It took them a while—over fifteen minutes—to round up and kill all the goblins remaining in the village. For the most part, the job was simple. Occasionally, though, a small group of these little bastards would hole up somewhere and try to ambush them. It never worked, but everyone, aside from Isaac, picked up a few fresh cuts along the way.

He would have laughed or maybe even teased his team a bit, but in the end, he was the only one who got shot with an arrow earlier. That it happened during the actual fight didn't matter. At the very least, the wound had already mostly healed at this point. Small mercies.

Not long after the final goblin hit the dirt, Isaac felt a familiar pressure in his mind. A new notification incoming. He shared a brief look with James, who had been the one to kill the last beast, and shrugged. Neither said a word as they left the smallest of the village's buildings and made their way to the spot where they had agreed to regroup.

All right, Interface. Show me what you got.

The entity didn't need another invitation. The notifications flooded his sight.

Well done, Hosts! You have managed to slay all the occupants of this monster village. The threat has been neutralized, and this instance is now inactive. Your rewards shall arrive soon. Level progression will be distributed between all contributors.

Be advised: Different monsters may take over this territory in the future to create another village.

Yet another difference between villages and nests, Isaac noted with a frown.

The final part of the notification didn't surprise him as much as it should have, though. After all, this place was almost perfect to settle down. Still, it would have been nice to know if there was a cooldown between the destruction and recreation of a village.

Guess I will find out one day. Proceed, Interface.

You have leveled up! You are now level 15. Distribution of Ascension Power in progress. Power and Toughness have advanced a tier. Your Origin has awakened a new ability: Heart of Blood.

Pain Resistance, Crimson Death, and Harden have advanced a tier.

Isaac's eyebrows shot up. A new ability was the last thing he expected today. It hadn't been long since he awakened Harden. So either the Essence of Blood helped a lot to speed things up, or there was something else at play here. Either way, he wasn't complaining.

That said, before he could even summon the description of the new ability, another notification appeared in front of him.

Possible skill fusion detected! Do you wish to proceed?

Okay… Now, you got me curious. He stopped walking, earning a look from his companion. "A moment, the Interface wants something," he said. "If I drop, don't panic."

James snorted, shaking his head. "Only you, man. Only you…"

Isaac ignored him and gave the Interface his consent. If he understood things correctly, then skill fusion should always be positive. No reason to hesitate then, right?

Acknowledged. Fusion of, Bloodbank and Heart of Blood, in progress. Please stand by…

Wait what? Bloodban— Shit!

With no warning, the mystical organ that had been created by Bloodbank moved. At the same time, his heartbeat surged. He groaned, clutching his chest as his entire body locked up and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Pain. My old friend…

Next to him, he could hear James asking what was happening, but with his body refusing to cooperate, there wasn't much he could do besides wait it out. Not that he would have been able to explain it even if he could move. All he understood was that Bloodbank and his heart were somehow merging. Also, the link between the latter organ and his Origin was more active than ever.

Why? He had no idea.

And so, for over a minute—he counted—Isaac lay in the dirt, trying to ignore the shifts in his body. It didn't really help, but it was the thought that mattered.

Fusion Successful. You have obtained a new skill, Blood Core.

A description window tried to pop up in front of him, but he waved it away for the moment. Priorities. He turned onto his back with a long, ragged sigh.

"That was something," he muttered.

Above him, James chuckled and held out a hand. "Origin or Legacy this time?"

"Origin," Isaac groaned, taking the offered hand and letting James haul him to his feet. "Skill fusion, to be exact. Did something to my heart."

James raised an eyebrow. "But you feeling okay, right? No extra heads or arms sprouting out?"

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Hilarious, really… And yeah, I'm good. Just give me a sec to check what's going on."

At the older man's nod, he pulled up the skill's description.

[Blood Core | Grade: Arcane | Max Tier] An ability that combines and enhances Bloodbank and Heart of Blood. Your heart has been replaced by the Blood Core, a physical and mystical organ. It stores excess blood, enhances its potency, and increases its production rate. Passively boosts the Host's regeneration by a small percentage. Due to its fluid state, Blood Core cannot be killed unless destroyed simultaneously in both physical and mystical planes. It instinctively moves to avoid incoming attacks. Requires Origin Fusion to advance to a higher grade.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Special Note: Beware, the Host can still be killed without the destruction of the Blood Core. Stay vigilant.

Huh… Isaac blinked. That's a lot to unpack… I don't have a heart anymore.

And yet, he could still feel a steady pulse in his chest. It was stronger, louder… alien. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on this sound, on the Core producing it. It was easier than he expected.

As if sensing his attention, the Core stirred, shifting a little to the right inside his chest. There, it shifted, changing shapes or just weaving through the squishy mess of his insides.

Isaac grimaced at the strange sensation that action produced and forced the Core back to its original position. This would definitely take some getting used to. And the less he thought about his body's inner workings, the better. He was pretty sure it didn't make sense any longer anyway.

"Boss? You sure you're good?" James asked, nudging his shoulder.

Isaac sighed and offered the man a wry smile. "Yeah… Come on. I will explain later."

James didn't look convinced, but still followed him toward the meeting spot. Marie and Elaine were probably wondering what was taking them so long.

It still stores blood and enhances its potency. Improved production rate is new, though, Isaac noted as his gaze returned to the lengthy description. More buffs to Regeneration, that's always nice. Then, there is its double existence and fluid state.

For now, he chose to shelve the latter issue and focus on the former. Bloodbank had always been a mystical organ, but now his heart—no, core—existed on both two separate planes. How was that possible, he had no clue. Still, it came with benefits, so he wasn't about to complain. Then again, the special note warned him that he wasn't suddenly immortal now.

So overall, a nice upgrade but not as large as he had expected from a skill fusion.

And speaking of fusions. What the hell is an Origin Fusion? Interface?

Of course, the entity didn't answer, leaving him to wonder. He had a few ideas. Unfortunately, none that he could confirm without more information. Yet another issue for the future.

There they are.

Right where the two dead High Pale Blood Goblins used to lie, his two remaining teammates waited. Both women didn't even see him and James approach as they were too busy trying to wipe away the blood from their skin.

"Need a hand, ladies?" James called, sporting what he probably thought was a roguish grin.

Elaine huffed and tossed aside the filthy rag she had been using. "In your dreams." She glanced at Isaac. "We're stopping at the next river you see. If I don't wash this off soon, I'm going to lose my mind."

Marie nodded in agreement.

Isaac chuckled. "Sure. We could all use a bath. It's been a while…"

James raised his shirt to his face, took a sniff—and immediately recoiled, coughing. "Ugh. Yeah, you might be onto something."

Isaac opened his mouth to speak again, but just then, a flash of light erupted close to their group. A moment later, it vanished, leaving behind a medium-sized chest. James ran toward it like an excited child.

"Rewards first! Bath later!" he yelled.

While Marie followed after him, Elaine stepped toward Isaac and held out her hand, opening it to reveal two tiny objects. "The high goblins left these. You should take them."

He frowned even as he took the crimson teardrop-shaped gems. The moment they touched his hand, his Origin stirred, instinctively forcing his Viron to move toward the items.

Hold up, he ordered internally, stopping the energy from consuming the gems. Analyze first.

[Blood Tear | Grade: Normal] The lowest possible grade of Origin artifacts. Consuming this will not grant a temporary boost to the Host's connection to Blood, but it will slightly increase the chance of reawakening the Origin of Blood in the future. Due to their low potency, Blood Tears are typically used in crafting.

Artifacts, hmm? Not bad, he thought before allowing his Viron to do its job. In a matter of seconds, the Blood Tears liquefied and sank into his skin. A notification followed.

The chance of reawakening your Origin in the future has been slightly increased. Good luck, Host.

"Thanks," he said to Elaine and gestured to the rest of their team. "Let's join them before they take everything."

She chuckled and fell in step beside him. By the time they reached the chest, it was already open, and Marie was holding a sleek, dark red recurve bow etched with bright golden lines. A quick Analyze confirmed its Superior-grade and revealed the ability to generate arrows with Viron.

Nobody even questioned it when Marie claimed the weapon for herself. She was the only one here who preferred to fight from range. A bow would be perfect for her.

Next came Virality Gems, which, after a short discussion, went to everyone but Isaac. His stage three Virus was more than enough for now, and one or two gems wouldn't change that. Better to even out the team's strength while he could.

After that, James pulled out a very particular item. A small crimson fruit—or rather a berry. He handed it to Issac without much thought. Once Analyze activated, he understood why.

[Heartburn Berry | Grade: Superior] A low-grade fruit capable of providing a limited amount of Ascension Power for a single attribute. Consuming it will improve your Regeneration.

Isaac shrugged and popped the berry into his mouth. Once he swallowed it, a small surge of power traveled down his body, but that was all. The Interface never provided him with another notification.

Too early, I guess, he mused just as James took out the final items from the chest—Blueprint shards, two of them. Thankfully, they too were of Superior-grade.

Isaac quickly summoned the shards they had gotten earlier. Then, once James handed him the rest, a bright blue light filled his hands, consuming the shards and rearranging them into a familiar tablet. A single piece remained that he stored back inside his brand.

Analyze.

[Virus Blueprint | Grade: Superior] A special blueprint that teaches a Host's Virus how to use a certain ability. This blueprint contains knowledge about the basic movement skill—Burst.

Isaac looked up at the others. "So… who wants it?"

Marie and James shared a look and shrugged. "I mean, I could use a skill to move faster, but I don't really need it. Not my thing," the man said.

"I wouldn't mind a quick escape tool, but it's also nothing I can't live without," the woman added.

Isaac hummed and turned to their final teammate, who looked lost in thought. "Well?"

She clicked her tongue. "If it works how I think it does, it would probably be perfect for me. But if you want it…"

She trailed off, obviously leaving the decision in his hands. Not that he had to think about it even for a second. He already had an idea of what they should do.

"Use it," he said, handing her the tablet as a grin tugged at his lips. "Then, once you've got it down, you will teach the rest of us."

When silence met his statement, Isaac mentally patted himself on the back.

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.