[mass release 3/4]

The party of three continued moving shortly after killing the Blood Burst back at the Sanctum, Shawn taking the lead while Nott carried the wounded Steven on his back.

Steven was badly injured. He had lost a large amount of blood, and thanks only to his physique stat, he had managed to stop the bleeding. As for the rest of his body healing completely, that was another story entirely.

That was why they had to keep moving, to find a safe place to camp for the rest of the day, or at least until Steven had fully recovered.

Their battle could have drawn the attention of other Blood Bursts, and that was something the group did everything they could to avoid. If more of those creatures found them, they surely wouldn’t be lucky enough to win again like they did the first time.

While Steven lay on the back of his Grey Knight, he made sure to check his stats.

{You have 1 minute left to pick a skill}

{Title: Blood Burst}

{Status: Disaster... 5 Undead Cores have been absorbed}

{Skills present: Mask of the Shapeshifter [C Rank], Blood Control [A Rank], Deron Poison [C Rank]}

{Choose a skill you would like to copy}

Steven took his time to think through the available skills of the Blood Burst. There wasn’t much time left, however.

Even so, with the little time he had, he carefully weighed all his options.

The shapeshifting skill, which allowed the user to change their appearance at will, was something that would have numerous uses in the First Realm. Cloaking himself to look like monsters, infiltrating human camps, whether friendly or hostile, it was a versatile ability with countless applications.

Blood Control was another option. He had seen firsthand how effectively the Blood Burst used it, forming tendrils of hardened blood to attack him and the spiders. It was useful, especially considering how limited his offensive abilities currently were. With Rampage Blast alone, he could only do so much. With a second attack-based skill, his damage output would significantly increase.

The poison ability was also tempting. To apply a poison effect, especially when paired with Red Fang, would drastically increase the lethality of his attacks. Against humans, a single cut could spell death, and against monsters, it would weaken them greatly over time.

’It’s a tough choice, but...’ Steven sighed inwardly, finally selecting the Blood Control skill.

{You have chosen the skill: Blood Control}

{Talent has taken effect}

{Blood Control x5}

With that done, Steven immediately checked his updated status. This was the first true kill he had achieved since entering the First Realm.

{Name: Steven ...}

{Blessing: Salvat the Fallen}

{Race: Half-Awakened}

{System: Limitless Undead System}

{Talent: Gain x5 upgrade from every undead slain. Copy skills from the dead and make them yours.}

{Skills copied: Rampage Blast, Stun, Fateless, Blood Control}

{Physique: 40/1000}

{Mana: 410/500}

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Steven took a brief moment to scroll through his system. The number of skills he possessed had increased once again, and his physique stat had experienced a massive jump thanks to Nott killing the Disaster.

That kill had granted him five times the usual stat increase he received from killing a Shadow Eater, effectively making him twice as strong as he had been when he first entered the Realm.

’No wonder my healing sped up so much. I can already feel the wound closing, control returning to my hands,’ Steven thought, excitement flashing in his eyes. With this increase in stats, he was finally starting to stand a real chance against the horrid monsters of this realm.

His gaze drifted to the bottom of the notification.

{Undead Cores accumulated: 70}

[Undead Summon: 1]

[Souls: 4/1000]

{Command over the Dead: 1/20}

Another thing that had increased was the number of Undead Cores he possessed. ’At least now I’ll be able to spend some cores on food.’

Steven had already set a strict budget for himself. Knowing how perilous the realm was, he understood the value of equipment—and how easily weapons, armor, or even provisions could be lost.

He always kept fifty Undead Cores reserved for equipment. The armor he wore cost twenty cores, and his sword cost ten. If both were destroyed beyond repair, he would still be left with twenty cores as a last resort, according to his calculations.

Now, with seventy Undead Cores in his possession, that left only twenty available to purchase food.

His eyes briefly drifted toward Shawn. ’Hopefully I won’t have to share.’

Next was the soul stat, which had suddenly increased by four.

’Does that mean killing a Disaster Rank Two gives me around four souls? Then how many would a base Disaster Rank give?’ Steven had no idea. He didn’t even know what the stat was used for yet, so for now, he pushed the thought aside. He’d deal with it later when he had time to properly explore the system.

"I didn’t know you were that strong," Shawn said from the front, catching Steven’s attention.

Steven raised a brow at the statement. "Yeah, join the club. I wasn’t strong—I just strategized well enough to keep my distance and deal damage."

Shawn let out a small chuckle. "That’s smart." He let the moment linger before speaking again. "Come to think of it, where are you from? What district, I mean."

Steven frowned. "I don’t come from money, if that’s what you’re aiming at."

"Oh—sorry?"

"It’s okay. I understand... I think," Steven replied.

Shawn shrank in on himself slightly. Every conversation he tried to have with Steven ended the same way—the young Awakened was blunt, cutting him off before things could go anywhere. It was almost like Steven was actively avoiding conversation.

Shawn sighed in surrender. ’Such a difficult person.’

Eventually, the party reached a section where the ruined hallway split into two paths. One led deeper into the endless maze-like corridors, while the other ended at a wooden door soaked in dried blood.

Judging by its structure, it seemed to lead into a room. It wasn’t pristine like the chamber the other group of Half-Awakened had entered earlier, but it was undeniably a room nonetheless.

Steven gestured for Nott to put him down, and the Grey Knight complied. Steven landed on his feet, steady despite his injuries. He let his gaze settle on the door, stretching his nearly healed arms before stepping forward to take the lead.

He signaled for Shawn to fall back slightly. If a monster was waiting behind the door, Steven was currently the fastest among them, able to evade the brunt of any initial attack that would come after opening the door. He trusted Nott to strike first after he evaded if needed, with Shawn providing support.

Hopefully, none of that would be necessary.

Steven placed his hand on the cold, gnawing knob of the ancient wooden door. His breathing steadied, pupils sharpening as he twisted it slowly—not fast, but deliberately, allowing the worn gears to grind with every passing second.

Then he pushed.

The door swung open on its hinges with a low, drawn-out creak.

Steven peered into the room, and his heart plummeted.

A woman stood inside.

She had long black hair cascading down her back, a beautiful face sculpted with delicate features, and a well-endowed body with curves that would make many men falter at first sight. Her cold blue eyes glowed faintly, holding an unsettling brilliance.

But what mattered most—

She was naked.

Completely bare, leaving the group exposed to far more than they were prepared to see. The sudden sight stunned them into silence for a brief moment.

"Oh fuck," Steven muttered.