In addition to the message from the wood elf Aerin, Orion also received a message from Arthas."My friend, do you still have any Darkflame Stones?"
The message had been sent half a month ago. Since the onset of winter, the dark beast tides had kept Orion incredibly busy, leaving him little time to check the Survivor's Platform.
The Darkflame Stone Arthas referred to was actually just firestone.
"Not at the moment!"
Orion didn't outright refuse Arthas, leaving a glimmer of hope with the words "not at the moment."
"Hulk, my friend, get me another Darkflame Stone, and I'll have a surprise for you!"
"What kind of surprise?"
Orion's reply showed enough interest to keep the conversation going.
"A method to quickly advance from Hero-level to Alpha-level!"
"Not interested."
After sending this message, it seemed as though Arthas had been struck speechless, as there was no response for a long time.
Orion, not waiting for a reply, shifted his attention to other items on the Survivor's Platform.
However, he didn't find anything that caught his eye immediately.
After all, now that Orion had reached Alpha-level, most of the items on the platform were no longer useful to him. Purchasing them would only waste the few crystal cores he had left.
Recently, the Blackstone Tribe's crystal cores had been almost entirely consumed by Orion.
When the giants learned that Orion needed crystal cores, the chieftain issued a command, and all the tribe's crystal cores were handed over to Orion.
Unable to find anything useful, Orion logged off the Survivor's Platform and drifted off to sleep.
---
Necro Realm, Bone Throne.
Arthas sat on his throne, deep in thought, his hollow eye sockets glowing faintly.
Orion's earlier response had immediately made Arthas realize that Orion had successfully advanced to Alpha-level.
"As expected, you can never underestimate a survivor!"
"Even though he arrived later than I did, his growth has been astonishingly fast!"
"He's only eleven years old and he's already reached Alpha-level?"
"How long did it take me to advance from ghost to Alpha-level?"
"Ten years? Or was it a hundred? Damn, it's been so long that my memory is a bit fuzzy!"
"..."
After a long period of contemplation, Arthas stopped thinking. Beneath his crystal crown, two crimson lights suddenly flared in his skull's empty eye sockets.
"Actually, if you think about it from another angle, Hulk advancing to Alpha-level is a good thing!"
"At the very least, it expands the range of things we can trade!"
"As long as our interests align, I can get plenty of high-level crystal cores and rare minerals from him!"
"Hehehe..."
Arthas's laughter was eerie, a bone-chilling clack-clack-clack sound that would make anyone's hair stand on end.
He quickly composed a message, one filled with tempting offers, and sent it to Orion. Then, he sat back on his Bone Throne, waiting for a reply.
---
Black Forest, Moonshadow Valley.
Roar...
Orion was jolted awake by a giant's roar, a powerful aura sweeping through Moonshadow Valley. Though it was weaker than his own, it was still formidable.
Inside the tent, both Lilith and Little Lysinthia had collapsed to the ground, trembling in fear.
Orion glanced in the direction of the chieftain's tent, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
He patted Lilith and Lysinthia gently, comforting them.
"Don't be afraid. It's my sister, Clymene. She's successfully advanced to Alpha-level!"
After saying this, Orion closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
This time, he slept soundly, deeply.
Inside the tent, Lilith and Lysinthia exchanged glances.
Lilith, in particular, was filled with disbelief. In the midst of a winter that had brought fear to every tribe, the Blackstone Tribe had experienced an incredible surge in power. First, Orion had reached Alpha-level, and now Clymene had followed suit.
It was clear that after this winter, the balance of power in the Black Forest would shift dramatically!
However, as Lilith thought about the fact that Orion was her husband, and that she was his rightful wife, with Clymene as her sister-in-law, a smile spread across her face.
"My dear Orion, let's rest together."
Lilith stopped her cultivation and snuggled into Orion's arms, resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, Little Lysinthia also moved to Orion's other side, resting her head on his arm as she drifted off to sleep.
---
Moonshadow Valley, Valley Entrance.
Though Clymene had already retracted her aura, every giant had felt the overwhelming pressure of her bloodline earlier.
The scene of bloodline suppression that had occurred not long ago repeated itself, and the entire tribe erupted into celebration.
Even the elders were not immune to the excitement!
"Did you feel that, young ones?" Stay updated via M-V-L
"That was Clymene's aura, the aura of our chieftain!"
"She's reached Alpha-level too!"
"Clymene!"
"Clymene!"
"WAAAGH!"
"WAAAGH!"
"..."
It was another sleepless night.
The Blackstone Tribe had gained its second Alpha-level warrior, an achievement that seemed almost impossible!
---
At the chieftain's tent, Clymene, having retracted her aura, stepped outside.
She greeted the tribe members as she made her way to the valley entrance, where she stood beside Elder Rendall. Searᴄh the novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"Clymene, you are our pride!"
"Rendall, I owe it all to Orion. If he hadn't killed that Four-Winged Blood Bat, I wouldn't have had the chance to succeed."
"Hahaha... Chieftain, Orion is your brother. It's only natural!"
"Hahaha..."
Clymene laughed as well. Orion was her younger brother, and in their family, there was no need for formalities. Siblings were meant to help each other.
"Elder Rendall, now that Orion and I are both Alpha-level, do you think we can increase the bait and expand our hunting range?"
"Chieftain, are you suggesting...?"
"Rendall, you have a chance too. Let's work together and give it our all. Besides, the strength of our tribe members needs to improve as well!"
These were the thoughts that had come to Clymene's mind immediately after her advancement.
Now, with the Abyssal Dragon included, the Blackstone Tribe had three Alpha-level powerhouses.
If they could lure in another Alpha-level dark creature, Clymene was confident they could kill it.
Her confidence didn't stem from her own abilities, but from her faith in Orion and the Abyssal Dragon.
"Chieftain, once Orion wakes up, we'll discuss it together?"
"Agreed!"
Clymene glanced in the direction of Orion's tent, feeling a pang of guilt.
Since Orion had advanced to Alpha-level, he hadn't had a proper rest.
The safety of the entire tribe rested on Orion's shoulders. Though he never complained, Clymene knew that the pressure on him was immense.
Many times, when dark creatures attacked, Orion had been jolted awake from his sleep, joining the battle immediately to minimize the casualties among the tribe's bloodline warriors.
---
Now, with Clymene's advancement, the tribe's future looked even brighter.
As the giants celebrated, Orion slept soundly, knowing that the Blackstone Tribe was growing stronger with each passing day.