To all surviving Hosts of the Sacramento Contamination Zone. The Guardian has been slain. You are now on the final stretch to victory. Congratulations. And remember, the Universe is watching.

Isaac snorted as his mind drifted back to the strange encounter he had while unconscious. The Universe is watching… Yeah, I know something about that. Rakin… I will remember you.

Either way, he dismissed the first notification of many and proceeded to the next one.

Level progression for killing the Fire Minotaur has been distributed among all contributors. Bonus rewards will become available after completing the Second Phase Task.

Current progress: 67% | Your contribution ranking: 1st | Time left: 11h:37m:12s

So that's how it is. Eleven hours and only three percent remaining.

He hummed, stopping right where the Guardian had taken its last breath. As expected, aside from scorched ground covered in blood splatters, there was no trace of the massive beast. Yet, as he looked around, he still remembered well where he had stabbed it through its remaining eye.

Hundreds died to take you down… and we still almost failed.

Isaac let out a deep sigh and averted his gaze, his legs already dragging him away. This place reeked of death, and not just from the lingering stench of burnt flesh. No, it was like the air itself was heavy with the echoes of the battle and every death that occurred here.

It was overwhelming.

He sped up as much as his weak body allowed him and focused again on the awaiting notifications. Anything was better than standing in that graveyard of memories.

You have leveled up! You are now level 13. Distribution of Ascension Power in progress. Power and Regeneration have advanced a tier.

Your Origin has awakened a new ability: Harden. Symphony of Blood has evolved to the next grade, growing in strength.

Viron: Regeneration has advanced a tier. Pain Resistance has advanced to tier V. Blood Draw has reached its maximum tier.

Isaac paused at the literal onslaught of notifications. He had expected a power boost after taking down the Minotaur, but he wasn't prepared for this. If he had to be honest, this was probably the biggest progression jump he ever received from slaying a single monster. Though, to be fair, he had never fought something that much stronger than him.

But still… He shook his head. No. No time to waste. First… Tier V? I thought that was the highest it could go.

[Pain Resistance | Grade: Normal | Tier V]

Apparently, he was wrong, and the skill still could grow stronger. Not that he was complaining. If not for Pain Resistance and the Symphony, he would have never been able to fight for as long as he did against the Minotaur. The fact that he passed out afterward was proof enough of that.

Speaking of…

[Symphony of Blood | Grade: Mystic | Max Tier] A powerful pseudo-passive Origin ability. Awakens the blood during times of struggle and battle to assist its Host. Greatly enhances the user's perception and battle prowess. Heightens pain resistance. Slightly improves the efficiency of the Regeneration attribute when active.

"Mystic," Isaac muttered, testing the word. "Max tier from the get-go… Without an option to evolve too."

The description itself hadn't changed much. Aside from some general improvements to its effects, the only real addition was the final line. Which, to be honest, was great. Regeneration constantly worked on saving his life, so having it improved even 'slightly' was a big win.

That leaves my new skill, he thought, dismissing the previous notifications.

[Harden | Grade: Superior | Tier I] A basic active Origin ability. Uses Viron to harden the blood in your body, thus allowing you to withstand more damage. Beware, this skill primarily protects your insides and won't stop your outer layers from getting injured.

Guess that's better than just another offensive skill, Isaac reasoned, the memory of the fight against the Minotaur still fresh on his mind.

In the end, what was the point of more attack power if he couldn't survive long enough to use it? A defensive ability like this, combined with his regeneration, should go a long way in making him more efficient in a fight. Or, at the very least, more durable. God knew he had enough of cracking his ribs every damn time something stronger than a Wretched hit him.

Maybe if I still had my vest… He shook that thought away. Nah…

Instead of wondering about what ifs, Isaac reached for his meager reserves of Viron and called on his Origin. The energy answered, and even if there wasn't much of it yet, it still worked on activating his new skill.

The itching underneath his skin intensified for a moment before stopping altogether. Then, a sudden weight settled over his entire body. He almost stumbled, barely catching himself at the last second.

What the hell?

There was no mention of a drawback in the skill's description, yet as he raised his hand, it definitely felt heavier than it should. Not much, but in his current state, it was more than noticeable. The real question was—would it still affect him after he fully recovered?

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Isaac sure hoped not, or Harden might not be as useful as he had thought. Speed was a key part of his fighting style. So, actively using something that slowed him down might not be the best idea.

At least it looks nice, he mused, glancing at his hands.

With the skill's activation, the veins underneath his pinkish, raw skin became darker, almost black. It was like one massive system of roots tangled together. To some, it would probably appear unsettling or maybe even scary.

But in Isaac's opinion, the image held a certain beauty—a beauty that allowed him to feel every little drop of blood in his body.

Still, after a few more seconds, Harden deactivated, taking away the uncomfortable weight with it. And, as much as he wanted to test the skill further, his Viron reserves just barely began to recover. He wanted to have some left for emergencies.

Which leaves just one last thing.

As the noise from the nearby camp grew louder with his approach, Isaac quickly called on his two most used skills. Blood Draw and Dagger. Both had achieved the final tier of the Superior grade today, and he needed to check if an evolution for them was possible.

It was, but only for Blood Dagger.

Better than nothing, he thought, before summoning the final part of the Interface for the time being. Status.

Name: Isaac Walker Origin: Blood | LVL. 13 Legacy: Crimson Raven (Fledgling)

Virus Stage: II - Replication (Phase 4) Virus Integrity: 68%

Power: Developed - Tier IV Agility: Developed - Tier II Toughness: Developed - Tier I Regeneration: Refined - Tier II Insight: Developed - Tier II

Isaac winced as his gaze landed on his Virus Integrity. If it was this low now, he really didn't want to know how bad it had been before he blacked out. Then again, a quiet voice in the back of his mind wondered what kind of debuffs kicked in when Integrity fell too far.

Or I could just ask around. There are bound to be quite a few people here who have already experienced those. He paused as he stepped on the street filled with recovering survivors and quite a few corpses. Never mind. Maybe later…

With that, Isaac limped through the camp, his eyes searching for Elaine. The reinforcements must have arrived when he was wandering around the battlefield, as he didn't remember there being so many people here—at least not walking ones.

Still, after some time, he found his target.

He didn't call out and simply approached the group of three people talking at the side of the road. Though, once he got within hearing range, the only man in the group—a tall guy with brown hair in a similar state to Isaac's—gestured toward him, getting the other two to turn around.

"Isaac," Elaine called out, her brow furrowing. "Where's James?"

"Still at the battlefield," he answered, eyeing the two people he didn't recognize. "What's going on?"

"Oh. That's Brian, I already mentioned him to you," she said, then gestured to the other woman. "And this is Caddy. She just arrived with the reinforcements."

Isaac gave them a nod. "Despite the circumstances, it's nice to meet you."

Brian smiled weakly. "Likewise." He turned to Elaine. "Caddy and I will go find Linda. If you need anything else, just let us know."

"Thanks," she said, and with that, the duo left, leaving Isaac alone with her.

He tilted his head. "What was that about?"

"Nothing much," Elaine admitted. "Just wanted to ask how the people outside here are handling things."

That piqued his interest. "Oh? And?"

She shrugged. "Most have no idea what actually happened here, so they're just happy we're almost done with Phase Two. Can't blame them. If I were in their place, I would be happy too. Instead… I'm just relieved."

"I wouldn't be just yet," Isaac muttered. "This is far from over. For all we know, what comes next might be much worse."

Elaine frowned, shooting him a look. "That's pretty pessimistic for the new you."

He grimaced. "The new me barely survived the last fight. Puts things into perspective. And then there's this Rakin guy…"

"Who?"

A sigh left his mouth. He quickly looked around them and led Elaine even further away from the camp. There, he recounted his dream, which felt like no dream at all. By the time he finished, her expression was unreadable.

"And you're sure it wasn't just… hallucinations?" she asked after a moment. "I mean, you did almost die."

Isaac opened his mouth only to close it again. "I don't know," he finally said. "But my imagination has never been that colorful. And I definitely never had a dream where I had so much control."

"Point taken," Elaine muttered, rubbing her brow. "Any ideas who he might be then?"

"Only one. But it's a stretch."

"That's still one more idea than I have. Spill."

"An Overlord," Isaac stated after a moment of hesitation. "I mean, it would fit the image. Overlords. Sires. Me being his. There could be a connection."

Elaine hummed in thought. "Maybe you're onto something. I just don't get what he meant by procedures. If he's some all-powerful being, why bother?"

"He could have been joking," Isaac pointed out. "You weren't there, so you don't know. But to me, it felt like he was treating the whole thing like a game. Like he didn't really care about being there."

She groaned. "This is stupid. We're not gonna figure anything like this anyway. Not enough information. Come," she said, grabbing his wrist. "You need rest while I need to get back to work. Enough chit-chat."

Caught off guard by the sudden shift, Isaac could only let her drag him back toward the camp. That said, she wasn't wrong. Whatever Rakin was would have to wait. They had more pressing concerns.

Yeah… a nap doesn't sound that bad…

Current progress: 69% | Your contribution ranking: 1st | Time left: 9h:21m:53s

Root of Blood pulsed in his hand as the screeches and hisses of nearby Wretched reached his ears. He looked left, then right. At his two remaining teammates, Elaine and James. With a deep breath, he reached for his half-recovered reserves of Viron.

"Ready, guys?" he asked. "One last fight before the end?"

Elaine unsheathed her rapier as light gathered around her left hand. "Not end. Beginning," she muttered.

James, meanwhile, transformed his arms into blades, his skin taking its usual metallic hue. Yet, he didn't say a word. All he gave them was a nod, his face still empty of any emotions. No surprises there; a few hours were far from enough to process the death of a close friend.

Hopefully, letting out some anger on the Wretched in the area would help.

And if it doesn't? Well, apparently, time healed all wounds.

Isaac snorted quietly. As if anyone actually believes that.

"Let's go."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.