Small barren hills were numerous, and they were currently occupied by the enemy.

At the moment, a fishing port located at the riverside was surrounded by groups of barbarians, leaving no gaps between their ranks.

They began to slowly march their way over the former, while echoing the drums of their weapons. One could feel the thick battle intent spreaded through the air, signifying the advent of incoming bloodshed.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The moment the battle cry had started, there were only minutes until the barbarians would charge in on the port.

From inside one of the dilapidated wooden houses, Tristan and the others were watching all of these happening. He looked at his companions and said, "This is it, guys… the enemy is approaching. We don't have the leisure to wait anymore. You all need to choose, lay down here and hope they won't kill you or fight with me and hope to die standing!"

Tristan did not even wait for the other's answer as he immediately walked out of the worn out house after he finished his words. He walked past the other ramshackle houses and stood tall in the middle of the port.

There were several abandoned and battered houses between him and the barbarians, but Tristan still had direct sight of the approaching enemy. With the river at his back and the few houses surrounding him, he was hopeful it would become a little obstacle for the coming force.

Moments later, Scrall, Astrid, as well as Borin appeared from behind and stood beside him. Their gazes were locked on the barbarians who were still banging their weapons. Next, it was Layla and Herrera who came - they also did not hesitate to stand with him.

When Tristan thought that this was it, the three dwarves unexpectedly came out of the house and joined him. Their willingness to basically put their life in danger surprised and also made Tristan happy. Following behind them was Seth, who thought that standing and fighting together with Tristan was better than hiding alone by himself.

Tristan gave Bifur the hand crossbow he looted from Borin's brother Piyo. The dwarf happily accepted the weapon as he began to calibrate it to his liking.

Then, Tristan shifted his attention to Belot. He was surprised to see the dwarf master took out a familiar-looking ring from his pocket, a storage ring just like the one he had. He did not realize the dwarf had such a thing.

From the storage ring in his hand, Belot took out three kinds of weapons. A massive ax that he proceeded to throw to red bearded dwarf Bofur; a saber that reflected the sun's flare, which was given to Bifur; and an enormous hammer almost twice his height - Tristan could clearly see the soil caved in when the hammer hit the ground.

It appears all three weapons were not much more inferior to the claymore he was currently holding. Seeing them swinging the weapons around and taking their fighting stances, he realized that he never analyzed the dwarves before. Hence, before the barbarians hit them with their assault, Tristan discreetly used the analyzing gadget.

[Target scanned]

[Dwarf, Male]

[Battle power 48]

[Dwarf, Male]

[Battle power 62]

[Dwarf, Male]

[Battle power 88]

The three dwarves, especially the master, surprisingly had a pretty high stat. Tristan just understood why the master was able to hold his heavy claymore so easily before. The man was almost as strong as his weakened state!

Returning his thoughts to the enemy, Tristan quickly organized the group. He would stand in the front with Scrall, acting as the frontline for the others. Meanwhile, Astrid and Borin would guard the sides, defending against any attempt at flanking as well as protecting Layla. Lastly, the rest stood in the middle and helped deal damage anytime the opportunity arose.

Herrera raised her hand and a spark of fire appeared on her finger which she used to lit the cigarette between her lips. Even though she looked relaxed at a glance, she knew that this battle could very well be the end of everyone here. Hence, her vigilance and awareness was raised to the max.

Now, there was only one last thing that Tristan needed to do.

He accessed the system in his mind and looked at the two options of upgrade available.

[Upgrade Blood Seal to Level 2 - 5,000 Blood Essence]

[Upgrade the host's body to Stage Three Blood Monarch - 10,000 Blood Essence]

In this kind of condition where the enemy had the knowledge about his skill, Tristan would not gain much advantage through his Blood Seal. True, he was still able to use the skill to turn the enemy against themselves and help the fight.

However, the expenditure of Blood Essence needed for the realization of this plan was enormous, and Tristan would not be willing to spend that much Essence if the solution could not help him immensely. This line of method was akin to finishing the enemy with a borrowed knife - it would not be able to solve the root cause.

In the end, what mattered the most was his own survival and Tristan believed that the body upgrade would increase his chances of survival as the upgrade itself was internal not external. Furthermore, the matter with that mysterious entity called Aesir made Tristan firm on his decision.

[Upgrade to Stage Three Blood Monarch]

[10,000 Blood Essence used]

[Advancing to Blood Monarch - Third Stage…]

The moment the last notification appeared in his mind, Tristan instantly felt the change.

He could feel the blood that was running through his veins stirred as it all flowed backwards simultaneously, heading to his heart. The beating of his heart sped up, and came with it was a deluge-like sensation. New blood was pumped and circulated throughout Tristan's entire body.

Tristan could feel part of the new blood make its way to his brain. Immediately after, he can see the glimpse of the lake of blood with seven suns hung on the crimson sky, there was one message that came to mind

'Slaughter'

It only appeared for a short time before he returned to reality. Afterward, Tristan could feel the changes. His body felt stronger, and he perceived his blood had been refined to a high degree, resulting in new power coursing through his entire body.

[Stage Three advancement completed]

[Advancement affect host's physical body]

[Battle power increased significantly]

[Battle power 200]

[Stage Three Innate Skill has been unlocked]

[You have learned a new skill - Blood Synthesis]

----------------------------------

Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,