Chương 677: Four Ancient Skills

Charlie tapped the notification for her new skill, and five options appeared. [Blood Bond Expansion (Ancient)]: The Blood Familiar deepens its bond with the knight even further, while also gaining greater autonomy through its connection to the Blood Core. The requirement to remain near the Blood Death Knight in order to continue existing is removed, allowing the familiar to move freely away from its master. The maximum distance it can travel now scales with Perception.

[Dual Blood Swords (Epic)]: Sometimes, one sword simply isn't enough. The Blood Death Knight awakens a new combat style, gaining the ability to wield two swords at once. The harmony between both blades makes the knight faster and deadlier on the battlefield, increasing combat speed and opening the way to a far more aggressive fighting technique. While using two swords, attacks gain a small additional damage bonus that scales with Lethality, Agility, and Perception.

A technique that reminds the knight that the blade should be every bit as deadly as the will behind it. [Blood Death Soldier (Ancient)]: The Blood Death Knight understands that not every battle deserves direct attention. By concentrating the power of [Sword Drain Vampire], the knight drives their sword into a corpse, corrupting it with the familiar's cursed vampiric blood and transforming it into a Blood Death Soldier bound to their will.

The soldier returns with 60% of the body's original level and retains the basic combat ability of the main class it possessed in life. It also receives a bonus equal to 20% of the Blood Death Knight's class level, up to the skill's limit. Each active soldier requires 10 Willpower to keep under control, limiting how many can be commanded at the same time. Once destroyed, the soldier vanishes, but not before trying to carry out its commander's final order to the very end.

[Blood Golem (Ancient)]: The Blood Death Knight has faced horrors far greater than himself and learned that sometimes, the only way to balance the scales is to create something worse. By channeling the power of [Sword Drain Vampire] through his blade, he forces his familiar to invade and corrupt a humanoid corpse, transforming it into a Blood Golem. While in this state, all [Blood Bat] skills and effects operate through the golem with 20% increased effectiveness.

Transformed into this crimson horror, the familiar acts under the knight's command to crush his enemies. The golem inherits 80% of the knight's level and 125% of his Strength attribute, and gains an additional power bonus based on Intelligence and Willpower. Once begun, the transformation cannot be undone until the summoning duration ends or the Blood Golem is destroyed. The bond between knight and familiar has deepened over their journey, allowing the creature to become a true horror in its master's name.

[Blood Familiar Armor I (Ancient)]: The [Blood Bat] can dissolve into liquid blood and leap onto its Blood Death Knight, coating him and forming a living breastplate of blood. In this fused state, the knight becomes far more powerful, gaining a 50% increase to defense and a 30% increase to strength. The armor also inherits part of the [Blood Bat]'s powers, further expanding the knight's combat potential. In addition, any enemy who attacks the armor in melee combat will suffer cutting damage upon contact.

In this state, the knight's mind gains greater resistance against skills that affect his mental state, while blood-type skills become 25% stronger and mana consumption is reduced by 10%. As an additional effect, the blood of enemies who touch the armor will be absorbed, partially restoring the physical damage suffered by the knight.

More importantly, Familiar Armor can be activated even while the knight is transformed into a Vampiric Beast, revealing a monstrous superiority over other Vespertilio vampires and placing him on the feared Path of the Alpha Vampiric Beast.

"Master Luke..." Charlie stayed silent after reading the skills. Luke couldn't tell if she was impressed, scared, or both.

"I don't think I should've clicked on that skill notification."

"I told you."

"What do I do now?" Even the little bat sounded tense.

"That's up to you, Charlie. I can't make that kind of choice for you."

"And if you were in my place... which one would you pick?"

"That doesn't get you out of choosing."

"But... what would you do right now?"

"Right now, I'd focus on the challenge we're dealing with and think about it calmly later." She went quiet for a few seconds, then dismissed the screen.

"The last one mentioned something about transforming into a Vampiric Beast," Luke said.

"How do you feel about that?" It was exactly what Charlie had feared ever since they fought one.

"I don't know what to feel, Master Luke. If I... turned into a monster, would you... still be my husband?"

"No." Charlie's head snapped toward him, her expression strange. Almost hurt.

"I'd still be your boyfriend," Luke finished.

"I want to propose properly. After we get back to Earth. After I see my family again." Charlie stared at him for a moment, as if her brain had frozen halfway through processing it.

"What?"

"You scared me, Master Luke."

"I know." She sat down beside him, still a little sulky.

"Feeling better?"

"A little." Charlie rested her head on his shoulder.

"Keep focusing on the area around us," Luke warned.

"No getting distracted. We need to be careful until the end."

"Let me enjoy it for a bit, Master Luke. You scared me. Now you have to make it up to me."

"Fine. Just for a little." He glanced sideways at her.

"And when are you going to stop calling me Master Luke and just call me Luke?"

"Never."

[The Challenge "Protect the Cabin from the Monster Hordes" has been completed]"It's over?" Charlie asked, brightening. Around them, the ground was covered in creature corpses. Time had run out. The cabin still stood.

"Yes, but it's weird," Luke said, looking toward the beach, then the forest.

"I thought the Trident Knights would come with the final hordes." None of the three remaining knights had appeared. The hordes had been bigger, more aggressive, more numerous. But they had held. [Final Challenge activated] Luke sighed.

"Knew it. Too good to be true." [Final Challenge: Face the last horde!] [Objective: A final horde is coming with every monster left in the sea. Kill them all or survive until the timer ends.] Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. [Time Remaining: 59 Minutes: 59 Seconds.]"Charlie, you still have plenty of mana and stamina, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Because we're fighting all three Trident Knights at once." Luke jumped onto the cabin roof, and Charlie climbed up right after him, standing at his side.

"And where do I go?"

"We can't go to the beach or the forest. We stay here." Dangerous. But their only option. From the cabin roof, Luke watched the monsters rise from the water. Creatures of every shape roared, crawled, and ran from every shore of the island, converging on the cabin like a living tide.

"I'll thin them out." He conjured several knives and threw them. The blades fell over the horde, multiplying in midair with the power of [Knife Storm] before detonating with [Shadow Mana Explosion]. Several monsters were cut down on the spot. The tougher ones kept advancing, but they were already wounded.

"Should I have picked one of the skills?" Charlie asked.

"No. You shouldn't have." Luke didn't take his eyes off the horde.

"You made it this far without any of them. Your sword and your attribute points are what you'll have left when your mana runs out. Skills are just extra." That seemed to calm her down.

"I'll handle anything that gets close. Don't worry, Master Luke." Charlie jumped down from the cabin and raised her sword. A sphere came rolling toward her at high speed, stopping abruptly in front of her. It wasn't a sphere. It was some kind of sea centipede coiled in on itself. She charged the creature. Luke watched her for a moment. She was fighting well. Then he left it to her and turned his attention back to the rest of the island, scanning every direction for anything out of place.

That was when something flew toward him. He dodged, and an arrow whipped past him. Archer. Luke turned toward where the shot had come from. Between the trees stood an orange humanoid creature with a shrimp face, holding a bow. So you use ranged weapons too. Another arrow came. But it wasn't aimed at Luke. It was aimed at the cabin. He threw a knife. The blade struck the arrow midair, and the projectile exploded into water before reaching the building. Leaving that archer free is going to be dangerous.

Luke didn't spare his mana. He conjured another knife and hurled it with force. The explosion hit the spot where the archer stood, but when the smoke and water cleared, the monster was still alive. One of the Trident Knights had appeared in front of it. The creature had a massive shell, a pointed nose like a swordfish, and held an enormous shield with both hands. The impact had driven it backward, but it held firm. The knight smiled at Luke and struck its own metal shield, showing off its defense like a challenge.

"Charlie, we've got a problem. They've got an archer." Even though he spoke quietly, her hearing caught it.

"I'll go."

"I'll cover you." Luke began firing knives as he jumped off the roof. The monsters came in a swarm, trying to invade the cabin, and he cut them down along the way, circling the building like an armed shadow. The bastards are trying to pin me down. In the distance, Charlie carved a path with her sword. Taking advantage of an opening, Luke threw another knife at the archer, but the shield knight intercepted it again. The impact of [Burst Throw] was strong enough to force it back, but not enough to bring it down.

Luke returned to the cabin roof while continuing to eliminate creatures. More monsters were gathering in the forest ahead, and some had started moving toward Charlie. From above, he threw knives and used [Knife Storm], multiplying the blades that fell over the enemies. Then he saw something strange beside the cabin. The area around the building was surrounded by the mud Luke had prepared earlier. He had produced it in bulk, strengthened its effects with potions, and spread it through holes like a kind of quicksand.

Now there were footprints in the mud. But nothing was visible.

"Got you, bastard." Luke pointed his hand, and the bracer fired a knife. [Burst Throw activated] The blade hit an invisible creature in the face, making it stagger and lose its disguise. It was some kind of sea centaur. The lower half resembled a crab; the upper half was humanoid. The monster clutched the wound as it backed away. [Trident Sea Knight - Lvl 109] Luke pulled out a bow and fired an [Acid Blood Arrow] into the crowd of monsters in front of the cabin. Then he jumped down to face the Trident Knight.

He ran toward the creature while throwing knives, but the monster deflected every one of them with a pair of daggers made from sharp teeth.

"Of course I get the assassin," Luke muttered, watching the enemy's body flicker in and out of sight. They clashed. Luke dodged the daggers, slipped under the guard, and kicked the enemy away. Before the knight could regain its balance, he launched another knife. The blade struck the creature's neck and exploded. When the small blast faded, Luke spun his weapon. The monster's head fell to the ground.

[You have slain a Trident Sea Knight - Lvl 104] 40, 942, 837 EP earned Your second class [Arcane Witch] has reached Level 91! (+12 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +7 Perception, +6 Willpower, +5 Agility, +3 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 Free Points.) Luke stepped away from the body.

"Problem with assassins is, we usually don't have great armor." When he looked back at the cabin, he saw Charlie facing the two remaining Trident Knights. They were already far too close to the building. The archer spotted Luke and fired arrows rapidly while he ran. Charlie punched the ground, making both knights stagger backward. Then she swung her sword. Luke reached the archer from behind and cut off one of its arms.

Charlie seized the opening, struck from behind, drove her sword through the creature, and crushed its head with a brutal punch from her free hand. [Charlotte Vespertilio has slain a Trident Sea Knight - Lvl 109] Charlotte Vespertilio's 2nd Class [Black Ash Fighter] reached Level 88! (+18 STR, +8 INT, +7 END, +6 VIT, +6 PER, +5 AGI, +5 Free Points)"The shield one," Luke said. But the knight had already charged. It slammed Charlie with its shield, sending her skidding backward.

"You're the last one," Luke said.

"Still going?"

"Until the last of you falls." Luke raised his hand.

"Duck."

"What?" The kukri struck him from behind, and the knight screamed in pain.

"That was your warning." Luke advanced with [Crimson Fang]. The shield blocked the blow, but the impact hurled the knight backward. Charlie came in from the rear and struck his back. He moved with the mimic's fluidity, shifting angles, attacks, and feints, giving the enemy no room to breathe. Charlie activated [Spectral Chain], wrapped it around the monster, spun him, and hurled him away. Even then, he didn't let go of the shield.

"I'm not falling here unless I take one of yo—" [You have slain a Trident Sea Knight - Lvl 112] 50, 784, 144 EP earned Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 95! (+10 Lethality, +7 Perception, +6 Agility, +6 Vitality, +6 Intelligence, +5 Endurance, +8 Free Points) [You have unlocked a new Class Skill] [Charlotte Vespertilio has reached Level 87! Vampire (Rank E)] (+2 to all stats, +7 free points.)"There are more monsters getting close to the cabin," Charlie warned, already running.

In less than twenty minutes, they wiped out the rest of the horde. [Final Challenge has been completed] Luke and Charlie collapsed in front of the cabin, exhausted. [Beacon 4 has been successfully completed!] [The exit is open!] [Your reward is available in the chest!]"Ready to get out of here?" Luke asked.

"Ready." Charlie stood, using her sword for support. She was tired. They both were. [Beacons Completed: 4/6] In front of the cabin, two chests appeared.

"Mine has a cloak," Luke said, opening his.

"Mine has a helm." The dungeon interface screen appeared in front of Charlie.

"It says here we can be teleported to the top of the tower we used to descend to the beacon."

"Good," Luke replied.

"I've had enough swimming around at the bottom of the ocean to last me a few days."

"And the locator? Should I activate it?"

"Yes. Set it to Layla or Jack. We need to find a way to meet up with them again. But before that, check if my family is alive." By now, phase 5 had already begun, and the teleportation halo that had brought them there had been changed back to the original teleport point. Charlie was about to click the option to leave the dungeon when she stopped for a moment and looked at the cabin.

"It was nice staying here for a while. I wish we could come back someday. Too bad we can't."

"It wasn't the cabin that made it special," Luke said.

"It was us." Charlie looked at him for a moment. Then she clicked the option. White light wrapped around them, and they were teleported. Luke opened his eyes while lying on the ground.

"You finally came back," said a familiar voice. It was Erza Grimhart. Luke got up. Charlie was beside him. It was daytime, and they were back on the surface.

"Your friend Angie arrived two minutes ago with Evangeline," Erza informed them. A moment later, Angie approached.

"Charlie. My lord." She greeted them with a nod.

"I grew much stronger in there." Suddenly, Eleanor appeared beside Anne.

"Two weeks trapped in that place without sunlight," Eleanor complained.

"Oh. You're here." The group gathered and began exchanging information. Everyone who had completed a Beacon had gone through the same two-week challenge, but each had been on an island with a different theme and climate. Eleanor's island never saw dawn; it was always dark. Evangeline's was trapped under constant rain.

"Ours was normal," Charlie said.

"And what did you two do with your free time?" Erza asked.

"At least tell me you trained."

"As if it was some kind of vacation," Evangeline grumbled.

"The last few days were a pain in the ass." Luke and Charlie looked at each other. Erza crossed her arms.

"I have two pieces of news for you. One good, one bad. Which do you want first?"

"Let's go with the bad one first. What do you think?" Eleanor said.

"The bad news is that Phase 5 has already started, and it's halfway over."

"And the good?" Luke asked.

"The System lets you use the halos here to return to where you came from. So you should be able to go back to your ship."

"Then let's go back," Evangeline said.

"I've had enough islands." The group started walking. They still had a few solid hours of travel before they reached the halo.

"And you, Anne? Was it fun?" Erza asked her sister as the two walked ahead.

"It was..."

"Was Eleanor patient with you? If she wasn't, I can punish her."

"She was... pretty patient."

"Good, good." The two started chatting like they weren't assassins at all. Just sweet sisters. As they walked, Luke clicked the notification for the skill choice available at level 95. Now it's my turn. Let's hope I get something as good as Charlie did.