I Became the Progenitor Vampire-Chapter 291 - 293 A Shadow Sweeps Wildly - Stanleys

Chapter 291: Chapter 293: A Shadow Sweeps Wildly – Stanley’s Journey to Green City (4600 words)

Chapter 291: Chapter 293: A Shadow Sweeps Wildly – Stanley’s Journey to Green City (4600 words)

Green City West District.

After darkness fell, evil once again enveloped this land of sin.

With the changes in the situation around Green City over the past half a year, this district, home to the entire southern evil existence of the Nolan Empire, welcomed another rebirth.

Turmoil is the source of evil breeding.

War caused countless people to lose their lives, but because of the instability of the times, this land untouched by sunlight prospered—because the city guards could no longer take into account how many Dark Lives lurked within this area.

Believers of the Evil God, Undead Mages, underground gangs, the Dark Race, various indescribable darkness bloomed with the purest malevolence on this uncontrolled land.

Black Rose Manor.

This was a permanent stronghold for the Dark Contract, now a no-go zone in the south district because legend had it that the manor was the residence of a Transcendent lord.

Yes, a Transcendent as powerful as any Extraordinary Mage in Green City.

Moreover, this Transcendent had the recognition of the Demon Heart Leader, the 19th-level Heart-eating Demon, Wales.

And that Heart-eating Demon had more than once publicly expressed his respect for that lord and repeatedly emphasized the prohibition of any action against the Dark Contract.

This fearsome 19th-level Heart-eating Demon was not just talk; in more than a year, at least a hundred people had been hanged for offending the Dark Contract.

So even though Lord Ilo had never appeared in the watchful eyes of the southern underground of the Underworld, he still deterred everyone.

Bards continued to sing of his legends.

After a year’s recuperation, especially since the Crimson Mage Tower had been secretly supplying Magic Scrolls for the Dark Contract to sell,

The Dark Contract had grown even more powerful, now boasting a membership of over 8000 people.

This scale, in the open, under the control of the major Nobles and the City Lord, was undoubtedly vast.

And because of the covert leadership and support from Dawn City, the Dark Contract had transformed from a loosely aligned alliance into a tightly structured Underground Force.

Currently, the Dark Contract was publicly led by the extremely mysterious and supposedly Transcendent Lord Ilo.

But on most days, it was the 17th-level Grot who mainly controlled things.

Stanley returned to Green City in mid-April after setting the plan for “Dawn’s Shadow” with Lide and took direct control of the Dark Contract, relegating Grot to the second-in-command.

As an exceptionally intelligent second generation of Bloodline, Stanley’s status within the Bloodline was not low, and Grot, knowing full well Stanley’s wisdom, had no objections, instead welcoming it immensely.

The Bloodline harbored a deep obsession with growing stronger, but cared less for simple things like power or wealth.

The main hall of Black Rose Manor.

Wearing a black Priest’s robe, seated at the head of the long table, the scar running across the face like a centipede was particularly gruesome.

The dim light from the Magic Lamps in the room made the spacious hall very dark, and the luxurious chairs with delicate reliefs were neatly arranged in two rows around the long black table, but at the moment, they were empty.

The carpet, made from pure black Demon Beast fur, would slightly collapse underfoot, feeling as soft and comfortable as stepping on a fluffy blanket.

White columns and walls inside the hall were adorned with colorful paintings, mostly portraits and war scenes.

But the vivid colors of the paintings in this dim environment seemed somewhat garish and eerie, akin to the birthplaces of man-eating demons in some ancient legends.

Creeeeak~

The semicircular white door, carved with a pattern of a Double-Horned Demon, was slowly pushed open.

Thud, thud.

Thud, thud.

A massive figure entered the hall under the dim light; the thick and soft carpet could not muffle the dull thuds due to the heavy body.

Stanley, seated at the head of the rectangular wooden table, looked up slightly at the sound of the door, and the ghastly scar on his face appeared even more terrifying under the light of the white candles burning on the tabletop.

Thud, thud, thud, thud—a figure in black full-body armor, towering at 2.5 blades high and exuding an oppressive demeanor like a giant, strode up to Stanley.

With a somber tone,

“Stanley, the person has been brought here.”

The only one who could call Stanley by his name in the Dark Contract was Grot, the 17th-level Northern Warrior. No, Grot was no longer a Northern Warrior but had the same Profession as Stanley—Crimson Hunter.

Stanley and Grot, two generals of Dawn City, had passed the will test of the Crimson Hunters with their resolute wills, successfully converting to the strongest profession of the Bloodline.

It was just that both still maintained their original dressing habits.

The Crimson Hunter’s profession wasn’t fixed as a warrior or mage; if willing, one could be an assassin or any other.

The Crimson Hunter’s Skill was an increase in All Attributes, not a specific improvement, so the potential for development was immense.

“Hmm,” Stanley nodded slightly upon hearing this, a flicker of scarcely detectable excitement in his deep eyes, “Bring them in.”

Grot turned around and, with a slight wave of his hand, the warrior clad in full armor outside the door immediately led in about twenty tall figures, their bodies shackled in chains from head to toe.

Dressed in clothes sewn from animal hides and covered in dark grey fur, their muscles bulged like steel, and with black bags over their heads, their faces could not be discerned.

In the dimly lit hall, the vibrant colored oil paintings surrounding the room seemed at odds with the scene now before them.

Those life forms clad in animal hides and shrouded within sacks were out of place amidst the room’s exquisite decor.

Even a few whiffs of a foul sweat odor permeated the air.

Stanley’s gaze slowly turned icy upon this scene, and hints of crimson began to flicker within his dark pupils.

“Are they all Level 14??”

Grot nodded slightly, his stature as a Level 17 warrior even more imposing than the large figures over two blades’ height in front of him.

“These twenty-three individuals are all Level 14, purchased from the arena controlled by the Demon Heart.

These Beastmen are members of the Beastman elite troops and seem to have been discovered while carrying out an exceedingly secret mission.

Before being captured, they slaughtered a village, causing over eight hundred human deaths.

After capturing them, the Green City Guard realized the value of these Beastmen and the Demon Heart used connections to buy them.

We spent a total of one thousand Second Circle Magic Scrolls, and only by invoking the name of Lord Ilo were we able to exchange them from the hands of the Heart-eating Demon, Wales.”

Twenty-three Level 14 Beastman Warriors… Stanley’s eyes narrowed slightly; he was not clear on what kind of mission would require the deployment of such elite forces.

But now these individuals were his spoils of war.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at the Dark Covenant warriors who had escorted the Beastmen into the room.

“You may leave now.”

“Yes, Lord Stanley.”

Creak ~ Bang.

The semicircular door, carved with demon reliefs, closed.

After the arrivals had left, the room was left with only the candle on the table flickering gently and the twenty-three Beastmen with black sacks over their heads.

Grot gave Stanley a look, said nothing, and silently stood to one side as if waiting for something.

Stanley rose elegantly to his feet and straightened out the wrinkles on his black priest’s robe from sitting for too long.

Then, his aura abruptly changed as demonic bat wings stretched out behind him and his tusks became as sharp as daggers. The crimson in his eyes carried a chill that could make even the most resolute warriors tremble.

The true form of a Bloodline emerged.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room darkened, and the endless chill spread among the group of Beastmen shackled by the chains, even gagged at their mouths.

Whimpering sounds filled the air.

Sensing the impending crisis, the Beastmen struggled desperately, but the solid chains could not be shaken by their efforts.

Stanley casually drew a Cross Longsword, decoratively crossed on a column, and stepped towards the first Beastman.

The chained Beastman was powerless to resist, like a flock of lambs waiting for slaughter.

A flash of red in Stanley’s eyes.

A streak of sword light followed, and the tip of a cold sword appeared behind the first Beastman.

Pfft ~

Blood splattered.

Suddenly, the space filled with the stench of blood, but more shocking was that the blood flowing from the Beastman’s chest did not hit the floor but instead rose into the air, surging straight toward Stanley.

The Power of Crimson flared up around Stanley like demonic flames.

In midair they met without a sound.

When the blood touched the Power of Crimson, it scattered like misty raindrops and disappeared from view.

But the blood that disappeared had not truly vanished; it was transformed by the Power of Crimson into pure energy, which infused into the Power of Crimson and was ultimately absorbed by its master, Stanley.

With bat wings unfurled, Stanley, after devouring the energy from the blood, grew gradually more formidable, his aura swelling to even greater heights.

The crimson in his eyes now bore a penetrating murderous intent.

The Crimson Hunter’s restricted skill—King of Hunting, absorbing the blood of enemies to permanently enhance strength.

Even Lide thought that this skill, with its short description, was key to the Crimson Hunter’s distinction from the other three Bloodline-exclusive professions.

Absorbing blood to enhance strength was incredibly powerful for a Bloodline, which did not rely on experience to level up.

It’s just that Lide had been too busy managing the affairs of Dawn City to have much time to experiment with this skill’s characteristics.

“Of course, the ‘King of Hunting’ skill also has certain limitations, such as only being able to absorb blood from beings whose levels are not significantly different.

And the lower the level of the creature whose blood is absorbed, the weaker the power gained.

The difference in levels must not be less than three. The energy obtained by devouring those more than three levels lower is so weak that it can be ignored.

This means that Stanley, as a level 15 ‘Crimson Hunter,’ must hunt life forms of level 12 and above to gain strength. Anything below level 12 would be utterly useless.

During his time back in Green City, Stanley, this exceedingly intelligent native, naturally became aware of the potential of this skill.

He directly used the power of the ‘Dark Contract’ to purchase hundreds of high-level slaves in Green City. Whether they be Beastmen, Dwarfs, Demon Beasts, or human slaves, he indiscriminately accepted all comers.

After a few months and spending countless Gold Pucks, Stanley stood on the threshold of leveling up, thanks to the nature of his ‘King of Hunting’ ability.

And today, these 23 high-cost Beastmen warriors, of level 14, obtained even at the expense of another identity of Lide—Lord Ilo—represented the opportunity to step onto the level 16 threshold.

“Not enough, still not enough…” After devouring the blood energy of one Beastman, Stanley’s gaze shifted to the remaining Beastmen.

The Bloodline is a pure Dark Race, and the act of drinking fresh blood—which humans see as extremely evil—is, in essence, neither good nor evil.

Because drinking fresh blood is the inherent nature of the Bloodline, just as wolves eat sheep and sheep eat grass. There is no absolute good or evil; it’s merely a race’s method of survival.

After transforming into a ‘Crimson Hunter,’ in Stanley’s eyes, all races with blood coursing through their veins became “lambs,” even though some lambs were many times stronger than him…

Behind Stanley, his bat wings suddenly unfurled, his eyes became even more crimson, and a ‘Mage’s Hand’ formed in the air. Then, wielding a cross longsword, the ‘Mage’s Hand’ slashed through.

Zzzt, blood sprayed everywhere.

The remaining 22 level 14 Beastman warriors, clueless about the top-secret mission they were about to undertake, became pale corpses after the swing of the blade.

The blood within the bodies of the Beastmen was now flying out under the force of magic, frenziedly devoured by the ‘Power of Crimson.’

The fresh blood of these Beastmen became streams of pure crimson energy absorbed by Stanley, serving as nourishment for his growth.

With a significant increase in power, Stanley’s energy surged firmly and steadily. Even Grott, who was at level 17, felt a weight in the air toward the end.

Once all the blood that had reversed its course and flown into the sky fused with the ‘Power of Crimson’ that burned around him like flames.

Crack~

As if glass was shattering, the bottleneck that had long confined Stanley was forcefully broken…

Level 16!!

The aura of those approaching Stanley suddenly soared, releasing a terrifying presence with abandon within the hall, like a fire-breathing dragon scorches the earth.

Several glass-framed oil paintings on the walls cracked with a crisp snap, directly shattered by the overwhelming presence.

Glass shards scattered in the air, reflecting small sparkles under the glow of the magic lamps, like showers of glistening diamonds, brightening the room by a fraction from the reflections.

Amidst the twinkling light spots, Stanley’s eyes opened wide, and his scarred face revealed a slight intoxication.

Power coursed through his body like a volcanic eruption.

He had grown stronger.

At that moment, Grott sensed Stanley’s breakthrough—a presence of level 16.

Originally about to step forward and offer congratulations, Stanley’s face suddenly changed, and a murderous intent swelled within him, the temperature in the air dropping markedly.

The freshly devoured blood energy now caused a severe backlash. The killing intent, resentment, and curses of those whose blood had been devoured rushed forth like a tide.

Stanley’s killing intent was thus amplified tenfold, and he even began to experience vivid hallucinations.

Even Grott, standing in front of him, seemed like an enemy meant to be killed.

An unmeasurable amount of negative emotions assaulted Stanley’s will with madness.

At that moment, he was as if in Hell itself, torn by countless evil spirits and roared at and cursed by innumerable souls.

Stanley’s proud will wobbled like a small boat in a storm, potentially capsizing at any moment.

Seeing this, Grott’s face grew extremely grave; his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his extraordinary giant sword tighter.

He didn’t understand what was happening to Stanley, but the latter’s murderous intent was undeniably real.

One minute, two minutes, time seemed to flow exceedingly slow at that instant.

Not until what felt like an eternity later did Stanley’s overwhelming killing intent begin to subside slowly.

Stanley closed his eyes slowly, pondering for a full ten minutes before reopening them.

When he turned to look at Grott, his already pale face appeared even more haggard.

“No wonder Lord Ilo said that becoming a ‘Crimson Hunter’ requires passing a test of will.

The consequences of enhancing strength by devouring blood are too severe…”

Hearing Stanley’s hoarse voice, Grott narrowed his eyes slightly, “You mean to say that the killing intent just now was caused by drinking the blood of other life forms?”

Stanley nodded, his aura having stabilized.

The bat wings stretching from his back, now adorned with dark crimson patterns, looked even more impressive.

“That’s right, although we can enhance our strength by devouring blood, there are certain downsides, and the greatest of these is that after leveling up, the murderous intent, hatred, madness, and other negative energies accumulated from blood consumption can backlash at critical moments.

If one cannot withstand it, they might be enveloped by an endless killing intent, completely losing their sanity, and destroying all life around them.

When that murderous intent strikes, only a firm will and the possession of a fearless belief can bear it.”

Grott nodded slowly, but wasn’t afraid.

As a former Northern Warrior, a steadfast will was already etched into his bones.

Fearless, unafraid!

A short while later, Stanley, having grown accustomed to the surging power within his body, returned to his human form with a satisfied look in his eyes.

He then changed topics while looking at Grott, who was still deep in thought.

“Grott, what do you think about the instructions Lord Ilo issued this time?”

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Abandoning the strategy of targeting the great Nobles, and starting from the lesser ones.

The lack of progress in the Dawn Shadow plan had put Stanley under no small amount of pressure.

And the orders issued by Lide undoubtedly showed a new path for the stalemated plan.

“Lord Ilo’s insight often exceeds that of ordinary people; he always sees the points we overlook,” Grott said slowly after some thought. “The great Nobles are surrounded by excessive protection. These power-holding Nobles are almost always sought after by every Sect.

After all, once they adopt the belief of one’s Sect, it can bring tremendous benefits to them.

This results in the great Nobles being almost constantly accompanied by Priests, in addition to their vast wealth and the numerous pieces of Divine Equipment they wear.

We have been stuck on these two points for the past few months….”

Grott’s thinking was clear; although a warrior, his survival through decades of warfare relied on more than just combat prowess—if that were all, he would have died many times over.

“The lesser Nobles are different, especially those fallen from grace. We can reach out to them at any time if we wish.

And we only need to sire one Bloodline, then the situation on the lesser Nobles’ side would open up.”

At this point, a hint of regret appeared in Grott’s eyes, “The only pity is that the Bloodline Power within our bodies has not yet recovered. We must wait for the coming Frost Month this year before we can perform the next siring.”

This was, in fact, a key reason why they could not break the stalemate in Green City.

Apart from Lide, other Bloodline could sire only once a year, and they already had during the last Frost Month; the special Bloodline Power within them was far from recovered.

So they could only rely on soft infiltration rather than directly turning others into Bloodline.

Stanley nodded in satisfaction, Grott’s words resonating with him.

Then, Stanley’s face revealed a mysterious smile.

“Grott, perhaps we don’t have to wait for Frost Month before we can have our first siring.”

Confusion flickered in Grott’s eyes, but before he could ask, Stanley volunteered the answer.

“During the process of consuming blood, I can feel the special Bloodline Power within my body reviving. Now, I am already capable of performing a siring.”

Stanley’s eyes gleamed with excitement, “Perhaps, you can also try. The skill traits of the King of Hunting are compensating for the innate deficiencies of our race.”

The ability to sire was by far the most powerful weapon of the Bloodline. But the issue that the Bloodline Power could only sire once a year prevented their numbers from rapidly increasing.

Now that Stanley had discovered that consuming fresh blood could solve this issue, he could not help but be elated.

Although this might only apply to the Crimson Hunter for now, it was sufficient to change the situation in Green City.

He was already planning on reporting this to Lide immediately. It was no exaggeration to say that if this discovery could be developed and made applicable to the common Bloodline, it could completely change the fate of their race.

Hearing this, Grott’s eyes showed an undeniable flash of delight.

“Praise Lord Ilo!! This must be the glory of Lord Ilo shining down on us!!”

“Grott, immediately send this message back to Dawn City; Lord Ilo will surely be very pleased.

Furthermore, go and have someone select a once-glorious but now destitute human Noble.

The Dawn Shadow will, starting today, shine with brilliant radiance.”

Stanley’s gaze was profound.

The humans within Green City could never anticipate that a vampire infiltration plan aimed at their high society would commence this very night.

And they would never even know that certain esteemed Nobles, held in high regard by many, had become part of the Dark Life which they saw as mortal enemies at some point in time.