Chapter 475: The Vampire’s Path

Jonathan was inside Tobias’s laboratory, the domain of the one who occupied the Twelfth Seat of the Reaper Court. Grandmaster Dmitri had left him there while attending to other matters for the Church of Lasiurus.

More than twelve hours had passed since Jonathan had been forced to read ancient documents and study without pause. In one corner of the room stood the lich. The creature sent chills down Jonathan’s spine. Tobias muttered strange things to himself, fragments of thought spoken aloud, as if the concept of humanity barely existed within him anymore.

Despite all his doubts, Jonathan never dared interrupt him. The lich remained in his corner, alternating between two activities. Sometimes he read old tomes. Other times, he picked up dead rats and practiced magic on them.

As Jonathan read, his thoughts drifted to the darker side of being a vampire. He had accepted the transformation for the power and the opportunities it offered. Now, with time to think, he understood the cost more clearly. He did not regret the choice, but he knew he would need to be careful.

“Drinking blood… that’s the real problem,” he muttered.

It was not the taste. The taste was indescribably good. Like biting into the best burger in the world, rich, perfect, addictive. That was the problem. The craving. The desire for more. That part did not bother him as much.

The real issue was the Blood Core.

[Blood Core: 91/100]

Vampires could only feed on human blood, taken from living humans. There were methods to store blood in special containers and drink it like wine, but that drastically reduced the amount of Blood Energy gained. In the end, it still had to come from a human source.

“Feeding really is a problem,” Tobias said from nearby. “But it’s no different from what humans already do. They eat animals to survive, don’t they?”

Jonathan flinched slightly. He had been so lost in thought that he had not noticed the lich standing in front of him.

“A level one human can fill a Blood Core to one hundred percent,” Tobias continued calmly. “But the human will die in the process. You will need to learn how to maintain a human farm. Or kill a human every ten days. Keep that in mind at all times.”

“Yes, but that’s exactly what bothers me,” Jonathan said, frustration creeping into his voice. “Even with a full Blood Core, I only have ten days before I need blood again. After that, I start wasting away, consumed by Vampiric Hunger. It’s suffocating. I want to enter a dungeon. How am I supposed to handle a damn task if I have to drag a human idiot around with me? I know I’m superior to them, but this part still pisses me off.”

The lich stepped closer and placed a finger on the open book.

“That is why you must study, Jonathan. You must grow powerful enough to acquire more vampiric skills.” Tobias said. “Skills that reduce the Blood Energy you need simply to remain alive. And you must work toward awakening a second class with vampiric synergy.”

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This was Jonathan’s greatest concern. Tobias, on the other hand, seemed entirely untroubled. He trusted completely in his own power.

That kind of power was exactly what Jonathan wanted.