324. [Unique Trait: Craving for True Blood Awakened!]
324. [Unique Trait: Craving for True Blood Awakened!]
***
When Chaeri playfully spoke to her, Yujeong scowled deeply.
"...I know that too."
Yujeong, who spoke as if she wasn't happy about this situation, cautiously approached Chaeri.
As the girl who looked barely sixteen, with long pink hair hanging down, drew closer with a mischievous expression, Yujeong felt strange even though she knew it was just a joke.
'The thrall contract method is seriously weird too.'
Even knowing it was a system, it felt like performing a vampire ritual straight out of a movie, leaving her restless.
Then she brought her lips to the woman's bleeding arm.
"...Haaup."
Yujeong buried her face against the wrist of the woman, whose slender frame was smaller than her own, and began to lick the blood. If anyone saw her, the sight would have been utterly provocative.
And the person on the receiving end of that act, Louise Tepes—Chaeri—felt no particular sensation, because sexual sensations were completely blocked for her.
If she had to describe it, it was just a feeling like someone lightly tapping her wrist. She couldn't feel the specific sensation of a tongue licking her body.
But even so, Chaeri couldn't deny that the feeling was strange.
'I know it's a set ritual... but it still feels weird.'
Actually watching someone really lick her arm gave her an odd feeling.
And then, a notification appeared in both women's vision at the same time.
Ding!
[A thrall contract is in progress. During the approximately 5 minutes required for the contract, the contracting party must continuously consume blood for the contract to proceed.]
Like a kind of warning message, Yujeong's body began to gradually flush red.
Watching that, Chaeri slowly spoke.
"You can't stop licking for five minutes."
Thinking that Yujeong might not have seen it, she relayed the warning, and Yujeong, who had been licking the blood, gave a small nod and unconsciously let out a fevered breath.
Because she had been continuously licking blood, she had taken a deep breath midway and acted on instinct without thinking,
"Hik!"
Chaeri flinched in surprise when the breath suddenly touched her.
"Seriously... don't make... weird... sounds."
When Yujeong, who had been licking the blood, glanced at her with a strange look, Chaeri frowned deeply.
"That's because you did something weird and startled me."
"You said you can't feel anything anyway, so why react like that?"
"Because it still feels weird. That's that."
Chaeri answered curtly and averted her gaze.
She had heard that other True Ancestors did it this way, so she was doing it this way, but honestly, embarrassment was creeping up.
'Still, I guess I should be glad it's with a woman.'
She supposedly felt no particular sensation, but if she had done this kind of thrall contract with a man, the atmosphere would have been really strange.
"So, do you feel anything?"
She asked, wondering how the contract was going.
It had only been moments since the thrall contract progress notification appeared, but there was no particular change for me. On the other hand, Yujeong's whole body looked flushed red and heated, so I wondered if there was something notable.
In a way, she looked like she was drunk and flushed all over, and the skin revealed by her black suit seemed to radiate heat.
But. Hearing that, Yujeong made an odd expression and glanced over.
"Right now... what do you mean by that?"
"I just asked because I was wondering if anything changed for you while the thrall contract was progressing."
When Chaeri added calmly, as if telling her not to misunderstand, Yujeong finally relaxed her expression and shook her head slightly.
With her small movement, her tongue subtly licked the wounded area, but Chaeri, watching it with feigned composure, wondered if the contract was proceeding well.
[Time remaining until thrall contract completion: 1 minute 2 seconds]
"About one minute left now."
When Chaeri told her the remaining time, Yujeong gave a small nod and focused on continuing to lick her blood.
Yujeong, who had already been licking Tepes's wrist for several minutes, felt a small sense of self-loathing, but it was just a game. She comforted herself with those words.
Watching her, Chaeri thought about her again during the remaining time.
—Bloody Night.
The most famous ranker of the current Vampire Class. Her Tier, Challenger 19th, proved her skill.
So the thrall contract that a True Ancestor could form with only one person. Forming it with a ranker of Bloody Night's caliber was no loss for me.
That was why I had made the offer first.
Honestly, even if she hadn't received the silver coins worth billions, it wouldn't have mattered much to her.
'Still, a True Ancestor has her pride. I should take what I'm owed.'
Still, thinking of her pride as a True Ancestor, she took the money.
A quest period of over six months. True Ancestor was a class that only ten people in Another World could possess. There was no reason for her to take a submissive stance in a thrall contract.
Thinking that, she felt curious about what ability this woman, still licking her arm, would awaken.
Actually, for a True Ancestor, a thrall contract just meant the contractor became an eternal ally—even if she became an Outlaw, she could never attack her, a kind of inviolable existence—and they could move to each other once a day. A trait that was blood ties in name only.
In the end, that was all.
She herself, as a True Ancestor, didn't get a direct stat increase or a special skill. That was only natural, since the thrall contract was a system that only benefited the vampire entering the contract.
That was why there was precedent for receiving large sums of money from vampires to perform the contract.
...
Had a minute passed like that?
"Haa......"
Yujeong, who finally stopped licking Chaeri's arm, slowly pulled her lips away and exhaled hot breath with a thoroughly flushed face.
"..."
Her breath touched Chaeri just as before, but Chaeri, no longer startled like before, watched with curious eyes.
Because she could see a massive blood-red presence surging in the space around Yujeong, then completely enveloping her.
Watching it, she parted her lips lightly.
"I hope you awaken a good ability."
Still, she was her one and only contractor, so she hoped Yujeong would awaken a good ability.
...
The moment Yujeong blinked, it felt as if the entire world was being stained with blood—no, as if she alone had been isolated.
Inside a world dyed red.
—Thump!
The feeling of her heart beating hard was vividly felt, and just as she unconsciously brought a hand to her chest.
Crashhh!
The blood-red world in her vision shattered brilliantly.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[You have become a thrall of True Ancestor Louise Tepes!]
[All stats increase by 5%!]
[You awaken the power of blood and gain a new ability!]
The messages written in blood-red continued to fill her vision for a moment. Then she saw the pink-haired woman calmly watching her.
Ding!
[Unique Trait: Craving for True Blood Awakened!]
(The existing 'Night of Fresh Blood' trait disappears and is replaced.)
Then, along with a new blood-red message, a hologram for a skill appeared.
*
————
Craving for True Blood.
You, who have awakened true power through the blood of a True Ancestor, can further refine the power of blood and make it your own.
You can manifest fangs capable of consuming someone's blood.
Skill Ability: By draining the blood of a 'living being', you gain 40% of the target's highest stat.
You can share power by having the other party consume your blood.
—Craving for True Blood effect duration: 6 hours (Cooldown 10 hours)
(Cannot be used in the Arena)
————
*
Yujeong was staring carefully at the hologram, surprised by the ability, when Chaeri, who had been waiting quietly, opened her lips with eyes full of curiosity.
"So what ability did you get?"
"It's the Craving for True Blood skill. Do you happen to know it?"
Yujeong answered calmly and asked.
"...No, first time hearing it. Still, seeing that it has the name True Blood attached, it must be a good ability?"
But when even Chaeri said she didn't know, Yujeong gave her a strange look.
"Yes. It definitely seems like a good skill."
The erased trait. The Night of Fresh Blood trait had also been a passive that increased attack power during nighttime, so it was a bit of a shame. But the Craving for True Blood skill she was seeing now was clearly stronger than that.
The option of a 40% stat increase in itself represented a monstrous increase in build. Although it said the target was a 'living being', no other restrictions were written.
That meant it was obviously usable against monsters. And this was clearly...
'A skill that can also be used against users.'
Yujeong, who had adjusted the settings, shared the newly acquired skill's traits with Chaeri as well.
After looking at the skill, Chaeri unconsciously admired it.
"This seems really good? Congratulations."
When Chaeri congratulated her like it was her own achievement, Yujeong nodded.
"The 3 billion doesn't feel wasted."
3 billion silver coins was certainly not a small expense for her either. But seeing the ability she had gained, it didn't feel bad at all.
There were only ten True Ancestors in Another World, and countless vampire users wanted to form a thrall contract with them even at the cost of huge sums of money, so it wasn't bad.
"So I'm curious how much stronger you'll get. Try it."
At that, Chaeri calmly extended her arm again. Yujeong, watching it, agreed and activated the skill.
—Craving for True Blood.
Her fangs rose sharply and jutted out slightly, and she began draining blood by biting Tepes's wrist.
Ding!
[Because you drained the blood of the True Ancestor with whom you formed a thrall contract, your effect is also applied to the True Ancestor!]
A message appeared as if it were a hidden option, and after a brief moment, Yujeong finished the short drain and pulled her head away. The two women's eyes met for an instant.
Because they were both feeling the skill's effect, their exchanged gazes were full of surprise.
"This... is seriously an insane skill."
Chaeri unconsciously admired her own body, which felt lighter. When she clenched her hand, she felt an incredibly powerful strength, and she couldn't even guess how much stronger she had become.
"...Really."
And the same was true for Yujeong, who spoke blankly.
She had only clenched and unclenched her hand, but she felt an enormous power she had never felt before.
And then a thought struck Yujeong.
It seemed the answer to what choice she would make regarding turning Outlaw had been decided.
The powerful skill effect was one thing, but when she thought of the endless applications using the Craving for True Blood option...
"Haa..."
Yujeong unconsciously let out a fevered breath with a different meaning than before.
"Pfft... do you really like it that much?"
When Chaeri burst out laughing as if in disbelief, Yujeong nodded blankly.
"...Yes."
In effect, this skill removed her reason to choose the Outlaw path.
The powerful ability was one thing, but more than that, her thoughts had already raced ahead to how to use the skill.