End of Dyrroth

Searching around the entire cave again and again, he was unable to find anything. Her authority orb seemed to have vanished, which wasn't possible by normal logic. When a candidate dies, their orb is supposed to drop. However, for some reason, it did not.

 With a sigh, he simply gave up on trying to find her authority. He was more than satisfied with what he had gotten already. Besides, Frederick had no intention of forging Aake's authority even if he found it.

Aake's authority was a bit peculiar even among item smiths. She could create items using multiple authorities. But this ability also has a flaw as the more authorities she added to an item, the lower the assimilation rate it will have. Items assimilation rate is already very low compared to permanent authorities and adding this factor would only decrease it further. 

However, this was not the main reason. The biggest reason why he would not forge it was because of the curse attached to her authority. Aake could not have any permanent authority. That meant that she could only rely on items and her stats to survive.

Because of this, she was considered pretty "weak" among the 7th turn candidates and more regarded as a support role since even if she had various items to cover all aspects, she would still lose against a candidate that had a higher assimilation rate. 

Moreover, this curse would directly threaten Forgotten Times' ability to save permanent authorities and keep their assimilation rate at 100%. This capacity was something he could not afford to lose no matter what. 

Looking at the blue flying lights that were dancing around the entire cave, Frederick shook his head. Those are vestige of Aake authorities and unfortunately, they are useless for candidates. Only "they" can use authorities remnants.

'I don't think there's anything left here for me.' Frederick stretched his neck and left the cave without any hesitation. This place was now useless for him. He already got everything he needed. The moment he left the cave, he was greeted by a very soft sunlight. Looking at the sky, he realized that it was almost evening.

Frederick lounged against a tree and promptly began strategizing his next moves. What should he do next? Should he head back to the main hub world to hunt candidates, or remain? It appeared that as long as he refrained from claiming his rewards, he would not teleport back to the main hub world.

By returning to hunting in the main hub world, he could potentially obtain an interesting authority. This was probably the last chance he had in this life to easily hunt candidates. After this point, they will become increasingly harder to kill.

He was pretty confident that his level would still be a bit higher than most people once he obtained his rewards. If he used Blood Dominion and the element of surprise, then he was sure he would be able to easily hunt some candidates.

Alternatively, he could opt to stay in this location and get ready for the main story. If this place indeed proved to be secure, he could focus on enhancing his base stats. Food was plentiful and if needed he could consume fruits and hunt rabbits or birds to provide him with the necessary blood supply. He would have a hard to finding this kind of place ever again.

Frederick dismissed the idea of attempting another side story, as it appeared that only one side story could be undertaken between each main story. Meaning that he could not attempt another side story until the first main story ends.

 He looked at his reward window and thought for a moment then made his choice. "Now is not the time to obtain another authority, I need to familiarize myself with what I have first. Also, this place is a golden opportunity to increase my base stats" murmured Frederick. 

.

.

.

.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Over this period, Frederick used this time to completely familiarize himself with his trenchcoat while not wasting the opportunity to increase the proficiency of Blood Dominion.

The first few days, he half expected the third guardian to come out of the cave at night as it would no longer be burned by sunlight but surprisingly, he did not see it ever again.

Every day, he would wake up at dawn. After eating his breakfast made of different types of exotic and colored fruits, he would start to use various animals as living targets to train. 

 Frederick would improve his aim by launching various blood projectiles at birds or rabbits, swiftly eliminating them. If the prey were unlucky enough and managed to survive the initial projectile, they would become unfortunate subjects of Frederick's authority training. 

These included methods like manipulating the blood inside their veins to test which area was the most painful and would disrupt their movements the most. Frederick would have preferred doing that on humans but beggars can't be choosers. Although he was still not strong enough to kill an animal by controlling their blood directly despite having increased his mind stat, he still utilized such methods to practice his control over blood.

It was seemingly ... very excruciating, seeing how these animals cried in pain. Some would be so panicked that they would even roll on the ground, sometimes despite their missing limbs. But after what seemed like forever, they would eventually perish while Frederick gathered their blood for his consumption. Thanks to all the experiments he performed and those noble sacrifices, his understanding of blood flow and his authority greatly improved.

Occasionally, he would also try to use abilities that he rarely used such as Blood construct. This ability allowed Frederick to solidify his blood to create blood objects. Although this ability barely used any calculative power, It was not something he could use easily as he needed to sacrifice a portion of his blood to create things. He did not really like this ability as using his blood to create things would inevitably weaken him. 

Interestingly enough, this ability seemed to scale with his constitution stats as this attribute seemed to increase the resistance of his craft. But right now, his dagger was way more reliable so he did not pay much attention to it anymore.

There was also Bloody sense. Frederick tried multiple times to "feel" the blood in his vicinity but at most, he could "smell" blood from a bit further than he could normally do. Perhaps his perception stats were still too low to use this.

When Frederick wasn't doing that, he would improve his mastery over his trenchcoat. In the beginning, he needed multiple attempts just to open his subspace but now he could pretty much open it at will. 

After some tests, he quickly noticed a few rules behind using the spatial pocket. Unexpectedly, opening the vault takes relatively little calculative power. Extracting items was similarly uncomplicated. The problem lay in storing things inside.

When Frederick tried to store some fruits inside the subspace, he felt his mind getting numb for a second. It was way more difficult to store something than draw something out. Moreover, he noticed that the weight of the stored item matters. After a few tests, he estimated that he could not exceed 20 kg (44 lb) of storage. He couldn't bypass this rule and if he tried to insert more stuff, the mist would simply dissipate on its own and the items would fall on the ground.

After experiencing that weird feeling, Frederick concluded that storing an item is very similar to manipulating authorities. Both require calculative power. But luckily for him, stored items seemed to keep the state of their deposited moment, regardless of how long they were in storage. This was a true blessing as he could store food without the risk of rotting.

Frederick trained with the Dark Cloak ability of the coat as well. Upon his initial test, he was surprised that the shadow layer around him didn't absorb light as he expected. Instead, it altered the light's color, creating a subtle sheen that mirrored the surrounding environment. This effect was similar to how a chameleon blends into its surroundings by mimicking the colors.

Looking at his reflection through the source of water, he saw that his appearance was oddly fuzzy like looking at a photograph taken during the middle of the night and then developed. His reflection was somewhat distorted and although visible, very unclear. He could not even tell what clothing he was wearing. 

After familiarizing himself with his authority and item, he would build up his physique and stamina through various methods. This was far from pleasant as each exercise was a torturous pain. However, the result was obvious as his body became stronger with each day. 

It was much more manageable now compared to when he had his first training session right before the third stage. In the beginning, he had to hold his puke while he exercised. Now, he felt that he could run through the third stage without even using his authority. It is only a bit of a shame that his body will be reset if he dies.

As Frederick was washing his sweaty body in the pond, he was lost in his thoughts. 'There is only about a week left before the first main story starts.' He pondered for a moment, 'I should return a bit earlier and gather information'. Looking at his stats, he mused to himself.

—————————————

<Welcome back, candidate>

Name: Frederick Field

Race: Human

Age: 26 years old

Level: 4

<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 themselves and 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 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: 14

-Mind: 13

-Perception: 13

-Dexterity: 14

Experience points: 2817/7800

————————————

After washing himself, Frederick directly prepared to leave this place that served him as his training ground for these past three months. He had already gathered everything he could from this place and was ready to leave. 

 Looking at his rewards window, Frederick firmly pressed one of the options without any hesitation. He had plenty of time to contemplate the rewards he wanted and ultimately he chose the one he felt the more logical for him. 

<Additional reward will be granted... Due to the candidate's low level compared difficulty of story, multiple choice presented. Please choose your wisely>

<Option 1 2 - additional points in a random stats>

<Option 2 - Lootbox (blue)>

<Option 3 - Ressources (the type of resources is random)>

<Experience points will be granted once you select your reward>

Along with a few notifications, Frederick left the realm as suddenly as he arrived. 

...

At the same time, somewhere in Dyrroth. 

 In the heart of the bustling town, a market came alive with vibrant colors and cheerful chatter. Stalls adorned with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables lined the cobbled streets. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread and the savory scent of grilling meats. 

Families strolled, their laughter blending with the melodic tunes of street musicians. Children with sticky fingers giggled as they ate candies, while the older ones explored the handcrafted pendants displayed on wooden tables. 

The sun was intensely glaring and the people walking under its scorching heat were using umbrellas or shades just to pass through the street. The occasional cold breeze helped keep the passerby's minds fresh as they advanced through their businesses.

 Two men, tall with short black hair were sitting on the table of a simple tavern. 

"Hey, have you heard the latest news?" said a young man covered in chain mail. He was an average-looking but sturdy youth. 

"What?" responded an old man who sat at a table while lazily eating some potatoes like vegetables.

"The Maze has been strange lately, the amount of traps has never been so high before." complained the man in the mail armor. "Every expedition team is having a headache dealing with this" he finished with a sigh.

 "Hm.. Is that the case?" asked the old man

"Yeah, I was part of the last expedition and we could not even walk a few minutes without triggering a trap. The amount of death spiked in those three last months. Even experienced teams lost a lot of members... It's like if the maze was suddenly...mad?" said the youth as he stole a potato from the old man's bowl

"This is strange... Usually, the worst is a few deaths and wounded once in a while. Experimented teams could even finish their exploration tasks perfectly without any deaths or injuries and you're saying that they lost multiple members this time?"

"Yup, even the queen had to forbid further exploration and placed a massive restriction on entering the labyrinth without special permission. They are trying to investigate what is happening."

"Ahaha, luckily I am already retired, there's no way I would risk my life again by exploring that damned place." laughed the elderly man as he drank some stew soup.

As the youth was about to complain once more, he suddenly froze in the middle of his tracks, revealing a baffled expression on his face. "... Whats that?"

Seeing the youth's sudden change, the old man instantly looked where he was gazing and revealed a similar perplexed face. A blue screen was floating in front of each of them. Looking around, he found that every person also receives the same screen.

Slowly reading the words contained within, the people wore various expressions from confusion to worry.

<The realm of "Dyrroth" was unsuccessful in preventing the wielder curse "One against world (unique)" from completing their side story. Due to nature curse, this will be punished accordingly>

<Calculating punishment... "Dyrroth" will be eliminated along with all life and authorities residing within>

<Punishment will begin shortly>

The old man was perplexed for a bit but he quickly reacted. "What even is the-" Suddenly a loud rumble shook as the ground vibrated and the stone pavement cracked.

The tremor was getting stronger by the second and the people in the marketplace started panicking. Some fell on the floor and were stomped mercilessly upon while some tried to stay calm as best as they could but everybody was bewildered by this situation.

Then, the sky darkened and the previously clear skies were replaced by swirling darkness. With despair and fear dominating the hearts of the people, they screamed and panicked while running around like headless chickens. The once peaceful market was now in chaos as all the customers and shopkeepers fled.

Suddenly, massive bolts of crimson lightning struck the earth, tearing apart the concrete and causing entire buildings to crumble like it was fragile sandcastles. The sound of constant thunder resounded through the area. With each thud, another portion of the city would be completely obliterated.

Some tried to flee from the city by the northern gates but suddenly massive fire pillar struck their back and lit them aflame, causing them to scream for help. At least, that's the case if they didn't get struck by the lightning and died instantly.

The smell of cooked meat filled the air as the dead people dropped to the ground. The few others who did not succumb to despair yet tried to figure out what was happening but their thought process was broken when the earth collapsed under their feet and swallowed them before a crimson bolt hit them dead.

The two men had sweat on their brows and fear in their eyes as they tried their best to avoid the lightning.

"Wh- What? ... This... This can't be real... This is probably just a dream. Ah yes, I will soon wake up from this nightmare" the young man said with a nervous and almost mad laugh.

"You dream about the end of the world?" jokingly the old man tried to lift the mood but even he was afraid. His knees trembled and he was barely standing. 

As they took shelter behind a large alley, a bolt fell next to them. The impact shook the ground and destroyed a portion of the buildings including the one they were using to take shelter.

"Damned, that was fucking close! What should w-" The old man's sentence was abruptly cut as he watched the young man's head fall and roll on the ground, splattering blood and brains everywhere... It happened suddenly, the same lightning that had struck them earlier happened to also strike the young man's body. His entire body was pulverized into nothingness, leaving only his head.

There was only despair in the town. Bodies littered the ground and burning ruins covered all that were left of their life. The old man was a veteran even among veterans in the chaotic maze, he had lost countless friends and he thought that he had seen everything. But this... This was true despair.

The last thing the old man saw was an enormous black fissure in the sky. It was as if the sky was going to snap in two, slowly expanding as space itself seemed to expand. 'Is that how it ends?' thought the old man before everything went black