Chapter 80: Chapter80-Stellar God
Chapter 80: Chapter80-Stellar God
All the skills were impressive, but the one that satisfied John the most was "Blood Absorption."
Simply by slaying enemies, he could gain certain attribute enhancements.
Even if killing a monster only granted one point, the accumulation from numerous kills could endow John with terrifyingly high attribute values.
Truly deserving of its god-tier status, this skill was outrageously powerful!
As for the other two skills, John was already somewhat familiar with them.
The first skill, "Blood Sensing," was a perceptive type of skill that allowed him to hear the flow of a creature's blood, enabling him to sense enemies over a large area.
John felt this skill could be effectively combined with his mental perception, potentially yielding extraordinary results.
The other skill, "Hemokinesis," was the signature skill of House Carter's inheritance class, "Crimson Count."
However, it now belonged to John.
One thing that particularly caught John's attention was that although these skills were potent, they essentially required the expenditure of HP to use.
This must be a characteristic of the "Blood Apostle" class, but he wondered if House Carter's "Crimson Count" worked the same way.
John felt it was highly unlikely.
He had heard from Seraphina that House Carter's "Crimson Count" inheritance was incomplete, whereas his "Blood Apostle" was acquired through the Crimson Demon's trial and was complete.
There was bound to be a difference.
After organizing his newfound treasures, John took out the Blood Mask to see if he could wear it.
The mask depicted a ferocious demon baring its fangs, entirely in dark red, similar in color to the Bloodthirsty Blade, appearing as though blood had dried upon it.
Combined with the menacing demon face, it exuded an aura of eerie terror just by looking at it.
Reflecting on it, John recognized this demonic image from the murals he had seen in the Phantom Ruins and the palace corridors, suspecting it represented the true form of the Crimson Demon.
John lifted his hand, attempting to fit the mask onto his face.
The mask of the Hidden Stars was merely a badge projection, a skill effect that could conceal one's face but still didn't provide the reassuring solidity of an actual mask.
The moment the mask touched his face, a pungent scent of blood rushed into his nostrils, and his vision seemed to be tinted with a dark red hue.
Swirls of blood essence enveloped John, igniting a fiery restlessness within him, as if flames were rising in his heart.
If anyone were present, they would notice John's eyes beneath the mask turning a blood-red, filled with ferocity, making the mask appear even more sinister and alive.
John frowned; he hadn't anticipated the equipment would exert such a negative influence on the wearer's emotions.
However, this surge of murderous intent couldn't sway his spirit; he forcefully subdued the inner turmoil.
With a mere thought, the mask on his face began to fade, gradually vanishing from sight.
The equipment possessed an active concealment feature, allowing him to hide it at will, avoiding the need to wear it constantly, which would be too conspicuous.
John then picked up the dark red longsword again.
The Bloodthirsty Blade had lost its initial mystique; its blade was covered in cracks, and the eye-like gem on the hilt was closed, rendering the entire sword dull and lackluster, devoid of its sharp edge.
After grasping the hilt, John felt an icy coolness but nothing unusual.
He had anticipated this.
The equipment had been severely damaged and reverted to iron-tier.
It would be absurd if it still could influence his mind.
Eagerly, John opened his attribute panel.
[Class]: All-Class Magus (God-tier)
[HP]: 18268
[MP]: 50351
[Attributes]: Strength 462, Stamina 487, Spirit 885, Speed 341
[Talent]: Divine Favor Tome (SSS-level)
[Skills]: Spring of Soul Lv20, Blood Absorption Lv20, Mana Recovery Lv20, Elemental Affinity Lv20, Hemokinesis Lv20, Blood Sensing Lv20, Shadow Puppet Lv20, Novice Skeleton Summoning Lv20, Shadow Marsh Lv20, Blood Devourer (Equipment), Blood Rage (Equipment), Blood Mimicry (Equipment), Wing of Blood (Equipment), Silent Curse (Equipment), Bloodlust (Equipment)…
[Equipment]: Bloodthirsty Blade Lv5 (Iron-tier), Necrostaff Lv10 (Silver-tier), Blood Mask (Sage-tier), Phantom Cloak Lv10 (Bronze-tier), Ring of Bloodwing Slaughterer Lv15 (Gold-tier), Berserk Bracers of the One-Eyed Lich King Lv15 (White-eye)…
...
After integrating the Blood Apostle, John's strength had received a substantial boost.
He clenched his fists, feeling the immense power coursing through his body.
With all his buffs stacked, John was confident he could take down Lucas in a single strike.
This was no exaggeration.
At this moment, if he counted the skill fusion technique, his skill count was nearing 30!
Although most were low-level and equipment skills, it was still astonishing.
Considering he was only at level 17 and hadn't even reached silver-tier yet, having thirty skills was utterly preposterous.
This was exactly what John wanted.
With such a unique talent, he was inherently suited for a spell artillery path.
It would be a travesty not to exploit this advantage fully.
After reviewing his gains, John prepared to leave.
But then, something occurred to him, and he opened a special panel—the summoning creature panel.
Though John had formed a pact with Yina, he was still unaware of her exact capabilities.
A silver-white panel unfolded before him, and soon, Yina's details appeared.
However, just at the first entry, John was completely frozen in place.
[Name]: Stellar God—Yina (Contracted)
[Race]: Stellar Sprite
[Level]: Lv17 (God-tier)
[HP]: 1700
[MP]: 107961
[Attributes]: Strength 1, Stamina 1, Spirit 1205, Speed 407
[Skills]: Stellar God's Guard, Stellar God's Blessing, Stellar God's Recovery...
...
Staring at the panel that could only be described as ludicrous, John could hardly believe his eyes.
Her?
A Stellar God!
What kind of joke was this?
John found it hard to accept Yina's identity; after all, from any perspective, she didn't fit his definition of a deity.
Besides, since when do gods volunteer to become someone's Contracted Nymph?
And which deity has only 1 point of strength?!
John looked over Yina's panel, his lips twitching involuntarily.
She didn't even have any attack skills...
Scanning through, he realized all of Yina's skills were supportive and incredibly potent, with effects even stronger than those of Seraphina.
But her attributes were something John found rather hard to compliment.
Observing her spirit and speed attributes, which were even higher than his own, John's face darkened.
Did she allocate all her attribute points solely into spirit and speed?
With such low HP, wouldn't she die at the slightest touch?
In face of danger, who would be protecting whom?
After a long while, John managed to calm his emotions.
No matter the turmoil in his heart, it was too late for any regrets.
The contract was signed, irrevocable.
He could only take things one step at a time.
As John was lost in thought, a calm voice reached him.
He calmly asked, "John, what are you thinking about?"
Startled, John realized he had seemingly forgotten something.
He looked up and saw a figure that had appeared outside the Land of the Blood God, unnoticed until now.
The figure wore a golden mask, held a long sword, and had a gaze as tranquil as still water.
His uniform of the Hidden Stars was speckled with droplets of blood, and the intense aura emanating from him was so sharp that a mere glance could make one's eyes sting.
It was Victor.
"Captain!" John approached, his expression somewhat sheepish.
He had actually forgotten about his captain, letting Victor fight his way up to the twelfth floor by himself.
John hadn't anticipated Victor's speed to be so swift; just a few minutes had passed, and he had already reached the twelfth layer.
And by the looks of it, he hadn't exerted much effort at all.
Truly worthy of being the captain!
Victor waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about the other things for now. Did you gain control of the Crimson Realm?"
John was inwardly startled, then quickly realized that such matters couldn't be concealed and simply nodded in affirmation.
Following that, John briefly recounted his experiences.
He omitted the part about encountering Yina in the mysterious space but shared everything else truthfully with Victor.
Mainly, there was no harm in disclosing these details since John himself was unclear about what had transpired.
Moreover, everything about him evidenced that he indeed had become the Legacy of the Crimson Demon, so he felt this explanation should suffice.
Indeed, upon hearing John's words, Victor furrowed his brows, lost in thought.
Then, he slowly nodded, saying, "It seems that the Crimson Demon has indeed chosen you as its inheritor, probably seeing something in your talent. Otherwise, It wouldn't have spared you, let alone entrusted you with the Crimson Realm and Its own weapon."
If things weren't so peculiar, John might have readily agreed.
Otherwise, what?
Did the Crimson Demon suddenly develop a conscience?
That would be even more preposterous.
Only this explanation seemed to make sense.