[Blood Monarch (S-Level): Your blood is truly one of a kind, powered up far more than any other and a much better control than most, you will not easily shed blood to others, making you much more durable.]
[Also, you may be able to enter some spaces that are previously impossible to access.]
---
"Hm."
Leon stared at the panel for a long moment before nodding slowly.
Compared to the original description, it had changed far more than he expected.
It wasn’t just a slight improvement or a minor clarification, it felt like the system itself had rewritten the meaning behind the sub-talent.
More than that, he could feel it.
A strange sensation spread through his body, subtle yet undeniable.
His blood seemed heavier, denser, as if every drop carried more weight than before.
It wasn’t uncomfortable. On the contrary, it felt natural, like something that had always belonged to him and had finally been awakened. It resonated with him.
Almost instinctively, Leon clenched his fist and relaxed it again, testing his body.
There was no pain, no resistance, just a faint sense of stability, as if his entire frame had been reinforced from the inside.
"Phew."
He let out a quiet breath and shifted his focus back to the panel, his eyes narrowing slightly as he reread the final line of the description.
[Also, you may be able to enter some spaces that are previously impossible to access.]
That line alone was enough to make his thoughts spiral. Leon frowned faintly.
He had never heard of anything like that in his past life.
Talents that boosted strength, speed, durability, or even perception were the most "common" ones.
Even strange abilities that bent rules had existed. But a sub-talent that allowed access to places others physically or fundamentally could not enter? That was new.
If the system itself stated it so clearly, then it had to be true.
The system never lied, at least, not directly.
It might obscure things or remain vague, but when it stated something outright, it meant exactly that.
’I’ll have to keep an eye out for it,’ Leon thought.
Whatever those "spaces" were, they were probably rare, dangerous, or both. And knowing the system, they wouldn’t be accessible without consequences.
For now, though, he pushed the thought aside. Another panel appeared in front of him.
[Free Points to Allocate: 375.]
Leon didn’t hesitate. He had already thought this through.
Without wasting time, he split the points evenly: half into [Constitution], half into [Spirit].
The moment he confirmed the allocation, a familiar warmth spread through his body.
His muscles tightened slightly, his stamina deepened, and at the same time, his mind felt clearer and sharper.
"So what now?" Emilia asked, stretching her arms with a grin. "I feel like I’m strong enough already. One more kill and I’ll hit level twenty-five."
Leon glanced at her briefly before opening his own status panel and checking a specific value.
[Combat Power: 23,502 (+45,740)]
"...Damn."
Even he couldn’t help reacting. He had nearly reached seventy thousand in total combat power.
That number alone was absurd, especially for someone in the [Lower Domains].
It was more than enough, far more than enough.
Compared to Emilia whose Constitution carried her entire build, his stats were much more evenly distributed.
Hers leaned heavily toward defense, while his focused on balance and control.
Even so, [Spirit] still contributed the most to his overall power, just as it always had.
"We’re heading back to [Hub City]," Leon said, closing the panel and smiling faintly. "I want to meet up with the others. After that, we can move on to the second assessment."
"Sure," Emilia replied without hesitation, nodding once. And just like that, the two of them took off.
Their bodies blurred as they rushed forward at full speed, tearing across the terrain with frightening momentum.
With their current stats, no monster or player in this region could even hope to come close to matching them.
They were simply on a completely different level now.
Emilia knew that better than anyone: without Leon, she would never have reached even a fraction of this power.
In truth, she wouldn’t have survived long enough to see any of it. That fact was burned into her mind.
Because of that, her resolve was firm.
She would follow him. No matter what happened, no matter where he went, she would help him however she could.
Fwoosh!
After nearly twenty minutes of nonstop movement, the outline of [Hub City] finally appeared in the distance.
At the same time, Leon opened his [Friends] panel and sent out a message.
[Celestial: I’m heading toward "Hub City" very soon, please come to the gate, I have something for you all.]
Replies came almost instantly.
[DestinyArcher: Wow, really? I did feel like my bow was starting to feel rusty! (◕ᗜ◕)]
[DivineWind: Thanks brother Leon, your weapons are always great!]
[ShadowAaron: We’ll be waiting.]
[AliceSupports: T-Thank you, I hope it didn’t bother you too much!]
Leon glanced at the names and smiled. Their new IDs suited them perfectly.
DestinyArcher was Eleonore’s ID, tied to her [Archer of Destiny] talent.
DivineWind was David’s, inspired by both his [Divine Warrior] talent and his surname.
ShadowAaron was Aaron’s, a simple but fitting name based on his [Shadow Tank] talent.
And AliceSupports was straightforward and honest, just like her role.
Seeing their confirmation, Leon increased his pace even further.
But just as [Hub City] drew closer, another message popped up.
[DestinyArcher: Be careful though, people have been talking about explosions targeting players and killing them, many are too scared to leave "Hub City" because of that (◡︵◡)]
Leon’s eyes narrowed. His expression darkened instantly.
’So they’re still at it.’
Those player killers hadn’t stopped. As long as players dropped loot, they would keep hunting.
Morals meant nothing to people like that: only profit and power.
Especially now that they were likely among the strongest in this region.
And at that moment—
Fwoosh!
Both Leon and Emilia sensed it.
For the second time since entering this [Lower Domain], an arrow shot through the air toward them, tearing a path through the wind.
"Them again?" Emilia groaned. "I’m getting tired of this."
She instinctively moved to dodge, even though the attack wouldn’t have hurt her.
Leon, however, didn’t move at all.
Instead—
Vision Enhancement!
The skill activated instantly. The world sharpened, slowing slightly in his perception. He followed the arrow’s trajectory backward, tracing it with ease.
His gaze lifted. Atop a small valley ahead, a group of players stood watching them.
One of them held a bow, its string still vibrating.
’Found you,’ Leon thought, a grin forming on his face.
And then—
BOOM!
The explosion that followed was massive. At least twice as powerful as the first one they had encountered earlier.
The ground shook violently, dust and debris flying in all directions. Those player killers had grown stronger.
And since Leon hadn’t bothered to dodge, the explosion detonated directly on him.
Nearby players screamed and scattered, some fleeing in panic, others staring in shock.
"Oh shit!" someone yelled.
Even Emilia’s eyes widened slightly at the sheer force of the blast.
Whoever launched that attack had fully intended to kill everything in its radius.
Meanwhile, atop the valley—
"You definitely got them, boss!"
"Hell yeah! That was the guy from before, too bad he ran into us!"
Their leader stepped forward, grinning.
Since the last encounter, he had risen from level fifteen to level nineteen. His power had increased dramatically.
And coming from an intermediate-level world, he was obviously stronger than the low-level world trash around him. Or so he believed.
"I’ve got over twenty-three thousand combat power now," he said confidently. "No one here can tank my attacks. No one."
They waited. They expected a system notification. Loot. Items spilling out. But nothing happened.
"...Huh?"
The dust began to settle. And then, they saw him.
The man they had targeted stood there, completely unharmed, staring straight at them.
In that instant, a cold realization washed over the group.
They had made a mistake. A fatal one. But it was already far too late to regret.