Under a blood-red sky, ten elders in crimson garments hovered solemnly in the air. Their expressions were grave, as if standing before an ancient reckoning.
Then—**he** appeared.
A man cloaked in black rose into the sky, his silhouette slicing through the clouds like a blade.
"The revival of a god?" His voice was low, calm—but it reverberated with undeniable authority. His obsidian eyes stared into the heavens, black hair fluttering wildly in the wind.
And then, it began.
Rain.
But not water.
**Blood.**
The sky wept crimson.
"This is impossible…" the man whispered, disbelief washing over his face. "Blood rain? Is this truly the revival of a god?"
The elders looked to their palms. The droplets didn't stain them—they *merged*, fusing into their very beings.
A moment later, their power surged. The world seemed to freeze as every one of them felt it: breakthrough.
They closed their eyes. Bodies still. Minds sinking into meditation.
This phenomenon was not theirs alone.
Across the world, it echoed.
Magic beasts slipped into hibernation as the blood rain coursed through their veins. Their forms adapted, infused with an ancient and wild power.
From deep beneath the earth—forgotten monsters stirred.
"The revival of a god... and the revival of mana," a white-bearded warlock murmured, sitting atop a beast with glowing scales. His eyes shimmered with a spectrum of color. "It's beginning…"
---
**"What is happening?!"**
The woman who had once tried to steal my sword stood rooted in place.
A thunderous *crack* tore across the sky.
Beasts howled. The very earth trembled beneath them.
"This aura…" she muttered, visibly shaken. "It belongs to that strange man…"
Even now, her body remembered the fear he had carved into her soul.
He had been a mere mortal—yet he had made her tremble.
She sprinted through the dense terrain, dodging beasts that had lost all reason.
*I have to find that manual before this world falls apart…*
---
My eyes opened slowly… and I saw her.
A white-haired beauty.
"…Gorgeous."
The word escaped before I could stop it.
"Th-thank you, Master," she replied quickly, her pale face coloring in a bright, dangerous blush.
I sat up—realizing I had been resting on her lap. Tina bounded over with something clenched in her mouth: a strange, glistening fruit. She dropped it at my feet and stared at me with eager eyes.
I took a bite—and power flooded through my limbs in an instant.
"Master, this is the treasure I mentioned," the white-haired girl said with a bow.
"You're the one from the tree," I said, narrowing my eyes.
"Yes, Master." She kept her head bowed low.
---
**Name:** ??
**Race:** Nephilora
**Title:** Spider Queen, Web Weaver
**Level:** 45
**Power Level:** 1500
**Affinities:** Poison, Earth, Darkness
**Skills:**
* **Spider Dominion**: Grants full control over spider-type beasts.
* **Poison Manipulation**: Full mastery of the poison element.
* **Mother of Arachne**: ???
---
"Wonderful…"
She flinched at the sound of my voice.
"I shall name you *Frida*." I raised her chin gently. "You will taste a power that surpasses your imagination."
Her blush deepened. "Master… thank you."
Anyone watching would've thought she was human. Her aura felt soft, nearly fragile—but I knew the beast that slumbered beneath that calm.
Lifting Tina onto my shoulder, I turned toward the colossal tree behind them.
"Inerous. Is there a way to store or transplant this tree?"
*Yes, Master.*
"And how would I do that?"
*It's simple, really.*
I raised a brow, unconvinced, but allowed her to continue.
*You may store it within your spatial inventory. However, the tree will be trapped between life and death—this state can last up to three months.*
*But maintaining it will consume 30 Origin Points.*
"Thirty?" I echoed sharply. "One point is already immense—thirty is madness."
*Master, this is no ordinary feat. You are manipulating the laws of life and death.*
I stood quietly, considering it.
Then I smiled.
"That's all I needed to hear."
I walked to the tree and placed my hand gently on its bark.
"Store."
A surge of Origin flowed through my palm. Celestial threads wove around the tree like silk—and with a pulse of light, it vanished.
My eyes caught a glint beneath the rubble.
"A scroll?" I knelt, brushing away dust. The words shimmered faintly. "*Star Pattern Arts*..."
*Aura Art detected.*
> **Star Pattern Arts** — *Allows the user to cultivate celestial constellations into their being, harnessing the divine power of the stars.*
I skimmed the contents, and my jaw tensed.
"These humans… they're monsters."
I couldn't contain it.
"Hahahaha!" I laughed wildly. "I wonder how their insides look. I'd love to dissect one."
Anyone from my past would've fled just hearing that laugh.
Still grinning, I stepped out of the cave and casually stored the corpses on the ground.
The sky above was split open. A massive rift tore across the heavens.
"That… is my way out."
I raised my hand.
And then I saw it.
A familiar beast slithered in the distance—its eyes glowing like molten orbs.
**The Basilisk.**
The one that had killed this body's previous owner.
I clenched Cil, who pulsed with bloodlust in my grasp.
Frida moved, sensing danger.
"I'll kill it myself," I said coldly.
And vanished.
I reappeared beside it—my palm engulfed in flame—and slammed it into the monster's scales.
But my eyes widened.
*Its hide is unbelievably dense…*
That brief hesitation cost me.
Its tail whipped into me violently, sending me crashing into the trees. Then its mouth glowed—gathering energy into a dense, thrumming orb.
**Boom!**
The blast sent shockwaves through the forest. I barely raised a shield, forcing the earth element to wrap around me like armor.
> \[Skill Learned: Stone Armor]
The Basilisk roared. Its body twisted unnaturally—then launched a barrage of energy orbs.
My movement slowed. The stone armor was durable, but heavy.
I tightened my grip on Cil. My body hummed with power.
The beast vanished.
**Slash!**
Its claws raked across my chest. I gasped—wounded deeply.
"Tina!"
She leapt onto the creature's back, fangs sinking into its flesh.
"No, Tina!" I shouted.
I couldn't move—I was charging a counterattack.
Frida trembled beside me, her fists shaking with fury.
Tina fought like wildfire—her teeth tearing, her body refusing to yield. The Basilisk howled, trying to dislodge her with its tail.
Still, she held on.
Its body coiled—then snapped open.
**Snap!**
Spikes erupted from its back, impaling Tina from multiple angles. Yet still, she clung to it.
"Why?" My voice broke. "Why do I feel this way…"
I had buried one companion before—my Star Tiger.
I wouldn't bury another.
*Tina… I can't lose you too.*
My urgency exploded.
"Tina, you've done well." My voice was calm now—but fierce.
She finally let go, falling limp.
And then—I moved.
The stone armor shattered.
My essence flared.
I vanished in a flash of motion, reappearing with Cil wrapped in surging water essence.
"You killed my predecessor. So don't blame me for this."
**Slash!**
Cil tore clean through its neck.
**Blood gushed like a crimson waterfall, soaking the earth—and me.**
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
I rushed to Tina's side. Frida held her gently, hands trembling.
"Tina… please." I dropped beside her. "You're strong. Don't die on me."
My voice cracked.
"I won't lose my companion. Not again."
I laid her on the Basilisk's still-warm corpse and sat cross-legged before them.
A silver light engulfed me.
**Synthesis.**
My aura wrapped around Tina and the beast. Her faint flame flickered… then merged with the Basilisk's core.
Without hesitation, I offered my blood.
Light exploded.
Their bodies fused—surrounded by a cocoon of transformation.
"You won't die," I whispered.
"Not on my watch."