Chapter 17 BLOODLINE AWAKENED

The Red Gate trembled violently, its once-massive form shrinking rapidly. From a towering inferno of abyssal energy, it dwindled down to the size of a small house, its power visibly weakened.

With the terrifying presence gone, weaker monsters began emerging from the gate—low-tier creatures, nothing compared to the abominations that had poured out before. Seeing this, the remaining monsters nearby hesitated at first, but soon began creeping back, their instincts telling them the battlefield was no longer off-limits.

They walked slowly towards the red gates

But among the ruins of crushed stone and shattered earth, a single figure lay motionless.

Blood pooled beneath him, flowing uninterrupted from his wounds. His once-pristine form was now unrecognizable—his face battered, his arms bent at unnatural angles, his bones shattered beyond repair.

Then, a mechanical chime echoed in his mind.

> DING!

[WARNING!!! WARNING!!!]

PLAYER HEALTH IS DANGEROUSLY LOW! CONTINUOUS BLOOD LOSS WILL RESULT IN DEATH IN ONE MINUTE!

[HP: 1/288]

The constant ringing in his head blurred together, mixing with the haze of his fading consciousness.

Maximus, barely able to think, chuckled weakly, a bitter smile tugging at his bloodied lips.

> "Fuck… Am I really about to die?"

His vision flickered, the world around him fading into a dull, muted blur.

> "It hurts… but at the same time… I can't even feel it anymore."

A strange sense of detachment overtook him.

> "Maybe I should just lay here… rest for a while."

His mind drifted.

> "If I hadn't tried to save them… would I still be lying here now?"

A broken laugh escaped him—a mix of exhaustion, pain, and regret.

> "Ha…Haha…"

Then—the ground trembled.

The monsters had noticed him.

Dozens, then hundreds, then thousands of them boss,mutant different monster turned toward him—the only living human left. Their beady eyes gleamed, their jaws drooled, their claws twitched in anticipation.

The scent of his blood was overwhelming.

And he's the only human alive nearby

Maximus sighed, his mind growing duller.

> "Now they're coming for revenge, huh…?"

> "Instead of struggling to survive… I'm here blaming myself."

A bitter truth settled into his heart.

"I'm fucking weak, aren't I?"

"I want to move but I can't I fcking hate this feeling"

He couldn't move.

He couldn't fight back.

And with no MP left, there was nothing he could do.

His thoughts slowed, his vision darkening.

> "If I survive this…"

"I'll kill every last one of those fucking demons…"

But even as he made that promise—

He knew it was empty.

> [WARNING! WARNING!!!]

The system voice screamed in his mind, but he no longer cared.

> "Yeah… yeah… I know… I'm gonna die."

He's vision slowly disappearing

'Hah I wanna rest now'

Then his vision faded completely, and his mind drifted into nothingness.

---

Unknown to Maximus… Something Stirred.

As his HP dropped to zero, a mysterious energy erupted from deep within his heart—a force ancient, primordial, and incomprehensible.

If Maximus had been conscious, he would have seen it—

> [DING! UNIDENTIFIED ENERGY DETECTED!]

[PLAYER BLOODLINE IS AWAKENING!!]

[WARNING: BLOODLINE POTENTIAL EXCEEDS SYSTEM LIMITS!]

[WORLD WILL INTERVENTION REQUIRED—DETECTING BLOODLINE…]

[DETECTION SUCCESSFUL!]

[ONLY THE NAME HAS BEEN DETECTED THE RANK IS BEYOND THE SYSTEM CAPABILITY]

[BLOODLINE: ORIGIN DEVOURER PHYSIQUE(???)]

[FIRST STAGE UNLOCKED: DEVOUR PHYSICAL MATTER, YOUR BODY IS PERFECT DEVOURING BLOODLINE WILL NOT CHANGE YOUR PHYSICAL TRAITS BUT STRENGHTEN IT EXPLORE THE OTHER BENEFITS YOURSELF!!]

And then—the slaughter began.

A gigantic void pure nothingness materialized above Maximus' unconscious body.

It started as a mere ripple in the air—then expanded violently, twisting and contorting into an abyssal mouth, its black fangs stretching endlessly into the darkness.

The monsters—those that had eagerly rushed forward to consume him—froze in place.

Terror.

A primal fear overtook them, one their instincts couldn't explain—only obey.

Then—CRUNCH.

The abyssal void descended upon them, devouring everything in sight.

The bosses, the mutants, the survivors of the Red Gate—not a single creature was spared.

> DING!

[EXPERIENCE GAINED!]

[MP INCREASED!]

[TALENT SOUL ABSORPTION ACTIVATED: ABSORBING MONSTER SOULS…]

Even in unconsciousness, Maximus' body evolved.

His HP surged, filling back to full in an instant. His MP regenerated rapidly, stronger than before. His wounds healed at an inhuman speed, the gaping injuries closing within seconds.

But that was only the beginning.

--

His entire body changed.

His muscles expanded, growing denser, his once-lean frame now forged with raw power. His ripped clothes disintegrated, revealing a physique so sculpted, so divine, it looked as if it had been crafted by the gods themselves.

Even the divine beings of higher realms would envy this form.

His black hair stretched down, flowing past his waist, gleaming like obsidian silk he look like a real cultivator. His once-handsome features became ethereal, exuding a dangerous, predatory beauty, like a celestial warlord reborn.

His bloodline had awakened

But Maximus… remained asleep.

Completely unaware of what had just happened.