Overslept

Fredrick woke up after an unknown amount of time. He could feel that his body had recovered greatly. He sensed a noticeable increase in his mass compared to before.

However, an odd sensation crept over him. He felt a gnawing hunger, not just for blood, but for sustenance in general. It puzzled him—how could he be lacking not only blood but also food?

'Why am I so hungry? How much have I slept? It is harder for me to wake because of Blood Dominion's curse.'

It was a detail he had observed in one of his previous lives: the stronger his need for blood became, the sleepier he would feel, and the more difficult it would be to awaken him. Eventually, he would reach a point where he wouldn't be able to wake up at all, leading to certain death.

After a little pause, he found himself able to move his body freely despite some lingering discomfort—a minor inconvenience compared to what he had endured.

However, it didn't mean that he was stronger; in fact, he felt that he was even weaker than previously. His curse was killing him.

More importantly, his vision had returned, albeit still slightly blurry. Looking around, Frederick noticed that he was alone in a spacious dormitory. The room was adorned with multiple beds neatly arranged in rows, each one accompanied by a small bedside table. Despite the emptiness of the space, a sense of tranquility lingering in the air created a serene atmosphere amidst the quiet dormitory.

As he examined the room, his gaze fell upon a large mirror in the corner. He quickly got up from the bed and walked towards the mirror with some difficulty.

Frederick's reflection revealed a pale, gaunt visage with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks. His lips were cracked and parched, while his skin appeared pallid and drained of color. However, despite the evident weariness displayed on his face, Frederick could discern a marked improvement in his physique.

As he inspected his body, Frederick noted that his skin now appeared smooth and taut, lacking the flaws and imperfections that had previously tainted his complexion. Remarkably, it seemed that the purification process had even erased the scar that once adorned his left eye.

However, he didn't really care about his appearance. He was more focused on the potential effects the purification had on his body.

'My eyesight is not perfect, but now that I can see...'

"Status" said Frederick with a low and hoarse voice.

—————————————

<Welcome back, candidate>

Name: Frederick Field

Race: Human

Age: 26 years old

Level: 6

<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 attribute 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?

<Attributes >

-Constitution: 18

-Mind: 16

-Perception: 15

-Dexterity: 15

Experience points: 55/22,110

—————————————

Frederick was lost in his thoughts.

His attributes increased significantly. As far as he understood, the attribute calculation was unusual, based on the candidate's prime state rather than their current abilities.

Having conversed with Eris previously, Frederick confirmed that attributes operated exponentially. Therefore, having 18 points in constitution didn't equate to being 80% stronger than the average human, but rather approximately twice as strong and resilient.

Frederick was certain that his attributes were superior to most candidates at the moment, which was an undeniable testament to his hard work.

"I should be stronger than before, but that's not the case because my curse is also growing stronger," Frederick lamented.

His control over his authority was already deteriorating to the point where he couldn't use Blood Dominion at all. If he had to represent his current attribute using points, it would be around 5 points in the constitution.

'I have to get the trenchcoat back as soon as possible.'

However, a sense of unease settled over Frederick as he observed the eerie silence enveloping his surroundings. The absence of any noise struck him as deeply unsettling.

'What happened?'

As he was about to leave the room to find Eris, he noticed a note on the bedside table near his bed. As he slowly approached the note, his eyes widened as he read the contents.

" I tried to wake you up, but no matter how much I tried, you wouldn't budge. I am sorry, but we had to leave in a hurry. You should escape, too. We thought we knew everything about hunters, but we were wrong. I am sorry. Your item is under your bed."

-Eris

The writing was messy and hurried, and the paper was wrinkled.

'Fuck... Seems like hunters are now active...'

Frederick's heart sank. He had hoped he would have a bit more time to prepare, but he seemed to have underestimated the situation. Thanks to Aake's diary, he knew exactly what was going on.

In the seventh turn, candidates feared hunters the most. It was not unusual for candidates to attempt to stay as long as possible in a side-story realm to avoid returning to the main hub world.

Before this, it would be stupid to say that the Main Hub world was safe mostly because of humans. While Hunters posed a threat, they could be managed since their strength lay primarily in physical prowess, lacking the unusual abilities possessed by candidates.

However, now that they were truly active... The Hunters would soon transform the Main Hub world into a veritable living hell for all candidates.

Without wasting any more time, Frederick rushed towards his bed and indeed found his item under his bed.

Swiftly wearing the trenchcoat, Frederick promptly accessed a subspace and retrieved a fruit that doubled as a canteen of blood. After taking multiple greedy gulps of blood, he felt his body swiftly rejuvenate. His strength was returning at a rapid pace.

Frederick knew that hunters were about to go on a rampage before the first main story started but still decided to undergo the purification regardless. For him, it was a bet he had committed to, and he was unwilling to discard any opportunity to become stronger no matter how perilous the risk was.

'Power or death' was his doctrine.

After downing the last drops of blood, Frederick tossed the empty fruit inside his pocket dimension and ate a big piece of fruit with haste before leaving the room.

After walking for a few minutes, he discovered that the whole building was devoid of people. Looking around, he found that everything was a mess. Unfortunately for him, all the truly essential stuff seemed to have been taken away.

It seemed like Aegis left in a hurry. From this fact alone, Frederick immediately knew that Aegis had abandoned this city and probably forcefully made their way out despite the lockdown.

It also means that Hunters were on their way to this place. He didn't know how long he slept, but seeing this, he knew that he had to leave quickly.

Frederick quickly moved through the building, searching for the exit.

'It seems like the hunters are not here yet, but they are likely to arrive soon. I have to move fast.'

Frederick knew that once the hunters arrived, he wouldn't be able to leave the town alive. He was sure that even in his prime state, he wouldn't be able to defeat a horde of hunters.

Soon, he found the exit and left the Aegis building.

Looking at the deserted streets, Frederick only felt a sense of dread. The once peaceful streets were now empty. The sun was setting, painting the sky a deep orange.

With a somber expression, he began moving while using his camouflage ability.

Frederick wasn't in the mood to enjoy the view as he was too busy looking at a window that suddenly appeared in front of him.

<Time 59 until the beginning of Main story: 23h minutes>

"... So I slept for three whole days?"