Leaping out of the other end, Asleroc landed hard, unable to find his footing and sprawling awkwardly onto a cool, stone floor.
"Ugh," he let out a groan, lifting his head and squinting into the dimness to divine his whereabouts.
The air felt chilly and still, and sensing his distance from the walls, he figured the place was also vast. Absent of sound.
He sat up, mind spinning as the place slowly came into focus.
Lee's breath instantly caught in his throat.
The Fort of Favia.
He stared, stunned by the revelation. He could barely even believe it.
This was the Fort of Favia. The ancient stronghold of the Heroines. The place where Asleroc's journey began.
Lee clambered to his feet, brushing cold dust from his palm, eyes wide as he took in every hallmark of the fortress.
The walls—just as they had been written in the story—were sculpted from dark gray stone, inlaid with diagrams of Seven Seas, the Seven Serpents and the Seven Stars.
Banners that once used to be grand hung from the tall archways, bearing the emblem of Cinriten: an ornate sunburst.
The pillars were statues rather than cylinders. Statues of the reverse Heroines Lee idolized from lore.
Astensia with her Blessed Blade, arm braced against the weight of the ceiling. Thor poised with her hammer. Ember and her flames. Athena with her Shield of Truth. Kestrel gripping the Serpent Sword, and many others, circling the dark glorious hall.
Though, the statues were old. Twisted vines twined about them and cracks marred stone at their edges. Scars of time.
Asleroc's pulse quickened with excitement and disbelief.
It was unbelievable to see the words he'd read brought to life in this manner. Every detail seemed conjured straight from the novel, almost perfectly uncanny in resemblance.
The Fort of Favia was a place hidden from Heilmaster's corrupted gaze, protected by a powerful mana barrier. That wall of purified energy was directly sustained by the Temple of Heavens, which lay on the opposite side of the world.
It had survived countless sieges, nearly destroyed during the initial days of the Rupturing Abyss, yet still stood firm—an indomitable beacon of hope.
Since the mana barrier protected all evil, many Heroines had sought but failed to enter the Fort after realizing their own power was futile against the Rupturing Abyss.
It seemed only Astensia and Thor had made it in on time.
Lee's thoughts buzzed with the lore of Heavenly Hero, then a sudden tiny bell shattered them away.
Ding!
Before him, the golden translucent scroll interface appeared once again, accompanied by a trumpet music of praise.
「Quest Completed!」
「Successfully Escaped the Ruins of Valorend!」
「Secret Reward Granted: Mystery Treasure Box」
Asleroc frowned curiously. "Secret reward?"
Instantly, a glittering treasure chest appeared on the interface, wrapped in bands of ethereal gold.
「Congratulations! You've Unlocked SSS Duo Skills!」
"A Skill?" Lee wondered aloud, his brow creasing thoughtfully. In the webnovel, Skills were the abilities while Powers—as the author had plainly referred to them in the novel—were the elements or abstracts a character controlled.
Curiosity burned brighter than caution, and he quickly tapped the treasure box.
「Skill 1: Character Creation – Allows the creation of characters using rewarded CP」
「Skill 2: Character Evolution – Evolve existing characters, unlocking hidden potentials and abilities; or transform characters from one role to another」
Asleroc's heart skipped in excitement. He had many questions to ask, but before he could begin with any of them, another notification chimed:
「Main Reward Unlocked!」
「Character Building System Activated!」
A larger screen unfolded before him, detailed and mesmerizing. Just as he leaned forward to read more closely, he heard Thor step into the hall, and then Astensia followed with gracious steps.
The portal withered after.
Astensia immediately scanned the room, concern softening her fierce features. "Is everyone okay? My Worship?"
Asleroc glanced at her, nodding reassuringly. "I'm very fine."
Thor, silent and contemplative until now, stepped forward with a heavy expression. "The Heavens have granted me a new skill," she started with a low voice. "It is called Star Crash Descent. The very one we just used to escape Valorend."
Then her voice lowered even more to a troubled whisper. "I didn't even know I could unlock such a skill." Her gaze moved sharply to face Asleroc, eyes narrowing fiercely. "But you did."
Lee relaxed, a big smile forming in his mind. 'Finally, some recognition. Maybe now she'll thank me, and we'll finally get alo—'
His relief evaporated instantly. With a crack of lightning, Thor suddenly vanished and reappeared inches from his face, another thunderclap splitting the air.
Her hammer was extended towards him, sparking dangerously close.
"How would you have known such a thing?!" she demanded, voice vibrating with suspicion. "How did you know I could use that Skill?!"
"Thor!" Astensia shouted with her eyes wide and frightened. "Lower your mallet at once! What is this, accosting the Heavenly Hero?!"
"Heavenly Hero?" Thor spat, sparks crackling from her eyes. "This man could be an imposter for all we know. Delphina's visions have been wrong before. This could be a trap set by Heilmaster himself!"
Asleroc merely raised both hands, heart pounding violently in his chest. "But I am the Heavenly Hero—"
"Prove it!" Thor snapped, lightning flaring around her.
"Thor!" Astensia roared, stepping forward, her Blessed Blade changing into a mighty larger sword. "I understand your anger, but anger is no excuse! Your duty is to protect the Cinriten and submit to the Heavenly Hero. You are my sister in oath, but I promise you… lay a finger on him, and I shall strike you with the might of a thousand wars!"
"I do not fear threats, Astensia. You know that," Thor replied coldly, hammer still pointed at Asleroc. "The Heavens trust me enough to lend me their thunder. If this man is false, I will not hesitate to strike him with it."
Asleroc stared, panic rising inside him. 'Okay. This is getting out of hand fast,' he thought. 'At this point it's up to me to do something.'
Then, out of the blue, something changed.
A calm washed over him, and a new sense of sight replaced his former, almost making it seem like he had been blind moments before.
「Character Building System has been fully integrated」
Suddenly, Thor appeared different in his eyes—not physically, but perceptively.
Her form hadn't changed in any way; her features, armor, and stance were exactly as before. Yet, as the system fully integrated itself into Asleroc's consciousness, his perception shifted fundamentally.
He no longer saw Thor as a living, breathing person, but rather as something artificial, meticulously designed: like a figure brought to life from pages of lore, existing solely within defined parameters.
It was as if he now saw invisible lines around her, the subtle marks of creation, making it unmistakably clear that Thor was, in essence, a mere character.
He saw all of that… plus the floating screen beside her in gold colors. It was her character profile.
Asleroc quickly read it;
「Character Profile: Thor – Heroine of Thunder and Celestial Strength」
「Rank: 5 Star Gold」
「Level: 19/50」
「Class: Vanguard/Arcanist」
「Loyalty: 13%」
「Powers: Lightning, Gravity, Speed, Celestial Strength」
「Ultimate Skill: Thunderous Judgment」
「Leveling Path: Way of the Valkyrie」
「Character Evolution: Available」
Asleroc absorbed the implications, realizing what the system was all about.
'That's right. The system is right. No matter what, everyone here is simply a character in the game. I'm the only real person and now I have the power now to influence these characters with my Duo Skills.'
He realized something more.
'Also, regardless of the Skills, I am the Heavenly Hero. I already have full authority over Thor because she's my disciple. She submits me to me and follows my leadership.
'I shouldn't be afraid of her. I should assert myself and make it clear that actions like this would not be tolerated.'
With this new awakening, his eyes darkened, the muscles of his face shifting from taut concern to tranquil command.
Thor appeared to notice it.
"Drop the Mjölnir-Seraph, Thor," Asleroc uttered.
The Heroine's eyes flickered, uncertainty replacing fury.
"Of course I know your abilities," he continued calmly, voice icy. "I know exactly what you're capable of. You and Astensia both. How else am I to mold you into your strongest form if I don't know precisely what that form can become?"
Thor's hammer trembled visibly in her grip; her eyes lost their electric rage, confusion and dread swirling in their depths. "I— I…" She was unable to speak, fear had gripped her, quenching the thunder within.
"Now," Asleroc commanded darkly, "lower your weapon. Remove the lightning from your eyes when you speak to me or I will revoke your Heroine title myself. If you truly believe the Heavens back you, what do you imagine they'll do for the very one they've ordained as their Hero?"
The silence that followed was louder than all the thunder Thor had ever summoned. It left the air heavy and oppressive. Her breathing quickened, and the sparks on her hammer died, snuffed out by sudden powerlessness.
Astensia watched in awe. "Lower it, Thor. Our Worship commands it."
Thor's hammer finally dropped, clanging heavily to the stone floor as she sank to her knees, eyes wide, filling rapidly with tears.
"I— I have soaked myself in shame!" Her voice shook, torn between regret and despair. She knelt forward, pressing her brow against the cold stone, hammer abandoned beside her.
"My anger has led me astray. Please, my Worship, I beg only your forgiveness—but I dare not demand it. I only ask that you punish me as you see fit so that I shall be worthy of your forgiveness."
Asleroc gazed down at her. His expression was darkly and cold, sternly unreadable. Yet inside, Lee was grinning ear-to-ear with excited amusement.
'A punishment?'