Vlad only took five days to reach the Solidarity Bridge, yet the path back to the Silent Wind Military Base took much longer despite his body reaching Level 5. Even with his massive vitality, the broken ribs were not so easy to heal, and the backlash of "I am Wrath" only worsened his condition.
For the first three days, the young man ran as fast as possible, as he wanted to put enough distance between himself and the Abyssal and the high demonic horde. However, after that, he focused on his recovery, not overexerting his body and consuming large amounts of Champion Monster's blood to enhance his regeneration abilities. By the time he had passed Good Side Town, the reserves had finished, but it was worth it since he had fully recovered.
As soon as Vlad was going to get on the mountain path toward the military base, his instincts warned him of danger. Instead of worrying, a wide smile appeared on Vlad's face as he surveyed the surroundings. By pushing his perception to the limit, he was able to detect traces of magic energy covering the ground and affecting the terrain.
The fact it covered the entire mountain meant that this was the joint effort of several Mages, definitely more than twenty, with good energy control over their energies.
"Success!" Vlad could not help but be thrilled at that sight, as it meant that all the time he had fought and bled to gain them was worth it.
Although just walking through the terrain would not trigger the intricate magic formations that covered the terrain, Vlad wanted to avoid surprising people and causing a problem. After all, according to what most people knew, he was still inside the military base. He raised his right hand and focused his Force to generate a small sphere into the air.
The sight of a sphere of white Force in the air drew the attention of guards in the military base's walls. It did not take long for a small, agile figure to descend from the walls and flash forward.
"Jormungandr!" Vlad exclaimed with a broad smile as he saw the small yellow cat jump into his embrace and begin to pet his head. It had felt like an eternity since he last saw his friends and missed the little one.
Jormungandr enjoyed the petting for a few seconds and purred but did not lose himself in it. He glanced at Vlad with a meaningful light in his eyes. "We fulfilled our goal. Of the rescue people, 31 Mages arose and 66 Warriors. Also, the soldiers reformed their cultivation runes, and their mastery over their Force and Magic is much higher."
Vlad widened even more as he heard how strong the base became in his absence. Those numbers were much more than he expected to hear. The new additions, plus the soldiers that had already entered the Level System, meant there were over 50 Mages and 100 Warriors. 'It seems that the stress of war and fear of death allowed many to excavate their hidden potential and rise very fast!'
While those numbers were a fraction of the over 6000 demons marching to this place, if they took full advantage of the terrain and deployed all their military tactics, there was a good chance they would not only win but dominate the next clash. Of course, Vlad did not dare to grow complacent as Arasbus was a formidable enemy, and there were dozens of Champion-Level demons in the high demonic horde.
"Let's go." Vlad did not waste time. With Jormungandr in his embrace, he calmly began to rise through the mountain road and got in front of the gates of the Silent Wind Military Base.
The soldiers on the walls were surprised to see Vlad, but as they saw Jormungandr in his embrace, they immediately opened the gates, allowing the duo to enter. He had just crossed the walls when he saw a middle-aged man with bags under his eyes approach him.
The one running toward Vlad was none other than General Anglius, and the face of the man depicted just how tired and how little he had rested these last couple of weeks. "How did it go?"
Although the middle-aged man was always very courteous, it was clear that the stress had taken its toll on his mind. He wanted to know just how long they would have until the battle started. They had advanced a lot but still needed to do many things, and every day counted.
"Two weeks." Vlad could see the middle-aged man's state, so he did not make him wait and gave him his most accurate assessment.
"Good, good, good." General Anglius' eyes glowed and a large smile appeared on his face as he heard that. Two weeks were more than enough to finish all the preparations, including fortifying the base, gathering supplies, and strategizing, and train his warriors for the incoming clash, honing their skills and preparing them mentally and physically for the battle.
The middle-aged man felt a heavy weight fall from his shoulders, knowing he could only thank the young man for that. While Vlad said nothing, he was wise enough to see the mark of a harsh fight in the young man and knew that this mission had been extremely dangerous.
"Once we overcome this ordeal, we must discuss the future." There was a meaningful light in the eyes of the middle-aged General as he uttered those words.
"Sure. It would be best if you rested a few hours before returning to work. A fresh mind is a sharp mind, and figuring out the right path forward will be much easier. I will now speak with my people." Vlad smiled at the middle-aged man before walking away with Jormungandr.
General Anglius stared at the young man's back and he could feel a sense of peace in it, making him smile. Although there were a lot of things he needed to do, he chose to listen to Vlad's advice and went to his residence. There, he allowed himself to sleep deeply for several hours, a much-needed respite from the constant stress and sleepless nights.