The bloodline system

Erick stared at the book in his hand. The book had a cover made out of the hide of some unknown beast. The pages were clearly made by human skin. The ink used looked like blood, in fact Erick was sure that the author had really used blood.

'Pretty gory, but a good way to increase the interest of your readers. If I was a writer I am sure it would sell if I could write the book with blood. And if I died writing, it would become the bestseller,' Erick lampooned.

The pages felt thick but lacked smell or an eerie feel to them. It might be also because Erick had skinned quite a few people in his past life so he had a warped sense of normal and abnormal.

'...The origin of the bloodline is unknown, but through the years many theories have been brought forward by historians and philosophers. The most popular one remains that which describes bloodline warriors as descendants of ancients gods and titans. But there are also many theories with evidence which describes the insertion of a bloodline through artificial means.'

The book introduced the origin of bloodline based on speculations which were formed through the ages. But based on the origin, Erick could soon put all the theories in two main branches. One was where the bloodline awakened naturally and one where one could inherit a bloodline system.

Both had their own merits and demerits, but neither side accepted inferiority in front of the other. Actually, there was even a superiority complex among the ones who gained their bloodline through natural awakening. They believed to be direct descendants of the gods and as such superior to normal humans. No need to say that it caused much strife between the two sides.

'...The bloodline system is not an actual blood related system. In essence it resembles gene mutation closer than some type of superior birth. The reason many still believe in such a thing is the higher probability of a natural awakening in childrens of bloodline warriors. But that should be only natural, especially since it's related to genes. The system grants certain enhancements based on the intensity and type of mutation. The mutation is always safer for those born with it. Those who induce it artificially have a high chance of dying or at the minimum some sort of disfigurement. However, the high risk is paired with high reward. Those who complete the steps successfully, are blessed with an additional passive skill.'

As Erick flipped through the pages his understanding regarding the various subsystems increased. He was unsure whether he had a bloodline system, as the natural awakening happened out of the blue and was not limited by race, gender or age.

"It would be nice to have a bloodline, but I don't need to get my hopes up yet. I don't even know how to induce it artificially yet. It seems that oaf, Victor, had a natural awakening."

He would need to check with Victor about the bloodline he had managed to awaken. He might need to experiment a bit. But that would not be a problem for Erick. He had always enjoyed experimenting with biological specimens. It was something handy to be skilled in as an assassin.

As he almost finished reading the book, he landed on the last page of the book. This one felt different. The ink had turned deep red with a glow. It still looked like blood, but it glistened unlike normal blood Erick usually encountered.

'...The bloodline ranking system,' he read. He had been almost dozing off, but when he read the title, his eyes opened wide.

'Finally something to work with. If I am going to experiment with this, it's better to know what the best one is.'

'...The ranking is based purely on the current power levels of the bloodline clans. There is no absolute strength difference as of yet.'

Erick nodded at that. There was no way to rank something in absolute terms. Rankings always had to have some type of basis. And strength was always subjective to the user.

'After all, look at Subaru-kun. He might be totally useless but still managed to become the mc,' Erick lampooned as he thought about the stories he watched as pass-time.

'...The strongest bloodline clan is the Dragon Clan. They are one of the rulers of the upper and lower world. Never has someone managed to uproot their number one position. They believe that they are descendants of the Dragon King. They are typically categorized as a divine bloodline. Other known divine clans are the Wolf Clan, the Lion Clan and the Deer Clan. They are followed by royal bloodlines such as the Heracle bloodline and the Achilles bloodline. Below them are various types of bloodlines such as the Orcs, Mermaid, Demons and Angel clans. There are also many varieties due to mix pairings. Although mixing bloodlines lead to weakening of the bloodlines, they increase the chances for a mutation out of the norm, called the extraordinary mutants or the X-mutants. They can rival people with divine bloodlines, although their mutations can't be inherited. The most renowned X-mutants are people like Triton, with a mermaid mother and an Achilles bloodline father. He rules the seas in the far east and can even rival Poseidon's power under certain circumstances. The other is Stubbe, the true ruler of the Forsaken Forest. No information is available about his mother, but his father was surely of the Wolf Clan. A demigod with no real opponent in the lower world.'

Although the ranking differed from what Erick was expecting, he was still happy to read many pieces of useful information. It seemed that the forest had someone far more dangerous than the castle lord and that Tenor. But the title of demigod was surely not for nothing. Erick dismissed all thought about searching for such a being at the moment.

'Shame there is no mention of the artificial bloodline clans. If I don't manage to awaken a bloodline naturally, I might have to look at the artificial way,' Erick pondered.

Having no way to get that piece of information right away, Erick decided to go to sleep. He had much to do tomorrow. In one or two days he wanted to leave for the ruins.

After resolving himself to go beyond his system, he wanted to explore the ruins even more. After all, he received his soul pet system due to the weird system he was transmigrated with.

But the fact that people of this world were able to get a similar power by other means opened ways for Erick to see whether he could bypass certain features or even better, enhance himself beyond the capabilities of the system.

Just as Erick was to fall asleep, someone knocked on his door. Erick looked outside his window to see the moon high in the sky.

'Who the fuck disturbs me so late in the night. I hope it's not those bitches looking for a fuck in the middle of the night!'

But outside his door was neither Viola nor Lily. It was the butler. Erick was genuinely shocked to see him in front of his room.

"Sir, you? This late? Has something happened?" Erick asked, looking flustered.

"Hi lad. Don't worry. There is nothing wrong. I just came with a task for you. You will join the scouting team from tomorrow on. Those imbeciles didn't manage to discover the attack at the northern settlement on time, okay. But this time they didn't even see a warbeast come towards the castle? At the orders of the castle lord, all the current scouts are imprisoned. Report in the morning at the gate!"

The butler held his monologue and walked away. He wasn't even interested in knowing whether Erick would be willing to take the job or not. He was used to ordering people around.

Erick watched him leave with a frown. His plans might have to be postponed once again. On the other hand, there might be a chance to gain some exp.

'I need to browse through the tome again.'