CHAPTER 421: OKAY, SYSTEM, I’M READY

"So Dan chose the second option?" — Arabel asked, not surprised when the System notified her that Idan had accepted the Supreme Bloodline System’s offer.

Arabel was somehow sure that Idan would choose this option. Therefore, when the System provided her with additional information, she decided to take a chance and also chose the second option.

Sitting in a small, seemingly crystal clear pond, Arabel closed the notification window from the System. She had woken up before Idan and had already finished getting rid of the energy of a sixth-rank creature. Right now, she was enjoying the moment, diving into a pond filled with pure ice energy in liquid form, and regaining her strength.

Not far from her, in a small camp with a table and chairs, sat Sierra. Opposite her was another beautiful woman with long white hair, dressed in a white robe. Even her eyes seemed to be snow-white. They were both enjoying the drinks that Sierra had brought with her.

The place where they were now was one of many almost identical ice caves. Numerous sharp ice stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cave, and the walls and floor were covered with a thick layer of ice.

Arabel pouted as she watched them. She also wanted to join them, but her older sister categorically refused, stating that until she fully recovered, she would not see any booze.

Arabel glanced at Sierra with displeasure, then turned her gaze to the other beauty.

"She’s as beautiful as Geminia," she whispered.

This woman was the supervisor of this Forbidden Zone.

She appeared suddenly when Arabel, assuming the Spirit Form, began to expel foreign energy from her body. She has stayed here ever since, accepting Sierra’s invitation to have a drink with her.

Since her arrival, the supervisor hadn’t said a single word, just nodded a couple of times at Sierra’s question, and that was it.

"Eh..." — Arabel sighed with disappointment. After feeling that she had recovered enough, she decided to take up her second bloodline.

"System, are you sure it won’t take more than two days?"

Arabel asked with a slight hesitation. "It took us an entire month to obtain the first bloodline along with the Ascension Trial. And the second one, without the trial, took a whole week."

[This is the approximate timeline given by the "Supreme Bloodline System".]

"Okay, System, I’m ready," Arabel said.

She had spent three days here with her older sister, Sierra, after the "Reset", and they had about four days left before the next "Reset".

Unnoticed, so as not to attract the attention of Sierra and the supervisor of the Forbidden Zone, a rift opened in front of Arabel, and a small vial of liquid flew out of it.

[Once you, the Host, accept the potion, this System will grant limited access to your Bloodlines feature for the Supreme Bloodline System. It will monitor the process and intervene if necessary.]

"Uhm... The System, I might be being too cautious, but is it worth trusting this System?" Arabel asked, holding the vial in her hands before drinking its contents.

[Don’t worry, Host. Even if the Supreme Bloodline System wants to harm you, it won’t work.]

"Okay, I’ll take your word for it, System," Arabel said, uncorking the bottle and drinking a strange—looking liquid with an unusual smell in one gulp.

"Wah... the taste is just disgusting," she commented.

Sierra and the supervisor couldn’t help but notice Arabel’s strange behavior. They stared at her; their eyes filled with confusion and questions about what had just happened.

Arabel only gave them a small smile, but her smile quickly disappeared as the potion began to take effect.

[[Oh ho... What do we have here?]] Arabel was taken aback by the unfamiliar new voice of the System.

Their System usually speaks monotonously, like a robot, without any emotion. But this voice, although it was a bit similar, clearly expressed emotions.

Suddenly caught off guard, Arabel lost control of her body. Unbeknownst to her, her body had transformed into an Ice Valkyrie.

Having transformed into an Ice Valkyrie, Arabel began to greedily absorb the ice element surrounding her.

[[Just the perfect place,]] commented a new voice. By this point, Arabel realized that this voice belonged to the Supreme Bloodline System.

"What’s going on?" asked Sierra, noticing Arabel’s sudden strange behavior.

Arabel didn’t have time to explain. While she was absorbing a huge amount of ice energy, a mysterious force awakened inside her and began to explore her body.

[[Interesting...]]

[[Very interesting...]]

[[The element of darkness, huh? And the remnants of the Dark Phoenix bloodline? Not bad]

Arabel suddenly felt a sharp pain.

"Aaahh!" Arabel screamed in pain, unable to help herself. This mysterious force seemed to be tearing her apart from the inside, causing unbearable suffering.

[[Hmm... why are you shouting? Does it really hurt that much?]]

"Shut up!" — Arabel screamed in desperation. She was already starting to get annoyed by the words of this damned System. It was as if it was laughing at her suffering, although it seemed that it was the cause of it.

[[How rude]], — the Supreme Bloodline System replied.

"Aaaaaaa"— the pain became more and more unbearable, and with-it Arabel’s absorption of the ice element increased.

The supervisor narrowed her eyes and watched Arabel intently.

With each passing second, the absorption process became more intense, and the concentration of the elements in the surrounding space quickly began to decrease.

She looked up, then turned and looked around the table with the drinks. Sighing, she waved her hand, and immediately after, a huge amount of ice element poured into the small cave.

[[Just wonderful]], the Supreme Bloodline System said.

[[Hmm... What’s it?]] — Suddenly, the Supreme Bloodline System noticed something.

[[The Energy of Madness?]] — then it quickly identified what it was.

[[Ha, as expected, it’s as stern as ever]], it chuckled.

[[Since that’s the case, why don’t I become a little more severe?]] — it asked a question.

These were the last words from the Supreme Bloodline System that Arabel heard before she fainted from the pain.

At this time, Sierra and the supervisor watched as Arabel’s body began to sink into the pond, and a thin layer of strange energy began to form around her.

Soon, a slightly frightening, not very pleasant-looking cocoon formed around Arabel, which pulsed from time to time.

***

After two days of waiting by the cocoon, Sierra and the supervisor witnessed its destruction. It split open, releasing the unconscious Arabel.

Sierra, seeing Arabel in her normal human form and finding no visible wounds, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmm..." After being released, Arabel slowly began to wake up, finding herself lying at the bottom of an already vanished pond.

Sitting down and rubbing her eyes, she tried to figure out what was going on and where she was. At that moment, a notification from the System appeared in front of her, and her confusion increased.

[Host, congratulations on successfully merging the two bloodline slots!]

[Ding! The first Bloodline slot, the Ice Valkyrie Bloodline, has been changed to become the Valkyries Bloodline.]

[Ding! The second Bloodline slot has merged with the first and is now a slot for additional bloodlines.]

[Ding! There are currently three additional bloodlines available.]

[Ding! The Ice Valkyrie Bloodline is available]

[Ding! The Dark Valkyrie Bloodline has been unlocked.]

[Ding! The Mad Valkyrie Bloodline has been unlocked.]

"Huh? What the hell?"—Arabel, who was still not fully awake, froze when she heard something unimaginable and crazy.