Name: Enrico Solcren Ferreira
Magic: Fire — Circle 1 — 3%
Mana Amount: 134
Unique Skill: Elemental Clone
Soul: 60
Enrico calmly observed the stats while the gentle rocking of the carriage lulled him. Since his evolution, he had only improved 3% in Circle 1. A slow, almost insignificant progress… but still, progress.
'At least I can feel that my potential improved after the Fire Cancer pact.'
Hours passed until the carriage finally began to slow down. Upon stepping out, the wind of the new city greeted him. He stretched his arms, took a deep breath, and resumed his conversation with the system.
'And that pact you and the constellations were going to offer?'
[Wait a little longer.]
'Hm... And the reward?'
[It'll be an item. A magic enhancement core. +15 permanent.]
'...At least this time there's no downside.'
Enrico sighed but accepted. He knew that every gain, even a small one, could be the difference between life and death. His thoughts quickly turned to his next goal, the first artifact: "The Red Night Bat."
In the original story, the protagonists would face the vampires, and the author would reveal in that arc the true goal of the race, which was to recover the body of the first vampire. Later, it was mentioned that the three artifacts he's looking for were involved. The fourth was an idea he had himself when he first saw it in the story and thought he could combine them to improve even further.
[In the original story, someone must have used these three artifacts for you to know, right?]
'Yes, the three artifacts were used by a minor villain who enhanced his blood and made a deal for the vampires to attack an enemy city — the one Kai was protecting.'
Enrico entered the city of the Solcren family and heard whispers around. People were talking, but none seemed to recognize him.
It made sense.
His body had changed, slimmed down, his posture was different. The only thing that still tied him to the "old Enrico" were his golden eyes and hair.
He took advantage of the anonymity, slipping quietly down another street, thinking with a slight smile.
'Good... that's better.'
And he left, in search of the first artifact. He passed by shops, bought a dagger, and headed out of the city.
As he left, he began to run to train along the way.
[You've already started. I think this is a new record for how long you went without training.]
'Because of that negligence, I may have fallen further behind the "limit break" state. So I need to train harder to make up for lost time.'
Enrico let out an excited grin and ran faster. He had to get stronger — that's all that mattered.
After walking and running for hours, Enrico rested on a rock. Amid a secluded cliff, he looked down at a crevice hidden among the rocks, invisible to untrained eyes, camouflaged by the terrain itself. There were no maps marking it, nor legends mentioning it.
He descended and stood before a narrow hole that led to a cave deep underground. The entrance was dark, stifling, and covered by a dense energy. He felt his body being pressured just by approaching.
'This place… feels like it rejects all light.'
Enrico murmured and lit a small flame on his fingers.
[You have discovered: Dungeon of Nartheis — Threat Level: Zara 2]
[Hostile presence detected.]
[Enemy: Nartheis Bat — Guardian of the Red Night.]
A sound of wings echoed in the darkness. It was as if the very air vibrated. From the corners of the cave, shadows stirred — and then a bat emerged.
The bat was immense, with leathery wings stained with blood and eyes like burning rubies. The creature seemed made of living shadows, with fangs that clinked as they touched the cold air.
Nartheis Bat — Zara Level 2
"Perfect for a test"
Enrico smiled and extended his arm, pulling out his fire bow — still imperfect, made only of flame. The fiery energy pulsed unstably between his fingers.
With controlled breathing, he steadied his feet.
'Let's train'
The bat shot forward like a living arrow. Enrico rolled to the side, concentrating mana in his fingers and shaping a raw, unstable fire arrow.
"First shot!"
The arrow exploded in the creature's chest, burning part of its wing. The bat screeched and dove at him, claws extended. Enrico raised his arm just in time to block but was thrown against the cave wall.
"Damn… the timing to channel magic for defense wasn't good. If I think about it, this would be the first time I fight a level two Zara. The only one before was Rirus, but he evolved into Faizes, and I couldn't do anything."
Blood dripped from the corner of Enrico's mouth, but his eyes showed he was enjoying himself. He stood up and stretched.
"System! Activate the Core!"
[Using item: Magic Enhancement Core — +15 base mana permanently added.]
A flash enveloped Enrico's chest.
Mana Amount: 149
'Now then… let's see what difference it makes.'
He drew the arrow again. The energy was more stable and the fire denser.
The bat descended in a spiral. Enrico aimed — this was an arrow with more magic than usual for him. The fire arrow fired at great speed, piercing the creature's skull where its core was. The final screech echoed through the cave as the beast's burning body fell to the stone floor.
The system appeared with a message, finally acting like a real system.
[Enemy defeated.]
[You received: Fragment of the Red Night Bat — 1/7]
[You are now eligible to begin the Pure Blood Route.]
The flame of the bow slowly faded as he picked up the first piece of the artifact.
[So you'll need six more from here?]
"Yes, I'll have to go deeper."
Enrico ventured further inside, seeing blood dripping from one area. When he arrived, he saw a bat corpse — and another one above, larger than the previous.
[If you beat this one, it'll be pure luck.]
Enrico smiled at the system's words and ran to face the bat, already with a strategy in mind.
[Here he goes.]