Chapter 27 - Blood Fusion

"Sure enough, just like I thought" Randy muttered and then proceeded to read the lines of texts that started displaying on the holographic screen in front of his eyes.

⟪[[Discovered a 'Purified Blood Essence' of an awakened human who had undergone an evolution]]⟫

⟪[[Due to your unique skill 'Blood Assimilate,' you are able to assimilate with this blood thus obtaining its 'Blood Knowledge']]⟫

⟪[[Attention, due to your unique bloodline, and your high compatibility with this blood, you are given the following choices:]]⟫

⟪[[First Choice: Assimilate with the 'Purified Blood Essence' and you would be able to utilize it to retrieve the 'Blood Knowledge' and be able to use all the abilities of the source of this blood]]⟫

⟪[[Second Choice: Fuse and transform this 'Purified Blood Essence,' thus converting and making it your own, this would be bring about a new unique ability that can be used even without entering assimilated mode and also increasing your Blood Energy or Evolution Energy slightly. Naturally, you would still be able to retain the 'Blood Knowledge' using your 'Blood Retain' skill, allowing you to still use the enhancement effects of its assimilated mode, although the enhancement effect will decrease slightly due to the fusion]]⟫

⟪[[Reminder: If the host pick the Second Choice, the system will be able to help you unlock your potential and obtain a skill among your current hidden skills]]⟫

⟪[[Please think carefully before making your choice]]⟫

Reading these lines of texts, Randy was surprised, excited and then confused.

'Unique bloodline? Fusion? Transform? Conversion? Blood Knowledge? What the hell is this system saying since a while ago?' Randy was very bewildered by this but soon calmed himself down.

'Wasn't my bloodline section empty? Also, what is this Blood Knowledge? So many things at once, was this also part of the system's upgrade?' Randy thought in confusion.

'Forget it, let me think about this for a moment…"

Randy fell into thought with a pondering expression. Ever since he had awakened, his mental strength had increased greatly, which in turn, improved his thinking abilities.

'I remember that some of my class related skills were hidden ever since I awakened. At the time, I did not think much of this, but it seems one of them can be unlock just by picking the second choice given by the system.'

'Then again, what is the difference between fusion and assimilation? As far as I know, these two terms mean the same thing. By assimilating, I absorb and digest the blood, taking in all of its properties, which in a sense is kind of like fusing with blood through absorption and also, understanding the blood's 'information' and using such information as my own.

'Then, does fusion in this case mean that I will be able to fuse this blood with my own blood without digesting it completely but rather converting it as my own? And I will be able to use whatever ability it generates through the fusion without entering assimilated mode. If that is the case, then isn't this more amazing than assimilation? Since there would be no delay in activating the said skill or ability.'

"No, the assimilation grants me the complete information of the blood consumed and I can always use the complete abilities through entering the assimilated mode, which is like assessing the information of the blood and recreating that information with my own blood, resulting in a temporary buff or enhancement of my abilities and statistics depending on the source of the blood. In this case, assimilation is more useful as I can simply just gather a variety of blood with different information or abilities and recreate them with my blood assimilate skill and or the blood retain skill mentioned by the system. At that time, I will be able have many abilities from different professions.'

'Luckily, I had a compatibility with almost all the energy types, so this is not a complete pipe dream but only a matter of time. However, there seems to be a prerequisite to fusion; the fusion seemed to grant a permanent skill if my compatibility with the type of blood is high? Is it because I am an evolved human, so I am compatible with another evolved human's blood? Or is it because I have high magical energy and since that burglar was also using mana when he tried to attack me, he is also magical energy user and hence the compatibility between us?"

Randy contemplated deeply for a bit and after a while, he recalled what the system mentioned when it was giving the description of the blood, about 'an awakened human who had undergone an evolution' and then he realized that perhaps it was related to evolutional energy or blood energy.

After all, Randy himself is an evolved human, his current abilities are something only an evolved human would have and it also makes sense for him whose abilities heavily relies on consuming blood of living beings, to be compatible with other humans who had also undergone an evolution.

This was definitely the reason for his high compatibility with the 'Purified Blood Essence.' And as for why it said, 'Purified' blood essence instead of just blood, Randy had a vague idea as to why that is. He remembered that during his extraction of the blood from the burglar, he realized that he could perceive the harmful substances contained within the blood and thus decided to get rid of them before stowing it away. Perhaps by getting rid of the harmful substance, he was able to purify the blood of that burglar, enabling it to contain no side effects upon consumption.

"Hm, this must definitely be the reason why." Randy nodded and muttered in conclusion.

'This is my second time consuming a blood, well, the first time, it was kind of… It was an accident but the feeling at that time was like… I had a sudden impulse to swallow the blood that entered my mouth and after I did, it tasted kind of… good? Almost like it was rich in minerals or energy. I have no idea how to explain it, however, the subsequent events were not something that I will gladly welcome with opened arms. The pain was unbearable to the point that I fainted from it.' Randy shivered as he recalled the pain he had to endure before he finally awakened his innate ability.

"Hopefully this time, it won't be like last time. I don't want to feel the searing sensation of my body on fire again. It almost traumatized me." Randy muttered under his breath with a slight frown on his face.

After a moment of silence, Randy turned his attention to the projected screen in front his eyes.

⟪[[Please think carefully before making your choice]]⟫

"In any case, I think it is still better to get this class related skill unlocked earlier rather than wait for who knows how long until I can unlock it by myself." Randy muttered as he finally made his decision.

And then he took a deep breath and breathed out, before responding with his thoughts.

'I choose the second choice, fusion.' Randy replied to the system's prompt.

⟪[[Response Acknowledged!]]⟫

⟪[[To begin this fusion process, the host must either consume this 'Purified Blood Essence' or try absorbing it through a cut or an opening in any part of your body, preferably your palm]]⟫

'What?! You mean I have to cut myself to absorb it?' Randy inwardly exclaimed in surprise.

He was surprised to hear that he had to deliberately hurt himself just to absorb the blood and begin the fusion process.

⟪[[There is always the first option of consuming the blood]]⟫

"Haah… Do I really have to?" Randy sighed then questioned with no motivation.

⟪[[Either swallow it or cut open your palm and place the blood at the opened wound, the system would simply take care of the rest.]]⟫

⟪[[Reminder: This blood is one that is purified by the host through your 'Blood Authority' skill, thus removing any harmful substance contained within, so there would be no aftereffects even if you consume this blood through your mouth]]⟫

"Haah… If you say so, then I will consume it rather than arbitrarily hurt myself for no reason when there is another choice; I usually don't enjoy hurting myself." Randy sighed and then muttered in a low voice.

Immediately afterwards, after hesitating for a bit, he placed the blood into his mouth and right away, an unusual sensation washed over him. Randy was very familiar with this sensation. It was the same sensation he felt when he accidentally consumed wolf-like creature's blood.

This was the feeling was an instinct, an urge, a desire, and an impulse to consume the blood in his mouth. After struggling against this sensation for a bit, Randy gave in as he could not control himself anymore and swallowed the blood on his tongue.

Strangely enough, the taste was not bad, it tasted sweet or perhaps bitter or maybe a little spicy, in any case, it was hard to discern the taste, but it was not that bad.

A moment later, notifications started popping up on the holographic screen in front of his eyes. Lines of texts were appearing on the screen one after another.

⟪[[Detected the purified blood of an awakened human who had undergone an evolution]]⟫

⟪[[Attempting fusion with this blood]]⟫

…

⟪[[First Attempt: Failed]]⟫

…

⟪[[Second Attempt: Failed]]⟫

…

⟪[[Third Attempt: Failed]]⟫

…

⟪[[Due to forcefully trying to fuse with this blood, your potential ability had been unlocked]]⟫

⟪[[Potential Ability has formed into: 'Blood Fusion' Skill]]⟫

⟪[[Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the hidden skill 'Blood Fusion,' from now on, you can attempt fusion and conversion of other compatible blood into your own blood]]⟫