Draconic Vampire : Curse of the Blood

Chapter 122: Viscount

It was already midnight and the temperature had already dropped to sub-zero. Thin sheets of ice could be seen forming around the barren land. The blood forest was much more resilient thanks to their life energy, keeping them warm even in this harsh environment.

Keith’s body was brimming with excess blood essence so his body was warmer than usual. The cold wind was creating thin layers of ice on his body but it was melting as soon as the blood-qi circulated in that area.

He expanded his blood-qi and the air around him heated up and the ice vaporized within a split second. Extending his arms, Keith struck the ground and started sprinting towards the academy.

Swish!

His figure disappeared from the entrance of the cave and the silhouette of his aura could be seen moving at an incredible speed. Much to his dismay, the blood core was not properly stabilized so the system couldn’t exert Keith’s full power.

Reaching the academy entrance, which was guarded by several viscount level vampires, Keith showed his id and got in without any problems. Although he did get some weird glances due to his appearance which didn’t bother him that much.

The series of events that happened today was nothing short of a dream. First, he found a cave that was exactly like the one he found in his home territory. There he found an ancient demon who claimed to come from another continent. 

The system didn’t blatantly refute all these claims because it could feel that these statements were true. The memories of the past were still locked inside but the sense of resemblance could be felt. Maybe after the system recovers its divinity and memories all these things will become apparent.

“Haaah!”

Keith slid his hand across his messy hair and felt how long they’ve become. 

“I cut my hair just before coming here. Not even a month has passed. Is this the side effect of the rapid absorption of blood-qi? Well, I can’t test that now. Maybe next time I absorb large amounts of life energy, I will keep this in mind.”

The room was already cleaned by Rena and all the things were placed in proper order. Keith freshened up and changed into his training uniform. He didn’t go to the hunter office for three days after getting here. The staff must be looking for him. He checked his rune card and there it was, hundreds of messages flashing in order one after the other.

Most of the messages were from Garion and Sen. They were desperately asking him to come and witness their progress. Others were from the students who booked Keith’s time for analyzing their warrior frame. Lastly, ten messages were from the hunter office, mainly from the young receptionist who asked to meet him urgently.

“Did those three tried to make trouble again? I didn’t bring any ghoul corpses here but I can go back and get the ghoul baron corpse.” Keith said with an evil grin etched across his face.

Right now, Keith’s body was controlled by the system. Although the behavior was slightly different, the main goals were more or less aligned with Keith, that is to level up as quickly as possible without harming the foundation and learn as many blood-qi techniques as possible.

Even if the system was greedy and wanted to upgrade itself, its mind was intertwined with Keith and his ideals. As a former god who is bound to a mortal, it was very uncomfortable at first. But Keith’s determination to grow and become stronger changed the impression of him. Now the system was not so detached from him, more like it was going in the same direction as him.

Most importantly, Keith was his master. Whether or not the system wanted to accept it or not, this was the reality. Even after becoming a god, The bond between them won’t go away. If the system could get stronger than him, there was a chance to reverse the situation, but it was not a surefire way.

Keith’s mind held the key to controlling the system and anytime a problem arises, he could just order it to stop. In that case, there was nothing the system could do. Among all these contradictory thoughts, the system knew one thing very well. It’s that Keith was the only choice it had to achieve the divinity. Not because Kieth was bound to him, but his physique and otherworldly knowledge gave him so much advantage in this world that others couldn’t match his pace.

The system was sure that even without its help Keith would’ve reached the pinnacle. The absorption blood-qi does give him a boost, but his physique also plays a crucial role in this. Not only does it provide him with incredible endurance and vitality, but it also allows him to hold much more life energy than his peers.

Keith’s mind was also sharp and he paid attention to every little thing. Even if the system didn’t provide him with the blood-qi, he would’ve gathered it alone. It would’ve taken more time, but the results would’ve been the same.

The suppression of the Draconic gene was a hurdle Keith couldn’t have passed on his own, but there was more to it than meets the eye. Firstly, the dragon genes were looking for Keith’s mind as evident from the encounter. The previous Keith must’ve been crippled due to the fact that the draconic instinct didn’t find his legacy authentic.

Even though the system didn’t remember the memories from the time it was a god, it could get the general idea around the dragons. They were universally recognized for their godly power and creation abilities. Among the gods, dragons were considered the most powerful bunch.

They were prideful and most of all they didn’t like to give their powers to any outsiders. They had a very strict rule of proving their worth, by any means necessary. Oftentimes it meant battling a powerful god or creating something unfathomable. The young dragons always try to prove their worth or their powers don’t awaken.

Just like there is a hierarchy among the gods, the dragons are no different. The average dragon is more powerful than young gods, but to become a more powerful god, the dragons had to perform incredible feats.

In the case of Keith, he couldn’t prove his worth even after twenty years and the dragon instinct never let off of his vampire genes. The previous Keith’s mind was so weak and he never stood up for himself even after terrible atrocities were done to him. 

A dragon’s pride is something that never bows, no matter what state they’re in. Even in the face of death, they stand tall and proud, welcoming their demise with pride. 

Maybe that was the reason, the previous Keith couldn’t suppress the draconic genes. The current Keith was different, he was brave not in a sense that he jumped on his enemies without a second thought, but he was more calculating and observant. He knew his strengths and weaknesses. 

Without the help of the system, he could’ve gotten rid of the faulty physique sooner or later. 

[Maybe he is confronting the dragon’s instincts at this moment. Whether he will succeed or fail, it will determine how worthy he is to wield the draconic power.]

After getting ready, Keith drank the blood to get some fresh blood essence. It was the breakfast Rena brought for him. Honestly, he didn’t need blood for many days as the blood essence in his body was still getting converted. Still, it was something his throat was craving for.

Putting the glass down, Keith wiped his mouth and took a last glance at his appearance in the mirror before leaving his room. In the hallway, Kenny was sleeping without care and as soon as Keith appeared he jolted back up with full attentiveness.

“Good boy. I see you’ve merged with the blood-qi very well. It has been stabilized to a great degree so it’s fine to take you outside with me. Next time I go out to hunt ghouls, I will take you as well.”

Keith walked off with a slight smile on his face and headed to the training facility. Rena was coming with a large package of meat and blood vessels. She was carrying those heavy supplies without showing any sign of struggle.  Their weight definitely surpassed ten kilograms and any human would find it hard to carry.

“Young Master! You go out of your room at last. I waited for you to come out but it’s been three days. Are you feeling okay now?” Rena asked, putting the packages aside.

“Yeah. I feel excellent. In fact, I never felt this good in my life assuming I ever did feel.” Keith spoke with a melancholic voice.

“What happened? You sound different. Did something happen yesterday? Also, you look way better now, young master. The last time you glowed like this is when you became a baron. Hold on!” Rena caught on to something.

“Your guess is correct. Young master is a Viscount now.” Keith said with a smile.