I woke to the early sun slipping through the broken windows of the apartment. Even with the constant worry of monsters roaming outside, sleep had come easy for once. I stretched, feeling the residual thrill of yesterday's hunt thrumming in my veins, and made my decision.
Hunting.
Shadow stirred beside me, a low growl vibrating in his throat, sensing my intent. Together, we left the relative safety of the city streets and moved toward the outskirts, silent predators among the ruins.
That's when we saw it.
A goblin camp.
At least twenty of them, clustered around a faint fire, weapons drawn, their green skin glinting in the morning light. Some were sharpening blades, others barking orders, completely unaware of us lurking in the shadows.
I crouched low, eyes scanning, calculating.
Twenty. Even with Shadow, that's too many to charge blindly.
I could feel the hum of my blood manipulation skill, my fingers itching to test it again. The new contract, Steal, Bloodlust Strike—all of it whispered possibilities.
Shadow's ears twitched, sensing my hesitation. I gave him a slight nod.
We need a plan.
I crouched lower, thinking. Divide and conquer. Lure them into a choke point. A few under my control, a few under Shadow's jaws. Patience would make this easy.
I grinned, the thrill of power tightening my chest. Twenty goblins didn't scare me. Not anymore.
They're just practice.
I crouched low in the rubble, eyes fixed on the goblin camp. Twenty of them. Too many to charge blindly. Shadow pressed against my leg, muscles coiled, ready to strike.
Patience, I reminded myself. Divide and conquer.
I extended my senses, feeling the flow of blood through the nearest goblin. A faint green shimmer appeared in my vision. I whispered, almost to myself:
The goblin froze mid-step as a thread of blood lifted from his veins, curling around him like a puppet. His arm jerked unnaturally, slashing at the air as I directed the movement. Confusion spread across the rest of their faces.
Shadow leapt, silent as a shadow itself, sinking his teeth into another goblin's neck, dragging him to the ground before the others could react.
I grinned. This was too easy.
I tugged at the blood of several goblins at once, forcing them to stumble into each other, collide, and trip over rocks. Panic erupted, their shrieks filling the camp. I wasn't touching a single one, just orchestrating them like a symphony of chaos.
Shadow tore through the ones closest to me, jaws snapping, claws shredding, while I directed blood like a conductor's baton. I sent one goblin flying into another with a twisted thread, then brought a trickle of blood from the first goblin to bind the second's legs, making him fall helplessly.
Then, I allowed a single goblin to regain a fraction of control—enough to run screaming toward the campfire.
Perfect.
I focused again, using Blood Manipulation to lift their weapons into the air, twisting them toward their own companions. Panic turned into chaos.
With a swift movement, I activated Bloodlust Strike, slashing through the nearest goblin, his green blood mixing with the dirt beneath my feet. Shadow leapt onto another, tearing him apart before he could scream.
In minutes, the camp was a massacre. The surviving goblins fled in terror, limping away, leaving the bodies of their comrades behind. The fire sputtered and went out as chaos reigned in silence.
I stepped forward, surveying the carnage. Shadow shook himself, his amber eyes gleaming.
The camp was silent now, save for the faint crackle of dying embers. Shadow padded beside me, still alert, while I opened my system to check the rewards from the massacre.
The numbers blinked and shifted across my vision as my body absorbed the gains. I could feel the power thrumming through me, every muscle and nerve sharper, more alive.
Name: Leon
Level: 3 → 4 (EXP 300 / 400)
Race: Human (Blocked)
HP: 140 / 140
MP: 190 / 190
SP: 245
STR: 14+
DEX: 14+
CON: 14+
INT: 19+
Contracts: 1 • Shadow (Named)
Skills: Bloodlust Strike (Wrath), Steal (Envy), Blood Manipulation
I flexed my fingers, feeling the surge of power coursing through me. Blood manipulation had been tested in battle and performed flawlessly. Shadow's eyes glowed faintly in approval, a silent acknowledgment of our shared victory.
The Paragon… soon you'll understand what true power looks like.
I allowed a slow, dangerous smile to spread across my face. Fear, control, and dominance were mine to command—and every drop of blood, every life I touched, only made me stronger.
I searched through what remained of the goblin camp, kicking aside crude weapons and torn satchels. Broken blades, rotten food, scraps of bone—nothing worth taking. As expected. Monsters rarely hoarded anything of real value.
"Nothing," I muttered.
Shadow let out a low, disappointed hiss from my side.
Just as we were about to leave, I paused. The ground around us was soaked, thick with the metallic stench of goblin blood. A thought crossed my mind—cold, deliberate.
Waste not.
I raised my hand and focused.
The blood responded instantly.
It lifted from the dirt and corpses, streams converging midair, swirling together into a dense, floating sphere the size of my head. The crimson mass pulsed softly, alive in a way it shouldn't have been.
I stared at it for a moment. No hesitation. No disgust.
I brought it to my lips and drank.
The taste was foul—bitter, hot, wrong—but power flooded my body almost immediately. My heart thumped harder, veins burning as if fire ran through them. I swallowed every last drop until the blood sphere collapsed into nothing.
A notification appeared.
I exhaled slowly, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. The hunger faded, replaced by clarity—and a frightening sense of satisfaction.
So this is how it begins.
Shadow watched me closely, yellow eyes unreadable, but he didn't recoil. If anything, he seemed… pleased.
Without another word, we turned and left the ruined camp behind.
The city awaited.
And soon enough, so would stronger prey.