[Try synthesizing this skill with another one, it may yield formidable results.]
Alex didn't hesitate, as he already had [Oblivion Strike], [Bloody Slash] was pretty much just an extra skill that wasn't necessary.
And his talent clearly stated this:
[Talent Effect #4: Synthesis; Combine items, skills, or abilities to create something stronger]
It wasn't only items, skills and abilities like [Soul Attacks], [Arts] and even [Laws] could be synthesized! Your journey continues at m v|l-e'-novelhall.net
The two other concepts would only appear later in the game, though, so it wasn't necessary to think about them.
With an eager focus, Alex began to process, clicking on [Bloody Slash].
[Bloody Slash (Skill) + ??? = ???]
He first selected Fire Meteor, just to test if the combination could work.
But a red warning panel immediately flashed.
[These two skills cannot be merged, try something else.]
His next choice was Oblivion Strike, and this time, there was no rejection.
[Bloody Slash (Skill) + Oblivion Strike (Skill) = ??? (Legendary Skill)]
[Note that as "Oblivion Strike" is already at Max-Tier, the synthesized skill will also be of the same level.]
"Makes sense," though Alex considered the possibility of it being reset to [Basic] since it would be a new skill.
"Confirm," he agreed to the synthesis.
And after a few seconds, the two skills merged.
Ding!
[You have acquired the skill "Bleeding Strike"]
[Bleeding Strike; A powerful dagger strike that deals 150,000 damage to the target + 100% of strength; has a 5% chance to cause bleed.]
"Wow." He couldn't help but be impressed.
Not only had the damage increase by 50,000, but there was now an additional effect, making it totally worth it.
Meanwhile, Alice was also engrossed in her panels, her face lighting up as she took in her new stats.
She was now level 86, and with her new [Blood Arrows], which could deal damage on par with Alex's, she was becoming much more powerful than before.
Even Alex had been surprised by her different initiatives during the battle.
"Nice job," he shouted to his undead army, and they all nodded, their eyes and faces hollow, but seemingly happy and cheering up.
Alex could swear he even saw two of them bump fists.
[Bathing in the "Fountain of Blood" may not do anything, but certain items can be used inside.]
[Hint: You got that item from the shop.]
It was quite literally giving him a tutorial of something Alex already knew, but to be honest, the confirmation did bring him some relief.
He advanced forward, glancing down at the red liquid in the fountain.
Its dark red surface rippled under the moonlight, casting an eerie reflection of his own face.
He took a steadying breath before climbing onto the edge.
"A-Alex?!" Alice, who didn't know what the man was doing, was shocked, "Are you insane?"
No sane person would jump into a pool of blood as ominous as this one.
But after everything he'd been through, sanity was the least of his concerns.
With a final glance back at Alice, he took the plunge, diving into the Fountain of Blood and letting the dark liquid envelop him completely.
Contrary to how shallow it looked, the fountain seemed bottomless, an endless abyss.
The blood rose past his knees, then his waist, until he was entirely submerged.
You couldn't even the see the bottom of the abyss under your feet!
But Alex wasn't here to observe, holding his breath he summoned the [Blood Arts Scroll], its paper instantly soaking in blood.
But that was a good thing, because instead of just tearing apart, the scroll began trembling, emitting a dark aura.
[Conditions have been met.]
Alex smirked; he'd triggered it.
In Universal Descent, Arts represented mastery over specific powers.
There were dozens if not hundreds of them: [Sword Arts], [Light Arts], [Abyss Arts] and many more.
And to make it even better, every single [Art] is unique, meaning much like SS and SSS-Level talents, no one but their respective owner could get them.
They could only be triggered under specific and rare conditions.
For the [Blood Art], the requirements were specific: the user had to conquer this secret realm and bathe in the Fountain of Blood, proving themselves worthy.
[Do you want to use the "Blood Arts Scroll"?]
[Yes] [No]
Alex didn't hesitate in clicking yes.
[Be quick, as emerging his body from the fountain of blood will break the link and destroy the scroll.]
"Shit," the process could take up to a minute depending on the [Art].
Meaning that Alex is going to have to try hard and resist, otherwise all of this would have been for nothing.