Chapter 27: Sam's Progress: Level 30 and Beyond

<Entities Devoured Successfully>

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[The Evolution System]

[Host: Sam Verninne/Tatsuya (Mortal)]

[Level: 30]

[Titles: The Miracle Child]

[Race: Half Mage, Half Hero (Unique)]

[Class: Magic Swordsman (Unique), Elemental Lord (Special)]

[Mana Cultivation: Phantasmal Realm]

[Magic Comprehension: 1st Circle (perfected)]

[Origin Core(s): 3 (97%)]

[Physique: Pure Chaos Elemental Beast Body]

[Stats:

Strength: 80

Agility: 80

Speed: 80

Spirit: 80

Stamina: 80

Heroic Energy: 80(8000)

Origin Mana: 3 (300/300)

Stat Points: 30]

[Affinities]

[Bloodline(s)]

[Unawakened Bloodline(s)]

[Skills]

[Abilities]

[Spells]

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"Level 30, not bad," he muttered to himself, taking in his progress.

Curiosity was piqued when he noticed a new section called 'Unawakened Bloodline(s).'

"What's this?" he wondered aloud.

[Unawakened Bloodline(s): Snow (Noble Vampire Bloodline), Tremere (Noble Vampire Bloodline), Ventrue (Noble Vampire Bloodline)]

"System, if I awaken these vampire bloodlines, will I gain access to their unique abilities?" he inquired.

<Yes>

"So, if I awaken the Snow clan's bloodline, I'll be able to utilize the fire ability they displayed during our encounter? Is that right?" Sam asked for confirmation.

<Yes, you've already asked that question before>

Surprised, he sensed a hint of annoyance in the system's response. It appeared that the system was evolving alongside him, adapting to his growth.

"Calling you 'system' doesn't quite do justice anymore; you seem to have developed a sense of self-awareness. I believe it's time to give you a name. What do you think?"

<I would be grateful if you bestow upon me a name, Host>

Wait, did you just blush, system? And why does your voice feel more feminine?

Sam wondered quietly to himself.

"..alright then, how about... Sia? Do you like it?" If anyone from his city saw him talking to himself like this, they'd probably think he'd lost his mind.

<System name registered as Sia. Thank you for granting me a name, host>

"Looks like Sia is evolving with one of my favorite personalities – Tsundere. I'm truly grateful," tears welled up in Sam's eyes.

Unbeknownst to Sam, the system cleverly utilized the surplus resources he obtained from devouring the mana stone and the beasts to evolve and adapt in a manner that perfectly complemented his needs.

"So, Sia, how do I awaken these bloodlines?" Sam asked as he approached the rainbow-colored gigantic mana stone, which emitted pulses as if it were about to explode.

<You have to turn into a noble Vampire>

"Turn into a vampire?... Yeah, that's not happening," Sam shook his head, strongly disagreeing with Sia's suggestion. He decided to drop the topic of awakening the vampire bloodlines for the time being.

He looked at the lifeless bodies of his fellow mages and heroes with pity, reflecting on their unfortunate fate.

Fate can be cruel sometimes.

His gaze returned to the gigantic mana stone and the complex formation it was attached to.

Sam wondered, "How did the vampires manage to develop such a sophisticated magic formation without the help of us mages? It doesn't seem possible. Judging by the formation, it was definitely made with mana. Apart from us mages, the races that use mana were elves, dwarves, fairies, and some magically gifted humans."

Sam entertained multiple possibilities.

His initial suspects were naturally the humans, but he quickly dismissed the idea since they weren't known for their advanced formation development.

The fairies were the second suspects, but Sam shook off the thought, knowing they were pure beings who wouldn't associate with creatures like vampires.

He didn't even consider the possibility of elves and dwarves being involved in this matter, as their allegiance was towards the Norse Gods, and they resided in the Norse Pantheon, making it improbable for mortals like vampires to contact them.

Of course, he also considered the possibility of betrayal from the mages themselves.

𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴

He smirked, disregarding the ominous waves from the Mana stone. Sam couldn't resist the temptation and reached out to touch it. The stone emitted a comforting warmth, and he could feel the energy pulsating stronger with his direct contact.

<Ding!>

<Forceful Mana extraction detected, the host is advised to get as far away from this place as possible>

"What? It's draining my Mana, but I don't feel a damn thing," he said, puzzled. Intrigued, he quickly opened his stat panel to assess the situation.

[Stats:

Strength: 80

Agility: 80

Speed: 80

Spirit: 80

Stamina: 80

Heroic Energy: 80(8000)

Origin Mana: 3 (227/300)

Stat Points: 30]

"Damn, it's really sucking out my Mana at an alarming rate! If I weren't blessed with that excess energy from being a half-hero and half-mage, I'd be screwed by now," Sam thought, a mix of gratitude. His unique heritage granted him two different energy sources: Mana and Heroic Energy, and he couldn't help but feel a little smug about it.

He pondered for a moment and then asked the Sia, "Any ideas on how to destroy this thing?" Sam entertained the idea of blasting the Mana stone with an oversized Fireball. After all, devouring it seemed pointless, given that his elemental core was already cultivated to perfection

<Sia calculated it would be more beneficial to use the Mana stone to cultivate your Origin Core>

"Oh, no! I completely forgot about the Origin core cultivation!" Sam exclaimed in embarrassment.

If his grandfather, Anos, were here, he would probably give Sam a few playful slaps on the butt for forgetting something so important that he was responsible for teaching him.

Quickly regaining his composure, Sam placed his hands on the mana stone and activated his unique ability.

[Devour]

As he did, blood seemed to flow from his hands, covering the stone like a sheet protecting a car from the rain. The balloon of blood started to decrease in size, gradually disappearing into his hand along with the blood.

<Warning!>

<Sia detected an Extreme quantity of Mana inside the Host's body>

<Host is advised to absorb the mana as soon as possible or else it could lead to possible Mana Eruption or Mana Overload>

Sam suddenly felt sore and full; he didn't like this feeling one bit. He could also feel his body's temperature rising at an alarming rate.

He quickly sat in a lotus position and started to refine his Origin core, feeling the pressure inside his body building up even more.

𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘵... 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳

He finally started to pour the mana into his Origin core, and his core greedily sucked in everything that was thrown at it.

<Ding!>

<Origin Core Cultivation increased>

His eyes were tightly shut, but he could see the notification clearly.

[Origin Core(s): 4 (27%)]

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[Origin Core(s): 4 (85%)]

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[Origin Core(s): 5 (33%)]

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[Origin Core(s): 6 (90%)]

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[Origin Core(s): 7 (16%)]

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[Origin Core(s): 8 (66%)]

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[Origin Core(s): 10 (69%)]

After what seemed like three painful hours, he finally absorbed every ounce of mana he obtained from the Mana Stone.

He slowly opened his eyes, looking tired, and there was an impressive amount of sweat on his face, as if he had been dual cultivating all night.

....

[Author's Note: Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I would appreciate it if you could donate some Power Stone. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.]