Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 53: Evolving Purple Talents!

Purple Talents.

Blue alone already marked someone as one genius in ten thousand.

Purple was another world entirely.

[Sovereign of the Skies].

[Domain of Eternal Night].

Even Kyo had found powers like those troublesome.

Joren’s breathing quickened as he looked over the long list of blue Talents on his panel.

Now this was what a real cheat looked like.

"System."

He swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

"How many Bloodstars does it take to evolve one Talent?"

[Ding! Evolving a single Talent from blue to purple requires 10000 Bloodstars.]

Ten thousand.

One purple Talent.

So this was what overwhelming wealth felt like.

Worth every point.

Joren drew a slow breath and forced himself to think.

Resources only mattered once they became strength. In a world where death could arrive at any moment, hoarding wealth was the stupidest choice possible.

His first upgrade required no debate.

His gaze fixed on the first line in the Talent section.

[Sevenfold Bladeheart Blue]

This was where everything had begun.

From the ordinary white Talent [Bladehand], it had evolved with him all the way to this point.

He could collect as many strange abilities as he wanted, but none of them felt as dependable as cutting straight through whatever stood in his way.

"System. Add points."

"Evolve [Sevenfold Bladeheart]."

[Ding! Consumed 10000 Bloodstars.]

[Evolution in progress...]

No blinding light.

No earthshaking display.

Joren only felt his heart contract once.

Before, wielding a blade had felt as natural as moving his own arm.

Now that distinction disappeared.

He was the blade.

[Ding! Congratulations. Talent evolution successful.]

[Obtained purple Talent: Primordial Bladebody.]

Joren opened the details immediately.

[Talent: Primordial Bladebody]

[Grade: Purple]

[Description: Stand beneath the rain, and every drop that enters three feet of your body parts in two. Each strand of hair is sharp enough to pierce steel. A breath can slice through falling leaves. Ordinary weapons crumble in your hands, unable to endure the edge carried within your body. One of the supreme physiques of the blade path. Born for the blade. Among all weapons, the blade reigns alone.]

[Blade and Body as One: Affinity with blades and comprehension of Bladecraft increased by 1000 percent.]

[All Things Can Be Severed: Attacks gain the Sever property.]

Joren sucked in a breath.

One thousand percent?

So this was the beauty of absurd numbers.

This was what purple grade meant.

He loved it.

Once the rush settled, his eyes returned to the panel.

[Bloodstars: 14160]

Enough for one more evolution.

That was where the real problem began.

Joren rested a hand against his chin and studied the remaining blue Talents.

A very pleasant kind of indecision.

"Evolve [Thunder Dominion]?"

For a moment, he imagined himself wrapped in lightning, calling down storms with every movement and roasting beast kings until they were charred outside and tender within.

"Or [Primal Might]?"

At purple grade, one punch might truly shatter a mountain.

Simple.

Brutal.

Beautiful.

"And there is [Phantom Thorn]..."

Permanent invisibility would be nice.

Walking through walls would be even better.

A full assassin routine.

Joren clicked his tongue, gaze shifting from one Talent to another.

Greed written all over his face.

So his choice was...

...

[Undying Body].

Be reckless.

But stay alive.

Joren knew exactly where his strength stood.

With [Primordial Bladebody] and a perfected [Breath Severing Slash], his offensive power was already overflowing.

His real weakness was room for error.

His life.

Damage meant nothing if one careless hit killed him on the spot.

Living came first.

Only someone who refused to die had the right to act recklessly.

"System. Evolve [Undying Body]."

[Ding! Consumed 10000 Bloodstars.]

[Evolution in progress...]

Crackling sounds ran through his body.

Every cell seemed to ignite, collapse, then rebuild itself from the destruction.

A moment later, the process ended.

[Ding! Congratulations. Talent evolution successful.]

[Obtained purple Talent: Rebirth from Blood.]

Joren opened the details before the prompt had fully faded.

One glance was enough.

The corner of his mouth climbed higher and higher.

[Talent: Rebirth from Blood]

[Grade: Purple]

[Description: You are a mass of flesh and blood with its own will. Even if a high yield missile tears you into fragments, every drop of blood and scrap of flesh scattered across the battlefield will crawl back together and rebuild itself as long as your core consciousness survives. To your enemies, you are a nightmare that refuses to end. Killing you once is easy. Destroying every last cell is the hard part.]

[Undying Cells: As long as one drop of origin blood remains within the body, or surviving tissue exceeds one percent of total mass, the body can be reconstructed through the consumption of vast energy.]

[Cellular Evolution: Grants extreme resistance to all negative conditions, including poison, curses, and bleeding.]

"Now I am safe."

[Primordial Bladebody] in one hand.

[Rebirth from Blood] in the other.

What reason did he still need?

Joren himself was the reason.

His body remained charged with power, but his mind had reached its limit.

"Sleep."

There was still that commendation ceremony tomorrow.

For the first time since arriving in this dangerous world, Joren slept without keeping part of himself alert.

...

Morning sunlight poured through the floor to ceiling windows.

Joren opened his eyes and sprang out of bed.

A quick wash.

A clean Antares Command uniform.

He stood before the mirror and adjusted his collar.

His mood was excellent.

Who could possibly be unhappy about money and Military Merit?

...

Alkaid Authority headquarters was already crowded.

People moved through the halls with the loose relief that followed a hard won victory.

Then Joren appeared.

Conversation faded wherever he passed.

People stepped aside and lined the walls without being told, watching him with open respect.

He was almost at the next corner when a broad figure stopped directly in the middle of the corridor.

Built like a black bear.

Corren.

The infamous demon instructor of Antares Command.

Only yesterday, he had slammed Joren into a wall and nearly fought him to stop him from entering the battlefield.

Now neither advancing nor retreating seemed possible.

Corren had arrived early on purpose, planning to stay quiet in some corner until the ceremony began.

Instead, he had walked straight into the person he most wanted to avoid.

Yesterday, he had lectured Joren like an unruly dog.

Called him brainless.

Said he was rushing out to die.

What if Joren decided to settle the score?

What if he humiliated him in front of everyone?

Corren swallowed.

A thin layer of sweat formed across his forehead.

Joren walked toward him first and inclined his head.

"Morning, Corren."

Corren’s whole body tightened. His back snapped straight.

"Morning."

The faint smile left Joren’s face.

"About yesterday. I acted impulsively."

"Everything happened too quickly, and I did not have time to explain."

"I know you stopped me because you were trying to keep a rookie from dying out there."

"I will remember that."

Corren stood motionless.

He looked at the hand extended toward him, then at Joren’s steady eyes.

So this was real stature.

This was how a true prodigy carried himself.

Joren had gained terrifying strength overnight, yet there was no arrogance in him. He still understood the intentions of a rough soldier who had only been trying to protect him.

Heat gathered behind Corren’s eyes.

"I should go. I do not want to be late."

"Yes. Of course. Go ahead."

Corren hurried aside and even raised one arm to stop the crowd behind him from pressing forward.

He watched Joren disappear down the corridor.