The Curator

Chapter 196: Killing More Spiders

The web trembled, vibrating more and more, until Thalion spotted the cause. Three massive black spiders were charging toward him, their presence exuding an aura of raw menace. But even their overwhelming size paled in comparison to the small, shadowy figure scuttling alongside them—a spider much smaller in stature yet radiating an authority that sent a shiver of anticipation down Thalion’s spine.

The three larger spiders were monstrous, each the size of a small school bus, their th...

Chapter 195: Only a Dead Spider is a Good Spider

Thalion shot through the jungle faster than ever before. Wherever he went, the light dimmed, and the shadows stretched, growing darker and longer. It was as if most of the surrounding light was filtered away, leaving a constant shroud of darkness lingering around him. It didn’t affect him in the slightest, but he had no doubt that it made him significantly harder to spot. He could amplify this effect even further if he wished, but there was no need for that now.

As he moved, he sense...

Chapter 194: Skill Testing

A massive, kilometer-wide base descended onto the fifth stage. Towering walls, inscribed with glowing runes, surrounded the structure, humming with raw power. Above the base, several colossal battleships—each over a hundred meters long—hovered menacingly, their weapons primed.

Thalion, Maike, and Kaldrek stood atop his tower, surveying the landscape of the fifth stage. It bore a striking resemblance to the fourth. In front of the main gate stretched an endless savanna, golden grass...

Chapter 193: Status Screen (2)

Lying on the ground as a Tidecaller Serpent was far from comfortable, but seeing his status screen more than made up for it.

Status:
Name: Thalion Walker
Age: 31
Length: 6.10m
Level: 74
Race: Legendary Tidecaller Serpent (F)
Health Points : 2,807/2,807
Mana Points : 4,090/4,090
Stamina : 1,130/1,130
Experience Points : 200,084/216,732

Stats:
Strength: 189
Agility : 164
Endurance : 113
Intelligence : 409 2025-03-12 09:35:18 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 192: Status Screen (1)

Before looking at his other passive skill, Eclipsar’s Intuition, Thalion quickly ascended to the chamber where he had placed the base’s control crystal and initiated the group teleportation to the next stage. It would take nearly an hour until the entire base could be transported to the fifth stage—plenty of time for him to review all his new abilities.

Thalion was already behind schedule, to the point that both Kaldrek and Maike had sent messages asking if everything was alright...

Chapter 191: Crippled Eclipsari

Thalion remained motionless on the ground. His regenerative abilities usually healed any injury instantly, but this time, the process took noticeably longer. Not that he minded—he used the time to examine the other skills of the crippled Eclipsari. The description of Abyssal Bite remained unchanged, but its rarity had now ascended to Ancient, likely making it stronger. It might have evolved earlier, but Thalion rarely checked his status screen, as it provided little new information unless a...

This is a glimpse into the distant future

(You need to click on it to view the full picture)

This is the full image I currently use as the cover on Royal Road.

It’s also a huge spoiler for the future, but I still wanted to share it because… I mean, just look at it!

(I won’t say what’s being spoiled, but it’s not a scene from the tutorial.)

A Glimpse of What’s to Come

(As with most images, you need to click on it to view the full picture.)

Chapter 190: New Race

Thalion screamed in agony as the elemental’s core forced its way into his body. Acting swiftly, he tore open a wound in the center of his chest and pressed the darkness crystal inside. He wasn’t certain he had the strength to do so otherwise, and it was crucial that the fusion of both the elemental and the crystal occurred simultaneously.

His body, with its relentless healing ability, instinctively tried to expel the crystal, but Thalion pushed against it with all his might. Power ...

Chapter 189: Time for the Fusion

Back in his basement, Thalion wasted no time examining the items Jim had brought. Most of them appeared to be claws or perhaps teeth, pitch-black like the deepest night, clearly saturated with darkness. The elemental had already reached level eighty, and the darkness crystal had nearly vanished. Thalion could only hope the materials would be enough to push the creature past its threshold. Without hesitation, he tossed them into the swirling cloud above.

For a brief moment, it seemed as...

Chapter 188: Getting Everyone in Line

The meeting stretched on longer than expected, with council members raising their voices in heated debate over what should take priority.

"We need more armor and weapons. Many of our warriors are still poorly equipped," one of the guards complained after Isolde insisted that the smiths focus solely on producing ammunition.

Thalion’s thoughts drifted back to the system notification, specifically the last sentence. Something he had skimmed over the first time. The idea that they...

Chapter 187: Council Meeting

Thalion’s mind raced as he moved through the crowded streets toward the council meeting. The atmosphere in the base was tense, with everyone scrambling to prepare for the coming war. Hunters were quickly restocking their supplies before heading out on another hunt. Smiths worked tirelessly to forge new ammunition for the defensive weapons, which had run dry during the last undead assault. Alchemists brewed potions and poisons in a frenzy of activity. The entire base was a hive of motion, an...

Chapter 186: A Tricky Situation

Garrick had a good life in his little camp. The beasts in the area were weak, and no powerful faction had discovered him yet. He had faced several close encounters with the undead, but one day, they simply vanished. Now, life was better than ever.

He exited the system shop after purchasing a new armor set, one that suited his needs perfectly. Towering trees stretched high above his camp, their dense canopy rendering it nearly invisible, even to creatures flying overhead. His base was f...

Chapter 185: More Power

Thalion had never felt stronger. He stood in his basement, staring at the swirling cloud of darkness. The elemental he would soon merge with the umbral predator. His belly still burned like hell after all the plants he had forced down his throat.

Back on Earth, he had always been a good eater. He never had a problem eating more, even when the food started tasting bad or when it felt like it wasn’t even reaching his stomach anymore. But what he had endured over the past few days surp...

Chapter 184: Plans For The Coming War

In a chamber lined with towering pillars, blue runes snaked their way up to the ceiling, pulsing with energy. In the center sat a bald man, strong and muscular, draped in a flowing blue robe adorned with yellow lightning patterns. His exposed skin was covered in intricate blue tattoos, each glowing brightly whenever a bolt of lightning struck him. He didn’t even flinch as the electricity coursed through his body. Instead, he reveled in it. With every strike, his aura grew stronger, pulsing ...

Chapter 183: Bodytempering = Pain

Pain. Agony. These were the two things Thalion had felt most intensely over the past days. His power had increased far beyond what he had thought possible. He had pushed himself to the brink, torturing his body in the gravity array like never before while continuously devouring plants with a high affinity for darkness. This effect was only amplified by his skill Abyssal Devourer.

The black tendrils that emerged from his body were perfect for attuning himself to the darkness element...

Chapter 182: Path to Dominion (2)

Kael was deeply frustrated with how things were unfolding. This time, they had managed to locate the undead, but the information seemed almost useless. Around the massive black castle, every beast had been turned into an undead creature, and the few vampires or other undead they had spotted coming and going were extraordinarily powerful. Kael wasn’t even sure if he could defeat one of them in a duel.

The undead had a numerical advantage and the elite forces of the vampires, also mig...

Chapter 181: The Path to Dominion (1)

"I could have died, and no one helped me!" Chloe screeched at the group, who stood there, staring at her, dumbfounded.

"Oh, and don’t tell me it was for my own good," she continued, her anger rising like steam from a boiling kettle.

"In fact, it was for your own good. Look, I even made notes on what you could improve," Josh said, holding up his notepad with an awkward smile.

"Ah, really? Let’s see what the great sage has written for me." Chloe snatch...

Chapter 180: A Good Teacher

"No, we cannot advance to the fifth stage right now. Are you insane?" Chloe exclaimed desperately. They had gained the forms of the stronger griffins, but since meeting their former friends, life had become even more dangerous. Jack and Josh were constantly out hunting.

They were still competing against each other to determine who was stronger. Chloe and Eddie didn’t want to hear it anymore. On the other hand, Kargul, Evelyn, and Vorlok couldn’t hear enough about it, so they were ...

Chapter 179: Playing with Fire

Jim’s aura erupted with newfound power as he soared into the air, shining like a star. More and more people in the plaza joined in, and string after string of energy connected to Jim, layering on top of those already empowering him.

"See the difference?!" Jim shouted, his voice echoing across the plaza. "Someone ignored by a god can never stand up to one as powerful as me! I think it’s time for a change in leadership!"

Even with all the power-ups Jim had received, Thalion wa...

Chapter 178: A Deadly Dance

Thalion shot toward the vampires, who scattered to the sides. Swords, an axe, and daggers appeared in their hands, while one who had jumped back even drew a bow. The more powerful vampires, however, slightly altered their forms. They grew a head taller. Their teeth elongated, and their fingernails extended into razor-sharp claws.

Thalion’s attention was drawn to the blood bow. The runes on it seemed to concentrate blood into the form of an arrow. If that was how it worked, he wanted ...

Chapter 177: It Has Begun

It was midnight on the fourth stage of the tutorial, and only the moon bathed the land in its pale glow. In the middle of the savanna, a colossal base loomed toward the sky. Multiple walls surrounded it, the tallest over thirty meters high, covered in intricate blue runes that pulsed faintly in the dark. Scattered across the walls stood towers, each armed with powerful defensive weaponry.

Below, people hurried through the streets, hauling munitions to the towers and fortifications. Ato...

Chapter 176: To Bait Vampires is Fun

"Why don’t you try to stop this mighty attack?" Thalion shouted as he hurled the bloodspear at the vampire.

For a moment, the creature’s eyes gleamed with something close to delight, as if it had just struck gold. Again, it seized control of the blood, drinking deeply, reveling in the feast.

"Impossible! But you’ll have no chance against my sword. My patron himself placed it in the system shop so I could buy it, and it has never known defeat!"

Thalion declared, char...

Chapter 175: Undead!!!

The Venmorax was a tough nut to crack.

Thalion circled above it, blasting it with charged lightning beams. He pushed himself so far that the buildup of electricity even injured him but thanks to his insane recovery ability, his wounds healed almost instantly.

Still, even those ridiculously powerful lightning beams weren’t enough to slay the Venmorax. Worse, the beast even counterattacked with its acid breath.

Thalion was pretty sure the acid was what protected the dinos...

Chapter 174: Finally Stage Four

Seraphina shot through the water like a torpedo, now only fifty meters away from her prey. She fired a jet stream of water at the fleeing group while following closely, leaping out of the ocean. The attack was too fast—one of the men who had managed to escape alongside Nerissa was cut in half, his body torn apart by the sheer force of her spell.

"What have you done?!" Nerissa shrieked in terror, gripping her staff with its snake-shaped head, her hands trembling.

"Something I s...

Chapter 173: The Last Preparations Before Stage Four (2)

"Maike, please let everyone in this base know that Jim is under the control of the witches and that the blessing might have negative effects," Thalion sent to Maike using his token so that no one else could listen in after Amalia and Jim left the meeting.

"Sure! Should I add a few more horror stories about what the witches have been doing? By the way, I recorded this conversation with one of the new tokens I bought. Would it be bad if that recording somehow found its way to the citizen...

Chapter 172: The Last Preparations Before Stage Four (1)

"We need more time to make more poisons," Elise argued. She was one of the alchemists deeply invested in crafting potions similar to Molotov cocktails and poison bottles that could be thrown at the undead.

"We can't travel to the fourth stage today! It's too dangerous. What if the vampires are too powerful?" Isolde interjected.

"How much ammunition do we have for the catapults and ballistae?" asked Althira, one of the guards on the council.

"Not enough. We're still a bit ...

Chapter 171: Eleventh Daughter (2)

Thalion hovered before the eleventh daughter in the sky. She was almost fully healed and radiated intense power.

"You are just a human. You can't win," the eleventh daughter said, her voice icy.

"Why would I run now? You're no match for me alone," Thalion announced boldly.

He wasn’t entirely sure he had enough time since many termites were already on their way. But If they were alone, he would just kill her. Thalion was confident in his abilities, and he was stronger un...

Chapter 170: Eleventh Daughter (1)

While running, he had to dodge the reapers' attacks as they blinked into existence beside him, aiming for his legs. He was incredibly fast thanks to his agility, but the reapers' movement skill gave them the upper hand. The other termites had waited patiently in the cave, fully trusting the reapers to finish the job. That’s when he noticed something else.

The termites were all female. From the human half‐mages to the pixies, and the workers and similar creatures were likely female ...

Chapter 169: Entering the Hive with just a Touch of Violence

Thalion had hoped to land near the hive's entrance and transform into the big termite, but little did he know what awaited him.

The moment he arrived above the termite hive, over eight hundred meters above the ground—swarms of insects flew up to attack him. There were snipers, a new variant that resembled dragonflies, and of course, the deadly murder pixies.

And it wasn’t just a few insects. There were close to a hundred. Most were the new dragonfly-like creatures, the rest ...