Under the blood-red sky, ten elders in crimson garments floated solemnly in the air. Their presence was grave and reverent. Then—he appeared.
A man clad in black rose to meet them, his figure cutting through the sky like a blade.
"The revival of a god?" His voice was low, yet echoed with authority. His obsidian eyes were fixed on the heavens, black hair fluttering in the wind.
Then it began.
Rain.
But not water. Blood.
The sky wept crimson.
"This is impossible…" the man in black whispered, disbelief etched across his face. "Blood rain? Is this truly the revival of a god?"
The elders glanced at their palms.
The droplets didn't stain them but *merged*, fusing into their very essence.
Then their energy surged—overflowing like a dam. In that moment, every one of them felt it: breakthrough.
Eyes closed. Bodies stilled. Minds sank into a meditative state.
This phenomenon was not theirs alone.
All across the world, it echoed.
Magic beasts slipped into hibernation as the rain flowed through them. Their bodies adapted, absorbing the ancient power.
And from the deep—old monsters stirred.
"The revival of a god... and the revival of mana." A white-bearded warlock muttered from atop a strange beast, eyes glowing with every color of the spectrum. "It's beginning…"
---
**"What is happening?!"**
The woman who once tried to steal Dax's sword stood frozen.
A massive *crack* tore across the sky.
Beasts roared. The very plane seemed to tremble with madness.
"This aura…" she gasped, a shiver running down her spine. "It belongs to that strange man…"
Even now, she could feel the fear he had carved into her. He was just a mortal—yet he had made her tremble.
She sprinted through the lush terrain, dodging feral creatures that had lost all reason.
*I have to get that manual before this world shatters...*
---
I opened my eyes slowly... and saw her.
A white-haired beauty.
"...Gorgeous."
The word slipped from my lips before I could stop it.
"Th-thank you, Master," she stammered, her face blooming a dangerous shade of red.
I sat up from her lap, where I'd unknowingly rested. Tina rushed over, a strange fruit clutched in her mouth. She dropped it at my feet, eyes glowing with anticipation.
I bit into it—and felt my strength surge back in an instant.
"Master, this is the treasure I mentioned," the girl said with a bow.
"You're the one from the tree." My eyes narrowed.
"Yes, Master." Her head remained bowed.
---
**Name:** ??
**Race:** Nephilora
**Title:** Spider Queen, Web Weaver
**Level:** 45
**Power Level:** 1500
**Affinities:** Poison, Earth, Darkness
**Skills:**
* **Spider Dominion:** Grants full control over spider-type beasts.
* **Poison Manipulation:** Full mastery over the poison element.
* **Mother of Arachne:** ???
---
"Wonderful..."
She flinched at my sudden outburst.
"I shall name you *Frida*." I raised her chin. "
"You shall taste power that surpasses your imagination."
Her face turned redder. "Master... thank you."
Anyone watching would've thought she was human. Her aura was calm, almost fragile—yet I knew the monster that slept beneath.
I lifted Tina onto my shoulder, then turned toward the ancient tree.
"Inerous. Is there a way to store or transplant this tree?"
*Yes, Master.*
"And how would I do that?"
*It's simple, really.*
I raised an eyebrow, unconvinced—but let her continue.
*You can store it within your spatial inventory. However, it will be trapped between the boundaries of life and death. This state can be maintained for a maximum of three months.*
*But 30 Origin Points will be consumed to keep it stable.*
"Thirty points?" My voice sharpened. One Origin was already absurdly powerful—*thirty* was madness.
*Master, this is no ordinary feat. By doing this, you are directly manipulating the laws of life and death.*
I stood in silence, stunned. Then I smiled slowly.
"Then that's all I need."
I approached the tree, placing my hand gently on its bark.
"Store."
Origin surged from my palm—celestial silk wrapping the tree in radiant threads. And then, with a breathless shimmer...
It vanished.
Suddenly, my eyes locked onto something beneath the rubble.
"A scroll?" I knelt and picked it up, brushing the dust away. The words shimmered faintly. "*Star Pattern Arts*…"
*Aura Art detected.*
> **Star Pattern Arts** — *Allows the user to cultivate celestial constellations into their being, harnessing the divine power of the stars.*
I skimmed through the contents, and my jaw tightened.
"These humans… they're monsters."
I couldn't contain it any longer.
**"Hahahaha!"** I burst into wild laughter.
"How do their insides look, I wonder? I'd love to dissect one for study."
Anyone from my past would've fled at that tone. That laugh.
With a grin still on my face, I walked out of the cave, casually storing the corpses that littered the ground.
The sky outside was split open—a massive, rift stretched across the heavens.
"That… is my way out."
I raised my hand to the sky.
Then, I saw it.
A familiar beast slithered in the distance, its glowing eyes staring at me.
**The Basilisk.**
The very one that killed this body's former owner.
I clenched Cil, who vibrated with malice in my grip. His bloodlust was intoxicating.
Frida stepped forward, sensing danger.
"I'll kill it myself," I said coldly, halting her.
I vanished.
My palm blazed with fire as I reappeared beside the monster—slamming my hand into its scale-covered hide.
But my eyes widened.
*Its body… is unbelievably tough.*
That moment of hesitation cost me.
With a violent swing, it whipped its tail into me, sending me flying. Then, its mouth charged—releasing a strange, dense orb of energy.
**Boom!**
The blast shook the forest. I barely had time to react. Willing the earth element to respond, I encased myself in solid rock.
> \[Skill Learned: Stone Armor]
The Basilisk screeched and sank its claws into the ground. Its body twisted unnaturally—and it began firing those destructive orbs repeatedly, spamming them without pause.
My movement slowed—the stone armor was durable, but heavy.
I gripped Cil tighter, syncing with him. My body hummed.
Suddenly, the beast vanished.
**Slash!**
Its claws tore through my chest, leaving a deep wound. Pain flared, but before I could react—
"Tina!"
She leapt onto the Basilisk's back, her tiny jaws sinking deep into its scales.
"No, Tina!" I shouted.
I couldn't move—because of the attack I was preparing.
Frida's fists trembled, a baleful aura pouring out from her body.
Tina fought like a wild flame—her teeth ripping into the monster's flesh. The Basilisk howled in rage. It slammed its tail into her, trying to knock her off.
She held on, refusing to let go despite the blood and pain.
Every blow was brutal. Then—its body contracted.
**Snap!**
Spikes erupted from its back, piercing Tina in multiple places—but still, she wouldn't let go.
"Why?" My voice cracked.
Why do I feel this way?
In all my live, I'd only had one companion before—my Star Tiger. I had buried him with my own hands.
*Tina… I can't lose you too.*
A sense of urgency flared inside me. And then—I moved.
"Tina, you've done well." My voice was calm but sharp.
Hearing me, she finally released her bite, falling limply. The instant she did, my body exploded with power.
The stone armor crumbled away.
My essence surged.
I vanished—moving faster than the eye could follow.
"You killed my predecessor. So don't blame me for this."
In one motion, I wrapped Cil in water essence. The blade whistled through the air—
**Slash!**
Cil severed the Basilisk's head with surgical precision.
**Blood burst forth like a water fall, bathing me red.**
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
> Level Up!
I rushed to Tina. Frida already held her in trembling hands.
"Tina… please." I knelt beside them. "You're strong. Don't die on me."
My voice cracked. "Please, just hold on."
I cradled her gently.
"I won't lose my companion. Not again. I won't let history repeat itself."
With care, I laid her body on the Basilisk's corpse and sat cross-legged before them.
A silver light surrounded me—rippling with otherworldly force.
**Synthesis.**
My aura enveloped both Tina and the Basilisk. Her tiny flame flickered weakly in her chest… then merged with the core of the beast.
Without hesitation, I dropped my blood onto Tina.
Light erupted.
The two bodies began to fuse—wrapped in a cocoon of transformation.
"You won't die," I whispered.
*Not on my watch.*