CHAPTER 57: 57 ANCIENT BLOOD (2/3)

"So, is that Eliza’s true face?"

Herbert opened his eyes, touched his neck, and after confirming his head was still attached, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Phew... luckily, the big head’s still here.

I have to say, this is such a realistic viewing experience!

When Prince Fatt got decapitated by Eliza, Herbert really felt like his head rolled off too.

Rolling on the ground several times, he nearly fainted.

Damn it.

What is this Louis XVI experience card?

Complaining about the overly realistic sensation, Herbert squinted his eyes and recalled the "Eliza" he saw in that memory.

To be honest, Herbert was a bit doubtful. Is she really the vampire he knows?

"I mean, I’m not discriminating, but I really find it hard to connect her with that small fry vampire."

What was Eliza like in Prince Fatt’s memory?

Crazy, arrogant, cold, cruel... fulfilling Herbert’s fantasy of an evil and powerful vampire.

And the Eliza Herbert knows, what’s she like?

Shifty, over-sensitive, easily triggered, whining like crazy... yeah, fulfilling Herbert’s fantasy of a small fry vampire.

If it wasn’t for the hints, who could connect these two together?

But then again, thanks to the foresight in the industry, there are precedents for all types of vampires.

Like the super poor vampire, the one who freezes time for five seconds to sneak people downstairs, the one who drinks their own nosebleed, the one dual-wielding guns and cackling...

So, no matter how embarrassing Eliza is, Herbert doesn’t find it strange or surprising.

But then again, if the Eliza in the memory really is her, then what has she gone through to become like this?

Child, what exactly happened to you?

He shook his head and lamented helplessly, "So, what exactly turned her into this mess?"

Was it Tokasa’s fault?

["Yo, you’re awake?"]

Herbert, deep in thought, was zoning out. Hearing this, he replied reflexively, "Uh, was the surgery successful? Did I turn into a girl?"

["Uh... huh? Do you want to be?"]

Nenasha was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, somewhat unsure as she said:

["Well, I wouldn’t suggest it, but if you insist, I could help..."]

"It’s nothing, just forget I said anything, I’m just a bit groggy from sleep."

Herbert, with a calm face and steady heart, replied blandly, trying to brush off the topic, he then asked:

"What abilities did I get?"

["Hmm... alright, let’s just say that’s that."]

Nenasha let out a significant hum and didn’t press further, as if nothing happened, she answered him:

["You’ve got good luck once again~ The little bat gave you ancient vampire blood."]

["Though it’s a bit thin, it is indeed essence blood from an ancestral vampire, able to extract some decent abilities."]

Ancestral Blood?

Just the sound of it was impressive.

Herbert, a bit excited, rubbed his hands together and asked, "What are they? Bring them on!"

["Ehehe..."]

At this moment, Nenasha suddenly let out an eerie laugh and spoke in a ghostly voice: ["Explanations are inconvenient, I’ll let you experience it yourself~"]

Herbert: ?

Wait, what’s she up to?

"Hold on... uh!?"

Thump thump!

Just as Herbert was about to speak, he suddenly felt his heart start pounding vigorously.

He felt the blood in his body rushing rapidly, and his whole body temperature suddenly rising!

"What, what is this?"

Herbert’s body wobbled, unconsciously stepping forward, resulting in him jumping from where he stood, nearly crashing into the compartment ceiling.

Huh!!?

Startled, Herbert quickly raised his hand before he crashed, managing to land back on the ground swiftly.

He didn’t hit the ground heavily but made a soft landing with a cushioning motion, emitting a small sound.

Tap.

With just a few breaths, he quickly adjusted his overall state, adapting to the discomfort caused by the sudden increase in his physical abilities.

Herbert raised both hands, noticing his skin appeared slightly flushed, looking as if scalded red.

More than that, he could clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat resounding in the room—thump thump thump thump!

His heart was beating powerfully!

Nenasha’s voice echoed timely, light-hearted: ["Can you feel it? That’s your first gained ability, Boiling Blood."]

["It’s a rather rare ability among vampires; by increasing the blood’s temperature to speed up the flow, it ultimately stimulates physical ability improvements, at least doubling it."]

For vampires, whose hearts no longer beat, this ability is something many of them simply can’t comprehend.

["The duration depends on the body’s limits; the stronger the body, the longer it can last... you can probably maintain it for about three minutes now?"]

["Don’t be self-conscious; three minutes is already a long time~"]

But contrary to Nenasha’s malicious explanation, Herbert didn’t see it that way.

He shook his head, speaking solemnly:

"No, it shouldn’t be called Boiling Blood."

["Huh?"]

"It’s—Second Gear!"

That’s right!

Accelerating blood flow, enhancing bodily strength... it all matches up!

Turns out I’m going to be the Pirate King!

I’ve already become a man.

The next step is to find a big-wave pirate king...

["What are you talking about again?"]

"Ahem, nothing, just ignore me."

Herbert lightly coughed before asking, "Isn’t this a vampire-exclusive ability? Will it get discovered?"

["Nope~ To others, it will just appear as some kind of special Berserk ability, at most they’ll suspect you have barbarian lineage."]

In this world, the ability to ramp up is not uncommon.

Like Nenasha said, who doesn’t have a few ways to temporarily enhance physical capabilities these days?

No one will be bored enough to intentionally research him.

"Alright, stop keeping me in suspense, what other abilities are there?"

["The others, well, not much really, just a bit of night vision, increased blood generation, a slight improvement in recovery ability."]

Indeed, compared to Boiling Blood, these abilities are just tidbits.

"Uh-huh, are there any negative effects?"

["As for side effects~ I’m sorry to tell you that in the future, you might not have much time to sleep."]

The Harmonious God’s voice carried a tinge of schadenfreude, teasingly saying:

["Vampires are insomniacs, gaining their abilities means you’ll be affected too."]

["Gradually, you’ll need less and less sleep, eventually becoming completely sleepless, relying on means other than sleep to restore energy."]

Faced with this somewhat sad notification, Herbert curiously blinked, confused, and asked:

"Huh? Isn’t that a positive?"

["Huh?"]