Chapter 3

After saving Bai Lang, the man ignored him and instead crossed his arms to protect his head, charging forward towards the woman amidst the dense, sharp blood lines. A purple light barrier formed in front of him, rising to meet the challenge and break through the blood tide.

The distance between the two grew shorter, and they finally collided with a violent impact. They unleashed their full strength without hesitation, the intensity of their clash resembling two monsters clashing, covering the passage in blood and purple.

The aftermath of their attacks spread out in the form of purple energy blades and hard, blood-red lines, cutting the ground, shattering seats, blasting walls, and breaking light tubes, even injuring passersby who hadn't escaped far enough.

Boom, boom, boom...

The ceiling's wiring was severed, and the lights went out suddenly, making the entire passage dark. The remaining lights flickered, adding to the chaos and panic of the crowd, causing the scene to spiral out of control.

With a series of dull, heavy thuds, the two monsters fought their way to the edge of the wall.

The silver-haired woman controlled the blood threads to entangle and pin her opponent to the wall, then swung a punch, which turned into a blur and aimed directly at his head. The man narrowly avoided it by twisting his neck, the wind brushing past his cheek. His arm was embedded in the thick wall, and the impact caused his hair to flutter violently, creating a two-meter-wide indentation in the vertical wall.

The passage shook, and the ceiling began to collapse.

...

Crouched in the corner, Bai Lang, enduring the pain, began to save himself. He had already pulled his hand and the dagger out of the ground. However, strangely, no blood flowed from his right hand wound; instead, a large amount of dark purple substance continuously emerged, spreading like a living thing over his arm...

He felt a sense of foreboding, gritted his teeth, and pulled out the dagger, but it did nothing to stop the purple spread. On the inside of his wrist, at the spot where an IV needle would be inserted, the irregular circular mark reappeared.

As the passage began to collapse, the ground beneath his feet trembled violently. Leaning against the wall, Bai Lang stumbled forward, observing the changes in his wrist. The edges of the circle began to glow with the traces of residual fire, lighting up in the darkness like a dying sun, emitting no warmth.

As he moved along the wall, his mind and soul were gradually drawn to the 'circle.' The attraction grew stronger, overpowering his will, even making him forget the pain of his severed arm.

Bai Lang's gaze became vacant, and a voice in his head grew louder, tempting his will: "Come in! Come in!! Come in quickly!!!"

Gradually, his eyes became dazed, his perception gradually detached from the outside world, and he immersed himself in his own world. His body began to detach from reality, becoming blurry and ethereal.

In the real world, a black shadow spread from under Bai Lang's feet, generating a suction force that pulled him in, making him disappear from the underground passage.

...

"Success!"

The man, who was evading the woman's pursuit with tattered clothes and a bloody mouth, suddenly laughed. He then kicked through the wall, using it to escape and turn to run away.

The woman's attack abruptly stopped, and she stood still, muttering to herself: "Failed? Disappeared!..."

She then laughed, her body temperature dropping sharply, and blood began to seep through the ceiling. Her lowered head and shoulders twitched with her nervous laughter, giving the impression that she had suddenly lost control.

Her silver hair couldn't hide her mouth, which began to split and extend, revealing a mouth full of sharp, jagged teeth, forming a radiant smile: "Liberation!"

The man's face changed dramatically: "What kind of monster are you?!"

...

...

When Bai Lang regained consciousness, his fatigue and pain were gone, and he felt completely restored.

He was now in darkness, with nothing below him. However, his body didn't fall but floated. He instinctively swung his arms, trying to grab something, and was shocked to find that his severed left arm had regrown!

Wait! Could everything that happened just be a vivid dream?

But the pain was too real. The bizarre subway station, the sudden attack, the continuous torture and struggle... It felt like a series of nested dreams. Shouldn't I be 'awake' now?

But when he looked at his right wrist, his body stiffened. His pupils contracted sharply; everything was real!

On the inside of his right wrist, the circular mark was burning, the fire lines connecting, emitting a dim red light, illuminating the darkness.

He examined it closely and realized that the 'edges' of the circle were not lines but countless dense small runes, each lighting up and burning with a faint flame, like a dim, dying 'black hole'?

Hmm? A sense of déjà vu rose in Bai Lang's heart. He felt this thing was familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. Why did he suddenly feel such sorrow and unease?

...

"Detected 'Dark Ring' mark, verification passed, issuing contract number 1445032... Welcome to... the Firelink Garden!"

A voice without emotion echoed in his mind, shocking him. However, looking around, he still saw nothing and could touch nothing.

"Firelink Garden? Dark Ring!"

Bai Lang stared at the mark, which burned like a dynamic image, suddenly realizing something. An ominous premonition instantly filled his heart!

No wonder it was so sorrowful and unsettling? It was the pain that Brother Lang never wanted to recall, the shadow of the mighty and awe-inspiring teacher Gud, the shame of not being able to pass for five hours.

Instinctively, he wanted to shout: "I won't pass this fire!"

Then, the emotionless voice, ignoring his attitude and thoughts, continued to echo in his mind. The 'Dark Ring' on his wrist also burst into flames.

...

Bai Lang felt something inside him being continuously drained by the mark.

"Detected 'Main God Space Debris' in the target, initiating forced recovery..."

"Analyzing 'Space Debris,' bloodline type, reading information database..."

"Severe damage to the information database, data missing, re-searching, rescuing..."

"Contractee 1445032, you have made significant contributions to the space, initiating forced compensation. Choose any one of the following bloodlines to bind:"

"A: Jenova Cells (incomplete, unknown risks),"

"B: Blacklight Virus (high-level, includes memory implantation, self-awareness recalibration),"

"C: Mutant X Gene Pool (incomplete, 7 options, customizable),"

"D: Ghoul Bloodline (perfect, average potential),"

"E: Subhuman Bloodline (complete, special type),"

"F:..."

A series of information refreshed in his mind, and a corresponding screen appeared on his retina, scrolling rapidly...

He felt he could operate through his will. When his thoughts lingered on a particular option, a corresponding window would pop up, adding additional detailed explanations about the bloodline to his mind.

This game-like scene made him wonder if he had been kidnapped and placed in a coffin filled with nutrient solution for a brain-in-a-vat virtual reality test?

In any case, the chaotic bloodline options gave him a bit of courage, not the 'masochistic soul' he had imagined. However, before he could continue his wild thoughts, the screen in front of him suddenly glitched, and the emotionless voice echoed in his mind again:

"System program disrupted, high-level apostle authority interference, priority assessment... Passed, compensation phase terminated. Jenova Cells locked, ... redemption successful."

With this prompt, Bai Lang watched helplessly as option A disappeared!

WTF??? Σ（っ°Д°;）っ

Then: "Blacklight Virus locked... redemption successful." Option B also disappeared...

"Mutant genes..."

"Wait!" Bai Lang shouted, shouldn't this be my 'exclusive power-up time'? Why is this happening?

...

After several rounds of external interference and forced redemptions, the chaotic screen gradually stabilized, though it was still under attack. However, the glitches were gradually disappearing.

The original list of over ten options had shrunk to just a few.

The top option was the solitary 'E - Subhuman Bloodline,' and the rest were either 'incomplete' or some undesirable options like beastman bloodlines, two-headed ogre bloodlines... clearly junk.

So he had no choice, not even time to analyze the pros and cons, and directly used his will to forcefully select option 'E.'

First come, first served!

Indeed! His reward page collapsed again, and the few remaining 'bloodline options' quickly disappeared, forcibly redeemed by other high-level apostles.

It was clear that if he hadn't been quick, he might not have even gotten a 'beastman-level' compensation.

...

"You have confirmed the compensation 'Subhuman Bloodline (complete, special).' This service is free. Initiating bloodline slot for 'Contractee'... Bloodline enhancement in progress... Detected residual spatial energy in the target, bloodline ability deviating, effects unknown, cannot be stopped... Transformation in progress..."

Floating in the darkness, Bai Lang first felt something inside him being drained, then new substances being injected, making him feel warm and comfortable all over, with no other changes.

As for the continuous prompts in his mind, he consciously blocked them out, immersing himself in the comfortable experience, healing the psychological trauma from his previous torture.

"Transformation complete. You have obtained the 'Subhuman Bloodline.' Compensation complete. Detailed information to be explored on your own. First trial about to begin, good luck."

The scene went dark, and he was transported again.