Max frowned deeply as he sat in a pool of poison.
' Why is it that every few days I find myself in a situation where my body is subjected to mind numbing pain? ' Max wondered as he could not help but feel slightly depressed at his life choices.
Ever since he had decided to defy his destiny and live his second life to the fullest he had often found himself in situations where his body was subjected to an unimaginable degree of torture that could scar one's soul for several reincarnations.
Everytime that he thought that he would never have to go through something so horrifying again, fate slapped him with an upgraded version of torture that made the previous experience feel like a field trip.
If fate was a person, Max could imagine him laughing at his misery as the moment he overcame a miserable experience, fate seemed to plan to send him to the next.
Although he had intermediate poison resistance, and the external touch of poison was not as bad as injesting it, the experience of sitting in a pool filled with some of the most potent toxins in the universe was by no means pleasant.
Max clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as the venomous liquid seeped into every crevice and pore of his body.
The toxins assaulted his senses, sending wave after wave of excruciating pain coursing through his veins. Sweat beaded on his forehead, mingling with the poisonous fluid as it continued to assault his body.
However, as miserable as the experience was, Max knew the torment was necessary for him to improve his endurance. He had come to understand that the poison he was submerged in had a unique property: it stimulated the body's natural ability to adapt and evolve, in turn, boosting the endurance stat.
As the minutes ticked by, Max's mind began to drift to the vacation he had just days ago, the pleasant time spent soaking in a hot spa and undergoing massage while talking about nothing in particular, versus his pitiful condition today.
His body, pushed to the brink, began to turn purple under the poison. Cells and tissues ravaged by the poison worked tirelessly to repair themselves, becoming more robust and resilient in the process. The constant assault of the toxins forced his body to adapt, growing stronger and more resistant to the venomous assault.
[ System Notification - Endurance +1 ]
The system notification was the only reason behind why Max was even moderately fine with this gruesome routine, as he found slight happiness at the thought that he was growing stronger through the torture.
" Stop daydreaming and inspect the memory packet, I have left for you. It's a scene from my personal life. One of my first fights against 300 knights as a tier4 blood shaman.
It will take your mind off the pain and help you gain insights which will boost your intelligence stat " Angakok said as he reminded Max that he was not supposed to let his thoughts stray while sitting in the poison pool but rather focus on improving his intelligence stat.
As Max accessed the memory packet left by Angakok, the scene unfolded before his eyes as if he was watching an immersive movie. He found himself standing on a vast battlefield, the air heavy with the scent of blood and steel. The sky overhead was filled with menacing dark clouds, casting an eerie shadow over the landscape.
In the centre of the battlefield stood Angakok, his dark robes billowing in the wind. The powerful Blood Shaman emanated an air of confidence and power, his eyes burning with determination. Surrounding him were 300 knights clad in shining armour, their swords shimmering with magical energy.
With a wicked grin, Angakok raised his hands and began to chant in an ancient language. The ground beneath him trembled, and dark tendrils of blood emerged from the earth, writhing and twisting like serpents. The knights, sensing the danger, charged towards him, their magical swords leaving trails of blazing energy in the air.
Unfazed by the oncoming threat, Angakok unleashed his blood magic, commanding the tendrils to lash out at the knights. The blood whips sliced through the air with a vicious speed, shattering the knights' magical swords and sending them flying backward. Each time a tendril struck, it drained the vitality from the knights, their armour turning dull and lifeless as their strength withered away.
Max was in utter disbelief as he saw this fight sequence, this was a form of blood manipulation, a skill he believed to be unique to his bloodline.
As the battle continued, Angakok displayed a mastery of blood magic that left Max in awe. He summoned a storm of razor-sharp blood shards that rained down upon the knights, piercing their armour with absolute precision and draining their life essence. The battlefield soon became a grisly scene of devastation, with bodies strewn about and the earth stained a deep crimson.
When the last of the knights fell, Angakok stood unscathed amidst the carnage. The Blood Shaman had not even broken a sweat, his mastery over his dark powers so complete that he had managed to defeat 300 knights without receiving so much as a scratch.
After the scene was over, Max was thrown out of the memory packet as he looked at Angakok with a sense of awe and disbelief.
" That's right boy, while you can manipulate blood and use it as an extension of your own body, you are not the only one in the universe with the ability to use blood magic.
I cannot absorb it like you can, neither can I manipulate any blood source like you.
But just like Thor's descendants have a natural inclination to lightning but doesn't mean that you as a vampire can't cast [ Thunder Blast ] if you have learnt the move, I can cast blood magic although I'm not a primordial vampire.
While you are inherently capable of casting a superior form of blood manipulation, as a Blood Shaman, there are still various Blood spells you can learn to rain terror on any battlefield you walk on.
Now go, Inspect that memory packet again and again and again until you learn to cast the two spells I used inside that with at least basic proficiency.
I've butchered a few beasts in the surroundings for you. There should be fresh blood dripping for you to use.
Start now because you only have until the cooldown period of the summoning ends before the second round of memory packet begins ". Angakok said as he tried to break and motivate Max at the same time.
Break him to remind him that he was not special by being able to cast blood magic and motivate him by showing the skills he could master if only he worked hard on it.
Max gritted his teeth and nodded, determined to make the most of this opportunity. He would not let Angakok show him down over the one thing he was proud to be a master of.
Immersing himself once more into the memory packet, he paid close attention to every detail of Angakok's movements and incantations, determined to master the two spells the Blood Shaman had demonstrated.