Mike first returned to the settlement and announced that the danger had been resolved. He then instructed his clansmen to prepare bronze tools and dig two massive pits in the belly of Paradise Mountain—large enough to accommodate the corpses of the Titan and the dragon.
He intended to hide them for long-term use.
Afterward, he picked up the bluestone and flew to the site where the Titan and the dragon had perished together.
When he arrived again at the destination,
the blood of the two demigod creatures had ceased flowing, for the bodies of demigods were extraordinary.
Yet, beneath them, several pools of golden blood had still formed.
At the same time, due to the inherent incompatibility between the forces of light and darkness,
where the blood of the two sides intermingled, a sizzling sound erupted, as if something were being endlessly eroded, decaying together!
Witnessing this, Mike abandoned the idea of bathing in the combined blood of the Titan and the dragon.
But he had to choose between light and darkness, Titan and dragon.
At that moment, he looked at his own form and felt he still leaned more toward humanoid creatures.
So, he stepped into the pool of blood formed by the Titan's essence, clutching the bluestone as he plunged in!
"Ah!!"
In an instant, an excruciating pain seared through his bones, as if every inch of his skin and cells were burning!
It was like being reforged in a furnace, his body hammered like metal, while a violent, deadly force tore his bloodline apart and reassembled it!
But soon, the bluestone began to emit the light of Kacey, bringing a cooling sensation that spread through his body, soothing the violent changes and stabilizing his bloodline.
Mike barely had time to catch his breath before another wave of agony—worse than the tortures of the eighteen layers of hell—assaulted him.
Pain, unbearable pain!
This time, there was no lake water to dilute the Titan's blood; he was fully immersed in it.
Beyond his consciousness, the system's chimes rang incessantly, but he had no energy left to check them.
For three days and nights, this cycle repeated. When he finally ceased feeling pain, sustained only by an indomitable will, the pool of Titan's blood had dwindled to a tenth of its original volume, its radiance gone, now as ordinary as any other liquid.
Only then did Mike recover.
He first examined his body and noticed that the gray-black feathers on his wings had all shed, replaced by pristine white ones.
His hair had also turned entirely silver, and apart from his wings, all the feathers on his body—including his face—had fallen away, revealing a handsome visage and fair skin.
Having bathed in the blood of the Radiant Titaness, his charm had greatly increased.
But what delighted him most was that his talons had fully transformed into human-like hands and feet, indistinguishable from those of his past life.
With these human limbs, he could accomplish so much more, and his combat prowess had significantly improved!
Only then did he have the time to check his system panel.
As soon as he opened it, a flood of notifications appeared:
[You have bathed in Titan's blood. Your attributes have changed!]
[You have bathed in Titan's blood. Your bloodline has begun to mutate!]
[You have bathed in Titan's blood. All attributes have increased!]
...
[You have bathed in Titan's blood. Your willpower has improved!]
[You have bathed in Titan's blood. You have awakened the power of light!]
...
[You have bathed in Titan's blood. Your Eaglekin bloodline has fully mutated. Please name your new bloodline!]
Panel:
[Name]: Mike
[Race]: Eaglekin (Fully mutated. Please assign a new name.)
[Template]: Ordinary Player (Temporarily unavailable)
[Template]: NPC (Master-tier)
[Class]: Thunderwing
[Age]: 36
[Attributes]: Strength 25, Constitution 20, Spirit 25, Agility 25, Charm 30.
[Level]: Locked (Sealed. To be unlocked after game launch.)
[Skills]: Throwing (Proficient), Spearmanship (Proficient), Swordsmanship (Master), Thunder Force (Transcendent), Light Force (Transcendent).
[Skill Points]: Locked (Sealed. To be unlocked after game launch.)
[Talent]: Champion's Will (You possess extraordinary insight and reflexes, with combat awareness surpassing all others.)
[Quest System]: Locked (Sealed. To be unlocked after game launch.)
[Game Launch Countdown]: 3,643,100 days, 4 hours, 19 minutes.
When he saw the prompt to name his race, curiosity flickered in Mike's eyes.
He briefly considered naming it "Angel," but as soon as the thought arose, an overwhelming sense of dread abruptly emerged, forcing him to abandon the idea!
To claim such a title without the virtue to match would invite divine retribution!
"If I can't be an angel, I'll settle for being a winged human for now! System, name the new race: Winged Ones!"
Mike declared decisively.
[Congratulations, player! Race successfully renamed from Eaglekin to Winged Ones!]
Returning to the skies above Paradise Mountain,
Mike saw that two hundred-meter-wide pits had nearly been completed in the mountain's belly.
For the Eaglekin, who had all pitched in, digging two pits in three days was no challenge.
Seeing his people hard at work, Mike descended to help with the final steps.
When the Eaglekin saw him, though his aura was familiar, they hesitated to recognize him at first.
Before, Mike had still resembled an Eaglekin, but now, the differences were too vast.
If anything, he looked like a miniature Titan—a hundred times smaller—with wings!
Among the Eaglekin, an elder spoke up.
"Mike… is that you?"
"Oliver, it's me!"
Mike nodded.
His childhood friend had aged. In the ancient era, ordinary Eaglekin lived only about fifty years. Without ascending to transcendence, they inevitably grew old.
"That's wonderful! You've grown even stronger. We're one step closer to our vengeance!"
Oliver laughed heartily.
The other Eaglekin also wore expressions of joy and pride.
"Yes, it won't be long now,"
Mike replied, addressing his people loudly.
"But I alone cannot topple the Heavenly Mountain King's Court. Now, I've found a way for all of you to grow stronger with me!"
"How?"
"Can it really work? Our tribe has no Eaglekin with transcendent potential!"
The clansmen voiced their doubts.
Mike explained firmly:
"I evolved and grew stronger by bathing in Titan's blood, and now, that blood is right before us."
"My people, the two pits you've dug aren't just for burying the fallen Titan and dragon—they're also for harnessing their blood to transform our tribe!"
"Here, I will build a pool where every clansman can bathe in Titan's blood!"
"But legends say Titan's blood is untouchable! Those who touch it burn to death!"
A clansman protested.
"I have a solution!"
Mike declared with certainty.
...
A day later,
two colossal pits capable of holding the Titan and the dragon were completed in the mountain's belly.
Mike then led all the able-bodied men of the tribe on a journey of ten thousand miles to retrieve the two massive corpses and bury them in the pits.
After the burial, Mike designated the pit holding the Ancient Black Dragon as forbidden ground. Above the Radiant Titaness's resting place, he constructed a hundred-meter-wide pool.
He crushed the bluestone and scattered it evenly across the pool's bottom, then made an incision in the Titaness's body, allowing a steady trickle of golden blood to flow into the pool.
Once this was done,
he gathered the entire tribe to bathe in the pool together.
During the first bath, only a handful of Eaglekin underwent changes.
But Mike decreed that every clansman must return to bathe once every seven days.
And so,
as time passed,
their feathers gradually shed, their beaks fell away, their gray-black plumage turned white, and their limbs grew more human-like.
Yet, none awakened to transcendence.
Transcendence was truly elusive.
Another twenty years passed.
At the summit of Paradise Mountain, Mike stood atop a high vantage point, surveying the entire tribe below.
With his snow-white wings, silver hair, violet eyes, and striking features, he resembled a miniature Titan!
By now, the Paradise Mountain tribe numbered five thousand, and their appearance had drastically changed from their Eaglekin origins.
Mike estimated that in another century—before the Titan's blood ran dry—his people would all resemble him.
By then, his Winged Ones would no longer be a race of one!
Gazing at the thriving village—now more like a town—below, Mike sighed softly.
"It's a shame Oliver, San, and Lie never achieved transcendence. Time is merciless; all my old friends have passed."
"Boss, don't dwell on it. You've still got me, right? Don't worry—with my lifespan, I'll outlive you for sure!"