The room was clean now.
It didn't take her long—maybe an hour, maybe less. A few flicks of her mana, some spatial tricks, and the mess was gone. All that blood, bone, and rotting skin—vanished like it was never there. A dull headache lingered from the bloodthirst earlier, but nothing she couldn't handle.
Now, she was lying in the bath.
Steam curled around her like silk. The water was hot—nearly scalding—but she liked it that way. It soaked into her skin, her muscles, her thoughts, washing away the madness of what she had just endured.
She let her head rest against the cool edge of the tub.
Her body submerged, only her shoulders and collarbone above the surface, glowing faintly in the flickering light of the bath lamps. Tiny ripples shimmered around her curves, catching the orange glow like liquid fire.
She sighed.
It felt so… good.
Her fingers ran along her chest, tracing the faint veins of the Soul Sling mark that still pulsed lightly beneath her skin. It had calmed too—almost like it was sleeping. She could feel it move if she focused… twitching gently like a cat's tail against her soul.
She let her hands glide downward. Over her hips, her waist, her stomach.
There were no wounds left—not a scratch.
The regeneration effect was impressive—far better than she expected, considering she had just awakened as a vampire.
That's right. She had finally awakened.
It took pain, sacrifice, and chaos… but in the end, she succeeded.
And that's all that mattered.
But this was only the beginning.
She needed to grow stronger.
Enemies surrounded her—too many dangers creeping in from every direction.
Her father. Her mother.
Even without including them, her current strength was barely enough to survive. She was confident she could defeat the seven clan heirs who would inevitably come for her—if she went all out. She could even beat her brother, despite the fact that he stood a full rank above her.
He was Viscount-rank.
She had just awakened as a Baron.
In both vampire and demon hierarchy, the ranks followed the same path:
Baron → Viscount → Count → Marquess → Duke → Prince → Archdemon. → King
She was now at the bottom—Baron rank.
But she wasn't ordinary.
She was a hybrid. Both vampire and demon. Her skills spanned multiple disciplines—she could cast spells, wield a sword, and fight at both close and long range. Her combat experience and instincts ran deep, honed in darkness and born of survival.
And her mana?
It wasn't just strong—it was corrupted.
Her heart was the source.
Twisted, blackened by parasitic veins and thorns, it pulsed with thick, red mana. The leeching vines wrapped around it, feeding constantly, devouring her mana and reshaping itself into Something darker. Something… forbidden.
That's why it had been drawn to her chest.
Given preparation time, she was confident—she could take down even a low-tier Count on her own.
Her corrupted veins alone were monstrous, capable of tearing through Armor and draining strength.
Her mana hit harder than anything in her class.
She could burn, rot, or crush—depending on how much she allowed the corruption to surge.
But that was the problem.
No matter what…
In any situation…
She could not let the world know about the veins.
The very existence of that corruption had to be kept secret—at any cost.
It drastically reduced her combat potential in public battles.
She had to fight while holding herself back.
She had to pretend she was weaker than she truly was.
It was frustrating. But it was a good thing she did not want to be the centre of the attention…
And prefer to just quietly grow stronger
But.
There was one problem.
'Ughh Life is so damn hard.'
She couldn't increase her rank like normal.
Unlike others who advanced by refining their mana core or expanding their inner circle, she didn't have that luxury.
Her path was different. Twisted. Dangerous.
To grow stronger, she had to evolve the veins inside her body.
Those corrupted, leeching vines wrapped around her heart weren't just parasites—they were her power source.
The stronger they became, the larger her mana pool grew, and with it, her strength surged.
But enhancing them wasn't simple.
It consumed an absurd amount of mana—just to push them up by a minor tier.
And the process was painfully slow.
The most effective method was to let them devour things.
Monsters. Demons. Humans.
Anything with life force.
She had avoided it in her previous life—refused, even. Letting those veins run loose was far too dangerous. They were unpredictable, violent, and hungry.
But now?
They were strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
And that silence stirred her curiosity. Maybe now was the time to try again.
There was a second option, too—one far safer:
Feeding them artifacts.
It was the only path that made sense for her current situation. She could offer them low-tier artifacts for now. The veins—still in their infancy—could digest basic runes and enchantments. But as they grew, their appetite would evolve.
Soon, they'd crave high-grade materials.
Powerful monsters. Rare relics. Maybe even divine essence.
She let out a long sigh.
"It's like I adopted a high-maintenance pet…"
Her fingers moved unconsciously, drifting up to her chest.
Her hand pressed gently against her skin, fingertips idly stroking the area where the blackened thorns coiled protectively over her right breast. The vines pulsed faintly beneath her touch—quiet, still.
Almost… satisfied.
She blinked, half in disbelief.
This was the same cursed thing that had nearly killed her. More than once. The same corruption that twisted her body, darkened her mana, and nearly drove her insane.
Now it just… rested.
Peaceful. Almost asleep.
She sighed again, lips curling into a soft, bitter smile.
'What a mess.'