Chapter 55: "Suspiciously Bendy? What Kind of Trait Is That?!"

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: "Suspiciously Bendy? What Kind of Trait Is That?!"

The blood finished dissolving completely into mist and entering him, and the system chimed.

[Ding!]

[Blood Trait Extraction Successful.]

[Blood Source: Demon (Vampire)]

[Bloodline: Shadow Creeper (Rare)]

[Traits Extracted: 4]

[Shadow Sense — Lv.3]

[Night Vision — Lv.4]

[Shadow Affinity — Lv.3]

[Suspiciously Bendy — Lv.5]

Lucien stared at the last one.

"...Suspiciously Bendy? What kind of name is that amd I got four traits from him?"

He pulled up the traits description anyway, just to make sure it wasn’t anything untoward.

[Suspiciously Bendy (Uncommon) — Lv.5]

[Improves joint flexibility, muscle elasticity, balance and bodily control well beyond normal limits.]

’Seems normal enough, but what’s with the name?’ He thought eyeing the trait.

He bent his wrist experimentally, then his elbow. Then, with mounting horror, twisted his torso further than should have been comfortable.

"...Okay, that’s actually useful." A pause. "Still sounds deeply suspicious, though."

’Four traits from one guy and I never even used an amount of blood close to the what I used for the wolves,’ he thought, setting the discomfort aside.

’So this gave me way more than the wolves gave me for the blood. Maybe because Vane was sentient or something and his blood and bloodline probably had way more information packed into it than some mass produced dungeon monster’s veins. It makes sense, I guess.’

---

He flicked off the lights to test the new night vision trait properly.

Darkness swallowed the room.

He blinked and then everything sharpened into clarity, not exactly bright, but clear. The grain of the wooden floor, the curtain’s stitching, the outline of his own fingers, everything was visible in perfect detail just like if the lights were still on, barely.

"...Oh."

He turned toward the darkest corner of the room, and something shifted in his awareness, not visual, exactly, more like a texture he could feel and sense without touching.

’The shadow under the bed feels different from the one by the curtain,’ he thought, genuinely fascinated. ’It almost feels denser, somehow.*

He reached toward the corner shadow, half-expecting something dramatic.

Nothing happened.

He waited.

Still nothing.

"...Okay." He sighed. "I definitely can’t Shadow Hop like Vane. What a scam, seems like it’s only for sensing shadows."

Then the actual value clicked into place.

’Wait a minute. Sanguine Perception, Mana Sense, Shadow Sense. I have three completely different sensory abilities, skills, and traits, what would happen If I keep all three running simultaneously.*

’At this rate, sneaking up on me is going to become a full-time profession requiring actual qualifications.’

---

He looked at the small amount of Vane’s blood still remaining, tempted to just drink it all and level up the traits.

’Wait.’

’Do I even know if repeated consumption from the same source has diminishing returns? Could I get more traits later with a bigger sample? Could this specific blood be more useful as a temporary boost than as trait fuel?’

He didn’t know the answers to any of those questions yet.

’I’m not wasting it for now, then. Better keep it for experimenting later on.’

He stored the remainder carefully back into the Infinite Sanguine Cosmos instead of consuming it on impulse.

’Blood’s a resource now, for me’ he thought. ’Not just snacks I can consume willy nilly, or maybe not?’

---

He pulled up his full status.

[Lucien Dracul Aethernis]

[Race: Vampire]

[Bloodline: Crimson Origin Bloodline — Mythical]

[Talent: Sanguine Genesis Crucible — Divine]

[Rank: C (Beginner)]

[Stats: —]

[ Strength: 310

Agility: 360

Constitution: 335

Intelligence: 340

Vitality: 400

Mana: 350 ]

[Traits: Keen Smell (Uncommon, Lv.5), Enhanced Musculature (Uncommon, Lv.5), Predator’s Reflex (Rare, Lv.2), Shadow Sense (Rare, Lv.3), Night Vision (Uncommon, Lv.4), Shadow Affinity (Rare, Lv.3), Suspiciously Bendy (Uncommon, Lv.5)]

[Cultivation Progress: 19 Months]

[Technique Comprehension: 2 Days]

He winced at the last line. "Damn, just seeing it is painful, only 2 days left"

Then his eyes landed on the cultivation progress.

"...Oh, that’s quite a lot."

’Nineteen months and its just sitting there, well can’t let it sit there forever, should use it now and increase my rank, don’t know when I can get ambushed again.’

---

Before spending it, he checked on the girls system interfaces. He clicked on the wife status tab and viewed Aurelia’s status first to check on her condition.

[Aurelia Astrax.]

[Race: Demon (Asura)]

[Age: 25]

[Bloodline: Heavenly Carnage Bloodline (Legendary Rank)]

[Talent: War Heaven Manifestation (Divine Rank)]

[Rank: C (Beginner)]

[Bond: Partner — 63%]

[Current State:

Mana Core destroyed.(76% → 52%)

Mana Veins shattered.(81% → 53%)

Cannot cultivate until mana veins and core are fully recovered.]

’Seems like her mana veins and core are recovering, it’s halfway through, just need a little more healing resources for her, maybe a few high Rank ones and she’ll be as good as new.’ He thought picturing Aurelia fully healed.

’And even her bond percentage increased, wonder when we’ll reach 100%.’

He pulled up Seraphina’s status next.

[Seraphina Lilith.]

[Race: Demon (Succubus)]

[Age: 23]

[Bloodline: Abyssal Desire Bloodline (Mythical Rank)]

[Talent: N/A]

[Rank: D (Peak)]

[Bond: Partner — 67%]

[Current state:

Bloodline rejection.

Cannot cultivate any further.]

’My dear wife, I will heal none way or another, whether through some return Reward or helping you through your alchemy.’ He thought still having no clue on why her blood was rejecting her and pulled Evelisse’s status next.

[Evelisse Noctis.]

[Race: Half Human/Half Fallen Angel]

[Age: 21]

[Bloodline: N/A]

[Talent: Final Judgment (Divine Rank)]

[Rank: E (High)]

[Bond: Partner — 63%]

[Current State:

Healthy.

Focused on cultivation.]

’Wonder if I can get a bloodline stone like the talent one for her, also wasn’t expecting her to be focused on cultivation, maybe something like focused on eating or cultivation through eating, seeing as she takes her food so seriously.’ He thought chuckling a bit before closing the system status.

’Aurelia’s healing, Seraphina’s finally got proper resources to experiment with and Evelisse can actually cultivate now instead of complaining her way through it.’

’And I’m apparently the only one who gets to keep accelerating like this. Should probably take that seriously, if not for myself then for them.’

’I wonder if there are any dual cultivation techniques in this, like those in the cultivation novels I used to read so much about back on Earth, it would really help in increasing the girls and for now Eve’s cultivation rank and speed.’ He thought.

’Would really help them and me, we can enjoy ourselves and cultivate at the same time, I should look into it.’

’Even all of their bonds went up a significant amount, they are all close to 100%, wonder when we’ll reach it.’

---

He emptied a good portion of mana crystals and cores from his new ring, arranging them in a loose circle around the bed, and settled into position.

[Cultivation Progress — 12 Months]

[Confirm expenditure?]

[YES/NO]

’This will likely take a good chunk of the time I have before leaving for for dungeon but it not for good reason. So yes.’

[12 Months Consumed. Remaining: 7 Months.]

Mana surged in from every crystal at once, drawn through his veins in a certain sequence according to his Cultivation technique.

The mana gathered, circulated, refined, compressed, absorbed into his core, over and over in a smooth and deepening rhythm.

Each cycle came easier than the last, his core spinning steadily denser beneath the surface.

---

Then he remembered something, his Talent let him increase his cultivation speed based on the blood he consumed.

’Sanguine Crucible, I can use it to increase my cultivation speed, though the only blood I have left is Vane’s. ’

He opened his eyes, glancing at the last of Vane’s blood still sitting in storage.

’More trait extraction, or faster cultivation?’

He considered it seriously for a moment but seeing as the traits weren’t the type to increase his strength directly, one side outweighed the other.

’One or two extra levels on a trait I already have versus an entire breakthrough, its not even close, honestly.’

’So cultivation wins.’

Another thought surfaced right behind it.

’I really need a cultivation concealment method, sooner rather than later.’

He imagined the eventual conversation if someone noticed his rank spiking every now and then, especially a certain loud mouth.

Kael: "Lucien! How the hell are you Peak C already?!"

Me: "Ate a particularly nutritious breakfast."

Kael: "...What, can you give me this miracle breakfast?"

Me: "Family secret. Don’t ask."

Kael: "Come on buddy, please. I’ll even become your servant, and I’ll even show you some good things."

’What the actual hell, Kael wouldn’t ever say that, I think, also with the kind of servant I’ve seen, I don’t think I want one anytime soon.’ He thought shivering at the thought of Kael becoming like Vane and becoming his servant.

He shook his head. ’Yeah, no way in hell that’s gonna hold anyone up.’

’I definitely need a way to conceal my rank.’

---

He drank the last of Vane’s blood before the thought could horrify him further and used his Talent ability.

[Sanguine Crucible Activated.]

[Blood Detected.]

[Source: B-Rank Vampire]

[Bloodline Rank: Rare]

[Temporary Cultivation Acceleration Chosen.]

[Temporary Cultivation Acceleration: ×3]

His eyes widened as the circulation surged, mana rushing through his veins at triple its previous pace, refinement and absorption compressing into a tighter, faster loop than he’d ever experienced.

’Gather. Refine. Compress. Absorb. Again. Again. Again.’

---

Hours slipped past unnoticed.

The mana crystals dulled one by one, drained of their contents. The cores cracked softly, spent. Lucien’s breathing slowed to something barely perceptible, his body settling into perfect, motionless stillness.

The night passed entirely around him.

---

Sunlight crept through the curtains eventually, and his eyes opened finally finishing up the 12 months progress.

He checked the time.

’Six hours passed.’

"...That’s it?"

He’d braced for something closer to the previous marathon session.

’Right. Stacked everything and more this time. Technique’s own passive acceleration. Twelve months of system progress which also slightlyinvrease the speed. Crystals and cores doing the heavy lifting instead of pulling raw ambient mana. And Vane’s blood on top of all of it.’

He allowed himself a slow grin.

"...I may have gone slightly overboard but it was definitely worth it."

The system chimed, final and triumphant.

[Ding!]

[12 Months Cultivation Progress Fully Consumed.]

[Cultivation Rank Increased!]

[Cultivation Rank: Beginner C-Rank → Peak C-Rank]

Lucien stared at the words.

Silence.

Then a slow, satisfied grin spread across his face.

"...Peak C-Rank."

He looked down at his own hands.

’Yesterday I was at Beginner C and Today I am at the Peak, wonder who can even match my rate of getting stronger, hopefully no one else can bit who knows?’ He grinned a little.

His expression sobered slightly a moment later.

’And somewhere out there, people are already trying to kill me for less than this, definitely need the concealment before some old monster comes knocking on my door for the secret.’

He rose from the bed, stretching muscles that felt sharper, denser, more alive than they had the night before.

"Guess I better keep getting stronger, so even the old monsters think twice before knocking on my door. "