Unrestricted

Lu Xiu stared into thought as she looked at the enemy she had created, whose face was indistinct.

And very soon.

She then figured out the source of that sense of familiarity.

Although she just wanted to casually create a Berserker.

But subconsciously, when she thought about Blood Control and sacrificing life for destructive power, she inevitably referenced classic game settings from her past life.

First up is the Berserker from Dungeon Fighter Online.

The essence of this online game class is to use one's own blood as fuel, pushing life to its limits through Bloodlust, and even condensing blood into a tangible sword blade. It is the game character that best reflects Lu Xiu's ideas.

Doing dungeons in online games is really tough.

besides.

When it was first built.

Lu Xiu inevitably thought of another game— Bloodborne.

The reason I thought of Bloodborne is mainly because of the blood-based weapons in the game, and the entire background story built on blood.

After all, the reason why the hospitable Yharnam turned into that horrible state was ultimately because it discovered the Blood of the Great Ones.

Great Ones was discovered, and its blood was found to be a divine medicine. After diluting the divine blood, it could be directly injected into the patient's vein to cure all diseases.

This is also known as Blood Healing.

After the discovery of the Blood Elixir Method, the once remote and unknown Yharnam quickly became famous far and wide, attracting a constant stream of people seeking medical help. The people of Yharnam even developed products made from the divine blood in addition to those for medical use, and even brewed wine with the blood, claiming that the divine blood was sweeter than fine wine.

However, the Blood of the Great Ones not only heals the sick, but also brings terrifying side effects. Soon, problems began to appear, and many people who had been Blood Ministration showed signs of bestiality on the night of the full moon.

Because the bestial transformations occurred during the period when a large number of outsiders flooded into Yharnam, the people of Yharnam became extremely hostile towards outsiders, even blaming them for the bestial transformations.

Despicable outsider!

They actually brought in a strange disease!

You're saying it was caused by us randomly injecting blood? Bullshit!

The Hunter in the game are actually people who have been injected with the Blood of the Great Ones. They gained power through diluted Blood of the Great Ones, but this power is both a source and a curse—because it is power gained on the basis of resisting beastification.

Considering this story background.

----If we add the gameplay elements of needing to suppress one's beast form to obtain power from the Blood of the Great Ones, and needing to control one's blood to condense Quicksilver Bullets, and blood-based weapons also needing to be created from blood, then we can add those elements.

Bloodborne could be used as a blueprint for dungeons, making it seem like it would be a good practice resource.

Lu Xiu thought of this.

I'm somewhat tempted.

"----Forget it, let's create an enemy first."

But after thinking it over carefully, she didn't rush to make a decision. Instead, she gently shook her head, then raised her hand and aimed it at the enemy in front of her.

A large amount of light began to converge towards the warrior with the blurred face.

In fact, Lu Xiu doesn't yet know how to control blood.

We can only figure it out as we go.

Perhaps because Lu Xiu had just been moved, as she continued to refine her design, the image of the enemy before her began to change drastically.

His original simple attire quickly transformed into a black Hunter's trench coat stained with dried blood, and he added a tattered tricorn hat that hid most of his face in shadow.

A katana appeared out of thin air in his right hand, while he held a hunting rifle in his left.

Overall, it's the classic Hunter look from Bloodborne.

However, when he raised his head, he didn't look quite like it anymore.

Because those eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, shone with a scarlet light.

"----See its power!"

After setting the ability values according to her own understanding, Lu Xiu let out a long sigh and assumed a fighting stance.

Brush!

Lu Xiu had just assumed her stance.

The Hunter in front of her suddenly raised his head and locked onto her instantly.

He raised the shotgun in his left hand.

Bang.

Gunshots rang out.

But Lu Xiu had already dodged to the side the instant the other party raised his hand, and the bullet grazed her hair.

That's truly a lack of martial ethics.

Lu Xiu made a comment.

At the same time, the Hunter, having failed in his first attack, suddenly closed in.

He put away his hunting rifle and, with a swift motion, sheathed his katana back into its scabbard at his waist.

Immediately afterwards, the center of gravity shifted slightly downwards.

Laugh!

The moment the Hunter approached Lu Xiu, he suddenly drew his katana with both hands!

It was a direct Iai Slash slash.

Lu Xiu deftly dodged backward, then glanced at the other person's knife.

The once clean blade was now completely enveloped in a thick layer of scarlet blood aura, and a faint smell of blood could be clearly detected as the blade sliced through the air.

The Hunter missed his Iaijutsu Iai Slash and continued to close in, unleashing a brutal five-hit combo!

Swish swish swish swish!

The blade, shrouded in a bloody aura, arrived in an instant.

Lu Xiu was not carrying any weapons. Faced with this storm of attacks, she could only rely on her flexibility and reflexes to dodge left and right amidst the impenetrable blades.

Lean back, turn sideways, and slide.

The blood-red blade almost always grazed her nose, chin, and the hem of her clothes.

Lu Xiu felt the Blood Frenzy Art swirling around the blade. Every time the blade swept past her, the tangible scarlet energy brought a stinging pain like being pricked by needles.

"----They're pretty strong."

Lu Xiu murmured something, dodging attacks while using her Architect privileges to sense the health and vitality of the virtual enemy before her.

She could clearly see how the Hunter's blood boiled and how it was channeled as he relentlessly slashed.

With each swing of the Hunter, a large amount of blood and energy is pumped into the arms and then transmitted to the blade. At the same time, after the first strike, the momentum of the body and the special breathing rhythm will squeeze out the next burst of power.

While dodging the weapons shrouded in blood energy, Lu Xiu studied the flow of the opponent's blood energy in her mind.

Although these were set by herself.

But settings are one thing, whether it will actually happen is another.

That's about it----

Lu Xiu suddenly darted backward, dodging the Hunter's final, powerful downward strike, and then looked at his opponent's body, which was slightly pausing due to the continuous bursts of power.

"Pause."

Lu Xiu raised her hand.

The Hunter in front froze in place, still slightly panting after finishing his downward strike, the Blood Frenzy Art swirling around the blade also solidifying in mid-air.

Next.

Lu Xiu closed her eyes again.

Soon, another identical Hunter was created and stood quietly in place.

"Try it yourself."

Lu Xiu had a sudden thought and then activated the Builder Roleplay mode.

Her vision went black instantly.

A feeling of being detached came over me.

When Lu Xiu opened her eyes again, she was already standing in front of another Hunter. She looked down and found that she was wearing the black Hunter's trench coat, holding an old-fashioned hunting rifle in her left hand and the bloodless katana in her right.

"First, turn off the cheat software."

Lu Xiu slightly raised her snow-white chin and directly turned off all system assistance and skill management modules.

Only the most basic functional modules were retained.

Without the system's intervention, the lightness that used to come from simply pressing a skill button and having the body automatically execute the move vanished instantly.

Next.

Lu Xiu put away her hunting rifle, lowered her center of gravity slightly, and placed her right hand on the hilt of her knife.

He began to imitate the Hunter's movements, mobilizing his internal energy and blood while sheathing his sword, and then channeling it into the blade.

But it was much harder than I had imagined.

--After all, without the system's assistance, and since humans cannot control their own blood flow—it's the body's automatic system—it's too counterintuitive to try to forcibly control it with consciousness and Mental Strength.

While theoretically it can be controlled through deep breathing, holding your breath, actively tightening muscles, or feedback training.

But those are all very macro-level adjustments, which are useless for Lu Xiu to learn. The only thing that can be adjusted accurately is...

It seems there's only one way----

But Lu Xiu can't learn that now either.

So it was much more difficult than she had imagined.

First of all, there was an extremely strong sense of awkwardness, accompanied by the soreness of tense muscles. Even though Lu Xiu could vaguely sense her blood and qi, she had no idea how to mobilize them and was completely unable to do what the Hunter had done, drawing her sword and immediately drawing blood.

At the same time.

The Hunter who had been copied on the other side was then activated.

His bloodshot eyes fixed on Lu Xiu once more.

Then, similarly, lower your center of gravity and grip the knife handle tightly.

Laugh!

The katana was suddenly drawn! A dense crimson aura instantly enveloped the blade, and a powerful, heavy blood energy slash slashed directly at Lu Xiu's head!

It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy.

Lu Xiu decisively abandoned her attempt to mobilize her qi and blood, and directly drew the weapon from her waist that was not supported by qi and blood. Relying purely on her skill, she flipped her wrist.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing rang out.

Because it's set to role-playing mode, skills can't be used, which means Perfect Deflect is impossible.

Therefore, Lu Xiu's defense was purely physical.

And the cost of doing so is --

A tremendous reaction force suddenly came.

My arm feels a little numb.

This was how Lu Xiu felt after she had released her strength.

That's a huge loss for them.

Lu Xiu jumped back and called for a pause again.

The value seems to be set too high.

However, if one cannot successfully control their Qi and blood, relying solely on pure skill to withstand such a violent attack caused by the burst of Qi and blood will result in a significant difference in strength attributes.

However, after pausing, Lu Xiu thought about it and made no adjustments.

Instead, he shook his slightly sore wrist.

Sheath the knife again.

Ready to continue practicing.

That feeling of having power but not knowing how to use it.

It's better to have a powerful enemy to push things a bit.

Otherwise, wouldn't they become lazy?

Each time you fail, you have to put up a fight; consider it punishment.

Lu Xiu took a deep breath, looked at the enemy before her again, and said, "Again!"

Time flew by within the pure white Construction Space.

Lu Xiu relentlessly withstood the enemy's attacks.

The clanging of metal being struck echoed continuously.

But Lu Xiu never tried to reduce the enemy's stats.

Nearly two hours later.

Lu Xiu was slightly out of breath, and for what seemed like the umpteenth time, she sheathed her katana at her waist.

The prolonged concentration had left her slightly fatigued, but her beautiful eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

--

The blood-clad Hunter on the other side didn't seem tired at all. He lowered his center of gravity again and smoothly completed the action of sheathing and drawing his sword.

Laugh!

The dense crimson blood energy once again enveloped the blade without hesitation, and then unleashed another powerful blood energy slash at Lu Xiu, mercilessly cleaving down on her head!

This time.

Lu Xiu did not choose to confront them head-on as she had done before.

Instead, he lightly slid backward a short distance with a push of his feet, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

The blood-red blade grazed her nose as it fell, striking the pure white ground and exploding in a stench.

And in that very instant, as the Hunter was momentarily stunned by the downward slash...

Lu Xiu took a deep breath, and the blood and qi flowing in her body instantly became violent.

She then suddenly drew her katana!

However, compared to the Hunter's knife, which was so thick it was almost dripping with blood, the knife in Lu Xiu's hand was only barely surrounded by a very, very faint layer of red mist, as if it would dissipate at any moment.

However, Lu Xiu had no intention of maintaining this uncontrollable surge of energy.

The moment the katana was drawn.

She immediately gripped the knife with both hands and, following the lingering faint scent of blood, swung it twice in the air in front of her!

One horizontal line and one vertical line.

As Lu Xiu swung her sword, the red mist that swirled around the blade, seemingly about to dissipate at any moment, found an outlet.

Accompanied by the sound of air being torn apart by a blade.

The little bit of blood mist attached to the blade was forcibly extracted and compressed the moment the blade drew the word "Qian"!

Immediately afterwards, a blood cross formed from blood mist appeared out of thin air in front of Lu Xiu and blasted directly at the Hunter who had just recovered.

Bang!

The crimson cross was imprinted on the Hunter's chest, sending him staggering backward several steps before regaining his footing.

66

Lu Xiu maintained the posture from when she finished swinging her sword, looking at the Hunter she had blasted away, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Yes.

This is the result of her two hours of constant parrying and counter-attacks—

She still hadn't learned how to draw out her vital energy smoothly and keep it lingering on the blade for a long time, just like the Hunter opposite her.

Without system assistance.

That kind of operation is a bit difficult, and Lu Xiu needs some time to get used to it.

But that doesn't mean she wasted two hours.

At least she has managed to control her qi and blood, although she can't control the output smoothly.

But at least it's a simple and direct route to an outbreak.

She got it.

The result was the Cross Slash just now.

Instead of letting the blood and qi adhere to the blade, one forcibly gathers all the blood and qi that burst forth in an instant, then draws a cross, giving it a forward force, letting this force explode on its own.

"Mastering the Cross Slash technique to control your Qi and Blood is quite something—"

Lu Xiu paused again, then sheathed her katana, looked at her opponent, and smiled gently.

This was completely different from what was expected.

She wanted to learn how to control her Qi and blood, and then autonomously unleash the effects of Extraordinary · Remnant skills.

But I learned this.

Such a cross-shaped attack is practically useless in reality.

After all, there's no skill compensation in reality, so who would dare to waste their life force like that? And even if they did, how many times could they do it?

Are you out of your mind?

Do they really think everyone's Berserker?

"However, isn't this a kind of mobilization of qi and blood? Can I activate the effects of Transcendent Skill now?"

Lu Xiu raised her right hand, slowly opened it, then closed her eyes, feeling the blood and qi in her body.

Then.

Based on her previous notes on the blood and qi flow path when the [Transcendent·Remnant] Lightning Enchantment was activated, she began to use her Mental Strength to try to guide the blood and qi in her body, making it violent, and at the same time, making it surge down her shoulders, all the way to her wrists and palms.

Because there is no precise control system.

Lu Xiu's self-control was very clumsy.

Moreover, it seemed as if it could get out of control at any moment, but Lu Xiu's Mental Strength was indeed high. Although she repeatedly tested the edge of danger, she still controlled her qi and blood, forcibly squeezing them into that specific flow path.

The next second.

Zi.

A slight, unusual noise suddenly rang out.

Two faint but dazzling blue arcs of electricity suddenly lit up and danced on her fair fingertips!

Lu Xiu suddenly opened her eyes.

Then, the camera captured the electric arc flashing through the air and then completely dissipating.

"----That really works!"

Seeing this scene...

Lu Xiu's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up, filled with undisguised surprise.

Although the supply of qi and blood was insufficient and the control was unstable, the electric arc only appeared for a moment before dissipating.

But that moment of success proved one thing: skills really can indeed break free from the system and be released independently by the player!

And it seems like I've actually gotten the hang of it.

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu was both happy and excited, and couldn't help but tiptoe slightly.

But this joy lasted only a few seconds.

Because very quickly.

She suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Lu Xiu raised her head, looked around at the pure white Construction Space, glanced at the Hunter opposite her who was still in a paused state, and then looked down at the black trench coat she was wearing.

Etc!

Wrong!

Although she has paused the enemy's actions, she is still in role-playing mode!

Furthermore, in order to force herself to learn to control her Qi and blood, she explicitly turned off all system assistance and skill management modules when she activated the role-playing mode.

This means that she is currently in no different from being in Roleplay Instance! Even if the enemies are paused, it's as if she is in a magic-free zone!

So for the past two hours, she was unable to unleash skills like Perfect Deflect, which she usually used with great skill, and could only rely on physical parries to withstand the Hunter's attacks.

But just now—in this situation where, theoretically, it's absolutely impossible to use system skills!

Her fingertips, however, actually produced several arcs of electricity belonging to the [Transcendent·Crippled] skill!

this----

After Liberation Skill, can it be used in Roleplay Instance?

This is way too overpowered!

It's important to understand that even the most fundamental skill Deconstruction, when used in Roleplay Instance, can only extract materials.

It offers absolutely no help to players in clearing dungeons.

but----

The extraordinary and disabled are different.

It's hard to say how much help it can provide in a normal combat instance.

But what if it were Roleplay Instance like Resident Evil?

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu slowly lowered her head, looking at her fair palms.

"So----"

Lu Xiu murmured, "As long as the player has complete control over the skills and is free from system assistance, can they be used freely in role-playing mode, which is similar to a magic-free environment?"

If this speculation is true.

The significance of Liberation Skill goes far beyond mere freedom.

This also means that, under the rules set by the system, this player has immunity!

The meanings are completely different.

Imagine if, in the future, there are still competitive events where players from other worlds would have to fight each other, and then a competitive arena appeared that strips players of all their abilities.

Once a player unlocks their skills, they can basically dominate any other player!

besides.

if.

In areas with inhabitants, the use of any skills is prohibited for everyone present, and players with the Liberation Skill will have a unique advantage.

This is not impossible.

Because Lu Xiu had experienced a similar realm— the Edge-less Prison of Finn's Prison Rock.

"That was definitely the right practice."

Lu Xiu gently squeezed the fair hand that had just successfully emitted an arc of electricity, feeling the faint tingling sensation lingering on her fingertips, and felt even happier.

A gamified world.

No player can escape the system.

The system gives you a skill, and you use it exactly as instructed. If it says you can't use it, then you can't use it.

It absolutely cannot be used.

There was simply no way to resist.

But after Liberation Skill —it seems like you can say no!

Although it's just a skill right now!

But Lu Xiu vaguely felt that this was a very important step.

"----However, it's too early to be happy."

Lu Xiu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her inner joy.

To put it bluntly, that fleeting arc of electricity couldn't do anything.

In real combat, they wouldn't even be qualified to perform gua sha on the enemy.

For the [Transcendental Remnant] to be truly released autonomously and become a practical combat tool, she must be able to skillfully and stably control her qi and blood, just like controlling her breathing, instead of forcibly squeezing out two clusters of electric arcs on the verge of losing control, as she did just now.

Thinking of this...

Lu Xiu raised her head again, her gaze falling on the Hunter who was frozen in place opposite her.

Now that we've already opened the door, there's no reason to give up halfway.

"Call----"

She gently exhaled a breath of stale air, reactivating her dissipated vital energy, and placed her right hand once again on the hilt of the katana at her waist.

"Again!"

"The Cross Slash seems to be smoother now."

"No, we can't keep practicing this. We need to proceed gradually. What should we practice next?"

"Got it! Dual Blades!"

"By the way, are Dual Blades considered colorless?"

"Wait a minute! -- Why do I feel like I'm becoming more and more like Berserker the more I practice?"

"This enemy is no good, they're too weak."

"Forget it, let's find another enemy."

"Let my senior sister handle this!"

"Maria, oh Maria, how handsome you are!"

the next day.

Chen Capital.

The trilateral consultations have just concluded.

hotel.

Rosalind returned to her residence, leaned back wearily on the sofa, and rubbed her temples.

The talks did not go smoothly.

The Nine Provinces representatives were not arrogant; in fact, they were quite polite. However, they were very firm about their bottom line and their attitude was very resolute.

Nine Provinces has indicated it is willing to purchase the materials obtained from clearing Monster Hunter in countries like Franca, and also welcomes them to conduct regular trade in Nine Provinces. Cooperation in other areas is also open to discussion.

But—do you want the weapons produced by Astera?

No!

Nine Provinces simply wouldn't budge.

Even when Rosalind mentioned the Information Alliance, Nine Provinces seemed hesitant and kept dodging the question, let alone wanting a deeper alliance.

As for seeing Lu Xiu.

Seeing this, Rosalind simply stopped mentioning it altogether.

"This is really hard to chew!"

Rosalind sighed.

However, this was only the first meeting, so she wasn't too pessimistic.

In addition, she didn't come away empty-handed. The only good news was that she finally learned what the Pioneer Hunter profession that triggered the region-wide announcement was all about.

Nine Provinces was surprisingly generous with information in this regard, not only not concealing anything, but also directly explaining the mechanics of the professions.

In return, the officials from Nine Provinces asked Rosalind a question.

Thinking of this...

Rosalind slowly opened her eyes, raised her hand, looked at her pale palm, and murmured, "Franca's Blood Frenzy Art?"

After saying that.

She frowned slightly, completely baffled.

"There are no Orc Race in Nine Provinces, so there's no basis for their bloodline to revert to its ancestral form. Why would they be interested in this?"

Blood Frenzy Art are abilities mastered by various races in Franca to awaken their Ancestral Bloodline. These are not skills introduced through gamification, but rather racial talents.

Moreover, only the Orc Race of Franca can use it.

If any Nine Provinces resident dared to act recklessly, their blood vessels would burst on the spot; that should be common sense.

But that's exactly what they asked.

"Could it be that... they discovered something?"

Rosalind lowered her hand, a hint of doubt flashing in her beautiful eyes.