Chapter 136: Survive against the Worm

“Finally… a small moment of peace…”

Lucian muttered quietly under his breath.

He was currently inside a massive bathroom, so large that it nearly rivaled the bedroom he had woken up in earlier.

Smooth marble walls reflected the warm golden lights overhead, while faint steam drifted through the air, wrapping the room in a hazy warmth that looked like something taken straight from a wealthy man’s fantasy.

At the center rested an enormous bath, so large it resembled a miniature pool more than a bathtub.

Lucian leaned his head back against the smooth edge behind him, allowing his body to sink deeper into the soothing hot water.

The exhaustion weighing down on him eased slightly, and the tension in his shoulders finally began loosening—if only a little.

He had already washed away the bloodstains and dirt covering his body earlier, cleaning himself thoroughly before coming here to rest, leaning his head back and sinking into the hot water that felt deeply soothing against his skin.

All of his injuries had already healed completely, leaving behind no scars whatsoever.

Even the old scars he once carried had vanished without a trace.

“So much happened… from the time Lia left without any warning.”

Lucian muttered softly, his voice faintly echoing throughout the empty bathroom.

There was no one else inside the massive space but him, and after everything that had happened, the silence surrounding him felt strangely peaceful.

Vivienne had brought him here earlier while continuously glaring daggers at him, as though he had somehow stolen her mother away from her.

Though he could somewhat understand why she was acting like that.

Because—𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

[You have learned the skill: Charm.]

A translucent screen flickered into existence before his eyes once again, prompting Lucian to slowly open them as he stared at it in silence.

[Charm]

– Activates vampiric eyes capable of influencing emotions and thoughts

– Weakens mental resistance through direct eye contact

– Can induce attraction, hesitation, obedience, or fascination

– Strong-willed targets can resist partially

[Note: Eye contact with the user is necessary to some extent.]

He could only think of that as the reason she had been looking at him as though he had committed some unforgivable crime—or perhaps done something that shouldn’t even be possible.

“It’s basically similar to hypnosis. Lowering their mental resistance and planting suggestions just by staring into my eyes,” he muttered softly, not even bothering to read the description again, as he had already gone through it a minute earlier.

[Yup, congratulations. You get one hundred points for your correct analysis.]

Akasha’s joking voice echoed inside his head, causing Lucian’s lips to curl faintly as he inwardly shook his head.

He could practically imagine her clapping her hands with a teasing smile right in front of him, and for a brief second, he almost wished it were possible.

A small frown formed between his brows, but he quickly shook the thought away.

Thinking about his abilities, Lucian once again looked at the traits he had, something he had been ignoring for a bit.

A new translucent screen appeared before him.

[Traits]

Eternal Body

Regenerative core

Blood Sense

Heightened Senses

Scarlett Rage

Infernal Heart

Sunborn Vampire

???

???

???

Below, the trait descriptions appeared one after another.

Lucian’s eyes moved across each of them in silence.

The first few traits were already familiar to him, though he had ignored some of them earlier, not having enough time to properly think about them.

[Heightened Senses]

– Sharply enhances hearing, smell, sight, and touch

– Improves detection of movement, killing intent, and hidden presence

– Reaction speed slightly increases due to faster sensory processing

[Scarlett Rage]

– Anger temporarily increases physical strength and mana output.

– Flame attacks become more destructive during emotional surges.

[Infernal Heart]

– Grants high resistance toward heat and fire.

– Reduces damage taken from flame-based attacks.

[Sunborn Vampire]

– Sunlight cannot burn or weaken the bearer due to the Scarlett Bloodline, unlike the usual vampires.

– Physical abilities remain unaffected during the daytime.

— — —

The steam drifting through the room caused the glowing screens to look slightly distorted through the haze.

Infernal Heart, Scarlett Rage, and Sunborn Vampire were clearly connected to the Scarlett Bloodline.

So then, what about the Heightened Senses?

[That’s a natural vampire trait.]

Akasha answered immediately before he could even ask the question aloud, having already read through his thoughts, before continuing further.

[Vampires naturally possess senses far superior to humans. And compared to most races, humans are rather average… or even below that.]

“You mean there really are other races?”

[Yes.]

That was all she said, offering no further explanation.

“As expected,” Lucian muttered under his breath, not feeling particularly annoyed as he slowly exhaled before sinking deeper into the water.

He hadn’t truly expected an answer from her in the first place.

Rather than frustration, what he felt was curiosity—a growing desire to meet these new races himself someday.

Warm water closed over his ears.

The sounds around him instantly became muffled and distant.

There were also the three other traits marked with the same irritating “???” symbols once again.

And according to Akasha, he still needed to fulfill certain requirements before he could access them, just like the hidden category within his vampire race.

Leaving those thoughts aside for the moment, Lucian simply tried to relax his body.

It had been a very long time since he had taken a proper rest—and by rest, he didn’t mean sleep.

His body remained submerged deep within the bathtub, only a faint blur of his dark hair visible above the water.

Yet even while trying to relax, he was also forcing himself to ignore the hunger—or perhaps the thirst slowly burning within his throat.

The irritating sensation was now subtle, but still impossible to ignore.

It wasn’t ordinary hunger. He already knew that, and he also knew why he was feeling it.

Vivienne had explained to him earlier before throwing him into the bath.

According to her, he had apparently gone a bit wild because of his Bloodlust—the thirst for blood—and she had knocked him unconscious, which had slightly reduced the feeling.

But before leaving, she had also given him a warning.

“It looks like you haven’t even tasted blood yet, so it’ll be even more difficult for you to handle it. So don’t you dare go out of the castle during this time.

If I find out you went out… I’ll be the first one to kill you.”

Or so… that was what she said.

‘She really can’t stop herself from being rude,’ Lucian thought inwardly with faint annoyance, completely unaware that Vivienne held the exact same impression of him.

Well, even if he knew, he would just annoy her even more.

He slowly opened his eyes beneath the water, and despite never having undergone any special training for it, his vision remained strangely clear underwater without much difficulty.

The hot water distorted things slightly, but he could still see the smooth marble beneath him.

Then, with a splash, Lucian lifted his head out of the water again.

Droplets of water slid down his face and neck while strands of wet black hair clung loosely to his forehead. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing the damp strands back.

“Haa…”

Letting out a slow exhale, he lowered his gaze, finally taking a proper look at his body.

His pale, smooth skin almost seemed to glisten beneath the soft lighting, the droplets of water across his body reflecting the golden light faintly.

And he immediately noticed something else. Aside from the hair on his head, nearly all the hair across his body had disappeared completely.

Lucian blinked.

‘Another vampire thing…?’

Honestly, it somehow made sense.

Vampires were clearly beings superior to ordinary humans in many ways, so it felt natural that imperfections would disappear alongside the transformation—including body hair and even pubic hair.

His body itself had changed as well.

Not enough for him to look like a completely different person, but enough that his frame had become slightly broader and more defined.

His muscles had grown leaner yet denser, giving him a far more refined and almost noble appearance than before.

And… another part of his body had clearly “evolved” as well, something that secretly made him feel a little satisfied, though none of that showed on his face.

As for exactly what part he was thinking about—for anyone who still didn’t understand, it’s probably better to stop here.

Several more minutes passed afterward.

Lucian remained exactly where he was, unmoving within the bathtub, and almost fell asleep with his head tilted back against the edge of the enormous bathtub.

But as if someone couldn’t allow him to rest a bit more—

[Right…!]

Akasha’s loud voice abruptly chimed through his head, almost like she had suddenly remembered something important at the last second.

[I completely forgot about the quests!]

Lucian’s brows immediately furrowed, and without opening his eyes, he spoke tiredly.

“What quests?”

The word “Quest” itself sounded annoying right now. Like a restriction, as though someone else was trying to direct his actions, to control him.

And though his system helped him survive multiple times already and granted him countless Attribute Points as rewards, which in turn increased his strength rapidly—

A part of him instinctively disliked being told what to do.

And as always, Akasha immediately felt his emotions, and she spoke again, clearing his thoughts.

[Don’t worry. From now on, most quests will remain hidden, and depending on your actions, you’ll naturally either complete or fail them.]

Lucian’s expression shifted slightly, but she wasn’t done yet.

[Though there will still be some quests you receive beforehand. At that point, you can choose whether to complete or discard them… despite the consequences.]

A faint crease formed between his brows as he slowly opened his eyes, the translucent screen reflecting within his crimson pupils.

Hidden Quests.

Though it was still somewhat bothersome, it was far better than constantly being told what he had to do every single time.

Feeling him slightly satisfied, Akasha continued again.

[Anyways, I’ll show you the quests you already completed before.]

That immediately caught his interest.

Lucian’s eyes slightly lit up as he straightened his back against the smooth wall behind him.

Then—

Several translucent screens materialised before him.

[You have completed the hidden quest: Survive against the Worm.]

A larger screen appeared directly afterwards.

[Quest: Survive against the Worm]

Objective:

– Survive inside the stomach of the Giant Maw Worm.

– Escape its stomach without dying.

Reward: 50 AP

[You have completed the objective.]

[You have acquired 50 Attribute Points.]

Lucian’s eyes narrowed as he read the screen, and he swallowed slightly, feeling the bloodlust rising within him.

Before he could think any further—

Another screen appeared, overlapping the first one.

300 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter.

Yeah, I know I increased the number of Power Stones but I’ll run out of ideas if I rushed myself too much, so bear with this lazy author.