Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood-Chapter 84 - Dungeon Genesis

"..."

Tatum, Jed, Ashley, Neit, Moro, Jai, and Maya were frozen in place. The seven of them remained completely silent after witnessing the giant monster explode into a red mist.

They had watched the entire fight from the edge of the clearing, and it had been a spectacle they wouldn’t forget anytime soon. To them, the battle had finished much faster than they had originally expected, especially after seeing how quickly the giant was able to regenerate from Verc’s initial attacks. They had assumed it would be a long, grueling fight of attrition.

But instead, Verc had simply deleted the top half of the creature.

And now— the blood of that monster was still raining down on the clearing.

The dark liquid pitter-pattered against the stone floor and the leaves of the skyscraper-sized trees, creating a wet, rhythmic sound that filled the sudden silence. The heavy, copper-like scent of blood hung thick in the air, mixing with the damp smell of the forest.

"Ahh...!"

The seven of them finally snapped out of their shock after a while.

They came out of hiding from behind the massive trunks and slowly began to approach Verc. He was still standing in the middle of the carnage, right in front of the steaming, jagged remains of the giant’s lower half.

Bong was being led by Neit. The horse was surprisingly calm now that the giant’s oppressive presence was gone, though he still stepped carefully around the puddles of dark blood. Onyx, meanwhile, was tucked into Ashley’s arms. The small dog was whimpering slightly, his eyes wide as he looked at the mess, but he seemed relieved to see Verc standing tall.

As they got closer, the group looked at the shattered stone and the destroyed trees, then back at Verc. Their faces were a mix of awe and pure surprise. This was the first time they had truly seen Verc fight against a powerful opponent.

They had always figured he would be strong— after all, he was the one who had turned them and given them a new life— but seeing the sheer gap in power was something else entirely.

"Lord Verc... that was amazing."

Tatum said as soon as they reached him, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"We couldn’t even follow your movements toward the end."

Jed added, nodding his head in respect.

Verc just shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

"It was just a bit more stubborn than the others."

He said casually.

On the outside, Verc looked completely unbothered, his face calm and stoic. But internally, he was actually quite happy. Feeling the group’s gaze and hearing their genuine praise made him feel good. He liked that they regarded him as someone truly strong, someone they could depend on.

Anyway, after the initial shock wore off, the group looked around at the messy clearing.

"What do we plan to do now, Lord Verc?"

Maya asked, her eyes moving from the blood-soaked stone to the dark forest beyond.

Verc looked at them, then at the center of the clearing where the mana was the most concentrated. He could see the cracks in the stone floor where the giant had slammed its weapon, and the debris from the trees he had crashed through earlier.

"We’re going to make this our home, but I won’t have it looking like a slaughterhouse."

Verc said, his voice turning firm.

"I want you all to clear this clearing. Remove the debris, the broken wood, and the loose rocks. Fix the cracks in the stone as best as you can. I want a clean foundation."

He pointed around.

"In the meantime, I’m going to take care of this."

Then he gestured to what was left of the giant.

"I need to consume its blood."

The others nodded at his instructions without a single question. There was no hesitation or grumbling about the manual labor. In fact, they seemed eager to help.

"We’ll get it done right away, Lord Verc!"

Neit said, handing Bong’s reins to Jai so he could start moving the larger pieces of wood.

And with that, they started working.

Verc watched them for a moment, feeling a bit weirded out by their sudden enthusiasm. They were moving stones and dragging branches with a level of energy that seemed almost obsessive, as if they were competing to see who could be the most useful to him. He shook his head and decided to just ignore it. If they wanted to work that hard, he wasn’t going to stop them.

Instead...

Tap- Tap- Tap-

Verc walked over to the giant’s lower half. It was still incredibly heavy, even without the top portion, but Verc gripped what was left of the waist and dragged the body toward the side of the clearing. He didn’t want to be in their way while they were cleaning, and he didn’t want them to be inconvenienced by the mess he was about to make.

Once he was at the edge of the stone floor--

"Hup...!"

Verc sat down next to the massive, stone-gray legs. The giant’s blood was thick and unusually warm, pulsing with a raw, primal energy that he could feel even through the air.

He didn’t waste any time.

CHOMP.

Verc leaned in and started drinking the blood of the giant. He bit into the left leg of what was left of the monster, his fangs sinking deep into the dense, muscular flesh.

The taste was intense. It wasn’t like the blood of the monkeys or the harpies. This was heavy, tasting of iron and ancient earth. As the blood flowed into him, Verc felt a searing heat spread through his entire body. It was like he was drinking liquid fire.

The heat moved through his veins, settling into his muscles and his bones. He could feel his cells screaming as they were being forcefully upgraded!

*****

From the giant’s blood, Verc’s regeneration ability became stronger.

It wasn’t just a small bump, either; it was absurdly stronger. He felt like he could grow back a whole limb in seconds if he had to. But it wasn’t just the regeneration. His muscles felt denser, like they were being reinforced with the same stone-like quality the giant had possessed.

His endurance seemed to have jumped several times over as well. He felt like he could run for days or fight a hundred battles without feeling a hint of fatigue.

Instead of gaining a brand new skill , he had received direct upgrades to his core stats and existing abilities. Honestly, Verc preferred it this way.

’This is better than some skill I wouldn’t use much.’

Verc mumbled that to himself as he finished. He threw the dried corpse of the Giant aside after that.

FWIP-

He wiped his mouth, feeling more refreshed and powerful than he ever had since coming to this forest. The physical transition was over, and he could feel the new power humming under his skin, waiting to be used.

... ... ...

... ... ...

A couple of hours later--

"Hmm?"

Verc looked back toward the center of the clearing.

The seven had been working hard while he was occupied.

And despite only being a few hours, the group had managed to transform the clearing. The massive, building-sized branches had been hauled away to the edge of the forest. The loose rocks had been piled neatly, and they had even managed to fit the shattered pieces of the stone floor back together, filling the gaps with packed dirt and smaller stones until it was level again.

The blood from the explosion had been mostly washed away or scrubbed off the stone using bundles of leaves and water they had found nearby. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a massive improvement. It actually looked like a proper site for a building now.

"Lord Verc! We’ve finished!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Tatum called out, waving to him.

The group was standing together near the center, looking a bit dusty and tired, but they all had wide smiles on their faces. They looked proud of what they had accomplished.

Verc walked over to them, inspecting their work. He took his time, looking at the leveled ground and the cleared space.

"You did well. It looks much better."

Verc said, offering them a nod of approval.

"Good job."

The seven of them beamed. They were genuinely happy to hear such words from him. It was a simple praise, but to them, it was the best reward they could have asked for after a day of fighting and cleaning. Ashley hugged Onyx a little tighter, and Jed stood a bit straighter.

Not that Verc noticed their emotional reactions, of course. He was already focused on the next step.

TAP!

He started walking toward the very center of the clearing.

He could feel the energy of the forest through the soles of his boots, a rhythmic thrum that seemed to be calling out to his own mana. The air here was still, expectant, as if the forest itself was waiting to see what he would do.

Verc stood right over the glowing crack in the ground.

"..."

He looked at his followers, who had gathered in a semi-circle a safe distance away, watching him with bated breath. Even Bong and Onyx seemed to know that something big was about to happen.

’Everything starts here.’

Verc thought.

He took a deep breath, centering his mana. He felt the upgrades from the giant’s blood reinforcing his spirit, giving him the capacity to hold the massive amount of energy required for what came next.

He reached out with his will, connecting his own essence to the mana on the ground and all over the forest.

BRRRRR--!

The ground began to vibrate. A faint, violet light began to leak out from the cracks in the stone, illuminating Verc’s face.

Then, opening his mouth--

"[Dungeon Genesis]"

Verc muttered those words, activating the skill.