Star gazed into space at nothing in particular, surprise clearly written on his face. His eyes continued to dart around as if he were reading something out of thin air, and that was because before him lay something only he could see: a system interface.
'This doesn't make any sense… I don't remember any of the story's characters apart from Nuel having a system.'
He pondered with his gaze fixed on the screen while he subconsciously continued to read every single text that lay before him.
[Name: Kent Starshine]
[Race: Demi-Blood Demon]
[Affinities: Starless Night, Blood Bane]
[Soul Class: Divine]
[Soul Grade: Dormant]
He furrowed his brow and looked further down.
'Two affinities?'
Affinities:
—Starless Night] Description: Unknown.
'Ahh, what does the system mean by unknown? That's my affinity; why is it unknown?'
He scratched his head for a moment and pushed himself up from the table. Then, he turned around and headed for his bed, and upon getting there, he sat down and pondered further.
His gaze immediately went back to his system interface.
—Blood Bane] Description: The more the blood of your enemies flows, the stronger you become.
'Quite basic… I guess Blood Bane is an affinity unique to Blood Demons. How did she even turn me into one?'
Well, if there were one thing he had going for him, it was the ability to keep a cool head… one he had acquired after living with his younger sister for more than ten years.
Folding his lips, he continued to look through the system.
[Soul Class: Divine]
'Uh, well, it's not like I didn't see this coming. Every vessel of divinity is on the same potential level, but given my current situation, I believe I'm pretty far behind.'
Soul classes are grades acquired from birth, much like affinities. But while affinities are much like a perfect zone of power, Soul Classes determine how much one can harness that power.
He sighed and looked up at the ceiling while simultaneously looking through the system's interface. There was so much for him to glimpse, and he had so much on his mind at the moment.
Thinking back to his conversation with the blood demon who saved him, the only thing he could go by was that she was the one who had trained Essie in the original story, which meant that her name was Katerina, the lost daughter of House Nightwalker.
'She probably rejected that last name a long time ago.'
Well, there wasn't much he could do besides wait and see how the story went. He was never meant to meet Katerina in the original story, nor had he become a Blood Demon, and he couldn't help but wonder how that was going to affect the story.
With all those thoughts in his mind, he closed his eyes, heaved a sigh, and continued doing what he had been doing earlier: looking through his system.
• Physical Attributes:
— Strength: E
— Agility: E
— Endurance: D
— Vitality: SSS+
— Luck: F
— Charisma: C
He stared at the screen for a while, a bit stunned, and then mumbled.
'Well, I get to be immortal… at least.'
He slowly stood from his bed and looked around the room, unable to hide the sadness rising up in him due to his terrible stats. It was mostly empty, with nothing but the bed, the table that was to the side, and the mirror that hung in front of it. The walls were built from weathered stone, and he could perceive the faint scent of dry sand.
They were still in the desert, which meant that Katerina had come to the desert for something and had only found him accidentally on the way. Whatever she would find in the desert would be something that drives the plot forward, and given his current circumstances, he would be there to witness it.
While he was still in thought, though, the door to his room slowly creaked open, and the sound of approaching footsteps quickly drew his attention. He quickly turned his gaze to the side to see someone… a girl… or a rather feminine creature.
Whatever it was he had set his eyes on looked like a mix between a cat and a teenage girl. She possessed rather striking feline features: cat ears, a tail, and whiskers, along with bright and piercing jade-green eyes.
Their gazes met immediately, and he was mesmerized by her colorful dress—a green, flowery dress that stopped slightly above her waist, along with a pair of black shorts with vermilion stripes that barely reached past her thighs.
There was a bright, cheeky smile on her face as she quickly hopped toward him.
"You must be the cute boy Lady Night was talking about."
Star narrowed his eyes.
'Cute?'
"She called me cute?"
She stared at him for a moment and then nodded her head.
"Nope. Not cute. What she really said is that you're handsome… Anyway, I came to tell you that dinner's ready…"
Then, she glanced around the room.
"… Oh, and also, I'm a Felyrian, and you can call me Kate."
She moved to the side of the room in the same hopping manner in which she walked up to him, her tail swaying and her ears slightly twitching. She gazed around the room more and then turned to the exit of the room.
"Dinner's getting cold."
Star glanced at her for a moment and then at the entrance to his room.
She continued to tap her foot on the ground as she glanced at him and then at the exit. He couldn't fully interpret her actions, but he at least knew that she was easygoing and just as observant as him.
He sighed, his gaze still fixed on her.
"I'll be there in a minute."
She smiled, nodded her head, and quickly spun around, heading for the exit.
"Alrighty then."
Thereafter, she left and closed the door behind her, giving him a moment to think. His thoughts instantly went back to the system.
There was one last thing he had to check.
• Abilities:
— Star Shard
— Blood control
He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the information before him, and then he began reading the descriptions.
— Star Shard]
Description: You have the power to create and manipulate mystic shards using the matter and elements around you. Shards may be reshaped, fused, reinforced, or repurposed into weapons, armor, or structures, and the shards that can be produced depend on the target's Soul Class, structural integrity, and your mastery of this ability.
'Got it… So I should transform inanimate objects of relatively small size since they don't even have souls to begin with.'
Given the description he had gotten and having yet to put his ability to the test, he could only use his imagination. Turning a mountain into a million shards sounded cool, but why would he do that when he could make a sword with a simple rock?
He narrowed his eyes further; there was still much to see.
•Ability Skills:
— Shard Body]
Description: By invoking Star Shard, you can fragment your body into mystic shards and reintegrate them at will. These shards can be used to temporarily reconstruct your body, and the stability and durability of the shards you create depend on your current vitality and Soul Radiance.
— Shard Transmutation]
Description: By invoking Star Shard, you can deconstruct external matter into mystic shards and bring them under direct control.
Transmuted shards retain the physical properties of their original material, and the efficiency and scale of transmutation depend on the target's Soul Class, structural density, and resistance. The transmuted shards can be used to further enhance Shard Body.
He could already feel his heart racing from all the information he was absorbing, but then something else caught his attention, something he believed shouldn't have been there.
He had a third ability skill, and it read.
—Crimson Shard Covenant]
Description: Upon your revival as a Blood Demon, your innate abilities fused and now share a bond. Every shard created using your blood is greatly enhanced by your Blood Bane affinity…
A mild smile appeared on his face.
'Now that's something I can work with… Wait, what's that?'
The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a dark expression.
'Why isn't the description complete?'