Some ascenders fell to the ground, exhausted from the battle. All of them specialized in close combat. This boss was only a danger to those close to it, so the ranged ascenders were the most energetic. "Anything good drop?"

"Let's see, let's see." The members of Crusader surrounded the pile of loot, searching for anything that stood out. There was no worry for anybody stealing anything; they were all allies here.

"Ah! A Unique grade leather belt dropped." A female ascender held up the belt for everyone to see.

Jason stood in the back, calmly observing how excited everyone was. A memory of his early days surfaced, causing him to smile. Back then, he had been in a guild that was like a family to him. Much like the scene before him, he and his friends would get excited over every drop. Then they fell. One after the other. In time, he grew numb to their deaths. Who did he have now? He had no close friends. No family. Was it ever possible for him to find that happiness again?

"Hey," Hans slapped Jason's shoulder, breaking him away from his thoughts, "Nice tanking. Some of the best I've seen."

Jason shook his head, clearing his mind and focusing on the present. "Your guild is pretty good too."

"Hahaha!" Hans burst into laughter, proud that someone in the second realm praised his guild.

A youth, more boy than a man, rushed up to Hans with a handful of red vials. "Hans, look at all these bloodline vials. We struck it rich!"

Hans' eyes lit up as he counted the number of vials. "A raid boss sure does give plenty of vials compared to the common monsters. It looks like at this rate we'll have enough for the entire guild in a month."

Hans stored the vials in his inventory before he stepped over to the pile of loot and doing the same. The ascenders who were inspecting the loot cried out. "Hey, Hans, we were still checking that out!"

Hans gave them a stern look. "I'll hand out the loot later. Don't forget that we need to be as efficient as possible or else we'll fall behind."

The ascenders collectively groaned as they stood up. Seeing their defeated looks, Hans frowned. "Vengeance will be back before we know it. Quit dilly-dallying and go, go, go!"

Everyone seemed to wake up at that. They formed their squads and headed back to their farming spots, leaving just Hans and Jason. Hans turned to Jason. "As per our prior agreement, we'll fill up your bloodline slot once all the damage dealers get theirs."

Jason waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to remind me. I trust you."

Jason agreed to delay getting any bloodline vials from the raid boss in order to let Crusaders' damage dealers hunt faster. Of course, the hyenas he hunted were his alone.

Hans was relieved. "That's good then. I'll let you know when the raid boss resp.a.w.ns."

As Jason watched Hans jog away, he recalled the recent battle. There were a few things he could have improved on. For example, when the boss released its Cleave skill, he could have used Defense Aura on an ascender who got hit, reducing the damage they took slightly. Since it was a relatively new skill, and adding to the fact that Jason never really hunted with anyone, he didn't know exactly how best to use it. Only now did he understand how it was meant to be used. Who knows, using it at the right moment might save someone's life.

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Jason returned to his farming spot and resumed hunting. Since starting, he had almost gained enough blood to reach the 10% limit. Once he reached that, common hyenas wouldn't raise it any further. He'd have to hunt higher grade monsters. Still, he planned to hunt enough for Roy and Olivia too. They were focused on building up their kingdoms. If he could let them skip these bloodline floors entirely, that would speed things up. Jason was really looking forward to the forty-first floor and beyond.

As the days pa.s.sed, Jason would be called over to tank the raid boss. It usually resp.a.w.ned every three days or so. Like with every boss, it became easier to hunt over time. Every boss had a pattern which could be exploited, especially boss' on the middle floors. The hyena boss in particular had very noticeable movements when it was about to execute its skills.

When a week pa.s.sed, the members of Crusaders grew tense as they antic.i.p.ated the arrival of Vengeance. However, after two weeks pa.s.sed and they still hadn't arrived, Hans decided to message his guild master. "Hey, Otto, you have any idea why Vengeance hasn't showed up at the hyena hunting ground?"

Otto was a middle-aged man. As the guild master of a upper-tier guild, he was an exceptional fighter and an experienced leader. In particular, he was on the verge of reaching the second realm. He was stronger than the vast majority of ascenders. Currently, he was on thirty-ninth floor, hunting for bloodlines like every other upper-tier guild. After hearing Hans, Otto was reminded of a report from his scouts. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Ivan and his group ended up claiming another hunting zone instead of duking it out with you."

Hans rolled his eyes. "That would have been nice to know a week ago. Everyone was stressing out over why they hadn't showed up."

"Sorry, I've been busy." Otto sighed. When the top-tier guilds headed to the next set of floors, the now available hunting grounds became highly contested territory. Especially at the start.

"Ah, whatever. I'll leave you to it then." Hans ended the call and informed his subordinates of the news.

Now that the hyena hunting zone now fully occupied by Crusaders, and with no one to contest them over it, everyone felt a heavy weight lift off their shoulders. Time continued to pa.s.s, and after two weeks since arriving, Jason finally acquired enough blood for three people.

2/5 Bloodlines Slotted.

Twin-Fanged Fox - 3.5% Harder to Sense

Hyena - 25% Attack Speed

Empty

Empty

Empty

With no reason to stay, Jason headed towards the next hunting zone on his list. It was occupied by Valkyrie, an upper-tier guild with close relations to Crusaders. As per the agreement Jason made with Hans, Hans vouched for Jason, informing Valkyrie that Jason could guarantee victory whenever any duels occurred. They were more than happy to have him.

Due to the fierce compet.i.tion between upper-tier guilds, alliances eventually formed. Over time, alliances turned into coalitions. Crusaders and Valkyrie were in the same coalition. Having already picked a side, Jason went around to every hunting ground owned by the guilds in Crusaders' coalition.

As the weeks pa.s.sed, Jason helped kill raid boss' as well as win duels. It quickly became known to every upper-tier guild that Jason was in the second realm. It reached the point that when Jason stepped forward in a duel, the opposing side automatically forfeited.

Unfortunately, because of picking a side, it was impossible for him to acquire certain bloodlines due to enemy guilds occupying them. As a result, he had to spend twenty-thousand gold to acquire what he needed for himself, Roy, and Olivia.

After three months since reaching the thirty-sixth floor, Jason finally acquired every bloodline he wanted. As he inspected the screen in front of him, he felt that all of his hard work had finally paid off.

5/5 Bloodlines Slotted.

Fusion - 25% Attack Speed + 25% Movement Speed

Fusion - 25% Health + 250 Health

Fusion - 25% Increased Physical and Magical Defense

Fusion - 25% Reaction Speed + 25% Critical Damage

Fusion - 5% Experience Gain

The last bloodline in particular stood out from the rest. Unlike the others, it could only have a maximum of 5%. Still, it was enough for Jason, who was trying his best to beat the tower as fast as possible. With his t.i.tle included, Jason now had a bonus of 10% experience gain.