Chapter 5- Blood Monarch

The boy had to take a few seconds to register what just happened. He didn't quite understand why his class selection failed.

'What is this 'Divine Bloodline'? What the hell are they talking about?' Frowning visibly, he blinked. 'Is this… Wait, this awfully sounds familiar. I have seen such things happen before. But, they almost always happen in fictional stories. The protagonist would somehow be special and get something only he would ever get. Is this similar to that?'

Although it sounded very comical, Arthur couldn't find another explanation. But, that didn't make it any less shocking.

"It can't be… You have to be joking with me…" The boy muttered as the possibility started weighing on him. The despair flashed in his eyes. "You can't make me the protagonist! I don't want that!! What the hell?!" He yelled.

'No, no, calm down, Arthur. This can't be true. It must be some kind of feature that came with the capsule since it's a deluxe version. I'm sure everyone else is getting a special class. I can't be the only one.' He tried to calm down with a nervous laugh. 'I don't want to be a protagonist-like person, please.'

As much as Arthur was a fan of fictional stories, he was never really someone who liked protagonists. Most of them had this perfect ideology of being the hero at every moment and trying to save everyone. However, he personally didn't think that was something he wanted to be.

Arthur simply wanted to play the game and do whatever he wanted. Saving others was never something on his list. 

"Oh man, this is such a horrible situation. Sigh…" Running his hand through his hair. "Well, this nonsense has been forced down my throat so I can't do anything. God! Why did you do me like this? I'm nothing but a small fry that wants some fun! 'Blood Monarch', you could've not chosen something that doesn't sound like the fantasy of a 7-year-old boy?'

However, he naturally received no response.

"Oh well, if that's how it's gonna be, fine. I don't care anymore. I will take this stupid class." With a low grumble, Arthur tapped on the class.

[Class: Blood Monarch

Description: The Blood Monarch is the ruler of all that is living. With a swipe of his hand, blood moves and stops. He is invincible in battle, boasting horrifying close-range and far-range abilities that can wipe out an entire army.

(Basic abilities):

Blood Eater: Absorbs a percentage of the dead target's stats upon usage.

Blood Claw: Create a claw out of blood, that could be used in fights. It lasts 20 seconds and can be used multiple times.

(Basic Items): 

Sanguine Blade: A red cursed sword that deals physical damage and has a chance to heal the wielder a portion of the damage dealt

Blood Hero's Ring: A ring symbolizing glory, granting a small boost to Presence.

Stat distribution: 

Health: 12

Strength: 12

Agility: 8

Stamina: 10

Mind: 12

Presence: 13]

"Oh my god, this looks so powerful!" With a surprised look, Arthur read through the class. Even though he was already aware this was some kind of secret special class. It still hit him hard.

"The abilities and items sound really cool! But, uh, it's a little disturbing that it's all blood-themed. I guess I will have to learn to deal with blood." He muttered.

What was more alerting, however, was the description of the class itself. Reading through it, Arthur could only purse his lips. It felt as if he was reading something really ominous rather than an RPG class.

'This class does sound weird. It seems to be very battle-oriented. At least that's good.'

The more Arthur examined the class, the more he started to like it. Although he was still very apprehensive about the 'Divine Bloodline' thing, he really had no idea how to actually know why this happened. 

"Maybe the game will reveal something to me." He muttered as he finally looked at the confirmation button. "Whatever it is, I will get to know it at some point."

With that in mind, he took a deep breath and hit the confirmation button. "Now, can the game start, please? No more unwanted surpri-"

Before he could even finish his words, the world all around him suddenly shifted. The white color vanished and was replaced with pure darkness. Then, that darkness shifted again and became blue, then red, then yellow, and slowly went from one color to another.

Arthur's vision was assaulted with all these colors, and yet it didn't feel straining for his eyes. In fact, he was quite mesmerized by it. It was as if he had somehow entered a world of rainbows.

Eventually, all of that died down and Arthur found himself in darkness again. However, this time, he wasn't alone anymore. The angel he met earlier had manifested in front of him like a godly being.

Her aura was still as scared as ever and it only brought Arthur to feel impressed. 'They really nailed down the aura. I can feel it as if I'm really standing in front of an Angel.'

"Welcome back, Player Arthur."

"... Hi!" Arthur waved at her with a smile. "Are you here to help me?"

"Indeed. I am here to guide you through the introduction to Divinity Online." She said with a cold expression. "I am the Angel Fermen."

"Fermen? Oh, nice name!"

The woman ignored his compliment and continued. "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready." Arthur grinned which made Fermen nod her head before she lifted her hand up and snapped her fingers together. The sound of it reverberated across the entire empty world as if there were walls around them.

Then, in a very swift and seamless manner, the dark world completely changed again. This time, Arthur found himself somewhere completely different.

"Woah!!" Looking down, Arthur realized that he was now floating in the sky, near the clouds. Beneath him, he saw a vast green world that stretched as far as the eyes could see. His vision was filled with the green plains, the beautiful colossal mountains, the massive cities in the distance, and even some of the creatures that passed beneath him.

The sight was a little familiar. "The world…"

"Welcome to the world of 'Divinity Online' or 'The Divine Realm' as it is called."

"The Divine Realm…" Arthur muttered the name as he kept looking around him. 'Looks very Divine to me. It's almost like I just entered some kind of sacred world.'

"The Divine Realm has existed for millions of years. Its size is unknown for its inhabitants as no one has reached the end of it yet. However, what is certain is that this world had secrets far beyond what anyone can comprehend." The Angel explained as she lifted her fingers up. "However, this world hasn't always been like this."

*SNAP*

The moment she snapped her fingers, the scenery beneath Arthur suddenly changed to something far darker. The sky turned a terrifying shade of red and the green land became a barren wasteland. He could see fire and destruction everywhere.

"..." The boy frowned. 'War?'

Beneath him, countless creatures seemed to be in a raging battle. The sound of screams and blood being shed filled his ears as massive abominations blasted everything into smithereens. Screeches of unknown origins echoed everywhere.

"Thousands of years ago, the Divine Realm was submerged in complete chaos. War ensued between all the races and countless souls died. All for one single purpose." Fermen said.

"What purpose?"

"Look behind me." She said.

Since he had been focused on everything happening beneath him, Arthur didn't realize the presence of something truly captivating behind Fermen. In the far distance, he saw a gigantic structure that pierced the sky and reached beyond the clouds.

The structure looked man-made, but its existence alone perhaps contradicted that idea. The giant tower-like structure was so tall, that it put everything humans built to shame. With his eyes alone, Arthur could see that the tower was dozens of kilometers long.

"What is that?" He asked with a curious look.

"That is one of 7 unique towers. They are called 'The Shard Towers'. Inside that tower is one of the Great Shards, left behind by a dead God."

"..." Arthur listened carefully to Fermen's explanation.

*SNAP*

The Angel then snapped her fingers again and the scenery changed. Right in Arthur's retina, 7 figures completely clouded in darkness appeared out of nowhere.

"A very long time ago, A supreme entity created this world, and with it, seven Gods were born. Since each God was supreme in their own right, their powers were naturally unimaginable. So, to make sure nobody tries to steal that power, each God hid their power in a Shard away from anyone's eyes. With that, a long Age of peace started. These Gods ruled their own people and regions, spreading peace and prosperity everywhere. Until one day…"

As Arthur was examining these unknown figures, Fermen continued explaining. But, when she reached that point, her voice grew more serious, and along with it, the seven figures vanished like mist.

"The Gods vanished never to be seen again."