CHAPTER 890: ADELA’S REWARDS

Even though Alice had countless questions in her mind, there was no one to give her the answers to them.

For now, she simply focused on getting stronger and having a look at the loot she received from Adela.

First was the key that she had dropped.

The key itself was shaped rather... strangely as it felt almost like mummified remains rather than metal. Dried and tough skin stretched over bone.

There was a slight groove where she would hold and twist the key but aside from that, there was nothing else.

Next was the necklace.

Like the Embryos, the moment Alice clenched it and focused, a strange phenomenon began to happen as information was injected into her mind.

[Adela’s Necklace of Worship]

A necklace braided from crimson threads and darkened beads imbued by half forgotten prayers.

"Adela oh Adela, you must offer your all to the one who bleeds. Harken to the sounds of the hollow choir, pray for the souls starved of power."

In her final moment, she bled herself dry to hear the voice of her God in their purest form.

And this necklace drank every last drop of that crimson ichor.

Effects:

+20% Cast time, duration and potency when mana is below 30%.

Decrease maximum mana by 20%.

Increases the potency of Blood Magic by an extra 20% when mana is below 30%.

Just the description alone gave Alice some clues to this world. The way it classified their spells.

The Ayrian ring would’ve boosted her Abyssal spells while Adela’s necklace boosted blood magic.

With this in mind, she is now made aware of two schools of casting.

Whatever Pale Lance belonged to, Abyssal and Blood.

Folding her arms, Alice couldn’t help but wonder if it was similar to the classifications that Yvael created in the past.

For now, she’ll call Pale Lance type spells Neutral spells since there’s no distinct element tied to it. It’s simply a manifestation of mana in an offensive form.

Weighing the necklace on her hand for a moment, Alice decided to equip it for now.

The moment she wore the accessory, she felt energy draining from her body as her maximum capacity was decreased by 20% as expected.

With this, she could only fire around 3 Pale Lances before she’s exhausted. Though... This does mean her third hit would be a lot stronger than the rest with 20% increases to casting time and strength.

Alice wasn’t too sure about the duration but she assumed it was probably translated to range since her Pale Lance dissipates after a certain distance.

Of course, this duration could act differently for spells she’ll get in the future.

And while she was on this thought, Alice pulled out Adela’s unique Embryo.

According to Rolo, if she was to attune to this, she’ll be able to receive a special weapon or spell that Adela had used.

Weapon wise... she could only think about the blood blade she created during the second phase.

But it wasn’t just limited to weapon either. It could also be a piece of equipment she used.

’There’s no way it can be that casket... right?’ Alice’s smile twitched.

Thinking about walking around with that creepy thing following her... She felt goosebumps appearing on her skin.

Shivering at the thought, she closed her eyes and held out the Embryo towards the branch.

It melted into a strange black and red liquid and dripped onto the roots that drank it greedily.

In the next moment, Alice found herself in the familiar space where she had chosen her class along with her physical boosts.

To her left, a set of modified clothing that was similar to what Adela was wearing.

[Vestments of the Blood Moon worshipper]

A ceremonial outfit used in rites towards the blood moon.

When the Blood Moon rose, its worshippers siphoned their blood and faith into cloth.

These vestments pulse faintly beneath the wearer’s touch. A heartbeat? A sign of the life that once was?

These garbs greatly nourishes the wearer’s mana reserves and increases the potency of one’s blood magic.

When the wellspring of mana run dry, these vestments offer an exchange like no other...

Effects:

+10% boost to all Blood magic and Mana capacity.

Unique Effect: Lifeblood Conduit.

If a spell cost would exceed the Mana available, the user can use their own blood and life to substitute the cost of the cast. The amount of hp allowed to be converted is equal to how much mana one has.

Alice leaned back slightly and folded her arms.

"Sh*t... that’s pretty good." She mumbled.

But wearing something that’s still ’alive’ and had blood poured into it...

She winced in slight disgust.

But good equipment is good equipment.

She could only hope the second option is better than the first.

Otherwise she’ll have to walk around the Nightmare wearing these... robes.

Turning her gaze over, she discovered a bundle of mana as information was injected into her mind.

[Adela’s Blood Blade – Blood Magic]

An invocation of old used by Adela. With a prayer, three blood forged blades shall erupt before the caster, unleashing three devastating slashes that rends flesh and armour alike.

However, this power can also be adjusted to enhance the caster’s primary weapon instead, coating in a layer of blood. In this state, the caster’s weapon counts as using Blood Magic.

"F*ck... that’s also good."

If she could enhance her main weapon using this spell, she’ll be able to take advantage of her necklace’s power as her attacks now classify as Blood Magic.

On one hand, she has something that can boost her current power and accessories.

On the other... she has an item that allowed her to convert her health into mana.

It was a good emergency option. Though... Most of her stats from now will be focused around Speed, Spiritual and Endurance.

Vitality, or rather, Physicality wasn’t a priority, same with Power and Faith.

Even if she chose the equipment, she wouldn’t be able to convert much of her hp as she didn’t have a lot to begin with.

If her mana was going to end up with 100 points, her hp would stall around 30. At that point, she might accidently kill herself if she casts something too strong for her hp.

But if she chose to invest more into hp, it’ll indirectly buff her mana capacity.

Furrowing her brows, Alice was stuck.

In the end, she decided to go with the spell.

First, with no other Blood magic at her disposal, she wouldn’t be able to make full use of the passive effects from the necklace and the vestment.

At most, it’ll simply allow her to cast a little more with some risks due to the hp conversion.

On the other hand, choosing the spell now allowed her to tap into the full power of her necklace while also boosting her physical attacks. By using the second variant of casting, she’ll turn her weapon into something that dealt blood magic damage.

And if she was to drop her mana below the threshold, her standard attacks gain another boost.

Making her choice, Alice’s pupils constricted as she felt as though fire rushed through her veins for a moment.

Collapsing on her knee, she gritted her teeth and held back a cry.

Her body was being reshaped in the nightmare realm in order to allow her to cast said skill.

Once the pain was over, Alice found herself back by the branch.

A new spell was now imprinted into her mind and all she needed to do was chant out a prayer.

Standing up, she made her way to the centre of the garden and narrowed her eyes.

As she initiated the spell, it felt as though a portion of her control was robbed away from her.

She began to move instinctively and blood converged around her body.

Unfamiliar words flowed out of her mouth as crimson lights shone down from above.

Three swords solidified as she swiped with her arm.

The first unleashed a vertical slash, the second a horizontal one while the third would react to whatever moves they did to the second slash.

Though... the power felt a little disappointing.

Alice furrowed her brows.

With the amount of force she felt from these blades, her Pale Lance might have it beat in that regard.

As for the mana consumption, it was actually more efficient than Pale Lance, taking less mana overall.

"I guess the low damage is fine if it consumes less mana." Alice mumbled.

Shaking her head, she adjusted her stance and pulled out her rapier.

The second use of the spell was to coat her blade in blood and register it as Blood Magic.

Activating the spell, a prayer escaped her lips once more.

Blood burst out from the guard, coating her blade with a crimson sheen.

Unleashing a few slashes, Alice’s frown deepened as she felt no difference from the slash.

Was she missing something? A mechanic she wasn’t taking into account of?

With the necklace and the spell, she should be doing far more damage than this no?

So why did everything feel weaker than her Pale Lance.

Sheathing her weapon, Alice glanced around her.

There were two exits to this garden.

One to the next zone and one where she came from.

Thinking about it for a moment, she decided it was best to ask Rolo first before venturing forth.

###

"Hah??? Are you stupid? Why would you take that spell when you can’t even use it properly." Rolo blew a mouthful of smoke into Alice’s face.

"What do you mean?"

"The Spell mentioned prayer right? Do you pray for your Pale Lance to cast? Or do you use your own power? That’s the Spirituality stat. So why the hell did you pick a Faith scaling spell when you don’t put a single point into Faith?"

". . ." Alice froze.

She had just wasted her first boss reward selection.