Chapter 397: Changes!

"Lemme see all the new bloodline skills I gained in that Spire..."

=====[New Bloodline Skills]=====

[Name: Lightning Spear]

[Description: Allows the user to create a piercing projectile entirely out of lightning, dealing devastating damage while inflicting paralysis.

Cost: 30 MF per spear.]

*****

[Name: Chain Burst]

[Description: Lightning jumps between multiple enemies, bypassing the defenses of weaker targets to inflict maximum paralysis.

Cost: 25 MF]

*****

[Name: Magnetic Howl]

[Description: Releases a furious howl that forcefully pulls nearby enemies toward the user.]

[Cost: None]

****

[Name: Rail Dash]

[Description: Allows the user to channel lightning into their legs, doubling their movement speed in a straight line.

Cost: 10 MF]

=======

"Ouuu... this is magnificent. Yo, Rail Dash looks impressive. Wait... the Howl too? Mehn... these are all awesome."

The first two skills, he had already used during his fight against the annoying spiders, so they didn’t excite him nearly as much anymore.

But the last two...

Those were more than enough to make his heart race.

[Rail Dash] almost seemed similar to [Blood Rush] based on the description, but there was a clear difference.

[Rail Dash] would allow him to move at twice his normal speed.

Which meant that with his Agility sitting at one hundred, activating the skill would let him move as though he possessed two hundred Agility instead.

Meanwhile, [Blood Rush] only gave him a temporary boost of roughly five percent.

"Ha. The Howl skill is awesome. Instead of shouting like a maniac anytime I need to draw attention to myself, I can just use it. Nice... nice. This is incredibly lovely."

After admiring the skills to his satisfaction, he let out a content sigh.

’Do the same with the System Skills I gained in the Spire.’

=====[New System Skills]======

[Name: Full Recovery]

[Description: Allows the Host to recover everything lost within the past twenty-four hours. Skills on cooldown, depleted energy pools, accumulated exhaustion, and fatigue will all be restored. The Host will return to peak condition.]

[Note: This skill can only be used twice per day.]

******

[Name: Stealth]

[Description: Completely conceals the Host’s aura, presence, sound, and scent, allowing the Host to remain imperceptible to enemies for a limited duration.]

=======

"Oh my freaking days! Th-that Stealth is so... woah!"

Ray shouted as he sprang to his feet, his face frozen in pure disbelief.

His eyes sparkled like those of a greedy child discovering a treasure chest as he reread the description again and again.

’With this... unless someone has absurd perception, I could assassinate them before they even realize I was there.’

He slowly sat back down on his bed, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

’... Hang on. This skill changes everything.’

His gaze shifted between his new Bloodline Skills and System Skills before a slow nod escaped him.

’Instead of dragging fights out, I can activate Stealth, combine it with my overwhelming speed, and finish my opponent in a single strike. Nobody would see me... and nobody would even know who did it.’

A slow smile spread across his lips as countless possibilities raced through his mind.

’Ah... I just became even more dan—’

[DING!]

’Huh?’

Ray froze halfway through lying back on his bed.

[System is incredibly pleased with Host for two reasons.]

’Hm?’

Immediately, the boy sat upright once more.

[First: For proving the System’s calculations wrong and defeating a threat that was predicted to be beyond the Host’s current capabilities.

Second: For humbling that arrogant fool of a Legacy called Berg.

As a result, a reward originally intended for a much later stage has been authorized.]

’I’m intrigued.’ Ray smirked.

[Additional Bloodline Skills granted.

• Partial Werewolf Transformation

• Partial Celestial Manifestation.]

Ray blinked several times.

’What? What’s that? Partial Werewolf Transfor—’

{I already know where this is headed, and before you start asking questions, let me do the honors.}

The System interrupted his confusion with its usual bored, slightly annoyed tone.

{Partial transformation. The same thing Felix always does. Transforming only his hands, claws, legs, or other parts of his body into werewolf features instead of undergoing a full transformation.

Figure the rest out by yourself.}

"...."

Ray blinked several times, as though his mind refused to process what he had just read.

The next second, his face split into a grin so wide that it nearly reached his ears.

’Thi... This... Th-This....’

His eyes even began to sting.

Quickly, he wiped them with the back of his hand before anyone could see.

"I love you, my dear System. This is magnificent. Thank you... thank you so much."

{....}

{Ei... I think it’s going to rain in a bit.}

The bathroom door suddenly swung open, revealing Kai with a satisfied grin plastered across his face.

"Ah... that was lovely. Six damn weeks without a proper bath. The shower’s all yours." Kai said as he strolled into the room, looking noticeably fresher and somehow even more radiant than before.

Ray looked at the ridiculously handsome Legacy and couldn’t help feeling a tiny stab of jealousy.

"Tch."

Clicking his tongue, he grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom.

There was no need to pick out another uniform.

He still had a spare one stored safely inside his inventory.

The moment he stripped himself bare, another smile crept onto his face as he recalled everything the System had rewarded him with.

Walking beneath the showerhead, he turned the knob.

Cold water poured over him immediately.

It washed away the dirt caked onto his skin.

The dried blood.

The sweat.

The exhaustion.

Even the lingering pain from weeks of constant battle seemed to melt away beneath the stream.

Closing his eyes, Ray slowly scrubbed every inch of his body with soap, taking his time to wash away every trace of the Red Gate world.

For the first time in what felt like forever...

He finally felt clean.

Several peaceful minutes later, he stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel.

"Huh?"

His movement halted.

Blinking once, he slowly stepped backward until his entire body came into view through the mirror.

Standing before him wasn’t the fifteen-year-old boy he remembered.

It was a young man who looked to be around nineteen or twenty years old.

His face had matured considerably.

Sharp.

Handsome.

The sort of face worthy of billboards and magazine covers.

A beauty capable of rivaling even Kai’s.

His steel-grey eyes had become calmer than before.

Yet beneath that calmness lurked something frightening.

They looked like the eyes of someone who had lived through far more than someone his age ever should.

Slowly, he raised a hand and touched his face.

His fingers eventually drifted toward the scar crossing his left eyebrow.

The same scar.

The one he received during the fall of Wall Rose...

The day he lost his family.

His silver hair clung to his head, soaked with water that continued dripping onto the tiled floor below.

But his face wasn’t what truly captured his attention.

It was...

His body.

Once, his physique had been lean and wiry.

Athletic enough, but nothing extraordinary.

Now...

Everything had changed.

Whether it was the countless Daily Quests, the brutal battles inside the Red Gate, or the evolution itself, Ray couldn’t tell.

His body now possessed the compact build of a seasoned fighter.

Every muscle was perfectly defined without looking unnaturally bulky.

The moment he flexed unconsciously, firm muscles shifted beneath his skin.

Turning sideways, he studied his back through the mirror.

Broad.

Dense.

It almost looked less like flesh and more like something carved from solid stone.

Facing the mirror again, his fingers slowly traced across his abdomen.

Eight perfectly sculpted abs greeted his touch.

Each one looked as though a master craftsman had painstakingly carved it into existence.

His chest had broadened.

His shoulders looked stronger.

Even his calves bulged with explosive power, resembling those of an athlete who had never skipped leg day once in his life.

In every possible sense...

Ray looked like an entirely different person from the boy he had been almost a year ago.

Taking another step closer to the mirror, his brows suddenly furrowed.

"...Huh?"

Something rested just above the left side of his chest.

A tattoo?

No...

Not exactly.

It resembled a glowing golden circular crest.

At its center rested a pair of pure white eyes that seemed strangely alive.

With every breath Ray took...

The golden mark pulsed faintly, almost as though it possessed a heartbeat of its own.

"Ah!"

The sudden discovery startled him enough to make him jump.

"Oi! Don’t overexert yourself, bro. Save some energy for your future partner!" Kai shouted from outside the bathroom.

Ray’s entire face instantly turned crimson.

"Kai, you bastard!"

He hurriedly threw on his clothes, grateful that his body had already dried while he’d been busy admiring himself.

The moment he finished dressing, he bolted out of the bathroom with only one thought occupying his mind.

’That tattoo... it has to be from the Celestial bloodline.’

___

[A/N: And finally, we have come to the end of our mass release today. Happy birthday to me once again.... Oh! Happy birthday to our very own Ray Dawson in advance. He’s birthday is on the 26th IRL 😁 thank you all for reading this far. Bye now!]