Chapter 68: Upgrade
Raven rested for only a few hours before standing again, breath slow and steady. With practiced movements, he lifted the next corpse—one belonging to a Twin-Headed Black Serpent—and set it on the warehouse floor.
His palm pressed against its cold scales.
"Begin."
…
[Bloodline Devourer System is activated!]
[Rank-2 Twin-Headed Black Serpent's Bloodline detected.]
[Analyzing purity…]
[Calculating…]
[85% purity detected. Absorption possible.]
[Use Bloodline Devouring Ability? Yes/No]
"Yes."
[Commencing absorption.]
[Host possesses Twin Shadow Viper's 'Shadow Swift'.]
[Extracting corresponding spell…]
['Shadow Teleport' selected.]
…
[Vitality +6.0]
[Strength +5.0]
[Agility +4.0]
[Body mutation initiated. Duration: 1 day, 50 minutes.]
Pain surged into him immediately—but unlike before, Raven's body no longer thrashed against it. He inhaled slowly, shoulders trembling, but endured with a grim calm. His spine tightened, muscles twisted, shadows clung to his skin like smoke.
Hours blurred into a gray haze.
When the tremors finally stopped—
…
[Mutation Completed.]
[Bloodline Spell Obtained: Shadow Teleport.]
[Body status updated.]
…
Raven exhaled a deep breath.
Shadow Teleport.
As long as a shadow existed, he could slip through it—fifty to a hundred meters of instantaneous movement. Limited now by a half-hour cooldown, but once he understood the spell model…
He could teleport freely.
"And Shadow Swift stays spammable… good."
He stored the corpse and moved on.
The next body—a Poison Serpent—hit the ground with a heavy echo.
Ice shattered. Raven's hand pressed to its scales.
"Begin."
…
[Bloodline Devourer System activated.]
[Rank-2 Poison Serpent's Bloodline detected.]
[Analyzing…]
[Calculating…]
[95% purity detected. Absorption possible.]
[Use Bloodline Devouring Ability? Yes/No]
"Yes."
[Commencing absorption.]
[Host possesses Dreadvenom Tri-Cobra's 'Poison Touch'.]
[Extracting corresponding spell…]
['Poison Mist' selected.]
…
[Vitality +5.0]
[Strength +4.0]
[Agility +6.0]
[Body mutation initiated. Duration: 21 hours, 40 minutes.]
Raven meditated through the mutation. His skin prickled, veins darkened temporarily, and a bitter taste spread in his mouth. But he remained motionless, his mind distant and still.
When the final pulse passed—
…
[Mutation Completed.]
[Bloodline Spell Obtained: Poison Mist.]
[Body status updated.]
…
A veil of toxic power settled deep in his lungs.
A colorless poison… ten-meter spread… stronger venom in my blood. Rank-3 poison won't kill me now.
The system was turning him into something monsters feared.
And he wasn't done.
Next came the body of Vampire Billy Morgan—a Baronet of weak lineage but still Rank-2.
Raven placed his palm over the vampire's cold chest.
…
[Bloodline Devourer System activated.]
[Rank-2 Vampire Baronet's Bloodline detected.]
[Analyzing…]
[53% purity detected. Absorption possible.]
[Use Bloodline Devouring Ability? Yes/No]
"Yes."
[Commencing absorption.]
[Host possesses Blood Imp's 'Blood Control'.]
[Extracting corresponding spell…]
['Blood Bond' selected.]
…
[Vitality +3.0]
[Strength +5.0]
[Agility +5.0]
[Body mutation initiated. Duration: 1 day, 1 hour, 20 minutes.]
Raven lay flat on the stone floor, letting the mutation wash over him. Compared to the earlier ones, this felt… colder. More invasive. His blood thickened, then rushed violently. His heart hammered against his ribs.
When the mutation ended—
…
[Mutation Completed.]
[Bloodline Spell Obtained: Blood Bond.]
[Body status updated.]
…
Raven closed his eyes.
Blood Bond… a one-sided master-servant chain. Absolute obedience.
A spell with the weight of a crime and the usefulness of a weapon.
And Blood Control strengthens too… I can stop someone's blood flow if they stand within five meters.
He felt Zera stir.
[Humph. Magic is magic. Lawful, chaotic—it all exists to overpower someone.]
"True… and this one will prevent betrayals."
He rested briefly, then reached for the final corpse.
The Rank-2 Night Goblin—Selene's prize from the Dream World.
Raven touched the corpse.
…
[Bloodline Devourer System activated.]
[Rank-2 Night Goblin's Bloodline detected.]
[Analyzing…]
[43% purity detected. Absorption possible.]
[Use Bloodline Devouring Ability? Yes/No]
"Yes."
[Commencing absorption.]
[Host possesses Night Goblin's 'Past Self'.]
[Extracting corresponding spell…]
['Elapsed Illusion' selected.]
…
[Vitality +4.0]
[Strength +5.0]
[Agility +6.0]
[Body mutation initiated. Duration: 22 hours, 15 minutes.]
The pain was faint now—barely a whisper. His body had adapted.
When the mutation ended—
…
[Mutation Completed.]
[Bloodline Spell Obtained: Elapsed Illusion.]
[Body status updated.]
…
Raven absorbed the knowledge.
Elapsed Illusion… by touching a person or item, I can reveal an illusion of its past—up to thirty days.
A terrifying investigative tool.
Perfect for interrogation.
Perfect for tracking.
Perfect for secrets.
He planned to test all seven spells later.
For now, he needed to restore himself.
He returned to the mansion, cleaned up, slept a few hours, and came back to the warehouse. This time he didn't take out a corpse. Instead, he stepped into the Memory Library's second floor.
His hand hovered over a thick book bound in black.
Elemental circlet techniques.
Higher rank meant faster absorption of elemental energy.
The Arcanum Circlets of Destiny—originally Legendary rank—had long been degraded.
Even this one was a weakened version… but much stronger than the Uncommon technique he previously used.
Before, a Rank-1 spell's elemental circlet needed five minutes to refill.
This one reduced it to one minute.
Rank-2 needed only ten.
He opened the book.
Complex diagrams filled the pages. Circles, runes, pathways—each element having its own blueprint.
Raven memorized every line, then closed his eyes and stepped into the vast darkness of his mind space.
There, he forged seven new elemental circles—life, darkness, ice, blood, lightning, poison, and time—each forming slowly, meticulously.
September 9th, Year 1428, Rune Era.
Raven stepped out of the warehouse and dragged a long breath of fresh air into his lungs. His skin tingled from the lingering impurities that clung to him after days of devouring bloodlines.
"I badly need a bath," he muttered.
Twenty days had passed… but it felt like a year locked inside that iron chamber.
Let me check my status first.
A blue panel snapped open before him.
…
[Name: Raven Sillalus Jorvot
Age: 23
Nationality: Zenith Empire
Title: 66th Prince of the Zenith Empire, Rebel Prince
Level: 16
Class: Radiant Warlock (7th Circle)
Life Pathway: Adept Alchemist, Adept Rune Wizard
Health: Normal
Lifespan: 300+ years
Attributes:
Strength: 62.0
Agility: 63.0
Vitality: 66.0
Luck: 0
Spirit: 199.9
Bloodline Spells
Rank-1:
Iron Resilience, Poison Touch (Poison Immunity), Fortuitous Finder, Blood Control, Face Morph, Mind Eye, Cold Breath, Past Self, Eye of Destruction, Shadow Shift, Memory Seal.
Rank-2:
Rapid Regeneration, Eye of Annihilation, Ice Breath, Shadow Teleport, Poison Mist, Blood Bond, Elapsed Illusion.
Additional Skills:
Intermediate Spearmanship (2.8%)
Ruler's Dominance (Beginner)
Affinities:
Life – Intermediate
Blood – Intermediate
Poison – Intermediate
Lightning – Intermediate
Darkness – High
Time – Intermediate
Ice – Genius
Spear – Low
Luck – Low ]
…
Raven's lips curved slightly.
My physical attributes have doubled. I've entered the realm of an Advanced Radiant Walker.
If he drank Adept Strength and Agility potions, he could even reach Peak Radiant Walker.
And Eye of Destruction alone could kill someone one rank above me. With Starflare-3R… I can face an Expert Walker head-on.
Confidence burned in his chest.
"But first—a bath."
He returned to the mansion. The moment he entered the main hall, Emanuel hurried toward him.
"My Lord!" He bowed deeply.
Raven nodded, then saw Stephanie approaching from the kitchen.
"Good morning, My Lord," she greeted with a polite bow. "Have you finished your closed-door training?"
"Yes. And I heard you've still been teaching Rebecca."
"Yes, My Lord. She's improving. She is now qualified to serve as your personal attendant." Stephanie's tone carried a hint of pride.
"Good." Raven turned to Emanuel. "Come upstairs in thirty minutes."
He climbed the staircase and entered his room. The hot bath washed the days of exhaustion off his muscles. Afterward, he slipped into comfortable clothes and lay on his bed.
"Solis."
A soft glow shimmered from the amulet on his chest. A white owl with star-like eyes emerged, its wings soundless as it perched on the table.
"What may I do for you, Master?" Solis asked, her gentle voice too elegant for her tiny frame.
Raven's eyelid twitched.
He still wasn't used to an owl speaking like a noble lady.
"How many years of time elemental energy do we need for Time Stop?"
"I have gathered one-tenth, Master," Solis replied. "It will take around four more years to complete naturally. But if you use the Rank-2 Time Elemental Crystal from the Night Goblin, the spell can recharge up to fifty percent."
Raven frowned.
So I still need over two years…
But Time Stop wasn't what he truly wanted.
Regressor's Sight.
Ten years into his own future.
If he had a Rank-6 crystal… or enough low-rank stones…
He could cast it instantly.
But time-element stones didn't appear in potion shops.
I'll need to check every major auction house from now on.
Zera's voice drifted through his mind.
[Don't trouble yourself, lad. You're not in a desperate situation. You finally have the strength to protect yourself. Now, the next step is improving your status.]
Reclaiming Azmar Town? I plan to do that.
[I mean your social status. Your household is considered the weakest Knight Household in the Empire. Even if you rebuild the town, people won't move there. They fear monsters, disappearances, and instability. To make citizens trust you, you must become popular.]
Raven blinked.
Won't I become popular after reclaiming it? That's an achievement.
[Naïve.] Zera snorted. [To become popular, you need newspapers, informants, and noble support. Reclaiming your own ruined town is not an achievement—it's maintenance. Achievements are things no one expects you to do.]
Something that wins the hearts of the people… I understand now.
[Good. Then host a grand banquet and announce the reclamation of Azmar Town.]
Raven stiffened.
"A banquet? That's a waste of money," he muttered.
[Say that again when no one shows up to your empty celebration.] Zera's tone sharpened. [You have no allies, boy. Other nobles see you as a beggar. Even if you rebuild the town, you need support from neighboring nobles, merchants, and businessmen. Roads, defenses, housing, and farmland—none of these can be done alone. A banquet brings them to your mansion.]
Raven grudgingly nodded.
He understood.
[But first—upgrade your mansion. If you host a banquet here, nobles will turn around at the front door.]
Raven looked around the mansion, genuinely confused.
What's so bad about this place? It's spacious. Looks fine to me.
[Because you've never lived as a noble.] Zera sighed. [To nobles, everything—from a dining chair to a cufflink—shows status. Even your clothes scream "commoner." That's why they looked down on you at the Spade Council and every banquet.]
Raven paused.
He had noticed the stares.
He assumed it was due to his past.
[Not just that. You look like a poor boy to them. Let me give you an example.]
Zera's voice deepened.
[What would you do if a man in torn shoes and ragged clothes walked into your mansion, spoke casually to your servants, and even served you food with filthy hands? Or invited you to a dirty hut in the slums?]
Raven didn't hesitate.
"I wouldn't let him in. I would ask him to clean himself and change. And I'd avoid going to his house."
[Exactly.]
Zera's tone was satisfied.
[That's how nobles see commoners. And that's how they see you.]
Raven went silent.
So I looked like a beggar in their eyes…
[Yes. That's why you need renovation, wealth display, and at least one influential guest. Only then will others follow.]
Raven exhaled slowly.
He finally understood what he needed to do.
A dull knock tapped against the oak door—three short raps, too polite to belong to a stranger.
"The door is open," Raven said without looking up.
The hinges groaned as Emanuel slipped inside, a file tucked under his arm. His shirt was pressed but creased from rushing, and his polished shoes shone like he had stopped to wipe them just before entering. His gaze flicked toward the wall clock the moment he stepped in—habit, not thought—before he approached the bedside and bowed.
"How may I assist you, My Lord?"
Raven exhaled slowly. "What happened during my closed-door training?"
Emanuel produced a sealed letter with stiff fingers. "A message from the Mystic Cauldron, My Lord. They request the interest amount of twenty-four thousand gold coins you borrowed."
A faint pulse of irritation brushed Raven's consciousness.
(Jacob's handiwork, no doubt.)
Raven waved a hand. "Set it aside. We'll pay everything together next year."
Emanuel's eyebrows twitched upward before he controlled them. "My Lord, at least a reply—"
"Later." Raven cut him off. He leaned back slightly, a small smile forming. "I called you for something else. I'm hosting a banquet."
The man's composure cracked. "A… banquet, My Lord?"
"Invite all Knight Households, notable merchants, businessmen, baronets, barons, viscounts, and counts. September twenty-ninth."
Emanuel straightened in an instant, instincts taking over. "Yes, My Lord."
Raven studied him. "Are you still in contact with the Humphery Household?"
A faint discomfort tugged at Emanuel's features. "No, My Lord. I ended that relationship when I joined the Holmes Household."
"Good." Raven nodded once. "Then tell me—how should we arrange this banquet?"