Alex wandered through the [Obsidian Cradle], searching for a monster powerful enough to kill him quickly.
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He needed to reset his body and recover his arm lost to the [Curse of Hatred].
But as he kept moving, an idea struck him like lightning.
“Wait,” he muttered. “Why don’t I just use my [Blood Arts]?”
He didn’t know why such an idea came to be, but if his blood could be forged into blades and even clones, surely it could replace a lost arm, right?
Still, he needed a quiet moment to focus, so he pressed forward to find a suitable place to test his theory.
But that’s when the ground began to tremble.
A guttural roar echoed through the cavern, and Alex turned to see a massive beast emerging from the shadows.
[Magma-Rend Behemoth – Level 750].
It was the same monster that had chased them before when they first enter the floor.
This creature was towering, easily three stories tall, with obsidian-like scales that glowed with fiery veins of molten lava.
Its molten eyes locked onto Alex, and without warning, it unleashed a searing beam of magma in his direction.
“Hot! Hot!” Alex yelped, narrowly dodging the attack.
He wanted to die, sure, but not by being incinerated or melted alive, and he wanted to at least try his theory first.
He sprinted through the jagged terrain, zigzagging to avoid more blasts.
Each impact left pools of bubbling lava and sent shards of molten rock flying.
Alex’s heart pounded in his chest as he dove behind a boulder, panting.
The beast stomped closer, its molten cracks radiating intense heat.
Alex peeked out briefly before ducking back into cover.
“Okay, no more running,” he whispered to himself. “Time to fix this.”
He sat down, pressed his remaining hand against his shoulder, and summoned his [Blood Arts].
Focusing deeply, he channeled his energy into the stump where his arm used to be.
Scarlet liquid oozed from his shoulder, swirling and solidifying as he guided it.
Slowly, it began to take shape, a skeletal framework of blood formed first, followed by tendons and muscles weaving together.
“Almost there,” Alex muttered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The process was incredibly painful, as he was literally using his own blood to make up one of his lost members.
The final layer of skin materialized, smooth and unblemished.
Flexing his fingers, he marveled at the seamless recreation.
His new arm glowed faintly with crimson energy, a testament to the power of his [Blood Arts].
He grabbed his staff and dagger, testing their weight in his new hand.
It felt natural, almost like the arm had always been there.
Ding!
[You have unlocked a new “Blood Arts” perk!]
[Blood Arts Perk #5: Body Regeneration; If any of your limbs is destroyed (excluding heart/head), you can use your own blood to recreate it. Note: This does not restore health points.]
This wasn’t a healing perk, unfortunately, but it could still be useful in the future if he was in a similar situation while the [Revive] function of the game was disabled later on.
He glanced over the rock, noting the [Magma-Rend Behemoth] still searching for him.
He couldn’t afford a direct fight without his armor.
He crouched low, weighing his options, when another notification appeared.
Ding!
[Thank you for waiting.]
[The two items you acquired from MartialMage have been transferred to you.]
Before Alex could process the message, two objects materialized in the air above him and dropped into his lap.
The [Hatred Armor (Divine)] and the [Staff of Hatred (Divine)].
The metallic clatter echoed in the cavern, and Alex froze.
The [Magma-Rend Behemoth] stopped in its tracks, its head snapping toward his hiding spot.
“Damn it,” Alex cursed under his breath.
The beast roared, releasing a shockwave that shattered nearby rocks.
Its [No-Escape Roar] ability locked Alex in place, preventing him from using his [World Map] to teleport.
Frantically, Alex tapped the glowing dot labeled [Star City], but a warning flashed:
[You are not allowed to do that in combat.]
He groaned and stood, gripping the divine armor tightly.
Ding!
[Do you want to equip your Hatred Armor?]
“Yes,” Alex confirmed.
The black armor immediately fused to his body, its surface rippling with waves of crimson energy.
It radiated an aura of overwhelming power, casting an eerie glow across the cavern.
[+100,000 Strength, +100,000 Magical Resistance.]
Alex flexed his hands, feeling the raw strength coursing through him.
Then he reached for the [Staff of Hatred], which hummed with dark energy.
[+100,000 Spirit, reduces cooldown for all spells by 30%.]
A grin spread across his face as he fully grasped the staff.
“Alright,” he said, stepping out from behind the rock just as the behemoth smashed it to rubble.
The creature roared in fury, lava dripping from its maw.
[Magma-Rend Behemoth – Level 750]
[HP: 100,000,000]
[Skills: No-Escape Roar, Magma Beams, Lava Quake, Inferno Breath, Obsidian Shield, Pyroclastic Eruption, Molten Charge, Flame Shackles, Blazing Regeneration…]
“Let’s test these things,” Alex said, his voice calm yet filled with anticipation.
The beast lunged, swiping its colossal claw.
But Alex leaped back, narrowly avoiding the attack as he knew that getting hit would be troublesome.
The [Hatred Armor] in comparison to the other one did increase his [Magical Resistance] by a ton, meaning that spells wouldn’t hurt him much.
But on the other hand, remember that [Physical Resistance] was also a thing, and the armor didn’t increase it at all.
[Physical Resistance] was linked to [Vitality], while [Magical Resistance] was linked to [Spirit].
Meaning that the former got no increase while the latter got all of it because of the staff as well.
‘Maybe I should find a way to synthesize something into the armor to increase the physical resistance,’ he thought as he landed.
He raised the [Staff of Hatred], channeling his power.
Crimson Cataclysm!
Massive spikes of crimson energy erupted from the ground beneath the behemoth, piercing its molten flesh.
The creature bellowed in pain, its molten veins glowing brighter as it prepared a counterattack.
It didn’t do much damage, but it was still good enough.
Before it could act, Alex followed up with another spell.
Rain of Fire!
A deluge of flaming projectiles rained down on the beast, each impact creating small explosions.
The behemoth felt absolutely nothing at that.
[It’s immune to fire damage.]
“Damn.”
Instead, it unleashed another beam of magma, forcing Alex to dive for cover again.
“Alright, big guy,” Alex muttered, peering out from behind a jagged rock.
He activated his [Aura of Death] while calling forth his summons.
The dark energy swirled around him, and his undead summons rose from the ground, clawing their way to the surface.
“Go!” Alex commanded, sending his undead minions to distract the behemoth.
The creature roared, smashing through the skeletal soldiers with ease, but the brief distraction gave Alex an opening.
He raised his staff again, gathering a massive amount of energy.
Demonic Spear!
A gigantic, fiery spear materialized above him before launching straight into the behemoth’s chest.
-11,309,820!
The resulting explosion sent a shockwave through the cavern, momentarily blinding Alex.
When the dust settled, the [Magma-Rend Behemoth] was still standing, though visibly weakened.
“Stubborn bastard,” Alex muttered, gripping his staff tightly.
The fight was far from over, but Alex felt more confident than ever.
With his [Hatred Armor], [Staff of Hatred], and newly regenerated arm, he was ready to push his limits.