Chapter 6 — Sanguine Emperor*
The first thing Arin noticed was the grass.
It was soft. Almost unnaturally soft. Each blade bent beneath his weight but didn't break, like it was made of something more resilient than ordinary plant matter. The dew on them caught the light and scattered it in strange, faint patterns that his eyes had never seen before.
He lay still for several seconds, staring at the green blades beneath him, listening to his own heartbeat. It sounded wrong. Too steady. Too strong.
Then the memories returned. Like a floodgate breaking.
The wolf. Teeth as long as his forearm. The fight. The way his ribs had cracked when the claws hit. The necklace burning against his chest, hot enough to sear skin. The crimson cocoon that had swallowed him whole, liquid blood hardening into a shell around his body. And the strange energy that had swallowed him after.
Arin slowly sat up. The world tilted for half a second, then stabilized. His eyes swept across his surroundings.
There was no ruined house. No broken walls. No village. No familiar road.
Instead, an endless stretch of green spread before him. Tall grass covered the ground, some reaching his knees, swaying even though there was barely any wind. Trees stood in the distance, their trunks thicker than anything he had seen on Earth. The bark was dark, almost black, with veins of pale green running through it like living capillaries.
Far beyond the forest were mountains. Enormous mountains. Their peaks disappeared into the clouds, but not the kind of clouds he knew. These were low, heavy, and tinged with a faint violet at the edges, like bruises on the sky.
Arin stared at them for several seconds. His throat felt dry. "This place..."
He slowly rose to his feet. His legs didn't shake. That was the first thing he noticed. Some while ago he could barely stand without getting dizzy from hunger. Now he stood like the ground was part of him.
The air was different. Clean. Fresh. And filled with a strange sensation he couldn't quite describe. It wasn't just oxygen. It was like breathing in something thick, something that coated the inside of his lungs and made his blood feel warmer.
There was no sound of humans. No footsteps. No voices. Not even the distant noise of civilization. No cars. No planes. No chatter.
Only the wind moving through the grass. A low, constant whisper that sounded almost like breathing.
It was peaceful. Too peaceful.
Arin's instincts immediately became wary. A world capable of producing a beast like that wolf couldn't possibly be this harmless. In history class they called this the Mysterious Realm. They called it hell for the unprepared.
His hand moved toward his chest. The necklace was still there. Cold against his skin now, not burning.
Arin pulled it out. His expression changed.
The ruby that had once possessed a deep crimson color was now almost completely transparent. It looked like clear crystal, but wrong. Like glass that had been left in the sun too long. The large crack running through its center was still there, jagged and dark, while several smaller fractures had spider-webbed across its surface.
It looked drained. Empty. Like something had sucked everything out of it and left only the shell.
"Looks like you used everything you had." His voice sounded strange in the silence. Deeper.
Arin remembered what happened after the wolf died. The blood. Not normal blood. It had moved on its own, crawling across the floor toward the necklace like it was being pulled by invisible strings. The strange energy that followed. The way everything inside the beast had been drawn toward the gem. The pressure. The heat. Then the crimson cocoon.
Then... Nothing. Darkness. And waking up here.
He looked down at his body. His shirt was gone. In its place were strips of bandage-like material that he didn't remember putting on. Probably the cocoon.
His injuries were gone. Completely. Not even a scar remained from the wounds that should have left him crippled or dead. The claw marks across his chest, the deep bite on his shoulder, the bruises that had covered his ribs — all gone. His skin was smooth, but not soft. There was a new quality to it. Like leather that had been worked and hardened.
Arin flexed his fingers. His body felt different. Denser. Stronger. But a lot weaker than the strength that the necklace had borrowed him during the fight. That strength had felt inhuman. Like he could tear steel with his hands. This was human strength. Just... more.
He clenched his fist. Something moved beneath his skin. Not a cramp. Not a twitch. It was deliberate.
Arin froze. He closed his eyes. He focused inward.
And then he felt it. His blood. Every drop. All 5 liters of it. It was as though his blood had become connected to his consciousness, like an extra limb he had never known he had.
He could feel it flowing through his veins. Slow in his fingers. Faster near his heart. He could sense its temperature, its pressure, its movement. Almost like another part of his body had gained senses.
Arin opened his eyes. His heart was pounding, but not from fear. From realization. "That's..."
He hesitated. Then raised his hand. A tiny bead of blood emerged from his fingertip without him cutting himself. It welled up from the skin like sweat, then separated and floated above his palm, suspended in the air.
Arin stared. His breath caught.
He moved his hand slightly to the left. The blood moved with it, maintaining the same distance, like it was attached by an invisible string. He concentrated harder. The bead stretched into a thin thread, wavering, then compressed back into a tiny perfect sphere.
Arin's eyes widened. "Blood manipulation?" The words came out in a whisper.
The implications hit him immediately. This wasn't a trick. This wasn't adrenaline. This was control. Real control.
Before he could experiment further, something appeared before him. It didn't fade in. It just _was_ there. A translucent crimson panel, hovering at eye level, about the size of a tablet.
Arin froze. He stared at it. The sight was strangely familiar, even though he had never seen anything like it.
A system. Of course.
If someone had told him a month ago that he would die, transmigrate into another world, survive a monster attack, and wake up with a system-like status panel, he would've laughed in their face and called it a light novel plot.
Now? He simply sighed. The exhaustion in it wasn't despair. It was acceptance.
"Why am I not surprised anymore?"
His eyes moved across the panel. The text was simple. White characters on the crimson background. No flashy effects. No music.
*Name:* Arin
*Rank:* Awakened
*Strength:* 19
*Vitality:* 22
*Agility:* 14
*Spirit:* 16
Arin blinked. He remembered his medical checkup from last year. 5'9", 112 pounds. Underweight. Anemia. His previous physical condition had been terrible. Malnourished orphan.
But these numbers... They were on an entirely different level. He didn't know exactly what the numbers represented yet — was 19 strong? Was 22 a lot? — but he could feel the difference. When he breathed, his chest didn't hurt. When he stood, his legs didn't tremble.
His body was no longer the body of a starving seventeen-year-old. It had been completely remade. Reforged.
His eyes moved lower.
Then stopped.
*Spiritual Trait: Unique — Sanguine Emperor*
Arin's breathing paused. The words didn't make sense at first. Then they did.
"Unique?"
He read the description that appeared beneath it.
_The Sanguine Emperor grants immense control over your own blood and the blood of creatures corresponding to your cultivation rank. As you grow stronger, your dominion expands._
Arin slowly looked at his hand. The tiny sphere of blood was still there, waiting for his command. "So that's what changed."
He had awakened a Spiritual Trait. At fifteen, the previous Arin had touched the golden stone in the village square and received nothing. Null. Just like millions of others.
Now, at seventeen, after dying and being reborn through that necklace... He had somehow obtained something that countless people would spend their entire lives wishing for. Something that nobles paid fortunes to try and force into their children.
A faint smile appeared on his face. Small. Tired. But real. "Not bad."
He continued reading.
*Sub-Skills:*
*- Bloodthirsty*
_Ignite your blood to obtain an immense increase in physical ability. Strength, speed, and regeneration are greatly enhanced._
_Warning: This technique will cause intense bloodlust, rage, and beast-like instincts. Rational thought will become extremely difficult. Prolonged use may result in loss of self._
Arin's smile disappeared. "That sounds dangerous." Very dangerous. A power that could make him stronger while simultaneously taking away his ability to think clearly wasn't something he could casually use. It was a last resort. A weapon that could cut him just as easily as his enemy.
He continued.
*- Sanguine Sense*
_A passive ability that allows you to sense the vitality and blood qi of creatures within a certain range. The stronger the creature, the clearer the signal._
Arin's eyes brightened. "This one is useful." In a world filled with beasts, knowing where living creatures were could mean the difference between life and death. Between eating and being eaten.
Then he saw the final ability.
*- Blood Devour*
_Devour the spirituality contained within the blood of dead creatures to strengthen yourself. Effectiveness depends on the rank and vitality of the target._
Arin went silent. His thoughts immediately returned to the wolf. The strange energy that had been pulled from its corpse. The blood that had crawled across the floor. The necklace absorbing something from it, and then giving something back to him.
"So the wolf wasn't just food for the necklace." He looked at his own body, at the new muscle, at the clear eyes. "Somehow, that process changed me. It fed me."
Arin continued reading.
*Soul Trait:* Null
His expression remained calm. He had already expected it. The previous Arin had never awakened one. Touched the stone twice. Nothing both times.
Nothing had changed there. He wasn't a Super Talented. He didn't possess both paths. Spiritual and Soul.
But that didn't matter. He already had something. Something powerful. Something Unique.
Then his gaze moved farther down.
*Artifact:* Damaged
*Energy:* 0%
*Status:* Dormant. Repair or recharge required to restore functions.
Arin frowned. "Artifact?" He looked down at the necklace in his hand. The crystal caught the light and threw it back in dull fragments.
So the system considered it an artifact. That made sense. Whatever it was, it had brought him here. It had saved him. It had changed him.
But now it was completely drained. A dead battery.
A final message appeared beneath it, flickering slightly like it was struggling to stay visible.
_Repair or recharge the artifact to restore its functions. Current progress: 0.000%_
Arin stared at it. "So you still have secrets." He touched the necklace. There was no response. No glow. No warmth. Nothing.
Arin sighed. "Fine. I'll figure it out later." He couldn't do anything about it now anyway.
He closed the panel with a thought. It dissolved into red motes and vanished.
Then he looked around. His expression slowly became serious again. The wonder was over. Reality was back.
He needed to understand this place. And he needed to survive it.
Arin stretched his arm. He could feel power running through his muscles, like coiled springs. It felt unfamiliar. Like wearing someone else's body.
He turned toward one of the enormous trees at the edge of the clearing. "Let's see exactly what this body can do."
He walked toward it. The tree's trunk was wider than several people standing shoulder to shoulder. The bark was rough and cold.
Arin stopped in front of it. He pulled his fist back. Aimed for a spot about chest height. Then punched.
BOOM!
The impact shook his arm all the way to the shoulder. Pain shot through his knuckles. A small hole, about the size of his fist, appeared in the bark. Wood chips fell to the ground.
Arin stared at it. "...That's it?"
He looked at his fist. He had expected more. Expected the tree to split. Expected the ground to crack.
Then again, he had only punched a tree. And his body was still new to him. He didn't know how to use the strength yet.
He stepped back. "Maybe I'm still not used to my strength." Or maybe 19 Strength wasn't as impressive as he hoped.
He closed his eyes again. This time, he focused on the strange connection he had felt earlier. His blood.
He reached for it. The sensation immediately became clearer. He could feel the blood moving through every part of his body. Warm. Alive. Obedient.
He tried moving it. Pushing it toward his right hand. The blood responded, pooling slightly, making his fingers feel heavier, warmer.
Arin smiled. At least that much was certain. The Sanguine Emperor was real. It wasn't just words on a panel.
But there was something else. Something missing.
He opened his eyes and focused outward this time. He tried to use Sanguine Sense. Reaching out with that new awareness, searching for life.
He couldn't sense any living creature nearby. Not one.
Arin frowned. He focused harder, pushing the sense further. Still nothing. The area around him felt strangely empty.
"That's weird." A place this huge should have contained something. A bird. An insect. A beast. Anything. The grass was moving, but from wind, not from animals hiding in it.
Yet there was nothing. Complete silence, aside from the wind.
Arin looked toward the forest in the distance. Perhaps the creatures were hiding there. Perhaps this clearing was some kind of dead zone.
He started walking. The grass whispered around his legs. It took nearly an hour to reach the forest. The closer he got, the more oppressive the trees became. They blocked out the sky. The grass gradually gave way to roots and thick undergrowth, tangled and dark.
Arin stopped at the edge. He looked back. The open field behind him stretched farther than he could see, empty and green.
He turned toward the forest again. The shadows between the trees were deep. "This is probably where the fun begins."
He stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the forest line— His expression changed.
Something entered his senses. Not with his eyes. Not with his ears. With that new sense.
Blood qi. A lot of it. Dense. Moving.
Arin immediately stopped. His head turned toward the trees to his right. Something was coming. Fast. Very fast.
Branches snapped in the distance. Heavy footsteps shook the ground, vibrating through his feet and up his legs.
Arin's body tensed. Every muscle went tight. Whatever was approaching was strong. He could feel it in his chest.
His instincts told him to run. Turn around and run back to the open field.
But where? He turned around. His expression changed again.
An invisible barrier stood behind him. He couldn't see it. The air looked normal. But when he reached out his hand, his fingers touched something solid. Smooth. Cold.
Arin pushed. His shoulder hit it. Nothing. It didn't budge.
He tried stepping through it. Putting his full weight behind it. Still nothing. Like hitting a wall of steel.
He frowned. "So I'm trapped." The clearing was a cage.
A roar came from the forest. Deep. Guttural. It vibrated in his bones.
Arin slowly turned around.
Something emerged between the trees. Pushing them aside like they were twigs.
A bear.
At first glance, it looked strangely ordinary. Dark fur. Broad shoulders. About 8 feet tall when it stood on all fours.
It wasn't gigantic. In fact, compared to the monsters Arin had imagined from the history books about Pangu, it looked almost small. Manageable.
But the moment its eyes met his— Arin's instincts screamed.
Those eyes weren't animal eyes. They were intelligent. Hungry. And they were looking at him like he was food.
The bear charged.
Arin barely had time to react. He dove to the side.
BOOM!
A paw struck the ground where he had been standing. Dirt and grass exploded upward. He flew backward from the shockwave alone. His back slammed into a tree 10 meters away.
Pain exploded through his chest. He couldn't breathe.
Arin dropped to one knee, gasping. He looked at the bear. Then at the tree behind him. The impact had cracked the trunk halfway through.
His expression became solemn. "That thing..." The bear was only an Awakened-rank beast. The same rank as him, according to the system.
Yet its physical strength was terrifying. His 19 Strength meant nothing if this was the baseline.
The bear shook its head and charged again. No hesitation. No warning.
Arin rolled aside. The paw smashed into the ground. The earth shook. A crater formed where the claws hit.
Arin's eyes narrowed. He couldn't fight this thing normally. Not with just his fists. Not without using—
The bear turned toward him, roaring. Saliva flew from its jaws.
Arin took a deep breath. His heart was hammering. His blood was hot.
Then he activated his Spiritual Trait.
"Bloodthirsty."
Crimson energy erupted from his body. It started at his chest and spread outward in waves, like blood being poured into clear water. His pupils changed, the black expanding until only a thin ring of brown remained. His muscles tightened, growing visibly larger. Power flooded through him, raw and violent.
And then— Something else entered his mind.
Rage. Hunger. The urge to tear the creature apart with his bare hands and drink what was left.
Arin's breathing became rough. The world tinted red at the edges.
The bear charged.
This time, Arin didn't retreat. He stepped forward to meet it.
His fist collided with the bear's paw.
BOOM!
The ground beneath them cracked, spider-webbing outward. Arin's body was pushed backward, skidding through the dirt. But he remained standing. His feet dug trenches in the earth.
A grin slowly appeared on his face. Wide. Sharp. "So that's the power..."
The bear roared, shaking its injured paw. It was angry now.
Arin's grin widened. The bloodlust was getting louder. But he could still think. For now.
"Come on."
The battle had begun.