He deduced that the quantity of blood left in the body after his absorption impacted the power he gained from the sacrifice.
‘The amount of undead-creating power I gain from using the Corpse Sacrifice skill seems to be somewhat related to the amount of blood in the sacrificed creature.’
Val’s realization was simple but correct nonetheless.
The more blood the corpse has and the stronger it was before its death, the more undead-creating power he could get from casting the Corpse Sacrifice skill on it.
That meant he needed to strike a balance between using his Blood Absorption skill and ensuring that he left enough blood for a valuable sacrifice.
This understanding shed new light on his abilities and presented yet another strategy for Val to ponder.
…
Val continued his journey through the labyrinth.
The tunnels inside the labyrinth were booby-trapped, laced with various mechanisms designed to eliminate any who dared to tread within. However, thanks to his Heavenly Eye ability, which rendered the labyrinth semi-transparent to his sight, Val was able to perceive these traps and their mechanisms.
He bypassed or deactivated most of the traps that could be found in the labyrinth until he came across one that was utterly unavoidable.
The trap in the tunnel ahead was set up in such a way that it would activate the moment he stepped in, but it was necessary to go through this tunnel if he wanted to get to the center of the labyrinth. From his current position, it was only two tunnels away!
Val scratched his chin, a thoughtful look appearing on his face. ‘I have no choice but to enter the mouth of the dragon and find a way to survive. Hopefully, the plan I’ve come up with would prove effective. But if that doesn’t work, I’ll just sacrifice a limb or two to get ahead.’
The moment he entered a particular tunnel, the trap was triggered.
A loud rumble was heard as the ceiling overhead opened up and a massive spiked iron ball came hurtling down at an astonishing speed as if it had been fired from a rocket. 𝑜𝑣𝓛xt.𝗇𝓔t
Fortunately, Val had anticipated such an encounter and had activated all his stat boosts. He released a surge of soul power that collided with the falling ball, slowing its descent ever so slightly. That brief delay was all the time he needed to make a backward jump with all the strength he could muster. He hoped that it would be enough to get it out of its way.
Bam!
The spiked ball missed him by an inch, crashing into the ground where he had stood moments ago. The force of the impact created a depression, and cobweb-like cracks spread across the ground, stopping just short of Val’s feet.
Looking at the aftermath, Val couldn’t help but muse, “If that had hit me, every bone in my body would’ve shattered into a thousand pieces.”
Val looked ahead. The massive iron ball now blocked his path. It was so heavy it couldn’t be moved by conventional means.
“If someone else was in my shoes, they would have gotten stuck in the labyrinth until their last breath. Thankfully, I have a way to overcome this difficulty.”
Saying so, Val opened his pocket dimension. A black hole appeared in between him and the iron ball.
The entrance to this dimension could be adjusted according to his wish, so he widened its mouth to accommodate the iron ball. The pocket dimension released a great sucking pull, and the iron ball was pulled inside.
With the obstacle out of his way, Val continued walking towards the heart of the labyrinth, thinking,
‘Now only two more hurdles stand between me and the Labyrinth Heart.’
In the tunnel leading to the center of the labyrinth, Val came across another dungeon monster, this time a ferocious Two-headed Hell Dog. It was not only larger than the Minotaur but also more menacing than it with flames dancing around its massive form.
Without hesitation, Val charged forward, swinging his sword at the beast. Surprisingly, the Hell dog leaped back with astonishing speed, deftly dodging his attack. This agility from such a massive beast took Val by surprise, his eyebrows shooting up.
Then he saw the Hell Dog lunging forward, both its jaws opening wide revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its jaws snapped shut on empty air as Val, moving even faster, slipped backward out of its reach.
“You’re fast enough to give a headache to any beginner-stage bloodline user. It’s your misfortune that you encountered an enemy whose main forte is speed. No matter how fast you move, I will always move faster than you.” Val taunted.
Woof! Woof!
The beast, as if understanding his words, barked in indignation.
Wisps of fire then began to swirl in the beast’s twin maws, swirling and twirling like a tornado, coalescing into two blazing fireballs. With a head-jerking motion, the Hell dog propelled the fireballs from its mouth.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The heat in the tunnel spiked several degrees as the fireballs hurtled through the air and rocketed toward Val, the air crackling with their intense heat.
Thinking quickly, Val unleashed his wizardry. He slammed his soul power into the fireballs, causing them to explode mid-air before they could reach him. The resulting detonation created a fiery shockwave that sent a cloud of smoldering dust billowing through the tunnel.
“This better works.”
Bracing himself, Val crossed his arms in front of him, summoning his blood devil bloodline power. Blood surged from his body, coalescing into a solid shield that materialized before him. The shield, robust and crimson, bore the full brunt of the explosion, keeping Val safe from harm. The force of the blast crashed into the shield, causing the surface to ripple like disturbed water, but it held firm.
Woof!
Through the settling dust and smoke, the two-headed Hell dog leaped, landing on Val’s shield with a resounding thud. Its claws scraped across the crimson shield enclosing Val, while its heavy body pounded against it, but the shield withstood the beast’s assault.