Chapter 142: Selvara 2

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Selvara 2

Ronan’s figure disappeared into the midst of the attacking vampires.

The moment they launched their assault, he had already decided how to deal with them. Since they had delivered themselves to his doorstep, there was no reason to show them mercy.

A vampire lunged at him, its claws aiming directly for his throat. Ronan tilted his head, allowing the attack to pass by before grabbing the creature by the face.

Crack!

Its skull shattered beneath his fingers.

He tossed the corpse aside and turned toward another vampire approaching from behind. His fist slammed into its chest, sending it flying several meters before it crashed into the ground.

The vampire struggled to rise, but Ronan was already standing before it.

"Too weak."

He brought his foot down.

The ground trembled as the creature’s body collapsed beneath the force.

The remaining vampires finally realized that something was wrong.

They had recognized the Ghoul Lord’s mark and assumed that capturing or killing him would be a straightforward task. After all, although the mark identified him as the Ghoul Lord, he was still only a Sovereign Realm being.

How dangerous could someone at that level possibly be?

They quickly discovered the answer.

He was terrifying.

"Everyone, attack together! Don’t let him—"

The vampire never finished speaking.

Ronan appeared before him and drove his fist into his abdomen. The force of the impact sent him flying, and before his body could hit the ground, Ronan had already turned toward the next target.

There was no hesitation in his movements.

He had come to the Abyss to hunt vampires, and these creatures had volunteered to become his first victims.

Within minutes, the battle came to an end.

The surrounding ground was littered with corpses, and the smell of blood filled the air.

Ronan stood among the bodies, looking down at the vampire beneath his feet.

"So much for the grand welcome."

He crouched beside one of the corpses and activated Blood Sucking.

A strange force emerged from his body, drawing the blood out of the dead vampire. The crimson liquid gathered before him before disappearing into his body.

Ronan closed his eyes.

He could feel the blood entering him, merging with his existing bloodline and strengthening the power within his body.

Unfortunately, the improvement was minimal.

He moved to the next corpse and repeated the process.

Then another.

And another.

By the time he had absorbed the blood from every vampire in the group, the increase in strength was still nowhere near enough.

[Ding!]

[Blood Sucking has absorbed vampire blood.]

[The host’s racial trait has accumulated additional power.]

[Current evolution requirement has not been fulfilled.]

Ronan stared at the notification.

"...That’s it?"

He had expected some improvement, but this was disappointingly little.

He glanced at the corpses scattered across the ground.

There were more than a dozen vampires here, yet even after absorbing their blood, he hadn’t come close to reaching the threshold required for the First Evolution.

At this rate, killing a few vampires at a time would take far too long.

Ronan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It seems I’ll need a massacre."

The thought didn’t bother him in the slightest.

He was an undead creature, and his goal had always been to grow stronger. If killing a thousand vampires was necessary to evolve his trait, he would kill a thousand. If ten thousand were required, he would simply have to find ten thousand.

Of course, there was one problem.

He couldn’t afford to attract the attention of every powerful creature in the Abyss before he became strong enough to protect himself.

Especially the female Vampire Lord.

According to the old man in the mysterious village, she possessed a way to sense his presence. Once she discovered that he had returned to the Abyss, it was only a matter of time before she came looking for him.

Ronan didn’t know when she would arrive, but he couldn’t afford to waste that time.

He needed to evolve Blood Sucking and break through to the King Realm before their inevitable confrontation.

"Well, standing here won’t accomplish anything."

Ronan rose to his feet and began walking away from the battlefield.

He hadn’t traveled far when the ground suddenly trembled.

His expression changed.

Two enormous figures emerged from the darkness beyond the hills, their bodies covered in thick scales and grotesque armor-like growths. Unlike the Imps he had encountered earlier, these creatures possessed powerful physiques and considerably stronger auras.

Both were King Realm demons.

And their leaders had reached the Two-Star King Realm.

The creatures roared upon spotting Ronan.

Apparently, the smell of blood had attracted them.

Ronan sighed.

"Can’t I have a peaceful night?"

The first demon charged forward, swinging its enormous arm toward him. Ronan sidestepped the attack, but the force behind the blow tore through the ground and sent debris flying in every direction.

Before he could counterattack, the second demon rushed toward his flank.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

He activated Wind Step, his body blurring as he narrowly avoided being caught between their attacks.

The battle continued beneath the crimson sky.

Unlike the Imps, these demons were strong enough to force Ronan to take them seriously. Their Two-Star King Realm leaders possessed considerable physical strength, and their coordinated attacks left little room for mistakes.

Still, Ronan had the advantage in combat experience.

He used the surrounding terrain to separate the creatures, striking whenever one exposed an opening. His fists slammed into their bodies, while the force of his attacks gradually weakened their defenses.

However, killing both of them would take time, and the disturbance was already attracting other creatures from the surrounding wilderness.

Ronan clicked his tongue.

He hadn’t come here to waste an entire night fighting random demons.

After exchanging several more blows, he finally created enough distance to escape their immediate pursuit.

The demons roared behind him, but Ronan continued moving until their auras gradually disappeared into the distance.

He wasn’t running because he couldn’t fight them.

He simply had more important things to accomplish.

By the time the crimson moon had reached its highest point, Ronan had found a secluded place to rest. He remained alert throughout the night, occasionally sensing distant roars and the movements of creatures wandering across the wilderness.

When morning finally arrived, he resumed his hunt.

Or rather, his massacre.

******&

As the hours passed, Ronan began to understand the region surrounding the portal.

The Abyss was not as simple as he had initially imagined.

During his previous visits, he had mostly encountered mindless ghouls wandering across desolate lands. They were among the weakest inhabitants of the Abyss, little more than rotting corpses driven by instinct and hunger.

They possessed no real civilization.

They wandered in groups, attacked anything they encountered, and continued fighting until their bodies were destroyed.

The Imps and the other low-level demons he had encountered were different. Although many were aggressive and primitive, their stronger members possessed enough intelligence to command their followers and organize attacks.

They could recognize danger.

They could retreat.

And, most importantly, they could follow orders.

But vampires were different again.

From what Ronan had observed, they represented the beginning of something far more organized.

They possessed intelligence, established groups, and the ability to develop structures that resembled civilization. Unlike the mindless ghouls, they could make plans, establish territories, and pursue goals that extended beyond their immediate hunger.

And they were only one of the many races inhabiting the Abyss.

’Just how deep does this place go?’

Ronan looked toward the distant horizon.

He had seen enormous ruins and stretches of land that seemed to continue endlessly. There were countless creatures scattered across the wilderness, and he suspected that the regions beyond the horizon were even more dangerous.

Yet he couldn’t simply venture deeper into the Abyss.

His locked title was proof of that.

The mark identified him as the Ghoul Lord, the undead slave who had killed his vampire master. It was a mark the Abyss had placed upon him, and it wasn’t something he could simply conceal by changing his appearance.

Other undead creatures would recognize it.

And considering the circumstances surrounding his rise, many would likely consider him a traitor who deserved to die.

If he ventured too far into the Abyss before reaching the King Realm, he could easily find himself surrounded by enemies far stronger than himself.

That was a risk he had no intention of taking.

’I’ll stay near the border, hunt vampires, and break through first.’

Once he reached the King Realm, he would have more options.

He could explore deeper into the Abyss, investigate its different races, and perhaps discover opportunities to strengthen his other traits.

For now, however, he had a more immediate objective.

Vampires.

Ronan’s eyes gleamed as he sensed several auras approaching from the distance.

He smiled.

"Finally."

The vampires had barely noticed his presence before he moved toward them.

The first one didn’t even have time to draw its weapon.

Ronan struck it across the face, sending its body crashing into a tree. Before the others could react, he was already among them.

The battle ended quickly.

And once again, Ronan began absorbing their blood.

It wasn’t enough.

Not yet.

He would hunt every vampire he could find, absorb their blood, and push Blood Sucking toward its First Evolution.

Somewhere in the Abyss, the female Vampire Lord was searching for him.

Ronan didn’t know her name, nor did he care to learn it.

When she finally appeared, he intended to be ready.

Until then, he would turn the border of the Abyss into his hunting ground.