Chapter 12: Freedom ?
[Ding! Host has killed a Vampire.]
[Ding! Host has gained the locked title.]
[Blood Sucking Lv.0 → Blood Sucking Lv.1]
[Host has unlocked an ability: Mind Manipulation Lv.1]
[Ding! Host has killed a Sovereign Realm Vampire and gained five hundred Essence.]
[Ding! Host has grown stronger from Mortal Stage Eight → Transcendent Stage Five.]
Multiple notifications rang out from the System the instant Levit died, but Ronan couldn’t think about them currently as he ran as fast as he could while loud noises filled the air.
The sky had turned into a forbidden zone as terrifying energies Ronan couldn’t understand were being unleashed one after another.
But finally, he had grown and become a Transcendent Realm Ghoul, and he was no longer a weak one. Instead, he had reached the peak of how strong a normal Ghoul could become. If he hoped to grow stronger, he would have to evolve into a Ghoul Lord.
Ronan dodged countless attacks that split apart the ground as he got closer to the portal.
Luckily for him, everyone already had an opponent, giving them no chance to focus on a small Ghoul. On this battlefield, even Sovereign Realm beings were cannon fodder.
"Almost there..." Seeing the large swirling portal, Ronan thought as he picked up his speed. After reaching the Transcendent Realm, he was already approaching the speed of sound as his body shot forward like a blur.
His skin had become paler, and he was slowly resembling a human. Only his fangs revealed that he was still a humanoid monster.
Finally, the portal was only three steps away as a bright smile appeared on Ronan’s face.
"Yes... freedom at last," Ronan muttered as he jumped into it.
At this moment, it was better to enter the portal, even with the possibility that there was a human army nearby, than remain in the Abyss. After all, he had just killed his master. He knew the consequences would be drastic. The only thing he could do was run as far away as possible.
Ronan felt the world spin as whiteness mixed with darkness for a moment. Then his bare feet touched the ground, and he almost vomited.
This was the second time he had gone through a portal, yet somehow it seemed even worse now.
At that moment, the cool wind kissed Ronan’s bare butt, reminding him that he was completely naked.
Ronan hurriedly covered himself as he looked around. While he had been fully a Ghoul, he had been somewhat covered, and he couldn’t feel anything anyway, so he had never noticed. But as he grew stronger, his new Hybrid race was slowly making him more human like.
Looking around and seeing stone houses made Ronan relax slightly.
At least there was no army.
But he couldn’t stay here for long.
His body’s change was too drastic.
At that moment, Ronan pinched himself and felt pain as his eyes widened. Although it was dull compared to what a human would feel, it was far more noticeable than before.
Ronan felt conflicted.
He missed being a Ghoul who couldn’t feel pain.
Now he had to be careful because he could actually feel pain.
Getting that discovery out of his mind, Ronan moved closer to the houses as he heard humans talking. His newly formed heartbeat sped up.
After all, he didn’t want to die just after escaping from the Abyss.
He kept his breathing as quiet as possible as he scanned the surroundings.
Finally, the humans left, and Ronan sneaked from house to house until he found a new set of clothes, which he quickly put on.
Only when Ronan looked at his reflection in a mirror did his face twitch.
At that moment, he looked like a young woman, especially with the striking clothes he had found.
Ronan was almost tempted to rip them apart, but the thought of his situation made him resist.
So, covering his face and leaving only his eyes exposed, Ronan walked out wearing the long, beautiful dress.
Now, on the pathway, he could finally see where he was.
At this moment, he was in a residential area, and in front of him was a bustling market. Different aromas, from herbs to food, and even the scent of molten alloy being smeared with strange potions, reached his nose.
Ronan could tell he was at the outer district of a massive city. This was the last residential area. Deeper inside was a huge marketplace, and beyond that was the inner city, where the wealthier and more stable commoners lived.
Ronan had to admit that the humans were smart to place the portal at the edge of their city. It could be attacked and defended easily.
He saw multiple guard patrols walking around, making Ronan’s legs feel wobbly.
His only puzzle was that he couldn’t see the portal anywhere nearby.
"Heh... first things first. I have to know where I am, how the human world is currently, and how much it has changed compared to the memories I have," Ronan thought.
After all, he had inherited the memories of that farm boy and knew how the world used to be. But after dying and awakening as a Ghoul, he had no idea whether he had awakened the next day or years later.
That information was vital and could greatly affect Ronan’s chances of survival.
So now, with a good disguise, he didn’t need to rush out of the city immediately.
First, he needed to gather some useful information.
As Ronan walked toward the market, he was soon no longer walking alone as people coming and going mixed together. As he listened to their conversations, he heard a discussion that actually enlightened him.
"Did you hear the latest news from the province?" a young man with drooping eyelids asked, his body trembling with excitement.
His counterpart, a middle-aged man, asked,
"What news?"
"Well, the Pope of the God of Light has ordered the expansion of the Church. But not only him, the other Popes have given the same order," the young man said excitedly.
"So why are you happy about this?" the middle-aged man asked in confusion.
The young man’s eyes widened.
"You fool! If the Church expands, then instead of staying only in the Central Province, they’ll spread to other provinces and even other continents. That means they might even reach our town in the Borderlands. We can actually worship the Gods and receive power from them," the young man said happily.
"Th-that’s incredible! If I get to worship a God, not only can I become a member of the Church, but I can also gain power by becoming a knight," the middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Exactly. Now you understand, you pig," the young man replied.
Behind them, Ronan narrowed his eyes.
"Still not enough to tell the time, but... this must be at least decades later," Ronan thought.
He couldn’t help but remember that, from the farm boy’s memories, there were Gods, but they were few in number, and there had never been any news of expansion. In fact, it was said that it was difficult for them to even establish churches in some kingdoms.
But just then, Ronan felt a sense of dread as he looked up and saw humans returning one after another.
It seemed they had returned from their battle with the Abyss, or at least the ones from this city.
Ronan hurriedly branched off, sneaked into an open house, and hid.
He was an Abyssal creature.
Maybe normal humans couldn’t sense him, but what about stronger people?
Sovereign Realm experts?
So, inside the house, Ronan hid and waited for them to leave while also taking the chance to finally check his own stats.
---
Host: Ronan
Title: Locked (A name given to slaves that kill their master. Marked by the very Abyss, these slaves have a greater chance of evolving, but also have a kill order placed on them. Instinctively, other Abyssal creatures hunt them. The stronger the Locked Slave they kill, the greater the benefits the creatures of the Abyss receive.)
Race: Hybrid (Ghoul × Vampire)
Realm: Transcendent • Five Star
Trait: Blood Sucking Lv.1
Essence: 500/500 (Evolution to Ghoul Lord required)
Effect:
Low conversion of blood into Essence.
Body enhancement.
Low-level regeneration.
Stronger senses.
Abilities: Mind Manipulation Lv.1 (Effect: Can influence the minds of those below the host, subtly changing their thoughts and imposing the host’s will on them. The changes are slow but, in the end, difficult to break away from.)
Inventory: Evolution Card ×1
"Fuck... I’m a traitor now?"