The next morning, Virgil wakes to the commotion of his dorm mates.
He hears a clear voice shout, "Everyone, get up—I just saw Pike coming this way!"
A sleepy voice mumbles, "Is he here to inspect us this early? The sun's probably not even out."
"The sun is out," the clear voice snaps back.
Virgil opens his eyes and sits up as the others scramble to dress and fix their beds.
He remains seated, unmoving, which catches his dorm mates' attention.
One says, "Virgil, why are you just sitting there? Pike will punish you."
Another mutters, "Maybe he doesn't care anymore—after today, someone else will be in his bed."
Virgil smirks. "You're right."
Everyone freezes, staring at him, unsure if he's planning something drastic.
A dorm mate asks, "What do you mean?"
Before Virgil can answer, a knock sounds at the door.
It opens, and Pike steps in with two men behind him.
The dorm mates immediately stand straight and salute. "Sir Pike!"
Virgil stays seated, eyes locked on Pike.
Pike nods to the others, then turns to Virgil. "Virgil, congratulations on passing the Talisman Painter test."
Gasps echo through the room.
They knew he practised talismans, but none believed he'd actually pass.
Now, they stare at him—shocked, awed, and jealous.
Virgil stands and takes the hand Pike extends for a shake.
"Thank you, Sir Pike."
He lets go as Pike waves his hand.
"No need to call me sir—you're not under me anymore. Just call me Pike."
Virgil nods with a smile.
"Mr. Pike, may I know the reason for your visit?"
Pike studies him, then pulls out a pouch from his pocket.
"You'll be moving to a new home and need to buy many things," he says, offering the pouch. "Take it as a gift."
Virgil accepts the pouch with a calm expression, though he will never forgive Pike for the two hellish years he endured under him.
He would still be suffering if he hadn't used three inferior healing runes last night to ease the accumulated injuries.
Before that, all the talismans he drew were useless, made with ordinary ink and no beast blood, lacking any chaotic energy.
Now he knows the truth, but he also knows he doesn't yet have the strength to take revenge.
He accepts the pouch.
"Thank you, Mr. Pike. I was wondering how I'd afford the necessities after leaving here."
Pike adds, "You should understand—I didn't give you a break before because of the manpower shortage on the front lines, and your injuries were only slight."
Virgil wants to curse the man for lying so casually to his face.
That excuse might fool a newbie, but Virgil has spent five years on the battlefield.
"Mr. Pike, I understand," he says coldly. "I'm not new here—I've spent five years."
The meaning is clear: don't pretend, and don't follow me.
They exchange a few more words, and then Pike leaves.
Outside, he stops and mutters, "I have to strike first."
One of his men says, "Sir, he took the money. He shouldn't be your enemy anymore."
Pike snorts. "That was just to stabilise me. He doesn't have the strength yet—but when he does, he'll act."
The second man asks, "Then how will we attack him? He's a member of the Talisman Association now. If anything happens, they'll investigate."
Pike smirks. "I won't do anything. The one who made me act against Virgil—she'll do it."
The first guard hesitates. "Mistress Sani? But how?"
Pike answers, "I won't meet her today. One of you go tell her that I've reconciled with Virgil. Then… find a way to let her discover the Dark Killer Alliance."
The two guards nod silently and head off in opposite directions.
Virgil, after explaining to his dorm mates that he passed the test yesterday, leaves with his luggage and walks out of the camp toward the administration building.
There, he shows his certificate of joining the Talisman Association.
After his name is transferred from the war roster to the logistics list, he learns that from now on, he must supply fifty inferior talismans to the city every month.
In return, the city will provide a one-bedroom apartment, ten gold shik per month, and materials for drawing talismans.
He is handed the address of his apartment and the keys.
With that, he leaves the administered building and heads to his new apartment.
It's in the eastern part of the city, where thousands of three-storey buildings stand side by side, each with three apartments per floor.
He walks into one of them, climbs to the second floor, and enters the last room.
Inside, he finds no furniture except crystal lights and a burner to cook.
After dropping his luggage, he heads out to buy the furniture.
He doesn't buy everything he needs today—just a bed, a dining table, a living room table, six chairs, bedding, and other essentials.
When he returns, the workers help carry the items inside his apartment.
Once he arranges them in place, he steps out again to invite his friends for a celebration dinner.
He has lived here for five years, so he has friends, though now they belong to different units.
They were once in the same unit, but as they developed their specialities, they were reassigned to units that suited their style.
His friends could have helped him in the matter of Pike if he had asked, but he didn't—out of the inner pride of being a reincarnator from Earth.
They're surprised to see him in a talisman robe.
Then they talk about their discoveries and share insights with one another.
After that, Virgil returns to his room.
A few minutes later, freshly bathed and sitting on his bed, he opens the Lotus Visualisation and Meditation Technique.
He starts reading the book, and after finishing, he sighs.
The book can be practised up to the Talisman Master realm.
He must visualise a thirty-six-petaled lotus and draw one of the thirty-six runes on each petal.
The thirty-six runes are divided into four types—stabilise, guard, purify, and nourish—with nine runes in each set.
According to the book, he's not truly an inferior talisman painter until his spiritual power can leave his body.
To reach that stage, he must draw nine runes on the lotus.
For every three runes he draws, he gains one spell slot.
He can store a spell model in that slot, making it possible to cast the spell without needing talisman paper.
If he doesn't change his cultivation technique, then to become an intermediate talisman painter, he must draw thirteen runes, and to become a high talisman painter, twenty-five.
When he reaches intermediate level and completes fifteen runes, he gets to choose whether to upgrade an existing spell slot to hold an intermediate spell or create a new one for an inferior spell.
That means he can have up to four intermediate spell slots or eight inferior ones.
A similar choice arises when he becomes a high talisman painter.
Then, he can have up to four high-ranking spell slots, eight intermediate, or twelve inferior spell slots.
After completing all thirty-six runes, he must continue purifying his spiritual power and connect the runes to form a final spell slot—initially an inferior one.
But with continuous nourishment using chaotic energy and spiritual power, it can grow to hold a Level 1-ranked spell model.
To draw a Level 1 spell model and advance to Master Talisman Painter, he must use his vitality in the process.
After advancing, his physical body will receive a breakthrough, allowing him to live up to 120 years.
But all of that comes later—now he must focus on practising the technique and using the simulation tower to reach the point where his spiritual power leaves his body.
He studies the lotus image one last time, closes his eyes, and begins his visualisation.
While Virgil cultivates, in one of Pike's rooms, a woman throws a vase onto the floor.
"That bastard tricked me, said big words about crushing Virgil like a bug," she screams.
"But now, he reconciles with Virgil," she says, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Virgil, I won't let you go—I will avenge my brother."
She never believed that her brother asked for death.
She thinks it's a lie, that he discovered something and was silenced for it.
Everyone thinks she targeted Virgil because he has no backing, while the unit captain her brother served under does.
She plans to take revenge on the captain after Virgil.
The captain is more protected, so she knows she'll only get one chance.
"I can't stay here if I want revenge—I have to move to the eastern part of the fortress," she mutters.
She acts on her decision, and the remaining dwarves walk with her toward the east side of the fortress.
She quickly packs some clothes, jewellery, and necessities.
But as she's slipping out of the mansion, she overhears one of Pike's guards talking to another.
She hears the name Dark Assassin Alliance. She wonders what it will cost to assassinate Virgil.