Ring of Blood

Ten minutes have already passed since I defeated the gargoyle. However, I was still laying on the ground, feeling the cold floor beneath me.

Every inch of my body ached from the intense battle with the creature. The cold stone offered a strange comfort, contrasting with the fiery pain coursing through my limbs.

I couldn't move, my muscles refusing to respond to my commands.

Luckily, I had a certain item hanging around my neck.

⌜Bloody Emblem ⌝

» Item Tier - Rare

◈ Description - This is a cursed item… Grants user a slight health regeneration.

The Bloody Emblem, although, had the word 'cursed' in its description, was slowly mending my wounds.

I could feel the faint warmth spreading through my body, knitting my torn flesh back together. The process was slow, almost painfully so, but it was working. I didn't want to push my body while it was healing, so I remained still, letting the emblem do its work.

Gradually, the pain began to recede.

My breathing steadied, and the sharp throbs dulled to a manageable ache. I flexed my fingers, then my arms, testing my limits. Each movement brought a fresh wave of discomfort, but it was bearable.

The emblem was doing its job.

I took a deep breath and pushed myself to a sitting position.

The chamber was silent now, the echoes of the gargoyle's roars still lingering in the air. The fallen guardian lay motionless, its stone body slowly disintegrating into dust. In the midst of the debris, something glinted - a small ring.

The Ring of Blood.

I crawled over to it, my movements still sluggish and pained.

With trembling fingers, I picked up the ring and held it up to the dim light. It was a simple wooden band, unassuming and plain, but I knew better than to judge it by its appearance.

This was the artifact I had come for, the one I had fought so hard to obtain.

⌜Ring of Blood ⌝

» Item Tier - Artifact

◈ Description - This ring once belonged to a warrior, a knight who could shatter mountains with a single blow. It grants its wearer the ability to permanently acquire Attributes of killed enemies in return for taking away the user's ability to level up. It can't be removed once equipped.

I observed the plain wooden ring, feeling its weight and significance even before I slipped it onto my finger.

The simplicity of its design belied the immense power it held, a power I could scarcely fathom. My breath hitched as I turned it over in my hand, the dim light casting long shadows that danced across its surface.

With a mixture of reverence and trepidation, I brought the ring closer to my face.

My hand trembled as I raised the ring to the light one last time. The choice before me was monumental.

I took a deep breath, my resolve hardening.

"Here goes nothing…"

Slowly, carefully, I slipped the ring onto my finger.

The moment it touched my skin, I felt a surge of energy, a connection that sent a shiver down my spine. The ring seemed to pulse with a life of its own, binding itself to me in a way that was both exhilarating and terrifying.

A searing pain shot through my hand, causing me to gasp.

The ring tightened, embedding itself into my flesh. I could feel it merging with my very being, rewriting the fabric of who I was.

Blood vessels underneath my skin bulged, appearing everywhere around my body, like a cobweb of thin crimson lines.

The pain that surged through my hand was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. It was as if my blood had turned to molten lava, searing every vein and artery it touched.

The sensation spread rapidly, a wildfire of agony that consumed my arm, shoulder, and eventually my entire body.

I clenched my teeth, a guttural scream tearing from my throat as I collapsed back onto the cold stone floor.

Every heartbeat felt like a hammer striking an anvil, the reverberations of pain echoing through my bones.

I writhed, my fingers clawing at the stone as if I could dig my way out of the torment.

My vision blurred, and for a moment, I feared I might lose consciousness. But the ring held me in a vice grip of awareness, forcing me to endure every second of its integration into my flesh.

The cobweb of crimson lines under my skin pulsed rhythmically, a grotesque dance of life and death.

I watched in horrified fascination as the blood vessels bulged and twisted, forming patterns that seemed almost sentient. My muscles spasmed uncontrollably, each contraction sending fresh waves of agony through my body.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain began to recede.

It didn't vanish completely but dulled to a throbbing ache that I could manage. I lay panting, my chest heaving with each labored breath.

I struggled to sit up, every movement a reminder of the ordeal I'd just endured.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself.

I needed to know what had changed, what the ring had done to me.

"Status."