Chapter 10: Changes
Crash!
Under the sheer weight of the Colossus Sleeper, the ground trembled as it jumped back.
Blake was still feeling surreal as to what had just happened to him, and yet he was even more surprised to see that the Colossus Sleeper actually leaped away from him. 'Does it fears me...?'
Somehow, he could sense the fear coming out of Colossus Sleeper's body.
At this moment, it was still unclear whether he was the only one who can sense it or not. But he could really tell that the Colossus Sleeper is indeed fearful of him, at least fearful of what he has become.
Just as he watches the Colossus Sleeper looking at him warily, his vision was drowned again.
[Congratulation to player MoonDespoiler for completing the Chain Racial Quest and successfully transforming into the Spectral Vampire race, an exclusive EX-Grade race]
[Unlocked Shadowblood Manipulation]
Skill Type: Racial Skill
Grade: SSS
Skill Cost: Spirit Resilience
Description: Able to tap into the mysterious power of Shadowblood, a unique form of shadow imbued with the power of blood. It allows the player to harness the energies of Shadowblood for various purposes.
[Unlocked Phantasmal Shadow Phase]
Skill Type: Racial Skill
Grade: S
Skill Cost: 20% HP
Cooldown: 24 Hours
Description: Grant the player the ability to phase into the shadow realm in order to dodge an attack, untouched by any attack that doesn't have an association with the shadow realm at the cost of immense blood and mental fortitude. Upgradeable 4 times.
[Unlocked Perfect Scythe Proficiency]
Skill Type: Racial Passive Skill
Grade: S
Skill Cost: -
Description: Spectral Vampire has an innate advantage in wielding a scythe-type weapon. An innate energy would surge inside its body when holding a scythe, and this gives them increased accuracy, more damage, and faster attack speed when using a scythe as a main weapon.
[Unlocked Inner Anathema Strengthening]
Skill Type: Racial Passive Skill
Grade: S
Skill Cost: -
Description: Possessing the physique of a Spectral Vampire increases the player's overall stats immensely, inherits the natural anatomies of a Vampire and a Specter, and removes the human restriction need to survive. Also, add +5 STR, +7 AGI, +10 VIT, +5 SPT, +3 INT per level.
[Unlocked Overlord of the Night]
Skill Type: Racial Passive Skill
Grade: S
Skill Cost: -
Description: Darkness is the Spectral Vampire's ally, enhancing its senses as well as doubling the racial skill power output during the night. A side effect, unable to be exposed to sunlight for a prolonged amount of time. Upgradeable 2 times.
[Unlocked Shadow Dormancy]
Skill Type: Racial Passive Skill
Grade: A
Skill Cost: -
When in the shroud of shadow, Spectral Vampire gains an enhanced regeneration power, recovering 2% of its health points per minute instead of the normal 0.5% health point per minute. Upgradeable 2 times.
[Unlocked Nocturnal Blood Sight]
Skill Type: Racial Passive Skill
Grade: SS
Skill Cost: -
Description: Spectral Vampire will have perfect vision during the night, bypassing natural darkness, fabricated darkness, and illusion made of the darkness or shadow. Also, has an absolute blood-vision ability that can pass through solid objects.
[Unlocked Proxy of Blood]
Skill Type: Racial Skill
Grade: SS
Skill Cost: HP (Inactive when HP is below 30%)
Description: A unique mutation has occurred within the Spectral Vampire's bloodline, granting them the authority to proxy its depleted energy with harvested or its own blood. The proxy blood-to-energy ratio is 3:1. Upgradeable 4 times.
Not stopping at that, a world announcement appeared in the sky.
[Congratulation to the player, MoonDespoiler on beating all other players in becoming the first player to gain an EX-Grade race. 50 Racial Skill Points and 100,000 Gold Coins have been awarded for this achievement!]
Blake was at a loss for words, his mind is still wrapping around the information he gained.
Earlier he feels like his entire body was being drained from the inside out and he was on the brink of passing out. But then, when he regained back his composure, he was surrounded by a blazing greenish fire.
It's clear that the Colossus Sleeper attacked him from behind with its skill.
Although that is the case, Blake finds himself completely unharmed, even his HP is still sitting at 80% which only includes the shockwave earlier. 'How did I survive that...?' As he thought of that, his eyes landed on one unlocked skill that he has.
The Phantasmal Shadow Phase is definitely the reason he was unharmed.
Just as he recovered from his trance, he decided to check his status window first. Despite the mobs have been backing away from him hesitantly, including the Colossus Sleeper that created a distance between them, he still doesn't think he can take them on.
'I need to focus on finding a chance to escape' Blake thought, trying to keep his composure.
[Status Window]
Name: MoonDespoiler
Title: Supernatural Enigma (EX)
Class: Gladiator
Race: Spectral Vampire (EX)
Level: 1
Hp: 100/100 -> 1,500/1,500
Mana: 0/0 -> 200/200
Strength: 2 -> 17
Agility: 2 -> 21
Vitality: 2 -> 33
Spirit: 5 -> 51
Intelligence: 0 -> 10
Luck: 0
Attributable Stat Points: 0
Attributable Skill Points: 0
Racial Skill Points: 50
Active Skill(s): Thrust (D), Shadowblood Manipulation (SSS), Phantasmal Shadow Phasing (S), Proxy of Blood (SS), Adaptable Mutation Lvl.1 (SSS)
Passive Skill(s): Gladiatorial Focus (D), Overlord of the Night (S), Shadow Dormancy (A), Nocturnal Blood Sight (SS), Inner Anathema Strengthening (S), Perfect Scythe Proficiency (S), Order of the Enigma (EX)
Condition: Normal
Upon looking at his new status window after transforming into a Spectral Vampire, Blake finds that it has undergone immense changes. It's safe to say that he has gotten way stronger than before.
But even with these changes, he still can't possibly fight the Colossus Sleeper.
It was clear that the fear that the Colossus Sleeper is feeling is temporary. If given enough time, then it would definitely recover and would resume its attack. Blake could feel that it wouldn't take long.
He could feel the fear from the Colossus Sleeper getting weaker by the second.
Realizing this, Blake then hovers over to his Racial Skill Tree.
Awarded with 50 Racial Skill Points, he decided to use it to learn a skill that can help him escape this place. But he needs to be completely still, if he moved suddenly then the Colossus Sleeper would definitely attack him.
Looking at the Racial Skill Tree menu, he focuses on the Utility-type skills.
Since he wanted to only leave this place in one piece, he would need to find a movement skill that could help him reach Salana at the border of the place. Something that will enable him to maneuver quickly, and he could use it over and over again.
The Phantasmal Shadow Phasing skill is a powerful skill, but the cooldown is 24 hours.
If he could abuse it, then he would be untouchable and would easily escape this place. Unfortunately, he can only use that skill once per day which is a bummer. 'Hmm... I think this one is good enough, 50 MP per use means I can use it 4 times'
Not pondering for long, he unlocked the skill and gazes back at the Colossus Sleeper.
Blake tries to slowly back away with a slow and steady movement, trying to get as far as possible while facing the giant creature, keeping eye contact to distract the Colossus Sleeper from what he was doing.
In a moment, he managed to back away for quite a distance under the mobs' gazes.
Albeit it went on smoothly for a moment, disaster bounds to happen as the Colossus Sleeper realized what he was doing and roared once again, causing its underlings to charge at Blake again who has already started sprinting away.
Compared to earlier, his mind is now attuned to his surroundings.
Unlike before, his senses have become sharper, his mind can process things faster, and his move has become more precise thanks to turning into the Spectral Vampire race. It was the imminent changes that he felt.
Glancing to the side, Blake saw an Ivory Armored Skeleton striking at him with its sword.
Even without the danger signals that are being sent by his senses to his brain, he could already tell that being hit once would probably end his life. In response to this, Blake's eyes spark before his body emits a shadowy, black energy.
"Shadow Step..."
Swish!
Crash!
"Hurggh?" the Ivory Armored Skeleton was confused as its sword didn't hit anything.
Blake who was supposed to be right under the Ivory Armored Skeleton's nose suddenly disappeared. It then turns its head to the side and finds Blake thirty meters away, still running for his life.
It was thanks to the Shadow Step skill that he learned earlier.
The Shadow Step skill is an A-grade racial skill, it allows him to harness shadow energy and propel himself to a targeted shadow within fifty meters radius and reappear 10 meters from the targeted shadow.
Earlier, he chooses the shadow of the scorched tree at his right as his targeted shadow.
Upon activating the Shadow Step skill, Blake can feel his body shrouded in shadow energy before a magnetic force pulls him towards the scorched tree's shadow in an instant, dodging the Ivory Armored Skeleton's attack.
Just then, he reappears ten meters north of the scorched tree and resumed his sprint.
Despite doing well in perfectly dodging the attack from the Ivory Armored Skeleton, Blake is still far from being in the clear as a dozen more mobs are closing in on him quickly, coming from all sides.
But he didn't split his attention and focus on the ones in front of him.
Firing up his focus with a squint of his eyes, Blake picks up his pace and heads over to another Ivory Armored Skeleton that blocks his way to reach Salana. It was then, a warning message appeared.
[Warning!]
[Ivory Armored Skeleton is casting Bonecrusher Strike]
Raising its sword above its head, green energy cloaked and enhanced the sword.
At the sight of this green energy that enhanced the Ivory Armored Skeleton's sword, Blake prepares himself to dodge to the best of his abilities, he was in full focus and would try to dodge the attack without casting the Shadow Step skill.
Only had three more chances of using the Shadow Step skill, and he didn't want to waste it.
Just as he glued his eyes on the sword, something unexpected happen.
Despite readying himself to dodge the strike, Blake was surprised when the sword suddenly descend faster than he initially expected. Gritting his teeth, he tries to dodge the strike in the nick of time, but he could completely avoid it.
Slash!
A thin bloodied line was created as the tip of the sword grazed his abdomen.
[-600 HP]
[You have been inflicted with the Bleeding effect!]
'It's fast, but not overwhelmingly fast' Blake thought in the midst of the tension.
Even though the Ivory Armored Skeleton is above level 40, it seems it's not an agility-type mob. Blake couldn't dodge the attack fully, yet he didn't completely get overwhelmed by the attack either.
But of course, despite not being as fast, its attack is backed with immense strength.
One scratch is enough to take almost half of Blake's HP away.
Trying his best to ignore the burning pain in his abdomen, Blake cast Shadow Step once again, targeting the Ivory Armored Skeleton's shadow this time. Just like that, he managed to go past it easily.
Now, Salana is already in sight, he only needs to cover a bit more before reaching her.
Blake tries to exert more power but the pain in his abdomen is hard to ignore, yet he held his stomach and keeps on going with everything he has, 'In a game, half of the avatar's HP doesn't seem much. But it's completely different in this...'
'I can feel my strength draining faster than I anticipated' he thought grimly.
Roar!!
Staying composed and keeping his focus at the peak, Blake maneuver over the mobs that attacked him from all sides. His mind was in an overclock mode, and his eyes darted left and right rapidly trying to locate where the next attack is coming from.
It was his first time to feel this exhausted, he was on the brink of collapse!
Casting the Shadow Step skill two times and depleting his mana, Blake managed to bypass all of them with his movement and was already about twenty meters away from the border. One more leap and he would be safe.
Harnessing every bit of strength he has left, Blake propel himself with one last dash.
'A little bit more... just a little bit more!'
Blake's neck veins bulge as he struggles to reach the border of the damned place.
Even though he was so close already, he sensed something coming at him, aking to a death knell ringin in his ears, causing him to look up and saw that he was shadowed by a Zombie Sleeper descending straight at him from the sky.
'Ah, fuck...'
Weekly Power Status
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