Ryo's eyes opened, his body throbbing as though he had been flattened by an mountain. As his eyes focused, he saw he was in his dorm room but not alone. Selena, her father, two of his guards, and a girl he had never seen were all around him—a girl with long silver hair and piercing blue eyes.
He attempted to sit up, but a surge of pain ran through his body. Selena moved her hand to his shoulder in alarm. "Just rest for now," she urged softly.
Before he could even react, the Vampire Lord said in a low, commanding voice, "I approve of your courtship of my daughter."
Ryo, still trying to wrap his head around the situation, blinked in disbelief. "Excuse me—what?!" Ryo attempted to wrap his head around it. So I attacked a few guards and now I'm being wedded?
The Vampire Lord folded his arms. "You have shown yourself worthy. Your power is enough to defend my daughter. But I do have one question—how did you gain that power?"
Ryo bristled. His thoughts ran wild, wondering what the Vampire Lord was actually talking about. Was it Blood Rampage? He hadn't even gotten to respond before the silver-haired female to his right stepped forward, her piercing eyes fixed on him.
"Who are you?" she said, her tone easy but tinged with curiosity.
"Ryo," he replied briefly.
She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "What race are you?"
He was about to say "human," but before he could utter that, a prompt notification popped up in his mind.
[Abilities Unlocked]
Draconic Eyes (Sees through deceit, breaks down magic, detects vulnerabilities)
Dragon Tongue (Speak to and control dragonkin)
Dragon Magic (Unlocks dragon-specific spells)
Draconic Abilities Resistance (Strong resistance to dragon-based effects)
Dragonification (Dormant) (Partial or full transformation into a dragon)
Elemental Manipulation (Complete control over all elements)
Dormant Trait Merge Possible (Room for further evolution)
Dormant Trait Merge Proceed to merge? [Yes] / [No]
Ryo's eyes widened in shock. Draconic abilities? Why was he suddenly acquiring dragon-related abilities?
As understanding dawned on him, he suddenly felt a pressure on his mind. The silver-haired girl was applying some sort of ability to him—but before it could fully take effect, another notification popped up:
[Draconic Abilities Resistance Activated]
The pressure immediately disappeared.
He breathed deeply and replied, "I'm a half-vampire."
The girl gazed at him for a moment, then nodded like she was agreeing to something. What she didn't know, however, was that her power had failed to affect him.
The Vampire Lord gave a nod of approval. "You are powerful, but power is not everything. You have to work harder if you are to stand by my daughter's side."
Ryo merely nodded. He was too tired to fight at this point. He needed to sleep.
After everyone had left the room, he let out a sigh. "Why does my body ache so badly?"
A mechanical voice resounded in his mind.
[System Response: Because the Blood Rampage was used at a low level, the body of the user needs to rest. Recovery is advised.]
Ryo grunted and made himself sleep.
The next morning, as the sunlight streamed into his room, he opened his status window. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the changes…
[Status Updated]