STARFALL - THE CITY OF DUNGEONS

"Mm, so warm," Daisy mumbled in her sleep, hugging her pillow tighter.

"Why does it feel like it suddenly got smaller?" she wondered, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

As soon as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realized why she felt warm and why her pillow seemed smaller.

She wasn't hugging a pillow at all—it was Rowan.

Rowan was sprinting through the dark forest, carrying her on his back.

"What the hell are you doing?" she shouted, her voice filled with confusion.

Startled by her sudden outburst, Vaan lost his balance and they both tumbled to the ground.

"Aw!"

"Rowan, why—!" She was about to ask him why he was running, but then she saw his face, smeared with blood, and her mind froze.

He tried to cover his face, but she pushed his hands away and cupped his cheeks gently.

"Why are you covered in blood? Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice trembling as her memories slowly began to return.

"What happened to the bandits? Did they do this to you? What about the guards?" She bombarded Vaan with questions, panic evident in her eyes.

Vaan grabbed her trembling hands and spoke softly, "Don't worry, no one is chasing us, and this isn't my blood."

"I'll explain everything to you, but first, let's get to the nearby cave," he stood up and extended his hand to her.

She grabbed his hand, and together they ran toward the cave hidden deep in the forest.

After some time, he finally found the cave he was looking for.

They entered, but the cave was completely shrouded in darkness.

"Ah, I can't see anything," Daisy complained.

Vaan retrieved a light orb from the storage ring he had stolen and tapped it twice.

The light from the orb illuminated the entire cave.

He moved to a corner and extended his hand, and out of nowhere, two beds, blankets, and some food appeared, dropping to the ground.

After arranging everything, he checked the cave for any poisonous insects.

Daisy watched all this with her mouth hanging open.

"Where did you get all of these?" she asked, flabbergasted.

"Come and sit down, I'll answer all your questions," Vaan said calmly.

"Okay, now tell me," Daisy asked after settling down.

"What do you want to know first?" he inquired.

"What happened to the guards?"

"The guards killed all the bandits but couldn't handle the leader, so they told me to run away with you while they dealt with him," Vaan lied convincingly, his expression unwavering.

"Then why are you covered in blood?" she pressed.

"In the middle of the fight, a bandit tried to attack us. A guard teleported behind him and dealt with him swiftly, but I was close by and got splattered," Vaan explained calmly.

She scrutinized his face closely for any signs of deceit, but Vaan remained impassive, showing no hint of emotion.

She looked around and asked, "Where did you get all of these?"

"I just took the storage rings of the bandits before we ran away," he shrugged.

"Are you really Rowan?" she asked, stunned.

The person before her was definitely Rowan, but she felt he had changed since the day she found him knocked out in the kitchen.

The Rowan she knew was a silent boy who avoided others and locked himself in his room like a bat.

But now, he was acting completely different.

"What do you mean?" he tilted his head in confusion.

"Never mind," she waved it off.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Daisy asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"We can't wait for someone to save us or go back to the orphanage. If the leader is still alive, he'll definitely come looking for us. If we return to the orphanage, he'll capture us and likely harm anyone who tries to stop him," Vaan explained calmly.

Daisy nodded, understanding the gravity of their situation.

"We can't stay here or go back, then what should we do now?" Daisy pondered, trying to find a solution.

"There's only one place we can go now," Vaan said.

She looked up at him, curious. "And where is that?"

"Starfall," he replied.

"You mean Starfall—the city of dungeons and adventurers?" Daisy asked, her expression bewildered.

He nodded solemnly.

"Have you lost your mind? That place is crawling with Awakeneds, and you want to go there?" she snapped.

"It's our only choice," he said calmly, trying to reassure her.

"If we're going to survive there, we'll need money. How do you plan to earn it?" she asked, tapping his hand away impatiently.

"About that, I have something to tell you," Vaan said with a complex expression.

Daisy calmed down and nodded, signaling for him to continue.

"Daisy, I have a gift that allows me to copy others' skills. I can use those skills, as long as I complete the synchronization," he explained, waiting for her reaction.

She stared at him in silence, her expression blank.

"I think I must have misheard," she finally said.

"No, you heard it right," he affirmed.

"How is that possible? No one in the world can have more than two bloodlines, but based on what you're saying, you don't have any limits at all," she exclaimed.

Then, she grabbed his hand and spoke to him with a serious expression.

"Rowan, you shouldn't tell anyone about this besides me. If someone finds out, they'll definitely try to kill you or make you their slave."

"I know, so don't worry," he reassured her.

After that, she bombarded him with questions about his gift and what they planned to do next.

After an hour of discussion, they finally reached an agreement.

Vaan glanced at Daisy's sleeping form with a smile and pulled her blanket up to her neck.

— Do you want to start the synchronisation?

A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

He moved out of the cave and gone to a secluded place where no one would hear his screams.

Then he gave yes to start the synchronisation.

— Synchronisation is starting. Your body will be modified to wield the bloodline skills you gained.

— Synchronisation : 1%

His body convulsed as the new BLOODLINE skills began to synchronize within him.

— Synchronisation : 10%

The transformation was excruciating, starting at the cellular level and spreading through every fiber of his being.

— Synchronisation : 25%

Muscles twisted, bones reshaped, and nerves felt like they were on fire. He clenched his teeth, sweat pouring down his face, and a scream threatened to escape his lips.

— Synchronisation : 48%

The pain was unbearable, but he refused to yield. It was nothing compared to what he had gone through all this time.

— Synchronisation : 66%

Each second felt like an eternity as he endured the agony, knowing that this was the price for the power he would gain.

— Synchronisation : 83%

His vision blurred, heart raced, but he remained resolute.

— Synchronisation : 100%

With a final, intense wave of pain, the synchronisation completed.

He lay there on the ground covered in blood from head to toe.

After resting for a while, he looked around the forest until he found a secluded pond.

He stripped off his clothes and dove into the water, washing away the blood and allowing himself a moment of relaxation.

He opened his status to check the skills.

Status

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NAME : VANITAS EL DARKTE / ROWAN

RACE : HUMAN

AGE : 17

GIFT : STEALER

BLOODLINE : UNAWAKENED

- STATS-

STRENGTH  : 8

AGILITY        : 9

INTELLIGENCE : 20

VITALITY      : 10

CHARM : 50( VANITAS) / 15( ROWAN)

- SKILLS -

ENDLESS VITALITY[E]

— The user's body instantly recovers from any damage, regenerating even lost limbs.

Duration: 15 minutes

Cooldown: 15 minutes

PHASE[E]

— Allows the user to teleport instantly from one location to another, bypassing obstacles. The user can also teleport others based on the limit.

Limit: 1 person

Distance: 500 meters

Duration: 25 minutes

Cooldown: 30 minutes

HYPER PERCEPTION[E]

—Amplify all senses to extraordinary levels, allowing the user to detect even the most minute details and subtle changes around him.

Duration : 1 hour

Cooldown : 3 hours

- GIFT INFO -

STEALER

— You can steal one bloodline skill of the person you kill.

— The skills will be awakened after synchronisation.

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