Leaping out of the other end, Asleroc was unable to find his feet and stumbled, falling onto a cool stone floor.
"Ugh," he let out a groan, lifting his head to decipher where exactly he was. It felt cold and dark, and he could sense his distance from the walls, suggesting the place was also vast.
Blinking, he sat up, eyes widening as the place slowly came into focus.
Seo-joon's breath instantly caught in his throat.
The Fort of Favia.
He couldn't believe it! He was in the Fort of Favia. The ancient stronghold of the Heroines. The place where Asleroc's journey began.
Seo-joon picked himself up, dusting his palm as he gazed around.
The walls; just as it 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 Heroines Seo-joon had read of and loved.
Astensia with her Blessed Blade, holding the ceiling with one arm. Thor with her hammer. Ember with her flames. Athena with her Shield of Truth. Kestrel with her Serpent Sword, and many others, circling the dark glorious hall.
There were twisted vines growing on them and cracks on some of their edges. Asleroc's pulse quickened with excitement and disbelief.
It was unbelievable to see the words he'd read brought to life in this manner. Everything was uncanny with the descriptions in the novel.
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 unyielding beacon of hope and resistance.
Since the mana barrier protected all evil, many Heroines had tried to enter the Fort after they realized that they could not stop the Rupturing Abyss. However, it was too late.
Only Astensia and Thor had made it in on time.
While his thoughts were filled with the lore of the Heavenly Hero, a tiny bell sang 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 glimmering treasure chest appeared on the interface, wrapped in bands of ethereal gold.
「Congratulations! You've Unlocked SSS Duo Skills!」
"A Skill?" Seo-joon wondered aloud, his brow creasing thoughtfully. In the webnovel, Skills were nonphysical abilities while Powers (as the author had plainly referred to them in the webnovel) were active, tangible abilities like Thor's lightning.
Curiosity burned brighter than caution, and he quickly tapped the treasure box.
「Skill 1: Character Creation – Allows the creation of characters using collected Essence.」
「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. Before he could fully process it, 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. "I was just granted a new skill by the Heavens. It is called Star Crash Descent." She looked down at her hammer. "The one we just used to escape Valorend."
Then her voice lowered to a troubled whisper. "I didn't even know I possessed such a skill." Her gaze moved sharply to face Asleroc, eyes narrowing fiercely. "But you did."
Seo-joon relaxed slightly, smiling inwardly. 'Finally, some recognition. Maybe now she'll thank me, and we'll finally get alo—'
His relief evaporated instantly as Thor suddenly vanished with a bolt of thunder and reappeared inches from his face with another bolt.
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 do that?!"
"Thor!" Astensia shouted with her eyes wide and frightened. "Lower your mallet at once! What do you think you're doing to the Heavenly Hero?!"
"Heavenly Hero?" Thor spat, sparks crackling from her eyes. "This man could be an imposter for all I 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!" she snapped, lightning flaring around her.
"Thor!" Astensia roared, stepping forward, her Blessed Blade changing into a mighty larger sword. "I understand your anger, but your duty is to protect the kingdom of Cinriten and submit to the Heavenly Hero. You are my sister in oath, but I promise you… Lay a finger on him, and I swear 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.
The system had fully activated within him.
Suddenly, Thor appeared different in his eyes — not physically, but perceptively.
She hadn't changed physically 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: 4 Star Gold」
「Level: 19/50」
「Class: Vanguard/Arcanist」
「Loyalty: 3%」
「Powers: Lightning, Gravity, Speed, Celestial Strength」
「Ultimate Skill: Thunderous Judgment」 「Leveling Path: Way of the Valkyrie」
「Character Evolution: Available」
Asleroc realized something now. '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.'
'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 and the muscles of his face softened, as if relaxed or exhausted.
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, lightning fading from her eyes, replaced by growing terror and confusion. "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 address me or else I shall strip the title of Heroine from you. 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; the lightning in her eyes and hammer crackled weakly, then fizzled out.
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 cracked, filled with remorse and despair. She lowered herself fully, forehead touching cold stone, her 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, Seo-joon smirked with excited amusement.
'A punishment, you say?'