13 Authority forging

After sharing information about the Chronicles with Talia and her father, Gavin, Frederick quickly reassured them that he had no intention of causing harm and would provide the town's location as promised once they were done. He then inquired about how Talia's authority worked and if there were any specific requirements or materials she needed.

Talia responded with a sigh, "I don't require any special items to activate my tattoos, alright? Let's just get this over with. So, which authority are you going to beg me to forge for you?"

Frederick found himself contemplating whether he should indeed request Talia to forge the Blood Dominion authority. Despite the risks associated with Blood Dominion, he believed the potential rewards were worth it. Its just that if the assimilation rate turned out to be too low, he might not be able to utilize it effectively.

However, this decision raised another question: how should he allocate his stats? Frederick had to make an important choice that would significantly influence his approach to future battles. He carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages of his options.

One option was to focus on increasing his constitution stat, which would provide immediate benefits such as enhanced resistance and strength. This path would make him well-suited for close-quarter combat authorities. However, it had drawbacks. If he chose this path, he might not be able to rely on authorities as his primary means of fighting later on.

The alternative was to invest more in his mind and dexterity stat. From what Frederick knew, having mind stats is like the raw calculative power while dexterity allows the user better control of their raw power. Having a high mind and dexterity stat would allow him to wield authorities with greater ease but came at the cost of a weaker constitution and perception.

Frederick quickly dismissed the idea of allocating too many points to perception, as it primarily benefited scouts and didn't align well with his unique authority.

Frederick ultimately decided to prioritize his authority-linked stats, opting to take the risk associated with using Blood Dominion.

His decision stemmed from several considerations. Firstly, he felt a sense of urgency in competing against other candidates and recognized that he couldn't afford a slow progression. Blood Dominion provided him with an early advantage which is crucial for this competitive scenario. "One against the world" would only lead him to a slow death at the hands of other candidates so he needed a way to gain experience point faster.

Moreover, engaging in close combat would necessitate allocating points to perception, which didn't align with his unique authority that allowed him to rewind time.

Lastly, prioritizing his mind stat appeared to be the less perilous option in a fight. Drawing a parallel to humanity's historical shift from swords to guns for the advantage of range, Frederick reasoned that entering the line of sight of someone with a gun while armed only with close-combat skills would likely result in certain death.

While starting with high constitution stats had its advantages, Frederick considered that he could acquire items or even other authorities later on to compensate for his weaknesses in perception and constitution. Despite its inherent risks, this path, especially when combined with Blood Dominion, held more potential and aligned perfectly with Frederick's strategic approach.

"I will choose to forge this authority," declared Frederick as he displayed a small purple marble and started to approach them cautiously. Despite being very wary of them, the potential reward was worth the risk.

Once he was close enough, Frederick considered asking Gavin to move farther away, but he knew that was not feasible. Talia slowly and carefully approached Frederick, took the marble from his hands, and began to examine its description.

"High rarity Blood Dominion... That sounds edgy. I swear the person who named this authority must be— What?" Talia's initial disdain turned to surprise as she read its abilities. "Well, it sounds quite an op authority, but the curse... Never mind"

Talia almost forgot that Frederick was a murderer for a moment, drawn in by his kind smile. She frowned but felt helpless at this point. She needed the information Frederick possessed, so she could only reluctantly assist him.

With a final sigh, she glanced at her father, whose face was filled with regret. She finally made up her mind and said, "It's my first time using this." She announced as she murmured her authority's name.

Out of nowhere, a hammer appeared in her hand. The hammer seemed ghost-like, composed of hazy, ethereal substance. It had an otherworldly, translucent quality, its form shimmering slightly as if it were made of mist and stars.

With a swift motion, she struck the authority orb with her hammer. When the hammer made contact with the orb, it emitted a soft light, and the orb slowly began to change its form, little by little. Gavin and even Talia were surprised to witness this magical transformation. Although it was her own authority, Talia couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt about everything that was happening since their arrival in the Main Hub World.

The orb continued to change its shape, morphing into something Frederick didn't expect. As the light faded, Frederick examined the result carefully and was somewhat surprised to see that the orb had transformed into a hand-sized card. Despite the darkness, he could still make out the card's shiny letters, which spelled out "Blood Dominion."

The "Blood Dominion" card had a dark, smooth surface with subtle crimson veins running through it, giving it an eerie, lifelike quality. The words "Blood Dominion" were embossed in deep blood-red letters, standing out against the card's darkness. In the center of the card, a detailed illustration depicted the essence of Blood Dominion.

A coiled crimson serpent-like creature with bright golden eyes wrapped around a pulsing heart. Delicate tendrils extended from the heart, intertwining with the serpent's body. Overall, the card emitted an aura of uneasiness to anyone who observed it for too long.

Frederick wasted no time and asked, "Why did it turn into a card?". He remained cautious, ready to defend himself in case anything seemed suspicious.

Talia, still struggling to mask her discomfort from her father, replied with a hint of annoyance, "I had to remove its protective layer and reveal its true form, or something like that, to make it usable, you know."

Gavin appeared to notice something was amiss with his daughter and attempted to comfort her, but she just forced a smile and assured him that everything was fine.

Seeming a bit exhausted from the process, Frederick kindly offered her a break, to which she agreed.

In truth, Frederick didn't care much about her well-being; he was more concerned about the assimilation rate. He wasn't sure if forcing her exhausted mind to forge would result in a lower rate, so he decided not to take any risks and let her take a quick rest.

As Talia quickly took a break, Frederick remained vigilant, never letting his guard down for even a moment. Constantly surveying their surroundings was mentally exhausting, but he knew he couldn't afford to make any mistakes at this critical moment.

On the other hand, Gavin was more focused on Frederick than the monsters lurking in the area. He believed that Frederick posed a greater threat at this moment. Gavin's eyes kept darting between his daughter and Frederick, occasionally glancing at the dark forest that surrounded them.

Fortunately, the stars in the sky provided some illumination, allowing them to see their immediate surroundings to some extent.

After what seemed like an eternity for both Gavin and Frederick, Talia finally said with a determined tone, "Let's just finish this." She then advanced firmly toward Frederick.

Once she was close enough, she took the card that Frederick held and murmured something. Frederick could only hear that she invoked her authority but couldn't discern its name.

This time, a luminous yellow pen materialized in her hand. The pen had a surprisingly thick build and would appear entirely ordinary if not for the soft ethereal golden aura that enveloped it and its sharp edge.

"So, where do you want me to place the tattoo?" asked Talia as she focused her gaze on Frederick's body without any shame. Frederick ignored her gaze and directly told her, "On my arm near my armpit."

The reason Frederick chose this location was simple: he wanted the tattoo to be as discreet as possible, easily hidden. He could've asked her for other places, such as under his foot, but it would have left him vulnerable, so he opted against it. Frederick didn't care about his appearance; in his mind, only the effect mattered.

Talia simply nodded in response, her eyes rolling exaggeratedly. She delicately touched the Blood Dominion card with her pen. The moment her pen made contact with the card, it appeared to melt into a swirling, bloody haze, gradually merging with her pen. As the haze flowed in, the pen's color gradually shifted, taking on a deep crimson hue.

Without further ado, she forcefully drove the sharp edge of her pen directly into Frederick's arm before the pen slowly vanished.

What followed was sheer, unadulterated agony that coursed through his entire being. It was a pain unlike any other, the kind that could reduce even the strongest to a quivering wreck in an instant.

As the tattoo was drawing itself on Frederick's arm, he felt as though millions of razor-sharp needles were relentlessly piercing Frederick's body, aiming to create as many holes as possible. Every inch of Frederick's existence throbbed with such excruciating pain that he had to muster every ounce of willpower not to lose consciousness.

Collapsing heavily onto the ground, Frederick could hear someone yelling in the background, but he couldn't muster the strength to care. Summoning every last ounce of his resolve, he gritted his teeth until they bled and began to crawl away, each movement requiring a monumental effort. It felt as if he were carrying a mountain on his back.

As Frederick slowly inched toward his hideout, a dark figure blocked his path. Frederick mustered the energy to lift his head and gaze at the figure, realizing it was Gavin, who was carrying his unconscious daughter on his back. Talia bled profusely from her nose and even her ears.

Though Frederick's vision was hazy and his mind clouded by pain, he could still sense the gravity on Gavin's face.

The man spoke words that Frederick couldn't quite hear clearly, except for the keyword "town". Understanding Gavin's intent, Frederick shot a glare in the approximate direction of the town before resuming his painful crawl. However, Gavin stopped Frederick once more.

"I need levels to... protect Talia... I am so sorry... Truly...Authority of Enforcer's Judgment."

A blinding light appeared in front of Frederick, and then, in the blink of an eye, everything went from pure light to total darkness for Frederick. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he found himself back in the mysterious time room once again.

As the pain slowly disappeared as if it never existed, Frederick's face showed a bit of helplessness as he tried to stand up to analyze all his mistakes. However, Frederick suddenly stopped his movements when he noticed a system panel that wasn't supposed to be there.

After seeing this message, Frederick was lost in his thoughts yet again and decided to not select yet. Without any hesitation, he quickly opened his status.

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<Welcome back, candidate>

Name: Frederick Field

Race: Human

Age: 26 years old

Level: 1

<Authority >: Forgotten Times (Unique), Blood Dominion (Remembrance)

<Authority of Blood Dominion (Remembrance)>

-Description: The possessor of this high rarity authority gains dominion over the essence of blood itself. This authority is a copy created by a higher authority. The assimilation rate is forcefully set at 100%.

Abilities:

-Blood Overlord: The user commands the blood within others, shaping it with precision for various purposes. The targets' constitution stat can limit or even nullify this ability

-Sanguine Infusion: The user can manipulate the blood within their own body to temporarily enhance their physical capabilities.

-Bloody Sense: The user develops an acute sensory connection to the presence of blood.

-Blood Constructs: The user can solidify and mold their own blood to create tools.

Rarity: Remembrance

<Curse >: One Against the World (Unique), Thirst of the Scarlet Pact (High)

-One Against the World (Unique):

Effect: The world will try to kill you by every means possible, and the experience points you earn will be divided by ten times. Remark: How did you even survive until now?

-Thirst of the Scarlet Pact (High):

Effect: The mastery of blood manipulation comes with a price in the form of an unending thirst for the essence of life. Failing to regularly indulge this thirst results in diminishing control over their authority, leading to physical weakness and eventual collapse. The curse's intensity amplifies as the user grows stronger.

Remark: Are you a vampire fan?

<Statistics >

-Constitution: 10

-Mind: 10

-Perception: 10

-Dexterity: 10

Experience points: 0/1000

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Frederick was a bit speechless, and he couldn't help but let out an eerie smile, a strange mix of astonishment and dark amusement playing across his face. His authority doesn't only allow him to go back in time but also keep a copy of all his permanent authority.

However, Frederick's smile quickly faded away, and he started reworking his plans yet again. He stared at the system panel without saying a word. After a short instant, another panel appeared.

<Upon your demise, authority "Forgotten times" (Unique) has been invoked. You will be transported back to the initial day within Chronicles.>

Suddenly, all clocks stopped and moved in the opposite direction, a sign that his time in this room was nearing its end.

<Will you keep the remembrance of "Blood Dominion" Authority? (Y N)>

Frederick firmly pressed yes and watched as the panel disappeared.

"...Here we go again."

The moment he finished his sentence, Frederick was sent back into the forest with the ever-so-familiar

<Welcome to the Main Hub World!>