Power of Runes

As he moved deeper, he could feel the dragon blood entering his body. The sensation was a bit strange and hard to describe—it was as if something warm and heavy was slipping into his veins, quietly spreading through his bloodstream like liquid fire.

Still, ignoring that odd feeling, Ash continued to descend until he finally reached the very bottom of the Dragon Blood lake.

Down there, hidden beneath all the thick red blood, was a small hole—no bigger than a cup.

And inside that hole, resting quietly, was a golden crystal.

Ash's eyes narrowed slightly.

From what he knew, this had to be crystallized blood—blood so ancient and powerful that it had solidified over time. He had heard of such things in passing, though they were extremely rare.

But why is the blood golden...? Ash wondered, his gaze fixed on the glowing gem. He didn't have the answer, but he made a guess.

If golden bones meant the dragon was incredibly ancient and strong, then perhaps it was the same with blood. The more golden, the more powerful.

But just as he tried to move closer to the golden crystal, his entire body suddenly shuddered.

The blood that had been seeping into him until now surged all at once. His muscles twisted and squeezed as if something inside was trying to break free.

His bones cracked with sharp, echoing sounds. His vision blurred, and pain exploded through his mind like a roaring storm.

The dragon blood rushed into his bones, meridians, his mana veins—strengthening them, making them tougher, more durable, and resistant like never before.

But through all this chaos, Ash's mind remained still.

The Rune of Stability was working stronger than ever before. Its power to keep his thoughts calm had clearly increased.

Ash guessed this sudden improvement had something to do with the return of his emotions. Maybe earlier, because of sealing Dark Ash, that rune's effect had been weaker, like something had been holding it back.

But even if the rune wasn't helping, his mind would've stayed quiet anyway.

There was a strange kind of silence inside him now—deep and profound.

Ash felt the pain surging through his body... yet he didn't frown. Instead, he smiled.

It was a real, and a little eerie smile.

It was the kind of smile that comes not from joy, but from finally feeling something after so long.

He had been numb for too long.

And now, even if it was pain, it reminded him that he was alive.

With a curiosity burning in him, he brought up his status window, wanting to see if his stats were changing.

**

[Attributes]

Strength – 203 → 204 → 205

Agility – 203 → 204 → 205

Vitality – 203 → 204 → 205

Intelligence – 203 → 204 → 205

Stamina – 203 → 204 → 205

Charm – 203 → 204 → 205

Mana – 203 → 204 → 205

**

Watching the numbers rise steadily before his eyes, Ash felt a wave of joy spreading through his heart—a quiet, fulfilling kind of happiness that only came from becoming stronger. Every small increase confirmed that the dragon blood was doing its work, refining his body from the inside.

For a moment, the thought of the golden crystal completely faded from his mind. He gently closed his eyes, allowing himself to fully immerse in the sensation of blood being absorbed into his being. He focused entirely on the way his body felt, on the steady rise of his attributes, on the slow transformation taking place within him.

Time began to slip away. He couldn't tell how long it had been—minutes, hours, maybe more—but eventually, the overwhelming feeling of pressure building inside his body forced him to open his eyes again.

His reflection in the surface of the blood startled him for a moment. His body was unnaturally bloated—his arms, his legs, his belly, even his face were swollen, flushed with the intense redness brought by the continuous absorption of dragon blood. It was like he had been pumped with something too dense, too ancient for a normal body to bear.

Without wasting a second, he opened his status window to see the results.

**

[Attributes]

Strength – 267

Agility – 267

Vitality – 267

Intelligence – 267

Stamina – 267

Charm – 267

Mana – 267

**

Even after seeing such a dramatic increase, Ash didn't step out of the blood pool. Instead, a flicker of greed stirred inside him—quiet but firm, as if a voice in his heart whispered that this was his one chance to go even further.

I have the Rune of Life and Death, he thought with a calm and calculating gaze. Even if my body breaks, it'll heal... and once it heals, it can break again. The cycle will repeat, and each time I'll grow stronger.

And even if I die, I'll still gain something from it. Even death won't make it meaningless.

So let's keep going... until I drain every last drop of this pool.

With that resolve, he gritted his teeth and continued to endure the swelling in his muscles. The pain was constant, the pressure unbearable, but he held on—refusing to stop, refusing to give in.

More time slipped by. A few hours must have passed, though Ash had no clear sense of time anymore. All he knew was that he was still holding on, still enduring the ever-increasing force that raged through his body.

But even the toughest material has a breaking point.

Even the strongest rubber, when stretched too far, will eventually snap.

And Ash, no matter how unique or determined, was still human.

At least, for now.

And so, his body finally broke.

His muscles tore apart violently, exposing the bones and organs within. His entire body burst open like an overinflated balloon, spraying mortal blood into the pool of dragon blood, staining it with crimson chaos.

Only two parts remained intact—his heart and his brain. Mysterious symbols, etched as if by some ancient force, glowed faintly in a pale blue light on those organs, pulsing softly as if whispering a forgotten truth.

Yet even after such a gruesome collapse, Ash didn't die.

A few seconds passed, and then his body began to heal on its own, slowly stitching itself back together.

The dragon blood now flowed into the inner parts of his being—into places the blood couldn't reach before. And once his body fully healed, it again began to bloat, swelling unnaturally under the pressure.

And once again, it exploded.

His body shattered, then healed again, and again it burst apart. This painful cycle repeated endlessly, like a cursed loop of transformation.

But throughout this relentless molting, through every explosion of muscle and every wave of agony, Ash endured.

He didn't scream, he didn't beg.

It hurted him more than anything he had ever experienced, but somewhere deep in his heart, he was enjoying it.

Because his stats were rising.

And that feeling of growth was far more intoxicating than any fear of death or pain.

After all, if he had to train to gain stats like this, it could have taken him months, maybe even years of hard work and effort.

But here, at this moment, submerged in dragon blood and surrounded by pain, he was evolving at a rate that defied logic.

Time continued to flow unnoticed. Slowly, almost half of the dragon blood pool had vanished, absorbed into Ash's ever-breaking, ever-healing body.

The pool itself was about the size of a regular swimming pool, and now it looked as though something had been devouring it from the inside out.

Right at that moment, a strange message suddenly flashed in his status window.

[Threshold of bloodline in user's body has risen beyond a certain limit. Draconic Bloodline is seeping into host's bloodstream.]

[Threshold of bloodline in user's body has risen beyond a certain limit. Draconic Bloodline is seeping into host's bloodstream.]

[Threshold of bloodline in user's body has risen beyond a certain limit. Draconic Bloodline is seeping into host's bloodstream.]

The message repeated itself over and over again, like a chant echoing through his mind.

Seeing it, Ash felt a rush of hope and excitement. I'm about to gain a Dragon Bloodline, he thought, lips slightly parting in a faint smile.

I really am...

But the next series of messages shattered that excitement completely, like cold water dumped on a flame.

[Dragon Bloodline is starting to merge with host's bloodline.]

[Dragon Bloodline is starting to merge with host's bloodline.]

[Error!!!!!!!!]

[Due to some unknown cause, the process is halting...]

[Process halted...]

Ash's body began to tremble even more violently, convulsing as though his very blood cells were at war with each other.

Then, it felt like a giant invisible hammer had struck his back all at once, and he lost consciousness instantly.

[Dormant Bloodline ????(1) is resisting Dragon Bloodline...]

[Dormant Bloodline ???(2) is resisting Dragon Bloodline...]

Even while unconscious, Ash's body didn't stop. The molting continued as before—his body exploding, then healing, again and again—while the messages kept flooding in like an unending storm.

Time passed in silence.

Now, only a quarter of the dragon blood pool remained. The rest had already been consumed by the chaotic war inside his body.

Ash lay unconscious, unaware of the ongoing struggle within.

Then, another message appeared.

[Dragon Bloodline is gaining dominance over both ????? and ????? Bloodline. The Human Bloodline is being pushed back...]

Scales began to appear across Ash's body, he looked like something no longer human.

But just as quickly as they appeared, the scales began to fade, vanishing as if they had never been there.

[????? and ????? Bloodline have gained dominance over Dragon Bloodline. All bloodlines are falling into a new state of equilibrium...]

[They are entering dormancy once again...]

[Mortal Bloodline is resurfacing...]

The silent war inside him reached a fragile balance.

The dragon bloodline, the two unknown bloodline, and his mortal blood all began to settle.

***