“Have you lost your mind?
I was so taken aback that, despite having Iron-Blooded Mind, I struggled to control my expression.
Thinking I might have misread or missed something, I checked the system window again, but unfortunately, there was no mistake.
‘All the unique skills of playable characters in Suoden are stacked onto me.’
Black Light Divine Blade, Silent Casting, Projectile Creation… these were skills that were practically synonymous with their respective characters.
Naturally, it was impossible for any one character to use the unique skills of another profession.
As a veteran player with 9,000 hours, I could confidently say I’d never seen such a case.
Yet this unprecedented phenomenon was happening to me, reincarnated as a Blood Sorcerer in the game.
And it wasn’t just from one character but from six.
‘Could it be…?’
Though I hadn’t confirmed it yet, I was about 80% sure that in this “Suoden” world, the original six hero characters didn’t exist.
Seeing this system, something I’d never heard of before, made me feel like that remaining 20% was falling into place.
‘Instead of the six heroes, all their skills seem to have been transferred to me. Judging by the circumstances.’
For a moment, I wondered if I should feel happy about this, but I quickly realized it was a colossal pain.
The six main characters of Suoden were destined to unite their strengths and fight the Demon King to save the continent.
That’s because their unique skills were the only hard counters against the Demon King and his forces.
But now, they’re gone, and their unique skills are all dumped on me?
In other words, I’d have to do alone what six people were supposed to accomplish together.
What kind of group project is this shit?
Just thinking about it made my head throb as though it were splitting apart.
Whoosh!
“Die, you bastard!”
…I almost did.
Shaking off my thoughts, I twisted my body to dodge the incoming axe blade, which sliced through the air with a chilling whistle.
Immediately after, I slashed my blood sword diagonally across the neck of the startled attacker whose blow had missed.
“Gurk…!”
The lead assailant, who’d rushed at me, collapsed as a fountain of blood gushed from his neck.
The rest didn’t care, charging at me without hesitation.
“Damn it, just surround him all at once!”
“He’s only one guy! Stop being scared and press forward, you idiots!”
Right. I’d worry about the future later; dealing with these bastards came first.
As the battle commenced in earnest—
Ding!
Objective: Eliminate the Evil God Worshippers and rescue the abducted villagers.
Reward: 1,500 XP, 300 BP
A quest notification appeared at an angle that didn’t obstruct my view.
The UI and content were exactly the same as the quest windows I’d grown tired of seeing while playing the game.
Even if I was now inhabiting a character from the story, it seemed the essence of Suoden was still the same as what I had played.
…But why were the six heroes, the most crucial part, missing? Damn it.
For now, there was no time to complain leisurely.
Screeeech-!!
The moment they surrounded me, a barrage of blades rained down like a torrential downpour.
Sure, if we’re talking numbers, I was at a hundredfold, no, a thousandfold disadvantage.
But these fools wouldn’t know.
Numbers were meaningless in Suoden.
[You absorb all the surrounding blood energy!]
[Your physical abilities temporarily increase dramatically!]
Especially for a Blood Sorcerer, a character whose full potential shines brightest in battles against the many.
“Summon additional blood swords.”
Blood mist surged fiercely in my empty left hand.
Screech-!
“Arghh-!!”
“Wha…?!”
Two crimson shortswords danced complex trajectories, unleashing death cries from every direction.
The upper bodies of the rushing assailants were torn apart, blood gushing everywhere, as gruesome sword wounds damaged their torsos.
[You absorb blood energy!]
[You absorb blood energy!]
[Your physical abilities…]
Even that spilled blood became nourishment to empower me.
As the blood energy coursed through my body, my senses heightened to an almost frighteningly sharp level.
Screeech…!
Dodging a dagger and spearhead aimed at me by survivors of my last attack was effortless.
Slash-!
“Yo-you monster ba—…”
Another instant kill.
Obviously, for someone like me, who’d been an ordinary shut-in gamer, a life-and-death battle was a first.
Yet, a thought crossed my mind that even I found hard to believe.
This is too easy.
Blood Sorcerers are adept at wielding every weapon made from blood energy—.
That’s why they come with inherent talent in weapon techniques.
In fact, even “Swordmaster” characters, when compared solely on pure swordsmanship, were inferior to Blood Sorcerers.
So, what more was there to say?
Thanks to this, I’d become an unparalleled swordsmanship genius, as if I’d spent 9,000 hours practicing swordsmanship instead of playing Suoden.
Just then—
“Brothers! I beg you, with my sacrifice, kill this monster and achieve our sacred cause!”
Thunk!
Suddenly, one of the men at the rear shouted and stabbed his own chest with a dagger.
As I wondered what kind of nonsense he was pulling—
Whoooosh-!!
A sinister energy flowed from the self-sacrificed body and began merging into the others.
The surviving assailants hesitated briefly but quickly adjusted, their veins pushing out and murderous aura intensifying as the energy infused them.
I frowned.
‘Damn it, .’
It was a skill that amplified the power of allies by sacrificing the user’s vitality and life.
“Ahaha! I’m overflowing with power! Brother, we won’t forget your sacrifice!”
“You’ve had your fun, you bastard. Touch our brothers? We’ll crush your spine and chew it up!”
The figures, now nearly twice their original size, growled and approached me, exuding an overwhelming presence.
‘Thank goodness keeps my head cool.’
Otherwise, I might’ve recklessly charged in and gotten myself killed.
My cold mind whispered to me.
It was time to use that.
“.”
[Activating Blood Link skill: !]
[The transcendent presence that does not lose its brilliance in darkness descends upon your blade!]
[Blood energy decreases!]
The unique skill representing the Swordmaster character “Damian.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that every ultimate technique Damian later pioneered as a Sword Saint stemmed from this skill.
Damian was the one who shone brightest in darkness.
Thus, his sword grew stronger the more dangerous the situation.
<Dark Light Divine Sword> embodied that essence.
Fwoosh-!
A black aura mingled with the crimson energy of the dual blood swords in my hands.
Originally, the effect was supposed to be golden light mixed with black. Was the difference due to using blood energy instead of aura?
“Well, whatever.”
“Come at me all at once.”
“What… what are we even looking at…?”
“His swordsmanship… what in the world…”
“Why was a monster like that locked up with us?”
Meanwhile.
The expressions of those bound in chains turned uniformly blank with shock.
It was only natural. The young man they had thought would share their fate as sacrificial victims…
…was suddenly cutting down the villains with extraordinary swordsmanship.
For those who had been drowning in despair, resigned to their deaths, it was nothing short of a miracle.
“C-could he be some kind of knight, hiding his identity and infiltrating them? It’s like seeing a ghost.”
“Who cares about that? We’re alive! We’re actually alive!”
As people shed tears of joy and celebrated, at the far end of the group—
“Ah…”
A girl with short brown hair, her limbs similarly bound, could not close her gaping mouth.
Part of it was the relief washing over her, realizing that they might survive after all.
But the true reason her expression looked as if she were possessed by a ghost lay elsewhere.
“Dark Light Divine Sword.”
Fwoosh—!
The moment four syllables left the lips of Lee Seonghun—no, Ruth Fried.
And the moment black flames ignited along the strange red short sword he held.
Like a lightning strike, a memory flashed through the girl’s mind.
—Child, if you ever encounter a swordsman wielding a black blade on your travels, bring them to me without fail.
—The Dark Light Divine Sword may have faded into history, but the continent is vast. Surely, at least one successor remains.
—Promise me. Bring them to me. The Steel & Ville family must repay our debt to the heavens.
“I think I’ve found him, Grandpa…”
This girl was the granddaughter of Jackson Steel & Ville, the head of the Steel & Ville family—one of the three great blacksmithing houses on the continent.
Thud!
The head of the last remaining villain rolled to the ground.
[Main Quest-1 has been completed!]
[You have received 1500 XP and 500 BP as rewards!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
A notification appeared, signaling the end of this grueling battle.
Thanks to the massive amount of blood energy I absorbed, along with the level-ups, I didn’t feel particularly fatigued, even though the fight had been fairly long.
Physically, that is.
Mentally, I was beyond exhausted—nearly drained to the point of collapse.
Perhaps it was only thanks to the Iron-Blooded Mind that I managed to maintain my composure and not lose focus.
Still, if I’m going to survive in this cursed game world, I need to carefully check my rewards.
I opened the status window.
=====
Name: Ruth Fried
Level: 3
Class: Blood Mage
Strength: 21
Endurance: 21
Charisma: 21
Wisdom: 21
Agility: 21
! A new skill can be unlocked (Cost: 300 BP)
=====
As expected of a Blood Mage. The starting stats were already far superior to other characters, and the growth rate was off the charts.
Of course, the downsides tended to overshadow those strengths.
My gaze fell to the bottom of the window, where it mentioned the new skill I could unlock.
“Hm.”
If my memory served correctly, the skill that could be unlocked now was that one.
A skill that was practically a lifeline for Blood Mages.
But technically speaking, I wasn’t a true Blood Mage in this world. I was more like a grotesque hybrid.
I didn’t necessarily have to follow the lousy Blood Mage progression path. There were other options available.
“Blood Link.”
Ding!
=====
[Blood Link Skill List]
Swordsman: Dark Light Divine Sword, ??, ?? ……
=====
Having experienced the might of the Dark Light Divine Sword firsthand, I decided to prioritize the swordsman skills.
It seemed like the safest choice.
However…
[Activating this Blood Link skill requires 10,000 BP!]
“Damn it.”
I didn’t even have remotely enough points.
10,000 BP. It felt like I would have to clear several major quests just to gather that amount.
And all the other class skills cost 10,000 BP as well.
For now, it seemed I had no choice but to stick to the Blood Mage progression path. It wasn’t as if I could stubbornly refuse to use any skills until I saved up 10,000 BP.
Clicking my tongue in frustration, I prepared to invest in the newly unlocked Blood Mage skill.
“….”
Until I felt the heavy, burdensome stares directed at me.
When I turned my head, I saw the people flinching and trembling as soon as their eyes met mine.
Ah, I had forgotten.
They were helpless NPCs who had been kidnapped by evil cultists while peacefully going about their lives.
There was no reason not to help them.
Step.
As I closed the distance between us, their trembling intensified.
Well, it was no wonder. Seeing a blood-soaked man with a cold expression approaching must have been terrifying.
I raised my hand and tried to reassure them with a calm voice.
“It’s alright. I’m here to free—”
It was then.
Rumble—!!
The altar at the center of the cave suddenly erupted with a thunderous noise.
Ah. I forgot about this part.
Memories of playing as Bismarck flashed through my mind like a panorama.
In the original game, after killing all the cultists and completing the quest, an event cutscene would trigger.
What kind of cutscene?
<You wretched mortal insect!>
With a roar filled with fury…
A translucent spirit began to rise over the blood-soaked altar.
Its grotesque body was massive, with jagged horns sprouting chaotically from its head, tattered flesh barely covering exposed bones and organs.
An abominable sight, repulsive enough to make one question its reality.
But it was a Celestial.
The evil Celestial these cultists had been trying to summon.
<The ritual was nearly complete, but you ruined it all! You killed the very cultists meant to be offered as sacrifices…!>
The reason this unnamed Celestial appeared in such a hideous form was due to an incomplete summoning ritual.
Incomplete or not, though, it was still a “Celestial.” An entity revered as godlike in Suoden.
There was no way I could defeat it in my current state.
Damn it. This part was supposed to resolve automatically in a cutscene….
In the game, Bismarck and the other Holy Knights would use a special formation to banish the Celestial back to the netherworld.
The process was fully automated, like watching a movie.
But this wasn’t the game—it was real-time reality.
And here, I couldn’t use the formation that required multiple Holy Knights to execute.
As I bit my lip, struggling to think of a solution, a sudden detail caught my eye.
Fssh!
The crimson energy swirling around the Celestial.
…It was blood energy.
“….”
Let’s think about this.
The cultists had used innocent people’s blood as a sacrifice to summon the Celestial.
In other words, its very form was composed of blood energy.
Blood energy had given it flesh and bones in this world.
If that was the case…
<I’ll rip out your soul and use it to complete my descent! Even with this incomplete form, claiming a mere mortal’s body will be—>
“Blood Absorption.”
Swoooosh—!
Like dust being sucked into a vacuum, the blood energy was drawn into me, leaving no trace of the Celestial behind.
