NOVPUBThe rest of the days passed in a flash before Malakai or Renlo knew it. And on the day of The Hunt, Malakai was seated cross legged on his bed, eyes closed and focus absolute.
His entire body appeared serene, still as a lake. In this moment, nothing could break his focus.
It was early morning, and the harmattan air bit even colder than usual.
It was just past 5 a.m., but Malakai was already up. Already training. For the past three months, not once had he broken this routine.
Asleep by midnight, awake by five. Every single day. And because of that, his hard work had begun to pay off.
Malakai flicked his eyes open, exhaling sharply as if to release the tension in the air.
"Status," he called out, and a holographic panel appeared before his face, displaying his stats.
[Vita Core Interface]
Name: Malakai Von Sanguine
Lineage: Direct Descendant of the Sanguine Clan
Title(s): [Successor of Life] [Ruined Heir] [Worthless Trash] [Rising Underdog] (New!)
Talent Grade: ???
Vita Stored: 7,142 / 7.142 → 7.142 Units
Vita Absorption Rate: 2.0 → 2.3 V/s (High Density) | 1.5 →1.7 V/s (Normal Zone)
Evolution Stage: Node Formation Stage [1/7]
Base Attributes:
• Strength: 171 → 180 [90 - 125]
• Dexterity: 181 → 192 [100 - 135]
• Vitality: 239 → 260 [125 - 150]
• Perception: 182 → 280 [110 - 140]
• Willpower: 123 → 126 [50 - 76]
• Control: 111 → 115 [0 - 5]
[Node Map]
• Blood Node: Active [2 → 13% refined]
• Muscle Node: Sealed
• Nerve Node: Sealed
• Bone Node: Sealed
• Breath Node: Sealed
• Digestion Node: Sealed
• Synaptic Node: Sealed
• Cellular Node: Sealed
• Endocrine Node: Sealed
• Immune Node: Sealed
• Sensory Node: Sealed
• Body Node: Sealed (Opens when all primary nodes are awakened and refined at 100%)
Malakai gazed at his status calmly, observing the changes.
'Hmm, not bad,' he thought.
Without a doubt, the past three months had been eventful. He had entered the Darkness Pit and evolved.
He had proven himself before the Sovereign and earned the right to join the clan's training. And he had painstakingly trained every single day to reach this point.
'I feel like screaming.'
That was why, upon seeing his improvement, Malakai had suddenly been tempted to scream at the top of his lungs.
'I'm actually doing it.'
He made sure to bury the thought deep within, not wanting Valentine to hear.
His lips curled into a subtle smile as a surge of excitement pulsed through his body.
It felt electric.
The simple fact that he was growing stronger. That the fulfillment of his goal was no longer a distant illusion.
He was climbing, higher and higher. And he would reach the top, no matter what stood in his way.
Malakai clenched his fist, then focused on his stats again, eyes scanning them one by one.
'A new title has been added.'
Rising Underdog.
Malakai was still completely in the dark about the life essence inside him. He didn't know why it cared about things like titles, or how it even knew what was happening around him.
'Too bad it doesn't do anything.'
He had gotten the title a while ago, and he'd tried every method he could think of to see if it brought any buffs. Unfortunately, it hadn't.
Moving on, Malakai's gaze shifted to his Vita capacity next.
'It's too bad.'
In this case, he had discovered something unusual, something that forced him to rethink his plans. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
With how things were going, Malakai had hoped to form at least three vital nodes before the three month timeline.
From what he'd observed among the other Sanguine youths, and even the Veins, it generally took around 2,000 Vita points to form a node.
But before he even hit that number, Malakai had known his case would be different.
'Twice as different.'
It was insane. He couldn't understand it. He needed twice the Vita others did to form a node. And despite all his calculations, he still hadn't found an answer.
It had pissed him off, absorbing Vita endlessly with no visible end in sight. But when he finally completed the node, Malakai had been stunned.
Its effects… were mind-boggling.
He hadn't complained after that. Instead, he pushed even harder, absorbing Vita with renewed vigor.
Besides, he had noticed his absorption rate had increased after forming the node. It also had a direct impact on his body, especially the part it had formed in.
Lastly, Malakai settled his gaze on the Node Map, particularly on his Blood Node. Its growth had been just as significant.
His control over his blood had become instinctive. He could harden it at will and perform numerous techniques with ease.
After confirming that the rest of his nodes were still sealed, Malakai closed the panel and took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" Valentine suddenly asked.
Malakai exhaled. "What do you mean?"
"You seem tense. Is everything alright?"
Malakai paused. 'Am I really tense?' he thought, deep in his mind. He turned his gaze to his arm, goosebumps littered all over it.
"Looks like it," he admitted.
But he couldn't be blamed. Today… was the day.
It wasn't just the day of the Hunt. It was the beginning of everything.
Today, he would be introduced to the Fresh Blood Ranking.
Today, he would be introduced to the world.
The start of a journey was always the hardest. But Malakai had never been one to cower.
"I'll be fine," he finally responded to Valentine, before shutting out every other thing and returning to absorbing Vita.
Soon, a knock came at his door.
Malakai opened his eyes, walked over, and opened it, to find Renlo, grinning wide the moment he saw him.
"What?" Malakai frowned.
"Ninth Vein!" Renlo bowed. "Breakfast is ready!"
"Breakfast? Now?" Malakai's frown only deepened.
He still couldn't understand how this boy functioned. "Today is one of the most important days of your life. Why are you spending time cooking?"
Renlo simply grinned. "We'll be doing a lot today. It's important we fill our stomachs, Ninth Vein."
Malakai exhaled.
"Come on, Ninth Vein. It's just breakfast. Besides, we're heading there by 7. What harm will a few minutes of eating do?"
Malakai stared at him in silence, and Renlo only smiled sheepishly, giving him a pleading gaze.
Spending the past three days with the boy had truly been something.
