The air in the Sanguine Mists didn't just carry the scent of damp earth; it tasted of iron and ancient, stagnant power. Arthur Fenric adjusted the strap of his charcoal-grey blade, the red vein in the metal pulsing in time with his own accelerated heartbeat. Behind him, the mist swirled, parting for the silhouettes of his new allies—the vampires of the Court of Pale Roses.
He wasn't the "Disgrace Prince" anymore. The boy who couldn't light a candle in the royal halls of Valerius had been burned away, replaced by a man whose very presence distorted the mana around him into a haunting, predatory crimson.
[System Notification]
Area Detected: The Altar of the Old Blood
Objective: Survive the Sanguine Trial
Warning: Mana density is 400% above safety thresholds.
Arthur smirked at the translucent blue screen hovering in his peripheral vision. "Safety thresholds were made for people with limits," he muttered, his voice raspy from months of training in the Dust-Bowl Valleys.
Lady Elara stepped beside him, her skin like polished marble under the eternal twilight of the mists. "This is the heart of our history, Red Wolf," she hissed, her eyes glowing like embers. "Many of my own kin have stepped onto that stone and never stepped off. Their essence was simply... reclaimed by the earth."
Arthur looked toward the center of the clearing. A massive slab of obsidian sat atop a mound of white bone, etched with runes that seemed to writhe like snakes. This was the next step in his "Growth Plan"—not just for his levels, but for the legacy he was building under the banner of the Red Wolf.
"Stand back," Arthur commanded. He didn't wait for a reply. He moved, his boots crunching on the bone-dust.
[Skill Activated: World-Pulse (Lv. 12)]
The world shifted. The mists became transparent, revealing the flow of mana like glowing rivers underground. He could feel the heartbeats of the vampires behind him—slow, steady, and cold. But the Altar? The Altar had a pulse like a drum.
As Arthur stepped onto the obsidian, the runes flared bright red.
"I am Arthur Fenric," he roared, his voice carrying the weight of his "Crimson Tyrant Style." "I don't come to beg for your power. I come to take it."
The ground shook. From the cracks in the Altar, liquid mana—pure, unrefined blood essence—began to rise, forming into the shape of a massive, spectral wolf. It was twice his size, its eyes a mirror of his own.
[Trial Initiated: The Mirror of the Pack]
Condition: Defeat your own shadow.
The spectral wolf lunged. It moved with a speed that would have ended Arthur's life three months ago. But now, his reflexes were tuned to a higher frequency.
[Skill Used: Scarlet Wraith (Lv. 9)]
Arthur's body exploded into a cloud of razor-sharp red mist. The wolf passed through him, its claws tearing only air. Reforming instantly, Arthur spun, his charcoal sword erupting in flames.
"Ignis!"
A horizontal arc of crimson fire slashed through the mist, catching the spectral beast's flank. The wolf howled—a sound that echoed with the Tyrant's Roar he had practiced in the Iron Mountains.
The fight was a blur of high-performance violence. Arthur was a sponge, his Eternal Growth trait working overtime as he analyzed the movements of the phantom. Every time the wolf struck, Arthur learned. Every time he bled, the Magnetic Hemorrhage skill pulled that mana back into his veins, fueling his stamina.
[Level Up: Crimson Tyrant Style (Lv. 5)]
[Level Up: Hemomancy (Lv. 16)]
"Is that all?" Arthur taunted, his red eyes blazing. "My father thought I was a mistake. The dojos thought I was a wanderer. Show me why you are a legend!"
The spectral wolf paused, its form flickering. Then, it did something Arthur didn't expect. It began to condense, its massive frame shrinking until it was the size of a man—the size of Arthur. It raised a spectral hand, and a dome of red energy erupted around it.
[Warning: Enemy is mimicking 'Crimson Tyrant Style']
"Now we're having a conversation," Arthur whispered.
He charged. He didn't use a flashy spell. He used the raw, fundamental force of Gravity Palm. As his hand met the spectral dome, the air between them distorted, turning to glass from the sheer pressure.
Behind him, the vampires watched in stunned silence. They had seen thousands of years of magic, but they had never seen a human force reality to bend through sheer willpower and a "broken" system.
Arthur pushed harder, his Crimson Ossification glowing through his skin as his bones hardened to resist the feedback. "I am the engine!" he screamed. "And I am not running on a lie anymore!"
With a thunderous crack, the dome shattered. Arthur's hand connected with the phantom's chest, sending a red shockwave through the Altar that cleared the mists for miles. The spectral wolf dissolved, not into nothingness, but into a stream of pure light that flowed directly into the red wolf insignia on Arthur's chest.
[Trial Completed: The Sanguine Heart Obtained]
[New Skill Unlocked: Tyrant's Command (Lv. 1)]
Effect: You can now project your mana into your allies to enhance their physical attributes.
Arthur stood in the center of the bone-mound, his chest heaving. He felt... heavier. Not with weight, but with authority. He turned to Lady Elara and the vampires.
"The trial is over," he said, his voice echoing with a power that made the high-nobles bow their heads instinctively. "We have the shadow. We have the heart. Now, we go to the Iron Mountains. It's time to call the rest of the pack."
[Current Status: Arthur Fenric]
Title: Master of the Sanguine Trial
Current Level: 28
Next Objective: The Lunar-Crimson Alliance
As the mist reclaimed the Altar, Arthur looked toward the horizon. Far away, the golden towers of Valerius sat unsuspecting. King Alaric was probably looking at his maps, still believing his "disgrace" was rotting in a ditch somewhere.
Arthur adjusted his black leather armor, the metallic Red Wolf logo catching the faint light. He wasn't just a prince, a mercenary, or a producer of chaos. He was a legacy in the making.
"Let them keep their maps," Arthur whispered to the wind. "I'm rewriting the world."