CHAPTER 51: NEW BLOODLINES

"Thanks, everyone." Ace met their eyes, serious. "I wouldn’t have made it without your help."

If he’d survived, he would’ve been disabled. Fighting without arms or hands would be so fucking hard he couldn’t even picture it.

Still, he didn’t regret his choice.

He’d saved Marko, a friend willing to sacrifice himself for him and the others. Such friends were rare.

"Thanks again, Marko," Ace said. "You made me realize a few important things."

Marko scratched his cheek. "It’s lame that I can only do this much... but... but... I’m so glad to be alive and with you guys!"

He burst into tears again.

Alex slammed his hand into Marko’s back. "Don’t cry like a girl! You’ve shown you’re willing to fight to the death! I’ll never hesitate to protect your sorry ass, Marko!"

Chaewon and Mercer glared at him for being too rough, yet it was clear Alex and Marko had bonded even more after the incident. That was Alex’s way as a ranker: to fight with and protect those willing to die with him. No wonder their friendship leveled up.

Ace rolled his eyes. Cherry slept on his head.

His little slime probably needed a long nap, or maybe it was made to attend Yvandra’Annah as Ace had. He wished Cherry good luck and saved his thanks for later.

"What was that monster?" Chaewon asked, eager to learn more about the Conductor and how to beat him next time.

"The Conductor. Remember the Train? He’s on that Train, and he’s the opposite of our world’s conductor. Instead of checking tickets, he hands them out after judgment. Instead of ensuring safety on the Train, he attacks you in its facilities to keep testing you. And so on," Ace explained." Ace explained.

"Is it really worth going after the Train?" Mercer asked.

"Yeah. Once the Engineer is under our control, we can use the Train to leave this Gate. It’s the only way out I’m aware of," Ace confessed.

The mood turned heavy.

No one understood the Train on day one. It fled from everyone.

Then they met the Conductor and learned his purpose and strength firsthand. The goal felt too difficult, or at least too far away.

Chaewon broke the ice. "We will defeat him. I have to pay him back for this attack and how badly he beat us. This won’t fly. If he’s the end goal, even better. We’ll get him!"

Alex nodded. "Yeah!"

Mercer smiled. "Yes!"

Marko swallowed hard. "I hope I’ll have some potions I made myself by the time you go after him..."

Their resolve lifted Ace’s spirits. Just then, his stomach rumbled and drew everyone’s attention. Chaewon smiled first, grabbed the rations and passed them to him with a bottle of water.

Ace took them and thanked her. "I need to recover fast. Who knows what we’ll encounter on the way or in Heaven Village? Hopefully not Big Papa."

"Big Papa?!" the trio chorused. What kind of undead would be called Big Papa?

Seeing their expressions, Ace kept a straight face until he couldn’t. "Haha! You really think there’s an undead with such a lame name as Big Papa? I can’t!"

"Stop teasing us!" Chaewon voiced everyone’s thoughts, pulling Ace’s cheek.

Ace returned to his makeshift bed.

It was uncomfortable, worse than lying on a bench or even the floor, but he needed to endure. Rest came first.

He also needed to collect his thoughts. First, Noah.

It has to be a title. I don’t remember anyone calling themselves Noah. It’s also a common name now. I can’t suspect everyone with that name. My only clue so far is the Sixteen who defeated the Crimson Shrine of the Drowned in my first life, Poseidon’s Trident.

The name sounds like their whole purpose was to stop or control the deluge and seas. No one would imagine Poseidon and his weapon controlling the Crimson Waters as well, so the name is a good way to draw attention away from Noah. Also, Noah wasn’t really an enemy of rankers. He could be an enemy of those who sided with the shrines and their priestesses, but normal rankers shouldn’t have anything against him.

So why did Noah hide in my first life?

I can’t tell... and if I think too much, I might get the wrong idea and base everything on it.

There was something else Ace needed to think through: his bloodline. Because of Cherry, he now had a purified Drowned bloodline, which brought him closer to Yvandra’Annah. He also carried two other monster bloodlines: Two-Headed Wolf and Spikeback Boar.

Just thinking about those monsters and possibly having a connection to them made Ace grimace, jaw tight. Nah. There has to be a way to flush that blood out or purify myself.

With these bloodlines came new skills and possibilities, though. There was a chance he’d gained something useful or unique that normal Two-Headed Wolves and Spikeback Boars didn’t have, but he still grimaced at the connection.

He opened his system window and checked his passive skills. When something leveled up and gained a new node, it flashed with a notification and stood out from the rest. He had a few of those notifications now.

What?!

He clicked the minimap. The level-up shocked him to the core.

[Minimap (II)

• Node: Minimap. Always-on map centered on Ace. Shows nearby terrain, paths, traps, monsters, and pings enemies before they notice him. Range and refresh scale with Awareness.

• Node: Tremorsense. The minimap displays ground vibrations as ripples, revealing moving creatures in contact with the ground within map range. Works through smoke and foliage; less effective on flying targets or perfectly still foes.]

This came from Spikeback Boars. No doubt. He’d gained it from their blood, and of all his skills, the minimap leveled up. That shocked him.

Ace rubbed his chin. Maybe it’s not as bad as I thought. I can flush out the blood and keep the skills... need to confirm it with Cherry. At worst, I will ask Yvandra’Annah, and she will gladly answer me.