Chapter 22 22: Mutant!

After the massacre, the aroma of blood had intensified in the air, filling the tranquil forest with an ominous, iron-rich scent

Drawn to the scent like a moth to a flame, a unique and savage creature stirred from the deepest recesses of Evernight Forest. This was no ordinary beast; it was a formidable predator known as the Double-Headed Horned Rabbit. Its name was a perfect fit - it boasted two deadly, razor-sharp horns and a pair of eyes radiating an unsettling intelligence. Not to mention, standing at 1.7 meters tall and nearly just as broad, it was an imposing sight.

Val's eyes widened in surprise as he came across thd monstrous rabbit. The level of a Horned Rabbit was capped at 5. The only way it could exceed this limit was by evolving into a Double-headed horned rabbit - a feat possible only by consuming a rare evolutionary material, a precious find in the Evernight forest. This meant that this rabbit had come across a rare encounter in this forest. Val wondered if there was anything left or if it had eaten everything.

'It would be worth exploring its hideout after I am done with it,' Val thought.

Just then, a quest notification resonated in his mind.

[Quest Activated: End of the Double Terror]

[Task 1: Slay the Double-Headed Horned Rabbit]

[Task 2: Find the habitat of the Double-Headed Horned Rabbit]

[Task 3: Kill all the Horned Rabbit in that habitat if any]

[Rewards: +500 Mad Points]

The rewards were nothing short of tempting.

Although this was a formidable challenge, Val readily accepted it.

The air in the forest seemed to solidify, a sense of palpable tension hanging heavy as the beast and the man faced off.

Hugwahhh!

Then, breaking the silent standoff, the rabbit bellowed a guttural, unsettling roar from both heads, its gaze radiating an intimidating disdain. Yet, Val stood unflinching before the behemoth. His response was an unyielding gaze, meeting the creature's scornful eyes with a challenging stare. His voice echoed defiantly in the forest, "A double-headed horned rabbit? So what! You're not strong enough to make me back down. Let's see if your horns can match my steel."

The taunt acted as the catalyst, setting off the rabbit's fury. It hurled itself at Val, a whirlwind of fur, claw, and sharp, deadly horns. But Val was far from helpless; he met the creature's attack head-on with a powerful parry of his sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The forest was filled with a tumultuous clamor as blade met claw.

Val was surprised to see that despite its intimidating bulk, the rabbit was disturbingly agile. Its two heads moved in eerie harmony, coordinating a relentless, unyielding assault that kept his hands busy. He could only dodge. There was no time to launch a counterattack.

In the heat of the battle, one of the rabbit's horns found its mark, tearing through Val's arm. Yet, Val barely flinched. Instead, a smirk spread across his face as his blood seeped onto his clothes. He was far from incapacitated - in fact, he saw his injury as an unexpected advantage. But to put this advantage to the best use, he needed to bait the rabbit to lunge at him again.

In a baiting tone, Val taunted the creature, "Is that all? Come again."

Foolishly falling for the ploy, the Double-Headed Horned rabbit lunged at him again, its intentions deadly.

This time, however, Val was ready for it.

With the use of his unique ability, he transformed the blood from his wound into a solid shield.

Just as the rabbit's horns were about to make contact, they were deflected by the blood-red barrier, sending the beast reeling back in surprise.

Seizing this golden opportunity, Val sent his own blood slithering towards the rabbit. Like living chains or deadly snakes, they ensnared the beast, trapping it in a bloody vice.

The beast was immobilized. Although it was resisting, it wasn't able to break out of it. But it could be seen that they won't be able to keep it trapped for long.

'I have to end it now!'

Without wasting another moment, Val surged forward, his sword poised for the killing blow.

Helpless and immobilized, the rabbit could only thrash futilely as Val's blade hurtled down.

"DIE!" Val roared, his voice echoing through the forest as his sword punctured the creature's flesh.

The next moment, a gory mix of human and rabbit blood splattered onto the forest floor, marking the beast's end.

[Ding! Host, congratulations on defeating a Double-Headed Horned Rabbit, a level 6 monster! You get +10 EXP as a result, and an additional 6 points for killing a evolved beast for the very first time!]

[System Notification: By massacring the Double-Headed Horned Rabbit, you've completed the first task of the End of the Double Terror Quest!]

[Ding! Congratulations! You have leveled up. You have reached level 4 from 3. You get +2 Stat Points, and a slight upgrade in your Level 1 Blood Devil Bloodline.]

His 60 points reduced to 10 as his level went up by one!

'Where should I put my stat points?'

'Should I improve my agility or stamina.'

'Why not both?'

[Agility +1]

[Stamina +1]

He ended up investing the 2 points equally into his Agility and Stamina.

He opened his character screen.

Name: Val V. Whitemore

Race: Half-Human, Half-Deviln0vεLuSB.c0m

Age: 16

Class: Blood Devil

Level: 4 (10/100 EXP)

Unawakened Bloodlines: Whitemore Bloodline

Hidden Ailments: Whitemore Bloodline Suppression Poison

Trait: Unfeeling, Emotional Impairment, Nocturnal Vision, Minor Corruption Resistance Trait!

Stats:

•Health Points (HP): 10

•Strength (STR): 16

•Agility (AGT): 14

•Stamina (STA): 12

•Reflexes (REF): 10

Blood Bar: 185 units of blood

Stat Points: 0

Mad Points: 0 (100 MP=1 SP!)

Bloodline Skills:

1) Blood Absorption

2) Blood Manipulation

[Current progress of the Host's Level 1 Blood Devil Bloodline towards the next level: 80/100%]

Val felt excited. How could he not?

After all, with just one more level up, his Blood Devil Bloodline would reach level 2 and, as a result, he would become a level 2 Bloodline User!

That was quite impressive as it normally takes months sometimes even years to upgrade one's bloodline from level 1 to 2, but he was about to do it in just day!

If anyone happened to know about it, their jaws would surely drop to touch the ground!