Chapter 39: Evolution to the ghoul lord 2
The moment of truth.
It was now or never.
Ronan stood up, his mouth stained with blood and pieces of flesh still caught between his teeth. But his crimson eyes were fixed on the translucent screen floating before him.
The ritual to become a Ghoul Lord.
The ability to speak.
And finally, the chance to reach the peak of the Transcendent Realm.
Everything he had been waiting for was right in front of him.
Ronan immediately got to work.
Following the memories the system had just transmitted into his mind, he began drawing the ritual rune with blood.
Slowly...
A blood-red rune appeared across the floor.
Ronan took several deep breaths, his eyes lingering on the remaining corpses.
Then he crouched down.
His hands reached toward the chest of the Seven-Star Transcendent Realm expert.
With a swift motion, Ronan tore open the man’s chest.
His eyes settled on the heart.
Fortunately, the heart didn’t need to be beating.
As long as it was fresh, it would be enough.
Carefully, Ronan removed the heart.
Blood and bodily fluids dripped down his arm as he carried it toward the center of the rune.
He slowly placed it down.
Then Ronan crouched and pressed his palm against the blood-drawn rune.
A few moments later...
Badum!
The supposedly dead heart suddenly came to life.
Badum!
One beat.
Badum!
Two beats.
Badum!
Three beats.
Slowly, blood began pumping through the heart.
The rune seemed to ignite.
The blood from the heart flowed across the floor, merging with the blood that had already been used to draw the rune.
A brilliant red glow filled the room.
Ronan felt an invisible force pulling him toward the center of the ritual.
He didn’t resist.
He stepped into the rune.
The moment he did...
The heart suddenly melted.
A massive amount of blood erupted from it before rushing toward Ronan and merging with his body.
A low growl escaped his throat.
Intense pain immediately overwhelmed him.
His entire body trembled.
Crimson patterns began spreading across his skin as the blood from the ritual entered his body.
Meanwhile...
Ronan’s mind was somewhere else.
---
"If you want to climb up, you have to do more than licking ass."
"Come on, bro! Let’s go to this party. There are chicks there."
"Brother... I need money for my school fees."
"I can’t date a poor workaholic. You’ve been working for ten years, yet you’re still in the same place I met you."
"It’s over between us."
"Loser."
"Loser."
"Loser..."
"Loser..."
"Ha..."
"Ha... hahaha!"
"Enough!"
Ronan grabbed his head.
His heart pounded violently as memories from his time on Earth resurfaced.
He couldn’t help but clutch his hair.
The voices continued echoing through his mind.
But slowly...
They became quieter.
And quieter.
Until, finally...
They disappeared completely.
After several minutes, Ronan slowly opened his eyes.
Pure darkness surrounded him.
He blinked several times.
Gradually, his vision adjusted.
He found himself inside a dimly lit room, It was a simple wooden cabin. A small table stood in front of him, with a candle sitting on top of it.
The flame was barely hanging on.
"What...?"
Ronan looked around in confusion.
"Where am I?"
His memories felt jumbled together.
Before he could make sense of anything, a sudden chill swept through the room.
A cold wind blew past him.
Ronan couldn’t help but shiver.
The candle flickered violently, its flame almost going out.
But the cold wind didn’t stop, then came the howls as Ronan’s expression changed.
From the darkness...
Five dead creatures slowly emerged.
Or rather...
Five souls.
They stared directly at him.
The candle suddenly went out.
And then...
"ARGHHHH!"
A horrifying scream erupted from the cabin.
Ronan collapsed as unimaginable pain tore through his body.
It felt as though his very soul was being ripped apart.
The souls of the dead were baptizing him.
Outside the ritual...
Ronan’s body suddenly collapsed onto the ground.
His limbs spasmed violently as white foam formed around his mouth.
His entire body glowed bright red as the blood from the ritual continued flowing through his veins.
---
Ronan had no idea how long it lasted.
Eventually...
Everything became quiet.
His body lay curled on the ground.
He remained motionless for several moments, barely conscious.
Then...
His eyelids twitched.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes slowly opened.
Light returned to them.
Ronan pushed himself off the ground and stood. Everything felt rather...surreal, his body felt stronger and he felt closer to being human than he had ever been since becoming a ghoul.
A cool breeze brushed against his skin.
Ronan raised a hand to his head.
His hair no longer felt completely smooth.
There was a strange itch across his scalp, his hair was beginningto grow.
His pale, decaying skin had also changed. The rotting appearance was fading as his new skin now looked far more like that of a living human.
"Is this what it means to become a Ghoul Lord?"
Ronan couldn’t help but ask as a translucent screen appeared before him.
[Congratulations, Host, on successfully evolving into a Ghoul Lord.]
The system’s message confirmed what Ronan already knew.
Ronan took a deep breath.
His evolution into a Ghoul Lord wasn’t merely about becoming stronger.
It had opened countless new paths for him.
Especially one thing...
Speech.
Now, he could finally communicate with other people.
He could ask questions.
He could gather information.
He could finally stop relying entirely on observation.
But first...
Ronan was curious about something else.
His new status.
"System."
The moment he called out, the translucent screen changed.
---
[Status]
Host: Ronan
Title: Locked
Race: Hybrid (Ghoul Lord × Vampire)
Realm: Transcendent • Six-Star
Traits:
Blood Sucking Lv.1
Flesh Devouring Lv.1
Essence: 502/502 (600 Essence required for upgrade)
Effects
• Low conversion of blood into Essence.
(5 liters of blood = 1 Essence.)
• Flesh consumed by the host is converted into physical growth. The stronger the creature consumed, the greater the enhancement.
• Greatly enhanced physical strength, durability, and speed.
• Low-level regeneration.
• Superior sight, hearing, smell, and perception.
Abilities
Mind Manipulation Lv.1
Ghoul Creation Lv.1:
Allows the host to transform suitable corpses into Ghouls under his control. The quality of the corpse determines the potential of the created Ghoul. Stronger corpses require more of the host’s power, created Ghouls also possess the potential to evolve.
Ghoul Command Lv.1:
Allows the host to establish a mental connection with created Ghouls. The host can issue commands and receive basic information through the connection. The number and strength of Ghouls that can be controlled will increase as the ability evolves.
Inventory
Evolution Card ×1
"Holy shit..."
Ronan muttered as he stared at his new stats.
What could he even say?
This was a massive change.
First, there was his Vampire side.
One hundred thousand drops of blood were equivalent to five liters of blood meaning he would need to completely drain a human just to gain a single point of Essence.
Another major change was the new Trait he had gained and with it came the incredible abilities to create and command Ghouls.
It seemed that only Ghoul Lords possessed such abilities, making them somewhat similar to the abilities of Vampires.
Ronan now understood why becoming a Ghoul Lord was so difficult.
First, a Ghoul had to possess enough intelligence to even decide to undergo the ritual.
And based on the Ghouls Ronan had encountered so far...
They were all mindless creatures.
The number of Ghouls capable of developing intelligence would already be incredibly small let alone finding one intelligent enough to enter the human world, kill five humans, collect their blood, draw the ritual rune, obtain a fresh human heart, and then survive the baptism of the dead souls.
The requirements were practically absurd.
But...
That was beside the point.
Ronan clenched his fists, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
"I am now a Ghoul Lord."
He opened his mouth.
And for the first time in what felt like an eternity, a voice came out.
His voice.
Ronan froze, his eyes widened as he almost shed tears.
Finally...
He could speak!