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"Okay," it said, struggling like a child promised candy later. "But... later."
Sekhmet did not answer. He focused inward. "The mission says to consume twenty different types. I have eleven. I need nine more."
He activated Blood Eye and scanned the jars quickly, searching for distinct types. He did not need to drink a whole jar.
A sip would count.
A taste.
Just enough for the system to register. He selected nine jars with different classifications.
Beastkin (Boar) blood.
Night Deer blood.
Sky Serpent blood.
Shadow Lizard blood.
Demonkin blood.
Beast King blood flakes.
Fallen Angel blood.
Unknown humanoid beast blood.
One more jar that smelled strange, labeled by blood eye as "Ash Fang Raptor," a beast from some distant part of purgatory that had been preserved well.
"Nine. That made twenty."
Sekhmet stared at them. His throat tightened. This was not a heroic moment. This was not a proud moment. This was a man preparing to drink blood like medicine.
He sat down slowly on the chair by the table. His hand hovered over the first jar.
Bat Bat watched him, silent.
Sekhmet’s fingers touched the jar. He felt the cold glass. He felt the weight of what he was becoming.
"I used to drink water,"
He opened the first jar.
Pop!
A faint scent rose. Boar blood. It was Earthy. It was heavy.
Sekhmet lifted it. He hesitated. Then he took a sip. It hit his tongue thickly, metallic, warm even though it was preserved. His throat tightened instinctively as if his body wanted to reject it.
Then his blood awakened. A subtle shift inside him, like a locked door opening slightly.
The taste became... tolerable. Not pleasant. Not disgusting either. Just fuel for his body.
Sekhmet swallowed. He set the jar down.
"One."
He opened the next. Night Deer blood.
The scent was lighter, almost sweet, with a faint warmth of stamina. He took a sip.
This one felt smoother going down. It did not burn. It settled in his stomach and turned into a gentle heat in his limbs.
"Two."
Then... Sky Serpent blood. It smelled sharp, like lightning trapped in a jar. Sekhmet took a sip.
This one made his tongue tingle. His eyes watered slightly. The blood carried a faint light affinity trace, causing a brief bright sensation behind his eyes, like someone had flashed a torch inside his skull.
He grimaced.
Bat Bat giggled.
Sekhmet glared at it.
Bat Bat pretended to be innocent.
"Three done."
Shadow Lizard blood. It was cool. It was dark in colour.
Sekhmet took a sip.
This one slid down like cold oil. For a heartbeat, his shadow on the wall seemed to deepen, then return to normal.
"Four."
He moved through the jars one by one. Some were simple. Some were strange.
Demonkin blood was thick and violent. It tasted like anger. It made his heartbeat quicken for a few seconds, his muscles tightening as if ready to fight.
Beast King blood flakes had to be dissolved with a little chaos energy. When he tasted it, it carried an ancient bitterness, a dominance that made his jaw clench.
Fallen Angel (a fantasy race) blood tasted like metal and ash and something sorrowful. It left a faint sting in his chest, like a memory that didn’t belong to him.
Unknown humanoid beast blood was... disturbing. It tasted almost like normal human blood, but with an extra cold depth behind it. His instincts whispered that it belonged to something that looked human but wasn’t.
Ash Fang Raptor blood tasted sharp and predatory. It made his senses sharpen briefly, hearing the house creak somewhere far away, smelling the wood, smelling Bat Bat’s faint sweet scent.
One more sip.
Nine more acknowledgments of what he was becoming.
By the time he finished, he sat still for a moment, breathing slowly. His stomach felt heavy. His mind felt sharper. His throat felt less dry.
Bat Bat stared at him with growing outrage.
"You drink," Bat Bat said slowly. "You drink it all."
Sekhmet wiped his mouth calmly. "I tasted them for you," he corrected.
Bat Bat’s wings flared. "Tasted drink without giving it to me," it accused.
Sekhmet’s voice remained flat. "I am preparing," he said.
Bat Bat narrowed its eyes.
"Preparing... without sharing," it muttered.
Sekhmet glanced at it. "Later," he repeated firmly.
Bat Bat slumped dramatically on the bed, like it was dying from betrayal.
Sekhmet ignored it and focused inward again.
The system chimed instantly, like it had been waiting.
[Ding! First Mission is Complete: Blood Variety Trial.
20/20 blood types consumed.
Reward Granted: +40% Blood Proficiency.
Blood Proficiency: 100.0%
Blood Awakening: +1%
Current Blood Awakening: 3%]
Sekhmet’s breath caught. His body reacted before his mind could. Heat surged through his veins, not chaotic and wild like the blood god takeover, but controlled, organized, like power being poured into channels that had been carved already.
His heartbeat deepened.
Ba - dum... Ba - dum...
Not slow like before.
Strong.
His senses sharpened again. His eyes seemed to see the lantern flame in more detail, the tiny movements of air around it, the faint dust particles drifting.
Then the system spoke again.
[Ding! The host qualifies for a skill upgrade.
Select one skill to upgrade.]
Sekhmet did not hesitate.
The system itself had advised him.
Blood Summon needed to be upgraded before he used summoned skill.
He wanted the harpy bat to be as strong as possible. He chose. "Upgrade Blood Summon."
The system responded immediately.
[Ding! Upgrading Blood Summon...
Processing... ... .... ... ...
Upgrade Complete.]
A cold rush passed through Sekhmet’s head.
For a moment, he felt as if his mind had expanded — like he could sense a larger space around him, a wider network, more "slots" in reality where summons could exist.
Then the system’s notification appeared.
[Ding! Skill Upgrade Confirmed.
Blood Summon Lv2 acquired.]
A new wave of power followed.
[Blood Summon Lv2 Effects:
– Minimum summon battle power increased. 1000 battle power is the lowest summon.
– Summon stability improved.
– Low-grade blood now produces higher baseline minions.
– Rare blood summons can evolve into Harpies.
– Summon formation speed increased. – All summons gained the upgrade skill of Claw and bite.]
Then more notifications came.
[Ding! Stat Increase Detected.
Chaos Energy: +500
Chaos Body: +500]
Sekhmet’s eyes widened slightly. He pulled up his status window instinctively.