Chapter 52: Rabbit Run

Chapter 52: Rabbit Run

"Behind you!" Freya's urgent shout cut through the tense air. She swiftly loaded an arrow onto her bow, her sun-kissed skin glistening with beads of sweat from prolonged exposure to the unrelenting sunlight.

"Blood Bullet," Ben commanded, pointing his fingers at the lurking shadow that had pounced from behind. Enhanced with the inferno stringer, the blood bullet struck its target, detonating on impact and engulfing the assailant in flames.

╔══ UPDATE ══╗

? Rigid Rabbit Killed x4

? Exp: 60/400 [+20]

? Soul Essence Obtained: Cute Bunny Boots

════════════

Huffing and panting, Ben slumped to the ground, his breaths coming fast and heavy. He used his sleeves to wipe the sweat from his forehead and muttered a single word, "Status."

╬═?STATUS?═╬

┌Name: Ben Franklin

┌Race: Vampire

╔═LEVEL: 3; Hunger: High

║Exp: 60/400; Magic: 000/006

╚═Health: 57/100; B.E: 12/100

┌ Strength: 26

┌ Agility: 28

┌Stamina: 25

╠═ ACTIVE SKILLS ═╣

? Blood Bullet

? Influence nove(lb)In

? [Locked]: Reach Level 5 to unlock

╠═ Soul Essence ═╣

? Inferno Stringer: (Enhancement Type) Normal tier

? Ancient Spear: (Weapon Type) Mid-Normal Tear

? Silver Fang: (Assocery Type) Mid-Normal Tier

? Cute Bunny Boots: (Assocery type) Top-Basic Tier x20

[ A/N: To clear up two things.

1. B.E: Blood Essence, (I added this stat for readers' convenience) Ben gets 1 B.E point for 1ml of blood consumed. He can consume 100ml right now, and each point of B.E. can replace him 1HP instantaneously. ]

2. I messed up basic tier things in recent chapters( I am dumb) just know that all the beasts he was killed after he became a Vampire, are normal tier ]

[ Tier ranking- Intermediate Tier> Advanced Tier > Normal Tier> Basic Tier ]

{ Very very sorry for inconvenience,, I am just dumb sometimes }

"Use 12 B.E points to replenish my HP," Ben commanded, his body finally surrendering to exhaustion as he lay down on the ground. Over the past day, he and Freya had relentlessly hunted Rigid Rabbits. After seven grueling hours of pursuit in the river grassland, Ben had managed to level up to level 3, gaining +2 strength points by allocating all his free stats into strength.

He had also attempted to consume the blood of the slain beasts to gain more stat points, but it had proved futile. According to the system, Ben could now only gain stat points by consuming the blood of humanoid creatures.

Considering the odds in a potential showdown with the Alpha-Wolf, Ben realized that there was no way he could match its strength in just four days. Therefore, he had chosen to utilize every means possible to increase his strength points, while he had various other options to improve his agility.

"Did you learn anything while we were at it?" Ben inquired, glancing back at Freya, who was also sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. She sat up in response to his question, her gaze filled with weariness.

"I've learned that a certain someone has been ignoring my questions," Freya retorted, her voice tinged with annoyance. Ben chuckled at her complaint, realizing that he had been so focused on saving time that he had neglected to explain the details to her. However, now that she was actively participating in his plan, he felt the need to fill her in.

"Alright, go ahead, ask whatever you want," Ben replied, finally catching his breath. Yet, just as he was about to address Freya's inquiries, a notification appeared on his status screen, diverting his attention.

[ Warning: Your hunger status is high. You need to consume blood immediately, or you will start losing HP.]

"What the heck? Why didn't the system alert me about this sooner?" Ben grumbled internally as he examined the status screen. Nevertheless, Freya's voice drew him back to the present.

"First things first, why are we killing these Rigid Rabbits?" she asked.

"I have two primary goals in mind. One is to become stronger, and the other... you'll find out soon," Ben replied, sitting up and using his blood vision skill to scan the surrounding area. There was no more energy of rabbits left in their vicinity.

Since the morning, Ben and Freya had chosen a location near the colossal river in the south and started their hunting spree. Approximately 300 meters away from the river's edge, they found a species called Rigid Rabbits, mostly Top-Basic Tier Beasts that served as the primary source of food for the villagers.

The villagers, not particularly strong or skilled in magic, avoided venturing within 100 meters of the river, where normal-tier beasts and even higher-tier creatures could be found. For Ben, the initial choice was to hunt in the 300-meter area, aiming to obtain the maximum EXP possible.

However, Freya's curiosity couldn't be contained any longer, and she inquired once more, her voice tinged with frustration. "What's the connection between killing rabbits and getting stronger? Your answers are just confusing me further."

Ben took a moment to explain this time, using his blood vision to keep an eye on the village. "Remember when I told you to use only magical attacks during our fights? It's because the more you use magic and push yourself to the limit, the stronger your magical capacity will become. Additionally, using the same spell repeatedly enhances your casting speed, accuracy, and the amount of magic required to cast the spell."

[Copyright strike!! Those are my words. Can't I get some credit?]

Ben continued his explanation, thinking inwardly, 'For me, I have a little something special that accelerates my growth through the acquisition of soul essence. My growth speed will be far more superior to what Freya could achieve.'

Freya, on the other hand, was contemplating Ben's knowledge of magic. She thought, 'I never expected him to have such a deep understanding of magic. He acts like a complete novice when it comes to magical discussions. But then again, I haven't even seen him use spells in battle. So far, he's demonstrated an advanced tier Fire magic skill and that space magic skill, but I have a feeling he's concealing even more.'

(A/N: She's referring to the "Inferno-Stringer Blood Bullet" and the system's inventory where he summons his weapon from.)

[Hey Ben, wanna use the skill to listen in on your slave's thoughts? I promise it's quite interesting.]

'No, I don't want to intrude on someone's privacy,' Ben replied, ignoring the system's suggestion. His focus remained on finding a nearby source of blood.

[Tsk... such a boring guy. You missed out on some fun.]