Quinn slowly opened his eyes and he found that he was still at the shore , shallow water.
Quinn's eyelids felt like lead, crusting with salt and dried grit as he forced them open. The world came back in blurred fragments: the rhythmic thrum of the tide, the pale glow of the moons overhead, and the icy lick of the ocean against his legs.
The last thing he remembered was the metallic tang of his own blood and the visceral sensation of his life leaking into the sand. But as the fog in his mind cleared, the expected agony didn't follow.
Instead of the jagged, searing heat of torn muscle, there was a strange, cool hum vibrating under his skin. He looked down at his chest. Moments earlier when he wasn't even able to lift his fingers was now coursing with vitality. exposed his ribs just an hour ago was gone.
His body and every other part of his exposed skin was covered with blood stains but other than that , he felt better than good
The next thing he did was- go to his system screen and look at the notifications.
[Quest - Survive]
[Status: Successful]
Rewards: Instant Level Up
[Hidden Reward Unlocked]
You have defeated a foe that the System deemed impossible.
Mana Steal is now a skill.
And has been added as part of your Draconic Kin Skills.
[Level Up!]
[Level: 30]
All Stats +1
[Evolution to Draconic Adept Beginning…]
[Error… Error…]
[Host has lost too much blood.
Body functions malfunctioning.]
[Forced Evolution Beginning…]
[Quest - Become a Vampire]
[Accepted]
[Vampire Ritual Activated]
Error… Error…
[Ritual Interrupted]
[Evolution Interrupted]
Quinn stood there totally confused. With all the messages flooding his mind, he couldn't grasp any of it.
"So what are you saying, damn it?" Quinn shouted.
"That my evolution got interrupted?
And how did my unconscious self activate the vampire ritual?
And on top of that… it didn't even work?"
Suddenly, the System voice chimed in.
Well, you made that decision, Quinn… when you were screaming in pain. And it ended up saving you.
"Wait… what?" Quinn said, shocked.
You were going to die if not for the vampire ritual, the system acknowledged.
"So what am I now?"
Well… just continue to read, the System said.
Quinn stopped arguing and continued reading. As the previous notifications disappeared, new ones appeared.
[New Evolution Beginning]
[Evolution Complete.]
[You have received a Title]
And that was the end of the notifications.
"I still don't understand anything…" Quinn murmured. "And what's a title?"
Check your status screen, the voice said, with a little annoyance.
Quinn got up,and opened his status screen, and read.
Name: Quinn Talen
Race: Draconic Blood Lord
Title: Lineage That Refuses To Yield
HP: 100/100 Max
Strength: 100/100 Max
Agility: 100/100 Max
Stamina: 100/100 Max
Charm: 100/100 Max
MC: 1000/1000
[Skills Tab]
System Skill: Inspect
[Race Related Skills :]
Dragon Eyes
Mana Steal
Mana Drain
Mana Blood
[Blood Skills:]
Influence
Blood Swipe Level 1
Blood Spray Level 1
Blood Bullet Level 1
Blood Barrier Level 1
[Attributes:]
Earth
Water
Healing
Fire
Lightning
Hardening
Poison
Ice
[Abilities-None]
Then when quinn moved to the quest tab
[Quest - Next Evolution]
???
Evolution Criteria Not Met.
"What in the world…" Quinn muttered.
"All my stats have maxed out as well… so now I get to keep my attributes… and I also have vampiric powers, quinn said excitedly."
"And what now about this evolution? I clearly have no idea."
Well, in my opinion… you are clearly an anomaly. No doubt about that, The system said.
Quinn frowned. "But there are no more quests for me, Even my next evolution has no information.
Quinn frowned. "Wait… what's my current level now? Where is the experience I need?"
But Quinn couldn't find it anywhere.
That was when the System spoke again.
There is a chance that you are no longer bound by level-ups. The System has removed it entirely.
And as for your evolution… I can't tell what criteria you must meet.
Quinn sighed and walked to the water's edge to wash away the grime of battle. As he dipped his hands into the surf, his heart stopped.
Patches of crimson, scaly tissue crawled up his forearms like living armor, contrasting sharply with his now pale skin. He ripped off his shredded shirt in panic, but felt relieved to find the scales stopped at his shoulders, but his veins—- they slightly pulsed with a strange, reddish-orange light—engraving his body like a circuit.
He leaned over his reflection. His face was untouched by the scales, but half of his hair had bleached into a deep, blood-red. His right eye had a faint orange red glow to it. While the left remained as it used to be.
"Oh, come on..." He stared at the stranger in the water.
"Wait... it actually doesn't look half bad, does it?"
Then he got up, giving a big sigh.
"Well i don't feel like the old Quinn anymore" .
"No more wasting time. It's time to teach those bastards what happens when you push someone too far."
"And my new body… it feels like it's overflowing with power, it's time to put it to the test."
Before heading out, Quinn quickly ran back to the beast to carve out its beast crystal.
And after a long search, he finally found it.
But the only problem was… the crystal had lost all its glow. It now looked dull, almost matte.
The moment Quinn applied a little pressure, the crystal disintegrated into powder.
"What other bad news is there?!" Quinn yelled in annoyance.
The System replied calmly.
Don't be too greedy. You should return back now.
"Yeah… about that," Quinn said. " I don't have the watch anymore, it was gone during the battle, so I don't have the map to go back."
Then just use your Dragon Eyes, and look for nearest human. From what I can remember they went that way .
Quinn activated it, without a thought, and instantly he felt the range of his Dragon Eyes expand far beyond what it used to be.
It was vast… terrifyingly wide.
Yet there was no trace of human life anywhere.
"I'll have to make it the way I came here…"
Quinn was now below the chasm, and to get out, he had to climb all the way up.
Keeping one hand against the rock, Quinn bent his knees, gathered strength, and jumped.
But suddenly, he lost his balance mid-air.
The force was completely unexpected, which overshot his mark
"This new body…" Quinn muttered, stunned. "It feels too powerful…"
He was able to leap higher… farther… and his body felt light as a feather.