Chapter 71: "That’s How You Get Kidnapped, Eve!"

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: "That’s How You Get Kidnapped, Eve!"

[Ding!]

[Blood Trait Activated.]

[Blood Detected.]

[Race: Crimson Jellyfiend.]

[Trait Extraction Beginning...]

[Trait Acquired: Squishy Resilience (Common) — Lv.1]

[Description: Slightly increases bodily flexibility while also providing minor resistance to blunt-force impacts.]

Lucien stared. "...Seriously?"

[Ding!]

[Trait Acquired: Corrosion Resistance (Common) — Lv.1]

[Description: Grants minor resistance to acids and corrosive substances.]

"Great."

He then uncorked more vials containing the slime blood, and then like always, using Blood Manipulation, he gathered nearly 5 litres of it and compressed them into a small blood candy, before popping it into his mouth and chewing.

’This is like those jelly sweets from Earth, it even has a little sweetness to it, though I can still taste the heavy iron taste.’ He thought as he chewed and swallowed it.

[Ding!]

[Trait Leveled Up: Squishy Resilience (Common) — Lv.1 → Lv.6]

[Trait Leveled Up: Corrosion Resistance (Common) — Lv.1 → Lv.3]

[Trait Acquired: Overstretch (Common) — Lv.5]

[Description: Allows muscles and connective tissues to stretch farther without injury.]

"Seriously?"

"How many times am I going to get traits that make me more flexible, if it goes on like this, I’ll be able to fold myself, literally." He joked as the system chimed some more.

[Ding!]

[Trait Acquired: Shockless Frame (Common) — Lv.6]

[Description: Reduces damage from blunt physical attacks by dispersing force through the body.]

"Isn’t this like the Impact Resistance Trait from the Boar I got before?"

’What is with making me more squishy and flexible?’

[Ding!]

[Trait Acquired: Slime Gulp (Common) — Lv.6]

[Description: Improves the body’s ability to digest, enhancing the body’s efficiency in breaking down and absorbing nutrients from it.]

"Finally something new, and it’s not bad at all, wonder it it works on potion, elixirs and the like."

He kept going, systematically working through vial after vial, compressing them into jellies and eating them, all the while watching levels climb steadily on each, then, deep into the 4th batch, something new flickered into his vision.

[Ding!]

[Trait Acquired: Mana Conductive Body (Epic) — Lv.1]

[Description: The body gains slime-like mana conductivity, allowing mana to circulate, absorb, and refine through the entire body rather than solely through mana veins like normal. Cultivation speed and mana absorption efficiency increase significantly, all based on your Mana Affinity.]

He read it twice. Then a third time.

"...What?"

’A slime actually gave me this, an epic trait?’

’Should I hunt more of them, maybe I’ll get more traits?’

He sat with that for a long moment, genuinely stunned as he read the trait’s description a few more times.

"It depends on Mana Affinity, I should get it checked after leaving, last I remembered it was F Rank, maybe it improved with the new talent and bloodline?"

’This Trait might not be overwhelming right now. But if this scales properly, and assuming my Affinity improved, my entire body can become a mana channel instead of relying purely on my mana veins. That’s actually terrifying long-term.’

He drank through the remainder of the slime blood, watching Mana Conductive Body and the others climb further, until finally all the slime related traits sat at level 10 except Mana Conductive Body which was at level 4.

"No upgrade option or anything now that I have my first max level Trait and a few of them to boot?" He asked, waiting and hoping the system would ding.

’Huh, guess not. Good to know, so I just gotta collect and collect.’ He thought.

He moved to the Nightbat vials next, wasting no time compressing all the blood in to small blood pill and swallowing it.

[Ding!]

[Blood Trait Activated.]

[Blood Detected.]

[Race: Bloodveil Nightbat.]

[Trait Extraction Beginning...]

[Trait Acquired: Keen Hearing (Uncommon, Lv.2) → Keen Ears (Uncommon) — Lv.2]

[Description: Sharpens your hearing to pick up faint vibrations, breathing, and movement. Enhanced sense of sound.]

"That’s more like it, finally got another upgrade and Keen Hearingthus time, it should be because Keen Ears is the next rank of Keen Hearing, seems like this is the only way of upgrading I get right now."

[Ding!]

[Trait Acquired: Mental Resistance (Common) — Lv.2]

[Description: Improves the ability to resist mental attacks by a small amount, with the amount depending on the attack strength and type.]

"This is extremely useful."

[Trait Acquired: Wet-Scent Arousal (Common) — Lv.3]

[Description: Improves ability to detect and track blood more accurately through smell.]

He tested the Trait by smelling a few vials pf blood experimentally, the blood scent sharpened noticeably compared to before.

’Interesting, this would pair well with Sanguine Perception, especially for finding someone with their blood.’

[Ding!]

[Trait Acquired: Paralytic Resistance (Common) — Lv.1]

[Description: Provides a minor resistance to paralyzing toxins and effects, keeping your muscles from locking up completely.]

"Very useful, especially during fights."

Then, finally

[Trait Acquired: Introvert’s Instinct (Uncommon) — Lv.2]

[Description: Improves instinctive awareness while in darkness and concealed environments.]

He sat back slightly, processing that one properly.

’Pairs beautifully with Night Vision, Shadow Sense, Mana Sense, Sanguine Perception, and my concealment skill. Basically built for staying hidden and noticing when someone else is trying to do the same to me.’

’Future assassins are going to have a much worse time.’

’Future Assassins Nightmare in the making.’ He thought jokingly, already sorry for any assassins that came after him.

He leaned back against the rock. ’My trait list is getting genuinely ridiculous.’

Last came the Crimson Crawler’s vials.

[Ding!]

[Blood Trait Activated.]

[Blood Detected.]

[Race: Crimson Crawler.]

[Trait Extraction Beginning...]

[Trait Acquired: Wallgrip (Uncommon) — Lv.2]

[Description: Allows you to better adhere to, scale, and fight from vertical surfaces or steep walls without slipping.]

He looked at his own hand and said sarcasticly. "...I can climb walls now, great."

[Trait Acquired: Enhanced Limb Precision (Rare) — Lv.2]

[Description: Improves limb coordination, letting you execute complex, multi-directional physical movements or evasions better and faster.]

’Synergizes with the twin scythes,’ he thought immediately. ’Multi-limb coordination translating into better weapon-and-chain handling. Nice.’

[Trait Acquired: Chitin Plating (Uncommon) — Lv.2]

"...Okay?"

"Is this where I start growing bug armor now?" He thought looking at his arms and waiting for it to pop out through his skin, before checking its description.

[Description: Hardens the inner layers of your skin into a flexible layer that provides slight boost to the skins durability.]

"Phew, no bug armor." He exhaled wiping his forehead, as he wouldn’t know how to feel about that.

He pulled up his full trait list afterward and immediately regretted it<anno data-annotation-id="2429a5ad-d21e-424e-9895-91e4196d9502" data-title=".">.¹</anno>

He rubbed his forehead. "If I keep this up, I’m going to have more than a hundred traits by the time I leave this dungeon."

’What happens if Squishy Resilience and Impact Dissipation and Chitin Plating all combine into something better? What about Night Vision plus everything related to it? Enhanced Musculature plus everything else strength-related?’ He thought seeing so many combinations.

He checked his Talent description again.

Nothing about fusion.

’Still no answer. I’ll figure it out eventually. Hopefully before I actually hit triple digits.’

He set the thought aside, storing the remaining unused blood into the Infinite Sanguine Cosmos for later.

Back at Blackthorn Estate in Bloodthorn City, dinner unfolded considerably more peacefully than usual.

Aurelia ate with clean efficiency, Seraphina picked at her plate delicately, contributing quiet comments here and there. Evelisse demolished her portion like the food had personally wronged her in a past life.

"Slow down, before you choke" Aurelia said.

"I’m hungry."

"You ate an hour ago."

"That was an hour ago."

Seraphina laughed softly. "She has a point."

"Don’t encourage her."

Evelisse pointed her fork at Seraphina. "See? She gets it."

After dinner finished Aurelia stretched her arm, a faint glow tracing beneath her skin before fading.

"My mana veins are almost completely restored," she said.

"That’s wonderful," Seraphina said, genuinely pleased.

"The Core’s nearly stable and healed too."

"How long left?" Evelisse asked.

"A week, at this rate."

"That’s incredibly fast," Seraphina murmured.

"Speaking of incredibly fast," Evelisse said, narrowing her eyes, "where does Lucien keep getting all these stuff?"

Silence.

"Especially the Rare herbs and Elixirs." She crossed her arms. "He was kicked out of the Aethernis family, and I don’t thunk he secretly robbed their vaults before the marriage."

"...He knows a guy," Aurelia said.

"Apparently," Seraphina agreed, amused.

"A very wealthy guy," Evelisse said, squinting.

"Extremely wealthy," Aurelia confirmed.

"And connected, seeing the stuff Lucien gets," Seraphina added.

"I don’t trust this mystery man or woman."

"Why not?" Aurelia asked.

"I’ve never even seen them with Lucien."

"Neither have I."

"Perhaps Lucien will introduce you both someday," Seraphina said, smiling.

"I want to meet them," Evelisse said firmly, mouth salvaging rememberin the rare snacks. "They should have those magical snacks Lucien gave me, maybe he’ll even give me some for free because of my adorableness."

Seraphina laughed. "That’s how you get kidnapped, Eve."

Evelisse’s eyes drifted toward the empty seat at the table.

"...He’s probably eating something disgusting right now, lucky I told him to take some snacks."

"He’s in a dungeon," Aurelia said.

"Exactly, dungeon food probably sucks, hence the snacks I gave him."

"I’m sure he’s fine, their are others with him too." Seraphina said gently.

Aurelia’s expression sobered slightly. "He’d better be."

None of them said anything more directly, but the worry sat quietly under the conversation regardless.

Deep in the forest behind the estate, the trees went still.

A single figure appeared without sound, black cloak, black gloves, an expression utterly devoid of emotion.

He studied the estate for a long moment, gaze settling on the faint shimmer of the Grand Crimson Aegis Array.

"...Interesting," he murmured. "Stronger than expected, and more of them."

His eyes drifted toward where the estate house was located, but his vision and senses were being blocked out by the array.

"Also a high ranking array."

He unfolded a small report, scanning it once more. A supposedly worthless political husband. A sudden climb to C-Rank. A killed B-Rank assassin. A Black Fang member who’d simply stopped reporting suddenly a day ago.

Likely possessing some High ranking inheritance, or stumbling into a high ranking cultivation technique, artifact or something similar.

He closed the report.

"Young Master Dravik was right," Malrith said quietly, eyes still on the array.

"There’s definitely something strange about you, Lucien Aethernis, and that could be quite problematic for the young master, especially if Aurelia somehow recovers."

A faint, cold smile touched his mouth.

"So let’s find out what secrets you’re hiding and make sure that future never comes to pass."

<annotations style="display: none;">If you want to view all the traits he has, check out the aux Chapter.</annotations>