5 05 - Awakening
"Aargh," Arthur let out a pained growl as a small creature sneaked into his back and drove a sharp blade through the gaps in his armor.
[-10 Hp!]
[Your Hp is below 20%, drink a potion of healing immediately!]
Coughing up a large amount of blood and ignoring the warning messages, Arthur took a few steps back and threw his body against the wall in a desperate attempt to get the small creature off his back.
After a few seconds of struggling, he managed to grab one of the small creature's arms and pulled it off his back before throwing it away.
"Skreeeek!" The goblin screamed before colliding heavily with another Goblin, taking it along with him into the abyss of death.
Finally getting a brief second to breathe, Arthur stepped back. He had already been fighting for several minutes, and under his feet, dozens of Goblin corpses lay piled in a small mountain. His black armor was tinged with a mixture of blue from the Goblin's blood and red from his own.
In front of him, less than 5 Goblins remained, snarling savagely as they looked for a gap to attack.
They weren't like the idiots Arthur was used to seeing in video games; they were as smart as they could be. Using their numerical advantage, they attacked at the same time while trying to find gaps in Arthur's armor.
If it wasn't for his powerful defense and the difference between his and the Goblin's stats, Arthur would have become monster food before he even took down the first of them.
Arthur's eyes were cold, and his face bore a mixture of pain and anger as his injuries throbbed.
[You are exhausted!]
[Your adrenaline stops you from collapsing.]
'Almost there… just a little more, and we can rest…' Arthur exclaimed in his mind as if screaming at his own body to keep standing. Above the pain and despair that coursed through his being was the will to live.
Gritting his teeth, Arthur took the initiative. Planting his feet on the ground, he advanced towards the nearest Goblin. Controlling the trembling in his bloodied hands, he raised his sword over his head and dropped it on the little beast with a roar.
The Goblin tried to flee, but for a brief second, he froze under Arthur's gaze.
'So, you can feel fear too, don't you?'
"Skreeeek!" A shrill scream resounded through the cavern, accompanied by the sound of bones being broken and an explosion of blood.
Arthur's sword tore through the little Goblin's skull, destroying his ribcage and smashing him against the ground as if he were nothing but a cockroach. Bluish blood splattered across Arthur's face, but it made little difference, being just another drop on his blood-bathed face.
With a heavy grunt, he turned toward the other four Goblins, who still didn't seem to realize their current situation.
His blood-red eyes seemed to penetrate the souls of the small creatures, who shuddered.
Arthur gripped his sword tightly and prepared to advance toward them. Fortunately, it was not necessary. Between frightened cries and stumbling in a desperate run, they fled.
"Ah…" Arthur sighed heavily and leaned his tired body on the hard stone wall. It was far from the most comfortable place in the world, but he couldn't afford to choose.
[You defeated insignificant corrupt Goblin x34
You received 34 Xp]
[Level up: 2 -> 5
You received 3 attribute points.
XP: 9/12]
Seeing this, Arthur cracked a wide smile on his tired face. This had been the most intense experience of his life, and beyond the terror of facing it, was the ecstasy of finally completing it.
'Why haven't any system warnings appeared yet?' Arthur wondered, his smile twisting into a strange expression. He had already defeated the Goblins and by the context of the mission, he should have completed it.
At that moment, Arthur heard footsteps, not light and fast like a little Goblin's one, but slow and heavy, echoing throughout the cave.
He felt his blood run cold, his eyes widen, and his heart pounded violently.
Raising his trembling body, he saw what was approaching - a brute over two meters tall and easily 150 kilos of pure muscle mass. He wore a blood-soaked black cloak and had on his face a mask carved in floral patterns.
On his back, large heavy chains stretched out as if they were part of his being. They dragged on the ground and the metallic clang echoed through the dungeon, piercing Arthur's heart like a sharp knife.
[You try to analyze the target]
[ERROR: level difference too great]
[You are terrified]
[Impossible to resist]
Arthur was paralyzed, feeling his body being crushed by unprecedented pressure. He wanted to run but his feet wouldn't move. And even when he finally managed to take a step back, he felt the rough cold rock that made up the dungeon wall.
At that moment, Arthur realized that he was no match for that being and would not be able to escape either.
A single sentence could define Arthur's next actions: 'If cornered, even the most docile of animals becomes a voracious and violent beast.'
'Ahhhh!' Arthur roared and attacked desperately. He allocated all remaining attribute points in strength and advanced toward his opponent.
The masked brute did not even bother to respond to Arthur's attack seriously and just casually waved his hands.
A pulse of mana hit Arthur's body, and he was thrown as if he was nothing but a rag doll, crashing heavily into the wall at his back and collapsing onto the floor.
'Son of a bitch…' Arthur tried to get up but fell to his knees, coughing up large amounts of blood.
[You received serious injuries! Your HP will gradually drop.]
Tum...
Tum...
Tum...
Tum...
The heavy footsteps continued to approach Arthur, getting louder and louder, piercing the young man's eardrums like thunder announcing a storm.
Arriving in front of Arthur, the masked figure crouched down before bringing his hand over Arthur's neck and lifting him up.
Using what little strength, he still had in his body, Arthur struggled to break free from the grip of that terrifying figure but stopped the moment he saw the eyes behind that mask - cold, piercing red eyes, just like his own and Hel's.
For the second time in his life, Arthur felt he was face to face with death.
The masked figure said nothing. It just watched Arthur coldly for long seconds before reaching into one of its pockets and pulling out a small vial filled with a blood-red liquid. With a grunt, he popped the stopper of the vial before starting to bring it closer to Arthur's mouth.
"Let me go!" Arthur shouted as he desperately tried to escape, kicking and punching non-stop, hoping that by some miracle he could stop whatever that man's goal was.
Unfortunately, all he managed was to bruise his fists. Heedless of Arthur's struggle, he shoved the flask into his mouth.
"Drink child… accept the blessing of the blood rose. Accept the power that is rightfully yours…" The masked figure spoke, his tone bordering on fanaticism.
Finally free of his captor, Arthur's body fell to the ground.
Arthur coughed heavily and again found himself on his knees. From his chest, a mysterious yet familiar energy surged.
Slowly, Arthur felt the intensity of the energy in his body increase, from a warm sensation in his chest to a slight discomfort, and then to a weak, sharp pain. It wasn't long before he was forced to clench his teeth as the pain increased even more.
After a few more seconds, he lost control, going from a painful groan to an agonizing scream as the energy coursing through his body grew more and more aggressive.
At that moment, he felt as if his internal organs were being ripped apart. Even his screams stopped as the blood in his lungs rose to his mouth; his cries turning into painful chokes as he collapsed to the ground, unable to breathe or even move.
He didn't know how long it had gone on and didn't even know how he managed to stay awake while his body and mind were meticulously broken down and rebuilt by that energy.
By the time Arthur realized it, he was already so shattered that he couldn't even pay attention to the barrage of system alerts exploding in his vision.
[The second part (Danger ahead!) of the quest Getting to the outside world has been completed!
You received Xp: 50
You received a skill: imbue mana.
You received 1 attribute point]
[Level up 5 -> 8
You received 3 attribute points.
XP: 16/20]
[An ancestral energy takes over your body and reshapes it to accept your true power.
Lineage Unknown (lvl 0) awakened at 0.1%!
Unknown (lvl 0) -> Blood rose (lvl 1) 0.1%
all your base stats have doubled in response to your lineage improvement].
You have acquired a bloodline skill thanks to your awakening!
You received the skill 'The Kiss of the Blood Rose Queen']
[Your constant training in the art of the sword finally brings you results; you have received the profession skill: Novice Swordsman].
[Skill: Imbue mana.
Description: A common but extremely useful skill that allows the user to imbue mana into their blade.
Type: Active
Level: 1 (1 skill improvement stone F rank to upgrade to next level)
Rank: F (can be upgraded)
Effect: Imbues the user's sword or body in mana. Increases damage and all resistances by 5%.
Cost: 1 MP/second].
[Skill: Novice Swordsman
Description: An essential skill for anyone wishing to follow the path of the sword, even at its beginner levels it can be a great help to any warrior].
Type: Profession passive.
Level: 1 (Can be evolved with diligent practice)
Grade: F (can be upgraded)
Effect: +5% damage, defense penetration, and attack speed on any weapon you wield].
[Skill: The Kiss of the Blood Rose Queen.
Description: Blessed by the Blood Rose Queen, you are a special being even among those who share your bloodline. Within you, the power of your ancestors cries out for the blood of your enemies.
Type: Lineage Skill
Level 1 (Will improve with the purity of your bloodline)
Grade: SSS
Effect: You can absorb the blood of your enemies and use it to regenerate your Hp. Base Strength +5, Base Vitality +10, Base Hp +50, Base MP +10,]
After the warnings stopped flowing, the last thing that came through Arthur's ears was a distant, low scream before his mind went completely blank.
"Hey, there's someone here!"
"A human? Alive?"
