Chapter 6: Fighting a Noble-Rank Beast!

The writer was essentially trying to make his world feel more realistic by saying, "Look, I'm giving powerful items to random people too! Not everything revolves around the main character!" It was his attempt at showing that opportunities existed for everyone, not just the protagonist. The second reason I remembered it so clearly was because of how absurdly wasteful it felt as a reader. This background character, I think his name was Marcus or Martin or something equally forgettable, had found this incredible artifact, used it for maybe two Chapters to show off during some minor academy competition, and then just... disappeared from the story entirely. Naturally, I might be wrong and that character could return later in the story, but I couldn't tell since I'd died before finishing the novel. Knowing that writer and the massive backlash he'd received from readers about his plot choices, it was most definitely just a throwaway background character who was meant to grab the item and then vanish like he'd gone out for milk and never came back. The item in question was called the "Crimson Moon Pendant" A blood-red crystal that gave regeneration, allowing the user to absorb their opponent's spilt blood to use as life force. For a vampire like me, it would be absolutely perfect. The ability to store blood inside that pendant was very useful. I could use it to attack using my blood control skill, or I could also use it to enhance my regeneration. I could remember the exact location from the novel too. The background character had been fleeing from a pack of Wolves when he'd stumbled into a hidden cave. The pendant had been sitting there for who knows how long, just waiting for someone to claim it. The best part? According to the timeline, that background character wouldn't stumble upon it for another few weeks. I had a perfect window to claim it for myself without disrupting any major plot points. I entered the Whispering Woods, my senses immediately picking up nothing nearby. The Wolves' territory was about two miles into the forest, and the hidden cave was just beyond their hunting grounds. I'd need to be careful not to alert the entire pack, but with my knowledge and new skill, it shouldn't be too difficult. After all, that background character had managed to survive whilst only having a single first order trait which he had gotten by reaching elite rank. As I moved deeper into the woods, following the mental map I'd constructed from the novel's descriptions, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. This was exactly the kind of advantage that made transmigrating into a novel worthwhile, foreknowledge that could turn a background character's lucky find into my own stepping stone to survival. The thirst in my throat reminded me that I'd need to feed along the way, but that would just be killing two birds with one stone. By the time I returned to the manor, I'd be fed, armed with a powerful artefact, and one step closer to changing my fate in this world. ... I encountered the first beast, and it was actually a very common one that I recognised immediately from the novel's countless descriptions. The creature resembled a sloth, but scaled up to the size of a small bear. Its matted brown fur hung in thick clumps, and its oversized claws gleamed menacingly in the moonlight as it hung from a massive tree. Despite its intimidating appearance and the low growl rumbling from its throat, I wasn't particularly worried. I already had a few items that made sure I stayed alive, despite my inexperience with my talent and newfound power. Adrian had been quite spoiled. In the storage ring on my finger, I had many potions, and I've already worn some defensive items that made sure I would stay alive in an encounter with a noble rank beast. Secondly, I knew a lot about the beasts inside this forest. So, to be armed with so much knowledge, items and still do nothing was definitely idiotic. "I refuse to be like the characters I hate." The beast in front of me was called Lazarus Sloth. A Noble-rank magical beast known for its deceptively slow movements and surprising bursts of speed when threatened. In the novel, these creatures had been used as training dummies for first-year academy students, dangerous enough to provide a challenge but predictable enough that casualties were rare. More importantly, I had a second-order trait, and I knew exactly what that meant in terms of power scaling. Having a second-order trait meant I was literally one in several million. Throughout the entire novel, the only people I could recall possessing traits of similar order or higher were Kyle and his eventual companions, the main cast, who would go on to reshape the world. Apart from them, no beast, no student, and none of the known figures in the capital had awakened anything beyond first-order traits at the elite rank, let alone Noble rank. To put this in perspective: very few were lucky to awaken any trait at all during the Noble rank. The vast majority had to wait until they reached Elite rank before their bloodline manifested any abilities. Those rare few who did awaken traits at the Noble rank typically got one first-order trait at best. My father, Duke Marcus Blackwood, who in the original timeline would eventually die under Kyle's hand while trying to avenge my death, had possessed a second-order trait. But he had only awakened it when he reached Royal rank, making him one of the most feared combatants in the kingdom. The fact that I had awakened Blood Control as a second-order trait while still at Noble rank meant my potential was absolutely monstrous. In raw talent terms, I was only second to the protagonist, his team and the main villains. The Lazarus Sloth finally noticed my presence and began its slow descent from the tree, its movements slow as it sized me up. Its small, beady eyes glowed, and I could see its muscles tensing beneath that deceptively sluggish exterior. I flexed my fingers experimentally, feeling the Blood Control trait responding to my will. I could sense the creature's life force, the steady rhythm of its heartbeat, the warm flow of blood through its veins. My vampire nature was practically salivating at the prospect of feeding, and the burning thirst in my throat intensified. "Alright," I murmured, settling into a combat stance that felt somewhat unfamiliar, but I had to make due for now. "Let's see what a second-order trait can do against you." The beast's eyes narrowed, and suddenly its lazy facade dropped entirely. With explosive speed that would have caught most Noble-rank fighters off guard, it launched itself directly at me, claws extended and ready to tear me apart.