Chapter 2: Secret Realm

  "Boom, boom, boom!"

  Loud sounds echoed throughout the forest as a young man wearing a crimson battle armor and a fierce beast exchanged punches; Shockwaves from their blows destroyed every plant within five meter radius.

  Boom!

  After a particularly forceful punch, the two retreated a few steps back.

  "Huff, huff, huff..."

  The young man's chest rose and fell as he steadied his breathing, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Standing at about 1.8 meters tall, he cast a long shadow across the forest floor.

  Despite the intense battle, not a single drop of sweat could be seen on him. His handsome face wore a serious expression as he fixed his gaze on the monster before him.

  Opposite him stood his opponent: a two meter tall humanoid beast with the head of a lion, and a vary robust body of an ape. Its body bore multiple fist shape injuries of varying depth, from 1 to 3 centimeters—some even reaching up to 5 centimeters deep—making a sharp contrasts with the young man, who remained completely unscathed.

  Of cause, the young man is none other than our protagonist—Alex.

  It had been 7 days since Alex transmigrated to this magical world—to be precise, transmigrate to this secret realm called: Thousand hands realm.

  The secret realm has five levels, which the inheritors are required to pass before they could receive the final inheritance and the right to leave and enter the secret realm at will. The inheritors can stay in Secret Realm for a year at max; those who can not pass by then will be kicked out of the Secret Realm and cannot enter again—same with those who willingly exit.

  According to the information he received when he passed the first level of the secret realm, the 'thousand hands realm' is an inheritance type secret realm left behind by a rank 8 Blood Knight who is very proficient in the art of muti-tasking; he used his Blood power to create thousands of hands that could stretch as far as ten meters, and each of these hands also possess immense strenght, capable of unleashing a punching force of 100kg.

  The most terrifying part is when all hands punch at once, they can achieving a punching force of more than 100,000 kg (100,000kg = 1000 hands), making him unparalleled in close and close-quater combat; it's said that at his peak (which is rank 8 Blood Knight), Thousand hands could create more than 2000 hands.

  Knights are divide into 9 ranks, with rank 1 being the weakest and the strongest being rank 9.

  When Alex first transmigrated, he was already a rank 2 Blood Knight, so even though the monster he faced in the first level of the Secret Realm was a strong rank 1 monster, he could still kill it the strenght of humans and monster in the same rank are generally the same, of cause there is always exceptions.

  Of cause, if not for the secret arts he received when he pass the first level, he definitely won't be able to fight the guardian of the second level: which is the monster with lion head he his currently fighting with.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Secret arts are the method Blood Knight use to utilize their Blood power to the fullest. Without secret arts, Blood Knights will not be able to fight monsters in the same level.(Blood power = mana , secret art = spell )

  For exanple, one of the secret art he received for passing the first level: a defensive secret art called 'crimson battle armor'; a level 1 Blood Knight with the 'crimson battle armor' secret art can take a shot from a hand gun in close range without any injuries, while one without a defensive secret art will definitely be injured.

  The power of a secret art is proportional to the level of a Knight, and as the level of the Knight in increases, so does the number of secret art they can practice increase. Example: a level one Blood Knight can only practice one secret art, level two can practice two, level three can practice three, so on and so fourth.

  The two secret art he received is the most basic secret art: a Blood Power manipulation secret art and a defensive secret art.

  (Ok, back to the battle)

  Though alex look fine comprere to monster, he was not relax because the battle just now has consume 60 percent of his Blood power.

  he has to kill this monster quickly before he ran out of Blood power, or he will definitely have to wait for ten days before he can challenge it again. (yes, the inheritor can quit during the fight, but there will be a ten days delay, and the next time he/she quit during a fight, the duration will multiply to twenty days, so on and so fourth.)

  Alex quicky gathered his thought, he focused all his energy on gathering his Blood power, changing the full body armor to only cover his head and arms. The transformation took less than a second to complate.

  Stomping his foot hard on the ground, he quickly charge toward the monster, crossing the distance of two meters in a flash while stretching his hands out for the punch of the monster who was also charging forward with fierce momentum.

  Boom!!!

  Just before the two of them collide, a sharp spike quickly emerge from the Blood armor in his head, accurately stabbing into the neck of the monster, creating a deep hole from the neck to the back of the head.

  "Congratulation for completing the second test, leave the test ground or proceed with to the next test"

  A loud, deep voice echoed through the forest as the monster before him shatter like sand, soon disintegrate to nothingness; even the trace of battle in the scene was slowly recovering with speed visible to naked eye.

  "leave the test ground"

  without any hesitation, he chose to leave the test ground.

  As for why he didn’t test the third level to know the strength of the monster he is facing next, firstly: he has no idea if the next test will be about fighting monster and not some dangerous test that may kill him before he could react.

  Secondly: what if the monster knew some long range attacks and attacked him immediately the test begins? he definitely will not bet his life on whether he can react in the face of a rank 3 or above monster.

  'it's better to level up to rank 3 before chellenging the third level of the secret realm' he thought to himself as the forest around him seems to pause briefly before shattering, replace with a room made of beautiful purple stones from floor to ceiling.

  "that is so cool" Alex said, his eyes filled with amazement as he gaze at the shattering space around him.

  Even though this is not the first time he's seeing it, he is still amazed by the illusion used in creating the test ground.

  Blood Knight can not create such type of magic, so this was definitely created by an Illusion Master; Blood Knight are not the only cultivation path in this world. there are more than seven cultivation paths and there might even be more in the future.

  They are: Blood Knight, Mage, Illusion Master, Card Master. Those are the Cultivation Path written in books left behind by Thousand Hands in this Secret Realm.

  "Tsk, it seems like Master (Thousand Hands) is very disdainful of the other Magic Professions, he didn't even write them down for his successor. but on a second thought, that should be common sense in this world" after many days in the Secret Realm, Alex shamelessness was already acting up. He was already shamelessly calling Thousands Hands, 'Master', when he has yet to even pass the third test of the Secret Realm.

  Throwing the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind, Alex walked up to the only thing in the empty room: it was a hand made of blood coloured crystal. on the Crystal Hand is a glowing orb.

  The words 'Blood Hands' was written on the orb.

  This orb is called a Learning Orb, use in recording and transmitting Secrets Art; although he couldn't tell if there's other easier way to learn Secret Arts, but learning it through the Learning Orb is definitely easier than the normal way.

  Secret Arts are composed of complex symbols that acts as a language to communicate with Blood Power, instructing it on what to do. When these symbols are drawn on paper, they are just complex symbols without any effect. However, when inscribed on the human body using a special technique, they manifest powerful, supernatural effects.

  Normally, When a low level Blood Knight inscribe Secret Arts on their body, they has to use a special potion to enhance their mind power for a short time. In that short amount of time, he/she has to memorize the Secret Art symbols, use their enhanced mind power to control their Blood Power and draw the symbols in their Blood Core.

  But when they use Learning Orb, then there will be no need for potion. The Learning Orb also has a effect of enhancing mind power but unlike the normal way, Learning Orb helps you memorize the Secret Art symbols.

  'I was wondering what will be the reward for the second test, but it is still a Secret Art. It can't be that all the reward are Secret Arts, right? Sigh... I was hoping for some kind of pill to breakthrough rank three Blood Knight.' Alex wondered. he is not really worried about his Blood Power cultivation speed, because he has a cheat.

  *****