Ch-3: Bloodline Powers Unlocked

[ You have received a hidden quest ]

[ Quest: Core Collector ]

[ Description: You have been issued a special task by ?????? who wants you to collect one hundred energy cores from tier 1 beasts, the possibility of a beast dropping an energy core is one in a thousand ]

[ Difficulty Rank: E ]

[ Reward: Access to the old man ???? personal library, a hidden reward from ???? ]

[ Do you accept the quest?? Yes/ No]

"So, brat, do you accept? Remember, even some human ascenders who have reached tier 2 have difficulty facing tier 1 beasts. As humans, we are inherently weaker than other races and moreover, the drop rate of the energy cores is extremely low" the old man advised Adam.

"Huh, but what do you mean by 'ascenders'?" Adam asked in confusion hearing a foreign term

"Ah, I see. As a newcomer to the tower, you may not have heard that term before. Ascenders are individuals who journey to climb the tower, whether they are residents of the tower or even from other worlds like yourself," the old man explained patiently.

"I see," Adam nodded his head in understanding. He didn't let the old man's warning faze him and accepted the quest without hesitation.

[You have accepted the quest]

"Haha, kid, I thought you would chicken out," the old man grinned, teasing Adam about his decision.

"Alright, I will go now," Adam said, ready to start his quest. However, he was stopped in his tracks when he heard the old man's voice.

"Wait, how do you expect to kill without a weapon?" the old man asked, making Adam scratch his head in embarrassment.

"Uh, can you lend me one?" Adam asked, feeling a bit foolish.

"Fine brat, I will lend you a weapon," the old man said as an iron sword appeared in his hand from thin air making Adam's eyes shine in amazement as he watched the spectacle

Adam took the sword from the old man by grabbing the hilt, and as he did so, a screen popped out displaying the sword's information.

[One-handed iron sword ]

[ Rank E ]

[ Grade: Low ]

The iron sword that appeared in the old man's hand was finely crafted with a sharp edge that gleamed in the light. The hilt was wrapped in a sturdy leather grip, providing a secure hold for the wielder. The blade itself was about two feet long, with a slight curve near the tip. It appeared to be well-maintained, with no rust or blemishes on its surface

" Alright brat if you are done staring at the sword, now leave quickly, I want to read the book I was reading previously " the old man said to Adam bringing out of him out of his daze as he resumed reading the dusty old book

With the words of the old man Adam disappeared from the place and started making his way toward the exit of the village

Sometime later, Adam arrived at the village exit, where he was met by a group of guards inspecting everyone who entered. Their swords were much better than the one Adam had borrowed from the old man which he could deduce with the naked eyes

The moment he stepped outside of the village, Adam was greeted with the sight of hundreds of players fighting against a group of rabbits. They were having difficulties landing a hit on the rabbit due to their agility and small body which they used to easily avoid the player's attacks

"Hmm, I should complete the other quest and unlock my mana and blood essence stats and awaken my unknown bloodline abilities," Adam muttered to himself as he made his way toward the open field

As he walked, some of the other players noticed the high quality of the sword Adam was carrying, their swords had rust on them while Adam's sword was shinning indicating it was better than the ones they were using

Adam abruptly stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of a rabbit sprinting towards him, baring its sharp teeth and aiming for his neck. Despite the danger, Adam managed to keep his cool and watched in silence as the furry attacker drew closer.

[ Carnivores Rabbit ]

[ Level 1 ]

[ Rank G ]

As the rabbit inched closer to him at an unusually sluggish pace, Adam couldn't help but wonder to himself, "Why is this thing moving so slow?" He observed the creature's movements with his eyes, wondering why the others were struggling so hard to hunt and kill these seemingly slow furry creatures

As the rabbit lunged towards Adam, aiming to sink its teeth into his neck, Adam swiftly sidestepped, evading the attack with ease. In a fluid motion, he drew his sword and swiftly sliced the creature in half. The onlookers gasped in awe at Adma's display of skill and precision

[ You have killed a carnivores rabbit no exp awarded due to the quest being incomplete ]

As soon as the other rabbits caught sight of their comrade being swiftly dispatched, their eyes turned a fiery red and they charged towards Adam with a crazed look which did not befit a cute creature like rabbits. However, Adam remained unfazed, and with his sword in hand, he effortlessly cleaved their little bodies in half, one by one

[ You have killed 9 carnivores rabbit, no exp awarded due to quest being incomplete ]

" Heck, how the hell did he kill them so easily, I was trying for an hour and still could not land a hit"

"Is he some kind of veteran player? That might explain it," one of the players mused, watching in awe as a fellow gamer accomplished an impressive feat in the VRMMORPG game they were all playing.

"Even if he is a professional player, let's not forget that this is the first VRMMORPG game. Even the experts cannot accomplish such a feat this easily, as everything is realistic and cannot be achieved like those old games which required a simple click of a mouse and keyboard," another player chimed in, nodding in agreement.

"Maybe he's from some kind of influential family?" a third player suggested, their curiosity piqued.

"Influential family? What are those?" a confused fourth player asked.

"You don't even know this? There are some families that have access to advanced technology that creates an entirely separate virtual world for them to train in. Not only that, but they're also training their bodies and minds in the real world, as it's been discovered that it will affect their performance in the game," the third player explained.

"Heck, is there really such a thing?" the fourth player exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, five years ago when the game was announced, they immediately realized that this would be the future of the new economy, as the unknown game developers allow players to exchange in-game currency with real-world money. So they started creating technology to train their members and gain an edge," the third player replied, their tone full of admiration and envy

Initially, Adam had been ignoring the other players' ramblings and shock, but the mention of powerful families caught his attention.

'The families, huh? It's no surprise that wealthy and influential families would invest in this game if there's a way to trade with the real world. They'll do whatever it takes to maintain their influence' Adam thought to himself as he continued to listen

"Who even created such an otherworldly VR world?" one player asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's a complete mystery," another chimed in. "Many organizations and families have offered huge sums of money for the developers to reveal themselves, but there's been no response."

Adam remained silent, lost in thought. He couldn't help but wonder if the creators of this game had anything to do with his own strange circumstances, to his inexplicable reincarnation in this alternate reality. Perhaps if he could find the mysterious game developers, he might finally find some answers.

But for now, he ignored the chatter of the other players and focused on the new screen that had just popped up in front of him

[ You have completed the quest ]

[ Blood essence and Mana will be unlocked ]

[ Attempting to unlock both stats ]

[ Failure... Failure... Failure]

[ Your body is too weak to awaken blood essence and mana ]

[ Your origin bloodline reacting vigorously to the attempt ]

[ Alert! Alert !]

[ Your body will be broken down and reconstructed to accommodate the power of mana and blood essence ]

[ During this period you will suffer excruciating pain, please find a secluded place for the process ]

The joy of completing the quest completely dissipated when Adam's eyes landed on the last message

"F***" he cursed silently in his head as he swiftly vanished from the open field and materialized in an isolated area surrounded by trees.

As he was about to take a seat on the grassy ground, an intense pain erupted all over his body

Adam let out a blood-curdling scream as he felt as though his body was being torn apart limb by limb. It felt like a thousand tiny needles were piercing his eyes

He continued to scream in agony as his body convulsed and sweat poured from his pores. Blood oozed from every orifice as bones cracked and reformed, making a sickening sound. His skin turned bright red and began to shed

After what seemed like an eternity, the ground was stained with his blood, and he lay there drenched in his own blood. Anyone who stumbled upon him would think a demon had risen from the depths of hell. He resembled a lifeless corpse barely clinging to consciousness

[Regeneration process initiated]

Adam had already lost consciousness from the excruciating pain, and he couldn't hear a thing. Suddenly, his body soon became enveloped in a radiant golden glow, and new skin began to grow over his entire body. His hair started to regrow at an extremely fast pace, and the blood that had once drenched his body started to disappear

After a while, Adam woke up, feeling the pain coursing through his entire body.

"Huff...huff..." he panted heavily, recalling the excruciating agony he had endured only moments ago.

"Damn it! I thought I was a goner. It's a miracle I'm still alive," he cursed loudly, realizing that he had come dangerously close to death once again

Adam looked at the condition of his entire body, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"What happened to all my injuries? Where is the blood that covered my entire body?" he questioned himself, as he saw the entire ground stained with his blood, but not a trace of it was on his body.

"This...what the hell?!" Adam looked at his own body in disbelief, feeling like it was not his own but a foreign one.

He quickly ran towards the nearest body of water and gazed at his reflection in amazement.

"Is this really me? Did my body undergo such a drastic change?!" If Adam was once considered average compared to the males in Luxuria, he was now the cream of the crop. His entire appearance had undergone a heavenly transformation. His boyish, beautiful face had been replaced by a more mature and handsome one that could charm any woman with a single glance. His hair was darker than before, his skin had a better glow and looked much softer. He could see that he was taller than before, but the most significant change was his body. The body that once refused to gain any muscles was now packed with dense muscles containing explosive power. It looked as though his body had been carved by the goddess of beauty, making any woman lust after him.

All of a sudden a notification brought Adam out of his daze, as he looked at the text in front of excitement and the reason he was willing to go through such pain

[ Ding Dong ]

[ Your body has reached its pristine condition ]

[ Reconstruction of your body has been successful ]

[ Your older stats have increased significantly ]

[ Mana and Blood Essence have been unlocked ]

[ You have unlocked the skills Origin Destruction and Origin Eyes ]