Ethan stretched his limbs and moved around, testing his agility. Every motion felt natural—fluid. Compared to his old VR capsule, this was on another level. The clarity alone was unreal. He could make out every crack and blemish in the stone walls around him. Even the air felt more tangible.
A smirk crept onto his face. With imrsion this deep... wouldn’t certain activities feel a little too real? His thoughts drifted to Lyla, and he chuckled, lips curling into a truly wicked grin.
But that mont passed quickly. He focused, rembering his current goal.
---
He’d just cleared the second floor and was expecting a proper challenge ahead. Yet, as he stealthily shifted into his Panther form and crept into the third-floor hall, he was t with silence. No gate slamd down. No enemies erged.
Ethan frowned. ’That’s odd.’
Not wasting ti, he moved to the fourth floor. Again, nothing—no locked doors, no monsters. The fifth floor was the sa. Empty. Quiet. Clean.
’Did the Blood King and his cronies... run away?’ he wondered. ’Because I brutalized that bear on floor two? That can’t be it.’
If Osloak had truly fled, the curse on Ethan’s head should’ve lifted. But it was still there, lingering like a storm cloud. Besides, enemies in Ethereal didn’t just run. That wasn’t how the system worked.
Still puzzled, he continued up the stairs to the sixth floor—the Blood King’s domain.
---
The mont he stepped in, Ethan’s senses sharpened.
This floor was different.
The hall was spacious, maybe ninety to a hundred square feet, and dimly lit by wall-mounted torches and white candles arranged along a long, central table. Shadows danced over the stone, but it was still much brighter than the pitch-black floors below.
What caught his attention most were the figures seated around the table.
Vampires, werewolves, other creatures twisted by blood magic—Ethan spotted two he recognized right away. Ralph, the one he’d killed on the first floor, and the Grizzly Grunt from the second. They snarled the mont they saw him, baring fangs, hatred carved into their expressions.
At the head of the table sat a pale man with pointed ears and narrow, cat-like pupils. He looked elegant—too elegant. But there was no mistaking the oppressive aura around him. This had to be Osloak.
Ethan stayed just inside the doorway, cautious.
Then Osloak stood. Along with him, five others rose to their feet, powerful presences flaring. Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
No point hiding now.
He instantly shifted into Bear form—more health, more defense. He wasn’t taking any chances against five elites and a probable boss.
Then Osloak did sothing unexpected.
He bowed.
A deep, formal gesture, like a noble greeting a guest.
"Respected Grand Druid," he said smoothly, "may I inquire why you’ve trespassed upon my domain?"
Ethan froze. ’What the hell is going on?’
Suspicious, he cast Advanced Appraisal on Osloak.
[Blood King – Osloak]
Tier: Divine
Level: 1
Health: 500,000/500,000
Attack: 5,000–5,000
Defense: 5,000–5,000
Skills: None
Special Skills: Revive Bloodkin, Bloodkin Conversion, Domination
Description: The supre ruler of the Bloodkin. Possesses the ability to revive fallen kin and convert any creature into their kind.
’Divine Tier... Level 1?’
No regular skills—just three special ones. But even at Level 1, the Blood King had half a million HP. And five thousand base attack? That wasn’t sothing to take lightly.
Osloak made no aggressive moves, so Ethan relaxed—just a little.
This was the sa guy who’d threatened him after Ralph’s death. And now he was talking politely? What changed?
Still, Ethan kept it direct. "Respected Blood King, I’ve co for the Immortality Scroll. Where is it?"
He wasn’t going to dance around it. If Osloak handed it over, great. If not, he’d take it by force.
But sothing else bothered him. One of Osloak’s special abilities—Domination—could turn the tide fast.
[Domination: Blood King Exclusive Skill]
When used on Bloodkin, increases all their attributes by 200%. Duration: Until canceled or death.
If he activated that on his five subordinates... Ethan might be in serious trouble.
So that’s why the floors were empty, he realized. He called everyone back. This bastard planned it all out.
Ethan knew higher-tier monsters had better AI, but this level of coordination? It was beyond what he expected. Osloak didn’t just look human—he thought like one. Almost like City Lord Gregor. Did he have a ’soul’ too?
Osloak spoke again, calmly.
"The Immortality Scroll is an artifact our Bloodkin have guarded for generations."
He paused. Ethan’s gaze sharpened, already preparing for a fight.
But then—
"However," Osloak continued, "we have awaited the arrival of a destined one. You have passed the trials to reach us. Now, you must complete the final one."
[Ding... System Notification: Do you accept the Blood King’s quest?
Reward: Divine Ability Scroll – Immortality (Divine)]
Ethan blinked. "Passed all trials"? You ran scared after I beat two grunts!
But the reward stunned him.
"Accept!" he said imdiately.
[Ding... Quest Accepted.
You must complete the Blood King’s Trial within the ti limit, or you will be relentlessly hunted by the Bloodkin.]
Ethan didn’t flinch. The Blood King raised a hand again.
"I shall open the path. Prepare yourself, Grand Druid."
It’s starting already? Ethan braced himself.
Osloak and his five subordinates raised their arms and began chanting in a language Ethan couldn’t understand. The air grew heavier, vibrating with dark energy. A portal opened slowly in the center of the table.
When it stabilized, Osloak said, "You will be forcibly teleported back in three days. Complete the trial before then."
Ethan nodded, said nothing, and leapt onto the table. One step into the portal, and—
Buzz!
Space twisted. His body felt like it was being pulled through a wormhole.
Then—
[Ding... Map Discovered: ’Chaos Realm – Ancient Battlefield’. Level 1!]
A golden light enveloped him.
Level 62.
But Ethan didn’t feel stronger—he felt uneasy.
Normally, discovering a new area gave maybe 500 experience. Just a little reward. The fact that this map gave him an entire level?
’This place is bad news.’
---
He looked around.
Yellow sand swirled across the land, obscuring the sky. Above, nine faint suns glowed behind the storm, their heat oppressive despite the hazy veil. The air was dry and heavy. Not a single sound except the whisper of the wind.
Ethan checked his inventory and system interface—everything still worked.
Except now, there were two ti displays. A new one: Chaos Realm Ti—running in real ti. But the original system ti looked nearly frozen.
Ethan gave a dry laugh.
’Don’t tell it’s like the Dreamscape’s five thousand years nonsense.’
Was the three-day limit based on here? Or on real-world ti?
Either way, he didn’t intend to find out the hard way.
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