The high elf turned toward him, faster than Alistair expected.

  Not a dramatic gasp, not a curse, just a flick of the eyes and a surge of mana.

  Instinct met instinct.

  Alistair threw the vial.

  No time for precision. No clever arc. He flung the [Toxin Tide] like it was burning him alive.

  [Consumable Deployed – Toxin Tide]

  Radius: 5m

  Effects: Poison (Severe), Acid Burn, Disorientation

  The glass struck earth between the three champions.

  For a half-breath, nothing happened.

  Then violence.

  The poison burst out in a wet, hissing wave, thick as tar and twice as vicious. A cloud of green-black mist rushed outward in every direction, curling like smoke from a burning god.

  Bark blistered. Stone hissed. Skin melted.

  The smell, burning rot and metal, punched through Alistair’s nose as he stumbled backward.

  “Well,” he muttered, shielding his face. “That escalated quicker than a goblin up a drainpipe.”

  The air screamed.

  Then so did they.

  [Target: Dwarf Lv.15]

  Status Applied: Blinded

  Status Applied: Poisoned (Severe)

  Damage Taken: 14

  Damage Taken: 21

  [Target: Dark Elf Lv. 17]

  Status Applied: Poisoned

  Status Applied: Disoriented

  Damage Taken: 11

  Damage Taken: 19

  Alistair grinned, thin, shaky.

  “That’s right. Scream louder. There are gods watching.”

  The dwarf stumbled, weapon slipping from his grasp, bellowing obscenities as the acid burned through his bracers. The dark elf collapsed to one knee, clutching his face.

  The poison was doing its job.

  All except for the one he actually cared about.

  The high elf stood untouched.

  A glowing shield, elegant, multi-layered, pulsed around him like a spell-forged halo. It rippled with perfect mana stability.

  [Target: High Elf Champion]

  Arcane Barrier: Active

  Absorption: 100%

  Status: Stable

  Of course he had a personal dome.

  I toss a living nightmare at them and Mr. Golden Hair pops a soap bubble. Fantastic.

  Alistair ducked behind a tree root as another pulse of system data hit his vision.

  [Target: Dwarf Lv.15]

  Status Applied: Poison Stacking x3

  Damage Taken: 17

  [HP: 22%]

  [Target: Dark Elf Lv. 17]

  Damage Taken: 16

  [HP: 34%]

  They were melting.

  One good push and he could finish them.

  But the high elf was a problem.

  He narrowed his eyes. The shield wasn’t flaring anymore. It was cracking.

  The mist was eating at the structure, smoke curling across the magical surface like acid on glass.

  But the toxin was eating away at the magical barrier slowly. Too slow...

  Damn it.

  The elf’s eyes met his through the shield, furious, glowing, and very much not dying.

  He weighed his options fast.

  Retreat? No. Too exposed.

  Wait for the shield to fail? Maybe.

  Go for the kill? Risky.

  His eyes flicked to the portal behind them, now thrumming with energy, five medallion slots glowing. That crystal wasn’t just a prize, it was everything.

  He clenched his jaw.

  Fine. If I’m doing this, I’m doing it right.

  He began casting.

  [Darken Sight]

  Cast Time: 2 seconds

  Duration: 10 seconds

  Cooldown: 15 seconds

  Area Obscured: 3 meters radius

  Enemy Accuracy: Reduced

  Visibility: Severely limited

  “Let’s turn out the lights, shall we?”

  He whispered the incantation.

  A black mist crawled from his fingertips, seeping through the clearing, curling around the shimmering barrier. It latched on like oil to water.

  Cracks formed in the shield.

  Hairline fractures at first, then wider, jagged faults that spread across the surface like frost on glass.

  Then...

  [Target: High Elf Champion]

  Barrier Integrity: 37% → 22% → 9%

  Barrier Status: Broken

  The shield shattered in a silent explosion of white shards.

  The high elf’s eyes went wide.

  Alistair didn’t wait.

  He stepped through the mist, his new sword in hand, smile sharp as a blade.

  “Knock knock.”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  [Target: High Elf Champion]

  Status Applied: Magical Blindness (10s)

  HP: 39%

  Condition: Disoriented

  The piercing scream that followed was gratifying.

  Still crouched in the corrupted grass, Alistair glanced to the side. The dwarf and dark elf were still alive, if barely, bodies twitching and steaming inside the toxic cloud.

  [Target Eliminated – Dwarf Lv.15]

  EXP Gained: +1120

  Alistair didn’t cheer.

  The moment felt wrong. Unearned.

  It’s the poison doing all the work, he thought bitterly. I’m just here for the kill confirmation.

  The toxic mist was beginning to thin, but it still filled the clearing with enough stench and danger to kill a lesser man.

  And he was barely better than one of those.

  He watched the high elf stumble, shrieking in elvish, swiping the air uselessly with trembling hands. His defenses were wide open. Alistair tightened his grip on the [Redcrystal Shortsword of Slaying].

  [Target: High Elf – Vulnerable]

  Status Effects:

  Magical Blindness

  Poison (Minor)

  Panic

  [HP: 33%]

  Just as he braced to move, his spell flickered and broke.

  [Darken Sight] – Expired

  [High Elf Champion] – Vision Restored

  “No, no, no...”

  Before Alistair could curse properly, the elf activated something.

  A pulse of pure white energy burst from the gemstone floating above his head. His wounds sealed with unnatural speed.

  [Unknown Active Ability – Healing Surge]

  HP Restored: +37%

  New Total: 70%

  “You couldn’t just die, could you?” Alistair snarled through clenched teeth. “Of course not. That would be reasonable. I bet his socks are enchanted, too.””

  [Target Eliminated – Dark Elf Lv.17]

  EXP Gained: +1410

  The elf blinked away the last traces of magic and locked eyes with him, cold, clear, and murderous.

  Time to improvise.

  Alistair sprinted forward.

  No time for flair. Just action.

  [Chittering Bats – Summoned]

  Duration: 15s

  Effect: Obscures vision, disrupts spellcasting

  A swarm of tiny, winged nightmares burst into the air around him, diving at the high elf with screeching fury. The elf raised a silver staff, where had that come from? and swung wildly, trying to bat them away.

  Alistair used the chaos.

  He stepped into the poison mist again, body screaming, lungs burning, eyes watering.

  [Status Effect: Toxic Mist Exposure]

  HP: 31 → 27 → 24

  Movement Penalty: 10%

  Damage over Time: Active

  “I am not dying to my own poison,” he wheezed, dragging mana into his core.

  [Ethereal Phase – Activated]

  Mana Cost: High

  Effect: Intangibility (2s)

  Cooldown: 5s

  He shimmered. Became incorporeal.

  Floated through the mist like a ghost.

  And re-materialized behind the high elf.

  His vision swam. His knees buckled. His HP was flashing, low and loud in the corner of his vision.

  But he didn’t hesitate.

  “You know what’s funny?” he rasped, raising the redcrystal blade. “I hate the sight of blood.”

  The elf began to turn, too slow.

  Alistair struck.

  Steel met skin.

  The elf screamed.

  [Critical Hit] – Target: High Elf

  Damage: 24

  Status: Bleeding

  [HP: 46% → 29%]

  Alistair didn’t stop. He swung again. The elf barely blocked, staggering, staff shaking in both hands.

  The ground under them slick with blood and poison.

  The bats swirled like ink in the wind.

  His footwork flowed without thinking. He moved left, baited the elf, then twisted right...

  A flicker of light bloomed across his vision.

  [Skill Increased – Swordsmanship Lv.8]

  Weapon Damage +12%, Parry Effectiveness +4%

  Alistair nearly dropped the blade.

  Wait, what?

  Did I just level a skill? Holy shit, the system remembered I exist.

  It had been forever since one of his core skills had budged. The system had treated him like a damn nobody for so long he’d almost forgotten what progression looked like.

  He blinked then laughed, breathless and a little wild.

  “About bloody time.”

  Then he slashed.

  The blade sang.

  The elf failed to dodge.

  [Fatal Hit]

  Target: High Elf

  HP: 12% → 0%

  The elf collapsed.

  Alistair stood over him, gasping.

  The system pinged.

  [Target Eliminated – High Elf Lv.19]

  EXP Gained: +4914 (30% bonus applied)

  [Level Up – 13]

  Attribute Points Gained: +4

  Auto Allocation: Agility +3, Dexterity +2

  Alistair didn’t celebrate.

  He dropped to one knee, coughing blood, vision blurring.

  [HP: 5 / 130]

  Panic clawed at him.

  The poison. The mist. The water. It was still draining him.

  But then...

  A pulse of red in his vision.

  [Blood Sight] flared.

  The high elf’s blood.

  Bright. Alive. Waiting.

  He didn’t think.

  He crawled.

  He bit.

  And drank.

  The blood hit his tongue and the world snapped into focus.

  Hot. Silken. Brimming with magic and arrogance.

  “I’d apologize, but you were annoying even when you were losing.”

  The high elf's essence flooded into him like fire through ice. It wasn't just sustenance, it was power. Sharp, elegant, intoxicating. Alistair had fed before, but never like this.

  [Ability Activated – Blood Drain]

  HP Restored: +32 (5 → 37 / 130)

  Status Applied – [Adrenal Surge] (10s): Strength +2, Speed +2

  His muscles tightened. Breath came easier. Pain dulled to a distant growl.

  He leaned back, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of a trembling hand.

  “Drinking your enemy’s blood doesn’t make you evil. It makes you efficient. Probably.”

  It didn’t help much. His sleeve was already soaked. He looked down at himself, clothes shredded, arms cut to ribbons, one leg barely responding.

  His hands were still shaking.

  Not from weakness. From the adrenaline that hadn’t figured out the fight was over.

  He looked at his blade. The [Redcrystal Shortsword of Slaying] shimmered faintly, fed. Satisfied.

  “You taste like privilege and poor life choices,” he muttered, looking down at the corpse.

  Alistair crouched and cleaned the sword on the high elf’s cloak. It left a smear, but that was better than letting the blood dry on the crystal.

  He staggered upright, legs shaky but holding.

  The clearing was still.

  The bats were gone.

  The poison was dissipating.

  And around him, bodies.

  Three champions. Dead. Burned. Shattered.

  And in their place?

  Item Acquired: [Arena Medallion] (x4)

  He sat on the scorched earth, breathing hard, four smooth tokens resting in his blood-slicked palm.

  Some people collect coins. I collect corpses with shiny buttons.

  Each medallion was unique, subtle variations in their arcane markings, their size, their temperature. One still radiated heat from the dark elf’s belt pouch, as if reacting to the remnants of its owner’s magic. Another was crusted with faint frost, maybe from the high elf’s barrier spells.

  Together, they pulsed softly with golden light.

  Alistair turned one between his fingers.

  “Three bodies,” he muttered. “Four keys.”

  He studied the ridged carvings more closely. They reminded him of something, an old gate seal from his father’s vault, maybe. Same circular pattern. Same buried threat.

  He closed his fist around them.

  They wanted five to open the portal, he thought. And now they’ve got me hunting the last one like a starving dog after scraps.

  He didn’t know who had built this system. But they had a sense of humor.

  And a taste for blood.

  He laughed.

  Not loud.

  But honest.

  Relieved.

  A little manic.

  He had done it.

  Get early access to chapters, bonus content, and more. Now’s the perfect time to jump in!

  Patreon