The moment Alex gripped the [Blood Valley Token], he crushed it in his hand.
A deep crimson light burst from the crushed item, bathing him in a blood-red glow that seemed to radiate straight from the ominous moon hanging above.
Alice, standing close by, was also caught in the glow.
“What’s happening?!” she exclaimed, looking around in alarm as the energy enveloped them both.
Some nearby players paused, looking on with confusion and awe.
“Is the blood moon targeting them directly?” one murmured. “Or maybe it’s trying to erase FateBreaker itself?”
Suddenly, a message popped up.
[Teleporting you to “Blood Valley”…]
The crimson pulse intensified, growing stronger by the second.
Alex felt the world around him begin to ripple and bend, like reality itself was being twisted and reshaped.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, jagged cracks snaking outward as the crimson energy warped the world around them.
In the blink of an eye, the familiar outskirts of [Bell City] vanished.
Alex and Alice were plunged into a new, eerie landscape.
They stood in the heart of a dark, sprawling valley.
The sky overhead was low and oppressive, tinted red by the sinister blood moon casting its glow over everything.
Twisted trees could be seen across the valley, their branches clawing toward the sky like skeletal fingers.
A message appeared in front of Alex.
[You have entered the Blood Moon Valley – Secret Realm: Infernal Difficulty.] Enjoy new tales from
[Warning: All enemies in this realm are empowered by the Blood Moon.]
Alex smirked, a hint of arrogance creeping into his expression.
“How strong could they be?”
Yet, as he dismissed the message, a new one appeared, sending a chill down his spine. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
[The God of the Moon has noticed you.]
“Huh?” His eyes widened, “A god… noticed me?”
Alex didn’t know how many gods there were in [Universal Descent] as the only ones he met were the [God of the Abyss], [God of Darkness], [God of Nightmares] and… the [God of the Moon].
The [God of the Moon], as you might easily guess it, is the being that controls the [Blood Moon].
[The God of the Moon has decided to test you.]
Alex felt a shiver run through him.
“Test me…?”
Gods were all-powerful beings, and that meant that no one could even come close to them in terms of power.
This was a good thing for them, but it was also bad since not only could they not fight among each other, but no one was even worthy of fighting them, resulting in them being bored.
Such a [Test] was just a distraction to the god, who wanted to see just how far this human could go.
[The God of the Moon has used “Blood Buff” on all monsters in the Secret Realm.]
[Good luck.]
And of course, though Alex hated the gods with every fiber of his being, he still couldn’t afford to anger one, he wasn’t stupid after all.
That thing could kill him by quite literally just looking at him.
His strength wasn’t enough, and he wouldn’t overestimate himself just because he had accomplished many things recently.
“A-Alex, what’s happening?” Alice’s voice quivered as she clung closer to him, her eyes darting around the valley for any sign of monsters.
The [Blood Moon] in the Secret Realm, which had been a normal size until now, suddenly grew five times larger.
Its light intensified, casting the entire valley in a red hue that felt alive, almost predatory.
Ding!
[Secret Realm difficulty has increased!]
[From “Infernal” to “Abyssal”]
Alex gulped as he saw that: if a secret realm or quest went up by an entire rank, it meant that the difficulty change was significant.
The difficulty is based on how hard the average player would find it.
Maybe even he would struggle now.
But even then, there was no turning back.
“Maybe we should leave and prepare more?” Alice dared to ask.
He checked his [World Map], but all the teleportation points were crossed out.
There was no way out.
The god had locked the realm, forcing him to complete whatever twisted test he had in store.
“Not possible,” he replied.
He couldn’t show hesitation, not now.
If he wanted to complete his SSS-Level Hidden Quest and possibly unlock his first [Art], he’d have to press forward.
And even if a God stood in his way, he would still manage to get through it.
Not far from them, shadows began to shift.
Alex tightened his grip on his dagger, his eyes narrowing as monstrous figures emerged from the dark.
Blood-red eyes gleamed in the dim light, and twisted forms lumbered toward them, their grotesque bodies cloaked in an aura of blood-red energy.
[Blood Fiends]
[Level: 200 + 100 (Blood Buff)]
[HP: 700,000]
[Skills: Blood Frenzy, Crushing Claws, Moonlight Howl]
…
The [Blood Valley], as Alex expected, was usually only a level 200 Secret Realm.
But because of the test the [God of the Moon] was putting him through and the [Blood Buff] effect, all the monsters gained immense strength.
Alice took a step back, her face pale.
“Alex… they’re just as strong as the demons from the [Fox Tribe Village] attack!”
“I know,” he muttered, “but we don’t have a choice.”
Without wasting a moment, he launched his most powerful skills.
Fire Metor! Fury of Thunder! Fire Tornado!
With a series of quick gestures, Alex unleashed a barrage of attacks, wanting to get rid of the monsters before they could even get close.
Boom! Zap! Zap! Fwish!
-218,293! -218,293! 168,293! 168,293! -54,879! -54,879!
[Blood Fiend has been stunned!]
[Blood Fiend has received the “Burn” effect!]
Several monsters received status effects from the [Fury of Thunder] and [Fire Tornado] skill.
[Fire Tornado] was his newly acquired skill, and it resulted in a giant tornado of fire being summoned from Alex’s staff.
It hit a massive area, and best of all: he could control it for a few seconds before it disappeared.
Alice fired a few [Star Shots], her own attacks landing with precision, but she could only deal 15,000 damage, which was still respectable to be honest.
She thought about using her newly acquired [Blood Arrows], but each time she tried, a message blocked her.
[Not enough blood to create “Blood Arrow.”]
Frustrated, she continued using her standard [Star Arrows] and [Ice Arrows], aiming for the weaker monsters.
Alex continued his assault, dashing into the chaos with his dagger to finish off any remaining fiends that were stunned.
After a minute, the battlefield grew quiet.
“These things are tough,” he mumbled.
“I really don’t like this place,” Alice whispered, sticking close to him.
She glanced around, nervous, every shadow seeming to hold another threat.
After extracting the attributes he wanted, Alex gestured for Alice again, and she quickly followed him, heading deeper inside of the valley.
…
Above them, far out of sight, the [God of the Moon] watched their progress.
Reclining on a grand, cushioned sofa, he held a bunch of grapes in one hand, idly eating as he observed.
“Well, well,” he chuckled, amusement glinting in his eyes. “FateBreaker and StarPillow, is it? I wonder how long they’ll last. Entertain me.”
The god’s voice was a murmur that echoed through the realm, unheard by anyone but himself.