Chapter 272: Chapter 272: The Blood Heart’s Evolution, New Ability

"Huh... it can do that?" he muttered, his mind quickly racing as he tried to recall every item he had previously enhanced.

It didn’t take long for him to piece it together.

The [Void Staff], the [Elemental Dragon Armor], the [Power Sword], the [Divine Armor], and the [Soul Flame Spear].

That made five items. Which meant...

BOOM!

A sudden surge of heat erupted from his chest, right where his heart was, the [Blood Heart] beating faster and faster as crimson energy leaked out from his body, wrapping around him in a faint aura.

Ding!

[Your "Blood Heart" has evolved.]

[You are now able to copy a superior version of a previous blessing to give it to a current item, do note that a specific blessing can only be copied once.]

[Or simply bless your item the normal way, though the blessings are now much stronger.]

Leon’s grin slowly widened as he read the notification, because this wasn’t just an upgrade, it was something far beyond that.

"A new ability... and stronger blessings overall," he murmured, clearly impressed, "This thing really does have insane potential."

The more he used the [Blood Heart], the stronger it became, and more importantly, the more options it gave him.

And for the [Destiny Staff], the choice was obvious.

"Copy the [Void Staff]’s blessing and apply it to the [Destiny Staff]," Leon said decisively.

The original blessing had allowed the staff to triple its spirit output, which was already extremely powerful, but now, with this new ability...

Fwoosh!

[You have blessed the "Destiny Staff"]

The staff reacted immediately, its dark surface pulsing as streaks of crimson spread across it, intertwining with the shadows and forming a deeper, more intense aura that made the weapon feel far more alive than before.

Leon didn’t waste time and opened the item’s panel to check the result.

---

[Destiny Staff (Ascendant): +25,000 Spirit. All of your spell’s power is significantly boosted.]

[Blood Heart Blessing: The "Spirit" bonus of the staff is multiplied by 5.]

---

Leon stared at the panel for a second, then blinked.

"...Hold on."

He read it again, making sure he wasn’t misunderstanding anything, and his eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him.

The original blessing had only tripled the stat. This one multiplied it by five.

"Oh..."

The word "superior" from the earlier notification suddenly made perfect sense.

It wasn’t JUST a copy. It was an enhanced version of the original.

Which meant...

"+125,000 Spirit...?"

Leon exhaled slowly, almost in disbelief as he felt the overwhelming energy radiating from the staff in his hand, the difference being so massive that even his breathing felt slightly heavier from the sheer power flowing through him.

"Holy shit..."

Every single one of his spells had just been amplified to a completely different level, to the point where even enemies like the [Spider Mother] or the [Forsaken General] might not survive a direct hit anymore, especially if they were weakened beforehand.

At this point, both his physical and magical capabilities had skyrocketed.

And once again, the [Blood Heart] had proven just how absurd it truly was.

Only then did Leon finally feel ready to check his [Combat Power], because after everything he had just done, there was no doubt that it had increased dramatically.

But just as he was about to open the panel—

BOOM!

A sudden explosion echoed from outside, loud and violent enough to shake the entire base slightly.

Leon froze for a split second before immediately recognizing the sound: the [Annihilation Turret].

’Violet didn’t activate the barrier since there were no enemies left...’ Leon thought as he rushed toward the door, his expression turning serious, ’So why the hell did it fire?’

Without wasting another second, he pushed the door open and sprinted outside, quickly turning his head toward the source of the noise.

And the moment he saw it...

"Oh."

Leon’s face paled instantly, his eyes widening as the situation unfolded in front of him.

A massive figure was charging straight toward the base, its towering body casting a shadow over the street as it moved with terrifying speed.

A giant, dark-skinned minotaur, holding an enormous axe that dragged slightly against the ground before being lifted with ease.

"FOUND... PLAYER..." it roared, its voice shaking the air as it locked onto Leon.

BOOM!

The turret fired again, a powerful blast shooting toward the creature, but the minotaur simply raised its axe and blocked the attack without even taking a step back, the explosion barely affecting it.

Then, in the next instant, it leaped forward.

With a single, devastating motion, it brought its axe down.

SMASH!

The [Annihilation Turret] was destroyed instantly, crushed under the impact as debris scattered everywhere.

Leon reacted quickly, jumping back to avoid the shockwave, but even then, the force of the attack pushed him several meters away before he managed to stabilize himself.

When he looked up again, the minotaur was already staring directly at him, its glowing eyes filled with pure malice.

"...Alright," Leon muttered as he took a deep breath, summoning his sword into his hand while tightening his grip on the staff.

His expression steadied almost instantly.

"Good thing you came to us," he said calmly, a faint smile forming despite the situation, "Finding you would’ve been annoying anyway."

Leon stood facing the [Forsaken Minotaur], his aura rising around him in steady waves as he prepared himself for a battle he knew would not be simple, not even close.

This was not just another monster roaming the streets, but one of the three bosses tied directly to the king of the [Forsaken City], a creature that had been looming over the group since the moment they arrived here.

A constant threat that they had always known they would eventually have to face.

Unlike the [Forsaken General], who commanded an army and relied on overwhelming numbers and coordination, the minotaur was something else entirely.

A pure embodiment of brute force and destruction, a being that didn’t need soldiers or strategy because its raw strength alone was enough to crush everything in its path without hesitation or resistance.

And yet, despite everything Leon knew about it, something about this situation felt off.

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