I let out a sharp exhale as I pulled my spear back from the now lifeless canine.
This wolf had been a great anomaly.
I judged it to be only at early Middle Stage—around 40% permeance into the Resonant Realm—yet it still had proved to be a challenging adversary.
With its shocking intelligence, it had been far greater a threat than both the boar and stag despite being weaker, who sat in the early Upper and late Middle Stage respectively.
More importantly, the wolf had also been an excellent catalyst.
During the clash, my spirit essence circulated with a violence cultivation nor training could ever replicate.
Each clash forced it through my body at a fierce output, causing microfractures, widening pathways, compressing density, and grinding away inefficiencies that usually took hours of controlled refinement.
Under real danger, essence did not simply circulate—it adapted.
By my estimation, that single skirmish had advanced my spirit core by roughly ~0.12%.
Although sounding little, it was an incredible amount, quadruple the amount cultivated previously yielded and over double from training—made starker by the difference in duration.
Fierce as it was, the battle against the wolf (and the stag, which, in hindsight, had also been a significant contributor. We don't talk about the boar though) had lasted less than half an hour.
In contrast, cultivation and training sessions spanned multiple hours only to provide a fraction of the result.
Even taking into account my newfound enormous essence reserve from binding the Primordial Spirit, which effectively doubled my gains, the progress was still staggering.
Especially considering that despite all that, the fight hadn't truly pushed me; my essence never drove into that desperate circulation required for maximum growth.
Not even close.
In a battle where retreat wasn't an option, where my life hung on every exchange, I estimated that a 0.25 to 0.30% permeation could be possible.
An amount that could rival well over a week of regular cultivation and/or training, compressed into a single encounter, undisputedly affirming combat as the supreme method for growth.
Clenching my fists, I felt the slight increment in my power.
Then, after briefly observing the surroundings on the look out for more possible monsters, I went to retrieve my botched gothic mirror to open a portal to the mirror realm.
That was where I was going to place the wolf, stag, and boar corpse because there wasn't enough space in my storage ring and they weren't important enough for me to keep in there.
I'd rather keep things like weapons, potions, water, food—well, I guess they are food, but I mean actual ready to eat ones.
A couple minutes later, I began hauling the carcasses.
Starting with the wolf, which must've weighed around 80 kg, yet I carried it with absolute ease. Moving onto the stag, I estimated it weighed over a 100 kg, but I still managed to transport it easily.
I could definitely feel my enhanced vampiric streng… Oh yeah…
I'm a vampire… I need to drink blood.
Digging into my memory, I remember the Reflection Primordial words.
A minimum of a liter per week was required, animal blood is fine, and to drink it fresh if possible.
...and that elves taste the greatest while succubi are repulsive.
Looking at the monstrous boar barely clinging to life, I swallowed my saliva in disgust. A deep sense of repulsion filled my mind at the thought of drinking its blood.
Aren't vampires notoriously picky when it comes to blood? And I'm pretty sure drinking monster blood is an often implemented punishment in vampire societies.
…I still have six days— no, let's say three days. You could go 3-4 days without water, but it won't be a fun time. I have a feeling the situation's similar for vampires with blood.
Do I gamble on the hope I'll find someone who'll let me drink their blood, or just take the fresh beast blood in front of me?
Ah, fuck it.
Just like with sunlight, I'll have to deal with situations like this eventually.
Better to experience and try to tolerate them now so I could get a feel for it—or rather taste I should say.
Taking out a pocket knife from my storage ring, I slit an inch of fur off the boar's back so I could get a bite without hair in my mouth. That would've made the experience even more disgusting.
I ended up choosing its back to bite compared to the neck, where you'd typically imagine vampires bite because its front body was completely mangled—a gruesome mess of blood and crushed bone.
I wasn't going to touch that part.
After all was said and done, I finally went and took the bite without much flare.
The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I became so I just bit the bullet... I mean boar.
But right as I was about to sink my teeth in, a concern struck me: how was I going to bite into the back?
At the time, I still had normal human teeth, however my question was soon answered when some teeth suddenly elongated, turning into deadly fangs capable of piercing even an early Upper Stage monster's body.
My eyes widened as fangs pierced skin and blood flowed into my mouth, then a sour expression visibly took over my face. My eyes were slightly watery and blinking rapidly for help.
The taste, though not quite as horrid as I imagined, was still awful.
The liquid was incredibly viscous which made its mouthfeel extremely uncomfortable, further combined with its deep metallic and salty taste made the experience something I'd never want to go through again unless I was actually starving.
Wiping my mouth, I pierced a spear into the boar's head, finally putting an end to its life before dragging it into the Mirror Realm.
Inside, I took a long rest where I allowed my injuries to naturally heal, created another abominable mirror backpack that was going to set fashion statements, and placed attacks in the shield and backpack in preparation for the journey ahead.
I also spent time to polish and sharpen my spear, which I was given a new and much greater sense of appreciation towards.
The shaft held true without a single crack, the head was free of chips, and the runes showed no hint of overcharge despite facing those fearsome enemies.
This weapon had been a gift from my girlfriend on my 17th birthday, and it seemed the quality held true.