Chapter 2
"…This is insane."
For the first time since arriving here, even with Iron-Blooded Heart active, I struggled to keep my expression under control.
I scanned the system window again, thinking maybe I'd misread something—missed a line, misunderstood a word.
But no.
There was no mistake.
'Every single unique skill belonging to all playable characters in Stella of Dungeon… they're all stacked on me.'
Black Radiant Divine Sword.
Formless Shadow Spear.
Ki Arrow Creation…
Each one was practically the identity of its respective character.
Under normal circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for one class to use another class's unique skills.
I could swear on my 9,000 hours of gameplay experience—
I had never once seen anything like this.
And yet, this unprecedented anomaly was happening to me, reincarnated as a Blood Mage.
Not just one character's skills.
All six heroes' skills.
'So that means…'
I hadn't fully confirmed it yet, but I was already about eighty percent sure that the six original heroes simply did not exist in this version of SOD.
And now, seeing this never-before-seen system called Blood Link, it felt like the remaining twenty percent had just snapped into place.
'The six heroes are gone—and their skills were all dumped onto me instead.'
For a brief moment, I wondered if I should be happy about that.
Then I realized—
This was absolutely fucked.
The six main heroes of Stella of Dungeon were destined to stand together and face the Demon Emperor to save the continent.
Why?
Because their unique skills were the only hard counters capable of dealing with the Demon Emperor and his demonic legions.
But now those heroes were gone.
And all their skills were concentrated in me.
Which meant—
What was supposed to be a six-person raid was now a solo run.
What is this, a group project from hell?
Just thinking about it made my head throb—
Whoosh!
"Die, you bastard!"
—I almost literally lost my head.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I twisted my body just in time to evade the axe blade that howled past my neck.
The moment the cultist overextended, I slashed diagonally with my Blood Blade.
"Ghk—!"
The cultist at the front collapsed, blood erupting from his neck.
The rest didn't hesitate, charging at me without regard for their fallen comrade.
"Damn it—surround him all at once!"
"He's just one man! Don't get scared—push forward, you idiots!"
Yeah. Worrying about the future could wait.
Right now, surviving came first.
The moment the real battle began—
Ding!
Objective: Eliminate the evil god worshippers and rescue the kidnapped people.
Reward: 1,500 EXP, 300 BP
The quest notification appeared at the edge of my vision, perfectly positioned not to obstruct my view.
Same UI. Same format. Same wording.
Even though I'd possessed a character inside the world, the fundamentals of Stella of Dungeon remained intact.
…Then why were the six heroes—arguably the most important element—missing? Damn it.
But this wasn't the time to complain.
Screeech—!!
The instant they closed in on all sides, blades rained down like a storm.
By numbers alone, I was outmatched by hundreds—no, thousands.
But these NPCs had no idea.
There was nothing more meaningless in SOD than sheer numbers—
[Absorbing all ambient Blood Qi!]
[Physical abilities temporarily surge!]
—especially against a Blood Mage.
"Summon additional Blood Blades."
A crimson tempest spiraled around my empty left hand—
Slash—!
"Aaaargh!!"
"Gk—?!"
Two blood-red daggers carved complex arcs through the air.
Death screams erupted from every direction.
The cultists who'd rushed me moments earlier now had their torsos torn apart, blood spraying everywhere—
[Blood Qi absorbed!]
[Blood Qi absorbed!]
[Physical abilities—]
Even that spilled blood became fuel, making me stronger.
My senses sharpened unnaturally.
My dynamic vision honed itself like a scalpel.
Screeech—!!
I effortlessly evaded daggers and spear tips thrust toward me by the few survivors—
Slash!
"Y-You monster…"
Their lives ended in a single strike.
To state the obvious—
This was my first real fight with my life on the line.
I'd been nothing more than a shut-in gamer back on Earth.
And yet—
A thought crossed my mind that even I couldn't believe.
This is… too easy.
'A Blood Mage can wield any weapon formed from Blood Qi.'
Which meant—
By default, they possessed unparalleled weapon mastery.
Even the Swordsman class—pure specialists—fell short of Blood Mages in raw weapon-handling talent.
So really, what more needed to be said?
Right now, I wasn't a gamer with 9,000 hours in SOD.
I was a once-in-a-generation sword prodigy who'd devoted his entire life to the blade.
Then—
"Brothers! Let my sacrifice grant you the strength to kill that monster and fulfill our sacred mission!"
Stab—!
One of the cultists at the rear suddenly shouted and plunged a dagger into his own chest.
For a split second, I stared, dumbfounded.
Then—
Screeee—
A sinister energy poured from the corpse and flowed into the remaining cultists.
They froze in shock—just like I had.
But once the power settled in—
Veins bulged grotesquely across their bodies, murderous intent overflowing.
I frowned.
'Damn it… Life Spread.'
A skill that consumed one's own life to amplify allies.
"Hahaha! I'm overflowing with power! Your sacrifice won't be forgotten, brother!"
"You've had your fun long enough, you bastard! Touch our brothers again and I'll chew through your spine!"
Their bodies swelled to nearly twice their original size, as if pumped full of steroids.
The pressure they gave off was nothing like before.
They'd absorbed the energy of a human life itself.
'Thank god Iron-Blooded Heart keeps my mind cold.'
Otherwise, I'd have rushed in relying on talent alone—and gotten crushed.
My calm mind whispered the answer.
It was time to use that.
"Black Radiant Divine Sword."
[Blood Link Skill 'Black Radiant Divine Sword' activated!]
[A noble presence that never loses its light—even in darkness—descends upon your blade!]
[Blood Qi decreased!]
The Swordsman Damian's signature skill.
The countless techniques he later developed on his path to becoming a Sword God all traced their roots back to this single skill.
Damian—the one who shone brightest in the darkness.
And so, his sword grew stronger the worse the situation became.
That was Black Radiant Divine Sword.
Fwoosh—!
Black aura mingled with the crimson glow of my Blood Blades.
Originally, it was gold mixed with black—
Was the change because it consumed Blood Qi instead of aura?
"Well then…"
Didn't matter.
"As you wish—come at me all at once."
"W-What… what are we even seeing…?"
"That swordsmanship is—"
"What kind of monster was locked up with us…?"
Meanwhile—
The captives bound in chains stared in disbelief.
The young man they'd assumed would die alongside them—
Was now slaughtering their captors with incomprehensible skill.
For people who'd resigned themselves to death, this was nothing short of a miracle.
"Could he be a knight infiltrating in secret…? This feels unreal."
"Who cares?! We're alive! We're actually alive!"
As people cried tears of joy—
At the very end of the line—
"Ah…"
A short-haired brown-haired girl, her limbs bound like the others, stood frozen with her mouth agape.
Relief at the thought of survival played a part.
But that wasn't the real reason her eyes looked as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Black Radiant Divine Sword."
Fwoosh—!!
The moment four letters left Lee Seonghun's—no, Ruth Fried's—lips.
And the moment black flames coiled around the strange crimson shortsword clenched in his hand.
Like a bolt of lightning, a memory tore through the girl's mind.
—
My child. If, during your travels, you ever encounter a swordsman who wields a Black Sword (黑劍), you must bring him to me.
The
Do you understand? You must bring him back. The Steelanville family must repay the debt we owe to Gune.
—
"I think I've found him, Grandfather…."
The
The girl was the granddaughter of its current head, Jackson Steelanville.
Thud!
The head of the final enemy rolled across the ground.
[Main Quest – 1 Completed!]
[You have received 1500 XP and 500 BP as a reward!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
At last, the notification announcing the end of the long, wretched battle appeared.
Perhaps it was thanks to absorbing an enormous amount of blood energy, or perhaps because of the consecutive level-ups—but despite the fight dragging on for quite some time, he didn't feel particularly exhausted.
'Physically, at least.'
Mentally, he was beyond drained. He felt downright hollow.
If not for
'Still… if I want to survive in this damn game world, I need to check my rewards properly.'
He opened his status window.
Player Information
Name: Ruth Fried
Level: 3
Class: Blood Mage
Strength: 21 | Vitality: 21 | Charisma: 21 | Wisdom: 21 | Agility: 21
Skills Owned:
Blood Energy Absorption
Blood Sword Summon
Ironblooded Heart
A new skill can be unlocked (Required BP: 300)
As expected of a Blood Mage.
Not only were the starting stats far superior to those of other characters, but the growth rate was absurdly steep as well.
The problem was that the drawbacks more than compensated for those advantages.
At the bottom of the screen, the message indicating that a new skill could be unlocked caught his eye.
"Hm."
If his memory served him right, the skill unlocked this time was that one.
A skill that was practically a Blood Mage's bread and butter.
But in this world, could he really be called a Blood Mage?
Strictly speaking, he was something far worse—a grotesque hybrid.
There was no need to stubbornly cling to a shitty Blood Mage skill tree when other options existed.
"
Ding—!
Blood Link – Skill List
Swordsman: Black Radiance Divine Sword, ??, ?? …
After personally experiencing the overwhelming might of
They were the safest choice, too.
Then—
[Activating this Blood Link skill requires 10,000 BP.]
"Damn it."
The points he had right now weren't even close.
Ten thousand BP. By the feel of it, he'd need to clear several major main quests before he could gather that much.
'Looks like every other job skill costs ten thousand BP as well.'
For the time being, he had no choice but to go down the Blood Mage skill tree.
There was no way he could stupidly hold out without learning any skills while waiting for ten thousand BP to pile up.
Clicking his tongue, he was just about to invest BP into the newly unlocked Blood Mage skill—
"…."
—when he suddenly felt several heavy gazes fixed on him.
Turning his head, he saw people flinch the instant their eyes met his.
Ah. Right. He'd forgotten.
They were pitiful NPCs—ordinary travelers who had been kidnapped by cultists while minding their own business.
There was no reason not to save them.
Step.
As he closed the distance, they recoiled even harder.
Well, it was understandable. Anyone would be terrified if a man drenched head to toe in blood walked toward them with a blank expression.
He raised a hand and spoke in the calmest voice he could manage.
"It's all right. I'm here to free you—"
That was when it happened.
Kugugug—!!
A thunderous rumble suddenly erupted from the altar at the center of the cavern.
'Ah. Right. This part comes next.'
Memories from when he had played as Bismarck flashed through his mind like a panorama.
In the original game, once all the cultists were wiped out and the quest was cleared, an event cutscene would trigger.
What kind of cutscene?
Along with a roar filled with pure rage—
A translucent wraith rose from atop the altar, its surface drenched in fresh blood.
A head sprouting chaotic, thorn-like horns.
A grotesquely bloated body, its torn flesh exposing bone and organs beneath.
As hard as it was to believe given its repulsive appearance—
That thing was a Constellation.
The evil Constellation the cultists had attempted to summon.
The reason the nameless Constellation appeared in such a horrific state was simple.
Its descent had been incomplete.
But incomplete or not—
It was still a Constellation.
In Sword of Dawn, Constellations were beings treated no differently from gods.
In his current state, there was no way he could defeat it head-on.
'Damn it. This is supposed to resolve itself through an event cutscene…'
In the game, Bismarck and the other holy knights would deploy a special formation and send it back to the underworld.
The entire process would play out automatically—players could just sit back and watch like it was a movie.
But this wasn't a game.
This was real-time reality.
And there was no way he could activate a formation that required multiple holy knights—all by himself.
As he bit down on his lower lip, seeing no way out—
Crackle.
Suddenly, something caught his eye.
Crimson currents drifting around the Constellation's body.
…Blood energy.
"..."
Let's think this through.
The cultists had used the blood of innocent people as sacrifices to summon that thing.
In other words, the very foundation of the Constellation's manifested body was blood—blood energy itself.
Blood energy was what had given it bones and flesh to incarnate in the mortal realm.
If that was the case—
"Blood Energy Absorption."
Shwooooo—!!
Like dust being sucked into a vacuum cleaner, the blood energy was violently drawn into him.
And just like that—
The Constellation vanished without leaving a single trace behind.