Looking at the beasts in the distance, Kang understood they were either part of a pack or weaker creatures that didn't have the privilege of living inside the rift itself. As a result, they were more social and perhaps friendly to each other compared to the beasts he was familiar with.
"Mostly F and E ranks, with a few D-ranked ones. The higher-ranked beasts are probably deeper within the rift." Using his detection ability, Kang quickly scanned the beasts' information. While there were about fifty of them, more than thirty were noticeably smaller, as their ranks were lower.
"I've got 1150 Blood, and if I can hunt all the F-ranked beasts, I should be able to reach 2000 or more. From there, I'll probably be strong enough to hunt the rest." Having made up his mind, Kang decided to invest all his attribute points into his [Strength] stat. With 75% from the Crimson Armor and 20% from Overdrive, he was confident he could hold his ground against the beasts.
"With my [Strength] at 42, it should at least double. And with the sword, bingo!" Though Kang didn't notice any stat increase while holding the sword, he knew having a weapon was still an advantage.
Guessing how effective the sword would be, he thought it might not work as well against beasts as it would against humans, given how these creatures had adapted to a high level of corruption.
Noting the openness of the surroundings, Kang didn't hesitate any longer and charged at the beasts. He knew it didn't matter whether he ran or walked; either way, they would see him once he got close.
Facing his first opponent, Kang swung his sword down, slicing through the horned sheep's head as though it were butter. Another beast took advantage of the moment and charged at him. Transforming his free hand into a shield, Kang blocked the beast's horns before smashing its head, sending it stumbling back.
[Ding!]
[You've successfully killed a Horned Sheep (F) and gained 50 EXP.]
"Just fifty? Whatever, I'll take it." Seeing the number of beasts surrounding him, Kang didn't waste time complaining and focused on his current enemy. All the surrounding beasts seemed to be the same species, as they looked nearly identical.
They were simply sheep with two sharp horns as weapons. Due to their numbers, Kang dismissed his shield and allowed them to pierce him instead.
"Get him, Lifesteal!" Letting the next sheep stab him, Kang countered by driving his sword into its head, twisting it to kill the beast. Activating his ability, he watched as large tentacles sprang from his body, devouring the two corpses.
[Ding!]
[You've successfully killed a Horned Sheep (F) and gained 50 EXP.]
[Lifesteal activated!]
[You've stolen 200 Blood and 4 years' worth of life force.]
[Power Absorption activated!]
[Pick one ability from the following: Flaming Horn (F).]
"Amazing, Lifesteal triggers Power Absorption! But what is this ability? I didn't even target that one, and it was devoured." Watching the system notifications, Kang was pleased but unimpressed by the ability.
"Nah, discard it. I'm not going to go around poking my enemies, and I definitely won't waste a slot on this trash." Discarding the ability, Kang dismissed the messages and turned his attention back to the sheep horde, which had lost its courage after seeing its kin devoured.
"Crab? You're interfering now? At least give me a moment. Lifesteal!" Annoyed by a larger beast, Kang found his sword ineffective. Stepping back, he used his ability to devour the corpses he had killed.
[Lifesteal activated!]
[You've stolen 700 Blood and 14 years' worth of life force.]
Standing before him was a large crab with a thick shell. Every time Kang struck, the crab's armor deflected the blows. Suspicious, Kang thought the beast might be D-ranked or higher, so he reused his detection ability.
[Hellfire Crab (E)]
[Description: A tough beast with insane speed and stamina but limited vision.]
"I see, it's trying to wear me down before finishing me off. I don't have time for this. Since its upper body is covered in a shell, I could slide underneath and finish it." Deciding not to waste Blood on the crab, Kang planned to exploit its limited vision and strike from below.
Just as he was about to execute his plan, a massive fireball shot from the crab's abdomen, setting him on fire.
[-500 Blood | Remaining Blood: 1550]
"I want it, I want it, I want it!" Ignoring the notification, Kang screamed like a greedy child lying his eyes on a fancy toy.
"Overdrive! Crimson Armor!" Going all out, Kang activated his abilities before gripping his sword as his armor covered his body while the mask actively reconstructed it. Seizing the moment when the crab was vulnerable, Kang plunged the sword deep into its stomach, relentlessly stabbing it until the beast was dead.
[Ding!]
[You've successfully killed an Armored Crab (E) and gained 500 EXP.]
[Level up! You've gained 5 attribute points!]
"Get it!" Ignoring the system notifications, Kang commanded the mask. Tentacles shot from his stomach toward the beast, consuming it instantly. Just like before, his abilities were activated without any direct interference from him.
[Lifesteal activated!]
[You've stolen 500 Blood and 5 years' worth of life force.]
[Power Absorption activated!]
[Pick one ability from the following: Hellfire (D), Flame Immunity (E), Regeneration (F).]
"First one." Kang immediately selected the Hellfire ability, knowing how the system worked. Rising from the ground, he observed the remaining beasts.
'If this crab was one of their leaders, it makes sense why they're not attacking. I'll have to get used to this, but I don't blame them. If I killed something and it came back to life, I'd stay away too.' Knowing it wouldn't be the last time he faced this situation, Kang shrugged it off and resumed his slaughter.
Ignoring further system messages about the absorbed abilities, Kang continued his hunt knowing the system would most likely alter the ability, similar to what happened to Overdrive. After a couple of hours, he was close to wiping out all the beasts in the area.
"Oh, well... shit." Realizing he had made a mistake, Kang anticipated a flood of system notifications. He wondered whether he'd have to choose just one ability from all the beasts or be bombarded with a ton of messages.
"Let's finish this first, then absorb the corpses." Kang decided to handle his attribute points before anything else. Knowing he was low on Dexterity, he allocated 6 points to it and 9 points to Constitution, bringing it closer to his Strength.
{Blood Warlock System}
[Strength: 42]
[Dexterity: 20]
[Constitution: 40]
[Attribute Points: 15]
[Absorbed Abilities (2/10)]
[Overdrive (C): Consume 1 Blood per second to increase your Strength by 20%.]
[Blood Acid (D): Consume 100 Blood to fire a highly effective acidic blood ball.]
Satisfied with his stats, Kang used his Lifesteal ability. The tentacles sprang from his body, devouring everything around him as his Blood reserves continued to grow.
[Lifesteal activated!]
[You've stolen 6,320 Blood and 131 years' worth of life force.]
[Power Absorption activated!]
[Pick three abilities from the following: Devour (D), Flare (D), Empower (E), Devour (F), Telekinesis (F).]
"First, second, and last." After a few moments of deliberation, Kang selected the three abilities he needed most. Although Telekinesis was ranked F, he didn't plan to keep it long-term, intending to merge it with the Blood Weapon ability right away.
However, the latest system notifications interrupted him before he could proceed.
[Ding!]
[Conditions met. Do you wish to undergo the trial and upgrade your class to Transcended Blood Knight?]
"Yes." Confident in his ability to pass the trial, Kang accepted without hesitation. The next thing he knew, he found himself back in the familiar place once again.