Chapter 10: Bloody Leveling System!
A torrent of blood fell from the sky….
In the heavy downpour, Nex relaxedly strolled across the desolation of the Slums, nonchalantly passing over blood puddles. He felt at peace, enjoying the short-lived tranquility.
It wasn't even about his increased strength, but the quiet, for the rain would keep the monsters at bay. Only then could Nex and the old Lizard both journey out.
The latter's look of panic when the rain had started sooner than expected had been golden! He had sprinted ahead, his scales sizzling like crazy.
Nex took his sweet time, enjoying the atmosphere.
"Sigh, such nice weather! This has to be my lucky day, haha!"
Even now, his red cloak remained unsullied as if the blood rain didn't dare stain the Bloody Emperor. He soon reached the Labor Square, a bus-stop-looking shelter.
There were three awakened.
1. The Old Lizard
2. A Stone Golem that never spoke
3. Some guy screaming like a banshee, the acidic blood melting his flesh. After all, the shelter blocked most of the rain….but not all. ~ Rule #2 Check the Weather
*Rectification, there were two Awakened.
Razark turned his way, his scales slightly burnt.
Respectful Lizard Mentor —> Silly-Looking Orange Gecko
"You're finally here, kid! I almost thought the Immortal Temple had finally kidnapped you. After all, it's not every day a shitty slum-dweller refuses them, haha."
"I only refuse when I meet them. Plus, you know exactly why I can't accept their offer." She'd be dead before Nex was even done with the basic training.
"Understand? Yes. Agree? No, and neither does she." Razark sighed.
They stood in silence as they waited.
Nearby stood Kcor. He was the stone overlord of Tarnish, a lawless town in constant turmoil. He could have long ascended but preferred ruling over the mortals.
He was a bona fide Fatality Rank, same as the Lizard, a rank Nex could only dream of. Yet, they were all potential-less wretches struggling to find meaning in their lives.
Nex + Razark —> Protecting
Kcor + Asher + Everyone—> Ruling
"Someone's coming," Razark remarked, stepping forward.
— Clip! Clop! Clip! Clop! —
The sound of trotting, a Noble!
Through the bloody rain, a flaming creature suddenly appeared. The Iron Bull continuously breathed flames out, creating a bloody mist. This thing was freaking Eclipse Rank!
Unranked Nex < Fatality Rank < Eclipse Rank
The Bull pulled a black iron carriage adorned with crows, a magical forcefield protecting it from the bloody rain. As soon as he saw the emblem, Nex hid his face under his hood.
— Slam! —
An aristocrat-looking young lady came down from the carriage.
She had blond drill-like hair, a haughty look, and far too much make-up. Just the Magitek umbrella she carried was worth more than their three lives combined.
"Listen up, vermin! Today we need two Awakened to work as gardeners. You need to be meticulous and resistant to the blood rain. Now, who should I choose?"
She glanced at them as if trash.
"Lizard and red-riding hood." She obviously disregarded the 9 feet tall stone golem with hands the size of wheelbarrows.
She snorted without recognizing him, signaling them to follow behind.
Nex clenched his fist. Even if this would be dangerous, he couldn't pass the opportunity! As long as he could complete this mission, hiring a doctor shouldn't be impossible.
But suddenly…
"Hood. Hiding Face." The cavernous golem's voice resounded, shattering his hopes.
The young lady finally looked at the "vermin" directly. "It's you, you bastard! Trying to sully my House with your degrading existence?! Not on my watch!"
She didn't hesitate one bit, going for the kill.
She waved a hand, generating an enormous claw of darkness. It shone with so much mana that his stomach instinctively twisted.
Danger, danger, DANGER!
Then she struck!
— Woosh! —
Nex threw himself to the ground, barely keeping his head. 'Crazy Bitch!' He inwardly swore as he escaped.
"Run, you coward! Slum-dwellers are all the same!" She sneered. Easy for her to say! As expected of the hypocritical arrogant lunatic Beatrice Ravencroft.
Nex found refuge in the blood rain, hearing her shouts in the back. She would never dare leave her carriage, after all. Before long, peace returned to the Labor Square.
In the end, she brought the freaking golem for gardening!
"Tch— Just you wait, you traitorous golem," Nex grumbled.
The thing had gotten cocky because of his resistance to the blood rain? Next time he'd turn him into a jigsaw puzzle.
As for why she hated him, it was all because of his abilities. In her mind, noble Raven should never mix with Useless Ugly Ducklings.
- Blood Immunity (SSS) —> Great For The Rain… That's It
- Duck Summon (‽) —> Peak Useless
The more he remembered the previous scene and the angrier he got. Once more, he found himself longing for strength.
If he were as strong as the Overlords of Arcadia, he could have easily brought the entire Alcove to ascend to any of the Districts.
Sadly, his SSS-Rank was pretty much fake, and his system useless. Plus, now he'd have to hide for a while until that Ravencroft bitch forgot him.
But suddenly…
— Clip! Clop! —
Wait, another carriage?!
Two nobles one after the other was super rare, especially during a bloody rain day. This one was pulled by a thunder Giraffe, a creature as silly-looking as powerful.
This had to be the Lightning King's Carriage, right?! They were a military family, every single one of them Battle Hardened Awakened, and they pretty much never came here.
An incredibly good-looking youngster came down. Lightning crackled around him, his eyes glowing with power. The blood droplets would evaporate as they came near him.
Mana Consumption? Probably Horrendous
Cool-Looking? Definitely!
"Hello there, I need someone to— You're alone?!"
"Yes, a lady from house Raven already picked up two of us, Sir."
"Gotcha, alright. I guess you'll do then. I need someone to accompany my sister and carry her luggage. It should be an easy job, what do you say?"
Was he serious?! What kind of easy job was this! Plus, it was an opportunity for connections. A Noble family would have doctors, right?!
"It would be my pleasure to be of assistance!" Nex hurriedly replied.
"Alright, feel free to hop in the carriage….also, how are you doing this?! I don't detect any mana coming from you, yet the blood just slides right off!"
"It's simple, it's—" Nex froze, sensing something.
"….?"
There was a change in the air. The stench of corrupted mana overflowed everywhere as dark clouds gathered in the sky. His face instantly turned deathly pale.
He had seen this far too many times,
Fuck, a monster rain?!
"I gotta go!!"
Nex ran straight for the Alcove, decisively giving the mission up. There was no way that Asher would be able to protect everyone by himself, not now!
But how?! It was already raining blood! This should have been impossible.
Nex kept running, praying non-stop.
"Please let me be in time, please!"
As he finally saw the buildings of the Alcove, he heaved a sigh of relief. But that's when it all started.
The surplus of mana took shape, giant shiny cockroaches appearing everywhere. Their carapaces were blood red and protected them from the blood rain!
Those weren't normal monsters —> They had Evolved!
As the entire world turned red, he dashed for the Orphanage. Knowing Asher, he'd protect his mercenary HQ first. "C'mon, faster! Faster!" He kept repeating.
He could already hear the creatures' shrieks. It was as powerful as strident: it was feeding time!
— Shriek! —
— Shriek! —
— Shriek! —
"Out of my way!" Nex grabbed his foldable spear out, piercing toward the creatures blocking his way.
He cracked carapace after carapace open as he kept running. Please make it in time! On the side, the creatures were already opening the various houses as if lunch boxes.
Screams echoed, people running for their lives. A young lady even came to hide behind him, looking at him with doe eyes. "Help me, and I'll do anything, anything! I'll—"
She never sensed the monster that spawned right on top of her in her fright.
— Splatter! —
— Munch! —
At this rate, this would be their fate too!
Amidst a nightmare turned real, he finally reached the Orphanage. There was a gaping hole in the wall, shrieks resounding.
Nex ran inside.
Small bodies turned into snacks.
Midnight fighting in a corner, her last stand.
What about the other kids?! What about Sera?! Already devoured...
"You bastards!!!"
"Die, die, DIE!!!!"
— Pierce! Pierce! Pierce! —
He skewered them one after the other, unable to contain his rage and sorrow. Those fuckers all needed to die!
They had destroyed it all, all he still cared about! This shitty world being harsh? Fine! He could endure. But the kids?! The freaking kids?! They deserved better!!!
He remembered all their smiles as they listened to his stories, as they encouraged him, and shared their food.
The smiles superposed themselves to the bloody maw of the creatures. They seemed to be grinning, enjoying the meal.
"EAT THIS!!!"
He made them eat his spear until it broke.
He had long lost his mind. All that mattered was the cockroaches dying.
He grabbed anything he could get his hands on, butcher knife, vase, the entire dinner table, and so much more. He smashed everything to pieces.
"I'll avenge you all. I'll avenge all of you." He kept repeating as if a mantra, the last thread of sanity he still had.
"I'll avenge—" The cockroaches all turned into bloody messes….but what was the point? It was all pointless…. "#$%&*" All freaking pointless… "Hey, listen to me!" All useless and— "Most are still alive! Asher took them with him!"
Nex returned to life. What did Midnight say? They were still alive?! Asher had saved them?! Nex rushed outside in a hurry.
A red cockroach sea encircled Asher's HQ, the last bastion of the Alcove. They were about to break in. The survivors were all in there, right? Sera would be there too!
"Don't go. You'll die!" Midnight cried out, the voice of reason.
So what if even an F-Rank would perish instantly in there? So what if he was even weaker? Individually he could defeat them!
At this moment, a playful grin made its way to his face, a nostalgic aura surrounding him.
"Go on, shriek some more! There's a reason they call me the Bloody Emperor!"
"I'm coming. Just wait for me!"
Nex grabbed a cleaver in each hand, summoned his useless duck familiar, and charged to his death.
As for what happened next, even he wasn't sure. It all felt like a bloody nightmare. He fought until he couldn't stand anymore nor feel his arms.
There were cockroaches pieces all around him. In a daze, he felt a soft body embracing his. "Brother, brother! Sob Sob! Your arm's gone?! Sob!" Ah, when had he lost the left one?
He gently patted Sera's head, not showing an ounce of sorrow. Instead, there was even wild joy and relief in his eyes. "Don't worry. From now on, everything will be alright!"
It wasn't just the blood loss talking either...
[Awakened Bloody Leveling System!]
[Featuring Infinite Level UP! — Let the Slaughter Begin!]
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
ClasslessAscension
ClasslessAscension For an instant, I returned to Nex Xander the gamer. The godly positioning I had honed in my previous life was now paying off! Turns out I'm more tenacious than literal cockroaches...
-- Gift
received