The life expectancy numbers on the panel plummeted. 34... 21... 13...
Finally, it settled on "1".
Simultaneously, the Shadowstrike proficiency levels changed rapidly.
[In the eighth year, through intense practice, you became a journeyman of Shadowstrike.]
[In the seventeenth year, your relentless training had led to a breakthrough, you became master of Shadowstrike.]
[In the twenty-nineth year, your Shadowstrike technique had reached its zenith. You became a grandmaster.]
[In the thirty-third year, even after achieving perfection, your obsession with the technique had led to a new understanding, but the enlightenment wasn't clear enough for successful evolution…]
[Shadowstrike (Grandmaster)]
Despite the loss of so much life expectancy, I wondered if my appearance had withered with age or retained its youth.
The skin on the back of my hand remained smooth, and my long fingers were surprisingly flexible.
Even more astonishing, not only did my body not age, but I could feel it growing stronger at an unimaginable rate.
It was as if I had truly dedicated myself to Shadowstrike for thirty-three years, abstaining from wine and sex, distractions and pleasure. As if I had focused all my thoughts and energy into the dagger in my hand.
…
The night was a shroud of darkness, and the street was unsettlingly silent.
The hulking jackalvamp, hunched over, lumbered through the hallway. It leaned a massive hand against the wall and poked its head into the room, pale yellow eyes raking cruelly over the occupants.
The stench of the beast hit the curvy woman like a wave, and she crumpled against the corner, eyes wide with terror.
Moments ago, she had found the courage to wield a bat behind my back, but now, facing the jackal's head so close, she couldn't even utter the words of pleading.
Fortunately, the beastvamps's attention shifted to a more delicious target: the younger, vulnerable girl.
The jackal monster didn't even bother to speak, it just calmly extended its claws and beckoned with its fingertips.
Frozen with terror, the girl's eyes glazed over as she stumbled backward, watching the jackalvamp's sharp claws descend towards her neck.
Suddenly, a warm hand clasped her wrist, halting her retreat.
Trembling, she looked down.
I had risen from the ground, a slight frown creasing my brow. I dusted myself off and said softly, "Move aside and stay in the corner."
"..."
The girl, paralyzed by fear and the tightening grip around her neck, couldn't comprehend my words.
How could she move? Where could she go?
A cruel smile twisted the jackalvamp's lips. "Impudent man," it snarled, "don't be so eager. Your turn will come."
The air crackled with tension. A hushed silence fell over the room, broken only by the shallow breaths of the terrified onlookers. Moonlight spilled through the shattered roof, casting eerie shadows that danced across the laminated floor.
With a suddenness that made hearts leap, a silver flash cut through the room, cold and sharp. The dagger in my hand slashed, the bright silver blade momentarily reflected my expressionless face.
A thin line of blood, appearing as if from nowhere, snaked its way along the blade, converging at the tip before dripping down as crimson beads.
Following the blood's descent was a muscular arm, its fur sleek and glossy.
With a piercing shriek, the jackalvamp's howl filled the room. It had been too swift, the knife's trajectory a blur, my draw unseen.
Released from the monster's grip, the girl stumbled back to her mother, terror-stricken. Tears clouded her vision, yet she saw the thin figure before them surge forward.
Like a predator unleashed, my arms shot out, fingers sinking into the jackalvamp's thick mane. With a savage yank, I forced the monstrous form to the ground.
Denying it respite, I drove my knee into its skull, raised my arms high, plunged the dagger deep into the creature's throat.
Phew!
Hot jackal blood poured out and covered my face, adding a bit of venom to the handsome features.
The police-issued dagger was forged from a rare alloy of silver, a metal once abundant in the land but now depleted due to its effectiveness against vampiric fauna. Its scarcity had led to its withdrawal from ammunition and other expendable forms of weaponry.
I planted my foot on the jackal's head, the extraction of my blade a gruesomely smooth motion.
Though this was my first kill, my actions felt ingrained, as if honed by countless repetitions.
Viscous ichor clung to me, its stench repulsive. Yet, my body remained eerily composed, devoid of the shock and nausea one might expect.
This was Shadowstrike: beastvamp-slaying as natural as breathing.
Never, not even in my wildest dreams, had I anticipated such a swift victory. Thirty-three years of Shadowstrike training had honed my body to the peak of human potential.
Turning to the mother and daughter huddled in the corner, I saw disbelief etched in their eyes, fear overshadowing any trace of gratitude.
I averted my gaze, unconcerned by their reaction.
After all, half an hour ago, I was stripping off the young girl's clothes, so how could they really trust me?
The two of them likely assumed there was some kind of strife between me and the monster.
"..."
Sheathing my blade, I kicked the jackalvamp's corpse aside and turned toward the street.
"Sergeant Kane...would you like..."
The girl, her gaze lingering on her wrist, lifted her dirt-streaked face and offered hesitantly, "To bandage your head?"
Her mother's expression tightened. It was she who had inflicted the wound with her bat. In her eyes, I was a creature far more terrifying than any beastvamp.
I paused, then turned back. "Yes," I said.
I had never performed a selfless act before. The first time was always difficult. It would be a lie to claim I didn't crave praise or gratitude.
One couldn't simply let a savior walk home unattended. If they weren't willing to offer their bodies in thanks, the least they could do was provide a warm drink to soothe a parched throat.
With a swagger, I returned to the bed and sat, allowing the frail girl to awkwardly help me remove my bloodied clothes. Her mother, with a heavy heart, quickly produced a relatively clean cloth, gingerly climbed onto the bed, and began tending to the gash on my head.
Even though she tried her best to keep her body away from me, I could feel the warmth from my back. A strong urge to pull her onto my lap arose as her softness unintentionally touched my neck. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling; I must have done it many times before. I could almost visualize her reaction to my hands squeezing her plumpness and sliding down between her soft, pillow-y thighs.
My mouth was dry, and my heart was pumping. Luckily, just then, the panel popped out.
A curious notification captured my attention:
[Jackalvamp (pre-First Realm) - Total Lifespan: 175 years. Remaining Lifespan: 63 years. Fully Absorbed.]
[Fighting Techniques]
Standard Police Training (Master)
Shadowstrike (Grandmaster)
[Remaining Personal Lifespan: 1 year]
[Remaning Absorbed Lifespan: 63 years]
[Absorbed lifespan can be used to enhance fighting techniques, but cannot be converted into personal lifespan.]
"..."
I instructed the mother and daughter to move the jackalvamp's remains out of the room as I pondered this newfound development. The sensation of emptiness left in the wake of expending my lifespan was undeniably unsettling.
To think I had but a single year left... a wave of self-directed anger washed over me. I had perfected Shadowstrike at twenty-nine, yet squandered four more years foolishly.
"So, by slaying beastvamps, I can utilize their remaining lifespans to further my martial pursuits?" I mused. "A jackalvamp capable of living for nearly two centuries... remarkable."
A new thought arose. If such longevity was possible for monsters, could humans not achieve similar lifespans? If not, wouldn't the jackalvamp be the one patrolling the streets, monsters reigning over humanity?
"But dwelling on this is futile," I reminded myself. "The panel mentioned new understanding of Shadowstrike, something worth exploring further."
With sixty-three years of absorbed lifespan at my disposal, I felt a peculiar sensation, akin to a pauper stumbling upon unimaginable wealth.
Perhaps a ten-year investment would be a prudent starting point?