The night vaguely reminiscent of the gloomy atmosphere inside the ‘Bloodbourne family’ mansion. A family of 4th-Gen Vampires.

The glorious and prosperous family mansion comprised of numerous partitions—each partition serving its own unique purpose.

The family ancestors had constructed a vicious labyrinth on one of those partitions behind the palace walls and in the middle ground from the walls to the labyrinth situated a small garden.

Now, in that garden, four siblings engaged in a quarrel.

“Direwolf! You fright in sight of a mere direwolf yet call yourself a Vampire!” Melchoir yelled, looming over Cain, who rested on the ground at his knees.

“Let him be, brother” Serven stopped Melchoir from hitting the boy in the ground.

Melchoir’s white skin reddened, and his scarlet eyes shone. Anger flowed through his veins.

“Calm down!” Jullin joined in along with Serven to stop Melchoir from snapping.

Melchoir gritted his teeth and took a long breath, “Don’t be an imbecile. Those dire wolves are your only remaining hope. So, either kill them or forget being part of this family.”

The three brothers who stood tall on the ground were members of the ‘Bloodbourne family’. All of them wore a dark suit overcoat with antique buttons. The fabric, combined with their glistering faces and scarlet eyes, reflected elegance. Meanwhile, on his knees, Cane looked bare with only tiny scraps of what once was a fine coat remaining on his body.

After giving a look of sheer dismay, and some added lectures, the three brothers left.

Cain still peered, looking down. The words of his siblings caused him no distress. They were but kids who stepped into adolescence in his eyes.

To him, there were more vital things to ponder about.

As someone with memories of the future, there were many concerns he had to wonder about.

Thirty years of life on Earth filled with nothing but looking down on others. Another ten years of livelihood filled with arrogance inside the Bloodborne family, along with added 200 years of solitude in a cage.

What a petty life I lived.

He stood up and cracked his neck a few times. Then, after stretching his arms, he walked towards the labyrinth.

Even at night, the wall surrounding the labyrinth glittered as green glow worms swarmed around the walls.

Cain bit his thumb. Little blood poured out and rippled along his palm.

The gate at the centre of the labyrinth was colossal, standing over 200 feet. Numerous marking’s of various species of bats were embroidered on that gate.

Cain pressed his palm against the gate. The blood on his palm got soaked, and the gate opened. However, it did not emit even a hint of sound.

For every sibling, the gate would open up to different destinations.

Cain walked inside. He vividly remembered this place: the high walls, the dark pathway and the obnoxious aura across the path. The first time he’d come here, he feared some ghost might pop out of nowhere. Thus, trembled all the way.

As he walked, he witnessed blue glow worms far away. The worms indicated he’d reached the end of the path and entered the forest.

The coal-black trees stood tall, but none of the blue leaves fluttered.

Blue glowworms flew atop the trees, down the indigo bushes, and around the vibrant rivers.

The first time when he saw this forest right after walking through the sombre path, he became gratified by the majestic view.

However, this time, his black eyes and frame remained still like the leaves that could not flutter without the wind.

Cain entered the forest bare feet. Sometimes the pointy edges of a fallen branch or the little stones on the ground would injure his feet, but he disregarded the pain.

Cain halted as, inch by inch, a figure revealed itself from behind a tree.

The first thing he noticed was the dazzling blue eyes that could put the blue flames exhaled by a sky dragon to shame. Then the snow-white fur that glittered even in the dark.

Indeed a beautiful yet beastly creature it was. A creature that belonged to the species of Direwolves, known as “Snow Wolves.”

Direwolves and Bloodbournes shared a form of unique bond.

Every time, a new member, birthed within the Bloodborne family, a species of direwolf would get raised inside the labyrinth. And when the child would reach the age of 12, that child would get sent into the labyrinth to kill the dire wolf—a ritual followed by the family members for thousands of generations.

According to the myths, the wolf raised would also indicate the persona for whom it was raised for. Cain now realized the wolf’s persona was in no way similar to his. But if in the beginning had he been wiser, he could have acquired many vital lessons from the wolf.

Cain, when first reincarnated in this world, had a hard time fitting in. But that changed. And in his past life, this was the event that triggered the change.

From his eyes, he could clearly see his past self, trembling in the sight of the wolf. But, after all, then, he was but a human in mind. So, when a wolf 5-6 times bigger than the ones he’d seen on Earth appeared in front of him, then how could he not help but tremble like a child and fall back on the ground.

He looked at the ground where his past self once cried in fear. But shifted a step swiftly to the side and dodged a white wolf which charged from behind.

His focus yet did not lay on the wolf that just attacked but on the image of his past self. When he’d fallen back on the ground, another wolf had charged from behind and bit his neck. At that time, he was unable to fight back. The incident had caused him to undergo forced Core awakening. And damaged his Core a bit. But still, Cain awakened one of the most potent ‘Core’ within the Bloodborne family. This caused Cain to gain recognition within the family. He learned to fight and realized his superiority and, along the way, gained respect and fame.

However, this brewed the seeds of arrogance within him. Even on Earth, he was born in an affluent family. He would flaunt his wealth in high school and bully others to feel superior. The more he lived, the more supercilious he got until he died at the age of 30 and reincarnated here. In this world of monsters, he felt like a bug. Thus his pride got shattered.

Although that didn’t last for long. His Core awakened, yet again, he became conceited. Furthermore, the feeling of being “The Chosen One” engulfed him.

The wolf reattempted to sink its fang’s within Cain and charged with a wide maw. Cain shielded himself with his right arm. The wolf’s white fang sunk into his skin.

 

《Bone Density Heightened by 18% On Left Limb》

《Skin Penetration Heightened by 30% On Left Limb》

 

The fingers and the nails on his left arm sharpened like a spear and impaled the wolf’s neck.

 

《Slain: White Wolf﹝1﹞》

 

Right before the blood could drip down the wolf’s neck and reach the ground, the shade of Cain’s black eyes slightly turned Scarlet.

He swiftly took out his arm and met his eyes with the Snow Wolf’s. The white wolf he just slew was merely one of its pawns. No matter how small, weak or fragile its prey might seem. The snow wolf would never attack by itself. The moment Cain had entered the forest, the snow wolf had noticed his presence. The direwolf waited until Cain entered further into the woods while ordering its pawns to surround him. The wolf hunted with patience, laid traps and prioritized its own safety above all.

In his first life, this was the lesson Cain failed to learn. After gaining a Core, he flaunted his skills. He prioritized his safety, but he always acted in a way to satisfy his pride. He would be impetuous, act irrationally, and planned little for the future.

Spreading his wings thoughtlessly, he failed to realize he was but a frog in a well. His many flaws led to him getting captured and being used as a blood bank for others in solitude. The 200 years he spent in that solitude made him contemplate his life many times. And taught him, innumerable lessons.

 

《Scotopic Vision Heightened by 25%》

《Auditory Perception Heightened by 25%》

《Sense of Olfaction Heightened by 25%》

《Restoration of Right Limb Started》

《Further required Battle Preparations Complete》

 

His senses heightened.

 

Five. No six wolves around.

 

His limbs and fingers altered like spears. His muscles all clenched, ready for combat.

Closing his eyes, he listened and waited.

The white wolves didn’t make the mistake of growling and notifying the opponent. They moved in silence.

But, the forest had grass and leaves all over the ground.

His ear flicked as he noticed the footsteps of a wolf from behind.

Before the wolfs could leap in for an attack, he turned behind and kicked the wolf in its face. However, the moment he’d turned back, the other two wolves had dashed from the back.

Right after he finished the kick, he felt pain on the back of both his shoulders as the fangs of two wolves had sunk inside his skin. His body swiftly twirled, shaking off both wolves.

Another two wolves in stealth also joined in. The whole pack attacked. Cain’s muscles got ripped many times. However, the wolves maws lacked the power to break his bones.

The cycle continued until he pierced all six wolves and killed them.

 

《Slain: White Wolf﹝6﹞》

 

The wolf’s fang could tear his skin but lacked the power to fracture his bone. Vampires healed at an incredible rate. White Wolves didn’t.

He never needed a core awakening to kill the wolves. A frightened human could not defeat the wolves. However, no white wolf could ever overpower a Vampire. And he was a Vampire.

Meanwhile,

The Snow wolf had observed the battle from afar the entire time.

Finally, after killing the white wolves, Cain met his eyes with the Snow Wolf’s.

The Snow Wolf turned its head and left.

Cain had no intention to chase after it. The labyrinth’s purpose was to prepare the young for their first kill and awaken their Scarlet eyes. When he killed the first wolf, he had already awoken the Scarlet Eyes. Now, he was eligible to join the Bloodborne family on official terms.

Killing the Snow wolf would give him some extra privilege and praise. But he was no longer the man who sought praise from others to satisfy his ego. That man had died in solitude. As for the privilege, it would only cause him to stand out.

 

《All Senses Reverted To Normal State》

《Body Constitution Reverted To Normal State》

 

Cain walked near the wolf’s corpse. Blue glow worms had started to gather around the bodies. He shook them off with his arm and leaned down. Once he opened his mouth, his two white sharp fangs shone.

In the past, he did feel uncomfortable drinking blood. But it didn’t take him long to adjust. As once he first tasted the blood, he got addicted. To a vampire, blood was like heavenly nectar.

Some blood had escaped from the wolf’s body through the wound, but it still remained fresh.

Cain sunk his fangs into the wolf’s corpse, his fangs soaked in the blood like a sponge soaking water. After a few minutes, the only thing that remained was the wolf’s dry fur, shrunk muscles, and bones.

A dead husk.

He did the same to all other wolf corpses.

 

《Blood Essence Increased by 230%》

 

After consuming all the blood, he opened his eyes. His eyes were scarlet yet very different from when they first awoke. The shade of Scarlet, now, emitted heavy illumination.

They looked like two rubies, spreading the colour of scarlet all around.