84. The first demon beast

{Author's note}

Wow. This chapter mark 100k words that I have written for this book. An idea that I never thought would become a reality and here we are with chapter 84.

Happy reading.

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The Blood ritual had been done by Abraham three times by now and he knew all the steps without needing the system to guide him through it. When looking at one of his quests, he was to blood ten people. So far, he had [3/10] Shown as complete.

After activating the ritual via the system, Abraham started to pour blood from his hand into Pele's mouth.

Like each one of them before, the process was painful, but standing by his side and holding him down on the floor, Abraham was able to block the struggling Pele.

"Please don't turn into something bad like me." Robert thought.

As for Happy, she was dumbfounded by the whole situation. What was happening was beyond her comprehension. As soon as she saw Pele in pain, she was going to help him, but Gwen stopped her and told her to be patient.

Gwen proceeded to explain how both Robert and her have gone through the same process.

The sound of painful cries and shouting had stopped, which meant the process was complete, and Abraham using his inspect skill was happy with the results. He was not going to need to feed him human or dalki flesh.

[Congratulations! The blood ritual was a success]

[You have successfully created a Halfling]

It was one of the weakest things someone could turn into off the bat, but at the same time, it had the most potential to grow. Even Abraham started as a halfling.

Here we go again. The explanation from Abraham.

"You are a halfling, something that I also began as. You will need to consume some blood at some times, but as you already have training in Qi, you will be able to control the urge. Sadly being a normal vampire like me comes with a huge weakness. We are affected by the sun. So basically during the day or on a very sunny planet, we are at a disadvantage.

That's where the second stage of Qi comes into play. This is for all of you. Until now, all that you have been doing was circulating your Qi inside your body. I believe that was also what you Happy and everyone on your planet was doing, right?"

A nod from Happy confirmed what Abraham was saying. Happy has never heard that different stages for training Qi existed.

"As for the second stage, you will need to guide the Qi inside your body to form a layer around your body. You can imagine it as a piece of cloth wrapped around your body. For a start, you should focus on just a part, for example, your hand. Imagine it as wearing a glove."

After such an explanation from Abraham, everyone started the training.

---

Some moments later, a shadow was forming on a particular planet. Five human figures could be seen coming from it.

As Abraham and the group emerged through the shadow portal onto the new planet, they were immediately struck by the heatwave. The climate was unforgiving, with a sweltering heat that enveloped the air, testing the limits of human endurance.

"It's... it's incredibly hot," Pele muttered, their voice laced with disbelief.

The terrain was dominated by a sprawling expanse of volcanic activity. Mighty volcanoes dotted the horizon, their massive peaks reaching faded in the sky. Plumes of smoke and steam billowed from their craters, creating an eerie yet mesmerizing spectacle. The rumbling echoes of distant eruptions reverberated through the air, a constant reminder of the raw power simmering beneath the planet's surface.

As for the sky, it was covered mostly by the smoky cloud blocking most of the sunlight.

The ground itself seemed to pulsate with heat, radiating waves that distorted the air. Rocky outcrops and jagged cliffs jutted out sporadically, their surfaces charred and blackened from the volcanic activity.

Despite the harshness of the environment, signs of life managed to persist. Hardy vegetation, adapted to the intense heat, clung to crevices and thrived in the few areas where water and nutrients were available. Vibrant bursts of red, orange, and yellow hues adorned the rugged landscape, providing a stark contrast to the barrenness surrounding them.

The air carried a distinct smell, a mix of sulfur and earth.

Looking at the demon finder device, Abraham saw that the source was coming from the middle volcano some ten kilometers away from them.

"Ok guys, we will slowly approach the volcano, and when we reach near it, you guys will camp in a safe area and I will continue the journey. You should that that time to focus on your training and always remain aware of your surroundings."

While walking the group came in contact with several beasts.

One such creature was the Inferno Drake, a massive reptilian beast with scales as black as obsidian. It possessed a muscular, serpentine body that glided effortlessly across the scorching terrain. It was at the intermediate level thus Robert alone was able to take care of it.

Then, when they walked further on the rocky plain, three Emberhounds surrounded them. Abraham stayed on the sideline watching the battle. He prepared himself to intervene at any time if one of them was in danger.

The Emberhounds prowled with stealth and grace. These sleek, wolf-like creatures possessed coats of fiery red and orange, blending seamlessly with the volcanic landscape. They possessed sharp fangs and claws, enabling them to traverse the treacherous terrain and hunt agile prey with ruthless precision.

As they got closer to the demon-tier beast location, the number of other beasts drastically decrease even to the point where they would not encounter a single beast.

Looking at the device, Abraham saw that the signal was very near and ordered the rest of the group to hide. As Abraham reached the foot of the volcano, there was no need to check the device, Abraham was able to feel its presence.

The same thing could be said about the demon-tier beast. The demon-tier beast detected Abraham setting foot in its territory and emerged to face the challenger.