"Two days from now, Princess Elena will be officially crowned as the Queen of the City of Light. All councilors and nobles must arrive at the royal palace by the morning of the day after tomorrow. Whoever fails to appear will have no one to blame but themselves!"

The four Falcons immediately sprang to their feet in alarm and looked around frantically, searching for the source of the voice, but found nothing.

"It seems the Elf race has gained quite a formidable ally," one of the Falcons said nervously.

"What do you think? Could it be the Tree of Life or some other sacred tree, or perhaps a completely different kind of ally?" another Falcon asked.

"We don’t know what kind of ally the Elf race has acquired yet, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait long to find out." This time, Sir Mark spoke as he stared toward the window with sharp eyes, as though trying to pierce through every barrier and uncover the secrets hidden within the City of Light.

A few minutes earlier, in the royal palace garden where the Tree of Life and Rios had been, there now stood a gigantic white cocoon overflowing with immense life energy and an overwhelming aura. Around the cocoon, the surrounding plants had flourished and swelled to several times their original size.

Not far from the white cocoon stood two women of breathtaking beauty and exceptionally alluring figures, gazing at it with reverence and fanatic devotion while waiting in eager anticipation.

"His Majesty is supposed to awaken today, right?" Thandria asked with sparkling eyes, unable to conceal her excitement.

"I hope so." Queen Elena nodded anxiously.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"What’s happening?!"

Thandria and Queen Elena immediately noticed the strange sounds echoing from the cocoon. They looked at it in alarm, but that alarm quickly turned into pure excitement.

"The King! He’s finally waking up!" Thandria exclaimed, her body trembling with anticipation.

One crack after another spread across the cocoon’s shell as fragmented pieces broke away and fell to the ground. From within, an intensely radiant black-and-white light burst forth, so bright that it could blind anyone who looked directly at it, floating at the center of the cocoon.

The light slowly descended to the ground before gradually fading away, revealing a completely naked young man without a single piece of clothing to conceal anything.

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Ding!

[Quest completed.]

[The Tree of Life has been successfully devoured.]

Reward:

1- Abilities of the Great Tree.

2- The ability to assume a human form.

3- Five Abyss Bloodline Elixirs (Heaven).

[The host may inspect the rewards through the Status Panel and the System Storage.]

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The young man stood nearly two meters tall and appeared to be in his early twenties. His skin was fair with a striking reddish hue, and his body was perfectly sculpted with powerful muscles, every single one precisely defined without the slightest effort, as though carved in exquisite detail.

His hair was a dark crimson, like a blood moon during an eclipse, while his violet eyes resembled gateways to the world of dreams, captivating anyone who dared look into them. He possessed an exceptionally handsome face with sharp features, a prominent jawline, and a clearly visible Adam’s apple beneath his chin.

Rios looked over his new form, examining his body with immense satisfaction. Then his gaze drifted downward to his little companion, causing his eyes to widen before he grinned excitedly.

"I used to have a big one before, but man... this little monster is on a whole different level!"

"System..."

After finishing his admiration for his human body, Rios wanted to say something.

He wanted answers.

That living voice.

That majestic tone.

Those cryptic words.

Who was it?

What did it want?

What exactly was Rios to the System?

He had always known this moment would inevitably come sooner or later, but he had never expected it to arrive so quickly.

How long had it been since he first awakened in this world?

Two weeks? No, he hadn’t even completed two weeks yet.

He wasn’t prepared for such a drastic turn of events.

His mind overflowed with questions, and he desperately wanted answers as soon as possible.

But he couldn’t.

Not now.

Not here.

Whoever stood behind the System, whatever their intentions were, Rios had no power to stop them.

Most likely, he was nothing more than a pawn.

Just a pawn.

A very weak pawn.

Too weak to change anything.

Rios understood that perfectly well.

He hated that feeling with every fiber of his being.

But he accepted it.

"System, open the Status Panel."

In the end, Rios smiled and shifted his attention toward the System interface to examine the changes that had occurred.

Overthinking wouldn’t help in this situation.

He needed to become stronger if he wanted answers about the System and all his questions.

And if the System viewed him as livestock being fattened for slaughter, then Rios would gladly play along and devour everything the System threw his way.

He would devour more.

Become fatter.

Become stronger.

Until he was powerful enough to decide for himself whether he would be slaughtered or not.

And if he failed...

Well, he probably wouldn’t be around to regret his choices anyway.

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[Abyss System]

Name: Rios Astar

Race: Tree of Abyss (Mutated)

Roots: 20

Flexible Branches: 100

Bloodlines:

1. Abyss (Immortal)

2. Life (Immortal)

Forms:

1. Tree of Abyss

2. Elf

Laws:

1. Derivation 0%

2. Life 0%

Level: Master (3)

Progress: 100%

Evolution Requirements: Comprehend the first level of the law + 10M points

Points: 40M

Skills: Abyss Tomb (Immortal) — Power of Abyss (Legendary) — Flexibility (Legendary) — Armament (Legendary) — Abyss Cloud (Legendary)

[New Skill: Pulse of Life (Heaven)]

(Skill Description: By using the Life Bloodline, your heart can condense the surrounding life energy, store it, and convert it into pulses that heal wounds almost instantly and regenerate lost limbs.)

[New Skill: Blessing of Life (Heaven)]

(Skill Description: You can convert your energy into life energy and use it on other beings, greatly enhancing their healing, growth, and evolution.)

[New Skill: Seal of Life (Heaven)]

(Skill Description: By using the Life Bloodline, you can control the surrounding life energy and seal it.)

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Rios looked at the Status Panel with a broad smile as he saw his new bloodline, newly acquired skills, and recently obtained human form.

However, he frowned when he noticed the law progress percentage. He knew perfectly well that he had to increase it as soon as possible if he wished to grow stronger, but he simply didn’t have enough time yet. Events had advanced far too quickly, though he would soon have all the time he needed.

Rios shifted his attention elsewhere and questioned the System.

"System, why are the skills of the Immortal Tree of Life bloodline of Heaven quality while my skills are only Legendary quality? Aren’t we both Great Trees with Immortal-grade bloodlines?" Rios asked with a frown.

[That is because the host is extremely young (you are barely two weeks old), so the quality of your skills has not yet advanced. The Tree of Life, however, is one hundred years old, and the quality of its skills advanced long ago.]

The System replied in its emotionless metallic voice.

"System, didn’t you say it was sealed? Then how did the quality of its skills advance?"