At the sight of the System notifications that popped up before his eyes, Zane sighed in relief.
There was another message beneath the usual level-up one, but Zane ignored it for now since his body condition wasn't good. Instead, he let out a deep breath, and sat down on the stone-cold floor.
At last, the fight was over. That was closer than he would've liked—and even now, he was still just barely remaining conscious. The experience wasn't without profit, however—not only did Zane figure out the limits of his [Basic Invisibility] skill (it can only hide his physical body, not presence, smell, or anything else), he was also about to obtain brand new ability altogether.
But all that could come later. For now, he needed to Devour something new—right away. That would make all the debuffs on his body go away, and restore both his HP and mana to full.
He glanced down at the two possible items he could consume—the glowing pitch-black daggers, or the midnight cloak with a hood. Of the two, the one he could eat was obvious.
After making sure the robe did not have any special properties, Zane tore a piece off from the hood of the cloak, and placed it in his mouth. Steeling his resolve, he swallowed without bothering to chew. Immediately, a familiar notification appeared before his face:
[Dahrka, Fallen Paladin (Lv. 15) — Devoured.]
[Basic Teleportation — Skill Obtained!]
[Added to Compendium!]
"Ha…"
Letting out a sigh, Zane relished as his body was restored to peak condition. His mana and health both regenerated to full, and the lingering pain in his body from before—probably some kind of magic poison from the daggers—was cleansed completely, and he retrieved Dahrka's bright Monster Core.
'Now, as for the notifications from before…'
He hadn't forgotten about those. Turning back to the hologram before himself, Zane's face developed a slight smile at the sight of the messages.
[Class selection is now available!]
[Choose a class:]
Warrior, Mage, Cleric, Ranger, Rogue—the five classes that Hunters could choose to become. But below those five, there was another one, highlighted in an ominous red glow. The text was pulsating, almost as if the System wanted Zane to look at it, to choose it. Not only that, it was also written in an extra-fancy font, and clearly, it did not belong in the 'native' System.
Naturally, Zane was inclined to see what it was all about, but when he saw what the word was, he frowned.
'Hm… how cryptic.'
He knew the dictionary definition of the term, of course—a synonym for ancestral founder, basically. But when it came to a Hunter's class, what was that supposed to mean?
It could be good, or bad. But given how the appearance of this particular title fit the aesthetics of Zane's Vampire Devouring System far more than any of the others, Zane figured it would suit his physique and fighting style best.
Hesitantly, he tapped on the title, confirming his selection. Immediately, dark crimson magic circle appeared beneath his feet, surrounded by runic markings that lit up one by one.
"…?"
Suddenly, Zane's eyes widened as volatile beams of blood-red energy surged out of each glyph all around him. They twisted and intertwined, turning into scarlet chains and binding him tight in a nice, warm embrace, rather than the cold steel he expected to feel. Zane could feel his body being lifted into the air against his will, his bones shift, his blood change, and his power amplify.
But oh how painful it was.
"Argh…!"
Zane bellowed in agony as the mysterious red energy strands continued spinning around his body, causing the stone beneath his feet to crack and fracture. What was once merely warm turned into a searing hot, blistering pain, like someone was trying to burn him alive.
Still, he resisted.
He did not give in.
On Zane's mind was the one word that had propelled him thus far: survival.
This was not torture. This was a transformation—an evolution. The pain was just the cost that came with leaving his former self behind.
Rearing his head back, Zane absorbed all of the overflowing energy around him. It tasted like blood—but not quite human.
No… Leo's did not taste like this. This was something different.
This was something so much more.
Despite the pain and agony coursing through every vein on Zane's body, his primal instinct was clear: to live. To endure.
As the red energy grew stronger and stronger, so did Zane's will. His muscles were ripped and replaced, his blood drained and refilled. Two small fangs jutted out of his top teeth, and his hair became even darker than before. His eyes—those defiant black eyes—transformed into something completely new, a pair of pure and crimson irises filled with darkness that served to hide the loneliness and emptiness beneath.
At last, when the energy faded away and Zane dropped back to the floor, he was left panting.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
[Congratulations. You have become a Progenitor.]
[The first evolution has completed successfully. You are now a fully-fledged Vampire, a spawn of the ancient Blood Sovereign, and have unlocked your true potential. Blood is both your fuel and your power, and through it shall you find your legacy. Remember, you have chosen to embark on a path of evolution. More changes await. Devour them all.]
[To commend this achievement, you have been bestowed with the title of 'Ascendant'.]
[Synergy Unlocked!]
[Ascendant // Vampire Devouring Body]
[A title granted to those who have harnessed the energy to break through the shackles of their born race, and a special physique that devours all. Through their synergy, you can now use
'Oho… not a bad change.' Zane narrowed his eyes. He'd been beginning to get tired of eating ridiculous things to gain powers. If absolutely necessary, he had the mental will to do so without any hesitation, but if given the chance, only a fool would choose to purposely eat things like burnt fabric.
As for the evolution process itself, Zane could already feel it—he was much stronger than before. Muscles he never used to have were now lean and toned on his body, and he'd grown quite a bit taller too. The sweat he dropped just now had formed a little puddle on the floor, and upon glancing into it, Zane could tell that his appearance had changed a lot as well.
He was still recognizable as Zane Silverdale, of course. It's just… he's become incredibly handsome—so much so that it would make people wonder if he was really human. His features were nigh perfect, and most women on the street would probably shoot him a few looks of interest as they passed by.
But the most noticeable feature of them all… were the two small fangs that appeared in his upper teeth. Zane opened his mouth slightly, and examined them using the water puddle.
'… Well. At least they aren't too visible.'
Slowly, he rose to his feet, now a changed man. As soon as he did so, his System screen appeared as if to congratulate him, and listed the results of the Class Selection.
[Status]
[Zane Silverdale]
Race - Vampire | Sex - Male | Age - 25
Titles | [???, Bearer of the Vampire Devouring Body, Ascendant]
Level 10 | [Progenitor] | EXP: 0/1,000
Specialization: Omnipotence
Physique: Vampire Devouring Body
[STR: 19] [DEF: 14] [AGI: 17] [INT: 25] [DEX: 16]
Skills: [Devour I] [Regeneration V] [Fire Manipulation IV] [Cartography II] [Basic Invisibility II] [Basic Teleportation I]
[You have 19 SP available to spend!]
When Zane saw his new status screen, his eyes widened briefly. It wasn't because of how one of his titles changed—but rather how his [Regeneration] skill had suddenly jumped to tier V, and his new stats.
'Incredible… a 10 SP increase… to all stats?'
Normally, after choosing a class, the Hunter would be rewarded with a 10 SP increase to two stats based on what class they chose. Warrior, for example, would grant increases to STR and DEF. Zane's Progenitor class, however, seemed to have granted him a boost to all five stats. 10 stat points wasn't that much of a difference in the long term, but it certainly still was a decent boon—not to mention this wasn't going to be the only time he got to select a class.
Without wasting any time, Zane accessed the newly-opened Equipment screen on his hologram, and equipped the drop he'd received from Dahrka.
[Twin Shade]
[Rarity: C-Rank]
[Type: Daggers]
[Description: A drop from Dahrka, Fallen Paladin. Inflicts damage to enemies via their shadows, ignoring 25% of their DEF stat. Regeneration and healing abilities are reduced against attacks with these daggers.]
[ATK: +25]
Zane narrowed his eyes. 'So that's why my vampiric regeneration didn't work properly, huh…'
Easily, he equipped the daggers with a tap of his fingers, and returned to his main status screen. Here, he allocated the SP he didn't have a chance to spend just yet—10 into STR and 9 into AGI—before closing out his System and cutting the air a few times with his new weapons to try them out.
Compared to the sword he'd been using before, these lightweight daggers felt a lot easier and less clumsy to handle. At the very least, Zane thought he'd be able to master these a lot quicker than if he had to use a sword.
Just as Zane prepared to exit his System and carry on exploring in the Dungeon, however, the hologram would not budge. He tapped on the exit button, but it refused to go away. Instead, a message he did not recognize appeared, and when he read what it said, he couldn't help but be rendered speechless.
[Notice]
[You have met all the requirements to unlock the Main Quest: Sovereign's Rebirth — Prologue]
[Objective: Fulfill the objective of the Vampire Devouring Body, and unlock your true potential.]
[Reward: 20 SP, 100 Bloodrunes]
"A quest… telling me to seek someone out?"
'Unlock his true potential'. Just what did that mean? His System had already been fully activated, had it not? His physique was unsealed, and while there was still a question mark in his status page, it wasn't anything worth hassling over. The System, however, apparently wasn't done, and followed up with yet another notification—and unlike the former, this one had a penalty.
[Notice]
[You have met all the requirements to activate the Side Quest: Body Maintenance]
[Objective: To solidify your body after fully becoming a Vampire, you must Devour an Elite-rank enemy or higher.]
[Reward: 10 SP, 50 Bloodrunes]
[Time Left: 59 minutes, 58 seconds]
[CAUTION: Failure to complete the Quest will result in punishment.]
[Punishment: Penalty Dungeon]
"…"