Chapter Three: The Blessing of Ruin and Flame
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"This place... I remember it."
The whiteness was endless. A pure void stretching beyond the edges of thought, where gravity and time forgot to exist. My feet didn't touch the ground—there was no ground. Just light. Just weightlessness.
"It's the Awakening Space…"
I said the words aloud. But they barely echoed.
I was alone. At first.
Then the silence broke—not with sound, but with presence.
They emerged all at once, without warning. Dozens. No, hundreds—figures of all shapes and ages, dressed in white. Glowing faintly like stars, radiating unimaginable power.
Gods.
I had read about this. The realm where talents are bestowed. Where the divine choose their champions. But this wasn't just a visit. I'd been here before, long ago, when I first received Battle Fervour.
Back then, I stood in awe. Now, I stood in grief. Hollowed. Angry. Ready.
The gods murmured among themselves like a chorus of ancient winds. Then, one by one, they vanished into the void, until only four remained.
Four.
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The Primordial Ones
The first was a woman cloaked in shifting shadows. Skin the colour of midnight, long obsidian hair cascading like a waterfall, and eyes like blood in moonlight. She was slender, graceful—terrifying in her elegance.
> "I am Chaos."
Primordial Goddess of Discord and Change.
The second floated beside her, his very presence warping space. His hair was deep blue, like the ocean under starlight. His gaze—bottomless. Infinite.
> "I am Khóra."
The Void God. Master of Space and Nothingness.
The third stood tall, powerful, regal. Black scales shimmered faintly on his forearms. Curved obsidian horns arced from his head. His eyes—reptilian, ancient.
> "Scythian."
The Dragon God. Lord of Flame and Rebirth.
And the last... made the air itself tremble. White hair like frost. Horns jagged and coal-black. Blood-red eyes, claws dripping residual heat, body built to shatter mountains.
> "I am Abaddon."
Demon God of Destruction, Carnality, and Wrath.
The void shuddered.
And then Chaos spoke.
> "Human... We four have watched your descent. Betrayal. Torture. Ruin. You were crushed beneath the world—and yet, you did not break. We offer you our blessing, our mark. But know this: if you accept, you will cease to be human. Forever."
My heart thundered.
This was it. No trial. No second guessing. Just one chance to become more.
> "Fuck being human," I whispered. Then, louder: "I accept your blessings."
Chaos smiled.
Not kindly.
> "Then so be it."
They raised their hands in unison. A divine gesture.
Four beams of light erupted—black, gold, violet, and silver. They shot toward me—no, into me—piercing my chest like spears of molten divinity.
I didn't scream. I couldn't.
But it felt like my very soul was being melted down and reforged.
Warmth surged through every nerve. Like my blood was being boiled into lightning. Like my bones were being replaced with ancient stone.
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The Gifts of the Divine
Scythian stepped forward first.
He peered at me with narrowed eyes.
> "There is dragon blood in you already. Dormant. Faint. Injected by fools... But it chose to sleep."
"Let me show you what it means to awaken."
A droplet of golden ichor emerged from his glabella and floated forward. As it touched mine, I felt a roar erupt inside me. Not mine. Something deeper.
The dragon inside me awoke.
My bones cracked. My spine stretched. My vision burned crimson.
Then Abaddon came.
> "You reek of wrath," he said, grinning like a beast. "And desperation. Good. You'll need both."
"Accept this… and know that you will never be the same."
A drop of pitch-black ichor emerged from his brow and merged with mine.
Something clawed at my chest from the inside—like shackles snapping one by one.
> "This will help you tear down what was built to destroy you," he said.
Khóra nodded without a word. The void behind him pulsed, and I felt something open in me. Like a door to nowhere had been etched into my bones.
Chaos stepped forward last.
> "The world is balanced by madness. Entropy. Error. And you, child of ruin, are its herald."
With a wave of her hand, the whiteness shattered—
—and I awoke.
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The Rebirth
I was lying on the floor of my broken-down shed.
The storm had passed. Dawn painted the edge of the sky in soft orange.
But I felt… different.
No. I was different.
There was no mirror, but I knew.
My muscles felt dense, coiled like springs.
I stood—and hit the ceiling. I was taller. Stronger. Leaner.
My hair fell over my shoulder—now silver. My hands had faint claws. My skin hummed with mana.
I reached up instinctively—and felt the twin black horns curled like a crown on my head.
> "System, activate."
The words came without hesitation.
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[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
> [Scanning host...]
[Previously locked talent detected: Battle Fervour]
[Talent reactivated. Now upgraded to SS-Rank.]
[Detecting new divine infusions...]
[Dragon God Scythian's blood recognized.]
[Dragon gene awakened and integrated.]
[Demon God Abaddon's blood infused successfully.]
[Host's race has been changed.]
New Race: Demonic Dragon Hybrid
Current Talents:
1. Battle Fervour (SS)
2. Seven Sins (SSS)
3. Dragon Transformation (SSS)
4. All Affinity (SSS)
5. Spatial Pocket (SSS)
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Talent Overview
1. Battle Fervour (SS):
Permanent stat growth per battle (5–25 pts).
Each consecutive strike increases power by 20%, capping at 100%.
Chain resets upon dodge or block.
2. Seven Sins (SSS):
Grants access to the Seven Sins archetypes, each with a passive and unique condition.
Pride: Elegance in all actions, 20% mana cost reduction, 10% effectiveness boost.
Gluttony: Absorb the dead to gain stats, skills, and mana.
Envy: Envy from others boosts your stats temporarily.
Greed: Steal one talent annually from a defeated opponent.
Wrath: Gain stats from anger and hate; caps at 20 points.
Lust: Stat gain from intimacy (1–20 points).
Sloth: Aware during sleep; can induce sleep in others.
3. Dragon Transformation (SSS):
Full dragon form with massive stat boosts.
50% mana cost reduction.
Enhanced magic and durability.
Can access dragon skills in human form (exclusive to divine-blood hybrids).
4. All Affinity (SSS):
Grants mastery over all elemental types.
20% mana cost reduction across elements.
20% resistance to all elemental damage.
5. Spatial Pocket (SSS):
Store any non-living matter in an alternate dimension.
Instant retrieval.
Indetectable by magical scans.
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Stats:
Strength: 74
Speed: 69
Vitality: 104
Mana: 101
Active Skills:
Call of Thunder: Single-target lightning strike.
Thunderstorm: Area lightning bombardment.
Lightning Manifestation: Shape and control lightning freely.
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> [A full-body holographic image of the host is available.]
[Note: Image includes full anatomical detail.]
I laughed.
Out of all the reactions I could've had—fear, awe, tears—I laughed.
Not out of joy.
Out of power.
I could feel it—coiled beneath my skin like a storm ready to break.
> "System," I whispered. "Can I retract my horns?"
> [Yes. Execute retraction?]
> "Yes."
The horns slowly withdrew into my skull with a slight tingle, vanishing beneath my silver hair.
> "Perfect. Now... time to get to work."
I was done working like a slave for scraps.
With these talents, I could farm dungeons for gold. Sell corpses. Extract cores.
I could build a new identity. A new reputation. A new empire.
And one day…
I would bring RANDO to its knees.
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