DING!
The sound echoed inside my mind.
I froze.
Not because I didn't recognize the sound.
Because I did.
That familiar notification had accompanied me for years.
The System.
Yet...
Something about this one was wrong.
Different.
The voice that followed sounded almost identical to the one I knew.
But it wasn't the same.
It carried the same tone.
The same rhythm.
The same mechanical calm.
And yet...
It felt like another person was speaking through the same voice.
Then—
DING!
«[Bloodline Devouring System Online.]»
My eyes narrowed.
Bloodline Devouring System?
My previous System had never called itself that.
Before I could process the difference—
Pain exploded inside my skull.
"—!"
My body staggered.
It felt as though someone had driven a hammer directly through my head.
Then electricity surged through my nerves.
My vision blurred.
My knees almost buckled.
Information began flooding into my mind.
Not gradually.
Not carefully.
It came all at once.
Maps.
Territories.
Races.
Cities.
Resources.
Danger zones.
Ancient ruins.
Trading routes.
Military fortresses.
Cultivation grounds.
Demonic territories.
Forbidden regions.
Names I had never heard before.
Places I had never seen.
Knowledge I had never studied.
All of it poured into my consciousness like an ocean crashing through a broken dam.
I clenched my teeth.
My right hand immediately rose to my temple.
The pain was unbearable.
It felt as though thousands of books were being forced into my brain simultaneously.
My mental energy instinctively spread through my body, trying to organize the information.
It didn't help.
The flood only became faster.
Neraphyx.
The name itself seemed to carry countless layers.
The regions.
The hierarchy.
The civilizations.
The dangers.
The rules.
The resources.
The history.
Everything.
My breathing became heavier.
Yet I refused to fall.
I had endured worse.
Much worse.
The Tower had taught me that pain was temporary.
Death was temporary.
Weakness was temporary.
Knowledge...
Could become power.
So I endured.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then—
Silence.
The information stopped.
I stood motionless.
My hand remained against my head.
Sweat slowly rolled down my temple.
I took a deep breath.
Then another.
The headache gradually disappeared.
I opened my eyes.
The world looked different.
Not physically.
But mentally.
I now understood things about the fortress that I hadn't known moments ago.
Its districts.
Its defensive formations.
Its resource storage.
Its surrounding territories.
Its connection to other regions.
Even the general structure of Neraphyx.
I didn't know everything.
Far from it.
But it was enough to understand something important.
The information I had just received...
Wasn't normal System information.
It felt like an entire database had been implanted directly into my mind.
Then the voice sounded again.
DING!
«[Bloodline Devouring System Online.]»
A pause.
Then—
«[Welcome, Host.]»
«[Welcome to Neraphyx.]»
The mechanical voice remained calm.
Almost welcoming.
But something about it still bothered me.
I stared into empty space.
Why does it feel different?
The previous System had always felt like an extension of something I couldn't fully explain.
This one...
Felt hungry.
Not emotionally.
Not consciously.
But its very existence carried a strange quality.
As though it had been created for one purpose.
To consume.
To devour.
To evolve.
Then another notification appeared.
DING!
A red interface unfolded before my eyes.
I stared at it.
The familiar blue screen was gone.
In its place...
Was red.
Deep crimson.
The interface looked almost like blood suspended in the air.
At the center was a small tiger.
It was red.
Completely red.
Its eyes were deeper than crimson.
They looked like endless seas of red stars.
Galaxies seemed to be forming and dying inside them.
Yet the little tiger itself looked completely calm.
Elegant.
Almost lazy.
It sat there quietly, watching me.
Observing.
As though it had already known I would arrive.
I stared at it.
The tiger stared back.
For some reason...
I felt like it was smiling.
Not literally.
But somehow...
I could feel its amusement.
Then the status panel appeared.
«[HOST INFORMATION]»
«Name: Velzahar»
«Bloodline: Unknown»
«Balance: 10,000,000,000»
I stared at the final line.
Ten billion.
My eyebrows rose slightly.
"Ten billion?"
The words escaped before I could stop them.
I had accumulated countless resources throughout my previous journey.
But points...
Ten billion points appearing immediately after entering Neraphyx?
That wasn't normal.
I looked toward the red tiger.
It simply sat there.
Calmly.
As though ten billion points were nothing.
I narrowed my eyes.
Newbie reward?
The System seemed to hear my thoughts.
DING!
«[New Host Welcome Package.]»
«[Reward: 10,000,000,000 Bloodline Points.]»
I remained silent.
Ten billion points.
For simply arriving.
That was generous.
Too generous.
My instincts immediately became cautious.
Nothing was free.
Especially not something capable of giving ten billion points without explanation.
I had learned that lesson long ago.
Before I could investigate further—
Tap...
My eyes shifted.
Tap...
A sound echoed through the corridor.
Slow.
Measured.
Rhythmic.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Someone was approaching.
The atmosphere changed.
Not dramatically.
There was no overwhelming pressure.
No killing intent.
No violent aura.
Yet every instinct inside me became alert.
The other newcomers noticed it as well.
Conversations slowly stopped.
Heads turned toward the corridor.
The footsteps continued.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Then a figure appeared.
At first...
Only a silhouette.
Then they stepped fully into view.
My eyes narrowed.
The newcomer had smooth, pale lavender skin.
Their face was elegant and sharply defined.
Narrow eyes rested beneath calm brows.
There was no aggression in them.
No hostility.
Only observation.
Their hair rose straight upward in a smooth, flame-like shape.
Not wild.
Not messy.
Perfectly controlled.
They wore a long flowing robe of deep maroon and dark purple.
Gold and white geometric patterns decorated its edges.
The clothing wasn't designed for battle.
It was ceremonial.
Elegant.
Regal.
A strange circular ring floated around their neck.
It never touched their body.
Its pale-blue surface shimmered faintly.
Tiny points of light moved across it...
Like stars trapped inside a miniature cosmos.
In one hand...
They held a long staff.
At its tip was a glossy orb.
The orb emitted a gentle light.
But when I looked at it...
My pupils contracted.
For the briefest instant...
I felt as though I was staring into an entire universe.
No.
A multiverse.
The sensation disappeared almost immediately.
The figure's posture remained relaxed.
Casual.
Almost indifferent.
Yet every instinct within me whispered the same thing.
Danger.
Not because they were hostile.
Because they didn't need to be.
Their power wasn't leaking.
It was restrained.
Perfectly.
Not suppressed.
Controlled.
There was a difference.
A terrifying difference.
I slowly narrowed my eyes.
The other newcomers simply stared.
Humans.
Demi-humans.
Elves.
Beast races.
Everyone seemed confused.
Some looked curious.
Others appeared ready to ask questions.
They had no idea what they were looking at.
But I did.
Or rather...
I sensed enough to know that something was terribly wrong.
My left heart began beating faster.
THUMP.
The red heart.
The violent one.
The one that had awakened the moment I entered Neraphyx.
It responded to the figure.
THUMP.
My right heart remained calm.
But the red one...
Was excited.
I stared at the mysterious figure.
My expression finally cracked.
For the first time since arriving in Neraphyx...
Shock appeared openly on my face.
I knew that feeling.
I had felt it before.
The same sensation that came when I encountered something that shouldn't exist.
Something beyond ordinary understanding.
My eyes slowly moved toward the staff.
Then the floating ring.
Then the figure's eyes.
A thought entered my mind.
Impossible.
What the hell...
Is an Angel doing here?