LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 14. Grim Persistence
The first day blurred into the second as I lay in deep slumber. My body worked tirelessly to mend itself in that timeless realm between wakefulness and dreams. Bones knitted back together, muscles repaired, and wounds closed as my inner resilience fought against the damage inflicted by the Nightshade Hound. Visions flickered through my mind, remnants of the battle and fragments of memories intertwined with surreal landscapes. Time seemed irrelevant in that ethereal realm, where every moment stretched and contracted without measure.
Staring down at the pulpy remains of the Nightshade Hound's head, a mix of satisfaction and curiosity filled me. The beast’s demise was well-deserved, given its relentless pursuit and vicious attacks. However, as I wiped the sticky residue from my hands, my thoughts turned to the mystery of its keen detection abilities. One of the first lessons in surviving the wilds was mastering the art of concealment. My lack of a distinct smell due to my habit of rubbing various forest elements on myself should have made me nearly undetectable to creatures relying on scent alone. Yet, the Nightshade Hound had pinpointed my location from a considerable distance, leading to our fateful confrontation. Pondering this puzzle, I knelt beside the hound’s carcass, examining its features with a mix of caution and fascination. Its snout, now a ruin of crushed bone and flesh, had housed the olfactory prowess that had spelled my doom if not for my combat skills.
The Nightshade Hound's detection abilities likely stemmed from something other than smell. Its behavior during our encounter hinted at a more instinctual or sensory perception beyond traditional olfactory methods. As I pondered this revelation, a new wave of curiosity surged within me. The creature's lack of sniffing or overt scent-tracking suggested a different avenue of investigation. It was as if the hound had been guided by invisible threads of perception, honing in on my presence with unnerving accuracy.
Reflecting on my abilities, I realized that my passive aura skill, though potent in its potential, was still in its infancy at level 1. Its influence extended only to a limited radius, approximately 10 feet around me in the shape of a sphere. This meant that creatures would only react to my presence if I entered this proximity to them. Considering the Nightshade Hound's detection abilities far surpassed this range, it became clear that my aura skill wasn't the cause of its relentless pursuit. It seemed unlikely that a passive aura would trigger such a response from a creature of such keen perception.
Reviewing the notification from two days ago, I hoped to glean any overlooked details that might shed light on the Nightshade Hound's uncanny detection abilities. The message displayed a timestamp and a brief description, hinting at a clue that had slipped my initial attention during the chaotic aftermath of the battle. As I read through the notification again, my eyes narrowed in on a seemingly innocuous detail blessed.
The mention of the Nightshade Hound being a "blessed" creature stirred a new line of inquiry in my mind. If the hound had been bestowed with powers beyond the natural realm, it begged the question: who or what had granted such blessings? Was there a higher power guiding its actions, or was it imbued with autonomous abilities that acted as a conduit for a distant controller? Lost in contemplation, a notification interrupted my thoughts, as if the universe itself conspired to provide answers or further clues. Curious and alert, I accessed the notification, eager to see what new information awaited me. It was at that moment that the whispers returned for the first time since I had evolved. It confirmed what I was thinking of.
You have gained 5 Int, for deducing that the one who tracked you was not the Nightshade Hound but a Divine Being.
The whisper, once elusive and enigmatic, now resonated with clarity and purpose. Its words echoed in the depths of my mind, revealing the identity of the elusive benefactor behind the Nightshade Hound's dark blessings.
"It's about time you are finally able to understand me, boy," the whisper intoned, its voice carrying the weight of ages. "Yeah, it was Lesser God of Shadows. I recognize the blessing from the Nightshade Hound. He was most likely helping it evolve into a Royal-type monster with its next evolution. This isn't the first time he has done this before, and he may send more now even though he has millions of blessed beings under him as he is very petty."
The revelation sent shivers down my spine, confirming my suspicions about the sinister origins of the hound's powers. It was no wonder that the Nightshade Hound bore such potent abilities, bestowed upon it by a force beyond mortal comprehension.
The frustration of being unable to respond to the whisper due to my current form, a monstrous leech body devoid of vocal cords, added a new layer of challenge to my situation as I had many questions about everything.
" Don't worry kid you can't speak yet and I can understand your thoughts since we are both linked for now. No, I won't take over your body or do anything else to you that will harm you or those you care about. And yes I will answer as many questions as I can within the time limit that it allows." the whisper sighed when it sensed my doubts. " If I wanted a new body I wouldn't choose one from a race that has limited options of evolution or classes. You are both blessed and cursed kid, you lucked out with the demon you made a pact with but the planet were reborn on is one of the worst for one so young. And no before you even say it the demon did not put you here he was going with something a little more tame without the watchful eyes of the divines. He did make you a leech though that was messed up of him." It told me with a hint of pity in the whispers.
The realization that the whispers may have originated from the demon with whom I had made a pact brought a surge of doubt and caution. The insidious nature of such beings often involved manipulation and subterfuge, weaving webs of deceit to ensnare unsuspecting souls into darkness.
" Honestly I don't even care if you live or die my pact with that was to give you some information and one gift and I would be paid so I could return to my research. Plus he doesn't have any subordinates except for you since you made a blood pact making you the first of his kin with two more coming soon. I will give you some advice for dealing with him, Honor and Pride mean everything to him as they are the core of him. He can't lie but he can make fun of you and make you think of doing something you think is horrible just to tease you, also he is big on theatrics since he rarely deals with others." the whisper just sounded tired of dealing with the demon, is it because they are friends or something like that?
"Ew, don't think of such a nasty thing boy. Ask me real questions or I am just going to give you this gift and leave. And don't ask me anything about my pact since it is none of your business." the voice replied with fear and disgust at the same time.
I seek understanding regarding the nature of my rebirth and the tainted soul. Why was I granted this new life on this particular planet, and what significance does the taint hold in the grand scheme of events?
"As to why you were reborn that was because he was ............ Well damn, he won't let me embarrass him anymore. He might tell you when you grow up then. Which might take a few hundred years at the rate you are going now. Tainted soul was all on you. No one else did that except yourself. But I guess it doesn't help when he acts that way. To gain taint on a soul one must do something they believe is bad or do something that the Creator God said was a sin. But If I am honest it isn't bad at all to have as a race that are immortals since it helps us out quite a bit. I mean there is a way to gain more without doing either of those things but it is too troublesome to do it." I felt its eyes look at me for just a moment scanning me. "I would recommend getting your taint up to at least 25 points before your next rank up. Now onto why you were placed onto this planet and why it sucks for you. Interference from one of the other Arch Demons did that with the help of a divine one's help. And why this place sucks for leeches, is that you are the only leech on the planet, and since almost everything on the planet uses magic or skills that are the weakness of bloodsuckers. Those are Fire, Lightning, Light, and Holy magic. 96% of the beings on the planet use these affinities. With Holy the strongest against Blood type magic." the whisper said with even more pity.
As I listened to the whispered revelation about the weaknesses of bloodsuckers—creatures like me—a cold shiver ran down my spine. Fire, Lightning, Light, and Holy magic—these were the elements that held dominion over beings like me, creatures whose existence was entwined with the essence of blood and shadows. What struck me the most was the mention of Holy magic, a force inherently opposed to the very essence that my kind used. The weight of that knowledge settled heavily upon me, a realization that the very fabric of my being was vulnerable to the elements wielded by the majority of beings on this planet. Fire, with its consuming fury; Lightning, crackling with raw energy; Light, illuminating truths and dispelling shadows; and Holy magic, radiant and purifying—all of these held sway over bloodsuckers like me.
The shock of this revelation left me stunned, grappling with the implications of my inherent weaknesses. In a world where 86% of beings harnessed these elemental affinities, the odds seemed overwhelmingly stacked against creatures like me. How will I survive, let alone thrive, in a world so inherently opposed to my nature? The mention of Holy magic as particularly potent against Blood magic struck a chord of fear and apprehension within me. It was not just a matter of elemental weaknesses but a clash of fundamental forces, a battle of opposing essences that threatened to unravel the very core of my existence.
I asked it how I could survive and If I could get off this planet and go to a safer one.
"That is pretty easy go gain resistance skills against everything and never stop training and leveling them up until you are immune to everything as you did with the Cinder Cub. Leaving is more tricky since you are so weak you can't leave by yourself nor can you have anyone sponsor you to leave since you are in a pact. However, you should be able to leave at Rank C or B, which should be the highest level of power as long as you don't stop growing in power." the whisper said while it began to grow weaker.
Indeed, the realization of my vulnerabilities against the prevalent elemental affinities on this planet was a stark wake-up call. To survive and thrive in such a hostile environment, I knew that I had to acquire and master resistance skills that could mitigate the inherent weaknesses of my bloodsucker nature.
I continued to think of plans to gain more resistance skills until the whisper said its final words to me before disappearing again. " I would recommend not traveling out at night without creating stronger blood armor and weapons, you can probably hunt some StoneTusk boars and use their blood to dig out a big hole to save more blood and practice your skills more. My next piece of advice is to go to places of elemental influence to build resistance. But for now, start with fire since that is easier to level compared to the other and since fire is the most common elemental magic. You will fight more of them. Just build a fire and burn yourself. It will at the very least get you a rare rank fire resistance skill if you do it. By the time you become a Rank D, you will have a better time with things. Damn, my time is up kid I will now give you one gift of mine that I created many years ago. Hope you live long enough so I can study you and see how you grew." A clock began to ring as it had struck 12 signaling the whisper's departure.
You have been gifted a skill by a divine.
Eye of Cognitoros Lv1/50 Error due to low-rank skill has been downgraded to keep your soul from being overwhelmed. Raise your rank and skill level to get this skill back.
Please choose an option for the downgraded skill below from the fragments of the main skill.
Glimpse of Insight Lv1/10: Allows the user to gain brief but insightful glimpses into the nature of objects or creatures.
Eyes of Discernment Lv1/10: Enhances visual acuity and grants limited ability to discern minor details and anomalies.
Aetheric Appraisal Lv1/10: Utilizes elemental energies to conduct rudimentary evaluations of magical or natural phenomena.
Perceptive Probe Lv1/10: Initiates a surface-level probe into the composition and properties of objects or beings.
Shadowsight Lv1/10: A skill that grants a limited ability to see through magical darkness or obscured areas, though with reduced clarity.
A surge of excitement and anticipation coursed through me as I absorbed the significance of this new gift. Then it was crushed right before my eyes. If these are fragments of a whole skill which one should I choose first to help me out right now? I needed to think about every possibility and of what each could do to help me survive. I let out a sigh and rubbed my head with my bloody hands.