The moment Alice’s light engulfed the chamber, agonized screams tore through the air.

Lining the perimeter of the circular room stood creatures even taller than hobgoblins, their hulking forms reaching nearly two and a half meters in height.

Their bulging eyes gleamed with a hollow, vacant emptiness, and thick strands of black slime dripped ceaselessly from mouths lined with protruding lower fangs.

Orcs.

They should have been formidable creatures, with bodies packed with dense muscle, yet these were gaunt and wasted, as though they hadn’t eaten in months.

"Ugh... these are already in a very advanced stage of corruption," Ethan muttered, "Doran, get the men ready. No one is to die today!"

His voice had barely faded when one of the creatures lunged, hurling itself at him in a desperate charge.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He activated the lost technique of the crimson blade, and the elven sword in his hands erupted into flames as red as fresh blood, carving a diagonal arc through the air.

The orc made no attempt to defend itself, charging forward like an irrational beast, its powerful jaws snapping open in a ravenous snarl.

It didn’t get far.

The blade bit into its ribs and sliced clean through, cleaving bone, flesh, and organs before emerging on the other side.

The orc’s severed torso slammed against Ethan’s steel armor before tumbling to the ground with a wet, heavy thud.

He had no time to step back and reset his stance. Three more orcs were already closing in from behind, their clawed feet scraping against the floor.

Without a moment’s pause, Ethan activated the Blood Emperor’s ring, aiming his open palm at the creatures’ chests.

A bloody mist unfurled from beneath his feet, and from within it, spears of crimson erupted upward, piercing the beasts’ chests in a single motion.

[You killed a corrupted orc! +60% XP]

[You killed a corrupted orc! +60% XP]

[You killed a corrupted orc! +60% XP]

[You killed a corrupted orc! +60% XP]

[You have leveled up! Level 41 -> Level 43

You have received 4 free attribute points]

[You have absorbed the blood of 3 corrupted beasts.

You absorb a small fraction of the target’s talent and attributes.

+2 Vitality point

+1 Strength point

Blood Reserve: 750/1000]

Ethan’s eyes gleamed as he read the notifications.

Four kills, and he had already leveled up twice, gaining more attributes than he would have from slaughtering hundreds of goblins.

Of course, most of the XP came from the Rank B supreme XP bonus potion that he and the others had drunk before entering, but still, the results were wonderful.

He only snapped out of his daze when he felt two ice spears whistle over his head, slamming into the still-blinded orcs and detonating in bursts of frost.

Shards of frozen flesh and bone scattered across the chamber floor.

Alice stood at the center of it all, her eyes glowing a brilliant white.

Her robes billowed around her voluptuous frame, her grimoire floated in midair, pages flipping non stop.

"You look amazing when you use magic like that," Ethan said, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Alice’s cheeks flushed a soft pink, her lips parting slightly before she quickly refocused on the battle.

Not far from her, Evelyn had already taken down three corrupted orcs and she din’t want to get behind.

The number of orcs grew rapidly, swelling into the dozens, spilling forth from the shadowed corridors beyond.

Had these been ordinary orcs, the party would have been doomed.

Even five or six healthy orcs would have been enough to carve a terrible massacre through the guards.

But these creatures were far too weakened, and their minds could barely process the most basic logic.

Orcs weren’t known for their intelligence, but they were still capable of speech, of organizing themselves into societies and of planning.

The things before them, however, were nothing more than beasts driven by raw instinct.

Generally, the higher a beast’s degree of corruption, the greater the danger it posed. Fortunately, these orcs were in too advanced a state of decay to manifest the true terror of their corruption.

With a broad smile, Ethan advanced, his blade weaving around his body.

Enhanced aura slashes rained down on the orcs without pause, each arc of crimson light cleaving through flesh.

After just over five minutes of relentless carnage, his sword finally stopped swinging.

Beneath his feet, massive corpses, pools of blood, and tangled viscera lay scattered across the stone floor.

With a wide smile, Ethan extended his hand toward the bodies of the corrupted orcs.

[You have absorbed the blood of 62 corrupted beasts.

You absorb a small fraction of the target’s talent and attributes.

+7 Vitality point

+7 Strength point

+4 Agility point

Blood Reserve: 1000/1000]

Just like that, he had absorbed attributes equivalent to nine levels...

The Blood Emperor’s Ring was, truly, an OP artifact, worthy of its SS-Rank classification. And if paired with the Blood Empress’s Ring, it would ascend to SSS-Rank.

Feeling his power surge, Ethan allowed himself a satisfied smile.

Now, he was strong enough to split a tree in half with just one swing.

And that wasn’t even counting the fact that he had leveled up five more times and now had twenty-six free attribute points waiting to be spent.

[Name: Ethan GoldenVeil

Level: 48/60 (XP: 21%)

Rebirths available: 2

Stage: 2 (Advancement mission available at level 60.)

Talent: Rank C

Noble Title: Lower Baron. (Increase your prestige to upgrade your title)

Heroic Title: The Unparalleled Degenerate of Darkwall! (-3 prestige), Goblin Slayer! (+2 prestige, +30% fear among goblins.)

Prestige: 18/25

Aura: 1200/1200

Attributes.

Strength: 125

Agility: 95

Vitality: 99

Intelligence: 74

Charm: 495

Available attribute points: 26

Wives: 3

Concubines: 0

Monthly prestige gained from wives and concubines: 5]

His stats were still far from comparable to those of a third-stage warrior, but at the second stage, and even at level sixty, only geniuses with Rank S talent should be able to match him.

With a pleased grin, Ethan raised his agility and vitality to 100, then poured the remainder entirely into intelligence. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Although it seemed like a less important stat for combat, intelligence also increased the brain’s processing speed, sharpening the senses just as much as agility.

Feeling his mind grow lighter and his thoughts flow faster, Ethan’s eyes drifted toward a corridor yawning open on the far side of the chamber.

"Come on. These orcs can’t be all there is. There must be even more of them on the lower floors." He swung his sword in a crisp arc, flinging the blood from the blade with the motion.

It was time to farm even more XP and attributes.