Inside a temple of polished black marble, Steven Lockwood stood before the towering statue of a celestial guardian. He wasn't praying; he was grinning- the predatory look of a debt collector finally seeing a high-interest account.
[Talent Identified]
Name: Fate-Bound Predator
Grade: A
Rank: F
Description: Mark a target as prey. Gain explosive strength by harming or hunting the marked target. Resonance grows more powerful with obsession.
Restrictions: Cannot unmark once selected; high risk of mental instability.
"Keke! The same grade as my father," Steven shouted, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings. "With my skills and this talent, I'll dominate the young Lords of this generation."
He scoffed, his mind drifting to a certain face he loathed. "Just you wait, Leo. I'm sure you've awakened some pathetic, low-grade trash. That's all blood like yours is good for. Only noble veins like mine can hold true power."
Clutching a precious skill scroll, a gift from his father, Steven closed his eyes, already dreaming of the world at his feet.
Temple of the Seraph
Leo pushed himself off the ground, dusting dirt from his trousers.
"If I knew jumping off that bridge would turn my life upside down like this," he muttered, "I would've jumped sooner."
With trembling hands, he called out to the air. "Status."
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Name: Leo Mordark
Race: Primordial Vampire
Bloodline Status: Sealed (5% Awakening)
Rank: F-Rank (Lord Path)
Titles: Progenitor
Bonded: Laura Lockwood
Racial Abilities: Reversal Regeneration, Crimson Perception, Primordial Claim
[TALENT INFORMATION]
Talent: Primordial Sanguinary Archive
Grade: EX
Description: The ultimate record of blood and souls. This archive allows the user to summon entities, artifacts, and skills from any era or point in history using Sanguine Essence (SE). It serves as a complete collection of everything that has ever lived or been created, ensuring that no power is out of reach, regardless of when it existed.
Sanguine Essence: Extracted from the blood of defeated foes. The stronger the foe, the higher the yield.
Current SE: 0
Leo's jaw dropped. "No... Nooo!" He wailed dramatically, clutching his head. "I have the worst luck in every gacha game I've ever played! Why did my life-or-death talent have to be luck-based?!"
He paused, taking a shaky breath. "Wait... maybe my luck changed when my race did. There's still hope."
He fumbled through his virtual inventory, his fingers hovering over the items.
Starter Pack (Common)
Starter Pack (Uncommon)
Unique Rank Chest (EX)
"There's no way I can wait," he whispered. A chest of this rank was unheard of; most people would live their entire lives without seeing anything above an S-rank. He pulled the chest into reality. It was a heavy, ancient relic that fit perfectly in his palms.
As he reached for the lid, a crimson warning flashed.
[System Note: Unique rewards have been calibrated to the Lord's current evolutionary path and primary deficiencies.][Yes / No]
Leo froze. A dilemma. If he waited until he was higher level, the rewards would be more powerful. But if he waited, would he even survive long enough to reach those levels?
"A better start now will yield more rewards later," Leo decided, his voice firm. "Open."
The chest didn't just open; it dissolved into drifting scarlet motes. From the haze, three relics materialized.
*1.Ring of the Unremembered Sovereign
Type: Relic (Passive / Active)
Rank: Mythic (Growth-Type)
Description: A ring forged from an entire extinct race. It allows its bearer to exist outside notice.
Passive Effects:
• Conceals true race, bloodline purity, and talent rank
• Allows customization of a false profile
• Suppresses abnormal aura leakage
Active Effect – Vanishing Edict
Become undetectable to all beings below S-rank
Duration: 1 hour
Usable once per day
Growth Trait:
• Effect potency increases with the host's bloodline purity
• Detection threshold may rise in later stages
Note: This relic is capable of awakening consciousness once the host's existence exceeds a certain threshold.
*2. Progenitor's Crimson Chain
Type: Relic (Active / Passive)
Grade: Mythic (Growth-Type)
Description: A blood-bound chain linked to your lineage core. Grants dominance over blood without physical feeding.
Passive Effects: Automatically extracts Sanguine Essence (SE) from defeated enemies
Active Effects:
Manipulate blood within a radius
Radius and precision scale with mental strength
Can immobilize, drain, or disrupt blood flow
Growth Trait: Blood control radius expands with mental strength
Note: The Relic retains fragments of memory from its previous bearers.
3. Banner Token: First Blood Pull
Grade: Unique
Type: One-Time Privilege
Description: Grants one guaranteed, 4-star controlled summon from the Archive. Loyalty is absolute.
**
Leo slid the obsidian-black ring onto his finger, watching the red veins within the stone pulse like a heartbeat. "How dominating..."
Next, he felt the cold weight of the Crimson Chain settle around his neck, tucking itself beneath his shirt. "Thank God," he breathed. "I don't have to go around biting people like a stray dog anymore."
Finally, he looked at the Banner Token. "Hell yeah!" Leo pumped his fist."Who doesn't start a game with a cheat summon?"
Leo closed his eyes, focusing on the Primordial Sanguinary Archive.
The temple vanished.
His consciousness was dragged into a mental Vault, a vast and infinite cathedral formed from calcified bone. The floor was a mirror-still lake of dark blood, reflecting a ceiling that stretched endlessly into shadow.
At the center rested two massive tomes, each nearly two feet tall. They were bound in the skin of a forgotten deity, sealed by chains of black light that pulsed faintly, as if resisting being opened.
One radiated a savage, living presence.
The other felt colder, heavier, like condensed law.
Leo stepped forward and placed his hand on the first tome.
The chains loosened.
The cover shifted, reshaping itself into the image of a blood-winged angel.
Six wings unfurled behind her, each feather sharp as a blade. A galaxy of rotating crimson stars spiraled at her back, slow and eternal.
Below the image, burning sigils ignited one by one, forming banners from one star to six.
Leo's focus settled on the ★★★★ banner.
The blood-lake beneath his feet rippled violently.
The page flashed with a deep purple glow.
An image spread across the page: an ancient battlefield frozen in time. Armored warriors stood amid rivers of blood, dragons coiled through burning skies, and phoenixes erupted from collapsing formations in pillars of fire.
A system overlay bled into existence.
Single Draw Cost: 1,000 SE
Probability of ★★★★ Summon: 1 percent
Pity Counter: 0\50
A bitter laugh escaped Leo.
"So even if I hunted nonstop, I wouldn't see this banner for years…"
His gaze shifted to the glowing token hovering beside the page.
First Blood Pull — EX Privilege
Privilege Effect:
• Ignores SE cost
• Overrides probability check
• Guarantees loyalty
Leo swallowed. "…This thing is insane."
He reached out.
The moment his fingers brushed the page, the token shattered into crimson fragments and vanished.
A massive sigil erupted into the air, spinning faster and faster as blood-red light condensed around it.
Then—
BOOM.
A pillar of scarlet radiance slammed down into the temple outside.
The blood vortex collapsed inward with a thunderous pulse.
[GACHA RESULT CONFIRMED]
[★★★★ Guardian Summoned--- General of the Lost Bloodline]
Back in the physical world, the ground fractured outward in a web of cracks.
Smoke rolled across the floor as a towering figure knelt at the center of the impact. Blood-red plate armor gleamed under the fading light. A massive claymore was embedded deep into the stone before him.
The pressure of his aura alone forced Leo back a step.
The knight lowered his head.
"I have waited an eternity for your call, my Lord."
Leo stared, heart hammering.
For the first time since entering Origin, he truly understood what kind of cheat he had been given.
And how impossible it would be to repeat.