Once his brief moment of madness passed, Isaac absently returned to the stone table, his mind racing a hundred miles per hour. Blood Draw was powerful—there was no doubt about that. However, now that the excitement of wielding a supernatural power had faded, he noticed a faint emptiness where Viron had once flowed freely.
The loss wasn’t that noticeable, but some of the energy had definitely disappeared when he used the skill. Which, in hindsight, wasn’t surprising. As the law of equivalent exchange said—if it still even applied—something could not come from nothing. Humans got tired from physical effort, and now, their Viron reserves would go down the more abilities they used.
What worried Isaac was his inability to gauge how much energy he had left before he ran out of juice. Sure, he could feel it coursing through his entire body, but no matter how hard he focused on it, he had no idea if what he had left was a lot or not. For all he knew, two or three more Blood Draws could drain him dry.
Of course, with time and experience, those problems would most likely go away, but until that happened, he had to be careful. As it was, his active Origin abilities were his trump cards. Anything that didn’t outright threaten his life would have to be dealt without them.
At least for the time of the trial.
Isaac nodded to himself.
It all depends on what the Interface throws at me, anyway. One thing’s for sure—I need to act fast if I want to get that key. Something about this modified trial feels off. That additional warning only confirmed it.
With his thoughts settled, Isaac used the final few minutes on the timer to properly arm himself. The sheathed sword went on the left side of his waist while the knife rested on the right. The crossbow came next, and even though there was no holster for the weapon itself, there was one for its bolts that went around his chest.
Then came the polearm. Unlike the others, there was no easy way to carry it. Just like with the crossbow, he would have to hold the long weapon and drop it whenever he had to switch. Not the best setup, but his only other option was to leave something behind.
Isaac refused to do that.
Let the show begin, he thought, gulping down the last of the water in his glass. He grabbed the polearm in his left hand while keeping the crossbow ready in his right.
Time until release: 11 seconds.
A small smile crept onto his face as the echo of his Origin grew louder with each passing second. His heart joined in, pounding in sync. And then, the moment the timer hit zero…
Silence.
Good luck, Hosts. Find and use the key, or become a part of the Broken Realm forever.
A second after those words appeared before him, the single empty wall in the chamber groaned. The ground shook as the stone bricks separated, slowly revealing a dimly lit hallway beyond them. The walls were much like those in his current chamber—only now, they were covered with wet moss.
Isaac took a deep breath and stepped out, only to yelp when the wall behind him slammed shut. Unlike its opening, it closed within the blink of an eye.
No going back, I guess. He turned away from the now-closed exit and scanned the hallway ahead. All he could see was a turn in the distance, barely illuminated by the torches hanging on the walls every dozen feet or so.
“Into the rabbit hole we go,” Isaac muttered, taking his first step into the unknown. His light footfalls echoed through the corridor, and he quickly adjusted his steps, doing his best to move more quietly. No need to announce his presence to whatever lurked ahead.
Nothing so far, he thought as he reached the first turn and took a peek around the corner. The sight there quickly made him jerk back.
Never mind!
While the hallway there definitely didn’t change, it also wasn’t empty. He had only gotten a brief glimpse, but if he had to describe what he saw, shell-less yellow slugs would be an accurate choice of words. And they weren’t small either; each was at least the size of a large dog.
Let’s try this, Analyze.
He took another quick peek and activated the skill on one of the two giant slugs.
Potential Threat: Low
That was all the Interface gave him, and honestly, Isaac was just glad it even worked. A low-threat rating might not have meant much, but it put things into perspective. After all, the skill assessed danger based on how his own strength compared to the analyzed creature.
He looked down at his weapons.
Slugs should be slow by design, but at the same time, he doubted a crossbow bolt would do much damage to them. The polearm could work, but again, with the limited space in the hallway and his lack of experience using it, he should probably just settle for the sword.
Or I can just stab the first one with the spear and then quickly swap. Isaac hummed. Yeah, let’s go with that.
With the decision made, he leaned the crossbow against the wall and grasped the polearm with both hands. His Origin, as if sensing the incoming fight, woke up and activated Symphony of Blood. The song settled in his veins, weak for now, but ready to escalate.
One, two, three!
At once, Isaac turned the corner and charged the nearest slug that perked up its upper tentacles at the sudden noise. It raised its head off the ground and opened its tiny mouth. There was a glow coming from within.
Uh, oh!
The slug reared back and lurched forward, spitting a blob of yellow mass toward him. Isaac, with a nudge from his passive ability, leaned to the side, letting the sizzling projectile fly past him.
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The glow gathered inside the creature’s mouth again, but it was too slow this time.
Isaac closed the remaining distance between them and plunged the polearm into its soft tissue. The slug let out a warbling wail as the glow of its next projectile died out. However, that was far from the end of the fight.
The second slug, finally alerted by its kin’s scream for help, also turned toward the battle and charged up its first shot. Isaac released his hold over the spear and dropped low before the yellow mass could take off his head.
Blood pumping, he unsheathed the sword and jumped over the injured creature—for now, it wasn’t a threat anyway.
Another yellow blob flew at him, but this time, Isaac saw it coming from a mile away. He just swerved to the side and placed the sword low, winding it up for a swing as the slug came within reach.
Now!
He swung with all his might. The blade carved deep into the slug’s body, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. The creature barely made a sound as it split into two uneven parts.
[Deepearth Slug (LVL. 1) slain.]
Ignoring the notification, Isaac spun on his heel, already running toward the first slug with his spear stuck in its head. The beast simply thrashed on the floor and could do nothing when he also cut its body in two.
[Deepearth Slug (LVL. 1) slain.]
Just like that, the Symphony left his body and mind, leaving a hollow silence behind. He swallowed and took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.
“Not bad,” he muttered, sheathing his sword. He grasped the polearm and yanked it free from the corpse.
Yellow blood dripped off its blade, but thankfully, it didn’t cause any damage. The same, however, couldn’t be said about the floor where the sizzling blobs had fallen. The liquid had eaten through the stone like acid, and Isaac thanked whoever was listening that none of it had hit him.
Was close though.
He grimaced as he retrieved his crossbow and returned to the two corpses. Within a minute, both slugs faded away, but not without leaving something behind.
Another one?
Isaac squinted as he reached toward the familiar violet gem. Unlike last time, it didn’t dissolve when his fingers brushed against its cool surface. Curious, he activated Analyze.
[Inferior Virality Gem | Grade: Inferior]
A tiny gem that holds a piece of a defeated Virus. Generally used as an easy and quick way to strengthen one’s Virus and advance its stage. Has plenty of other uses.
Sounds simple enough, but then again… He furrowed his brow. How do I use it now? Any help on that front Interface?
Like most of the time, he received no answer.
“Fine then…”
Isaac could only see two possible options here. One, he had to somehow crush the gem to absorb the Virus within, or two, he had to reach out toward it with his Viron. Well, there was probably another way, but for now, this was the limit of his imagination.
I can probably crush it, but if it doesn’t work… He shook his head. Yeah, let’s try Viron first. Only one attempt, though; I can’t waste more time here.
With a nod to himself, Isaac closed his hand around the gem and once more tried to reach out toward the energy racing through his body. This time, however, instead of just trying to push it around with his thoughts, he attempted to move it like another limb. He also recalled the sensation of using Blood Draw and let that experience guide him.
His eyes drifted shut as he lost himself in the feeling of the mythical energy. It still refused to come under his command, to stop its frenzied movement, but somehow, it still changed flow and moved toward the special rock in his hand.
Isaac opened his eyes.
The gem was gone, and in its place stood another notification.
You have absorbed an Inferior Virality Gem. Your Virus has grown stronger.
He quickly checked his status, but nothing had changed there. It still showed the same stage and phase. For a brief moment, he wondered just how many of those he would need to change that.
Not now, he dismissed the thought. I still have to find the key.
And so, with weapons in hand, Isaac resumed his slow trek down the hallway. It didn’t take long to come upon another turn—this time, a crossroads leading in two different directions.
He refused to ponder on the choices and stepped into the right corridor.
It was the wrong choice.
After peeking around another corner, Isaac had to once more snap back when he spotted another overgrown slug waiting for him there. Alone, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Unfortunately, this one had a brand new companion.
A spider.
It wasn’t as large as the slimey monster, but he had no doubts it could move much faster than its sluggish friend.
Crossbow it is.
He loaded a bolt into the chamber and leaned out just enough to get the large spider in his sights. It clung to the wall near the slug, unmoving.
Please don’t miss, Isaac begged and pulled the trigger.
The bolt missed and clattered to the ground, useless.
Shit.
He ducked back, but it was too late—the sharp clicking from the spider confirmed as much. It was time to improvise. He wasn’t risking another shot.
Dropping the crossbow, he unsheathed the sword and took a few steps away from the wall. He raised the blade high and waited as the spider’s skitter got louder and louder.
Die!
The moment the arachnid rounded the corner, still glued to the wall, Isaac swung. Blade met flesh, separating two legs from the spider’s body. It hissed and lost its footing, dropping to the ground like a fly.
Another swing, another leg severed.
A final thrust ended the beast forever.
[Deepearth Spider (LVL. 1) slain.]
Not done yet.
Isaac snatched the discarded polearm with his free hand and rounded the corner. The slug was already slowly slithering in his direction, but the moment it spotted him, it raised its upper body and spat a familiar yellow blob at him.
He dodged to the side and surged forward, driving the spear into the beast’s open mouth. It let out a sharp, pained wail, but unfortunately for the beast, Isaac wasn’t done yet.
As the Symphony of Blood rang louder and louder in his veins, he spun around and used the momentum to slice clean through the slug with his sword. The creature stilled, its two uneven parts dropping to the ground.
[Deepearth Slug (LVL. 2) slain.]
You have leveled up! You are now level 2. Distribution of Ascension Power in progress. All attributes, except Toughness, have advanced a tier.
Power—pure, unfiltered power—flooded his body, and Isaac quickly amended one of his previous statements. This was the moment that made him feel more alive than ever. His muscles thrummed with newfound strength, his senses sharpened just a bit, and even the air around him felt slightly different.
He tightened the grip on his sword, letting out a slow breath as the sudden power surge came to an end. The infinite strength might have faded, but even now, he felt stronger, lighter, and simply better than before. It wasn’t hard to understand why after he read the Interface’s final message.
“A level-up, hmm?” Isaac whispered, a smile once more returning to his face. “I'll remember this.”
His gaze swept the area just in time to watch the slug’s body vanish. It didn’t leave behind another gem, but that was fine—he had already spotted something else that caught his interest in this dead-end corridor.
A small wooden chest.
25 chapters ahead of RR:
