BXBX NOVEL Chapter 5 - Dhampir
-----
Iris glanced at Noah with a strange feeling of admiration, which made Noah a bit uncomfortable but easily hide behind his shit-eating grin.
"So, Iris, what are your stats?" asked Noah, as he glanced at her physical changes, which even included the complete healing of the wounds around her body.
"My stats… Well, I think you can see them now that we have this strange connection, right?" asked Iris shyly, as Noah moved near her and glanced at the holographic window that had emerged out of thin air.
[Iris]
[Bloodline: Dhampir (Awakening)]
[Vitality: 15]
[Mind: 15]
[Force: 15]
[Skill(s): [Fox Ears Transformation: 43 (F)] > [Demon Phantom Fox: 1 (C)], [Dhampir: - (S)], [Subordinate\'s Loyalty: - (A)], [Undying Body: 1 (A)], [Poisonous Black Nails: 1 (D)]
Noah immediately noticed that Iris had indeed changed, especially because he remembered the rumors about her stats, as she was laughed at by having stats of 1 to 3.
Aside from this, her only Skill, which was the Fox Ears Transformation that enhanced her auditory sense by creating fox ears atop her head had suddenly \'evolved\' when she became a Dhampir, which seemed to be lower than Vampire.
Although Noah could not appraise the Skills of others, even the ones of his subordinates, it was obvious that the Dhampir Skill could be a nerfed version of Blood Progenitor, while Subordinate\'s Loyalty might be related to her new loyalty as a subordinate Dhampir to Noah.
The later Skill is the one Iris immediately showcased when she glanced at her own nails, which grew dark and long, like claws, secreting a slightly acidic substance.
"Interesting, you\'ve grown quite strong now, more than an F-Rank Hunter… Iris, how do you feel? Is this what you desired? What do you think?" asked Noah.
"I… I am still very confused… Even more now, I knew that you offered me power… but I even thought of that as a hallucination after being beaten so badly before… Yet, the pain of that beatdown is completely gone, and my body is filled with energy… And every time I see you in the eyes… I have something deep down within my heart calling me to you… Is this part of this power you have given to me? By the way, what\'s your name?" asked Iris.
"Oh, I guess I never gave you my name, my bad. I am supposed to be a Progenitor, yet I lack a lot of manners… My name is Noah," said Noah.
"Noah… The Useless Noah?! But… didn\'t you had no powers?! And I am pretty sure that… your hair and eyes…" asked Iris.
"I experienced an awakening… Remember the little red jewel that those bastards were carrying around?" asked Noah.
"Yes… Wait, is it…?" asked Iris.
"Indeed, Iris. I stole it and used it for myself. Now I have inherited part of the powers of that Boss, who was something akin to a Vampire, through those powers, I was able to convert you into a Dhampir, and share some of this power with you," said Noah.
"You stole that?! But… isn\'t that jewel from the little brother of an S-Rank Hunter?!" asked Iris.
"That\'s right, but it is how it is. We must lay low and gather strength and well… more allies, whenever I am finally found out by what I did, I want to be prepared," said Noah.
"Prepared to fight an S-Rank? Those are at the pinnacle of the world, Noah-sama! …Eh? Did I call you Noah-sama?!" asked Iris.
"It must be a part of your instincts, you see me as someone naturally superior to you," said Noah.
"This is… quite freaky, but I cannot deny that you\'re right, it is hard to accept it, but I really… cannot help but constantly admire your splendor… Ugh… That sounded a bit cringe…" muttered Iris.
"Not at all. Do not worry, you do not need to force yourself, I do not care how you address me. Anyways, yes, I am indeed preparing for that… The night is still young, Iris, let us go hunt," said Noah.
"Hunt… in a dungeon?! But it\'s too dangerous…" said Iris.
"Dangerous? After seeing how strong we are, do you still fear lowly F-Rank monsters, Iris? Let\'s go, I shall protect you, if that gives you some reassurance," said Noah, walking downstairs as Iris could not help but follow her new \'lord\'.
Noah and Iris walked through the night, as the Blood Progenitor congratulated Noah.
"Impressive, just a few hours ago you were a wimpy shrimp, and now, you\'re have already gotten yourself a loyal subordinate, I can see a future in you, Noah… Also, I am beginning to think that your mind has changed a lot, is this our fusion that has made you act this way? Honestly, it also makes me act strange, I feel strangely more human, despite having been the Progenitor Vampire of my original world, where I slaughtered millions and drank their blood," said the Blood Progenitor.
"Indeed, our minds, personalities, and natures were mixed, now both of us have a part of the other… Although I do not have your memories, nor you have mine. We are separate minds in the same soul, I guess… I am rather intrigued about your past and what you know, you seem to be an enormous encyclopedia, Blood Progenitor, but I am guessing that I cannot convince you to tell me everything on the go, right?" asked Noah.
"You guessed it right, Noah. Although I am cooperating with you because of the Ancient One forcing me to do so, I have no intentions to become your friend… If you want any info from me, you will have to please me thoroughly first," said the Blood Progenitor.
"What an annoying bastard. Alright, but for now, I want to hunt monsters and release some stress…" said Noah.
"Do as you please, I might teach you one thing or two as you get there… If you met my expectations," said the Blood Progenitor.
"…Fair enough," said Noah with a smirk.
Suddenly, Iris glanced at Noah with a strange expression…
"Err, Noah-sama, who are you talking with? Do you have schizophrenia?" asked Iris.
"Schizophrenia? I guess you could call it that. I do have a voice inside of my mind. It is the original Blood Progenitor. Our souls are merged as one, so he can speak freely inside of my mind, he is rather annoying, but I am getting used to him," said Noah.
"I-Is that so? So you have… such a high-ranked monster speaking inside of your head? That sounds… terrifying…" said Iris.
"Terrifying? The only terrifying thing about this bastard is how annoying he is, there is nothing to fear about him, he is more or less trapped inside of my soul," said Noah with a grin.
"To have such a strong… monster trapped inside of your soul… Impressive, Noah-sama…" said Iris, her fascination with Noah slowly growing as she barely realized.
Noah noticed her enamored glare as he questioned if he should take advantage of such a woman.
However, he quickly realized that he lacked any desire as of now, and only saw her as his servant and someone to train to become part of his strength.
Noah gently hit Iris\'s forehead with his finger, as the girl released a little moan.
"Auh…"
"Don\'t lose your focus, we are here," said Noah, as he glanced at the wide, blue-colored rift in space.
This was a rift that led to another world, a dungeon.
-----