Engrossed in battle!! Ace Underwood, Jim, and Skyler, all engrossed in battle, were starting to get overwhelmed and grew exhausted with each passing minute. Skyler, who was at the frontline, was covered in blood and various body parts as she clawed, crushed, ripped, and slashed bodies apart with her powerful claws. Jim, standing a few feet behind her, was tasked with handling the creatures that managed to escape Skyler’s first line of defense. However, the overwhelming numbers started to increase, making it harder for Skyler to push them back and therefore forcing Jim to transform and go all out. Eventually, the numbers became too many for Jim to handle, prompting Ace to jump in. The Blood Bishop, torn between protecting his sister while killing the Xof beasts, decided to create a blood dome around Cherry with a coating of his blood surrounding it. Set to blow up if contact was made on it, the blood acted as a trigger warning for Ace in case any of the Xof made their way past him towards his sister. At first, the Blood Bishop thought he would manage. Given his strength, skills, and ability to learn new moves while in battle, Ace thought he would handle the Xof while protecting his sister at the same time. However, as the minutes went by, the numbers of the Xof creatures increased and began to apply pressure on the Humans. Official source ıs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲·𝗻𝗲𝘁 Eventually, some Xof creatures made it passed Ace and triggered his explosive blood. Looking back, Ace witnessed a few Xof beasts slamming on the blood dome with a few licking their wounds caused by the explosion. The Blood Bishop quickly left Jim’s side and rushed to the Blood Dome. While doing so, he urged Skyler and Jim to follow him so that they would attack the Xof together. Unfortunately, Skyler was getting more exhausted. Her movements got slower, her attacks got weaker, and her breathing became heavier. Jim, on the other hand, was busy feeding on spilled blood in hopes of replenishing his lost energy. This left Ace to carry Skyler to safety while fighting off the Xof, protecting himself and his sister. [Ranking Process is now at 25%] ’This is taking much longer than I hoped for.’ Ace grumbled angrily while laying Skyler on the top of his blood dome. As she recovered, Ace created more blood clones to surround the dome and help him fight. ’If I can focus on leveling up and increasing my stats, I might be able to pull through this.’ [Current EXP:175/230] [Congratulations. Your resilience has increased your stamina stat by ten points and has also added a new stat.] [+10 Points allocated to endurance. ’This is great but my endurance is too low. I better increase it so I can last longer.’ [+5 Stat Points allocated to the Endurance Stat.] Given that his Endurance Stat was low, Ace decided to add as many stat points as he could just to level it with his other stat points. For that to happen, he had to kill as many as possible as quickly as possible. [Combo Aspect Activated.] [Aspect Selected: Flaming Blood Drill.] Once again, the Blood Mutant called back his Blood Clones and turned them into swirling lines of blood that spiraled around his hand. The blood stuck together into long, cone-shaped drills and began to glow before catching on fire. Due to how desperate he was, Ace decided to use the Flaming Blood Drill combo aspect despite him knowing the effects it had on his arms. However, he did not have the time or luxury to play it safe. If he didn’t get rid of the Xof quickly, they could end up beating him and cost him his system’s quest concerning completing the training phases. Letting out a mighty roar, Ace raised his hands and ran into the hoard of Xof ahead of him. A blood bath mixed with severed body parts occurred with Ace killing the beasts faster than he ever did. As he killed, he’d consume some of their blood to replenish his strength and make his blood drill larger. The number of dead Xof started to rise. Pools of bones, flesh, and blood grew larger with the number of Xof beasts reducing. The Blood Bishop ran wild and loose, mercilessly slaughtering the Xof while managing to protect himself, his sister, and his colleagues. {Subject Ace Underwood has completed the Third Phase} After an hour of bloodshed passed, Ace canceled his Flaming Blood Drill combo aspect and switched to his normal fighting style. Thankfully, the number of Xof reduced, meaning he had no use for a skill that consumed immense energy. [You have killed over four hundred creatures in one go.] [This incredible display of power and brutality has earned you twenty points in Endurance.] [Opponents Killed: 485] [Level 46.EXP:1,145/230>>>Level 50. EXP:165/260] [+4 Stat Points Earned.] [Congratulations: You have made it to the Fiftieth Level.] [The System will now automatically update to fit your current power level.] ’Wait, what about Cherry?’ Interrupted in his thoughts, Ace’s body succumbed to paralysis with a bright red energy coursing through his veins. The Blood Bishop’s body fell to the ground while reverting to his human form, leaving him vulnerable to the remaining Xof. He may have killed the majority of them, but that didn’t stop the others from reappearing. This fact was simple. Cherry was yet to complete the Third Phase, meaning that the Xof creatures would keep spawning until she had completed it. "Something’s wrong with Ace," Jim announced as he and Skyler rushed to his side. Not knowing what to do yet, Jim placed Ace by his blood dome and together with Skyler stood watch, ready to defend him from the remaining Xof. "Is he going through another Ranking Process?" Jim asked himself, unsure of what was happening to Ace. Meanwhile, Skyler remained clueless, oblivious to what was happening to the Blood Bishop. "Whatever it is," she answered, "we have to snap him out of it before anything bad happens." "We have bigger problems to worry about," Jim responded with a shaky tone in his voice. With fear coursing through his veins, he pointed at yet another horde of Xof beasts running towards them. "They’ve mutated again. These damned creatures have Mutated and our most powerful person’s down." "Then let’s protect him until whatever’s happening stops." [Inside Ace’s System.] Ace found himself hovering in a bright white space with nothing surrounding him. The Blood Bishop, who was once in a simulation chamber surrounded by dead bodies, chunks of flesh, and pools of blood, suddenly found himself in this strange and bizarre area. [Welcome: Ace Underwood.] His system’s AI spoke to him with a loud, majestic, and commanding voice. In front of him appeared a large HUD colored in red. ’Am I...in my system?’ [The System is currently going through an Upgrade.] [You have reached the Fiftieth Level. This makes you eligible for a system and Power Upgrade.] ’Power Upgrade?’ Ace thought. ’This ought to be interesting.’ [Name: Ace Underwood.] [Class: Blood Bishop] [The System and The User have grown and evolved in stronger beings than they once were. In order to maximize a quicker growth, you have been granted with two gifts.] [First Gift: With every level up you achieve, each of your stats will move up by one point. Additional features will be revealed the stronger you get.] [Second Gift: You are now at the Blood Bishop Rank. A new Aspect has been granted to you.] [Aspect: Absolute Blood Control.] [Description: A powerful Aspect that allows you to control Blood in a whole new level. This aspect includes summoning dead bodies back to life as long as they still have blood; conjuring items, materials, and even beings with blood; and extracting the life energy in blood. This aspect combines all the known forces, abilities, tricks, and skills used in the Blood World.] ’Incredible,’ Ace wondered with amazement glinting in his eyes. ’The possibilities I can achieve with that aspect.’ [The Aspect comes with a price. In order for it to be maximized, you will have to obtain Blood Mana, the life energy every living creature possesses. This Blood Mana is what determines the strength of your Absolute Blood Control.] The System went on for a while as it further explained to Ace concerning its upgrade and the Absolute Blood Control Aspect. The Blood Bishop paid close attention while also mentally preparing himself for what he was to do with it. Aside from the Aspect, Ace was pleased with the System automatically moving his stats up by one point every time he leveled up. This way, he could focus more on increasing his blood skills while strengthening his body with the help of the system. In as much as he was enjoying the session with his system, Ace remembered what he and the others were engaged with before he was transported to wherever he was. ’Cherry!!’ He gasped and then tried looking for a way out. "How do I get out?" he asked. Thankfully, the system was updating itself the entire time and as soon as it was complete, Ace was cast back to the simulation chamber. [You have been impaled.] [Your body will not heal until you remove the dislodged object.] ’What happened here?’