute to him.

  A deep growl rumbled in his throat.

  In an instant, he turned sharply to his right and barreled through the forest, tearing through underbrush without hesitation. Paying no mind to the golden, claw-shaped marks he left behind on fallen logs or the countless paw prints he trampled underfoot.

  Chogacrum’Albeo crashed through the thick bushes ahead and skidded to a halt, his glowing eyes locking onto the intruders squatting in his domain.

  Twelve wolves.

  They were gathered around a massive jackalope, their muzzles buried deep in its torn flesh. The largest among them pulled away from the corpse, strands of bloodied sinew hanging from its maw. Slowly, it turned to face Chogacrum’Albeo.

  Its gaze sharp.

  [Ice Wolf Lv 73]

  ***

  [Ice Wolf Alpha Lv 78]

  “Why in den? My den.” Chogacrum’Albeo snarled, his brown eyes staring into the icy blue ones of the alpha wolf. “Why eat tenant? Him give food, me.”

  “Hunger,” The alpha wolf barked back. “No food home. Pack hunger.”

  “Leave,” Chogacrum’Albeo growled, getting off all fours and standing on his rear legs, towering over the twelve wolves that entered his forest. “No hunt here. My…Property. Me Landlord.”

  “We have more, bear,” the smaller-looking wolf beside the wolf alpha snapped. Its bluish grey fur grew plated chunks of ice, forming armor atop itself and lengthening its claws and fangs with ice. Its muzzle was still dripping with the blood of the jackalope.

  “My name is Chogacrum’Albeo, Wizard of the Storms!”

  His nostrils flared, a deep growl rumbling from his throat as his eyes flickered between rich brown and blazing gold.

  “All within my domain obey my rule!

  As his voice thundered through the forest, his body swelled, growing both in height and mass. Overhead, the sky rumbled in answer—lightning cracked, thunder roared.

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  Then, he roared.

  A booming, earth-shaking sound that sent tremors through the trees. Arcs of lightning wreathed his entire body as he dropped back onto all fours, golden eyes locking onto his prey.

  The ice wolves reacted instantly, their bodies encased in a thick frost of armor. They charged, closing the distance in a blink—but before they could reach him—

  Chogacrum’Albeo swiped a massive claw through the air, unleashing a bolt of searing lightning.

  The crackling energy ripped through their icy armor, surging through their bodies and frying them from within.

  “The storms run through my veins!” he bellowed, his voice carrying like rolling thunder. His eyes burned solid gold as he lunged forward, charging straight into the heart of the wolf pack.

  Crushing the Ice Wolf Alpha’s head with his jaw, Chogacrum’Albeo reeled back the lightning that covered his body, revealing bloody claw-shaped wounds and bloody patches of brown fur.

  It had been more difficult than he’d thought. He didn’t know ice could become hot and become fire.

  Licking his bloodied mouth clean, he looked back at his own Status Page, reading his bloodline for the second time today.

  Storm Veins (Unique):

  A unique bloodline originating within Chogoacrum'Albeo, awakened by a fierce lightning storm during the terraforming of Earth. Your body hums with electrified energy, increasing your reaction time and enhancing your Stormkinesis. Grants +10% to Intelligence and +10% to Wisdom.

  The one day, he hadn’t checked it, it had suddenly changed, and he’d almost accidentally destroyed all of the shinies he’d kept in his cave. Since then, he’d always check to see if it changed, not wanting to accidentally ruin his collection.

  Suddenly, a loud, glass-like crack resounded from above.

  Raising his head up, Chogacrum’Albeo’s jaw dropped open as he saw the large crack that cut through the night sky.

  Then came the sudden burst of power that sent him crashing down into the blood and ash-soaked ground below.

  , Chogacrum’Albeo whined as he stared at the now-cracked sky before a flash of light swallowed him and the Milky Way Galaxy entirely.

  Henry sheathed his axe at his hip, hearing the audible click before slipping his daggers into his left side pouch. His eyes moved from the forest around him to his wife and daughter, who were giggling with one another under the shade of a small tree.

  , Henry smiled softly to himself. “Thank you,” he muttered, his smile widening as he heard a faint grumbling noise from the connection he had with Ragnar. He was brutal on him; he’d almost died countless times during the trials, of which he was sure that he had died at least a hundred times, but he’d find himself back in the temple’s quarters minutes before the scenario started and expected to start again.

  He wasn’t sure why Ragnar had chosen him to be his blessed; he didn’t know the guy, but he helped him get back with his family and regain his daughter, who he thought had been killed. And for that, he’d do anything the god wanted him to do.

  Henry stood atop the hill, watching Maria and Camilla, their daughter, playfully goofing around. A wistful smile touched his lips as he cherished the scene before him.

  His brows furrowed for a moment as he discreetly started to mutter under his breath and slip his hand into his back pouch, reaching for one of his handleless daggers. All the while keeping the uninvited guest in the corner of his peripheral vision as he stared at Maria and Camilla.

  As he’d finished muttering the spell, his left hand blurred for a moment before the dagger, coated in a veil of DarkFlame, rocketed towards their uninvited guest, creating a thin streak of black before embedding itself in their head, killing them instantly before their body was consumed by the DarkFlame.

  Looking at the notification he received, it was probably a bit much to have coated it with DarkFlame, they were only level 34. But then again, this was the sixth time this week they’d sent someone to spy on him and his family. He wanted nothing to do with their camp or factions anymore; as soon as this Tutorial ended, he was taking his family elsewhere.

  , Henry mused as he made his way down the hill, smiling at the exasperated look on his wife’s face.

  “I swear to god he’s an adrenaline junkie,” Henry muttered as he neared his now standing wife who held their carefully swaddled baby.

  “Who?” Maria smiled, slowly rocking Camillia in her arms. “Archie?”

  Henry chuckled, poking Camilla’s chubby cheeks and smiling has she grew a grumpy pout. “You know it.”

  “I still remember that video father-in-law played at the last Christmas dinner,” Maria chuckled, pinching Camilla’s chubby cheeks and getting another grumpy pout from her. “I still can’t believe that he managed to climb up the fridge at four years old and jumped off of it, not to mention landing on your father’s back.”

  “Ever since that day, Dad would always say his back would start to ache whenever he felt that Archie was about to do something stupid.” Henry chuckled while tickling Camilla’s stomach and smiling as she chirped. “I hope Cami wouldn’t have any similar thoughts.”

  “She better not,” Maria said with a playful scowl on her face as she faced her giggling baby. However, just as she was about to pepper her daughter with kisses, lavender colored symbols appeared above her arms and across her face before she suddenly went limp.

  Henry quickly caught Maria and Camilla milliseconds after she went limp.

  Henry panicked as he slowly lowered Maria to the ground and kept her upper body leaning against the tree beside them, cradling the now crying Camilla in his arms.

  Henry’s eyes scoured the forest around them, ensuring that no one was around them before creating walls of DarkFlame that hid their forms from view, whispering calming words to get Camilla to stop crying.

  After what felt like eons to Henry, Maria shot up with a sharp inhale, tears flowing from her eyes as she stared at a concerned Henry and tear-stricken Camilla.

  “Are you-” Henry said before Maria interjected.

  “We have no time,” Maria sobbed, pulling both Henry and Camilla in for a tight hug. “It’s going to be alright, my love, you’ll do just fine.”

  “You’re not making any sense. What did you see?” Henry questioned, confusion and panic lacing his tone. “Why are you making it sound like you won’t-”

  “When the three converge, find me where the night is at its longest

  The morning sun poured into the cave as Archie hammered away at the molten steel plate atop his heavy-duty anvil. A satisfied smile lingered on his face—less than an hour ago, he had finally gained the Botanokinesis

  Botanokinesis (Initiate):

  You have gained the ability to influence and manipulate plant life. As a novice, your control is still unrefined, allowing you to clumsily encourage growth or movement in nearby flora. This skill provides foundational knowledge, enabling you to progressively enhance your ability to nurture, shape, and command plant life with greater precision.

  While he couldn’t do much with it yet—aside from making branches move out of his way—Archie knew that with enough practice, Botanokinesis

  As thanks for helping him get the skill and the practicing tips he gave, he had forged Daniel a heavily Nature-Attuned steel scythe—free of charge, of course. But Daniel refused to accept charity, all but shoving 500 Tutorial Points down Archie’s throat before leaving a single red apple on the table and heading back to his farm.

  Old man strength was no joke.

  As Archie hammered away at the molten steel plate, he noticed another group emerging from the Cursed Ship dungeon, clutching a cluster of dark mana crystals and Light-Attuned weapons.

  Unlike when he was rewarded with the Compass of Desire and a Challenge Sigil for completing the dungeon, the groups after him were rewarded with dark mana crystals or Light-Attuned weapons - weapons that Omar and the other Light-Attuned Classes quickly bought and hoarded.

  , Archie noted.

  He tried to buy some of the crystals and weapons off of them, but no one was willing to sell it to him when they could sell them to Omar and the other Light-Attuned class holders for a premium. And while he could have run through the dungeon again himself, he felt a bit lazy and decided to keep forging instead.

  As he raised his hammer just above his shoulder, faint whispers tickled his ears, but he paid them no mind—after all, the area was crowded with groups preparing for their own dungeon runs.

  Then, just as his hammer was about to slam into the molten steel, a familiar voice rang out with urgent desperation. "Archie!

  His eyes shot up in confusion, just as his hammer struck the steel.

  In an instant, a blinding light erupted around him, consuming both his body and the Spirit Nucleus tucked in his back pouch.

  System Alert:

  Universes 49,50, and 51 have collapsed and have been destroyed. Universe 72 has been greatly fractured.

  Enacting Protocol – T47957K5927S

  End of Act II

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