Fletcher watched as his personal bodyguard dealt with five of the masked figures.
The sixth one was heading in his direction.
Picking up the sword that had been knocked out of the hands of the one who had grabbed him by the neck, Fletcher prepared himself.
"Don't get arrogant just because you were able to fend off our youngest. He's the weakest amongst all of us. It'll be a different story with me."
"Who gives a shit about him being the youngest? Am I not younger? I've never even held a weapon either."
"I guess that is true."
"Don't you think it's rather shameful that you're trying to kill a child when you're an adult?"
Fletcher was trying to keep a conversation going so that the bodyguard would have enough time to kill his enemies and help him out.
He could tell that he didn't have much of a chance against the enemy in front of him.
"No. I feel no shame at all. You have the blood of the Count in you. That alone makes this battle a fair one."
"You keep saying that, and yet, I don't feel any different than a regular person."
"That's because you've never been in battle before, Young Master. It's a pity that your mother was too soft and wanted you out of the conflict. If you had only been raised a little tougher, even the six of us combined wouldn't be able to kill you, regardless of your age."
"I've heard tales of how powerful my father is, but he's that strong? So much that just his blood is enough to tip the scale?"
"Do you know your father's nickname when he heads into battle?"
"...No. What is it?"
"They call him the Blood Demon. Wherever he goes, blood is shed. The longer the battle goes on, the stronger he gets. It's like he's powered by the blood that pours out of his enemies. The same goes for your other siblings. And… it'll probably be the same for you. So I should kill you before you can shed any of my blood."
"How do you—"
Before he could stall and ask another question, the man had dashed forward, and Fletcher had to raise the sword to block the attack.
Barely. Just barely was he able to survive.
The man was correct about his statement that this exchange would be nothing like the one before. It was completely one-sided.
So one-sided that Fletcher now had a hole in his stomach and had cuts all over his body.
"It's over, Young Master. May you and your mother peacefully spend your days walking along a garden in your next life. I'm sorry."
What he didn't know was that the Count didn't only get stronger the more he made his enemies bleed. The same applied to himself. The more he bled, the stronger he got.
And when he was injured and bleeding to the brink of death, his two secret abilities would activate.
[Blood Frenzy]: When you are at ten percent health, you become twice as strong and fast. The ability is activated until you pass out from mental exhaustion, recover your health, or run out of mana.
[Blood Control]: Bend and control blood that has been shed on the battlefield like water. Harden them like ice to create sharp weapons. Let it fly through the air like an arrow. Use the blood of everyone alike to make everything around you red. Let it rain blood. (Only available when [Blood Frenzy] is activated.)
These abilities, he had passed down to all of his children.
Obviously, that included Fletcher.
As [Blood Frenzy] activated, even without any explanation, he was able to control the blood around him to attack the man before him.
It didn't take long for the man to collapse on his knees.
"I guess even a tiger cub is still a tiger at the end of the day," he scoffed as hardened blood created a circular hole that went through his skull.
Thud.
Fletcher then helped out his bodyguard, wiping out the rest of the enemies.
"I'm sorry, Master Fletcher. I… there's no excuse."
Fletcher was on one knee as the mental strain of [Blood Frenzy] was getting to him. He didn't know how to deactivate it, so he just had to endure.
"What happened?" he asked.
"One of the maids informed me that my father had passed away. I… I wasn't going to go and leave your mother, but she told me that it was okay, and I needed to be there for my mother. Even though I tried my best not to leave her side, she told me that if I didn't go, she wouldn't eat anything until I listened."
'That sounds like my mother,' Fletcher smiled.
"But when I got to my home, my father was in the kitchen eating lunch with my mother. That's when I realized something was wrong. I had been lied to and was tricked into leaving your mother's side. So I rushed back, but… but it was too late. I'm so sorry, Master Fletcher. I will take responsibility and end my life to repay—"
"No. Don't you dare."
"...Why? I need to repent for my sin."
"You think my mother would want you to do this?"
"..."
He didn't answer, but he and Fletcher both knew what the answer was.
"Don't waste your life on something selfish like that. Just because you feel guilty doesn't mean you get to repent so easily. Pay her back."
"How?"
"Help me kill whoever is responsible for this. I… I wasn't going to fight for the title, but it seems like I've been left with no choice. I will get revenge for my mother, and I need your help."
"...Yes. I understand, Master Fletcher."
Before Fletcher could say something else, he heard shuffling behind him.
His bodyguard also heard the same thing and was about to push him out of the way, but it was too late. Fletcher had turned his head around just in time for the acid that had been tossed in his direction to hit his eyes, blinding him instantly.
"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain.
"Bastard!" his bodyguard yelled as he rushed over and killed the man who threw the acid. He had been playing dead. "This is my fault! This is my fault… I… I should've checked whether or not he was dead."
Thud.
He freaked out when Fletcher collapsed, but was relieved to see that he had only fainted from exhaustion.
* * *
[That concludes the end of the lore exploration for [The Blind Demon]. If you wish to continue it, you can select the next time you level up.]
"What… was that?"
In the real world, not even a second had passed, but for Fletcher, he had watched all of that take place.
New memories had rushed into his brain, and they didn't feel like they were foreign. They felt like they had always belonged to him.
"Is that why the system warned me about my ego?" he wondered.
Because now, he still felt like Kwon Moon, but a part of him had also accepted the lore of Fletcher Green as his own. He felt like Fletcher Green, the fifth-born son of House Green. He existed in a different world that wasn't Earth, and the memories should've clashed; his identity made a crisis, but somehow, someway, there was harmony between his identity as being an avatar and his ego of being Fletcher Green.
"Will that harmony change the more I develop my ego? Will I eventually refuse to be considered an avatar of Kwon Moon and become Fletcher Green completely?"
That could be dangerous.
He looked at the hunter card that was in his head. The same hunter card that the hunters who were at the party with Kwon Moon had used to introduce themselves.
That's right. Even though he was an avatar, he had his own hunter card.
That meant that it would be nearly impossible to tell that he wasn't a real hunter. Nobody would be able to tell that he was Kwon Moon's avatar.
[Fletcher Green] [18] [D]
[Flame]: Basic control over the element of fire.
[Blood Frenzy]: When you are at ten percent health, you become twice as strong and fast. The ability is activated until you pass out from mental exhaustion, recover your health, or run out of mana.
[Blood Control]: Bend and control blood that has been shed on the battlefield like water. Harden them like ice to create sharp weapons. Let it fly through the air like an arrow. Use the blood of everyone alike to make everything around you red. Let it rain blood. (Only available when [Blood Frenzy] is activated.)
"I acquired the two abilities from the lore. Will I get new abilities every time I level up, then? If that's the case… that's rather overpowered."
It was starting to make sense how Ryuk Yongsun was able to become king of the entire world.
"Shall I head to the eighth floor then?" he smirked as he walked up the stairs.