CHAPTER 25 - 25 – BLOOD FIEND

Chapter 25 – Blood Fiend

The moment the healing process began, the agony Jack had been drowning in vanished. It was as if the pain had never existed. Even the grotesque injuries that once tore through his flesh had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but dried blood that clung to his skin and clothes like old paint.

Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground, flexing his fingers and testing his limbs. His body was whole again—no numbness, no damage. Just... clarity.

"Thank you," he said quietly, watching the fading glow of Lune's power disappear into the night.

"You don't need to thank me, my love." Lune let out a shaky breath, her voice trembling with emotion. "I'll never let anyone hurt you. You almost gave me a heart attack. How could you do something that reckless?! That thing could have crushed you to death!"

"...I didn't have a choice," Jack replied, brushing dust and debris from his pants. "My sword wasn't going in deep enough because I was also using my other arm to force open its jaw. I realized if I kept doing that, I wouldn't be able to reach far enough to kill it. So... I let it crush me, just enough to free up my arm and drive the sword deeper. I figured if I reached just a little more, I could hit its brain."

Lune stared at him in silence, eyes wide and unblinking.

'He calculated all of that in a split second... and followed through without hesitation or fear,' she thought in awe. 'There was a huge chance he'd be crushed before his sword even reached that deep. But... he believed. He believed so blindly in himself that he bet his life on it.'

She watched as Jack scanned his surroundings calmly, unshaken. That kind of confidence—the unwavering faith in one's own judgment—was something even the most seasoned Chronists rarely possessed.

"Jack..." she whispered, almost unconsciously, "Who are you really?"

"Hm?" Jack turned toward her. "Did you say something?"

"Huh?! Eh—no, no! I was just thinking out loud!" she said, quickly waving her hands and laughing awkwardly.

Jack didn't press further. "Well, I just checked my notifications. Looks like killing that monster earned me a Lesser Chronical."

"Oh? That's quite fortunate," Lune said, nodding.

"Hm? Is it rare for monsters to drop a Lesser Chronical?"

"Mmm, not every enemy drops one. Usually, the stronger the creature, the higher the chance you'll get a Chronical."

"I see. That makes sense." Jack tilted his head thoughtfully. "Well, let's see what I got."

A screen appeared before him:

[Lesser Chronical: Blood Fiend]A monster that lives in blood and breathes blood. Whether it's their own or their enemy's, the monster is always drawn to the forbidden red liquid. It doesn't matter what must be done—blood will be claimed.

Effect:You have gained the ability to absorb the blood of your enemies and convert it into additional Essence. This works on any target with less Time Essence than you.

Jack's brow lifted. "Oh? This is... actually pretty strong."

"What is it?" Lune asked, leaning closer.

He read the description aloud.

"Oh my," she muttered, eyes widening. "A Blood Fiend ability? That's incredibly powerful for a Lesser Chronical. You're lucky."

"You know about them?"

"Yes. Blood Fiends live in the Blood Region of Aevum. They're parasitic, blood-sucking creatures that grow stronger with every drop they consume. Last I heard, they'd expanded their territory a bit. Nasty things, really."

"I see..." Jack turned toward the corpse of the beast he had just slain. "This came at the perfect time. I can test it on this dead mutt."

He walked up to the creature's lifeless body and focused his mind on the new ability.

Immediately, he felt his Essence stir—differently than it did with the Tree of Wisdom. It was colder, more predatory. A dark mist began to form at his palm, curling and coiling until it shaped into a black sphere. Then, without warning, thin tendrils shot out from the orb and latched onto the corpse.

In an instant, the entire body was swallowed in darkness. The mist pulsed and shuddered, devouring the creature, shrouding it in an eerie veil. Jack could no longer see it—but he could feel it. The monster's energy was still there... being siphoned into him.

'It's working. I can feel the Essence moving into me.'

Seconds passed before the mist retracted, revealing the now withered remains. The once hulking beast had shriveled into a corpse barely recognizable—drained dry, brittle and hollow.

[You have absorbed your target successfully.]

[You have gained 3 Essence.]

[You have gained 3 Wisdom Points.]

"Three more Essence," Jack muttered. "If I keep absorbing monsters like this, the gap between me and the others will only widen."

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. 'Even if they kill as many monsters as I do, they won't gain as much. This ability lets me grow faster. Stronger.'

"My Jack is already so powerful," Lune said dramatically, wiping invisible tears from her eyes. "At this rate, you'll catch up to my husband's strength in no time."

"I'm not aiming for that," Jack replied flatly. "Whatever the future holds... I'll deal with it when it comes."

Without wasting another word, he turned and approached the rest of the fallen beasts, using the same method to absorb them. But as he expected, nothing happened. No essence flowed into him.

'Too weak,' he thought, disappointed. 'Not worth absorbing.'

"I'll need to focus on stronger enemies. Ones worth the effort."

As he prepared to leave, a deep rumble echoed above him.

Jack's eyes flicked to the sky, and he spotted multiple helicopters and fighter jets roaring overhead. Their engines thundered through the night, drowning out the silence of the streets.

"TO ALL PEOPLE! MOVE TO THE NORTHERN CITY DISTRICT! I REPEAT! TO ALL PEOPLE! MOVE TO THE NORTHERN CITY DISTRICT!"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "The military's already secured the north side of the city, huh?"

"Hm?"

"Let's head there. I want to see what the northern district looks like rig—"

He froze mid-sentence. His gaze shot upward again.

A massive, black mass came tearing across the sky. Its speed was blinding, far faster than any jet or helicopter. Within seconds, it reached the aircraft... and chaos followed.

The voice on the intercom went dead.

Monstrous shrieks filled the air as the dark swarm collided with the helicopters, ripping through them like paper. A moment later, explosions lit up the night.

BOOOOOOM!

A fireball erupted above the buildings, painting the sky with crimson and orange hues. Burning debris rained down, and the smell of scorched metal filled the air.

Jack stood silently, his jaw clenched.

"Damn it..." he muttered under his breath, turning on his heel. "We need to move. If we stay here, we'll be spotted."

He broke into a run, sticking to the shadows as he darted down the street.

Above him, more unidentified flying creatures zipped across the sky, too fast to track. He ignored them and kept moving, heart steady and mind sharp.

Eventually, he reached the end of the street and stepped onto the main road.

There, on the other side, he came to a sudden stop.

The city skyline stretched out before him... but it was no longer a city.

It was an inferno.

Flames engulfed buildings, smoke towered into the heavens, and screams echoed faintly from the distance.

Everything was burning.

And the real nightmare was just beginning.