Seraphina slit her palm with her nails; the blood that oozed out was mobilized and controlled by magic to infiltrate Aelion's wound and enter his body. Her goal was to heal him with it and use it to eliminate the black element spreading through his body. However, it was more complicated than expected, as she had to move the cocoon in which he had sealed himself every time the reaper approached. Fortunately, she had been able to keep an eye on her thanks to the vision-sharing of her familiar.
[ Two opposing elements overlap within your existence! ]
[ The skill "Universality" reacts strongly to vampire blood! ]
[ Your heavy exposure to an internal and external magical environment has paid off! ]
[ Thanks to the skill "Universality," you can now use magic! ]
[ Due to the ascendance of vampire blood, you are mutating into the vampiric race! ]
[ Mutation in progress... ]
[ Impossible! The second unknown element engulfs the mutation factor! ]
[ Your mutation is impossible! ]
While Seraphina directed the blood through his circulatory system to counter the spread of the strange phenomenon causing his veins to darken, the reaction of the black energy became stronger, provoking violent convulsions from Aelion. She was forced not only to inject and release more blood but also to saturate the core distributor in order to fight effectively: the heart.
A small amount was reasonable; however, the quantity she was pouring into him made her even more anxious, fearing the future consequences of her choice.
[ Mutation impossible — automatic conversion activated! ]
[ Conversion in progress... complete! ]
[ You have obtained the Blood attribute through conversion! ]
[ You gain +3 to all stats! ]
Aelion, unconscious, woke up with a start and took a deep breath. He wasn't dead; otherwise, the system would have notified him. Instead, there were cheerful messages, and to his great surprise, Seraphina was staring at him in disbelief, patting her hands over his body to check that everything was still in place. The wound had healed, leaving behind only some coagulated blood. However, the black veins had not disappeared from his body. She believed she had failed — when in truth, the opposite was true.
Despite the situation, she couldn't stop herself from punching his chest in frustration.
"Don't ever do that again! If you die, how am I supposed to get out of here?!" shouted Seraphina.
"Hey! Were you worried about me? Did you forget that I can't die?" Aelion added with amusement.
"Even so! Then why were you screaming my name and what is that thing chasing us!!! I thought we were at least safe here!" the young woman retorted.
"Huh? I thought you got rid of it."
How is that possible? Isn't she supposed to be rank B?
"Of course not! That creature goes right through all my attacks! And you still haven't answered my question!"
"Fine then; where are we right now?"
"From what I can see through vision sharing, we're on the ground floor, and it's already getting closer."
"Alright, we're leaving — now!!"
The vampire didn't ask any questions. Lowering the multi-layered barrier, the two of them started running. With that, Aelion finally had the chance to test the new skills he had gained from the Blood attribute.
---
Skill Unlocked!
Name: Blood Perception (Level 1)
Type: Passive / Active
Description: Allows you to sense the flow of blood within your own body. In active mode, this perception is amplified, enabling you to locate internal injuries and feel your pulse in any part of your body.
---
Name: Focused Flow (Level 1)
Type: Active
Description: Concentrates blood flow and body heat into a specific area. Slightly increases physical strength and impact resistance in that area (+2% at level 1).
---
Name: Blood Blade (Level 1)
Type: Active (Sustained)
Description: Condenses your blood and willpower to form a reddish blade about 60 cm long.
Effect:
Light bleeding
Blood Slash
---
Aelion hurried. Even though his stats had increased, Seraphina was still faster, and he had decided to face the creature and visualize information about it.
[ Skill activated: Blood Blade – Focused Flow ]
The blood blade appeared in his hand while he felt the flow of blood surge and stabilize in his legs. He turned around and faced the creature, its scythe slicing through the air as it lunged toward him. He countered its attack by simply blocking its weapon with the flat side of the blood blade.
He deflected it to the side, spun on his heel, and struck the creature — but its body turned completely intangible to the attack. He finally understood what Seraphina had meant earlier. Vulnerable, the reaper lunged again, a straight strike aimed to split his skull in two. Luckily, Seraphina, from farther away, managed to pull him aside before he could get injured again.
"Are you stupid or what?! I told you it phases through attacks!! And how the hell can you use blood and magic?!" she shouted.
"I should be the one asking what you did to me to make that possible!"
"Ugh, I'll apologize later — the priority right now is that thing!"
[ Skill activated: Eye of Compassion ]
[ Vestige of a Wandering Soul ]
RANK: ∅
LEVEL: 0
TITLES: -
AFFINITIES:
[Element]: Darkness
SKILLS:
[Intangibility] S
[Apathetic Screech] D
[Frenzied Assault] A
STATS:
Strength: ∅
Agility: ∅
Intelligence: ∅
Vitality: 40
Charisma: ∅
Luck: ∅
STATUS: ???
Aelion was stunned by what he saw. The reaper was level 0 — weaker than him, with no rank, and all its stats empty except for vitality. So how could it hold its ground against two individuals who were, in theory, much stronger? The key lay in its skills, particularly Intangibility — a broken ability. Yet he couldn't see more, not even a description.
Moreover, if its strength was nonexistent, how had it managed to wound him so severely? His instinct told him the answer also lay within its [Frenzied Assault] skill. Still, Aelion hadn't lost hope, because if that skill was truly absolute, why hadn't it phased through his blade during their earlier clash? The secret must lie in its attack pattern.
I have to find its pattern.
To do that, only the stronger one could hold the front line — while he observed from behind.
"I have a plan to uncover the secret behind its Intangibility. I'll need you more than ever," Aelion said.
Seraphina sighed, then replied immediately:
"What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to distract it or keep it busy… better yet, fight seriously, and gather as much information as you can during your exchanges. I'll observe from the back to collect data as well."
The plan was simple: Aelion would stay behind, trying to decipher the pattern, rhythm, and function of its ability, while Seraphina fought on the front lines doing the same. The idea was to gather information from two different perspectives and combine them.
Aelion wasn't entirely confident in his abilities; however, he was sure that with his perception-enhancing skill, he could discover something. What Seraphina might miss during close combat, he could observe from a distance, while she would notice any changes that could only occur in direct confrontation.
"I understand," said the young woman, stepping forward with calm confidence.
She hadn't been able to fight properly because she had to protect Aelion and worry about him, but now that he was back on his feet, she could unleash herself. A massive amount of mana emanated from her body. With each step she took toward the reaper, the mana intensified and even seemed to condense around her. This time, she would take the lead and not even give it a chance to attack her partner. Two blood swords immediately formed in her palms, along with four blood tendrils behind her.
A column of blood rose from the soles of her feet to the ceiling of the manor. When it dissipated, Seraphina no longer wore her long, elegant red dress — she now wore a tight outfit covering her entire body except her face. From her back, two wings resembling those of a bat unfurled, creating a faint gust of wind.
The battle could begin.