Richard awoke with a start, his head pounding like a war drum. He was lying on the ground, clad in what felt like rags. He lay on a small hilltop, surrounded by a twisted copse of trees. The world around him, for lack of a better word, felt gray. The air was languid, and the lank wind that did blow did so without much effort. He got to his feet slowly, feeling a strange shifting within him as he did so. A moment later, words started to unfold in front of him.

Welcome to Markovia, Lower Realm of the World Nexus

You have been granted a starter class based on your previous attributes and talents-

Error! You possess magic beyond what your mortal form should be able to wield. Class assignment altered.

Congratulations! You have gained a class.

Herald of the Sanguine Flame:Legendary

You are the chosen one of Metricoth, God of the Sanguine Flame. Imparted with a portion of his strength and potential, you are his avatar and champion within the mortal plane. Your actions will work towards restoring him to his former glory. If you succeed, you will be greatly rewarded. Channel the spiritual might of the Sanguine Flame to obliterate your enemies in a storm of fiery blood.

Stat Bonuses: +3 to Intelligence, +3 to Wisdom, +3 free stat points per level.

Starting Skills Available

Bloodflame Burst:Legendary

Blood Puppet:Epic

Engorge:Rare

Richard almost fell backwards at the sight of the words in front of him. However, he had played video games in the past, and knew what he was looking at. If everything was the same, he should have a status sheet. A moment later, one popped up.

Richard Astor

Level 1 Herald of the Sanguine Flame

Strength

11

Dexterity

10

Constitution

12

Resilience

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9

Intelligence

14

Wisdom

15

Mana:140/140

Health:120/120

Stamina:110/110

* Skills

Bloodflame Burst:Legendary

Blood Puppet:Epic

Engorge:Rare

There wasn’t too much to his screen, but he still wanted to check out his skill descriptions. Unsure of what to do exactly he tried selecting one of the skills with his mind. Bloodflame Burst was his first pick, as rarity was very enticing. He reached out with his thoughts and mentally selected the skill. Suddenly a new interface popped up.

Bloodflame Burst: Legendary

A Legendary skill granted those only chosen by the god of the Sanguine Flame.

Draws from the caster’s own blood and imbues the caster with the power of the Sanguine Flame.

Takes 30% of health and in return grants a temporary boost to all blood flame magic casting. As well as this, it grants +10% resilience, and releases blood red fire that envelopes that caster, that unleashes a large burst, dealing monumental damage to all within range.

Intrigued, Richard selected the next skill.

Blood Puppet: Epic

An Epic skill common among high standing blood wizards, used to manipulate blood of any living thing. The more powerful the wizard, scaling with their mana pool, the more effective the spell, however, the more powerful the subject is, the less susceptible they are to manipulation.

Moving on to the last skill presented on his skill sheet, Richard selected Engorge.

Engorge: Rare

A Rare skill used to manipulate blood flow, a lesser version of Blood Puppet. It can be used to overload body parts with blood, making them explode. Your future romantic prospects might thank you for this spell.

Richard spluttered as he read the last part. It seemed like whatever was giving him these messages had a sense of humor. Closing the skill, he looked around himself more thoroughly. The hill that he was standing on was on a seemingly isolated piece of land, filled with dead trees and desolation.

A few ominous creaks could be heard coming from the distance, perhaps heralding the presence of other living beings. Richard steeled himself, and started down the hill, his body chilling in the wind. Although the wind was weak, his clothing was barely adequate to ensure his decency, let alone shield him from the cold.

His first instinct was to run away from the noises, but then he remembered that he was in a game-like world. Perhaps if he killed monsters he would level up, which would grant him more stats than before. Richard stumbled into the decrepit forest, the wizened trees reaching out for him with fingers of gnarled wood as he went. He tried peering into the darkness lurking between the trunks, looking for signs of any creatures.

As he moved, he began to experiment with his mana. A strange energy could be felt on the edge of his consciousness, blazing with power. He started to draw upon that power, feeling it enter his body. With a quick thought, he sent his mana into Engorge, trying to control his blood. He could feel his finger start to heat up as he sent a small amount of blood into it. It looked like he could control the amount of power used.

Trying to feed in a little more mana, he could feel his whole hand heating up. Unsure of the extent of his power, he was reluctant to try his other skills, saving them so he could use them in combat. He was suddenly jolted from his work by a loud creaking sound. It was a lot closer than the others had but he couldn't quite place where the noise had come from. Another crack sounded out around the nearby forest, and he tensed, ready to fight. Whatever was coming was large enough to disturb the branches around it. Perhaps this was the fight he was looking for. Only time would tell if he had been too confident.