Chapter 4: Duel ( Part 1)

Keith took off his shirt. His white skin was now fully exposed to the light. He was nervous but he didn't think too much about it. He slowly entered the blood pool.

After he was totally submerged in blood, he felt that his blood condensing was progressing very fast. The circulation of blood qi increased to such a level that he felt he could break through to the next stage right away.

" How is it ?" His grandfather asked.

" I can feel my blood condensing increasing faster and fast.."

*DING*

[ Absorbing life essence….]

[ Progress.. 1% ]

[ Progress.. 2%]

..

' WHAAAT! , What is going on?'

Keith was surprised by the sudden turn of events. A voice resounded in his head. There was a purple light in front of him, but it was faint.

" What happened? Is everything alright?" Lex asked Keith after seeing him flustered.

" Ah, I'm alright, It's just a little surprising so.. Hehe"

He closed his eyes and let the process finish.

..

..

[ Progress complete ]

[ Body detected : Vampire ??? Hybrid ]

[ Path detected : Blood condensing ]

[ Level detected : 0.2 ]

' Is this a system like RPG games ?'

There was no answer.

' system'

' Status'

' Show me.. the level'

..

..

Nothing happened as he called out many names.

' Man, what is this?'

Suddenly his right palm started to shine with purple light. Inside the blood pool, his hand started sucking in all the blood-qi.

[ Collecting blood qi …]

He felt his whole body was on fire. The blood qi that was in the pool was getting absorbed by his body by the purple tentacle-like marks in his hand.

* ARGHHH*

He yelled on top of his lungs. Lex, who saw this scene, hurriedly took him out of the blood pool.

*HUFF* *HUFF*

Keith was gasping for air. He looked at his hands and saw that the marks were not glowing.

" What happened? Did you get another backlash?"

" No, I think I evolved."

He focused his mind on the mark on his forehead and then purple light appeared in front of his eyes. He looked at Lex, who seemed to not see the purple light.

[ Keith Ennes ]

[ Blood Core: Baron ]

[ Level 1.01 ]

[ Path: Blood condense ]

' That's too little information for a system. But if it was there before, why didn't it activate?

Does it need more life essence to unlock more features?'

For now, he was overjoyed that he broke through and created a blood core. He was now in the baron class. It didn't mean his actual fighting abilities increased, but he received great strength in his body.

" Grandpa, I think I broke through the blood condensing phase and generated a blood core. I am a baron now."

" Impossible. How?"

Lex circulated his blood qi inside Keith and found that he indeed has a blood core. A vampire who was just a second level of blood condensing phase suddenly became a baron class.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

" This.. is .." he looked at Keith with bewildered eyes.

" Now, do you think Marvin can go up against me?"

********

A meeting was called for all the family and all the important people gathered in a hall.

Lex was sitting on a chair at the far end of a long table. Others quickly sat on their seats.

" I called all of us here to declare the inheritance of the Ennes family."

" Finally" A voice could be heard from the other side of the table.

" I haven't finished talking yet, Rufus."

" Sorry, I was just a little excited."

" Ennes family has a long history of leading the Bergzen territory for countless millennia. We need a leader that can show the same power and legacy as our ancestors. So after careful consideration, I want to appoint Keith as the next head of the family and bestow the title of count."

" WHAT.. ? Are you out of your mind." Rufus, Marvin's father, got up from his seat and yelled at Lex.

" Keep your voice down Rufus!"

" Why? Don't you know that boy can't even use blood condensing and will stay crippled for the rest of his life? You want to make him our leader instead of Marvin, who is a young genius and better than anyone of his age. He is already at the seventh phase of blood condensing, give him a couple of years, he can reach baron level easily."

Rufus gave his opinion loudly to let everyone hear.

" What is said is true about Marvin, but Keith is already a Baron. His disability has disappeared thanks to Marvin, and honestly, I have never seen such a talent in our family history." He praised Keith and pointed out Marvin's misdoings with this statement.

" That is not possible, I refuse to believe that runt can become a baron."

" So, do you want proof ?"

" Yes, let's settle this right now."

" Let's do a duel then, if you don't believe Keith has reached baron level, then Marvin can defeat him right."

" Then, so be it." Rufus agreed to his words.

Lex wanted to show them by letting them sense his blood core, but he wanted to put them in their place, so he suggested Rufus do this duel instead. Here he can show off Keith's new power and get everyone to support him that way.

…

…

Half an hour later in the training chamber, there was a large stage arena. Every member of the family was sitting in the spectator's area. All the seats were filled, as they heard the duel was going to determine who will become the family head.

Keith was standing beside Lex as he saw Marvin enter the Arena. He was looking at him with bloodshot eyes.

" Go teach him some manners," Lex said to Keith.

He stepped inside the Arena and looked at Marvin.

" You think, just because you have the support of that old man, you can be the leader. I will show you how worthless you are."

" Yeah, me too." Keith gave him a soft smile.

An elder who was overseeing the fight asked both of them if they were ready. They both nodded. Marvin took his fighting stance, but Keith stayed still.

" Now, begin the fight." The elder said out loud.