Blood for Power: A LitRPG Apocalypse

[Lucas Hudson, Class: Blood Reaver, Level: 110, Grade: F]

[You have three Grade Evolution choices. Choose wisely as this process cannot be undone once a decision has been made.]

[Transition to Grade E has begun.]

[Here are your choices. Please note that all previous skills and abilities will be retained regardless of your choice.]

*Grade Evolution Path Identified!* [Path of the Peerless Blade Master] – This path is for those who want to hone their craft with a blade until mastery is achieved. It will lead you to the point where any adversary or obstacle can be destroyed with a single cut.

Contains:

+10% boost to Dexterity

+5% boost to Perception

Unlocks the Peerless Mind Ability

Interesting. I would’ve assumed the path of the sword would’ve included Strength under its stat boosts. I said as much to Roan, who grunted and said, “it’s making recommendations based on your previous choices. Hugo’s was a bit more haphazard because his desires were all over the place. You’re a lot more focused in that regard, so the choices will reflect that. Each path you see will be viable for you.”

“What’s the Peerless Mind Ability?” Hugo asked.

“It provides an analytic framework for fighting that goes above and beyond what Lucas’s current instincts can tell him.”

“See, that’s me staying on topic,” Hugo said smugly. “Haphazard, my ass. Wait, that ability sounds lame and boring.”

Roan sighed and turned to me to explain. “It analyzes fighting styles, presents weaknesses you otherwise wouldn’t have noticed, and gives you superior instinctual counter attacks. It is an extremely good ability.”

I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I believe it is also the path Yakeshi chose to go down when he was still mortal.”

That did not surprise me. I’d heard the story of how he’d destroyed an entire planet with a single cut. Now he was my enemy. An enemy I had no idea how to survive against, much less fight.

“How do you counter someone with the Peerless Mind Ability?” I asked.

Roan smirked. “If you’re thinking about fighting him anytime soon, don’t. The best thing you can do is hide. If he finds you, then you try to talk him down. Running should be a last resort that is almost guaranteed to fail. Did you notice how the concept of you fighting him isn’t even worth mentioning?”

“I might encounter another Climber with the ability,” I said.

Roan conceded to my point and said, “it’s simple. Peerless Mind tells you the best thing to do in a fight, but that doesn’t mean you can pull it off. There are ways to shield yourself, like using shadows to obscure your movements, for example. Another is that you might have a stat or ability that overwhelms them. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but it doesn’t matter if you’re too weak to execute any of it properly.”

It was a lot to think about. Roan stressed that I was decently strong for my level and incredibly fast. He said that despite its counter measures, Peerless Mind would be devasting in my hands.

I had to agree just based on his description, but that only roused my curiosity further for what the other paths might offer.

*Grade Evolution Path Identified!* [Path of the Howling Void] – A path that consumes all eventually.

Contains:

+10% boost to Constitution

+5% boost to Strength

Unlocks the Void Storm Ability

I frowned. “That description could’ve been more helpful.”

“Maybe the void ate some of it?” Hugo suggested.

“The Howling Void?” I asked Roan.

“Shadow and darkness are the lesser forms of the void,” Roan said. “It is the true absence of light or any other matter. A very potent direction to head down. One that I’m well-versed in.”

“Is that the path you walked before you became a god?” Hugo asked.

He shook his head. “No child. There were no paths back then. Each of us alone carved our own way to power.” His eyes hardened as he remembered something. “But that’s a topic for another time. Void magic and shadows are my specialty. Lucas choosing this path means I can offer far more items and guidance than any other path. This is the one choice where he could profit the most from me as his sponsor.”

I remembered all the weapons, armor, and knowledge Samara had tempted me with to join her. If Roan had something similar, then he was underselling it. I’d become a walking armory. Not to mention elevating my shadow powers to their ultimate destructive potential. With enough control, I’d be able to make weapons out of darkness the same way I do blood. That way, nothing about my fighting style would have to change.

“The Void Storm, in case you were wondering,” Roan continued. “Is another Domain ability. Unlike your Crimson Domain that creates a small pocket world that you can pull people into, the Void Storm joins with this world. It is a place that is antithetical to most life. You would be shielded, but any other living thing caught inside would not. The Storm can also be expanded by feeding it power.”

“Seems kind of excessive for Tower Climbing and difficult to control,” I said, thinking about the innocent people I’d encountered before in previous towns.

Roan disagreed. “You would control the size of the storm and eventually, you could be strong enough to wipe out entire armies with this single ability.”

He wasn’t just talking about what I could do to survive the next few floors. He was talking about when I reach the peak of my power.

“These are endgame abilities,” I realized.

Roan shook his head. “No, they are included in the paths because they are there to aid you along your entire journey. Their strength depends upon your level of power. If you used the Void Storm now, it probably wouldn’t even fill this room.”

Hugo flopped onto his back and hid his face with one wing. “I’ve been robbed!” he moaned. “All these amazing abilities and I got offered things like Piercing Diver?”

“I once saw a god get killed with that ability,” Roan said.

He peeked out from beneath his wing. “Really?”

Roan nodded. “Really. Plus, your Spirit Vault could be something special in the future once a few expansions are made to it.”

“Expansions?” He sat up, suddenly taking interest.

“Forget I said anything. Now, Lucas has one more path to consider before making his decision.”

I nodded. It was time to see what the blood path offered me. At first, I went into this certain that it would be the only path for me, but now I wasn’t so sure.

*Grade Evolution Path Identified!* [Path of the Crimson Arts] – Be prepared. More than any other, this path causes suffering. Because what else comes from blood-letting if not suffering? Though the more important question remains. Who will be the one to suffer? A Hemokinetic Master is one with absolute authority over their own lifeblood and those of others. An artist who shapes this essential element to their will. What kind of masterpiece will you paint with the blood of your enemies?

Contains:

+10% boost to Dexterity

+5% boost to Strength

Unlocks the Blood Orchard Ability

Roan coughed awkwardly. “I guess you can see which description the Officiator wrote. Though ‘Crimson Arts’ is a vague, unassuming title for such a potent path. I’m not going to downplay this one. It was placed on the restricted list for a reason, and that reason is power. This would be a great path for you to pick, but you have to also remember why there’s no living blood shapers anymore. Meanwhile, beings who have walked the other paths available to you remain gods to this day. Think carefully about your choice.”

“Would it make me less of a threat to the other gods if I took a different path?” I asked.

Roam grimaced and shook his head. “At this point, no. You retain all of your prior abilities regardless of what you pick. So if you picked the void, your Class options would be a blood shadow hybrid.”

“And The Blood Orchard?” asked Hugo.

Roan threw him a tired look. “Yes, I was getting to that. The Blood Orchard is an expansion for your Crimson Domain. There, blood trees will grow as your power increases. But the effects vary depending on the type of blood you feed it.”

“That’s not exactly helpful,” I muttered.

He shrugged. “Blood powers are not my forte. I have no idea what would happen if you picked it. Considering what I know of the other options, it is likely to be something powerful though.”

This gave me a lot to think about. My current blood powers were already incredibly useful. Would I really benefit by going deeper into this discipline when I could diversify with void powers?

I took another look at the Crimson Arts path description when suddenly the message shimmered and changed.

[Prior Path Choice Altered]

[Unique Path Detected]

*Grade Evolution Path Identified!* [Reign of the Sanguine Lord] – As the only Blood Reaver in a thousand cycles to reject the beast’s call, you alone have earned the right to inherit this path. By not falling to the temptation of the blood, you have demonstrated mastery over one’s desires. This path is that of the first and only blood god. A being who once shared some of his knowledge to create pale imitators through the Reavers and the Scarlet Beasts. All will come to learn in time that the Sanguine Lord rules above all others.

Contains:

+10% boost to Dexterity

+10% boost to Strength

+5% boost to Perception

+5% boost to Vitality

Unlocks the Blood Orchard Ability

Unlocks the Hemorrhage Gate Ability

“So are you going with Crimson Arts or are you going to start taking my advice seriously?” Roan asked.

I’d been busy staring at the new path. I was distracted that I barely heard him and I was caught off-guard when he’d spoken.

“Are you okay?” Hugo asked.

“Yeah, just some new life jitters,” I said. “Give me a moment.”

That’s odd. Roan can’t see the name change. Is this a secret path? It has an extra ability and stat boosts, which does make this the best path to take. But how would I explain the extra ability to the others?

It was unlikely that Hugo had noticed the change. If only because he would’ve complained about not getting similar treatment. But I had to be certain that he wasn’t just playing it cool for Roan’s sake.

“What do you think of The Crimson Arts?” I asked him.

The crow shrugged. “It’s been working for you so far. It’s like you said before. Why change up a good thing?”

So neither of them can see it, and if I want to keep it a secret, then I can’t ask Roan about what the second ability does. The description also gave me pause. It referenced the first Sanguine Lord as being a blood god and ruling over others. I had no interest in doing either of those things. Still, this was far too good of an opportunity to pass up.

I selected that path and waited for the Class options to appear.

[Path Choice Confirmed]

[Class Options Loading]

[ERROR!]

[Class Pre-selected]

*DING!* You have been upgraded to Grade E, Blood Reaver Class*

*DING!* You have gained [The Blood Orchard (Rare)] – A tree of blood has now been planted within your domain. Feeding it the blood of your enemies will cause it to grow until it bears potent fruit.

*DING!* You have gained [The Hemorrhage Gate (Legendary)] – This ability allows you to create portals between the real world and your Domain without activating your Domain Expansion.

The rush of power hit me all at once.

I staggered back a step and my foot cracked the wooden floor. I was now ten percent stronger than before. Moving forward felt almost like gliding with my enhanced Dexterity.

Hugo was right. This does feel incredible.

“Huh, so you’re sticking with Blood Reaver? That was fast,” Roan said as he read the messages. His eyes glittered at the last part. “Wow. That Gate ability is something else. Hey, can I see your bracer for a second?”

Frowning, I took it off and handed it to him. That Blood Cache Bracer had saved my life a dozen times. It was easily the best item I possessed and one of the few good things I’d gotten out of my prior relationship with Samara.

Roan examined the bracer for a moment. It began to degrade and turn to dust. Within a few seconds, it was gone completely.

“Hey!” I yelled.

He smiled. “Trust me. I just did you a favor. Samara could’ve used it to track you. Besides, you don’t need it anymore.”

He was talking about The Hemorrhage Gate. It could do what the bracer did by summoning blood to me, but instead of drawing from a limited cache, I could draw from my domain directly. He was right, this was something else.

“I have to test it out,” I said, excited.

He nodded. “But not here. It’s time you two went down to the next floor.”