Apocalypse Baby

Alex frowned.

Can't this guy take a hint?

He wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

But the Blood Monarch wouldn't let up.

It was clear—the blood type skill he had gotten was what had caught his attention this time.

Maybe he'd say something like.

I can make this skill more powerful and grant you more if you join me.

Yeah, still a no?

As always he wasn't going to accommodate the demand.

Alex dismissed the notification without a second thought.

And instead, focused on what came next—the weapon—Scarlet Fang.

[Scarlet Fang Dagger] – A dagger that grows sharper with every kill, refining its edge to an almost supernatural keenness. It generates a cutting aura, allowing strikes to bypass armor and magical defenses effortlessly. It also has a special effect that enables it to coat itself in the wielder's blood, causing the blade to unleash deadly crimson energy, drastically amplifying its cutting power.

Alex grinned on reading the description.

Another weapon for his arsenal.

It wasn't exactly his style—ideal for assassins or blood magic users—but Alex wasn't about to let that stop him.

Scarlet Fang was a better fit than Shadow Fangs, no question.

He'd take whatever gave him the edge.

Ding!

[The Blood Monarch - Vladros demands a meeting with you.]

Another notification popped up.

Alex's grin faltered for a split second.

Again?

He rolled his eyes and quickly dismissed it.

The next skill.

The one his title had granted him.

Blood Requiem (A) – A forbidden blood technique that forges a death link between Alex and his chosen target. While the mark is active, 50% of all damage and injuries Alex sustains are mirrored onto the target, forcing them to experience his suffering in real time. If Alex loses a limb, the target loses the same limb. If he is stabbed, burned, or crushed, the target suffers half of the inflicted damage and pain. This relentless bond turns injury into a weapon, making every wound Alex suffers a shared nightmare.

Skill Details:

Mark Duration: 5 minutes or until dispelled.

Range: 20 meters (target must be within range when marked).

Activation Cost: 50 Mana + a drop of Alex's blood.

Maintenance Cost: 5 Mana per second (when active)

Cooldown: 10 minutes after the mark expires.

Limitations:

- The mark can be cleansed by strong purification magic.

- If Alex takes lethal damage, the link does not prevent his death.

- Targets with high resistance to curses or blood magic may weaken the effect.

- Only one target can be marked at a time.

"Wow."'

Alex gasped, his breath catching in his throat.

He'd seen plenty of skills before, but this one? This was something else.

His title had never given him something as powerful as the original skill. It usually handed him something less impressive. But this?

This was insane.

It was even crazier than the first one.

No—crazier wasn't the right word.

The perfect word was—Twisted.

With this skill, Alex could turn his target's world into hell.

Especially if his target didn't have regeneration or healing skills.

The thought alone made Alex's fingers twitch.

He shook his head.

Now, this was a skill that should never land in the hands of a vengeful, psychopathic masochist with regenerative abilities.

Alex couldn't help but shake his head, disgusted by the evil thoughts the potential of the skill stirred up in him.

But that wasn't all there was to it.

The skill wasn't just about torment.

Against a powerful opponent, it could be a game-changer. Not only would you be dealing damage, but your opponent would be hurting themselves, too—using their own attacks to cause harm.

And the kicker?

It wasn't even S-rank.

It was A-Rank.

An A-Rank skill.

Alex let out a manic grin.

It wasn't an S-Rank skill—which meant there was a chance to upgrade it.

Make it even more broken.

He reached into his inventory and pulled out the attribute converter.

With a quick motion, he activated it.

He only needed one upgrade stone to make this work.

So, Alex made a decision.

Ding!

[Select Attribute To Deduct]

Alex thought for a moment, then made his choice.

"Deduct twenty from strength, ten from agility, vitality, and intelligence."

He confirmed the decision, and within seconds—the exchange was made.

[You have received an upgrade stone]

Now would he replace the points he'd just used despite still having a generous amount of unused stat points? No.

Alex knew he was about to hit level 75, which would push him into Rank B. And with that rank-up came a big bonus which involved attribute points.

These points would automatically be assigned to all his attributes.

And what that meant was that the points he was deducting now would be replaced soon enough.

It was a win-win: he wouldn't lose anything, and he'd make sure his new rank-up points wouldn't go to waste.

With the upgrade stone now in his hand, Alex didn't hesitate.

He immediately used it on his new skill, Blood Requiem.

[Upgrading]

[Upgrade Successful]

[Blood Requiem (A)) is now Pain Mirror (S)]

Pain Mirror (S) – The user inscribes a Crimson Fate Seal onto a target using his own blood, forging a death bond that mirrors all harm he endures. While active, 100% of all damage, pain, and injuries the user suffers are inflicted upon the marked target in full—if he is stabbed, burned, crushed, or dismembered, the target experiences the exact same fate simultaneously.

Skill Details:

Mark Duration: 10 minutes or until Alex removes it.

Range: 50 meters (target must be within range when marked).

Activation Cost: 150 Mana + a drop of Alex's blood.

Maintenance Cost: 10 Mana per second.

Cooldown: 1 hour after the mark expires.

Enhancements:

100% of Alex's injuries transfer to the target.

If the User suffers a fatal wound, the target receives the death blow first, giving him a brief window to survive.

Now this was perfect.

Alex grinned as he thought about how this skill would play out.

The moment he used Blood Requiem, his opponent would hesitate to attack because any damage they dealt would come right back to them.

It was the ultimate lesson: don't dish out what you can't take.

Attacking while receiving—it was insane.

Alex let that sink in for a moment, the thrill of it building inside him.

Then, he shifted his focus to the rest of the reward.

Only one was left.

An accessory.

A cloak.

Crimson Cloak – A piece of specialized clothing imbued with unique properties that grant its wearer the ability to transform into a mist of blood for up to 10 seconds, allowing them to evade all incoming attacks. During this transformation, the wearer becomes intangible and immune to physical damage, effectively rendering them untouchable for a brief period. This ability can only be used once every 10 minutes, after which the cloak requires time to recharge.

Hmm.

This gave him vampire vibes.

The cloak itself wasn't anything too special or flashy, but he had a feeling it would come in handy when the time was right.

Ding!

[The Blood Monarch - Vladros demands a meeting with you]

Alex barely glanced at it, tapping ignore without hesitation.

A moment passed.

Then—

[The Blood Monarch - Vladros demands a meeting with you.]

[The Blood Monarch - Vladros demands a meeting with you.]

It kept coming. One after another.

[The Blood Monarch - Vladros demands a meeting with you.]

[The Blood Monarch - Vladros demands a meeting with you.]

...

Alex let out a frustrated sigh.

Looks like Vladros wasn't taking "ignore" for an answer.

The notifications kept coming, one after another, like an endless barrage.

Alex's patience was running out.

"Hey, system, can you just put all messages from the deities on snooze?" he asked, his voice dripping with annoyance.

Ding!

[Notification from deities muted.]

[You will not receive them again.]

"Thank you."

Alex leaned back, letting out a relieved breath. It was finally quiet.

But then—

Ding!

"What now?" Alex groaned, expecting another round of deity nonsense.

But when he looked at the screen, it wasn't what he thought.

Ding!

[You will be ejected from the Beast Lord zone in 30 seconds.]

The countdown began ticking down.

Alex nodded to himself, a small grin tugging at his lips.

He had been mistaken.

He sighed staring at the damage he had caused herel

He'd grown stronger from this fight—leveling up multiple times.

And with those level-ups, he'd earned the chance to choose three new skills.

The first came when he reached level 50 and ranked up.

The second was at level 60, and the last was when he crossed the level 70 mark.

Three more skills—that could be pushed all the way to S-Rank.

The thought of it made Alex's excitement rise.

He couldn't wait to see just how powerful those skills would make him.

The 30-second countdown hit zero.

And in the blink of an eye, Alex vanished from his spot.

When he reappeared, he found himself back in the forest, the familiar trees and shadows surrounding him once again.

The sunlight hit Alex's face as he reappeared, the bright, clear skies a sharp contrast to the dark, reddish glow of the ruins he'd just left.

It was morning, the air fresh and crisp.

Alex took a deep breath, enjoying the peace for a moment—but before he could even exhale, a flurry of notifications blasted into his vision, interrupting the calm.

Ding!

[Your clone has defeated a Beast Lord: Evangel.]

[All rewards are now transferred to the original.]