“Vlad, are you sure this is a good idea?” Chloe asked, sounding a bit concerned.
“It’s not like we have another option, right? We’re on the clock, so we need to speed things along.”
When Vlad finally got to level 10, he was able to select a Profession, and the profession he chose was the [Blood Ritualist] one since it was connected to his Legacy Pack. So, he figured that his Profession could assist them with their little problem.
Right now, Lucy was currently laid out on the floor in the center of what appeared to be a magic circle. What was notable about this circle was that it was entirely made from Blood. Even now, Vlad was using his fingers, which were coated in the substance, to draw the circle. The circle was about seven to eight feet in diameter, giving Lucy plenty of space at the center of it.
What Vlad was currently doing was using one of his Profession skills he got after choosing the [Blood Ritualist], which was called [Healing Sacrifice]. Before drawing the circle, he read the description of the skill to see how it worked and what he needed to do. And what it said was pretty straightforward.
[Healing Sacrifice – A skill from the [Blood Ritualist] Profession that allows the user to heal themselves or others by making a magic circle made of blood. The skill can recover a target’s health and mana by using the blood of others. For the ability to work, you must first draw the magic circle using blood as a conduit. Then, use the blood of five Sacrifices to fuel the circle, while either the user or another person is at the center of the circle. Using this skill costs 250 BP.]
From what the description said, this skill was what Vlad needed to heal Lucy. Since Lucy is deprived of mana after using it all to heal Chloe, Arthur, and unfortunately, Rick, she exhausted herself to the point where she was too weakened. Which is why she was in a dazed state.
She was barely conscious to respond to Vlad and the others and fainted every now and then, scaring the hell out of the three, since they feared that she died. Well, Arthur and Chloe mostly. Thanks to Vlad’s heightened senses, he could hear her heart still beating, even if it was very faint. However, that alone concerned him since Lucy’s vitals were getting slower by the minute. Which is why he was desperate to use the skill on her in the first place.
Aside from how absurdly costly the skill was, everything else was fine and doable. Initially, Vlad did have an issue regarding what kind of circle he needed to draw, but thankfully, the skill description also showed an image of the magic circle. All he needed to do was follow the directions to the letter and activate the skill.
While Vlad was doing this, Chloe and Arthur sat down while pressing against the wall, their injuries taking a toll on them. Since they couldn’t do anything else, the pair simply watched Vlad working on the blood circle, their faces filled with discomfort and aversion.
“Not gonna lie,” Chloe spoke up. “this honestly looks like something from some horror cult movie, where some evil cult is preparing a sacrifice.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Arthur muttered.
Although he didn’t say a word as he worked, Vlad couldn’t help but agree with their comparison. This certainly was something straight out of some horror movie involving some dangerous, freaky cult. Thankfully, there weren’t any ominous candles lighting the place up and Vlad wasn’t wearing some cultic robe. Otherwise, he might’ve stopped doing this out of sheer embarrassment and disgust.
Then again, Vlad was doing this to save his close friend, so he didn’t have a lot of other options other than this. Of course, there was…turning Lucy into a Vampire.
After discovering how he can turn people into either Thralls or Vampires, a part of Vlad pondered over the idea of doing this to her. However, he refrained from making that choice since he knew from experience what the Vampire life was really like. He didn’t want Lucy to go through the same issues. Despite how strong he was and the many benefits of being a vampire, there were still cons that he wouldn't wish anyone else to go through. Especially his friends and family.
“Okay…I think I’m done.” Standing up, Vlad stood over his blood circle to both admire and scan his work.
So far, it didn’t look like he made a mistake. Looking back at the image from his description, he confirmed that the blood circle was accurate. Now that the circle was done and Lucy was in position, it was now time to move on to the next stage of the ritual.
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“I’ll be right back…” Vlad said while walking toward the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Chloe asked curiously.
“According to the Skill Description, I need five blood sacrifices to activate the blood circle. And since this entire building is filled with monsters…I’m going on a little hunt. I’ll be back in a little bit, so try and relax as much as you can, alright?”
Chloe and Arthur didn’t say anything as Vlad left them and Lucy while moving downstairs to collect some monsters.
Vlad didn’t waste any time and bolted down the stairs, practically jumping down to the third floor before rushing toward the next set of stairs nearby. While running, he activated [Blood Sense] and scanned his surroundings, trying to locate some goblins to use as his sacrifice. Sadly, there were none on the third floor. However, when he looked down, he saw plenty of red silhouettes, but he wasn’t sure if that was on the second floor or the first.
With a bit of concentration, the vampire managed to focus the skill, allowing him to see only the red silhouettes on the floor below him. And thankfully, there were around a dozen or so, which was plenty of sacrifices to choose from. Rushing down the next set of stairs, Vlad got to the second floor and was greeted by the sight of the goblins.
The green monsters quickly noticed Vlad before they readied their weapons for battle. Vlad did the same, gripping his spear tightly while eagerly staring at the gremlins.
“Sadly, I only need five of you little shits,” Vlad smiled. “so the other seven will be my EXP!”
Without further hesitation, Vlad rushed at the goblins as they did the same, the two parties colliding against one another.
…
“That was quick,” Chloe noted, watching as Vlad returned to the fourth floor.
While walking toward them, he was dragging five, still breathing, goblins by their feet. Before Chloe and Arthur could question how he was able to do that, they soon noticed how the goblins had ropes wrapped around their legs and body. Since they were still alive, the five monsters grunted and struggled to break free, determined to get out and rip their captor to shreds. Vlad must’ve found it while dealing with them.
“It might’ve been quick for you, but it felt like a while for me thanks to these little bastards,” Vlad stated while tossing the goblins near the blood circle. “Thankfully, they’re were other goblins there, so I got some extra XP for my troubles.”
Chloe couldn’t help but let out a snort. “Only you would get excited over more monsters. By the way, what level are you, anyway? Considering how you took down those goblins when you saved us, you must be at least a couple of levels higher than us.”
Hearing this, Vlad froze in place, not sure how he should answer this. According to Tyler, Chloe and Arthur were around level 17 or so, while Lucy was level 15. Meanwhile, Vlad was level 12, around five levels lower than them. Then again, he just got back to Earth, so he just got started farming XP.
Still, he didn’t want to lie to his friends, so he decided to just come out with it. “Well, I’m currently…level 12.”
“…Huh?” Chloe blurted out while looking dumbfounded at Vlad. “L-level 12? But you slaughtered those goblins before like they were nothing!”
Vlad nervously shrugged. “It must be because of my race and class. I do have a rather Unique Class compared to you guys.”
While pressed against the wall, Vlad could tell that Chloe’s eye was twitching irritably. Seeing this, Vlad nervously kept his mouth shut before turning his focus back on the goblins. They continued to struggle in their bindings, doing whatever they could to break free, but Vlad wasn’t going to allow that since they were his sacrifice to help save Lucy.
As he bent down, he grabbed one of the goblins and brought it closer to the blood circle. All the while, the monster grunted and screamed, thrashing around like a kid on sugar. Before it could cause any issues, Vlad pulled out a dagger he took from one of them and instantly slit its throat. The goblin let out a faint groan as blood seeped out from its neck, spilling on the blood circle.
As this occurred, the blood circle started to faintly glow in response to the sacrifice made. Vlad couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. However, after shaking his head, he focused back on continuing the ritual.
One by one, Vlad grabbed a goblin and slit their throats, and poured their blood into the circle. With each sacrifice he made, the blood circle glowed brighter and brighter, until it was as bright as a newly installed lightbulb. Seeing this, Vlad knew instinctively that the ritual was almost done. He just needed to activate the skill now…
As if on cue, a new panel was displayed before Vlad.
[Would you like to activate The [Healing Sacrifice] Ritual? Y/N]
Vlad smiled. “Yes, I do.”
Just when he thought the skill would activate, another panel appeared instead, though this one was a bit more ominous.
[Warning! Target being used for [Healing Sacrifice] Ritual is of Holy Origins! Continuing Ritual will result in corrupting the Target. Would you still like to continue with the Ritual?]
Vlad’s eyes widened. “C-corruption? What the hell does that mean?”
“Vlad? What’s wrong?” Noticing his concern, Chloe questioned him. “Did something happen with the ritual?”
“I-I…I don’t know.” Vlad continued to stare at the panel, not sure what the hell was going on now.
If Vlad continued with this ritual, he would corrupt Lucy? And what was this about her being of Holy Origins? Did that have anything to do with her Class? She was a Cleric. Or did this involve her history and upbringing with the church?
While Vlad hesitated to continue the ritual while trying to understand the situation, a new panel appeared. And this one…was very unique.
[The Angel Faction has requested to talk with Player Vlad Stoker!]
“…The hell?”