Azzim, who doesn't have much mana, really can't fight with any special skills or techniques like the rest of his friends. What he could do so far was only to attack with ordinary physical attacks using arrows, daggers or his short swords.

He has long since realized that he has been taking a wrong path for his character growth as a warrior. But he has gone too far for him to redo everything.

They are already in the Sixth Trial, and their ticket to get out of that realm is imminent. It is no longer possible for him to repeat it all from the beginning.

Forget about killing that monster anytime soon. He even isn’t sure he could take on the monster by himself. After all, what choice does he have now?

“Looks like I really have no other choice,” he mutters.

Azzim takes out a gemstone from a small pocket that is wrapped around his waist. He puts the gemstone into a special socket slot on the hilt of his magical short sword.

*******************

[Notifications!]

[You just installed the Blood Skill gem in a slot of your Magical Short Sword]

- After this, you will consume your HP as an exchange for any mana consumption for any skill you use.

*******************

He who actually doesn’t have a sufficient amount of mana, is forced to bet on the Blood Skill Gem. This is a risky choice where he has to sacrifice his own HP in exchange for mana usage.

Azzim grips his magical short sword so tightly and brings it closer to his face and closes his eyes. His hair starts standing up rigidly and the band that is wrapping his head and hair is blown away. His face has turned bright red. As he opens his eyes again, those eyes look like the eyes of a madman.

********************

[Notifications!]

[Berserker's Rush skill has been activated. You have lost 200 HP for activation, and you will drain out 5% HP per second as long as you're in this condition]

- Base speed ​​increased by 500%

- Total Damage Output increased by 500%

- Berserker status will turn your base HP regeneration rate into 0 per second.

********************

Not just sacrificing his own HP as an exchange for mana usage, he is also losing his own HP regeneration due to the effect of becoming a berserker warrior. With this condition, Azzim could only bet on the HP regeneration caused by the Vitality Aura shared by Leia.

“Let’s hope I can kill that monster first before my HP runs empty,” he mutters, talking to himself with a hard breath, starting to release a haze at the corners of his lips.

He starts running so recklessly, running so low and fast like a mad hound dog. He heads straight for Zarkhan, knowing there is no time for any maneuvers of all kinds. He knows that his HP will keep decreasing as long as the berserker's status is active.

His movement is so fast that the monster couldn't keep up with him. Slam after slam from all directions throws Zarkhan’s body all over the place.

Even if the monster still has quite a high regeneration rate, it isn’t enough to deal with the amount of damage caused by Azzim's mad attack which comes at him at a high pace. The dragon’s green skin and fleshes fly away every time Azzim slams his short sword so brutally.

“Azzim?” Leia mutters, looking so amazed to see how mad Azzim is peeling off Zarkhan’s fleshes, a condition so rare for her to encounter.

Although at this time Azzim is really cornering the monster, Leia realizes that Azzim is in a critical condition. As a well-calculated strategist who has sharp observation skills, Leia knows so well that Azzim won’t be able to hold out much longer.

Zarkhan, who no longer stands being bullied, starts his rampage and counterattack. It retaliates blindly, flapping its wings erratically and slamming his head like all over the place due to its rage.

Azzim is knocked and flown into one of the cave walls. The fact that he is again driven away from the monster makes him even more desperate, because he doesn’t have much time in that state.

Until he realizes something that gives a little hope in him. He notices something, seeming to be throbbing with a faint red color on Zarkhan’s chest. It’s something he certainly couldn't see when Zarkhan's body was still covered by his thick skin.

“Is that the heart? What if I just tore that part directly with my sword?” he mutters in speculating his chance.

In fact, he has saved one ultimate technique that he has never used. Because the mana requirement is so high, far exceeding the maximum amount of mana he has, that he could never use the technique at all.

But now, with the Blood Skill Gem has been installed to his Magical Short Sword, he starts calculating whether his remaining HP is enough for him to survive after he uses that technique.

Meanwhile, The Great Zarkhan is finding it hard to keep flying and falls to the ground. Yet, his body keeps recovering from all the wounds it has received.

“Looks like I'm really going to die after this. If that monster could still regenerate after this…,”

He mutters, looking so unsure with the decision. For a moment, he looks at Zul and Gaston and realizes he really has no other choice.

He shakes his head, trying to throw away his pessimism. The doubt has made his madness gone. In the end, he turns off the Berserker's Rush status within him.

********************

[Notifications!]

[Berserker's Rush has been deactivated]

- Your base HP regeneration rate will return to normal after a few seconds.

********************

“I really had no other choice!”

With a firm look full of determination, he holds his sword with both hands and draws it high up. His arms begin to glow slightly with a reddish light, giving off quite a strong energy aura.

He is planning to unleash his ultimate skill, The Heavenly Grace. However...

********************

[Notifications!]

[The Curse of The Underworld skill has been activated. You just sacrificed 1075 HP and turned it into corrupted blood for activating the technique]

- Over the next 10 seconds, each of your attacks will be amplified by the soul energy and corrupted blood plasma you draw out from within.

********************

“Eh?! The Curse of The Underworld?”

He is startled, looking so confused with the notification he just received.

“Is this why I got a dark red aura?”

But then he realizes, it must be because he is sacrificing his own blood for the technique instead of his mana.

“Well, naming it A Heavenly Grace wouldn't merit my current condition, huh?”

He mutters with a little silly smirk on his face, even though he looks so weak and in a dire state after consuming so much HP for that skill.