Chapter 13: The Awakening of the Origin
"I didn't expect you to dodge my first strike so easily," Michael said, his voice terrifyingly calm. He looked at the burn mark on my arm and then at my face, a hint of admiration mixed with his cruelty. "And to recover from the pain so instantly? Your talent is truly worthy of jealousy."
I didn't respond to his praise. I couldn't afford to get distracted. My mind was racing, calculating every possible escape route.
'He is Level 11. I am effectively Level 8 right now. The gap isn't insurmountable, but that Soul Weapon... that thing is the problem.'
"Ignoring me?" Michael smirked. "Fine. Let's see how you handle this. Dodge my second attack!"
He raised his left hand. The air around him shimmered with intense heat.
Whoosh—!
A ball of concentrated fire materialized in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it at me.
Fwoosh!
The fireball screamed through the air like a meteor.
I gritted my teeth. I wanted to use my Vampire Speed, but I held back. If I moved too fast—faster than a human physically could—my secret would be out. If the Academy found out I was a vampire, I would be hunted down.
Swoosh!
I threw myself to the right, barely rolling out of the projectile's path.
Boom!
The fireball struck the ground behind me, exploding into a shower of sparks and scorching the earth.
"Not bad," Michael commented. "But you are just delaying the inevitable."
While I was recovering from the roll, Michael didn't stay idle. He coated his right fist in flames. But this was different. The fire didn't just burn; it condensed, turning thick and viscous like molten rock.
[Skill: Magma Fist]
"Die!"
Zoom—
He closed the distance in a split second.
'Too fast!'
I tried to dodge, weaving my head to the side.
Swish— swish—
I evaded the first two jabs, but Michael was a trained fighter. He feinted with his left and drove his right fist straight into my chest with the force of a battering ram.
BAM!
The impact was heavy. It felt like a sledgehammer coated in lava had slammed into my ribs.
"Gah!"
I was lifted off my feet and sent flying backward.
Crash!
My back collided violently with a thick oak tree. The wood cracked from the force of the impact, and I slid down to the roots, gasping for air.
[System Alert!]
[Critical Hit Recieved.]
[Damage Taken: -500 HP]
[Current HP: 7200 / 7800]
I coughed, tasting iron in my mouth. My chest felt like it was on fire.
'500 HP in one hit?' I thought, staring at the notification. 'If I were a normal human, that punch would have shattered my ribcage and pierced my heart. I would be dead.'
Michael stood there, looking at me with genuine shock.
"You... you withstood that?" He tilted his head. "I put my full strength into that punch. A Level 5 student should be a corpse right now. You really are full of surprises, Aditya."
His shock quickly turned into a sadistic grin.
"But it doesn't matter. You can't win against my ultimate technique."
He slammed both palms onto the ground.
"Fire Cage!"
Rumble— Crackle!
Suddenly, the ground beneath me split open. Pillars of roaring flame erupted from the earth, forming a circle around me. The flames curved inward, interlocking above my head to form an inescapable prison of fire.
Hiss—
The heat was instantaneous and suffocating. The oxygen inside the cage began to burn away. Sweat poured from my skin, evaporating the moment it appeared.
[System Warning!]
[Continuous Damage Detected.]
[You are losing 100 HP every 5 seconds.]
I looked around frantically. Fire. Everywhere. There was no gap, no exit.
Outside the cage, Michael waved his hand. The earth shifted, and flames molded together to form a throne of fire. He sat down comfortably, crossing his legs as if watching a play.
"Struggle all you want," Michael laughed softly. "No matter how hard you try, you cannot break out. The heat inside will boil your blood. A normal person would die in 5 seconds. Since you are a healer, maybe you'll last... one minute?"
He checked his nails nonchalantly.
"I will sit here and enjoy watching you cook alive."
Tick-tock.
Time passed.
[System Notification]
[1 Minute Elapsed.]
[Total Damage Taken: -1200 HP]
[Current HP: 6000 / 7800]
My vision blurred. The pain was excruciating. My skin felt like it was melting.
But amidst the pain, a different emotion began to rise.
'He intends to kill me,' I realized. 'He isn't playing. He wants me dead.'
Rage.
Pure, unadulterated rage bubbled up from the depths of my soul.
'Why? Why must I always be the one suffering? Why do the weak always get trampled? I tried to be low-key. I tried to walk away. But you... you pushed me.'
My heart hammered against my ribs like a war drum.
'If you want a monster... I'll give you a monster.'
Suddenly, a strange energy exploded from my core. It wasn't the warm energy of mana; it was cold, dark, and ancient.
Badump. Badump.
My black hair began to bleach, turning a deep, blood-red crimson. My eyes, once dark, glowed with a predatory scarlet light. My canines extended, sharpening into razor-like fangs.
I was losing control. The human side of me receded, and the beast took over.
Ding!
[System Override]
[Emotion Triggered: Extreme Rage & Vengeance.]
[Hidden Form Unlocked: Origin Vampire Form]
[Condition: In this state, 10 HP will be consumed every 10 seconds.]
[Effect: All Stats are DOUBLED.]
[Current Stats (Origin Form)]
[Strength: 156]
[Agility: 156]
[Stamina: 156]
[New Skills Unlocked:]
* Blood Control: Ability to manipulate the blood of others (freeze, boil, extract).
* Blood Clone: Create a clone with 50% of your power for a cost of 100 HP.
* Blood Manipulation: Shape blood into any weapon or form without limit.
I stood up slowly inside the cage. The heat no longer bothered me.
I looked at the bars of fire.
Riiip!
With a single hand, I grabbed the flames. My hand didn't burn. Instead, with a raw display of strength (156 Strength), I tore the fire cage apart as if it were made of paper.
Shatter!
The flames dissipated into sparks.
Michael, who had been smiling on his throne, froze. His smile faltered, then vanished completely.
"What..."
He stood up, his eyes trembling. He looked at me—at the red hair, the glowing eyes, the aura of death radiating from me.
For the first time, Michael felt something he hadn't felt in years.
Fear.
"Who... what are you?" he stammered, stepping back. "You aren't human!"
But his arrogance wouldn't let him accept defeat. He gritted his teeth. "No! I am Level 11! I won't lose to a freak!"
He raised his Soul Weapon, the Fire Dragon Whip, preparing to strike.
I didn't speak. I simply walked toward him.
I raised my hand, palm facing him.
[Skill: Blood Control]
"Stop."
Michael froze mid-motion. His eyes widened in horror.
"My... my body..." he gasped. "Why can't I move?!"
He could feel it. The blood inside his veins wasn't obeying him anymore. It was obeying me.
"Come out," I whispered.
I clenched my fist.
"AAAAHHH!"
Michael screamed in agony.
Small droplets of blood began to seep out of his pores. First from his nose, then his eyes, then his skin.
I didn't stop there.
[Skill: Blood Clone]
[Cost: 1000 HP]
[Creating 10 Clones]
Squelch— Squelch—
Ten figures rose from the ground, formed entirely of crimson liquid. They took my shape, standing in a perfect circle around Michael. Even with half my power, each clone had stats around 78—equal to my base night form.
The clones extended their hands in unison.
The pull on Michael's blood intensified tenfold.
Whoosh—!
"No! Please! Stop! It hurts!"
Michael shrieked as streams of blood were forcibly ripped from his body. Ten streams of red liquid flew through the air, converging into a floating sphere above my head.
"You wanted to kill me," I said, my voice distorted and demonic. "So you should have been prepared to be eaten."
Minutes passed. The screaming eventually turned into weak whimpers, and then... silence.
Michael fell to his knees, then to his face.
Thud.
He looked like a dried husk. His skin was pale and shriveled, clinging tightly to his bones. He looked like a skeleton wrapped in parchment.
The massive sphere of blood above me swirled and compressed.
[Blood Manipulation]
I crushed the sphere with my mind. It shrank, becoming denser and denser, until it solidified into a small, dark red pill.
Plink.
The pill fell into my hand. I stored it immediately in my storage ring.
I walked over to Michael's body. He was barely breathing, hanging on to his last second of life. He looked up at me with hollow eyes, full of regret. He had awakened a demon that should have been left sleeping.
I placed my hand on his chest.
"I'll be taking this," I muttered.
I began to chant a dark mantra that flooded into my mind from the system.
[System Notification]
[Skill Activated: Possession Plunder]
[Targeting: Soul Weapon - Fire Dragon Whip]
"Guh..." Michael groaned weakly.
A glowing red light began to emerge from his chest. It looked like a spectral version of the whip. To Michael, it felt like I was tearing a piece of his very soul away from his body.
"Ah... ah..."
With one final tug, I pulled the light completely out.
Flash!
The light solidified in my hand. The Fire Dragon Whip was now real, physical, and mine. It hummed, recognizing its new, stronger master, and coiled around my arm submissively.
Zap.
I stored the weapon in my ring.
Michael let out one final breath and went still.
The moment the adrenaline faded, the cost of the transformation hit me like a truck.
Thump... thump...
My red hair faded back to black. My fangs retracted. The ominous red glow left my eyes.
[Origin Form Deactivated.]
"Ugh..."
My vision went black. The exhaustion was overwhelming.
Thud.
My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, next to the husk of my enemy.
To be continued...