VRMMORPG: Rise Of The Blood Paragon

[Legendary Weapon: BloodSiphon Blade]

Lionel's eyes raked over the blood dripping from his hand, pooling on the floor beside him. He clutched his chest, breathing hard, sweat rolling off his face as he panted heavily.

"When will they stop coming? I'm tired," he muttered, using his sword as a makeshift support.

"I don't know. I only know we need to defend ourselves when they attack," Karvin's voice came, steady but strained.

He slashed at an assassin beside him, his breaths labored. His hand dipped low, and his sword, dripping red, hung by his side. Stepping over the lifeless body of the assassin on the floor, he made his way toward Lionel.

"Can you regenerate, or do you need pills? I have some," Karvin offered, standing before him.

"I can regenerate," Lionel replied, his voice breathy. "But I'm having trouble storing blood essence. You know I'm just at the first stage of Blood Initiate, right?"

"Yes," Karvin nodded, wiping the blade of his sword.

"My cultivation is low, so it's nearly impossible to absorb all this blood essence. Worse, I feel a searing pain in my heart as I keep forcing myself to absorb more," Lionel admitted.

"Oh... I see. How much blood essence have you absorbed?" Karvin asked, correcting himself quickly. "Sorry, I mean, how much are you able to absorb at your stage?"

"For this stage, I can only handle 500 units, but I've already absorbed about 750. Is there a way to save the extra blood essence so it doesn't go to waste? I need it for other things too," Lionel said, his eyes heavy with stress.

"Yes, there's something you can use to store blood essence," Karvin said.

He retrieved a ring and a crystal orb from his storage ring, holding them up for Lionel to see.

"This is a storage ring, an expandable one," Karvin explained.

"It can store a lot of items, including life-based substances. And this," he said, holding up the crystal orb, "Is a Blood Essence Orb. Since blood essence is what enables us to cultivate and use advanced skills—like humans with their innate abilities—we vampires need to store it efficiently. Blood essence is valuable; apart from advancing cultivation, it's used in alchemy, floristry, and blacksmithing. This orb can hold up to the equivalent of a Blood Adept's full blood essence."

"Oh, I understand now," Lionel said, taking the ring and the orb from Karvin's hands.

"How do I use it?" Lionel asked, kneeling beside a fallen assassin.

"Just place the orb over a cut on the body of the target you're absorbing from. The orb will do the rest," Karvin instructed.

"Thank you," Lionel said and did as directed.

He worked through the bodies of the assassins, absorbing roughly 150 units each of blood essence from the assassins. Their vitality had been halved since they were only partially awakened. Once finished, Lionel stood, storing the orb in the ring.

"So, after this, you need to refine the blood essence you've absorbed. The throbbing in your dantian means you've overfilled it, which can lead to a backlash. As vampires, our strength doesn't get enhanced from our own vitality but from the power we take—blood essence, the concentrated power of a cultivator's lineage and abilities. Vital essence sustains life; it's their life force, what keeps them breathing and alive. When we feed, we consume blood for sustenance, but when we absorb blood essence, we claim their cultivated power to enhance our own."

"So, If you've taken in more than your limit, you must refine it. Refining condenses the blood essence, removes impurities, and distributes it to your stats. If you don't, the unrefined essence can disrupt your dantian and damage your cultivation."

"And how do I refine it?" Lionel asked.

"First, draw back your blade," Karvin instructed.

"Okay," Lionel said, summoning the BloodSiphon Blade back into the soul link it shared with him.

"Now, sit cross-legged and enter a refining state," Karvin explained. "Connect with your inner self. Visualize the pathways of your meridians leading to your dantian. Focus on circulating the blood essence within, breaking it down, purging impurities, and condensing the refined energy. Once purified, channel it evenly to strengthen your stats. This process balances your energy and prevents a backlash."

"Why do we have a limit to what we can absorb?" Lionel asked.

"It's the natural order, dictated by witches and the laws of the world," Karvin explained. "Without such limits, chaos would reign. Every stage of cultivation has a defined capacity for blood essence. For now, focus on recovering. Sit cross-legged, and I'll keep watch."

"Thank you," Lionel said, lowering himself to the deck.

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, following Karvin's instructions. Lionel's consciousness delved inward, focusing on his dantian.

As Lionel sank deeper into his refinement, the surface of the water rippled. An assassin emerged, followed by five others, their movements swift and predatory.

Karvin sighed, his hand hovering over the wound on his side. He had concealed it well from Lionel, unwilling to distract the young prince during such a crucial moment. Though his vampiric nature granted him regenerative abilities, the injury's depth and his need to refine the Blood Essence he'd absorbed slowed the healing process.

The water rippled again and Karvin stood on guard. He tightened his grip on his frost-covered sword, its blade shimmering with a faint blue glow. He glanced toward Lionel, flicking his fingers. Ice surged in response, forming an ice dome around the prince.

"Stay safe," Karvin murmured, his voice low.

Then the assassin descended on the ship deck to which Karvin stepped backwards, putting space between them.

"Look what we have here…" A cold voice sounded, from the leader of assassins.

He stepped forward, his face scarred. He wore no mask, unlike the other remaining four assassins. He carried a spear-like axe, its blade sharp.

Karvin stared at them for a while, analyzing his opponents. He understood the position he was in: weak, injured, and tired. But among his opponents, only one was worthy of focus—the leader—while the others could be easily taken out.

He had observed them all and the leader was at the peak stage of Blood Adept while others had barely grazed the first stage of Blood Adept.

"Go for the prince," the leader barked, pointing at Lionel.

One of the assassins darted forward but slammed into the ice shield protecting Lionel. He cursed, striking the shield with his dagger, but the ice held firm.

Karvin looked at him and with a flick of his hand, ice shards conjured from the ice dome and struck the assassin's neck.

Then, Karvin focused back on the assassins in front of him.

He stepped forward, meeting the leader's cold gaze. He recognized the leader, though not well. He was one of the best assassins in the Shadow Order.

"Impressive!" He shouted, grinning his teeth, "But you're injured, you won't last long. Let my men wear you down first, and then I'll kill you myself."

Karvin smirked at those words. It was exactly what he wanted, but he didn't respond. Instead, he lifted his sword, letting frost crawl across the deck. Jagged tendrils raced toward the assassins.

"Frostbind!" he shouted.

The tendrils lashed out, wrapping around two assassins' legs and yanking them off their feet. As they struggled, Karvin raised his sword and slashed downward.

"Shattering Spikes!" Karvin shouted and bent down low as ice shard materialized in his hands forged from the water on the deck, he embedded it in the hearts of the restrained assassins. Blood spattered across the water on the deck, dyeing it red.

The remaining two assassins rushed him, unhesitatingly even though their two others lay dead on the floor but that was what they had been taught to ro.

Karvin also didn't stand on business. He stopped back, putting space between himself and the assassin, his sword swinging in his hand.

"Glacial Edge!" He called out and a crescent of icy energy burst from his blade, slicing through one assassin's chest. The other dodged, coming within striking distance. Karvin dropped low, slamming his hand onto the deck.

"Frozen Maw!"

A trap of jagged ice jaws erupted beneath the assassin, snapping shut and impaling him.

The leader scowled, stepping over the bodies of his fallen men.

"Pathetic," he muttered.

Then, without warning, he lunged, his axe a blur.

Karvin raised his sword to block, but the force of the blow shattered the ice around his blade, sending him staggering back.

"Not bad," the leader taunted, vanishing in a burst of air and reappearing behind Karvin. His axe swept low, aiming for Karvin's injured side.

Karvin turned, frost spreading across his body in a desperate attempt to shield himself. The axe struck, shattering the icy armor and cutting into his flesh.

Karvin hissed in pain, his knees buckling momentarily before he forced himself upright. Blood seeped from the fresh wound, staining the frost-covered deck.

"You're strong—worthy of your fame, but I can't buckle, not just yet. Not while my master is still there, unsafe," Karvin said, glancing toward Lionel.

The assassins sent after him lay dead, already struck down. He tightened his grip on his sword, waiting for the leader to teleport to his side again, his ear barely able to sense where he was as he was so tired.

He stood in a battle stance, one hand gripping his sword and the other pressing against his wound, concealing it.

"Cryo Tempest!" he shouted, raising his sword. His ears flickered, sensing the movement of air and the shift in force. The assassin appeared.

Suddenly, a vortex of ice and snow erupted around him, forcing the leader to retreat. Frost coated the deck, the mast, and the assassin's boots, slowing his movements.

The leader growled, teleporting again. But this time, Karvin was ready. He slashed upward, using another skill.

"Frost Rend!" he called out, and a pillar of ice shot up, grazing the leader's arm. Still, the assassin disappeared again, proving Karvin too injured and tired to end the fight.

The battle raged on, Karvin's movements growing slower, his breathing heavier. Each strike from the leader forced him back toward Lionel, his injuries piling up.

As the leader prepared another teleportation strike, Karvin knelt on one knee, clutching his side. His vision blurred, but he clenched his jaw. He wasn't fighting for himself—he was fighting for Lionel.

Through the haze of pain, Karvin glanced back, catching a glimpse of Lionel's eyes fluttering open. Relief flickered briefly within him, but it vanished as the air shifted.

The leader was already there.

Karvin swung his sword, his grip tightening on the hilt, but he was too slow. A searing pain tore through his chest, and he gasped, blood pooling in his mouth. His fingers loosened, the sword slipping from his grasp as he looked down to see the leader's axe buried in his heart.