Clive exhales slowly as the third blood refining array stabilises inside his body.
Relief washes through him.
The new structure settles firmly within his spiritual channels, completing the triangle formed by the three arrays circulating through his blood.
Dark energy begins flowing through the newly formed pathways.
The black energy from the Bloodstone circulates inside his body, moving along the spiritual channels constructed by the refining array.
Clive focuses all his attention on it.
He expects pain.
Corruption.
Some violent backlash.
Instead, something completely different happens.
The energy does not harm him.
It nourishes him.
Tiny traces of the energy seep from the array into his flesh, strengthening muscle fibres and reinforcing bone.
His breathing deepens.
His heartbeat grows heavier.
Inside his mind, new information surfaces naturally.
It feels as if the bloodline itself is teaching him how to use it.
A name appears clearly in his thoughts.
"Corpse Body."
Clive opens his eyes.
"Corpse Body," he whispers.
The name fits perfectly.
He nods to himself.
"So the third bloodline will be called the Corpse Bloodline."
Curiosity pushes him to test it.
Clive activates the ability.
The black energy surges instantly through his body.
It spreads through his veins like burning frost.
His muscles tighten.
His skin begins turning grey, dull like the corpse monsters he has been fighting.
His fingernails sharpen and extend into short claws.
The transformation completes in moments.
Clive flexes his fingers slowly.
The sensation is strange.
But powerful.
He feels his strength rise sharply.
Twice what it normally is.
His muscles carry a dense weight of power.
His senses sharpen slightly.
He tightens his fists once more before releasing the ability.
The grey colour fades from his skin.
His claws retract.
His body returns to normal.
Clive nods again.
The ability works.
Now his gaze shifts toward the mine entrance.
He picks up his sword.
Without hesitation, he begins walking toward the mine.
The darkness inside grows thicker with every step.
Outside, faint light still touches the ground, but inside the mine, the shadows swallow everything.
Clive channels spirit power into his eyes.
His pupils adjust.
Gradually, the darkness becomes visible again.
The mine tunnels stretch forward like the ribs of a giant beast.
Wooden beams support the ceiling at regular intervals.
The air smells of damp earth and decay.
Clive moves carefully through the empty tunnel.
Each step echoes faintly through the mine.
Minutes pass.
The silence presses heavily around him.
Then—
A sound.
Shifting footsteps.
Low growls.
Clive's eyes narrow.
Without hesitation, he activates his third bloodline ability again.
"Corpse Body."
Black energy floods through his body once more.
His skin turns grey.
His muscles harden.
Claws extend from his fingers.
Clive tightens his grip on the sword.
Then he begins running.
His footsteps pound across the wooden boards.
The growling ahead grows louder.
The tunnel opens suddenly.
Clive bursts into a large cavern.
And immediately swings his sword.
The blade cuts through the air in a wide arc.
A corpse monster directly in front of him loses its head instantly.
The decapitated body collapses.
But the cavern is filled with them.
Twelve corpse monsters turn toward him simultaneously.
Their eyes burn with mindless hunger.
They roar and charge.
Clive moves first.
He steps forward aggressively.
His sword flashes again.
Another monster lunges.
Clive ducks beneath its grasp and slashes upward.
The blade cuts through the creature's neck.
The head spins away.
Two more rush him from the sides.
Clive pivots.
One clawed hand grabs a monster's wrist and yanks it off balance.
His sword follows immediately.
The head separates cleanly.
The second monster crashes into him.
The impact pushes him backwards.
But his enhanced strength holds.
Clive kicks the monster's knee.
The joint snaps.
The creature collapses.
A downward slash removes its head.
The remaining monsters surround him.
Their strength is greater than that of normal humans.
Each one moves with the force of a knight apprentice.
Clive breathes steadily.
His grey skin glows faintly under the cavern light.
One monster leaps forward wildly.
Clive sidesteps and cuts across its throat.
Another tries grabbing him from behind.
Clive twists his body and drives his elbow backwards.
The creature staggers.
His sword spins.
Another head falls.
The battle continues without pause.
Clive moves like a storm among them.
His Corpse Body bloodline allows him to match their raw strength.
Each strike aims directly for the neck.
Each movement wastes nothing.
Steel flashes repeatedly.
One monster manages to scratch across his arm.
The claws scrape his grey skin but fail to dig deep.
Clive answers with a brutal slash that severs its head.
Five remain.
They attack together.
Clive steps backwards and swings wide.
His blade cuts through one monster's jaw.
He finishes it with a reverse strike.
Another leaps toward his chest.
Clive grabs the creature midair and slams it to the ground.
His sword plunges downward.
Two more charge simultaneously.
Clive spins.
The sword draws a circle of steel around him.
Both monsters collapse.
Only one remains.
The last creature hesitates.
Its dead eyes stare at him.
Clive steps forward slowly.
Then swings once more.
The final head rolls across the cavern floor.
Silence returns.
Twelve corpse monsters lie dead around him.
Clive stands in the centre of the battlefield, breathing heavily.
His grey skin slowly fades as he deactivates the Corpse Body ability.
Clive lowers his sword slightly and draws several deep breaths. The battle had not lasted long, but fatigue still spread through his body.
The twelve corpse monsters were ordinary enemies. In truth, he did not need to activate the Corpse Body ability to deal with them.
But he had done so intentionally.
He wanted to become familiar with the new Corpse Bloodline.
Bloodline abilities are not something a person fully understands the moment they obtain them. Only by using them repeatedly can their nature be grasped.
While the ability remained active, Clive had been able to perceive the subtle flow of the black energy circulating through the blood refining array.
He had observed how the energy strengthened his muscles, hardened his skin, and sharpened his reflexes.
More importantly, he sensed the deeper structure of the ability.
The Corpse Bloodline carried more than simple physical enhancement.
It contained a faint connection with death energy itself.
A cold, quiet power hidden beneath the surface.
Clive tightens his grip on the sword, reflecting briefly on what he felt.
Then he exhales and sits on a rock for a few minutes to rest.
His breathing slowly steadies.
The cavern grows quiet again.
After a short rest, he stands and resumes moving.
Ahead of him lies another tunnel.
The wooden supports creak softly as he walks deeper into the mine.
The darkness thickens again.
Clive channels spirit power to his eyes and continues forward.
Before long, more sounds reach him.
Low growls.
Shuffling footsteps.
Another corpse monster appears around a bend in the tunnel.
Clive does not hesitate.
His sword flashes once.
The head separates from the body.
He continues walking.
Further down the tunnel, three more monsters stagger toward him.
Clive steps forward calmly.
The first one swings its claw.
Clive ducks and cuts upward.
The blade slices through the neck.
The second lunges wildly.
Clive pivots and slashes across its spine.
The third monster charges blindly.
Clive kicks its chest, sending it crashing into the tunnel wall, then finishes it with a precise strike.
He keeps moving.
The deeper he goes, the more monsters appear.
Sometimes a single corpse monster wanders through the tunnels.
Other times, groups of them emerge from the shadows.
Twice, he encounters packs larger than ten.
Each time Clive fights without hesitation.
His sword moves quickly.
Decisively.
Heads roll across the stone floor.
Limbs scatter.
The battles are brief but relentless.
Minutes pass.
Then half an hour.
The deeper tunnels become quieter.
Eventually, the passage widens.
Clive steps into a new cavern.
The moment he enters, his instincts tighten.
In the centre of the cavern stands a familiar nightmare.
Another two-headed corpse monster.
The creature's body is massive and twisted.
One head sits atop its neck, snarling with rotting teeth.
The second head protrudes from its belly.
The grotesque mouth opens slowly.
The monster notices him instantly.
The belly mouth opens wide.
The long black tongue shoots forward like a spear.
Clive reacts immediately.
Instead of retreating, he charges straight toward it.
He fought the same type of monster only a few hours ago.
This time, he knows its weakness.
The tongue.
Clive sidesteps as the tongue streaks past his shoulder.
Then he accelerates forward.
The monster roars.
Its claws swing down toward him.
Clive raises his sword and blocks the attack.
The impact shakes his arms.
The monster is strong.
Stronger than the ordinary corpse creatures.
But Clive has learned its rhythm.
The tongue lashes out again from the belly mouth.
Clive twists sideways and slashes at it.
The blade slices across the thick flesh.
Black blood sprays across the cavern floor.
The tongue retracts violently.
The monster roars in pain.
Clive presses forward.
His sword flashes again.
The monster swings its claws wildly.
Clive ducks beneath one strike and cuts across its forearm.
Rotting flesh tears apart.
The creature stumbles backwards.
But the tongue lashes forward again.
Clive jumps back just in time.
The tongue pierces the stone floor where he had stood a moment before.
The monster retracts it again, preparing to strike once more.
Clive tightens his grip on the sword.
This time, he steps forward deliberately.
He watches the belly mouth closely.
The tongue shoots forward.
Clive moves at the same instant.
His blade arcs downward with full force.
Steel meets flesh.
The long tongue is severed cleanly.
The monster lets out a horrifying roar.
Black blood pours from the severed stump.
Clive does not stop.
He advances toward the raging creature, ready to finish the battle.