[Shepherd Eagle (D)]
[Description: A vicious beast that feeds on its herd by fooling weaker beasts during the day and then devours them by the night.]
"It looks like you have some sort of disguise, don't you?" Thanks to his detection ability, Kang was able to guess the beast's true form, which might be hidden for some reason. It made sense to him, as this monster didn't look like one at all—more like an oversized eagle than anything else.
Having tasted Kang's blood, the beast appeared drugged in his eyes as it descended to attack him once again. Dodging to the side, Kang watched as the beast soared high once again after failing in its attempt.
'60 seconds, 300 Blood. That should be enough to land a fatal hit.' Planning to bring the beast down on its next attempt, Kang decided to mobilize his [Crimson Armor], knowing its rank suggested it was overpowered.
'Although this is bloody risky, the reward should be worth it.' Since Kang needed to figure out how to gain experience points to level up and obtain a higher-ranked ability to boost his strength, the eagle was the perfect target.
'Please work!' As the beast swooped down toward him, an idea sparked in Kang's mind. Praying it would succeed, he used his [Blood Weapon], transforming both of his fists into heavy gauntlets, and waited for the beast to close in.
"Crimson Armor!" Activating his transformation, Kang dropped his disguise while the armor materialized, covering every inch of his body and extending until he stood about two meters tall. Parts of the crimson weapons turned black instantly as the system sound rang in his head.
[Crimson Armor activated!]
[All attributes increased by 75%]
Wasting no time, Kang charged at the beast before leaping high to meet it. As the beast's beak pierced through Kang's armor, he realized his defenses weren't strong enough to withstand the attack. Despite the damage, Kang slammed the beast's head with all his might before disengaging.
"Did I give it a migraine? Whatever, that's not how you get rid of those anyway." Distancing himself from the beast, Kang deactivated the [Crimson Armor] while watching it struggle. The attack seemed to leave a strange effect on the beast as it staggered toward the nearest ruin, slamming its head against it.
'Well, that's not my problem.' Seizing the opportunity, Kang charged at the vulnerable beast, transforming his right arm into a heavy sword using his [Blood Weapon] ability. Aiming to ground it, he swung his sword at the beast's left wing.
Though he couldn't sever the wing, his attack succeeded in partially crippling the beast, which roared in pain. Ignoring the beast's fury, Kang felt a strange sensation as the tiny tendrils on his body attempted to extend toward the beast as if they were starving.
"It's not me, is it? Hmm, is it because of its blood?" Observing the beast's bleeding wing, Kang quickly realized what was happening as his instincts urged him to finish off the creature as fast as possible.
'Hold up, let's ju—Oh shit!' Watching the eagle transform as its eyes ignited, Kang changed his plan. Instead of waiting for it to bleed out and grow weaker, he charged at it immediately.
'Yeah, no transformation for you. A bigger strength gap? No thanks.' Aiming for the head, Kang closed the distance and targeted the beast's weakest spots, transforming his arms into long spears.
After successfully landing his strikes, Kang retreated to a safe distance, watching as the blinded beast thrashed against the ruins, wreaking havoc while roaring in agony as it slowly bled to death. The dark aura that formed an armor after its transformation didn't seem to help much, as it failed to cover its head, rendering it ineffective.
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Touching his mask, Kang muttered, "Just wait a bit longer. It'll die on its own anyway." Sensing the excitement of his tendrils, Kang reassured them. Soon enough, the system's notifications appeared as the beast collapsed to the ground.
[Ding!]
[You've successfully killed a Shepherd Eagle (D) and gained 1,000 Exp]
[Your level increased! You've gained 5 attribute points!] (3x)
"Well, let's leave that for later." Dismissing the system messages, Kang approached the beast's corpse, curious why the mask was urging him toward it. The closer he got, the more frenzied the tendrils became. Soon enough, all of the tendrils on his body converged into one sharp spike, transforming it into a long, singular tendril that pierced through the beast's corpse as system notifications appeared before Kang's eyes once again.
[Lifesteal activated!]
[You've stolen 1000 blood and thirty years' worth of life force]
"Interesting. So you can take the initiative and mobilize some abilities on your own. I wonder what else you're capable of. But only 1000? I wonder where the rest of the blood went—Blood Realm, perhaps?" Ignoring the message, Kang watched as the tentacle continued to expand, eventually taking the form of a large serpent. After the corpse disappeared into the serpent's jaws, another system notification appeared before Kang's eyes, surprising him.
[Power Absorption activated!]
[Pick one ability from the following: Overdrive(C), Shadow Armor(D)]
"Overdrive, of course. Shadow Armor tells me enough and I already have a S-class Ability. Let's just hope it's decent enough.]
[Overdrive(C) extracted successfully.]
[Drain 2 Mana points per second to increase your {Strengh} by 20%. Side effect: Intense fatigue after usage.]
[Error: Incompatible ability!]
[Altering Ability according to the Bloodfeind race…10%...24%...69%...100%]
[Altering Sucess… Overdrive(C) added to Absrobed Abilities]
"Good enough. I suppose it's incompatible because Bloodfiends can't feel fatigue. Oh, and mana too." To confirm his suspicions, Kang checked his status panel.
{Blood Warlock System}
[Blood: 1150 | Lifespan: 100]
[Level: 4 | Exp: 300/800]
[Attribute Points: 15]
[Apsorbed Abilities (1/10)]
[Overdrive(C): Consume 1 Blood per second to increase your {Strengh} by 20%]
"As expected, the fatigue is gone since it wasn't even real in the first place. And two units of Blood equal two mana points. Although 20% isn't a large amount, I suppose I can merge this ability with another one when the time comes."
"It also seems that Blood isn't consumed to heal minor injuries, so unless I lose a limb, I should be fine."
"Ah, it's such a pity that I won't be able to level up as fast as I did this time again. Unless, of course, I risk my life." He briefly wondered what would happen if he lost a limb when his Blood was low, but he hoped it would never come to that.
"Well, no time to waste." With no fatigue and no reason to stop, Kang set off on another hunt, hoping that the noise from the earlier fight would attract something. "Strange for a place like this to be devoid of monsters…"
"Never mind. If they were all eaten by that eagle, I suppose I'll have to find somewhere else." Recalling the eagle's details, Kang resolved to search for other prey. But first, he decided to find a decent weapon, not wanting to rely on his ability unnecessarily.