SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 111: A skill crystal?

"Where are you planning to go? India? Thailand? Philippines?" The old man groomed his Dumbledore beard and chuckled in amusement.

"You are powerful, Blood God. You really are, but there are some things that are beyond the current level of your power. Some things that are beyond your imagination. I am here because I don’t want to see you defeated by these hidden forces before your story truly begins."

The old man’s voice wasn’t mocking, though it carried the tone of someone who had seen far too many plans fall apart. His eyes, however, were ancient in a way that made Damon feel like a teenager playing at being dangerous.

There was weight behind those words. Gravity. Like this man had watched empires fall and knew exactly what was coming next.

Damon didn’t move. His body remained still, but inside, his mind spun. This old man knew that he was Blood God?! He actually knew his identity! How could something like that be possible?

More than that, he couldn’t sense the presence of the old man at all. Even with his super heightened senses and perception, he could neither sense the old man nor the cold beauty. Who the hell were these people?

Since the day his vampiric powers materialized in real life, Damon knew he would have to run eventually. Even now, he thought he was ahead of everything and had made a move before anyone could uncover his identity. But in the end... it looked like he was still too late.

There were too many questions and mysteries about these two. However, they were still not enough to hold him back. Not if he truly wanted to go all out.

He did not know why he wasn’t able to sense the woman. He was probably too occupied with his escape plan and getting to his family. But when it came to combat, there was no way she could stand in his path.

It was the old man he needed to worry about more. He still couldn’t sense any mana from the guy, but his gut feelings told him that he was very powerful and dangerous. If he could just take him down with a surprise attack, then-

"Blood God, calm down. You are thinking too much. You don’t have to plot so much to take me down. I am here for peaceful negotiations." The old man smiled knowingly, eyes twinkling with a kind of mischievous serenity.

"If I wanted to harm you, Damon, you’d already be ashes dancing on this stairwell," he continued softly, as if talking to a skittish animal rather than one of the most dangerous emergent predators in the world.

"But that’s not why I’m here. You’re still raw. Fierce, yes, but too loud, too wild. You think you’re hunting in shadows, but you’ve already lit a signal fire for older things watching from above."

Damon didn’t respond immediately. His blood pulsed with tension, every instinct begging him to grab Kate and Mark and vanish again, to melt into the night before more ghosts came knocking. But the calm certainty in the man’s tone... It was as if they knew many things that he did not.

The blonde woman finally spoke. Her voice was smooth, sharp as cut glass. "You’re standing at the edge of something much larger than you know. Earth Online is not a game. Not anymore. It’s a proving ground. A filter. A beacon."

"A beacon for what?" Damon asked slowly.

"For war," she said. "For the future."

The old man stepped forward, his tone turning grave. "The world is changing faster than you think. The factions inside the game? They’re just reflections of the real ones. Ancient factions, hidden empires, gods who’ve forgotten their names. You’ve drawn their attention, Blood God. Which means you don’t have time to run anymore."

He paused, eyes locking with Damon’s. "You have only two paths: rise now and gain the strength to stand, or fall soon and become a cautionary tale."

The old man let out a sigh. "I can see it in your eyes. No matter what I say, you will never trust me. You will never believe me. So, how about I start with an offering? This is a small gift from our side." The old man tossed a crystal towards Damon. frёewebηovel.cѳm

It was a small green crystal, and as soon as Damon saw it, he knew what it was. He had seen crystals like these before in the game. Skill crystals! But how could these skill crystals appear outside of the game?

Did this mean items could now be taken out of the game?

"Use it and you will know what it is. You do know how to use it right?" The old man smiled.

Before Damon could respond, Mark stepped forward, interrupting the conversation. "Damon, whatever it is. Test it on me first."

"Hmmm? Willing to die for your friend? Another good seed indeed." The old man laughed. "It doesn’t matter. If you want to give it to your friend, that’s fine too. Anyone can use the skill crystal."

However, Damon firmly shook his head. "It’s okay, Mark. Step back."

"Are you sure?" Mark asked again, and Damon nodded. He was never going to let Mark take the fall for him. A skill crystal should not contain anything insidious, but in case it does, then it would be his risk and his alone. He needed to do this to see if indeed items could be taken out of the game. If that were the case... then truly everything would change.

"This doesn’t mean I am agreeing to anything." Damon indifferently said and crushed the crystal.

"Of course." The old man replied.

The next second, Damon’s eyes widened in shock, and the old man appeared to be even more amused.

"Damon, what happened? Are you okay?" Mark asked in a panic.

Damon only nodded as he slowly raised his right hand. He turned to check his wrist, and there it was. A new tattoo. Warm and pulsing with power.

"Go ahead. Touch the tattoo and see what happens." The old man smiled knowingly, revealing a similar tattoo on his wrist.