With the basics of bloodlines being explained to him like was interested in how he could utilize this to improve his wolf's combat capabilities.
'So how does one improve their bloodline?' Mike asks Abbey
"There are a lot of ways that bloodlines can be improved but the most common of ways is through the digestion of blood or mana rich environments"
'So nothing I can do for now then' Mike thinks to himself as he moves from the companion tab to the Rewards tab where he sees that he can draw a random technique apparently
'Hey Abbey, what are techniques then?'
"Techniques are like skills especially suited for combat that anyone can use as long as they train their technique they can improve it and some cases make it evolve into a better version. Techniques though are different because of how they apply specifically to your body or a weapon" Abbey says
'So what exactly can they do?' Mike asks
"Specifically it depends on the type of technique that you receive. An example could be a gliding technique that can allow you to make wings of mana that allow you to glide around or allow you to do something else with either mana or your natural surroundings"
'Neat'
Without further ado, Mike touches the technique choice and there is another wheel that appears out of nowhere prompting Mike to start the spin.
Mike hits the button and causes the wheel to speed up and then slow down to the point where it lands on a section of the wheel. Now all sections of this wheel were blank for some reason unlike the daily spin wheel so Mike had no idea if his technique was good or not.
'Ding'
The host has gained the book for the [Blood and Soul] technique and is now placed in their inventory
'Blood and Soul?'
Mike opens up his inventory and sure enough, he sees that there is a book now in his inventory. Another good thing was that his inventory space has increased by 4 spaces allowing him to hold more stuff for now.
Mike takes out the book from his inventory and sits on his bed. With the book outside now Mike is a bit unsure but he feels like he smells the faint smell of blood oozing out of the book but it is so faint that Mike is unsure if he is just a bit crazy.
Mike opens the book up and he receives a prompt from the system.
'Ding'
System AI has now been updated with the current information regarding the book
'Okay, so Abbey what exactly is this technique?' Mike asks
"One sec I am still being updated right now bro"
Mike waits for a few minutes for Abbey to finish up and just casually flips through the book seeing what he can glimpse from it even if he cannot read the contents he should at least be able to gain an understanding of what it is through pictures at least.
Sure enough, there are pictures of an individual holding a sword and moving through various stances to complete something. So seeing as how he will need a blade he takes out Sarenthia and decides to keep her on stand-by for when Abbey is ready to explain things to him.
"Alright I am done now," She says
'Alright, so what is this technique?'
"Well... first off do you know the traditional form of Chinese cultivation and that stuff?"
'Is it related to roleplaying or D&D?'
"No..."
'Then I don't know'
"Well the traditional and ancient form of Chinese meditation involves cultivating one's body by absorbing the energy around them to improve themselves in any way they wish until they reach true immortality"
'Immortality huh...'
Immortality is cool and all but Mike knows that being immortal through any means is always going to have some drawbacks because if you are immortal then what happens when your friends and family die out before your eyes, or when you are the only person left standing after time runs its course and the universe dies out? Immortality sure does have its perks but it also has its downfalls regardless of what happens to them immortals will defiantly get bored and lonely.
'So what has this have to do with this technique?' Mike asks not really getting it
"Well most of the techniques you will receive will come from a cultivation world"
'Wait why is that?'
"Because of the wide collection of techniques there that are extremely useful to you the system makes a copy of said technique and gives it to you when needed and if a technique cannot be copied then it will take the original version"
'So the system is resorting to stealing now?'
"..."
'...'
"Do wanna hear what this technique does or not?"
'Yes please'
"[Blood and Soul] cannot be learned through the system first and foremost so you will have to do it yourself and I can only help with translation and nothing more. Second, the technique is meant for improving blade skills and your mental strength. Finally, the effects of the technique will be put into the system only when you have grasped the basics and once everything in the book is memorized you can get rid of it in any way you choose"
'You still have not told me what this does'
"Oh right the technique allows you to strengthen any part of your body based on the number of things you have killed over time with the sword technique that is given in the book" Abbey replies
'Anything else?'
"Well there is a second and third part to the technique but it is not available to me to view so that means you need to work on the first part of the technique to unlock it"
'Jeez so I got some homework to do'
Mike flips to the first page and begins studying the contents of the book while Abbey helps translate for him. Mike also takes this opportunity to learn a bit of the language of the world as it would help him a lot in figuring stuff out without the help of Abbey.
...
Mike spent most of the night awake reading and understanding the contents of the technique book and he had finally been able to get the technique officially into the system.
_____________________
Techniques:
[Blood and Soul] Level 1
_____________________
Blood and Soul:
A technique that has three parts each with a variety of uses
Part 1: Body Improvement - For every 10 enemies that the user kills they can improve any stat that they wish by 1 point
Part 2: (Locked)
Part 3: (Locked)
Enemies killed: 0
Drawbacks: Unkown
_____________________
Right now Mike was not really that happy with the effects of the technique but the one thing that Mike found nice was that he now had his hands on some formal sword technique that he could use to improve his combat skills. The one thing that worried Mike was the Drawbacks that came with the technique at the bottom of the system space.
'Um... Abbey why exactly is there something that says drawbacks?' Mike asks
"Well most evil or forbidden techniques come with some drawbacks" Abbe replies nonchalantly
'Wait Evil!'
"Yeah what did you think this technique was?"
'I know nothing about techniques so how would I know anything about them!'
"Oh... well true that was my fault for not telling you," Abbey says a bit quietly
'How come the system did not label it as evil or something like that?'
"Nothing is inherently evil or good it all depends on perception so the system cannot classify them as good or evil for that purpose"
'Jeez well, at least I can get rid of this technique... right?' Mike asks now that his new technique is revealed to be evil
"Um... about that most evil techniques come with a curse that they must be used and cultivated or else you will die"
'...'
"Um... brother are you alright?" Abbey asks as Mike is silent for a good while
'So Abbey next time that the system gives me an item I want you to tell me if it has any sort of curse or such thing that will harm me if I use it you got that?' Mike says with a deadpan voice as he resigns to his fate
'Now then tell me what I need to do exactly to stay alive'
"Well you need to reach a certain amount of kills to stay alive"
'How many?'
"About 10 a week"
'Jeez...' Mike says to himself as he tries to think about what to do
Mike looks at his Technique description and gets an idea.
'Abbey, I just need to kill things right? What are the requirements for the things I kill?'
"There seem to be no requirements just that you need to kill them with your sword while using the stances given in the book," Abbey says
'So I could kill animals and I still would be fine?'
"Yes that could work but where would you kill animals?" Abbey asks as she is confused at what Mike is getting at
'It is simple really all I need to do is become a butcher'
"I will not allow-"
'Ding'
The technique [Blood and Soul] has been changed by the system
"What?" Both Abbey and Mike say
Mike quickly goes to the Technique tab to see what in the world happened.
_____________________
Blood and Soul:
A technique that has three parts each with a variety of uses
Part 1: Body Improvement - For every 10 enemies that the user kills they can improve any stat that they wish by 1 point
Part 2: (Locked)
Part 3: (Locked)
Enemies killed: 0
Drawbacks: Unkown
[From now on the host must kill only monsters and humanoid creatures to meet the demands of the skill]
_____________________
"What!" Both of them say again loudly this time