Suddenly appearing was an elderly Mage clad in a flame-embellished robe, holding a black staff in his hand.
He completely ignored the surrounding Shadow Claw players and directly lifted the unconscious Tavren from the ground.
"Who the hell is this?!" Vaelen was completely dumbfounded.
He had merely wanted to besiege Kalis to avenge their humiliation in the starting village, but first a Level 120 Abyssal Princess had appeared, and now an imposing old Mage; events had completely spiraled out of his control.
Kalis was also somewhat surprised. He instinctively checked the other's attribute panel and instantly realized this was exactly the reclusive freelance Mage Tavren had spoken of!
[Fire Mage Uthor (Legendary Lord)]
Level: 135
HP: 2,250,000 / 2,250,000
(Target level is too high to display additional data)
"M-mentor... Am I dreaming? Is it really you?"
Under Uthor's soft call, Tavren slowly regained consciousness.
When he saw the familiar elderly face before him, his eyes were filled with disbelief, followed by surging tears that left him choked up and unable to speak.
"Tavren, my boy, you've lost so much weight." Uthor raised his hand to stroke his apprentice's hair, his tone filled with compassion. "You must have endured countless hardships these years."
"Mentor... I'm sorry! I shouldn't have left without permission back then, running to work as a miner in Silverpeak Mine..." Tavren sobbed uncontrollably.
"Silly child, I'm the one who should apologize." Uthor shook his head gently, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes. "If I hadn't stubbornly forced you to delve into high-tier magic back then, you would have already settled down, living a stable life instead of ending up like this."
"Fortunately, after years of inquiring, I finally found news of you. And thanks to the lords of Valorian Temple just now; if you had been killed by the monsters, I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life!"
"Mentor～" Tavren could no longer hold back his emotions, bursting into tears at his mentor's words.
The Shadow Claw players looked at each other, scratching their heads and frowning, feeling extremely frustrated. Faced with a Level 135 Legendary Lord, they did not dare to act rashly, only turning to Vaelen to wait for instructions.
"Hold on first!" Vaelen gritted his teeth and ordered. "Wait for these two NPCs to leave before we deal with Kalis!"
The four powerful figures from Valorian Temple had long since departed. Now, the strongest combatant outside the city gates was Uthor. He could only bide his time, watching helplessly as the mentor and apprentice poured out their grievances from years of separation.
After a moment, their emotions gradually calmed.
Suddenly remembering something, Tavren quickly wiped his tears and pointed at Kalis, saying to Uthor, "Mentor, we owe it all to Adventurer Kalis this time! If it weren't for him, I would have been killed by the Abyssal Lord in Silverpeak Mine long ago, and none of the other miners there would have survived!"
Only then did Uthor turn around, his gaze falling on Kalis. He sized him up and down, his brows furrowing slightly. "He is surrounded by the aura of the Abyss and a curse; he is not purely good."
"Uh..." Kalis and Tavren fell into awkward silence simultaneously.
Tavren quickly explained: "No, Mentor, you've misunderstood! He is a true hero! He not only personally killed the Abyssal Lord Zalathor but also rescued all the imprisoned miners; he's a great man!"
"Oh?" Unlike temple clerics, Uthor was not affiliated with any divine institution, so his aversion to the Eternal Hatred Curse was far less intense.
He merely disliked Kalis's aura. After hearing his apprentice's defense, his expression softened slightly. He nodded and said, "Since he is your savior, this kindness must be repaid. Speak—what reward do you desire?"
Before Kalis could open his mouth, Tavren had already spoken first: "Mentor, he has always wanted to advance to become an official Mage! With your immense strength, you must help him!"
"Advancement? That is not difficult." Uthor raised his hand, preparing to perform the advancement ritual.
"Wait a minute!" Kalis quickly spoke up to stop him.
A minute ago, he had been on the verge of death, never expecting the situation to reverse so quickly—now, he was about to undergo advancement. But he had long since made up his mind to advance to the hidden class rather than an ordinary Mage.
"Hmm? Do you have any objections?" Uthor's tone was still not particularly friendly; clearly, his opinion of Kalis had not fully changed.
"Great Mage, I carry an exclusive advancement item with me. I hope you will use this to help me complete my advancement."
Kalis took out the Tome of the Celestial Mage from his backpack and handed it over, his tone respectful. "This is the inheritance of the Celestial Deity, not an ordinary Mage class."
"Celestial Mage?" Uthor took the tome, injecting a wisp of magic to examine it.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Although the inheritance of the Celestial Deity is not among the 24 Supreme Gods, its power is not to be underestimated.
Compared to the ordinary Mage inheritances of the temples, it is indeed far stronger; only the hidden inheritances directly descended from the Supreme Gods can compare to it."
The "inheritances directly descended from the Supreme Gods" he spoke of referred precisely to the inheritance Caron, the God of War, had left for Augustus, a legacy that Kalis had inadvertently destroyed.
"Clear your mind, remain pious, and humbly accept the power of the inheritance," Uthor said no more. Holding the tome in one hand, he surged forth with powerful magic, channeling it all into the book.
Whoosh!
A bright golden light shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds. In the heavens, four runes containing stellar power slowly condensed. These were the four core inheritances of the Celestial Mage, representing absolute control over the elements of the starry vault!
The four runes rotated and intertwined in the air, gradually solidifying into beams of light like falling stars, piercing precisely into Kalis's body.
"Ding～ Congratulations! You have successfully advanced to the hidden class Celestial Mage!"
"Ding～ Class advancement successful. All basic attributes have been comprehensively improved: Spell Attack Power +28, Strength +5, Constitution +8, Agility +6, Spirit +32!"
"Ding～ You have comprehended the Celestial Mage's exclusive talent, Celestial Dominance!"
"Ding～ You have learned the universal Mage skill Fireball!"
"Ding～ You have learned the universal Mage skill Lightning Bolt!"
"Ding～ You have learned the Celestial Mage's exclusive skill Star Wind!"
"Ding～ You have learned the Celestial Mage's exclusive skill Meteor Shower!"
A series of system notifications exploded in his ears. Kalis felt magic surging endlessly within his body, and his mental power became more abundant than ever before.
Ordinary Mages only gained two basic skills upon first advancement, but the Celestial Mage not only retained universal skills but also unlocked two powerful exclusive skills.
Coupled with the bonus from the exclusive talent, his strength had more than doubled!
"Very well, I have repaid the debt for saving Tavren. Tavren, let us go." Uthor returned the Tome of the Celestial Mage to Kalis; the tome could still be used twice, corresponding to second and third advancements, which would require the guidance of a more powerful Mage at that time.
He did not glance at Kalis again, turning around and leading Tavren toward Valorian's main city.
"Adventurer Kalis, thank you again for saving my life! I'm going back with my mentor. If you have time in the future, you can come find me in Westvale Village — goodbye!!" Before leaving, Tavren turned around and waved at Kalis, his eyes filled with gratitude.
Watching the two figures gradually fade into the distance, the Shadow Claw players could no longer contain themselves, growing restless.
"Hehe, Kalis, no one can save you now, right?" A ferocious smile spread across Vaelen's face as he raised his staff. "Brothers, attack! Loot his equipment and show him the power of Shadow Claw!"
However, Kalis's face no longer showed any trace of worry; instead, a calm smile appeared. He took out the skill book he had obtained earlier and, right in front of all the players, activated the learn button.
"Fools, I'll give you 10 seconds to run." Kalis's voice was calm yet filled with undeniable authority. "Leave now, or you'll regret it later."
"Still talking tough when you're about to die!" Vaelen flew into a rage. "Attack! Take him down in one shot!"
Hundreds of skill lights converged into a torrent once more, surging toward Kalis.
At that exact moment, the notification indicating the successful learning of the skill book echoed in his ears...