Aelion stood on the vast, verdant plain, the soft grass bending under his feet.
The transition was complete, and with it, a subtle shift had occurred within the system's restrictions.
He found his inventory had been unsealed. Acting swiftly, he willed his status screen to appear once more, confirming his new reality.
[Name: Aelion Endralis Nyxerin]
[Race: Human(???)]
[Talent: Pristine Immaculate Body(EX Rank), Seed of End(A Rank)]
[Level: 0]
[Class: Priest Of End(Fragmented Gold), Empty]
[Sub Class: Empty]
[Profession: Empty]
[Traits: None]
[Stats]
[Physical limit: 320]
>Strenght: 10
>Agility: 10
>Dexerity: 10
>Constitution: 10
[Mental limit: 320]
>Intelligence: 20
>Charisma: 10
>Perception: 10
[Will: 50]
[Skill: None]
[Inventory: Strength pill, Agility pill..]
There was no time to waste.
He waved his hand, and several ornate pill bottles materialized before him, hovering in the air.
The potent, medicinal aroma of concentrated herbs and energies wafted from them, a promise of power.
Without a moment's hesitation, Aelion began his work.
He opened the bottles one by one and consumed their contents, swallowing the pills in a methodical, relentless sequence.
A series of system messages flashed before his eyes, confirming the effects.
[Consumed a set of
[Strength stat has reached 50]
[Consumed a set of
[Agility stat has reached 50]
The process continued for Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Perception, each stat climbing to the new, solid plateau of 50.
A final, almost incidental notification followed.
[Charisma has been forcefully increased to 20]
The moment the last pill was assimilated, the world transformed.
It was as if a thick, muffling veil had been ripped away from his senses.
His perception exploded outwards in a wave of stunning clarity.
He could see the very flow of the energies around him—the gentle green life force of the grass, the shimmering golden currents of sunlight, the deep, steady pulse of the earth beneath.
He could hear the distinct flow of a river some miles away, and his sharpened nose caught the faint, metallic scent of blood carried on the wind from a distant forest.
He pulled up his status again, reviewing the results.
[Stats]
[Physical limit: 320]
[Physical limit: 320]
>Strenght: 50
>Agility: 50
>Dexerity: 50
>Constitution: 50
[Mental limit: 320]
>Intelligence: 50
>Charisma: 20
>Perception: 50
[Will: 50]
The numbers were good, a massive leap from his starting point. Yet, a part of him, the part honed by years of strategic analysis, felt a dissonance.
He had consumed treasures whose effects were supposed to be tripled by his EX-Rank talent. Should the gain not have been even more staggering?
Closing his eyes, Aelion turned his newfound perception inward, exerting his will to scan the depths of his own body.
And there, hidden deep within the channels of his energy and the fabric of his soul, he found them.
Intricate, malevolent black runes, woven into his very being like a parasitic lattice.
They were not active, but dormant, functioning as limiters, subtly inhibiting the full expression of his potential.
They were the reason his stats had not skyrocketed further.
His eyes snapped open, now chillingly cold. The pieces of the puzzle clicked into a horrifying picture.
'Looks like the Council's plan wasn't just for the resources,' he thought, the realization as sharp and final as a guillotine's blade.
'They haven't just been hiding the truth of the Ascension. They have been actively sabotaging the populace, placing shackles on their very potential to ensure no one could ever challenge their pre-ordained dominance in Euloria.'
The betrayal was deeper and more intimate than he had ever imagined.
Aelion forcibly pressed down the cold fury that threatened to cloud his judgment. The discovery of the inhibiting runes was a critical piece of intelligence, but rage would not burn them away. Action would. He turned his focus to the tangible assets at his disposal. He slowly, deliberately, willed the [Basic Weaponry Set] from his inventory into the physical world.
The items materialized at his feet with a soft clatter of metal and wood. It was a utilitarian collection: a sturdy spear with a simple steel head, a straight-edged sword, a slightly curved saber, a katana with a worn hilt, a unadorned but well-crafted bow accompanied by a quiver of one hundred standard arrows, and a round, metal-bossed shield. It was not the legendary armory of a mythic hero, but it was more than enough for a beginning.
For Aelion, who had fought his way through the impossible Myth of Dungeons with skill and will alone, it was a foundation.
His attention then turned to the most profound and mysterious of his rewards: the [Heart of True Bloodlines].
As he focused on it, its data unfolded in his mind.
[Heart of True Bloodlines]
[Description: The Core of the power of the Bloodline Usurper- Samuel Endralis Orvalis]
[Effect 1: Can store 9 Sub bloodlines and 1 Main bloodline]
[Effect 2: Can absorb bloodlines of the Beasts personally killed]
[Effect 3: Can Absorb traits of the fallen monsters if they are of higher level than You]
As he finished reading the description, the item itself, which had existed as a conceptual object in his inventory, flared with a deep, crimson light.
It dissolved into a stream of ethereal energy that snaked through the air and seared itself onto the palm of his right hand, directly opposite the golden crown symbol.
The sensation was not of pain, but of integration, as if a missing piece of his own circulatory system had just been grafted into place.
The symbol that formed was a intricate, stylized heart, pulsing with a faint, sanguine glow.
Now armed, both physically and metaphysically, Aelion began to move.
His enhanced Agility and Dexterity made his passage across the plains a silent, swift glide.
In a few minutes, he reached the edge of the forest from which the scent of blood had originated.
His heightened Perception, sharpened to a supernatural degree, allowed him to pick out the life signatures hidden within the foliage.
He saw the heat-shimmer of a large insect on a branch, the subtle movement of a furred creature in the undergrowth, and the slow, cautious hop of a large, horned rabbit.
The bow appeared in his hand as if it had always been there.
His movements were fluid, an economy of motion born of countless virtual battles.
An arrow was nocked, the draw was smooth and powerful, and his aim was an extension of his will.
There was no hesitation.
With a soft whoosh, the arrow cut through the air. It struck true, piercing the horned rabbit through its flank.
The creature let out a single, pained squeal before it stumbled and fell still, its life extinguished. It was a simple, clean kill.
The first of countless more in this realm of sublimation. The hunt had begun.
_____
5 Reviews for 10 bonus chapters.
50 power stones for a bonus chapter.