Chapter 205: Seventh Rank Blood (4)

Chapter 205: 205: Seventh Rank Blood (4)

He could not absorb the same amount of blood as before without allowing his body to adjust. The earlier absorption had already placed a considerable burden on his Fourth Blood Circle, and the Crimson Sunwing’s blood contained an even stronger fire attribute than he had expected.

Instead of forcing the process, Lucard separated the useful fire essence from the impurities and absorbed it in smaller portions. The blood flowed into his body, and the heat inside his veins continued increasing. His Bloodfire reacted strongly, surrounding his heart with a faint crimson glow as it began refining the incoming energy.

Several minutes passed.

Just as Lucard was beginning to adapt to the powerful blood, he suddenly felt something moving inside his heart’s blood chamber.

It was the mutated mother blood bug.

The creature had remained quiet while he absorbed the Nightfall Behemoth’s blood. However, after sensing the Crimson Sunwing’s fire-rich blood entering his body, it became unusually active.

The bug moved around its chamber, sending several impatient pulses toward Lucard.

Lucard immediately understood what it wanted.

You want some of this blood too?

The creature responded by moving even more excitedly.

Lucard frowned.

You really know how to choose the expensive things.

He had spent considerable effort obtaining the blood of these two Seventh Rank beasts. Now the little creature inside him wanted a share of one of the most valuable rewards.

However, Lucard did not reject its request.

The mother blood bug was already an important part of his blood abilities. Strengthening it could improve the blood parasites it produced and possibly allow it to develop new abilities in the future.

Furthermore, the Crimson Sunwing’s blood contained powerful life energy alongside its fire essence. That might benefit the mutated creature.

Fine. You can have twenty percent. The rest is mine.

Lucard adjusted the flow of his Blood Absorption and opened a small channel leading toward the bug’s chamber.

The creature immediately reacted.

A portion of the incoming blood separated from the main stream and entered its chamber.

The bug eagerly began absorbing it.

Lucard could feel its small body swelling slightly before returning to its normal size. Faint red patterns appeared across its surface as it worked to digest the powerful blood.

Do not get too greedy. That is all you are getting.

He returned his attention to the remaining blood.

[Blood Absorption continuing.]

[Crimson Sunwing blood essence distribution initiated.]

[Host: 80%.]

[Mutated Mother Blood Bug: 20%.]

[High-quality fire essence successfully refined.]

The blood entering Lucard’s body became easier to control as his Bloodfire adapted to its nature.

He continued absorbing, allowing the powerful energy to strengthen his blood vessels while the bug consumed its own share.

Soon, a familiar notification appeared.

[Experience gained.]

[Level 45 → Level 46.]

Lucard felt his blood becoming denser. The heat circulating through his body no longer caused the same discomfort, and his control over Bloodfire improved.

He increased the absorption speed.

More blood flowed from the Crimson Sunwing’s corpse, passing through his palm before being divided between his body and the mother blood bug.

[Level 46 → Level 47.]

Lucard smiled faintly.

Good. Keep coming.

The Crimson Sunwing’s blood was extremely valuable, but there was one important difference between this absorption and the previous one.

He was not trying to force all the essence into his own blood vessel.

The mother blood bug was consuming twenty percent, reducing the amount his body needed to refine. Lucard also took his time separating the energy into manageable streams, preventing the sudden buildup of fire mana that could damage his body.

After some time, another notification appeared.

[Level 47 → Level 48.]

Lucard could feel his Bloodfire changing.

The crimson flames became hotter and more concentrated. Previously, controlling stronger flames required him to consume more blood energy, but the Crimson Sunwing’s essence was improving the efficiency of his fire.

A small flame appeared above his palm.

It was still Bloodfire, but its center had become brighter, and the surrounding air distorted from the heat.

Lucard examined it with satisfaction.

The Crimson Sunwing’s bloodline is strengthening my Bloodfire. Excellent.

He extinguished the flame and continued absorbing.

Meanwhile, the mother blood bug had become quiet again. It was still consuming its share, but the earlier excitement had disappeared as it concentrated on refining the enormous amount of energy entering its body.

Lucard could sense the red patterns on its body becoming more defined.

He was curious about what changes the creature might experience after completely digesting the blood, but he decided to examine that later.

For now, he needed to finish his absorption.

Another stream of blood entered his body.

[Level 48 → Level 49.]

[Current Level: 49.]

[Blood Circle: Fourth Blood Circle — Noble Blood Vessel.]

Lucard slowly released a breath.

Four levels.

Even after sharing twenty percent of the blood with the mother blood bug, he had gained four levels from the Crimson Sunwing alone.

Then another notification appeared.

[Fire-attributed resistance strengthened.]

[Fire Resistance: Low-Level → Mid-Level.]

[The host’s resistance to fire energy, flame attacks, and extreme heat has increased.]

[Bloodfire has absorbed high-quality fire essence.]

[Bloodfire Lv2: Power and efficiency increased.]

[Flame temperature, burning intensity, and control have improved.]

Lucard examined the notifications carefully.

The improvements were even better than he had expected.

His Fire Resistance had advanced from Low-Level to Mid-Level, making his body more resistant to dangerous fire-related attacks. Meanwhile, his Bloodfire had become significantly stronger without requiring a new skill.

Five levels from the Behemoth and four from the Crimson Sunwing. Nine levels from two Seventh Rank beasts.

He had entered this battle at Level 40.

Now he was Level 49.

One more level would bring him to Level 50, although he did not yet know what additional changes that milestone might bring.

Lucard looked toward the enormous bird.

There was still some blood remaining inside its body.

He placed his other palm against the corpse and increased Blood Absorption one final time. The remaining blood began flowing toward him, gradually draining from the bird’s damaged body.

The mother blood bug continued receiving its twenty percent share while Lucard absorbed the rest.

He did not stop until the last usable drop had been collected.

Finally, the flow ended.

[Blood Absorption completed.]

[Crimson Sunwing blood fully absorbed.]

[Total blood distribution: Host 80%, Mutated Mother Blood Bug 20%.]

[Remaining blood: 0%.]

Lucard withdrew his hands.

The enormous Crimson Sunwing’s body had become noticeably lighter and drier. Its powerful fire bloodline no longer circulated through its flesh, and the remaining warmth came mainly from the fire mana stored in its core and other body materials.

Lucard looked at his palm.

A small crimson flame appeared above his fingers.

This time, the flame burned steadily without trembling. Its heat was greater than before, and the blood energy required to maintain it was noticeably lower.

He closed his hand and extinguished it.

Not bad at all.

He then examined the mother blood bug inside his heart chamber.

The creature had curled itself into a small ball. Faint crimson patterns moved across its body, and it appeared to be concentrating on digesting the Seventh Rank blood it had consumed.

Lucard decided not to disturb it.

You received twenty percent of a Seventh Rank beast’s blood. You had better show me something useful after digesting it.

Now comes the more important part.

Lucard extended his blood-sense through the Crimson Sunwing’s body and searched for the strongest concentration of fire mana.

It did not take long.

Deep inside the bird’s chest, he detected a powerful source of energy.

"Found it."

He formed his Blood Claw and carefully opened the already damaged area of the bird’s chest. He avoided cutting unnecessarily and followed the concentration of mana until he reached a large crimson crystal surrounded by thick tissue.

The beast core was slightly smaller than the Nightfall Behemoth’s, but the fire mana inside was much more concentrated.

Its surface was bright red, with golden patterns that resembled burning feathers. Even without touching it, Lucard could feel the heat escaping from the core.

He carefully removed it.

The moment the core left the body, a wave of fire mana spread across the ground. Several nearby pieces of dry wood caught fire.

Lucard immediately used Bloodfire to draw the loose energy toward himself and prevent it from spreading farther.

Cedric noticed the sudden heat and approached.

"Is that the Crimson Sunwing’s core?"

"Yes."

Cedric stared at the crystal with obvious interest.

"Two Seventh Rank beast cores in a single day. Do you understand how ridiculous that is?"

Lucard glanced at him.

"I collected them myself."

"I know. That is what makes it ridiculous."

Lucard ignored him and began examining the core more carefully.

The energy inside was stable. The Crimson Sunwing had used most of its remaining mana during the battle, but the core still contained a tremendous amount of accumulated fire essence.

More importantly, its energy matched the bloodline of the egg.

This will work.

He turned toward the egg.

(Author Note: A new book is out about Demons. Check it out. ????)