I woke up to the sound of cawing birds, a ray of sunlight awoken me from my sleep, There I fixed my bedsheets and went to the meat shop right beside my home
That thing from yesterday, I evolved into a different apprerance, Completing Phase 1 of my Blood Curse.. I developed fangs between my teeth to consume blood directly… I was a living monster
There, I opened my meat shop as usual and began selling meat
In this day, I ate my breakfast, it was a stale bread and a cup of water.. that's it… no effort needed
And yet, my blood cravings stopped yesterday after my evolution… Maybe I was not hungry anymore
" I miss the taste of blood, maybe my hunger was satisfied when I drained that thief blood"
Yet, I checked my Blood Curse with the use of inspect
[ 7L/30L= evolution for Phase 2]
Phase 1
[ 7L/ 9L = +100 strength]
[ 7L/ 11L= + 200 defense]
[ 7L/ 12L= + 2000 mana]
[ 7L/ 14L= + skill (defense reduction)]
[ 7L/ 17L= + 100 agility]
[ 7L/ 20L= + 1000 vitality]
[ 7L/ 22L= +500 mana]
" Woah.. this list is long… look at all those additional stats"
I suddenly thinks that her human skill " Blood Curse" reminded of her past life…
In her past life.. I used to play MMORPG games.. these games are used to level up to get stronger, Much like the Blood Curse that I possessed since birth
Instead of leveling up, She needed to consume blood to get stronger, Gaining blood will increase my stats exponentially until i became powerful
" So, this skill I possess is like a game, grinding and leveling up is the main purpose to get stronger… Huh?, easy"
While i opened the meat shop as usual, she soon waits customers to buy her product, while waiting she checked her Blood Curse with using Inspect
Attributes obtained: +100 strength, +100 defense, +1000 mana
Blood Sword enhanced: +1000 durability, +50 damage
" Huh?, I didn't notice this since yesterday"
I definitely saw a significant increase from her stats, As well as her blood sword, it increased the damage and durability of the sword
After my body evolved because of the blood curse… She used inspect to view her current state, hoping to tell the difference
Eirene Rynd
Vitality:100
Strength: 500
Defense: 400
Agility: 250
Mana:2000
My strength, defense and agility gained a huge increase from my stats, even through my vitality remained the same… Because of these stats, my body became stronger
Also my mana gained a huge increase after I evolved in into Phase 1, the Blood Curse gave me enough mana to activate my Blood Sword easily
Then, I viewed my mana meter with the use of inspect
Mana meter: 100/ 2000
" Damn!, my mana I running low… maybe I should check the doctor's
Well, this explains the yawning and my power instantly drained, it was my mana running low… Low mana means life threatening
Worry that my health is in serious danger, I instantly closed my shop and went to the hospital
The hospital was located at the central plaza, right beside my apprentice stall, so I ran at the hospital, bypassing incoming civilians along the way
The Town Allure consisted of four districts, the central plaza sat in it's center, and around the plaza were districts to the north, south, east and west
The knights, adventurers and wielders training grounds were located at the northern district, where special weapons and gears were developed there
The Town high ranking people's and knights live in the Eastern District
The southern district or also known as the Merchant District were packed in stalls selling goods, This is where Eirene and her siblings live
While the western district was were the common folk, laborers and peasants resided
From the allocations of the four districts, there were one district that was consists of several people.. The central plaza
I headed the town busiest, most bustling and crowded district of them all, the Central Plaza
I pushed past the western district crowds into the central plaza, from which were lined up by a massive wall of bricks, There I slipped into the back alley filled with crowded people and knights along the way
There I finally arrived at the hospital, there I entered and saw a doctor, from which possess healing abilities.. including mana
Then I asked the doctor
" Sir, can you restore my mana?"
" Oh, a magic user, Follow me to regenerate your Mana"
The doctor thinks that I am a magic user, basically a person was using entirely magic, Meanwhile my blood sword consumes mana when the longer the usage
" Sit here fellow enchanter, there I will restore your Mana"
In this world, there were similar terms for magic user, People call it, Enchanter
Enchanter are similar to wizards, witches and casters, Based on Eirene information in her past life
Then, the doctor touched my forehead and began illuminating a blue light.. Restoring my mana easily
I felt my energy is rising again, my tiredness suddenly vanished in an instant, With no words asked, I viewed my mana meter with the use of inspect
Mana Meter: 2000/2000
There my mana was restored to its original form, I felt alive and well, Then, the doctor handed the payment
" Ma'am, your Mana meter is high, so I will charge you one silver"
"One silver?, wait are you serious right now, why is it overpriced"
With no questions asked, I handed the payment, giving one singular silver
Because of my curiosity, i used inspect on the doctor, hoping to see his human skill
Hybrid Regeneration- this skill regenerate both vitality and mana
" Woah, Hybrid regeneration is overpowered at least, I bet he became a doctor because of that skill"
Then, i left the hospital as usual, i felt a surge of happiness when my mana is restored to its original state, Suddenly, i saw a crowd gathered at the plaza
I decided to go to the crowd
There, i saw a poster, it wasn't clearly visible die to the people blocking the path, But i managed to read the poster
[News]
[Several Beasts Attacked the Karama Village]
[Kill the remaining beasts to obtain rewards]
Rewards list:
Low-level beasts : 10 silver coins
Mid-level beasts : 50 silver coins
High-level beasts : 1 gold
Peak-level beasts : 5 gold
Extract their heart inside of their body to claim the prize
" Heart?, does beasts have hearts at all, how should I extract them"
The plaza is crowded as before, in a singular bench, two adventurers were talking the event rules.. there I listened their conversation
" Beasts is a different type of animal that is very hostile to us humans, Protected inside them is a heart"The adventurer explained
" If they are dead, you can extract their heart with using any kind of blade"
" Bring those hearts from the plaza trading post, they will pay you for your work, Good Luck"
Upon eavesdropping their conversation easily, I knew that hearts are valuable for claiming my prizes, so I left the central plaza and went back home
I arrived at the Merchant District, from where my house was located, so is the meat shop,
The Merchant District was a blur of noise and color, but as I rounded the corner to my house, clutching a small parcel from the butcher, the air seemed to turn frigid.
Standing by my door was Harold Ford. He wasn't leaning; he stood rigid, his black gloved hands clasped over a silver-topped cane. His eyes, sharp and yellowed like old parchment, tracked me with a predatory stillness.
"Eirene, I was beginning to think I'd have to start breaking things to get your attention." he hissed, the sound like a blade scraping stone.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Harold... I... I have the meat shop payment, but the house taxes..."
"How much, Harold?"
I cut myself off, trembling.
"One gold," he stated, his voice flat and devoid of humanity.
"One gold!?" I gasped, the parcel of meat slipping from my numb fingers and hitting the dirt.
"That's a ransom! The law states..."
Harold took a slow, menacing step forward, the shadow of his wide-brimmed hat falling over me like a shroud.
"The law states whatever I write in this ledger. But if you want the truth? Your sister, Elicia, crawled to me last month. She begged for a reprieve, promised she'd have the full sum today. She lied. And I do not like being lied to."
He reached out, the cold leather of his glove catching under my chin and forcing my head up. His thumb brushed just beneath my lower eyelid, a terrifyingly deliberate gesture.
"If you don't wish to pay, we won't waste the king's time with a dungeon cell or a rope, the Crown demands its due in value. Your eyes are quite clear, Eirene. On the black market, a matched pair of 'maiden's glass' fetches exactly one gold. Especially that green and red eyes of yours. I brought my carving kit just in case you were short."
Harold whispered, his breath smelling of stale wine and iron.
The mental image of his rusted tools sent me crashing to my knees. I slammed my forehead against the uneven stones, the grit cutting into my skin.
"Please! Harold, mercy! Give me a week! I'll work, I'll sell everything... I'll find Elicia! Just... please, leave me my sight. I beg of you!" I wailed, my tears mixing with the dust of the street.
The silence that followed was agonizing. I stayed pressed to the ground, shaking so hard my teeth rattled. Finally, I heard the sound of him retracting his cane.
"A week, Eirene you dumb slut" he spat, the word landing like a curse.
"But don't think your tears bought you a discount. You've wasted my afternoon and insulted my patience."
He leaned down, his voice dropping to a low, jagged growl right next to my ear.
"In seven days, you hand me 'two gold coins'. If you don't? I won't even ask for the money. I'll just pluck both of your colorful eyeballs until you can't see."