With my goals clearer and more rigid than ever, I stood up, scanning my surroundings. I was hoping for some change—maybe someone like Jumbo had appeared who may represent my blood core, a Vampire ?—but it was a big no. Everything was same.
I dived into the information from the bloodline source to understand why. The answer was simple: I had only taken the talent and core from the DNA, nothing else I did not assimilated vampire genes/DNA. I wasn't a vampire. And to be honest, I didn't think they could contribute to my growth anymore.
Beasts, on the other hand… they seemed far superior. But oddly, only those classified as A-grade displayed any level of true intelligence.
Then came another update from the bloodline source—it revealed that I could bring Jumbo out once I reached 60% integration, and after breaking through to 61%, he would even be able to take on a semi-beast-human form.
He wouldn't just be a summoned creature—he'd be a partner in crime. Or maybe I'd even make him my General.
After playing with Jumbo for more than ten minutes in that isolated space, I walked toward a massive stone. I had acquired blood magic. Now the task was to understand how to use it. I'd seen vampires craft arrows from blood. Using the blood I'd collected from them, I sat down and focused on manipulating it.
Three hours passed. Still nothing.
Frustrated, I shifted my attention to mana. As soon as I did, mana began to swirl through my body. I could feel one half of the blood core react and swirl as well. The mana within the core grew agitated.
Focusing on the blood aspect of the core, I noticed something amazing—the blood I had placed beside me began to float, just like when I used spirituality.
Excited, I began molding the floating blood into the shape of bullets, rotating them as I formed them. Then—**thack**—I fired one at the massive stone. It hit. The sound of collision echoed. As I stepped closer to inspect, I found the bullet embedded inside the rock. Slowly, the solid bullet began to melt into liquid form. Blood started pouring out of the hole it created.
It had the same power level as the vampires' arrows… but why?
Maybe it was because I had rotated it?
Curious, I backed up and tried again. This time, I shaped it into an arrow. It took three attempts, but I succeeded. Then I imagined it rotating—and it started spinning at full speed. The air swirled around it, pushed back by the sheer force.
No hesitation—I launched it at the stone.
BOOM.
I was stunned.
That impact was nothing like the vampires' arrows.
What Adam didn't realize, however, was that rotating an arrow falls under a higher application of magic. It should be difficult… but for Adam, it wasn't.
Why?
Because of his deep connection with spirituality.
He had practiced it so much that it was second nature to him. Even among spiritualists, Adam's intuition and control were unmatched. If someone were to compare him on a global scale… he might just be the best in the world—or even beyond it.
After crafting those arrows and bullets, I tried something else—I accelerated the blood within me to see what would happen.
The result? My strength got boosted by two times.
Right now, I could control how fast my blood moved. With more practice—or higher levels of magic—the boost could improve.
Currently, I was a D-grade mage. But blood magic might elevate me even further.
I didn't know all the applications yet, but I'd learn more from the vampires. Lilla had told me that humans can also possess blood magic, though it was ultra-rare.
Still, I had one concern—according to UOR's records, I had no magic. So suddenly appearing as a mage might raise some eyebrows.
After finishing up my training and powering up, I spent time with Jumbo, feeding him apples. I also made sure he ate enough for the next three days.
One more cool thing about this space—time stands still here. No food or item would rot. Nothing changed unless I willed it.
Then I opened my eyes—and I was back in my room.
The sun had just risen. The city outside was beginning to wake.
The first thing I did was call Grandma. After checking on her, and also asking about Grandma Evy and my sister, we chatted for a bit. She reminded me to call at least two to three times a week.
After the call, I came out of my room and had breakfast. Lilla was at the counter and asked if I wanted to join her team for a hunt.
I could've done it solo, and faster… but there was a B-rank monster involved.
I didn't want to fight just yet, so I informed Lilla about the B-rank wolf I had heard of near the gate.
She nodded thoughtfully.
Then she said she'd confirm if the information was correct. That confused me—how could she confirm it while just standing here?
Five minutes later, she turned to me with a serious expression. The information was confirmed: a B-rank monster had been spotted in the outer layer, accompanied by multiple C- and D-rank beasts.
I stared at her in disbelief.
"How did you confirm that so fast?"
She casually answered, "I asked my dad."
Wait—what?!
How did she ask her dad so fast?
And even crazier—how did he confirm it instantly?!