Malakai was glad that he was currently the most wanted person in the clan.
To obtain darkness creatures, death had to occur. It didn’t matter if it was mutated beasts or humans, death was necessary. But since he was more or less trapped inside the Crimson Hold, it had been practically impossible to get any darkness creature.
Now, however, with many of the Sanguine high-ups after his head, he had a steady supply.
‘I should have thought of this sooner.’
Malakai felt a flicker of regret. The assassins that had come for him on the first day had been numerous. He couldn’t help but lament the large amount of vita he’d lost.
‘There’s no choice but to move forward.’
He pushed the thought aside and walked toward the second darkness creature writhing on the ground, killing it in a single, clean motion.
As the surge of vita roared through his body, Malakai focused, channeling it toward his chosen location with control.
A few seconds later, his eyes flickered open. If not for the cold expression he had learned to wear as a mask, Malakai might’ve smiled.
He turned toward Nyx, who was watching him with a knowing look, clearly having figured out what he was up to.
“Nyx, retrieve their core.” Malakai instructed.
Nyx instantly nodded. Her legs came down on the severed heads of the darkness creature, crushing them in the next instant. Then, she digged through the gore and brought out two radiant green cores, which she instantly handed to Malakai.
Malakai received it without a second thought.
“I’m done with them. If any other assassin comes, repeat the same thing.”
Nyx bowed. “Yes, Ninth Vein.”
Malakai gave a small nod. He didn’t feel bad for stealing her targets. The vita from grade two darkness creatures was next to useless for her anyway.
He turned to walk back inside the manor, only to suddenly stop.
“Nin—”
Just as Nyx was about to ask if he had more orders, Malakai cut her off.
“…thank you.”
Nyx froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. Had she heard right? Did the cold, machine like Ninth Vein just thank her?
She blinked, raising her head, but Malakai still faced away. And yet… she could feel the sincerity in those words.
Her cold expression shattered. A radiant smile, one that could light the darkest cave, appeared on her face.
“Yes.” She bowed even lower. To her, those two words had made everything worth it.
Malakai said nothing more. He walked off, leaving Nyx smiling as she watched his back fade from view.
When he closed the door to his room, Valentine’s excited voice suddenly exploded in his head.
“Woooohooooo! Progress! This is progress!”
Malakai shut his eyes, shaking his head. “What are you on about now?”
“It’s progress, baby!”
Valentine shot out of him, zooming across the room like a drunk firefly, screaming “Progress! Progress!” at the top of his lungs.
The excitement would’ve been infectious, if not for the fact that with each jump, his man boobs and belly wobbled violently.
Eventually, Valentine settled, floating in front of Malakai. “Malakai Von Sanguine actually thanked Nyx. That’s insane progress, if you ask me.”
Malakai frowned. “There’s nothing there. I thank people when they’ve done something worth being thanked for.”
“That’s good! That’s really good. But it’s nice seeing you recognize her effort. She was smiling, you know? When you said it. She looked really happy. But you didn’t see it… you were facing the other way.”
“She was smiling?” Malakai asked.
Valentine nodded.
“Hmm.”
Malakai didn’t know how to feel about that.
‘It’s just two words. Why was she happy?’ he wondered.
But he quickly shook the thought away. There were more pressing things to focus on right now.
Valentine, meanwhile, had started rambling again.
“Now we just have to get to the stage where you smile while saying it!”
Malakai tuned him out completely, settling onto his bed. He took several deep breaths, calming his nerves, then muttered:
“Manifest.”
A glowing panel blinked into existence, his stats, now updated.
[Vita Core Interface]
Name: Malakai Von Sanguine
Lineage: Direct Descendant of the Sanguine Clan
Title(s): [Successor of Life] [Ruined Heir] [Worthless Trash]
Talent Grade: ???
Vita Stored: 5,073 / 4,535 → 5,073 Units
Vita Absorption Rate: 2.0 V/s (High Density) | 1.5 V/s (Normal Zone)
Evolution Stage: Genesis (Awaiting formation of first node)
Base Attributes:
• Strength: 170 → 171 [90 – 125]
• Dexterity: 180 → 181 [100 – 135]
• Vitality: 239 [125 – 150]
• Perception: 182 [110 – 140]
• Willpower: 122 → 123 [50 – 76]
• Control: 110 → 111 [0 – 5]
[Node Map]
• Blood Node: Active [1 → 2% refined]
• Muscle Node: Sealed
• Nerve Node: Sealed
• Bone Node: Sealed
• Breath Node: Sealed
• Digestion Node: Sealed
• Synaptic Node: Sealed
• Cellular Node: Sealed
• Endocrine Node: Sealed
• Immune Node: Sealed
• Sensory Node: Sealed
• Body Node: Sealed (Opens when all primary nodes are awakened and refined at 100%)
…
Malakai gazed at his stats with a calm look. Not much had changed since he checked it the night before, however, the small fact that there was a change was enough to surprise him a bit.
‘Looks like it really is effective.’
Malakai had said it before, but now his stats panel just proved it. The clan’s training, in under one day, had been able to effectively change his stats, even if it was just a little bit.
His gaze focused on his vita stored stat, noting the large increase in vita. This was his total vita capacity, and in just one day, it had increased by more than five hundred points!
To see how insane that number was, one had to remember Malakai’s earlier calculations.
Based on the vita he passively absorbed from the atmosphere: if the vita density was high, his total storage would increase by 0.72 points per hour. But if he actively absorbed in the same conditions, it would shoot up to 7.2 points per hour.
That was 17.28 points per day for passive absorption, and 172.8 for active absorption.
