Quinn didn't linger on his newfound information for too long. In the end, all this meant was that his Blood Skills could be used in the game, and his Shadow Skills couldn't. Additionally, there was his new "Daze" Skill. While it wasn't a "Blood" Skill, it also wasn't part of his Shadow Skills, so there was a chance that it could still be used.
Before selecting a match, there was something else Quinn wanted to check. He brought up his Status window and focused on the "Tutorial" Tab. He had unlocked a new Tutorial Video when he reached Level 10 while on the Red Portal Planet.
A large System screen popped up in front of him, and static began to crackle across the screen. Soon, the blonde-haired man appeared, standing in some sort of dojo.
"Congratulations on reaching Level 10!" the man said in his typically cheery voice. "Now, in this video, no new Skills will be learned. Instead, we will be creating one of our own! By now, you should have unlocked the 'Blood Spray' Blood Skill, as well as acquired enough Stat Points that your Strength score is now at the '15-point' threshold required for the Hammer Strike! Although the Blood Spray is useful for attacking multiple targets, it's most effective while you are actually touching the target. And, what's even better, is that you can combine the two Skills!"
The blonde-haired man got into a fighting position once again. He repeated all of the steps for the Hammer Strike. But, right at the end, before the shockwave was sent out, he used the Blood Spray Skill. Rather than spreading out like a shotgun, it became compact and came out in a thick line. The typical "gunshot" sound of the Hammer Strike was then heard in the video.
"Whoops," the blonde-haired man replied. "Looks like I will need to make some repairs to the dojo." He then turned back to the viewer. "Anyway, I call this move the Blood Hammer. Now, be careful, because the attack will not only use up your Stamina, but your HP as well. Also, the Blood Hammer takes slightly longer to prepare. So it might not be the best for every situation. You can also combine the Blood Stray with a normal punch to make it several times stronger."
Quinn stood in the white room, watching the video over and over again, analyzing it carefully. He wanted to make sure he got the hang of the new Skill before he started fighting.
In the game, using his Blood Skills didn't use up any of his HP, meaning that he could use them indefinitely. He watched the video one final time so he had a reference fresh in his mind. Then, he tried to perform the Skill himself.
Unlike how it had taken him nearly ten minutes of practice to nail down the HammerStrike, he had managed to perform the Blood Hammer on the first try. This was because, unlike with the other Skills, there really wasn't much to learn. It was more a sense of timing. He simply had to activate the Blood Spray Skill just as he was completing the Hammer Strike.
Quinn then started to just throw out regular punches while activating the Blood Spray Skill. Only activating the Skill at the point where he was throwing out the punch. However, this turned out to be rather hit and miss. Sometimes, he would activate the Skill too early, causing his arm to jerk back a little. While other times, he was successful. The most important part was getting the hang of the timing. Activating the Skill at just the right point.
After practicing nonstop for around thirty minutes, his success rate with using the Blood Stray in combination was around 80%. Meanwhile, with the Hammer Strike, it was 100%. But, much like the man had said, it took him longer to charge up the attack.
Quinn looked at the timer shown in the upper-right corner of his vision.
09:19:29
"Man, I've already spent forty minutes in here," he muttered. "Well, It should be fine. I have at least a few hours before curfew."
Quinn then brought up the search menu.
"Alright, time to test out these new Skills," he replied.
On the screen, Quinn saw the numbers one through eight, each one positioned inside a square, with them arranged much like a digital keypad. It was arranged in two rows of three, with the final row having two numbers. Additionally, there was a rectangle at the bottom of the "keypad". It read "Quick Match".
Quinn pressed the first number, "1".
A light-blue, translucent screen appeared, overlaying the search screen.
[Looking for Level 1 opponents…]
While Quinn knew that he wouldn't get any Experience Points from defeating Level 1s, he wanted to start with some small fries to test out his new Skills.
And the second he started his search, his User ID had gone online.
***
In an arena in the Power Fighters mainframe, a boy had just finished his match by driving a metal hand into his opponent's gut.
An announcer's voice was projected across the room.
"Winner, User ID HardSteely!"
HardSteely, known in the real world as Nate, let out a sigh as his opponent began to disappear.
It was then that a notification popped up in front of him. It was an announcement that one of the players registered in his "Friend Group" had logged in.
[User ID Blood Evolver is now online.]
"Oh?" Nate asked, his eyebrows raising slightly as he read the notification. "I haven't seen him in quite a while." A smirk crept across Nate's face. "I was starting to think that he might have quit playing the game."
Ever since Nate had fought against Blood Evolver, he had gained an interest in the player. Mainly due to his strange Ability.
Nate pressed a button on the screen that would automatically transfer him to the arena that the player would be using once the match started. A new message appeared.
[Now Spectating User ID Blood Evolver.]
However, Nate wasn't the only one.
***
Back in the real world, the samenotification message Nate had received appeared on Logan's computer. He had set up a system in the game so that it would ping him as soon as the player called "Blood Evolver" went online. That way, he could spectate the match without being in his Friends Group.
[User ID Blood Evolver is now online.]
"There you are," Logan muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Let's see how you did it."
There was a part of Logan that hoped that the videos were fake. But he needed to witness the player fighting with his own eyes to see whether or not someone was able to break his game.
***
Back in the white room, Quinn patiently waited in front of the screen. Finally, after about a minute or so of searching, an electronic beep was heard. An opponent had finally been found.
Quinn's body began to break apart into pixels as he was teleported to the arena.
***
Nate found himself in the upper levels of the stands surrounding one of the arenas. He looked from side to side and quickly discovered that he was the only person in the stands at the moment. Then, his gaze drifted down to the arena. As he did, he saw two players beginning to appear. However, as Blood Evolver appeared, Nate's eyes widened. The player was now wearing almost a full set of Beast Gear. He was wearing a pair of black boots, a set of black gauntlets, and a rather strange chestpiece that appeared to be made from some sort of spider, if the chestpiece's design was anything to go by.
"Wow," Nate replied. "He must have made out like a bandit in that Portal Outing!"
Because Nate was not from Military Base 2, he was unaware of the "incident" that had occurred, and had assumed that the Portal Outing had already occurred, with Quinn's new gear being forged from the Beast Crystals he had acquired on the Portal Outing.
As Quinn appeared, he brought up his Status Window.
[Name: Quinn Talen
Race: Vampire
Level: 10
XP: 10/100
Title: None
Ability: Shadow Element
Ability Level: 6
HP: 55/55
MC: 100/100
Strength: 15 [+10]
Stamina: 15
Agility: 16 [+4]
Charm: 5
Defense: 12
[Stat Points: 0] ]
Quinn smiled, seeing the Stats. With his new Beast Gear, his Stats were now the highest they'd ever been.
The countdown for the match began, and the voice of the announcer boomed across the arena.
"3…2…1…FIGHT!"
A sound like the "starting bell" in a professional boxing match was heard, indicating the startof the fight.
Instantly, Quinn rushed forward. With his new boots, he felt faster than EVER.
'These new boots are amazing!' Quinn thought in excitement.