As the spar began, Alex tossed his [Demonized Staff of the Silver Mage] to the side.
He didn’t need it for this.
He wasn’t relying on spells or brute force today—this was about mastering the [Blood Arts].
With deliberate precision, he drew his [Demonized Whispers of Shadows], the dark blade glinting ominously.
Without hesitation, Alex pressed the edge against his palm and dragged it across, crimson blood welling up instantly.
The warm sensation of blood trickling from his hand sent a shiver through him.
It wasn’t the pain that got to him—it was the potential.
He clenched his bleeding fist, glaring at Alera, who stood a few feet away, her signature icy smirk plastered on her face.
“Whenever you’re ready, dear,” she teased, spinning her [Frostborne Spear] effortlessly in her hand.
The weapon shimmered, frost forming on the ground beneath her feet.
Alex ignored her words, focusing inward instead.
He had seen what masters of some [Arts] could do in his previous life.
They were all extremely powerful, and even some ninth-tier powerhouses only used [Arts] as their weapons.
But right now, though? His power was wild, untrained.
Alex extended his palm forward, channeling his will into the blood dripping from his hand.
“Move,” he muttered.
The blood quivered, forming small droplets that hovered in the air.
His brows furrowed as he focused harder, trying to shape the liquid.
But the blood simply splattered back onto the ground with a pathetic squelch.
Alera chuckled. “Not so easy, huh? Maybe you’d have better luck using your staff?”
He didn’t respond, gritting his teeth and trying again by slashing his palm.
Move.
Shape.
Control.
The crimson drops trembled again, rising slightly, only to collapse into a sticky mess once more.
For hours, Alex repeated the same process.
His blood would rise momentarily, swirl faintly, then crash to the ground.
Each failure was met with a grunt of irritation, but he refused to stop.
[Focus.]
Each time he failed, such a panel would appear before him.
As [Arts] are difficult both to learn and master, it wasn’t uncommon for it to give you some tips.
Alera occasionally lashed out with her [Frostborne Spear], sending shards of ice hurtling toward him to keep him on his toes.
Alex dodged each one, his agility keeping him just ahead of her strikes.
“You can’t train blood control if you’re dead, Alex,” Alera said, launching a particularly sharp icicle his way.
“Then don’t miss,” he retorted, spinning to avoid the projectile.
The first day passed with little progress.
By the time the sun began to set, Alex’s vision blurred from the constant blood loss.
He staggered slightly but steadied himself.
“Enough for today,” Alera said firmly, lowering her spear. “You’ll pass out if you keep pushing yourself like this.”
“I’m fine,” Alex replied through gritted teeth.
Though he didn’t resist as Alera tossed him a [Healing Potion] to replenish his strength.
…
The next day, they resumed their training.
Alex’s persistence was relentless.
Every morning, he reopened the wound on his palm and poured his focus into controlling the crimson liquid.
By midday, he could make the blood hover longer, shaping it into crude, jagged forms before they fell apart.
Alera watched him closely, occasionally stepping in to spar.
She never went easy on him, her icy attacks forcing him to weave and dodge while maintaining his concentration.
“You’ll need more than fancy tricks to hit me,” Alera taunted, thrusting her spear forward in a flurry of strikes.
Alex dodged each one narrowly, his blood flickering in the air like a chaotic swirl.
He was getting better—steadier—but it still wasn’t enough.
“Again,” he demanded.
By the third day, Alex was finally seeing progress.
The blood hovering around him no longer wavered.
It pulsed with his will, swirling into more stable shapes.
He stretched out his arm, and the blood followed, forming a sharp, crimson blade that floated mid-air.
Ding!
And that notification meant that he had finally succeeded!
[Blood Arts Perk #1: Blood Blades]
[Using your own blood in battle, you can create several blades made out of your blood, each one able to deal devastating damage to your opponent.]
Alera raised an eyebrow.
“Interesting,” she said, taking a defensive stance.
Alex didn’t hesitate.
With a flick of his hand, the blade shot forward.
It sliced through the air with impressive speed, aimed directly at Alera.
The
[
Ice Queen] reacted instantly, spinning her spear and summoning a frozen barrier.
The blood blade slammed against the wall of ice, shattering it, though it lost its momentum in the process.
“Not bad,” Alera admitted, her tone serious for once. “But you’ll need more than one.”
Alex smirked. “Working on it.”
For the rest of the day, Alex repeated the process, honing his ability to summon the [Blood Blade].
Each attempt was faster, sharper, and more controlled.
By evening, he could summon five blades at once, each one hovering around him like crimson sentinels.
Alera grinned. “Now that’s progress.”
On the fourth day, their sparring became more intense.
Alera unleashed more strength, hurling volleys of ice spears and shards at Alex.
He countered with his blood blades, sending them flying to intercept her attacks.
The crimson blades clashed against the icy projectiles, shattering them mid-air.
The battlefield was a chaotic dance of red and white, each attack more precise than the last.
But Alera’s experience was undeniable.
She closed the gap between them, forcing Alex to rely on his agility to avoid her strikes.
“You’re improving,” she said, thrusting her spear forward. “But you’re still predictable!”
Alex dodged the spear by a hair’s breadth, rolling to the side and summoning another set of blood blades. Stay connected through
The important thing to consider with the [Blood Arts] was that every time Alex was hurt, he could summon more blades.
He sent them flying toward Alera in a wide arc, forcing her to defend.
One blade managed to slip past her guard, grazing her arm.
-138,928!
And the damage was incredible even against a tier 6 being like Alera!
Alera winced but smirked. “Impressive. That actually stung a little.”
By the end of the spar, Alex was exhausted, his breath coming in heavy gasps.
Alera stood across from him, looking relatively unscathed despite the relentless assault.
“You’re getting there,” she said, lowering her spear.
As Alex sat down to catch his breath, a notification appeared before him.
[You have displayed incredible mastery of the “Blood Arts” starting perks!]
[Your Blood Arts Mastery has been raised from “Very Low” to “Low.”]
He couldn’t help but smile.
He was only able to summon a few [Blood Blades], but it was still good as you would gain more perks once your [Art] evolved.
“I think I’ll manage the rest on my own,” he smiled, grabbing Alera’s hand, “Thank you though.”
He knew she probably had things to do, but she still helped him with his request.
“No problem,” the Fox Tribe Queen smiled, “I made sure not to kill you, though.”
“Appreciate it.”
If Alera had felt like it, a single thrust of her spear could have ended Alex’s life.
But with that done, he now felt a bit more confident in heading deeper inside the [Mystical Forest] to find the [Mystical Temple].
