[You Have Killed a Black-Fanged Cat. Do You Want to Extract Its Blood?]
With great effort, Lucas pushed the beast's heavy body off of him. True to its name—the Black-Fanged Cat—it was as large as a full-grown tiger, with four long fangs jutting from its mouth. Those fangs were valuable alchemical ingredients and rare crafting materials. Lucas made a mental note to collect them later. Sadly, Lucas forgot to bring a bag or something.
The beast was dead, confirmed by the system notification. His rapier was still lodged in its eye socket, piercing through its brain and out the back of its skull. Struggling to his feet, Lucas stared at his first kill with a small sense of satisfaction. So he could hunt... and defend himself.
But he couldn't afford to get complacent. He was still far too weak. One careless move earlier, and he would've been the one lying dead.
He quickly activated the skill he'd been looking forward to using for the first time—Blood Extraction.
The beast's blood floated up and rushed toward his left hand. In moments, a blood-red glove formed around his fingers and palm. He observed the corpse more closely, realizing the blood was being drained at an alarming speed, pooling into his hand.
Suddenly, he shuddered.
A blood-red eye opened on the back of his left hand—and in a blink, it absorbed all the gathered blood.
[Blood Extraction Activated. You Have Absorbed 19 Blood Essence.]
As soon as the system's voice faded, the eye closed again. Lucas stared at his hand, unnerved by how unfamiliar it felt.
"What the hell was that eye? Will it always show up whenever I use Blood Extraction?" he muttered, still trying to make sense of it.
But there was no point dwelling on it now. What mattered was gathering as much Blood Essence as possible— if he wanted to grow stronger.
He glanced at the Black-Fanged Cat's corpse, now shriveled and dry, all its blood sucked clean. It looked eerie—like a sacrifice drained by a demon or some dark god.
Lucas opened his status window to check if the Blood Essence had really been added.
---
Godslayer's Successor
Name: Lucas Sinclair
Blood Core: 1/7
Blood Essence: 19 / 2,456
Inheritance Progress: 6%
Class: Blood Master
Skills: [Blood Extraction] [Burning Blood] [Blood World]
---
"So little..." Lucas frowned. With an amount that small, it would be gone again by tomorrow.
Even so, he could feel a strength he had once lost slowly returning. It was just enough to let him breathe easier. His exhaustion faded. He wasn't fully recovered yet, but his body was in decent shape.
Pulling his rapier from the beast's skull, Lucas continued his hunt.
[You Have Killed a Juvenile Thunder Wolf. Do You Want to Extract Its Blood?]
[You Have Killed a Juvenile Thunder Wolf. Do You Want to Extract Its Blood?]
[You Have Killed a Juvenile Thunder Wolf. Do You Want to Extract Its Blood?]
[You Have Killed a Carrion-Eater Beetle. Do You Want to Extract Its Blood?]
[You Have Killed...]
Beneath the dense forest canopy, Lucas leaned against a tree, inspecting the injuries he'd sustained from fighting wolves and other beasts drawn by the scent of blood.
Both arms were numb and nearly useless. His clothes were torn to shreds, and a deep claw mark stretched across his chest. Despite the damage, he was thankful to still be alive.
'It's probably been an hour since I left. I should head back before James starts raising hell looking for me.'
With that thought, Lucas began walking in the direction of his group. Fortunately, he had a good sense of direction—otherwise, he might've gotten lost.
'What the hell am I going to tell James when he sees me like this?' As he searched for a reasonable excuse, an unsettling sensation crawled up his spine.
He turned around.
From within the shadows, a pair of glowing eyes and a sharp, crackling horn emerged.
Lucas clenched his jaw, bracing for the worst.
A full-grown Thunder Wolf. Was it the parent of the ones he'd killed earlier? Probably. Thunder Wolves were known for moving in packs, hunting as a family unit. They were fiercely protective and wouldn't forgive anyone who harmed their kin.
This is bad.
He remembered a story about a hunting party that kidnapped a Thunder Wolf pup—only to have the father burn down every village in his path searching for it.
'Can I beat this thing? Or should I run?' The thought crossed his mind as he took in the creature's size.
It was nothing like the smaller wolves from earlier. This one was at least five times their size—easily standing over three and a half meters tall.
Suddenly, the beast charged at an incredible speed. Realizing there was no escaping it, Lucas steadied his breath and took a stance, rapier raised, ready to face it head-on.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid.
From what he'd read, an adult Thunder Wolf was nearly as powerful as a Third Circle Awakener. Lucas had only recently awakened himself.
Still, that didn't mean he had no chance.
He had the eyes of someone who could see the world in slow motion, razor-sharp perception, and a mind capable of making split-second decisions. His only real shortcomings were raw strength and the limited number of skills he had.
[Burning Blood Activated. Your Strength Increases Exponentially.]
Blood surged across Lucas's eyes, staining them red—except for the right iris, which remained a vivid, piercing blue.
In a blink, the giant wolf was upon him, lunging with terrifying force.
Flooded with sudden power, Lucas delivered a precise thrust toward its eye. Sensing the danger, the beast jerked its head to the side, and the rapier only grazed its hardened cheek.
The attack failed.
Seeing every movement in slow detail, Lucas rolled to the side, dodging the wolf's snapping jaws and slashing claws. Scrambling to his feet, he raised his rapier again as the wolf circled him slowly, eyes filled with seething hatred.
The first strike had made the beast wary.
But Lucas could feel it—his mind was beginning to blur. The side effects of Burning Blood were kicking in.
For several tense seconds, man and beast stood locked in a standoff. Neither moved, both studying the other's every twitch.
Then, the wolf made its move.
The massive horn on its head began to glow, arcs of electricity crackling around it. Lucas's expression darkened. He knew what was coming.
With a deafening howl, the beast unleashed a surge of lightning like a tidal wave—rushing straight at him.
A strike that Lucas had no hope of dodging.