Chapter 34: Level 3 Trait.

The bear roared with fury before charging directly at me. I could feel its anger and wrath radiating from its massive form. My provocative words had clearly hurt its pride, even if it couldn’t understand the human tongue, it had definitely felt the challenge in my tone. There was absolutely no need to use Transcendent blood to deal with this small fry. I immediately activated my Blood Control trait, focusing on the bear’s circulatory system. The creature’s charge faltered slightly as I seized control of its blood flow, preventing circulation to its heart and other vital organs. The effect of my trait was instantaneous. The bear’s powerful muscles began to weaken as oxygen failed to reach them, its stability deteriorating rapidly as its brain was starved of blood. I stepped into close range while the creature struggled against my blood manipulation, raising my Razor Edge Sword for a finishing strike. Whoosh! The only sound I heard was my blade cutting cleanly through the air, followed by the wet impact of steel meeting flesh and bone. Thud. The bear collapsed to the forest floor, its massive body hitting the ground with enough force to shake nearby trees. Blood pooled beneath its still body as life left its eyes. The bear was dead. It couldn’t be more dead than that. I stood over the creature’s corpse, breathing calmly as I assessed the brief combat. The entire encounter had lasted less than ten seconds from start to finish. My Blood Control trait had once again proven it was devastatingly effective against Elite-rank opponents. The combination of my vampire abilities and enhanced equipment was making me far more dangerous than my official rank suggested. An Elite-rank awakener with second-order traits could easily overwhelm opponents who relied purely on physical strength and basic magical abilities. I wiped my blade clean on the bear’s fur before sheathing it, then began the process of collecting blood samples from both the bear and the wolf corpses. Elite-rank blood ha become my daily meal in the past week, and the bear’s blood would replenish my reserves nicely, and the variety would give me options for different enhancement combinations. As I worked, I reflected on how much my confidence had grown since arriving in this world. Glancing behind my back, I could sense some movement in the distance. Probably the adventurer team I’d encountered earlier, drawn by the sounds of combat. They would arrive to find nothing but beast corpses and bloodstains, with no sign of whoever had been responsible for the carnage. ... I continued ahead, walking and killing any beast that I came across without discrimination. It had been about an hour since my encounter with the bear, and I’d killed approximately ten Elite-rank creatures along with plenty of Noble-rank beasts. I’d absorbed all of their soul power and felt my strength rising slowly but steadily. Of course, I stored the elite beasts blood, this came without question. My vials were all maxed out. I had nearly thirty litres of blood with me. The more beasts one killed, the more soul power they absorbed. Soul power was the fundamental force used to enhance every aspect of one’s physical and magical capabilities. Whether it was mana capacity, raw strength, agility, or vitality - everything increased through the accumulation of defeated enemies’ essence. I remembered the author explaining this system in detail during one of the novel’s exposition sections. The soul power that came from defeated enemies was only a small portion of the defeated creature’s total soul power reserves. When a being was killed, it became a source of evolutionary energy for the victor, transferring a fragment of its accumulated power to strengthen the winner. The amount of soul power gained depended heavily on the rank difference and bloodline quality of the defeated enemy. Higher-rank opponents or creatures with superior bloodlines provided more soul power than weaker ones. This was why challenging stronger enemies was always more rewarding than grinding against inferior opponents. However, there was an important limitation to this system that prevented endless farming of weak creatures. Once too much soul power of the same type and rank had been absorbed, one’s spiritual core began developing immunity to that specific power source. After reaching a certain threshold, it became impossible to acquire additional benefits from similar enemies, forcing living beings to constantly seek out stronger and more diverse opponents to continue their growth. This meant I couldn’t just farm Elite-rank forest beasts forever. Eventually, my soul would stop accepting their power entirely, and I’d need to challenge Transcendent-rank creatures or find completely different types of enemies to maintain my progression. I was already beginning to feel the diminishing returns from the recent kills. The first few Elite-rank bears and wolves had provided substantial power increases, but the most recent creatures had offered noticeably less benefit. My physiology was adapting to their soul signatures, building resistance that would soon make hunting them pointless in regards to soul power, although the opportunity to gain echoes or aspects was still valid. The world system was designed to encourage risk-taking and constant advancement. Safety meant stagnation, while danger meant growth. I paused in a small clearing, assessing my current condition. My mana reserves felt fuller than before, my physical strength had increased, and my reflexes seemed sharper. The accumulated soul power was definitely making a difference in my overall capabilities. Something flashed across my retina making me smile brighter. My blood control trait has levelled up. Finally. [Host: Adrian Blackwood] [Bloodline: Supreme Vampire - 15%] [Rank: Elite] [Traits: Blood Control (2nd Order, Lvl.3), Supernatural Physique (1st Order, Lvl.3), Blood Enhancement(1st Order, Lvl.1)] [Aspect: Serpent Scales(Elite)] [Memory: None] The new blood control trait increased my range. [Blood Control] [Order: 2] [Level: 3] [Details: Grants the ability to manipulate blood both within your body and external sources. Can form blood into weapons, enhance physical capabilities by accelerating blood flow, and influence the blood of others within range. Effectiveness scales with the user’s rank and the target’s resistance. Current range: 10 meters.] The range had increased from the previous 5 meters to 10 meters. I could also feel my blood attacks were much more powerful and they formed faster, the level up had increased my strength. However, I didn’t get too excited. This wasn’t the harvest of this one training session, it was the accumulation of my countless fights for the past weeks. I needed to find stronger prey soon. Perhaps it was time to venture deeper into the forest, With my current power and accumulated blood reserves, I felt confident about taking calculated risks against more dangerous opponents in the elite rank. The unknown timeline meant I needed every advantage I could gain, and that meant pushing beyond my comfort zone into threatening territory.