Chapter 18- Sponsoring
"So, how am I going to awaken?" Elio asked. This was perhaps the most important part of all of this. He had made his choice, but he still truly didn't know anything about what would happen next. He had learned about Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Eternal Sirene, and Earth and everything that happened between these two worlds, but he still had no idea what Blood Energy could do, what would happen if he awoke, or even how the current world of Vampire Hunters functions.
He had so many questions to ask and so many things he was curious about, but he decided to take things slow and start with the obvious before diving into the details.
"You will be injected with a special serum that will stimulate the Blood Energy within your blood. Then, your body will do the rest and start reconstructing itself to start the process of Evolution. It is painless and happens in a matter of minutes, so no need to worry. You will see later."
"And how would I be able to evolve and get stronger?"
"Just like Vampires, you will gain the ability to absorb the blood energy from the enemies you kill. However, you won't need to really drink their blood."
"... I see. But…" Elio put his hand on his chin. "That doesn't make sense."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Fiona raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I still don't understand very well. But how would one person get so much stronger than another person? I assume there aren't many extremely strong people in the world. But why is that? What differentiates them from the rest?"
"Oh?"
"This guy…" Alex looked at Fiona and then at Elio.
"Care to elaborate on what you mean, Elio?"
"Let's say that someone who doesn't have as much Blood Energy as someone else, yet they both kill the same number of enemies and absorb them. Why would one be stronger than the other?"
"..."
"..."
The two stared at Elio silently. They seemed so taken aback by what he said that they turned speechless.
"Ummm, is my question odd?" Realizing the awkward silence, Elio quickly tried to change his words. However, Fiona blinked and then replied.
"No, it's… Well, I'm surprised you noticed that so quickly. That is an entire field of research called the Absorption Theory, and I didn't intend to tell you about it until you learn about everything else first."
'How did he even quickly form that thought in his head? It took me days to even get to this realization when I awakened.' Fiona thought to herself. It was as if Elio instantly understood the information and quickly analyzed it before he reached that loophole in his understanding.
"Oh, should I ask another time then?" He asked with a wary look.
"No, it is fine. I was just surprised, and I can explain to you briefly what it means. Basically, those who have a higher talent than others will be able to absorb a higher amount of Energy from their targets. The efficiency and purity of the absorbed energy, and how their bodies accept it and integrate it, vary. It is extremely hard to determine who will grow faster or slower, and that is also why those who have better talent grow to be way stronger than those with lesser talents."
"I see. So, it has so many factors involved. Does that mean a margin of talent between two can be cut if the person with the lesser talent has a higher absorption rate?"
"Yes. Quantifying talent properly is a task next to impossible. You can't really measure how much potential one person has, so the closest data we have to that is the amount of Blood Energy they have in their body. The more you have, the more talented you are. It is not entirely accurate, but it's a good rule of thumb."
"I understand…"
'So my talent, based on that fact, can be better or worse than I expected. I guess I will have to wait to learn.' He mused.
"We're already explaining the Absorption Theory to this guy. Aren't we jumping many steps, Fiona?" Alex asked with a subtly annoyed tone. He watched as the boy quickly grasped rather complex concepts from the very first minute, something he never did.
"There is no point in keeping this for later. The more he learns, the more he will have to work with. Any other questions, Elio?"
"Uh, yes, one more. When you said I would be under the Vaylor name. Ummm, what does that mean exactly? Does that mean I will join the family or…?"
"Pffft…" Alex suddenly started giggling. "Join the family? No, no… Poor kid, so naive. If joining a family such as Vaylor was that easy, people would be having blood baths trying to get that opportunity."
"..." Elio felt a bit embarrassed for a moment. Alex sounded quite friendly as usual, but it was clear that he was pitying and even looking down on him. His tone sounded so condescending that it stung a bit.
"Alex. Enough." Fiona glared at her fiancé before looking at Elio again with a sigh. "Not quiet, but not far off either, Elio. What we will do is something akin to sponsoring."
"Sponsoring? Like… The kind of sponsorship you get to join a reputable university?"
"Exactly. You will get the benefit of being protected by our entity, and you will get the benefit of being able to use resources from the Vaylors to grow and get stronger. However, in return, you will do an oath to stay loyal to us and be a part of our manpower."
"I see."
"Don't worry. As rare as it is to have people like you, we still have other talents we have scouted and sponsored. You aren't the first case of its kind, in this regard at least…"
'Ignoring the fact that your talent eclipses any individual in the past few thousand years, at least.' She added in her head secretly.
"So yeah, you aren't going to join the Vaylors. Maybe when you grow up, you will get the chance."
"Umm, no, thank you. I would rather not do that." Elio smiled and replied. "I'm happy with my last name."
"..."
His words, as innocent as they sounded, made Alex flinch before he went silent.
"In any case, I think we should end the conversation here. We will have more time to talk later after school. For now, I will contact your workplace and tell them that you are leaving."
"W-What? But, how am I goin-"
"It's a part of the sponsoring. We won't just let you be without appropriate recompensation."
"Oh, I understand…"
"In any case. You will be very busy from now on. There is a lot you need to learn and a lot you need to train for. After all, even after awakening, you're still not a Vampire Hunter yet."
"How do I become a Vampire Hunter then?" Elio raised an eyebrow.
"By acquiring your Vampire Hunter License," Alex replied as he pulled out a card from his pocket. It was beautiful and golden, with letters written in red. "You will have to be licensed and accepted by the Vampire Hunter Society to become eligible."
"The Vampire Hunter Society…"
'That name sounds so intimidating.'