Magic.
A skill that used mana as its price to create miracles that could never occur in reality.
Its uses were varied as well.
It could kindle a fire without fuel, heal wounds in the blink of an eye, and even defy death.
Because it was such a mystical power, it had belonged exclusively to the chosen since ancient times.
“...Your greed knows no bounds. Do you expect me to pass down my bloodline’s magic just to obtain a little animal blood?”
Baring her fangs, she looked so wary that she was almost like a cat.
Come to think of it, I could understand why Batory was so averse to my proposal.
It was far too cheap for the price of magic lessons.
[Strategy Tip: Newbies should never play a mage.]
[No matter how hard you work your ass off on the quests those Mage Tower fossils give out, you are still weaker than a warrior.]
↳[The shameless mage apologists are here again. That does not change the fact that their ceiling is higher, does it?]
↳[You only say that because you have never actually tried it. You have to throw money at it. You have to file reports like clockwork. You have to find your own magic materials. Do you still want to play a mage?]
Unless one was a veteran, it was an extremely difficult class for beginners to enter.
As I was lost in those memories for a moment, Batory came closer.
“And to begin with, your Magic Power is absurdly low. Even if I taught you magic, it would be impossible for one of mediocre talent—no, a dullard—like you.”
She even struck right at my sore spot.
Magic Power 1. Even with Tute equipped, it was only 2. My stats were so dreadful that even a vampire proficient in magic had to shake her head.
But that did not mean I would back down.
“Magic Power will not be a problem. You can teach me Bloodflow Arts, can you not?”
The reason vampires were especially skilled at magic even among demonkind was not simply because they were born with high Magic Power.
It had much to do with Bloodflow Arts, a unique magic that allowed them to consume the blood they had stored in place of mana.
“...You are asking me to teach you Bloodflow Arts?”
“You understand perfectly.”
“Well, you know of Vlad’s existence, so there is no way you would not know Bloodflow Arts. But there is one fact you have overlooked.”
Looking at me as though I were completely mad, Batory continued with an expression that had gone utterly cold.
“Do you think just anyone can use Bloodflow Arts? A vampire might be able to, but a member of another race could die while using the magic.”
As if I did not know that.
To prepare for raids against not only the mid-boss Luciana but also the final boss, I had spent day and night researching every hidden piece, guide, and skill.
I would wager that, among humans, I knew Bloodflow Arts better than anyone in this world.
‘And I also know that in the early game, when my Magic Power is trash, there is no magic more useful or efficient than Bloodflow Arts.’
A few minor risks?
I needed to mobilize every available means to win the Martial Arts Tournament. Was this the time to worry about that?
“I had not expected you to worry about me so much.”
“O-Of course I do. If you die, there will be no one left to supply me with this blood! My recovery will be delayed by that much as well.”
Ah, that was a bit too much.
I had not expected any affection between fellow demonkind in the first place.
Since she was insisting on reality, I should respond in kind with some hard realities.
With an obvious shrug, I pulled the jar toward myself.
“If the person involved does not want it, then the deal is off.”
“A deal?”
“Was it not a deal in which I take a little risk to bring you monster blood, and in return, I learn magic?”
Her back, which had been held straight, sagged.
Her face darkened as well, as though reflecting her emotions.
“H-How about a different reward? If I manage to rise again, I will make sure you are well compensated! I have wealth hidden in Evildun, and I can even find you a position.”
I did not care for such open-ended promises. They were too easy to be swindled by.
I had no interest in ending up like the native king waiting indefinitely for me in that subterranean tomb out west.
“You did not seem like it, but are you a shameless vamp too, Lady Batory?”
“A-A shameless vamp?!”
Her pale-white face flushed so red that it was indistinguishable from the color of her eyes.
“I am... shameless?”
Seemingly confused by the unexpected insult, she repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists.
Before that feeling could turn into outright rage and she could throw the fist that had even subdued Luciana, I hurriedly added,
“It is a term of abuse I reserve for only some vampires. I have met quite a few who show a rosy future to a pitiful minority race like mine, then shamelessly work them to the bone.”
It was not only vampires. Members of all three major demon races often acted that way.
But compared to other races, vampires were especially prone to a sense of superiority that they were better than everyone else.
The constant civil wars in the Evildun Empire had much to do with demonkind’s characteristic greed, but hostility toward other races was also a major cause.
“I am... I am not like them!”
“Are you sure? To me, the Batory demanding monster blood without a thought looks little different from them in the past.”
“...!”
Unable to give any answer, she merely clenched her fists.
‘...Is this going to be all right?’
Tension made me swallow hard.
I really should have watched what I said.
If she took offense at my words and turned hostile, my life would immediately be in danger.
“...I understand. So you mean that immediate magic is more important to you than an uncertain future?”
“That is correct.”
“Even if that magic threatens your life?”
“It is a risk worth taking.”
When I shrugged, Batory let out a deep sigh.
“I do not know whether this is right. Come closer.”
It seemed that she had finally made a decision.
And it was in a positive direction, at that.
“As expected! Unlike those Levain whiners and petty gargoyles, Lady Batory, you are worthy of being called a true vampire noble!”
“What kind of bizarre names are ‘Levain whiner’ and ‘petty gargoyle’?”
Even as she said that, she could not have failed to understand after being called a similar slur moments ago.
The faint upturn of her lips proved it.
An insult toward Levains and gargoyles was the sweetest music for a vampire’s pride.
All the more so for her, since she had been defeated by a Levain.
“Stop saying strange things and come closer. For a different race to use Bloodflow Arts, a vampire must directly place a hand on the other person’s blood vessels.”
...The game had never told me that. All I had to do was click once, and a notice popped up saying that I had learned Bloodflow Arts.
“Will it hurt very much?”
“Of course it will. I will be forcibly changing the structure of your blood vessels.”
“Please be gentle.”
At my words, Batory smiled mischievously.
“So there are times when you act so weakly too? Very well. I will try.”
“Aaaagh!”
The procedure hurt like hell.
It felt as though needles were being plunged into every corner of my body connected by veins.
“That is the first time I have heard a doppelganger-like sound from you.”
“Urgh... No, that was a phlegmy human scream because it really hurt!”
Whether she was mistaken, or whether she knew and simply found my screaming amusing.
Only she would know the truth.
“Why are you so obsessed with magic, anyway? I would guess someone at your level would be quite strong among humans.”
Had that been because she had seen me dodge her attack once? Batory was giving me far too much credit.
But I knew my limits better than anyone.
“What is the use of being good at dodging? I need a means of counterattack too.”
What I had realized from sparring with Luciana was that I lacked offensive means far too badly.
Tute? Certainly, there was no better tool for rendering armor useless.
My skill? The Phantom Thief’s footwork, which let me smoothly evade even Luciana’s fierce sword strikes, had saved me from danger several times.
But they were only support tools. Neither was a weapon that could incapacitate an opponent.
The only weapon I had was a single dagger. And I was not skilled enough at handling even that, so Luciana, who was not wearing a single piece of armor, had immediately blocked me.
“Hmm. Hans, I feel a little bad saying this, but I think you need to focus on the basics first.”
Our record during that training was almost nine to one—of course, I was the one.
The reason was clear.
Unlike Luciana, who had a way to subdue me once she had dragged things out and drained my Vitality, I had no means of exploiting her openings.
“It would be nice if we could face each other in the finals. Of course, the victory would be mine.”
I had to make it through the qualifiers, the main tournament, and all the way to the finals as she wished.
And I needed to mobilize every means available if I wanted to contend with Luciana on equal terms.
“I need to grow stronger so that I can give my young lady a surprise gift. Heh.”
“That descendant of the Great Warrior again? Are you treating her as prey, or are you actually serving as her attendant?”
Batory shook her head.
Her look, as though she were staring at a complete lunatic, was an added bonus.
“The deal has been fulfilled, so bring monster blood when you come next time.”
“Of course! Frost Mane is thorough when it comes to transactions!”
“Frost Mane... That is your name.”
Batory blankly repeated the name for a moment.
Come to think of it, Hans Byron was merely my false appearance in her eyes. I had never directly told her my name.
“All right, now teach me some basic magic. Learning only Bloodflow Arts is pointless if I have no other magic to cast.”
“Stop talking as though you have entrusted it to me!”
Batory was an excellent teacher.
Even while grumbling, she displayed several basic spells on the cave wall and helped me learn magic.
***
“The Martial Arts Tournament is tomorrow already.”
In the daytime, I had worked my body to the bone through sparring and private lessons. At night, I had squeezed out blood and received magic lessons.
Those efforts had certainly borne fruit.
My dagger techniques and basic magic had both reached a level that was respectable enough to watch.
[New Skill Registered]
[A Rank: Bloodflow Arts]
[A racial magic that can be used only by vampires and those they acknowledge.]
[Blood may be used in place of mana to cast magic. If the blood sac, a unique organ of vampires, contains no blood, Vitality is consumed instead.]
By far, the most striking achievement was Bloodflow Arts.
With so little Magic Power, I could cast magic by consuming only a small amount of Vitality.
Considering the barrier to entry for the art of magic, it was clearly a good bargain.
“Still, it is a little underwhelming considering I had the best instructors, Luciana and Batory.”
At this rate, it was uncertain whether I could even make it to the finals, let alone defeat Luciana and win.
“Still, it is not impossible.”
If my two instructors each had innate talent in their respective fields of swordsmanship and magic,
then I had my own method.
“In every game, strength ultimately comes down to gear.”
When I had desperately dodged Luciana’s sword strikes in the sparring hall and when I had cast magic while feeling anemic, I took out the relic that had rested quietly against my chest.
The pink orb I had taken from House Valtrion had now turned red, showing off its brilliant glow.
“The Amplification Orb has ripened enough too.”
It was a relic that stored energy in proportion to how much its user trained.
It was a consumable specialized for growth that raised one’s attributes when swallowed.
Originally, it was an elixir the shameless young master of House Valtrion should have taken, but what could I do?
Since I had stolen it, I had no choice but to put it to good use.
“Hmm....”
When I was actually about to swallow it, I found myself hesitating.
If I was going to use a relic, it was best to extract the greatest possible efficiency from it.
Unfortunately, the orb’s warm-up was not complete yet.
That was what made it such a waste.
With just a little more training, I could have filled it completely.
“...It can't be helped. I can only think of it as an opportunity cost.”
This was an investment.
How could I expect a greater profit if I was stingy with the priming investment?
After a brief moment of thought, I placed the orb directly into my mouth.
For a moment, I felt heat in my esophagus as though I had swallowed fire.
Soon, a subtle vitality bloomed throughout my body.
[You have consumed the elixir, ‘Amplification Orb’.]
[Base Stats Changed.]
[Vitality 2 -> 4]
[Strength 2 -> 3]
[Agility 6 -> 8]
As though to prove that it had not been my imagination, the Status Window gave an objective diagnosis of my physical condition.
“Now the preparations are complete.”
All that awaited me was victory at tomorrow’s Martial Arts Tournament.