The forest echoed with tension, the faint cries of pursuit growing closer. Rain pattered against the cracked stone of the ruin where Achi lay, his infant form barely able to process the chaos around him. Yet, he felt it — the weight of the man stumbling toward him, his presence an overwhelming tide of energy.
Achi's focus sharpened. The system's Insight ability activated instinctively, flooding his mind with a torrent of information:
[INSIGHT]
NAME: PHILOP PERISTINE
RACE/BLOODLINE: PUREBLOOD LYCAN
LEVEL: 14 [39/2800]
STRENGTH: 37ENDURANCE: 39
AGILITY: 35
SPIRIT: 32
SKILLS:
• [BLOOD QI]
• [7 MYRIAD BLOODPATH]
• [PHYSICAL ENHANCE]
• [BLOODLINE TRANSFORMATION]
• [SIMON SWORD STYLE]
Achi's mind raced. (This man... he must be the father of this body's owner.)
Philop staggered closer, coughing violently, crimson blood splattering onto the rain-soaked ground. His silver hair, matted and streaked with grime, clung to his face. His glowing red eyes pierced through the dim light of the ruins, filled with exhaustion but unyielding resolve.
"I guess..." Philop wheezed, collapsing onto his knees, his voice barely audible over the storm. "That old man... was right..."
A violent cough wracked his body, but he pressed forward, crawling toward Achi. When he finally reached him, Philop raised a trembling hand and pressed his finger firmly against Achi's forehead. A surge of energy passed through the contact, and Achi felt his chest tighten as a thick red mist swirled around him, coiling like a living serpent. It converged on the right side of his chest, leaving behind a crimson mark etched deep into his skin — a fang-like sigil that pulsed with latent power.
"Release," Philop whispered, his voice carrying an unspoken finality.
[NOTIFICATION]
You have acquired the 7 Myriad Bloodpath Technique.
Achi's thoughts surged. (Inheritance? No... this feels too alien to this body. Inheritances are usually tied to bloodlines, clan techniques, or species-specific skills... but this...)
Philop's pale face managed a faint, pained smile. "You'll unlock the bloodline transformation on your own... in time. You really are your mother's child... so calm, even now. I won't be around much longer, Archiboy, but I'll divert their attention. No one will search every ruin in this forest." His voice faltered, and his trembling hand fell to his side. "Just remember... your old man tried."
With visible effort, Philop staggered to his feet, limping away from the ruins. The mist around him thickened, obscuring his figure as he vanished into the rain-soaked shadows.
In the distance, angry voices pierced through the storm. "I think I saw something over there!"
Achi remained silent, his infant body incapable of expression, but his mind churned with calculated thoughts. (Typical... Nothing in life comes easy. My old man's a Lycan, so my mother must be human. System, show me the 7 Myriad Bloodpath skill information.)
[SKILL INFO]
[7 MYRIAD BLOODPATH TECHNIQUE]
Blood into Qi, Qi into Blood. Instead of absorbing Qi from the environment, you can draw it from blood consumption, circulating it freely throughout the body.
(Interesting... The only blood-related species in the outer zones are vampires. This raises more questions...)
Achi's gaze turned inward, focusing on the energy flowing through his weakened body. (Not bad, but I'm in no shape to hunt right now. I'll have to rely on absorbing the surrounding Qi to sustain this body. Still, that won't be enough for growth... I'll need real sustenance eventually. I'm not trying to create a mana body, after all.)
[MANA/QI BODY: A body sustained entirely by mana or Qi.]
(For now, I'll focus on gathering energy. This body isn't ready for advanced techniques, but I can manage with something basic.)
Settling into a meditative state, Achi drew upon the faint threads of energy lingering in the ruin. The rain softened, the blue threads of Qi beginning to drift toward him. They coiled gently around his form, sinking into his body in slow, rhythmic waves.
[NOTIFICATION]
Through effort, the host has gained a basic Qi extraction method.
You have acquired: Wave Breathing.
SPIRIT +2
MANA/QI +1
(Every zone has this energy, though it's called different things. Here, they call it Qi... but the system always refers to it as Spirit. System, show me my status.)
[STATUS]
[NAME: ARCHIVOLD PERISTINE]
[RACE/BLOODLINE: HALF HUMAN / HALF LYCAN]
[LEVEL: 1 [0/100]
STRENGTH: 1
ENDURANCE: 1
AGILITY: 1
SPIRIT: 8
DIVINITY CONTENT: 0%
SKILLS:
• [7 MYRIAD BLOODPATH]
• [WAVE BREATHING]
Achi exhaled slowly, his mind steady despite the storm raging around him. (This is only the beginning. The body's weak, but with each breath, I'll grow stronger. The gods might abandon their pawns, but I'm no ordinary player. This world will learn that soon enough.)
The rain continued to fall, but within the ruin, the faint glow of crimson and blue pulsed steadily, a sign of life rekindling against all odds.