Vlad couldn’t help but turn his gaze as he saw Freya and Grey Hawk kneeling around the corpse of the Lightning Abyssal Blood Elemental. They adopted solemn expressions and began a strange chant. Each word that came out of the duo’s mind seemed to evoke a power that permeated all existence, something extremely pure and at a level that was nearly impossible for a normal person to comprehend.
An inquisitive light immediately appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he watched them. The Totemic Strength System deeply intrigued him as it was a path of power that could be used alongside the Level System, and he had seen the significant improvement it granted to both physical might and spell power.
Freya and Grey Hawk were in a state of utter focus, not noticing the young man’s gaze, as they continued their chants. Their voices echoed louder and louder until finally an invisible force descended upon the body of the Lightning Abyssal Blood Elemental.
’A.I. Chip!’ Vlad would not miss this chance to obtain more information about the Totemic Strength System. After all, the first step in replicating the strength system was understanding it.
[Beep! Analyzing force...
Analysis failed! Energy waves being unleashed are too complex for the A.I. Chip’s current capabilities!]
A rueful smile appeared on Vlad’s face as he heard the analysis. He wasn’t surprised. The A.I. Chip could become a god-like tool capable of analyzing even the most complex and minute phenomena of the universe, but that would be in the future.
The invisible force seemed to drain every iota of energy and force inside the remains of the Lightning Abyssal Blood Elemental, leaving nothing behind but ash, before flashing into Freya and Grey Hawk’s totems. Immediately, the totems began to pulsate with power, and the strength of the duo began to rise.
’A strength system that enhances your power by sacrificing strong opponents.’ Vlad couldn’t help but think it was perfectly suited for a culture that relished their fighting nature. ’Maybe I have it backwards. It is not that due to their culture they adopted the Totemic Strength System, but that the strength system formed their culture.’ A sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as that thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t dwell on it and closed his eyes, focusing on harnessing the power of the pool.
Hours passed, and Vlad felt his body continue to heal and improve thanks to the demonic energy and chaotic negative psychic force. However, after half a day, he was forced to stop his training. While he was resilient to the psychic chaotic will of the Abyss, that did not mean he was impervious.
Just like a muscle, his soul force was growing tired from the continuous devouring of the psychic force, and he needed to rest. As he emerged from the pool, all the wounds on his body were gone, with the exception of his right arm.
The extremity had been scorched to the bone by the lightning maelstrom, and the damage it took was the most severe. However, while it was not completely healed, the old dead skin was peeled off, and Vlad could feel a tingling sensation from his nerves along with blood flow.
Vlad moved his arm, and while it was painful and the tissues and bones were still fragile, the worst part of the damage was gone. "A few more days, and I will be as good as new."
After that, a sharp light appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he commanded the A.I. Chip, and in a few seconds, a stream of information appeared in his mind.
[Beep! Scanning the Host.
Lineage: Thunder Lord (Champion Tier)
Strength: 18.0 --> 22.5
Agility: 13.1 --> 16.7
Vitality: 19.3 --> 24.8
Energy Pool (Force): 2.31 --> 2.60
Lightning Forged Charge
A wide smile appeared on Vlad’s face as he saw how the intense fighting and improvement of his Depravita Racial Heritage had allowed his body to advance to the next level. It was only a matter of days before his energy pool improved and his Warrior Level rose to the next one as well.
He glanced around and saw Jormungandr waiting outside the Molten Demonblood Essence pool. The small yellow cat’s soul force was weaker than his, so it could remain for less time inside the pool.
As for the Vikings, they were still integrating all the totemic energy into their totems, making them grow and evolve.
Vlad turned his focus to the massive corpse of the Abyssal and began to walk to it. He stared at it for a long time. While its components were useful for creating all sorts of powerful runes, dismantling it would mean the end of the generation of Molten Demonblood Essence, which was much more useful for him.
Walking around the corpse, Vlad made sure to scan the surroundings with his A.I. Chip until he finally found what he was looking for. He did not waste time and broke the ground, revealing a large sky-blue radiant rock.
’The Lightning Core. With this, I have all that I need to make the Vengeful Runic Formation.’ Vlad smiled as he took the Lightning Core and stored it in his space ring.
Now that he could create the Vengeful Runic Formation and had access to a pool of high-tier demonic energy, many plans began to form in his mind as he synergized both paths. In the end, a clear goal emerged for Vlad, one that would yield substantial rewards. However, he needed to speak with the Vikings to know what they would do next.
Luckily, as Vlad was retrieving the Lightning Core, Freya, and Grey Hawk finished their training as well, their totems glowing with power.
"Good, you are done. It is time to discuss our next move and whether we will remain together." Vlad walked to Freya and Grey Hawk with a smile.