172: Chapter 173 Vampire Girl

This rocket-like leveling speed brought not only a surge in attributes but also a subversion of cognition. Su Qingyue stood in the cool morning breeze, feeling the surging, majestic magic within her body that far surpassed before, still feeling a sense of unreality as if in a dream. In just one night, she had completed a journey that would have originally required a year and a half or even longer of arduous grinding. All of this stemmed from the seemingly calm youth beside her and his heaven-defying, unreasonable experience Aura.

“What a pity,” Su Qingyue looked at the morning glow gradually brightening on the horizon and suddenly sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of regret. “After clearing so many high-level secret realms, it seems we didn't get many particularly valuable items. Lin Muyang, those scrolls must have cost you a lot, right? After a whole night of grinding, I'm afraid you won't even break even...”

She was truly lamenting Lin Muyang's loss. In her view, Lin Muyang had used so many precious high-level secret realm scrolls to power-level her, and while the drops seemed numerous, there didn't seem to be any priceless legendary-grade equipment or rare skill books; most were 'common' epic-grade and Sovereign-rank items. Measuring by the market value of those scrolls, it was definitely a massive loss.

Hearing this, the corner of Lin Muyang's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly, feeling a bit speechless. Not break even? What a joke! The profits from each of his secret realm journeys, after deducting the pittance given as mission rewards to the members of the 'Oracle' organization, were tens or even hundreds of times the cost! Not to mention those seemingly ordinary epic and Sovereign-rank equipment and materials; to others, they might just be goods to sell for money, but for him, who possessed Feng Ling, they were all 'high-grade fodder' for future Nirvana upgrades, their value hard to measure with money.

Of course, he couldn't explain this to Su Qingyue. He just smiled and said in a relaxed tone, “Teacher Su, don't worry about that. I have my ways regarding the scrolls. Experience is what's most needed right now.”

Su Qingyue looked at his calm and indifferent expression, thought of his mysterious background and ability to acquire resources, and felt relieved. True, how could someone who uses so many high-level scrolls to grind experience really care about that bit of cost? She was really worrying over nothing. She nodded and said no more.

“It's dawn, go back and rest first,” Lin Muyang said to Su Qingyue, glancing at the sky. “You've been tired all night too; although you were mostly just following along, the mental exhaustion isn't small. Recover your state well. As for the remaining scrolls... we'll continue later.”

He still had over twenty secret realm scrolls above level 75. According to last night's efficiency, if he could finish another dozen or so today, bringing Su Qingyue to above level 80 wouldn't be a big problem. His own goal was level 90. Calculating the time, if things went smoothly, he hoped to break through the level 90 mark around the time of the national Summoner Competition finals. At that time, his strength would reach a brand new level, and his grasp on the upcoming purgatory demon sea challenge would be even greater.

“Mm, okay. Thank you, Lin Muyang.” Su Qingyue thanked him sincerely, her beautiful eyes filled with gratitude. The experience of this night had completely changed her view of Lin Muyang, and she also recognized from the bottom of her heart that this 'student's' strength and vision far exceeded her own.

“You're welcome, Teacher Su has also helped me a lot,” Lin Muyang waved his hand, speaking with hidden meaning. Although Su Qingyue's 'assists' were more symbolic, they were at least a pretext.

The two parted at the villa entrance. Su Qingyue went back to her own residence next door; she needed to properly digest her skyrocketing level and power, while also calming her agitated emotions. Lin Muyang, meanwhile, turned and walked into his villa.

Closing the front door and shutting out the light and sound from the outside, the villa appeared exceptionally quiet. the young ladies summoned last night had dispersed to rest or do their own things. Elabess had pulled out an ancient-looking magic book from somewhere and was leaning in a corner of the sofa flipping through it; Elena quietly began preparing breakfast; Ao Qingyan transformed back into her mini-dragon form, coiling on a specially made soft cushion to nap; Su Daji and Lilia seemed to have developed an interest in a type of glowing small stone obtained from a secret realm last night and were huddled together studying it...

Lin Muyang did not disturb them; he walked straight to the center of the spacious living room.

It was time.

Reaching level 80 meant he could perform a new summoning. This would likely be the last summoning he performed in this villa. As the summoned young ladies became more numerous, although this villa was not small, it was gradually starting to feel a bit crowded.

However, that was a matter for later. At this moment, Lin Muyang's mind was completely immersed in the anticipation of the new summoning.

The charm of the Summoner class lay largely in the uncertainty of this 'one summon every ten levels.' Every summon was like opening a mysterious blind box; you never knew what form, talent, or potential the next partner to appear would have.

“Let's begin.” Lin Muyang calmed his emotions and communicated with the summoning power within his body with his mind.

Without any earth-shattering commotion, a speck of dark red light emerged out of thin air on the villa's living room floor, like a drop of blood falling into clear water, quickly spreading out. The light was not scorching but instead carried a cold, eerie feeling. It rapidly outlined and spread across the ground, forming a complex and profound pattern—it was a giant summoning magic circle dominated by dark red, interspersed with silver lines that looked like blood vessels!

A blood-red summoning magic circle!

This color had never appeared in Lin Muyang's previous summonings. Elabess's Abyss Succubus circle was a deep purple-black, Elena's Angel circle was a holy pure gold, Ao Qingyan's was a majestic cyan-gold... but this blood-red was filled with a strange sense of contradiction between life and destruction, carrying a seductive and dangerous Aura that struck directly at the soul.

The moment the magic circle took shape, an indescribable fluctuation spread out. Everyone in the living room, whether it was Lin Muyang or the young ladies who were resting or working, simultaneously felt the blood in their bodies surge slightly, as if pulled by something, giving them a feeling of accelerated blood flow and slight heat. This wasn't an attack, but more like a resonance, or perhaps the natural pressure of a higher existence.

“The Aura of the new companion... is very special.” Elabess closed her magic book, her crimson eyes looking toward the center of the magic circle with great interest. Elena stopped what she was doing, a hint of scrutiny flashing in her pure eyes. Ao Qingyan raised her small dragon head, golden light faintly appearing in her dragon eyes. Su Daji and Lilia also stopped playing and looked over curiously.

Under everyone's gaze, the blood-colored light in the center of the magic circle became increasingly dense, gradually condensing into a blurry humanoid outline. The light slowly contracted and solidified, and finally, a petite figure clearly appeared in the center of the circle.

It was a young girl who didn't look very old, her height only reaching about Lin Muyang's chest. Her figure was slender, and she wore a somewhat old-looking dark red Gothic dress with vintage lace trim. She was curled up, hands hugging her knees, burying her small face in the crook of her arms. A head of supple silver hair that flowed like moonlight was spread across the floor, reflecting an eerie luster under the glow of the blood-red magic circle.

She seemed to be sleeping and was startled awake by the sudden summoning ritual. Her long, fan-like silver eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

They were a pair of eyes like the purest rubies—clear and translucent, yet hiding a faint, hard-to-detect weariness and confusion toward the unfamiliar environment in their depths. When she first saw Lin Muyang standing outside the magic circle, looking down at her, that smear of confusion quickly faded, and an inexplicable sense of closeness and peace originating from the depths of her soul arose spontaneously, causing her to subconsciously relax her tensed body.

Lin Muyang was also observing this new companion. Silver hair and red pupils, her small face as exquisite as a doll's carried a sickly paleness. Her lip color was very light, save for two small, sharp fangs faintly visible at the corners of her mouth, adding a bit of non-human charm and danger to her. Her gaze was initially somewhat flustered, but after making eye contact with Lin Muyang, it quickly became dependent and docile. The 'Friend of Beautiful Girls' constitution had taken effect.

"Vampire?" Lin Muyang guessed in his heart; these physical characteristics were too obvious. However, unlike the noble, cold, or demonic Vampires he imagined, the girl before him looked... a bit weak, even malnourished? Her face was too pale, her figure too petite and thin, giving the impression of someone in a long-term state of hunger. This reminded Lin Muyang of the Night Elf Maiden Seraphina when she was first summoned, who also looked malnourished at the time.

Lin Muyang walked forward and squatted in front of the girl, trying to make his voice sound gentle: "Hello, I am Lin Muyang, your Summoner, and your future partner."

The girl blinked her bright red eyes, seemingly processing Lin Muyang's words and sensing the invisible contract connection between them. She didn't speak, only nodding gently, her silver hair swaying slightly with the movement.

With a thought, Lin Muyang activated the [Eye of Creation]. A golden shimmer flowed in the depths of his eyes, and the girl's attribute panel clearly appeared before him:

[Name: Alice]

[Race: Pureblood Vampire]

[Age: 18]

[Height: 158cm]

[Weight: 42kg]

[Personality Tendency: Shy, Loyal, Bloodthirsty (Controllable)]

[Current Level: 1]

[Class: Blood Sovereign (Hidden)]

[Strength: 42]

[Constitution: 45] (Slightly lower than the average level of the same rank, suspected long-term energy deficiency)

[Agility: 42]

[Spirit: 49]

[Talent: Shield of Fresh Blood (SSS-rank): All damage you deal (including direct damage, continuous damage, true damage, etc.) will be 100% converted into a layer of "Blood Shield" that absorbs an equivalent amount of damage. The Blood Shield has no stacking limit and can exist continuously until broken or actively consumed. While the shield exists, it can slowly recover your own HP and energy.]

[Skill 1: Blood-Sucking Touch]

Active skill. Can lock onto a single target from a distance, ignoring its physical defense and most energy resistances, directly drawing its life essence (blood), dealing Blood Element Damage equal to 20% of its maximum HP (this damage can be offset by "Blood Element Resistance"). If the target has no effective Blood Element Resistance, full damage is dealt directly. Cooldown: 3 seconds. Consumption: Trace amount of mental power.

[Skill 2: Blood Banquet Bloom]

Active skill. Can instantly detonate all current "Blood Shields".

After reading Alice's attribute panel, Lin Muyang's heart skipped a few beats.

Strong! Too strong! This is simply a killing machine born for battle!

[Blood-Sucking Touch], ignoring defense and dealing percentage maximum HP damage! Although it can be offset by "Blood Element Resistance," this attribute is extremely rare among human Class Transferees and the vast majority of monsters!

This meant that against enemies who hadn't specifically stacked blood resistance, Alice could almost ignore all of the opponent's defense and damage reduction methods, with every attack striking directly at the core of life! Coupled with Lin Muyang's [Infinite Firepower] Aura reducing the cooldown, it could theoretically achieve nearly gapless continuous extraction! What a terrifying execution capability!

[Blood Banquet Bloom], a burst skill with no cooldown! The damage is directly linked to the amount of the Blood Shield! And the Blood Shield comes from all the damage she deals! This means as long as she can continue to deal damage, she can continuously accumulate shields, which can then be converted into a devastating area-of-effect attack at any time! Offense and defense in one, an endless cycle! As long as she isn't instantly killed, she can fight more bravely as the battle progresses, becoming a mobile blood turret!

Such a Vampire girl with infinite potential was actually in a "hungry" state? Lin Muyang looked at Alice's pale face and somewhat thin body, understanding in his heart. It seemed that when the summoning system brought them from their original worlds, it couldn't guarantee they would be in perfect condition. Previously, Seraphina suffered from poor development due to long-term struggle in harsh environments, and now the Vampire Alice was... hungry?

"Alice?" Lin Muyang tried calling her name, his voice gentle.

The silver-haired, red-eyed girl tilted her head slightly, as if confirming he was calling her, and gave a soft "Mm," her voice thin and with a soft, sweet quality like someone who had just woken up.

Looking at her eyes, pure as rubies yet faintly revealing a longing for something, Lin Muyang had a thought and asked half-jokingly, half-seriously: "Do you... want to suck my blood?"

As soon as he spoke, Alice's large, somewhat bewildered eyes instantly lit up like two ignited rubies, staring intently at Lin Muyang as her small head nodded vigorously! That longing look was almost tangible. Her small nose even twitched slightly, as if sniffing the scent emanating from Lin Muyang that, to her, was full of fatal temptation.

Just as I thought...

Lin Muyang sighed in his heart, feeling a bit helpless but more of a "sure enough" feeling. After all, she was a Vampire; craving blood was an instinct. However, looking at this small girl with her longing yet restrained eyes, he really couldn't feel any aversion; instead, he found her a bit cute?

After a brief hesitation, he extended his arm and rolled up his sleeve, revealing his firm forearm. At the same time, he actively withdrew the defensive magic naturally flowing on the surface of his skin and the powerful physical resistance brought by his Aura, offering his arm to Alice.

"Go ahead, just a little, don't hurt yourself," Lin Muyang said in a calm tone, as if speaking about something very ordinary.

However, to everyone's surprise, faced with the "food" that was close at hand and emitted an incredibly tempting scent, although the longing in Alice's eyes grew stronger and her throat subconsciously swallowed, she didn't immediately pounce. Instead, she shrank back a small half-step, the tips of her small ears under her silver hair turning slightly red, her face showing a look of struggle and hesitation.

She looked at Lin Muyang, then at the arm offered to her, her crimson eyes filled with longing but suppressed by another stronger emotion—the closeness and loyalty stemming from the depths of her soul brought by the contract, making her instinctively feel that hurting her master was wrong and a bad thing to do.

She just stood there, her small hands unconsciously twisting the corner of her skirt, looking at Lin Muyang and then at his arm, her small face full of internal conflict and even a faint hint of grievance, as if blaming Lin Muyang for testing her in such a "cruel" way.

"Oh?" Elabess raised an eyebrow and sent a private message to Lin Muyang through the soul link, "Master, this little Vampire is quite interesting. For Vampires, the craving for blood is an almost innate and irresistible instinct, especially since she is a pureblood. Facing someone like you... well, with top-tier life essence and blood quality, her ability to exercise restraint shows that her mental strength is not simple."

"Mm," Lin Muyang responded, his evaluation of Alice rising another notch. Those who can restrain their instincts often possess even greater potential and mental fortitude.

Looking at Alice's pitiful appearance of wanting to eat but not daring to, he found it a bit funny and a bit heart-wrenching. After thinking about it, he withdrew his arm and rolled his sleeve back down.

Seeing this, a flash of imperceptible disappointment crossed Alice's eyes, but it was mostly a sense of relief.

"Forget it, there's no rush," Lin Muyang smiled and reached out to rub Alice's soft and smooth silver hair. The girl seemed to enjoy the touch, subconsciously rubbing against his palm like a cat having its fur stroked. "When your sister Chiba Ruri comes back, you can suck her blood."

Poor Chiba Ruri, currently still running around outside gathering secret realm scrolls from all over the world for Lin Muyang, completely unaware that she was to be further exploited.

Although Alice didn't quite understand who "Sister Chiba Ruri" was, her crimson eyes lit up again upon hearing about food. She nodded vigorously, her mouth curving up slightly to reveal two cute little fangs.

"Welcome to the team, Alice," Lin Muyang said gently.

"Mm!" Alice finally gave a clear and short response. Although her voice was still thin, the happiness within it could be heard.