*Inside the Weapon Space*
In the blood-filled void, Zain uttered things incomprehensible to any sane mind, while the blood seeped into him slowly, creeping as though it hadn't tasted something this delicious for millennia.
"Let's get started…"
'Since this is a place only discoverable by hiding by the MC…'
His face was marred with conviction as he spoke.
"He must also have been injured."
He felt impressed by the impeccable cliché trope logic of the scenario.
"Pretty classic…"
Watching the creeping blood, his expression faltered for a microsecond before he retrieved a knife from his supplies.
He held the blade against his palm, admiring it briefly, before slashing a thin line across his skin.
Blood dripped with controlled ease, reaching the creeping mass and becoming part of the whole.
Suddenly, the crimson mass stopped.
'Hmm?'
Confused, he squeezed out a little more blood, increasing the offering.
The bloody mass reacted as if afraid, retreating the same way it had crept forward.
"Oh…!!"
'This…'
"I can feel it!!"
He exclaimed as a sudden connection formed between him and the void.
"I knew it…"
'So now I should absorb it.'
"Sheesh…"
"This is gonna take a while."
Like an old driver complaining about cranking a stubborn vehicle, the extra began commanding the retreating blood mass now connected to him through his own blood.
The crimson glow of the land pulsed violently as he willed the connection inward.
Wave after wave surged as the entire realm of blood seemed terrified of the will engulfing it.
The sea churned, forming a vortex with Zain at its center, a sight of pure horror even for the toughest onlookers.
'I guessed it right…'
"Clichés never lie."
As the grotesque scene unfolded, Zain reassured himself nonchalantly—clearly the sole oddity in a dimension drowned in blood.
Time passed.
With each crimson wave absorbed into him, the void shrank.
Bit by bit, waves crashed, churned, and dissolved into his body until everything returned to nothing.
He inhaled sharply, as though finishing an impossibly heavy meal, and closed his eyes to savor it.
"Phew…"
Exhaling, he slowly opened his eyes.
"That was…"
His usual thrill faded when he saw himself standing before an empty showcase, his hand stretched as if grasping something that no longer existed.
"Oh… no more, huh?"
Disappointment flickered across his face, as though he had expected more from the void.
Something that will make the world aknowledge
'Now let's see what summoning a weapon feels like…'
He positioned himself and willed it.
"Hngghhh…"
Silence followed.
"…"
"Ahem…"
Again.
He tried once more, focusing his will.
"Summon, Bloo…d Re…aper…"
"...…"
The silence stretched.
Suddenly, realization struck him like a stone to the head.
"Ah! The awakening…"
Sigh…
'Guess I need to be awakened to awaken it.'
"Well… better late than never, I guess."
"Now…"
'Let's see what the library holds…'
As if his earlier embarrassment had never occurred, he strode forward... confidence restored, gait steady.
'Library is... surprisingly small.'
Perhaps ten books in total rested on the shelves, some with torn, parched pages, others molded beyond recognition.
"This won't do… neither will this…"
'Too broken… or not even books anymore…'
Gliding along the shelves, sorting through remnants for anything of value, he reached the final row.
"And I suppose this is the one?"
His logic held.
The shelf contained only a single book, pitch black… or molded? Yet its pages remained intact.
He picked it up to inspect its contents.
Then... everything went black.
"F#*(K—"
A migraine far worse than the memory fusion assaulted him.
His entire body convulsed as if every muscle fiber were being electrocuted individually.
His eyes dilated, capillaries straining against his corneas, threatening to burst.
Helpless, his mind was forcibly rewired to accommodate whatever he had encountered.
By the time he regained enough control to regulate his body, more time had passed than his entire exploration combined.
"Damn fknit…"
'That was…'
"Pai…nful…"
His voice cracked, still carrying the aftertaste of agony... but undeniable undertone of joy hid in his eyes.
"Nonetheless, that was a good haul, to be honest."
'Got a weapon… with skills included…'
"Pheeew…"
His mind and body now contained an enormous amount of weapon mastery.
Chains, scythes, swords... combined and refined.
'It's as if…'
"It was made for the Blood Reaper's wielder."
"Ofcourse it's gonna be!.."
He exclaimed suddenly striking his folded hand on his other palm as some Japanese enlightenment moment.
"This is a power up for MC, so it should be perfect... ain't it?"
He mused, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
'Now I need to know who this place belonged to…'
"Guess I have to start the hunt…"
Declaring his intent, he swept the area one final time for anything overlooked.
Finding nothing more, he exited the rift.
The moment he stepped out, the rift dimmed, its glow fading as it ceased releasing Berserk energy, having exhausted everything maintaining itself.
Seeing this, Zain's eyes gleamed with understanding.
"So… it really was a cliché weapon scene…"
'Didn't expect the skill book too… but who complains about a bonus?'
Despite his exhaustion, clothes clinging to him, posture slightly hunched... his jubilant attitude remained.
"Now then…"
'Should we look for anything else…'
"That skill issue…"
Suddenly his perfected deranged smile return on his face.
'Hehe.'
He straightened his form suddenly and coughed to bring his thoughts straight.
"Ahem…"
Anyway, that took time…
"So… what to do now…?"
He mused quietly, weighing his next move.