"Aghh... Did I lose consciousness?" Ash muttered as he slowly stood up, glancing around. Everything was just as it had been—except for four houses in the distance, facing the mountains and the forest.
He shifted his gaze forward and asked, "System, did you save me?"
—System—
If the host is asking whether I saved him, then yes. Using your blood, I am able to regenerate and heal all damage you take—unless there is no blood.
"That explains why I don't feel any pain in my head!" Ash dismissed the system screen and began searching for Fil. That's when he spotted him—lying on the ground, eyes shut.
Ash rushed toward him. The place where Fil had fallen was close to the ruined houses, and the forest became visible behind them.
Ash placed his fingers under Fil's nose, checking if he was still breathing. A wave of relief washed over him-Fil was alive. But then, as he looked around again, his eyes landed on something gruesome-the elf guy. His head was missing. A few steps away, the severed head lay discarded like trash.
Ash stood still, biting his fingers in frustration. His teeth clenched as he stepped closer to the elf's head. Then, words escaped his lips, his voice laced with anger.
"I'm weak. I'm soft. And I'm just someone that all of his..future is nothing but hope!!"
"I admit all of that! But... but despite knowing that full well... I never viewed myself as a weak person! Bear that in mind..."His burning eyes flared with an unyielding fire as he declared:
"This will, and shall be, the first and the last time I test hopelessness and defeat!!!".
-System-
Ding!!
Ding!!
Detected legendary-tier blood!!!
As Ash was about to step away from the severed head, the system's familiar notification rang out-
Ding! Ding!
The sound echoed in his mind, urging him to check the message. Unlike a voice, the system never spoke-only displayed text that he had to read himself.
"Legendary-tier blood..? Show me the rank!!" Ash immediately commanded, his eyes narrowing.
-System-
Rank: A+!
Potential: Can surpass Rank S!
Host, I advise extreme caution when attempting to consume this blood!!
"Huh...? Is the system actually warning me?"
Ash muttered, tilting his head as he turned to locate the source of the blood. It wasn't hard to find. The entire village was a graveyard-no one was left alive. Fil wasn't the one with legendary blood, and Ash knew only one possibility...
The elf.
"Should i absorb it or...?" Ash hesitated, considering whether to consume something dangerous that even the system gave him a warning for the first time. But then-his mind was suddenly flooded with memories.
-Fil's words, repeating over and over-"You are weak!!"
-The moment the elf grabbed his head and smashed it into the ground-
A deep rage boiled inside him. His fingers clenched into fists as he stared at the blood near the severed head.
Then he exhaled deeply, muttering to himself, "I truly was an ignorant man… Thinking I would have made it out alive through the calamities, let alone the final battle!"
Then, he turned his gaze straight toward the head.
"Yeah… If I want to live in this world and survive, I have to take risks. Without cost, there is no gain!"Humans, are no exceptions two, there is bad and good, to balance my actions I can gain strength, while still doing good!".
With that final thought, Ash uttered the decisive words:
"Abs… no! This one might be better—Assimilate Blood!!"
The moment he spoke, the elf's remaining blood—both from the head and the body—was pulled toward him at a terrifying speed. It surged into the Invincible wall like a raging current.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, a clear sign of the overwhelming burden of Legendary-tier blood. Yet—
Ash did not falter.
He did not collapse.
He did not even wince.
His face remained steady, his true expression unchanged.
As the assimilation process came to an end, the Invincible Wall that the blood went dissipated. Ash took a slow step back and finally sat down on the cold earth, breathing heavily as he adjusted to the strange new sensation in his body.
"I've never felt anything like this before!!" he murmured, lifting one knee while keeping his other leg stretched out against the ground.
"System, show me what I got from the blood! If there's anything."
The ruins of the village lay in silence around him. A side, Fil's unconscious body remained unmoving. The broken houses on his left stood like shattered remnants of a forgotten past, casting long shadows in the eerie moonlight.
-system-
Ding!
It seems there is a skill that the host randomly acquired from the blood! Would the host like to view it?
"Yes," Ash said, eager to see what his luck had brought him.
-system-
Skill: Soul Devouring.
Details: The host can transfer any soul he devours into strength, granting him unlimited strength every time he devours a soul.
"Huh... Soul Devouring...!" Ash muttered. "System, get rid of this skill, I don't want it! Please, remove it NOW!!" Ash shouted, having immediately remembered the old man's body and how this skill made him look as the elf used.
-system-
If the host discards the 9-star Soul Devouring skill, it cannot be obtained again. Is the host sure? If the host fears devouring innocents or losing his own soul, I assure you that no malice has been detected in this skill.
Ash's expression changed. His face twisted with anger and frustration,at the same time he looked guilty or uncertain as he saw the system's message.
In the end, and thinking about it... Ash accepted the skill and had no intention of discarding it. He decided that he would only devour the souls of monsters in the wild, to ease his wory he kept that in his heart.
He stood up and walked towards Fil, who was still lying on the ground. Fil's right shoulder had a slight tear, he was wearing a white pants, and black grey rop–that reaches his legs, but Ash didn't pay attention to it. He reached down and picked him up, finding it easy to carry due to Fil's light weight.
The village was filled with the remains of the villagers. It had been a very gruesome scene, and their deaths had left Ash with a new perspective on the world. The place he had once seen as dangerous had now revealed itself to be far more perilous than he had imagined, where the weak would only face death,and that is reality only one with power could change!.
.......
"Up!"
"Aghh!
Down...!"
huff..!
"This will do!" Ash said as he placed Fil under a large tree.
stepping out of the village. The path he came from was no longer usable, and he had no idea which direction to go. He couldn't stay in the village, so he chose to make his way through the forest, even though it was dark and unclear.
Sweating, Ash sat down near a large tree where he had placed Fil. Behind him, the forest was completely dark. Fear was present, but it wasn't overwhelming for Ash. He couldn't afford to let his guard down if any wild beast came out of the shadows. His face showed his anxiety, but even in his fear, Ash kept his composure. The sword he took where fil layed, was tightly gripped in his hand, it wasn't that hard to carry while carrying his back on fil, the sword is self too was light, even tho it was sharp and had many blue stones where ash gripped it on.
After some time.....
"I guess everything is good now... but why do I feel like I'm missing something?" Ash said as he placed his right hand on his chin, his eyes narrowing as he asked himself the question. "If it's not something I'm remembering... maybe it's not that important!" he thought to himself. But just as he finished that thought, he suddenly remembered, "Wait!!... my little beast and the egg!????" He nearly shouted it out loud, but there was nothing he could do. Even if he screamed, no one would answer him. Only Fil lay near, unconscious.
Then, a strange sensation stirred near his waist. Immediately, Ash reached into his coat, and out came the fox beast he just had in mind!. "What!?" Ash wanted to scream but held himself back, his face clearly showing disbelief at what he was seeing. He couldn't remember putting the little guy in his storage coat. "You were in there this whole time? How did you get in, though? And do you know where the egg is?" he asked, seeking answers about how the fox beast had gotten into his coat.
"Ah... who am I even asking? Obviously, this guy can't talk, legendary or not!" he muttered to himself, answering his own question. But then, something strange happened. A memory, one that wasn't his, suddenly appeared in his mind.
The fox beast showed Ash the memory of how it had entered his coat and where the egg was.
Ash could see it clearly. The fox beast had woken up in the middle of the night without making a sound, its presence was calm yet cautious and looked scared. Then, it had placed the egg carefully onto a surface, before climbing back into the coat, which acted as a storage space. And as ash was sleeping while wearing his coat, the fox beast had entered the coat, where everything was dark and concealed. The memory ended there, and Ash was left with a deep sense of realization about how it happened.
The realization Ash had gained, along with the confusion he felt, made him contemplate the situation as he stared at the fox. But he let it go and placed the fox back into the storage coat. Afterward, he sat quietly for hours, staying alert and keeping himself safe. The stillness around him filled the air, and all that occupied Ash's mind were memories—memories of his time on Earth. Among them, one stood out, a moment with his father before he passed.
"Son, what do you think life is? Is it to come, make a family, and leave? Or to come, do nothing, and go? Or perhaps to change humanity as a whole, like some do?"
Ash was left puzzled by the question. He had never really considered those possibilities himself. he was not one who came and made family and then leave or do nothing and go or change humanity as a whole. And he didn't understood either. Why this particular memory surfaced now, he couldn't grasp. The more he thought about it, the more bored he became. Eventually, unable to make sense of anything, he fell asleep, as he was still, just human.
"Wakey Wakey!!" Ash heard in his left ear, and startled by the sudden sound, he jumped in surprise, nearly screaming out loud.
As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Fil, with light spilling over his face, adding a warm glow to his features. His white hair was slightly ruffled, and his body was slender, with no visible muscles, but strangely, it looked almost graceful. Ash couldn't help but feel a little bashful as he looked at Fil's body, something about it making him feel somewhat awkward.
"Good to see you still alive, Fil," Ash said, his voice slightly strained, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Me? Alive? That's funny coming from you because I think the one who was likely to die was you, right?" Fil replied, as he looked at Ash.
"Well... you are right," Ash said, accepting the truth. Experience had taught him not to deny reality, no matter how hard it was to accept. But Ash' response caught him off guard fil, as he hadn't expected him to just accept it and become humble and grateful. Ash continued, trying to lighten the mood, "Was it that hard? The fight? I carried you out while you were unconscious."
Fil's face suddenly became serious as he looked down, a sense of guilt crossing his features. "If it weren't for them, I would have lost my life. He wasn't really fighting with me; he was just toying with me. His hand alone was enough to defend, no armor, no weapon. So, I deeply thank those poor souls," Fil said, his voice filled with both sorrow and gratitude.
Ash could feel the weight of Fil's words, and though heartbreaking, it was clear that Fil was genuinely thankful. At the same time, regret lingered in his tone. Ash let out a deep breath before speaking to Fil, trying to comfort him. "Don't feel bad about it. There was nothing you could do. But you just don't see it, they too were happy when you won and freed them. When I woke up, I didn't see any souls. They must have already gone to where their destiny awaited them. Look up, Fil." Ash said, raising his hand to point toward the sky. "Be proud that your strength helped not just me, but all of them. Feel the love they're sending you from above. You are a real hero."
Fil's crimson eyes suddenly welled up with tears. The words hit him hard, and before he knew it, tears began to flow from his eyes. Ash watched quietly, realizing that Fil, despite being a young boy, had the heart of a child. He wrapped his arms around him, standing there as Fil cried uncontrollably. Though Ash didn't fully understand why Fil was crying so much, he figured it was because Fil was happy to have freed the villagers from their misfortune and sent them to their rightful place.
A little while later, ash saw the system's message.
-System-
Ding!
Detected! Lesser Tier Blood!
Detected! Lesser Tier Blood!
There are two Lesser Tier Blood, Detected!
"Hmm... I guess this may work!" Fil said, wiping away his tears. He then added, "I sense two weak boars nearby. What if I serve them to train you? You have proven to me that, even tho' you are weak! i can train you because you have a good heart!. And They aren't dangerous,you would trust me right?" He grinned–with scary and funny expression making his beutyfull face look terrifying in a funny way.
While Ash on the other hand, was truly just kinda scared his cute face now. "Is he talking about what the system detected?" He then added backing off from fil little bit while making smile lightly" but why is he making that scary look!! I really don't like this!.