Vlad immediately got to work and stood in an empty hangar, writing two massive runic formations on the ground. They were not complicated and could be considered Rank 0 Runes, as their purpose was not really for the battlefield.
The runes Vlad was engraving in the ground were called Memory Slots, and as their name suggested, they stored memories that anyone who touched them could access. He was engraving in them the knowledge of the Warrior and Mage cultivation techniques, describing step by step how to write a cultivation rune in their Soul Dimension and draw the energy of the world.
Each Memory Slot took nearly four hours of work, but they were massive enough to allow hundreds of people to access its knowledge simultaneously. That was much better than writing things on a piece of paper and then distributing them among the hundreds of people from Good Side Town, not to mention that the information in the room was much more detailed.
After finishing that, Vlad took care of other businesses and met with the people of his inner circle, giving each task before going to sleep. Although time was of the essence, he was exhausted. The Origin Force he obtained from killing Ion pushed back the exhaustion, but it did not erase it.
It was better for Vlad to sleep in the Silent Wind Military Base, where he could fully rest, instead of in the wilderness, where he would have to be on alert. Vlad woke up at the first ray of sunlight, and not only did he feel extremely relaxed, but a wide smile appeared on his face as he felt his energy pool.
The young man could not contain his eagerness and focused on his interface panel.
Lineage: Thunder Lord
Energy Pool (Force): 1.7-->1.77
I Am Wrath: As the user sustains injuries or becomes increasingly enraged, their physical strength, speed, and energy pool capacity are incrementally enhanced. This enhancement is proportional to the severity of their wounds and the depth of their emotional turmoil.
This immense surge of power comes at a cost. If the user’s body is not sufficiently strong to handle the increased energy, they risk a severe physical backlash.
Vlad was exacting with his power-up. The rest allowed his energy pool to take the final push and break into Level 2. That increase in his Force Water, along with all the Origin Force from killing Ion, allowed his already powerful body to equal that of a Level 4 Warrior with a Guardian Tier Bloodline!
That was terrific news for him, especially now that he would have to move extremely fast and have very little time to rest, so a bonus to his stamina and vitality was perfect.
A sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he clenched his fists and felt his strength before turning toward the small yellow cat that had been sleeping next to him.
Jormungandr’s sleep was very soft, so he woke up with Vlad. As he saw the light in the young man’s eyes, the same sharpness appeared in his own eyes.
Vlad would be marching alone since he would need to move extremely fast, and no one could keep up with him. Of course, that was not a problem with the small yellow cat since this one could stay on his shoulder without a problem, but Jormungandr had another mission.
"Jormungandr, I will be counting on you. Find those with talent in the Mage Path and help them advance faster. To establish a good defense, we will need at least twenty. Without them, more time will not make a difference."
The small yellow cat responded with a word, not saying anything else or proclaiming fancy oaths, as there was no point in things like that between them.
Vlad smiled as he patted the small yellow cat on the head. This would be the first time they would truly separate since the apocalypse started. After that small moment, the young man checked his space rings and armor before silently leaving the military base.
Most people would think Vlad was in secluded training. Thinking there was a powerful expert at the base would help the civilians sleep better. General Anglius did not want them to be distracted, thinking that if Vlad’s mission failed, they were all doomed.
Once Vlad was out of the Silent Wind Military Base and far away from the sight of anyone, he began to run forward at full speed, coursing through the forest. While walking through rough terrain was tiresome, he wanted to ensure no one was following him, as he did not know whether Orion could have sent a squad of angels to ambush him.
Vlad did not use his Force to cover his body and improve his speed. It was better to focus all his energy solely on his Abyssal Grit Rune, allowing his stamina to last for a much more extended period of time. It was only after nearly half a day of running and over three hundred kilometers that he left the forest and took the main road.
If anyone had been following Vlad, they would have lost him by this point. Once he was on the main road, Vlad’s speed reached over one hundred kilometers, and he could go even faster, but since he would be running for several hours, it was better not to overexert himself.
Before the apocalypse, even the fastest man in the world could not reach over fifty kilometers per hour, and those who came near that feat could only maintain that speed for a very short amount of time.
Despite that feat, Vlad did not dare to feel cocky at his current speed or strength. While they might seem impressive for normal people, they were insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
From Asmael’s memories, Vlad learned the power a Guardian could unleash. One of them could kill dozens of low-level Champions and fight thousands of Mortals head-on. Warriors at that level could move several times faster than the speed of sound, and Mages could unleash spells capable of leveling an entire town in a second.
It was challenging to remain calm, knowing that the Planes that intended to invade Terra had life forms with so much power, but Vlad remained strong. He only needed to keep advancing and face the threats as they appeared, growing stronger and stronger while killing anything that stood in his path.
It didn’t take long for Vlad to pass Good Side Town again, and he kept moving forward until it was already night. He could see in the night thanks to his Depravita Racial Heritage, but running for so many hours had already tired him, so he chose to rest.
Vlad found a secure place to hide his presence, took a big gulp of the Champion Monster’s blood, and chewed the monster’s meat, allowing his body to flow with energy and vitality before going to sleep. Since he was alone, the young man did not dare fall completely unconscious.
Using his military training from his First Past Life, Vlad triggered a state of hypnagogia.
It was a sleeping skill explicitly used by the army’s special forces. It was suited for resting on the battlefield or in a dangerous environment, enabling the user to regain wakefulness immediately. Spending too much time in this state was risky, as the mind did not receive proper rest, but thanks to his vitality, Vlad could use it for an entire month without severe side effects.