章節 19: New Skills and features

Zephyr's eyes flew open, frustration evident on his face.

"I still can't sleep," he muttered, glancing at the clock's glowing numbers. Midnight. Sleep remained elusive, a familiar struggle for Zephyr, once a vampire. Their undead nature meant sleep was out of reach, a reality he had grown accustomed to, but one that still made it difficult to drift off.

Zephyr turned to the other side of the room and saw Browny and Jack fast asleep, their peaceful breathing a stark contrast to his own restlessness. Images of his past life flooded Zephyr's mind, making sleep an impossible feat. He couldn't shake the memories of his journey from a parentless beggar to the feared king of vampires, ruling over the lands with an iron fist. But his reign came to a brutal end, pierced by the supernatural kings' swords, ending his life in a swift, merciless strike.

As Zephyr reflected on his journey from vampire king to a human vessel, a sudden recollection sparked within him. "I almost forgot about the new skills I unlocked," he realized, his mind tuning into the promise of the system.

With a mental command, the list of his newfound abilities materialized before him, a testament to the system's seamless integration. He marveled at the ease with which it manifested.

Two skills stood out:

[Inspect Lv1: This skill grants the ability to observe the status of any desired target. Its proficiency increases with practice.]

[Shadow Enhance Lv1: Derived from his shadow manipulation ability, this skill empowers the host to enhance parts of his body using the power of shadows, boosting their strength. Cost: -5 energy.]

"I still can't believe I have the shadow ability back," Zephyr exclaimed with excitement. "And the system made it so much easier for me to use it. Before, as the shadow lord, mastering even a single skill took years of dedication."

In his past life as the shadow lord, harnessing the power of dark magic was a daunting task, requiring immense effort and patience. But now, the system had bestowed upon him a skill effortlessly.

"Seems like using the shadow enhance skill will deplete my energy," Zephyr noted. "Well, let's give it a try."

[Shadow Enhance skill activated]

[-5 energy]

[Energy: 45/50]

As the skill activated, Zephyr sensed a slight weakening due to the energy depletion, though it posed no significant harm. A dark aura, akin to flames, enveloped his right arm, a familiar sensation that stirred no surprise within him. With practiced ease, he manipulated the shadowy substance, guiding it with precision until it reached the palm of his hand.

"Controlling it feels natural," Zephyr remarked, his confidence evident. However, his attention was soon diverted by a notification that appeared before him.

[The strength of your palm has doubled, courtesy of Shadow Enhance.]

"I understand now why it's called shadow enhance," Zephyr mused, feeling the newfound strength coursing through his hand. "Now, to test the inspect skill."

As Zephyr activated the inspect skill, he anticipated the display of information, but to his disappointment, nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" he muttered in frustration. "Am I doing something wrong?"

His initial concern grew into doubt, wondering if the inspect skill was malfunctioning or perhaps broken. However, just as he began to question its functionality, his gaze fell upon Browny, and suddenly, a notification materialized before him.

[Inspect]

[Name: Browny (real name unknown)]

[Race: Human]

[Ability: Earth]

[Vitality: 98%]

[Threat: Green]

Relief washed over Zephyr as the skill finally revealed its capabilities, providing him with valuable insights into Browny's status.

"Whoa, I can see his entire status," Zephyr marveled, acknowledging the rarity and defiance of such an ability against the laws of nature. Yet, being who he was, Zephyr paid no heed to such constraints. Browny's status revealed intriguing details, particularly his unnamed origin, a fact that weighed on Zephyr's mind.

"I don't know much about him," Zephyr pondered, "but not being given a name may not bode well for his past." Pushing aside this concern for later, he refocused on the system.

Perusing Browny's status, Zephyr found it puzzling to see his ability listed, especially since Browny seemed devoid of any special powers.

"Oh, now that I think of it, it seems he learned an ability from the book and acquired an earth ability. That's good," Zephyr remarked, pleased that Browny was progressing on the path to becoming a champion.

Examining Browny's vitality, Zephyr understood it as the life force of a living being. A decrease indicated damage, while emptiness signified death.

Turning his attention to the threat feature, Zephyr noted the green glow beside it, reminiscent of a thermometer with colors ranging from red to green. Although confused by the green color, a system prompt appeared, clarifying the situation.

[Threat: This feature, appearing when the inspect skill scans someone, determines whether the scanned individual poses a threat to the host. Green indicates safety, while red signifies danger. As the color moves closer to red, the danger level increases.]

With this explanation, Zephyr's confusion lifted, providing him with a clearer understanding of Browny's status and potential threats.

"Oh, I see. I can assess threats based on the colors that appear. Awesome," Zephyr remarked, feeling more confident in his ability to discern danger. With this newfound skill, he could anticipate potential threats from a distance, heightening his awareness.

Examining Jack's status, Zephyr took note of the blue threat indicator, indicating a moderate level of danger.

[Inspect]

[Name: Jack matin]

[Race: Human]

[Ability: Lightening

[Vitality: 99%]

[Threat: Blue]

"Hmm, Jack seems to pose a bit of a threat with his blue designation, especially considering his powerful lightning ability," Zephyr analyzed. "I'll need to be cautious around him, especially since I'm still weak. But I won't back down from a challenge—I'll test my skills against him and see how I fare." With a determined mindset, Zephyr prepared himself for the upcoming confrontation.

Zephyr decided to check his status, but when the system opened, he was taken aback.

[Status]

[Genes] <Locked>

[Skills]

[Inventory]

"Let's see what's new," he murmured, eyeing the options before him. The first thing that caught his attention was the "[Genes]" section, marked as locked.

"Huh, that's new," Zephyr remarked, his curiosity piqued. Despite its inaccessible state, he attempted to access it, only to be met with a prompt:

[This Feature has been locked]

[Get stronger to unlock the feature]

Zephyr couldn't shake off his confusion about why the feature was locked, but he brushed it off, attributing it to the system's standard protocol of requiring strength for unlocking.

"The system is really getting on my nerves with this 'get stronger' thing," Zephyr grumbled inwardly. Despite his frustration, he decided to set aside the locked feature for the time being, hopeful that it would eventually open up. The name intrigued him, sparking a sense of anticipation that something significant lay hidden within.

Putting that aside, he turned his attention to checking his current status:

[Status]

<User: Zephyr>

<Race: Human>

<Level: 1> [0/100exp]

<Energy: 50/50>

[Attributes]

[Strength: 10]

[Speed: 10]

[Stamina: 10]

"I can see now that the system merging with my body has brought about changes and new features," Zephyr exclaimed, excitement evident in his voice. He noted with satisfaction that his energy had replenished itself, a realization that it seemed to refill automatically over time.

"This is going to be great," he declared, anticipation coursing through him at the prospect of exploring the possibilities afforded by the system's integration with his body.

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