Chapter 15 : the reptorok beast
The sun was shining brightly over sky . The city was bustling with activity, with people rushing to and fro. However, in a secluded corner of the city, a boy was walking toward a gutter.
That boy was none other than me. I removed the heavy manhole cover, and without hesitation, jumped inside.
Thud.
Inside, the lighting was dim; the few bulbs installed were either flickering or completely dead. There were narrow walkways on both sides, separated by a wide canal where filthy sewage water flowed sluggishly.
A universal truth came to mind: The brighter the light, the deeper the darkness within the heart. Similarly, the more modern a town becomes, the filthier its gutters are.
I moved forward. My vampire eyes pierced through the darkness, allowing me to see everything as clear as day. After walking for a while, I spotted something on the ground.
A footprint.
I began tracking the footprints. Following the trail, I reached a junction with three distinct paths: one straight ahead, one to the left, and one to the right.
Confusingly, the footprints seemed to lead down all three paths simultaneously. I stood there, unable to make sense of it.
Suddenly, I heard a sound directly above me. It was so faint that no human could have ever noticed it.
Drip.
A drop of liquid fell from the ceiling and landed on me. Instantly, I realized that this wasn't water. It was saliva. The drool of a beast staring down at its prey—and that prey was likely me.
Whoosh!
The beast lunged from the ceiling. having anticipated the attack, I immediately crouched and dashed backward.
Because of my quick reaction, the beast missed its landing. It couldn't gain traction and crashed onto the floor a few meters away.
Crash!
I got my first good look at the creature. It had glowing green eyes, a lizard-like face, and a flickering snake-like tongue. Two sharp horns protruded from its head. It stood on four massive legs armed with razor-sharp, metallic claws. Its tail resembled that of a crocodile but was covered in black spikes, ending with a tip that burned with a green flame. Its entire body was covered in sickly green skin.
For the first time in my life, I felt the cold grip of fear. In my previous life, I was just a human living in a place where monsters didn't exist—except in manga and anime.
(Pause Time)
I explained everything to you before, but I haven't clarified the HP system yet. Let me clear that up now.
For Level 1, a person has 10 HP. This increases by 10 with every level up. By Level 10, one has 100 HP. However, after Level 10, the system changes completely, which you will discover in later chapters.
(Resume Time)
Watching a monster on TV and seeing one in front of you are two very different things. TV gives you a thrill; reality threatens your life. Standing before a living, breathing beast that has locked its eyes on you is terrifying.
"System," I commanded, "Show me the beast's profile."
A translucent blue window appeared before my eyes.
[ Reptorok ]
[ HP: 20,000 ]
[ Level: Beginner Level Beast ]
[ Ability: Poison and Fire Mixture ]
Oh, so the beast is named Reptorok.
I was shocked. Its HP was 20,000. That was 12,200 HP more than my own 7,800. I had to find a way to defeat this thing, no matter what.
While I was calculating, the Reptorok spun around.
Swish!
It swung its tail, launching a barrage of black spikes directly at me.
I didn't feel a direct threat to my life, but I knew those spikes were dangerous enough to cause damage. I leaped into the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The spikes struck the ground where I had been standing moments ago. As I landed back down, I looked at the impact zone. The cement floor was sizzling, melting under a green fire that acted like acid.
I felt the urge to spit. One hit from that beast, and the floor was destroyed by poison and fire.
The Reptorok flicked its snake-like tongue in and out, looking at me with amusement, as if it were toying with its food.
I reached into my storage and pulled out the Fire Dragon Whip. As soon as the weapon settled in my hand, my system status panel shifted.
[ Name: Aditya ]
[ Race: Vampire ]
[ Bloodline: Origin Blood Tribe ]
[ Strength: 78 + 12 ]
[ Agility: 78 - 5 ]
[ Stamina: 78 + 12 ]
Looking at my modified stats, I realized that equipping weapons alters your attributes—some increase while others decrease.
I gripped the dragon handle of the whip and lashed out.
Crack!
A slashing wave of fire flew straight at the Reptorok.
ROAAAR!
The beast howled in pain. The attack had cut through its thick skin, leaving a wound that oozed green blood. Surprisingly, as the blood droplets hit the floor, the ground sizzled and burned. The Reptorok roared in anger; it realized its prey wasn't as weak as it thought.
[ 19,500 HP / 20,000 HP ]
The Reptorok had lost 500 HP. However, I watched as the wound began to close rapidly. This proved that the Reptorok had a strong healing factor, recovering about 200 HP almost instantly.
I took back my previous thought—its healing power wasn't infinite. It could only recover a small amount instantly; the rest would likely have to heal naturally.
Slash! Slash!
I launched a flurry of fire slashes at the Reptorok. Due to the confined space of the sewer, the beast couldn't dodge effectively and took hit after hit.
[ - 500 ]
[ - 500 ]
[ - 1,000 ]
[ - 500 ]
...
I kept attacking until I had drained 7,000 of its HP. Even with its healing factor restoring 2,000 HP, the Reptorok had permanently lost 5,000 HP. It wasn't getting that back.
The beast was furious. A weak human had managed to shave off 5,000 HP. It prepared for its second phase.
The Reptorok waved its tail again, but this time, the green fire at the tip flared up. It launched a volley of green fireballs straight at me.
I was panting heavily from the continuous attacks. The last time I had been this exhausted was against Michael—who was probably watching me from hell, praying for me to join him.
I snapped out of my thoughts. Seeing the fireballs hurtling toward me, I tried to dodge.
Whoosh!
I managed to evade most of them, but because my attention had wavered, one fireball struck me.
Boom!
It hit my arm. Instantly, my arm was engulfed in green flames. My flesh began to sizzle and melt.
"ARGHHH!" I screamed in agony. The Reptorok didn't attack; it just watched, waiting for the poisonous fire to consume me so it could eat my corpse.
[ System Warning: Host's arm is burning ]
[ -1,000 HP ]
[ -1,000 HP ]
I couldn't find a way to extinguish the flames. I had to make a decision.
Slice!
With a swift motion of my Fire Dragon Whip, I severed my own arm completely.
"AAAAAHHH!" I screamed again as the pain overwhelmed me.
The Reptorok looked stunned. It had never expected prey to be this ruthless toward itself.
But then, right before its shocked eyes, flesh began to sprout from the stump of my shoulder. Within seconds, a brand new arm had grown back.
[ 5,000 HP / 7,800 HP ]
I only had 5,000 HP left. Regenerating the limb had drained my energy, and an intense hunger began to gnaw at my stomach. I had to finish this quickly.
I activated my Blood Control skill.
Immediately, the green blood oozing from the Reptorok's numerous wounds began to defy gravity. Droplets floated into the air, swirling and gathering at a single point above us.
The Reptorok froze. It was the first time it had ever encountered a human capable of manipulating its own blood. Panic set in. It frantically swung its tail, trying to physically cut the stream of blood flowing from its body to me, but it was futile. The blood continued to flow, and its life force began to drain rapidly.
[ - 100 ]
[ - 100 ]
[ - 100 ]
[ - 100 ]
[ ... ]
Just like that, the Reptorok lost another 5,000 HP. It was now down to half its health. Because of the continuous blood loss, its regeneration ability was rendered useless. It had permanently lost 10,000 HP in this battle.
The beast glared at me, its eyes burning with pure rage. It realized that as long as I was alive, its blood would keep draining. It decided to kill me instantly to stop the flow.
Meanwhile, the green blood hovering in the air began to compress into the shape of a small, round pill. Thanks to my Blood Manipulation skill, I was purifying the beast's blood as I extracted it.
I saw the beast preparing to lunge, so I made a split-second decision: I would take its tail.
I channeled all my remaining strength into my arm. Gripping the Fire Dragon Whip tightly, I aimed directly at the base of the Reptorok's tail and unleashed a devastating fire slash.
CRACK!
A massive arc of fire sliced through the air and struck true. The whip shore clean through the thick scales and flesh, severing the tail completely from its body.
ROAAAAR!
The Reptorok let out a deafening roar that shook the sewer walls. With that single strike, it had lost another 5,000 HP. The beast turned its gaze toward me. Its eyes were filled with such intense hatred that if looks could kill, I would have died ten thousand times over.
However, despite its rage, the Reptorok hadn't lost its mind. It was intelligent. It knew that if it continued to fight me in its current state, it would lose its life. The tail would grow back eventually, but death was permanent.
It opened its massive jaws and spat a concentrated ball of green fire at the ground between us.
BOOM!
The fireball didn't explode into flames; instead, it burst into a thick cloud of green smoke that rapidly expanded, filling the tunnel.
I was instantly engulfed in the fog. A system notification flashed before my eyes.
[ Warning: Host has entered a Poison Zone. ]
[ -5 HP every 10 seconds. ]
[ Please exit the area immediately. ]
I activated my Vampire Eyes and dashed out of the smoke cloud.
A few moments later, the green smoke dissipated completely. But when the air cleared, the Reptorok was gone.
Even with my enhanced vision, the density and magical nature of that smoke had blocked my sight. I couldn't tell which direction it had fled.
I walked over to the severed tail lying on the ground. The tail alone was as big as my entire body. It gave a chilling perspective on just how massive the Reptorok actually was.
I touched the tail, and with a flash of light, it vanished into my Storage Ring.
Above me, the blood pill process was still ongoing. I decided to stop the solidification. I pulled out a special transparent bottle and, using my skill, guided the purified liquid blood directly into the container.
I corked the bottle and stored it in my ring.
Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to chase the beast. Regenerating my arm had drained my energy reserves, and my hunger was growing intense. Technically, I could use the Holy Cup to transmute this filthy sewer water into blood to satisfy my hunger...
I looked at the sludge flowing in the canal.
No. I hadn't fallen that low yet. There was no way I was drinking sewer water, even if it was turned into blood.
I secured the bottle of green blood in my storage ring and turned back. I retraced my steps, following the path I had come from, heading back toward the college.
Ten minutes later, I reached the spot under the manhole.
Whoosh!
I jumped, clearing the height easily, and landed on the street above, exiting the dark gutter.
I looked up at the sky. The sun had set, and evening had taken over the city. I walked through the town streets, blending in with the crowd, and made my way back to the college.
As I approached the entrance, the two guards at the gate recognized me and promptly opened the gates to let me in.
To be continued...