I watched the announcer move to the side, a grin plastered on his face.
"Kaido, your sword!" I said, facing my back toward him. I then felt the broken sword cut through the rope with relative ease.
I stood up, massaging my wrists. I then grabbed the sword, cutting the rope that bound Kaido.
The crowd cheered louder, some money and coins being tossed at us.
"You guys seem to be really popular with the crowd!" He chuckled, pointing to me.
"As you folks can see here, we have two rarities in our midst! First, our long black-haired contestant is a vampire!" As the announcer said this, the crowd gasped, their roars of cheer growing louder.
"Our second contestant, although seemingly a novice, has traces of mana within his system, which means he has the capacity to be a mage!"
The crowd clapped, tossing more money at us.
"As you all know, should our specimens survive all three challenges, they get sent to the auction house, where any of you can bid for them!" He announced, the crowd cheering even more.
"I''m going to buy the vampire!"
"Obviously a mage is better!"
Loose voices commented on them; after all, in such a large and potentially hostile world, people of our nature were hard to come by.
A metal gate began to open up ahead of us, two orcs stepping out, bound in chains and growling.
They stood tall, taller than Kaido and I. They were about 7 feet, soldiers hulking them in with attached chains.
Their green skin and massive frames made them seem even more terrifying than they already looked. Not to mention the feral look in those eyes.
The chains were taken off of them; they fell with a loud thud. The Orcs growled.
"Oh my! It seems our lovely challengers are ready to fight." The announcer said, stepping onto a platform that shot him into the air, landing on the railings that separated him from the crowd.
"Begin!"
One of the orcs let out a loud roar, the vibrations of it running through the ground.
I looked to my right, Kaido seemingly paralyzed with fear. "Come on, Kaido, snap out of it!" I watched as the one to the left began to run toward us.
"Great." I said, watching it wind its fist back for a punch.
I dodged out of the way, tumbling onto the ground. "Shit, I don''t know how to fight!" I yelled, getting back up off my feet.
"Does this body know?" I tried to search through memories, but the important ones were blocked. You''ve got to be kidding me.
[Consuming blood will not only evolve you as a vampire but also unlock more memories as you go.]
[The body of Star Black is of the lowest standing of vampire possible, which is a fledgling. This is slightly above a Garmedian.]
I stared at the display, only to feel a sharp pain in my right arm, followed by a sickening snap.
I was sent flying into the concrete wall, right under the railing where the crowd sat.
"Get up!"
"Come on, you can do this!"
These weren''t cheers of encouragement. Not in my eyes. These were the cheers of people who wanted a relic in their houses.
"Star! Snap out of it!" Kaido yelled, making me come back to my senses.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
I saw the orc running toward me. So, I quickly stood up and dodged out of the way, watching it crash into the wall.
I watched Kaido fight. He used his broken sword, but the missing half was replaced by a bright blue ethereal manifestation of his own mana. He was fighting off his orc just fine.
I''m a vampire, dammit! He''s a whole human! I saw him slice off one of its arms, but it punched him in the gut, sending him flying into a wall.
These rich slobs. I hate it; I hate them! Why do people have better lives than me? I thought reincarnating was a chance to start over!
I stared at the severed arm, a pleasant aroma coming from it as I saw the blood begin to pool. I stood up, running over to it.
I''m jealous of others. Is that too much of a sin to admit?
I picked up the arm, both orcs heading to me. I saw Kaido stand up, blood leaking from his mouth, but he didn''t falter. He ran forward, managing to slash the back of the orc in front of me.
The orc behind, however, was just about to strike. Until I took a bite into the arm.
[Blood levels replenished. Starting regeneration.]
[Consume approximately 15.5 liters of blood to evolve from a fledgling to a novice vampire.]
I drained the arm of its blood. The green skin is going pale. How did I drink it so fast? Everything felt so slow.
[4.5 liters of blood drunken.]
I dodged the strike from the orc behind me, my body moving on its own. More memories came back to me, ones that knew how to engage in combat.
I saw the orc cup its hands together and slammed them onto the ground. I dodged back. "Such strength."
[Your jealousy has grown to new levels. Processing...]
[Sin Route: Envy attained.]
[Due to you being the only one with the Envy route, you are now labeled the Sin of Envy.]
That blood, it tasted so good. I began to see red static, voices, and words whispering in my mind.
Kaido jumped atop his orc, stabbing it in the head and killing it.
He looked over, wiping the sweat off his brow while heaving. The blow the orc landed on his chest wasn''t a light one, and one of his ribs was broken.
I looked back, watching the orc behind me charge at me once more. Why? Why does it feel like my mind is breaking?
Is this what a little bit of blood does to me?
I dodged out of the way, reaching my hand out to Kaido. He tossed me his sword, the mana portion of the blade disappearing, but that didn''t matter. I need more blood... MORE!
I leaped into the air, grabbing the blade and landing atop the orc''s head. I slashed the back of its neck, blood splattering over my face.
I felt myself cut bone. Good, I needed it to be paralyzed anyway.
"What a ruthless display of power!" The announcer said, the crowd screaming with excitement.
I licked the blood off my face, feeling myself grow stronger.
The orc tried to move but couldn''t. I didn''t want to put it out of its misery; I wanted to feed on it first.
I crouched down, the crowd leaning forward in anticipation. I then bit down on the orc, starting to rip off it''s flesh and drain its blood.
The crowd cheered, chanting, "Feed! Feed! Feed!"
Once I drained it entirely of its blood, I stood over it. The blood tasted sweet, rather than the stark contrast to the smell of iron that began to fill the room.
[Sufficient blood levels reached.]
[Due to Star Black having never consumed blood before, he is rather weak compared to some and often resists the urge.]
[Now that you have tasted blood, you crave it. Your mental state has a higher chance of shattering if you''re around blood.]
[Beginning evolution to Novice Vampire.]
I didn''t feel any different, but then I felt a sharp pain in my head, causing me to fall over and grasp my face.
"Star!" Kaido yelled, running toward me.
"Agh!" Please, someone, kill me now. This pain would be worse than having a drill put through my skull while it''s on fire!
However, soon enough, the pain faded.
[Evolution complete. You are now a Novice Vampire.]
[As a Novice, you gain basic blood abilities. You will be able to manipulate your own, but as you evolve further, you will be able to manipulate others and conjure blood.]
[Your lifespan has gone from +100 years to +200 years.]
[In order to progress to an adept vampire, you must drain the blood of a supernatural creature, and it can''t be the one you just consumed. Your blood reserves have increased.]
[You still have a weakness to holy weapons/magic, fire, and sunlight.]
[You now only have to feed once a week, though you may consume more if needed]
"For our next challenge! A rarity in and of itself, a Rift Warden!" The announcer said, a pair of glowing pink eyes forming in the darkness beyond the gate.