VRMMORPG: Rise Of The Blood Paragon

Karvin's words barely registered in Lionel's ears when he saw him already standing in front of the assassins.

Karvin stood tall, his back turned to Lionel, one hand gripping a sword that glistened with a sharp, ethereal blue light—so keen it seemed to slice through the air itself.

"I would've told you to drop your weapons, but where's the thrill in that?" Karvin's voice was calm, almost nonchalant.

He didn't sound like a man about to fight a group of trained assassins alone, and Lionel wasn't acting as though he could assist. The shock of seeing Karvin move so quickly had left Lionel frozen, still trying to process what had just happened.

The assassin leader stepped forward, six others fanned out behind him. Their faces were concealed behind dark masks, but a snicker escaped the leader, soon joined by a chorus of low, mocking laughter that died when he raised his hand.

"Drop our weapons? For you?" the assassin sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "We are of the Shadowfang Order, trained in shadow and—"

A sudden flash.

Blood sprayed into the air, and a gurgling sound replaced the assassin's words. He clutched his neck, blood streaming between his fingers before Karvin closed the gap, his blade singing through the air.

The sword cut clean, severing the assassin's head from his body in a single stroke. The head thudded to the ground as the lifeless body crumpled, dark blood pooling in the sand.

Karvin didn't stop.

His movements were swift and deliberate, his footwork following a precise rhythm—a structured dance of death that seemed almost effortless. He glided to his next target—an assassin wielding a whip laced with green fire.

The whip lashed out with a snap, crackling through the air like a serpent, but Karvin sidestepped at the last moment, fluid as water.

His free hand flicked forward, releasing a burst of ice shards that shot past the whip-wielder and struck another assassin behind him. The man staggered, caught off guard, frost creeping across his skin.

Karvin pivoted sharply, blade raised. The remaining assassins lunged forward in unison, their weapons gleaming, but Karvin met them head-on. He swept his sword through the air in a wide arc. The blade blazed blue, and the temperature plummeted.

A chilling wind tore through the air.

The assassins froze—literally—as ice engulfed their bodies. Their movements slowed, limbs locking in place. Karvin wasted no time. He raised his sword high above his head, the ice shards that hovered there following his lead. With a decisive slash, the shards rained down like frozen daggers, piercing the frozen assassins through their hearts.

And it ended as abruptly as it had begun.

The bodies fell, shattering like glass, blood staining the cold sand. The unnatural chill faded, and Lionel exhaled the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

Everything had happened so fast—too fast. And he stared at Karvin, his lips parted in awe.

"What level is he?" he whispered, finally breaking his silence. "How could he display such strength?"

He couldn't help but mumble under his breath. "Ice affinity… impeccable sword skills… a flawless movement technique… What a strong ally to have."

Karvin walked back toward Lionel, his boots crunching softly against the sand. Lionel's eyes never left him as he muttered, "Appraise."

Karvin's details appeared before him:

[-NPC-

Name: Karvin

Race: Vampire [Fledgling]

Cultivation Status: Peak Stage of Blood Adept

Affinity: Ice]

Lionel blinked. "Blood Adept… That's it? He's that low? But he fought so well, like…"

"What's low?" Karvin's voice interrupted Lionel's thoughts as he stopped in front of him.

Karvin eyed Lionel, then a sword appeared in his hand with a faint shimmer. He extended it to Lionel.

"Your Highness, take this," he said, his tone steady. "We'll encounter more assassins along the way, and you need to protect yourself. At least use what I've taught you."

Lionel glanced at the sword, then pushed it back into Karvin's hand.

"Your cultivation," Lionel muttered.

"Huh?" Karvin frowned. "What about it?"

"I didn't know your cultivation level is at Blood Adept. Like, it's quite low for what you just displayed—or so I assume," Lionel said.

Then, his brow furrowed. "And these assassins… much lower, I assume, too. They shouldn't be much of a threat to you, were they? But you fought them for quite the display. Why go that far?"

Karvin's eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "How do you know my level?"

"Also, yes, those assassins stood no chance against me. Even twenty of them. I just needed to use one of my top skills, and they'd be gone."

"Being a knight in the palace walls didn't call for many fights or bloodshed, so I needed this as warm-up practice. The king surely just sent these assassins as a start to see how it'd go. He probably wants to gauge how long it'll take to kill us, and since they all died with no news of us, we'll surely keep getting more."

"Oh…" Lionel mouthed, then his eyes moved from Karvin, as though directing him, and settled on the sword that had been placed in his hand.

He placed the sword back in Karvin hand and said, "I know so much more than you think. I know your level and stage, some of the skills you used and techniques. And that's because I've already reached the first stage of Blood Initiate. I've awakened an affinity, so I'm no longer a cripple."

"And I have a sword that I can use to cultivate," he added, and a sword appeared in his hand.

Lionel held the Shadowflame Blade he had formed in his hand. He removed it from its cover, and the blade shone and glistened under the sun.

Karvin's eyes widened. "You constructed this sword?"

"Yes—there are many things I haven't told you. Before I returned to the palace, I had absorbed blood essence and so reached Blood Initiate." Lionel glanced up. "But... how did you know?"

"I can sense your blood in it," Karvin replied, his tone serious. "But if you're only at the first stage, how did you link yourself to a sword? And how did you gauge my cultivation so accurately?"

"I… I'm not sure," Lionel admitted, frowning. "Maybe it's because of the full moon that night… when I woke up in that coffin and gained the Crimson Bloodline?... I don't know..."

Karvin froze. His expression darkened.

"Wait," he said sharply. "Your Highness, you have the Crimson Bloodline?"