I Became the Progenitor Vampire

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: The Girl Abandoned by the World (4/4 – Full Chapter)
 

“Converting to a Shadow Priest is difficult because you have to endure the erosion of Shadow Energy,” he said. “As long as you can convert the energy within your body into Shadow Energy, you’re bound to successfully specialize.”

“So as long as you can provide me with enough Priests, I can create an army of Spellcasters for you.”

Lide couldn’t help but shake his head. Where was he supposed to get Priests from? Dawn City didn’t even have a temple, and he certainly couldn’t easily establish one within the city.

“Do Shadow Priests have any other special abilities?”

“Of course, Ancestor Crown, Shadow Priests are unlike ordinary Priests. We are powerful Shadow Manipulators with tremendous lethality…”

After Emi’s detailed introduction, Lide had gained a deep understanding of the Shadow Priest profession.

Undoubtedly, Shadow Priest is a hidden profession, and the prerequisite for converting to a Shadow Priest is to be a Priest; no other profession can convert.

Lide’s primary profession was Mage, and even if his Talent was high, he couldn’t become a Shadow Priest because of conversion restrictions.

Yet, there were several Talent Specializations of the Shadow Priest profession that Lide greatly coveted.

Shadow Priest: After converting to a Shadow Priest, all Skills transform into shadow-related Skills, and they come with a Shadow Energy erosion effect, increasing damage by 30%.

Shadow Affinity: After converting to a Shadow Priest, all recovery abilities are increased by 100% while in the shadows.

Shadow Control: Using shadow-related Skills grants a 20% Magic Power reduction and increases casting speed by 30%.

Powerful. That was Lide’s only impression of this hidden profession after listening to Emi’s explanation.

These three skills greatly enhance the profession’s casting ability, far surpassing that of a normal Mage.

However, there was also a flaw—only limited shadow-related Spells could be used, and other normal Spells couldn’t be learned or used.

But compared to the advantages this profession brought, the flaw seemed not so significant.

Even Lide would have been tempted if he were a Priest. These Talent Specializations were too strong.

Moreover, the Shadow Priest profession matched well with the Talents of the Bloodline, hiding in shadows. The Bloodline also favored the dark, but the difference was that the latter would be empowered in both daylight and night as long as there were shadows, while the Bloodline was strengthened after sunset, regardless of their location.

He even had a premonition that if a Bloodline were to convert to a Shadow Priest, they would see a huge improvement.

It was just a pity that one had to be a Priest to convert.

This presented a challenge. The power of the Shadow Priest was undeniable, but his Dawn City didn’t have Priests, and to become a Priest, one must have faith in the Divine.

After having faith in the Divine, would anyone still be willing to convert to a Shadow Priest?

Converting would mean abandoning their faith, and if someone was an important figure in the temple, they might even attract Divine attention.

So a seemingly simple issue had Lide stuck.

He didn’t have Priests, and even if he did, he wouldn’t dare bring them carelessly to Dawn City.

Lide rubbed his nose, at a loss for ideas, and decided to set the matter aside for the time being.

In the future, he could only see if there was an opportunity to establish a temple under his control in Dawn City.

Without a doubt, Shadow Priest was a very good hidden profession, completely abandoning the gentle healing power of Priests and becoming more like a venomous serpent. There might be great developmental potential in the future.

“Emi, compile all the Spells you’ve learned. Also, if you find anyone suitable to convert to a Shadow Priest in Dawn City, feel free to choose.”

“As you wish, Ancestor Crown.”

Although he felt some regret Lide wisely didn’t dwell too much on the Shadow Priest.

After the meeting, Emi, with excitement and a few second-generation Bloodline, rushed out of the city to experiment with the Small Fireball Technique.

Lide watched their excited expressions with amusement, but didn’t pay much attention, for the exchange of Magic was a good thing.

He continued to ponder the future development plans for Dawn City.

…

Green City, four days since Lide left.

At this moment, the square in front of the Crimson Mage Tower was exceptionally lively.

For the commoners at the bottom of society, becoming a noble Mage was everyone’s dream.

Because this was one of the very few channels through which one could safely and quickly become superior to others.

No one did not envy the Mage Masters high above.

Now, such an opportunity lay before them.

The Crimson Mage Tower was recruiting Mage Apprentices.

For commoners, this was a tremendous fortune. There were only two Mage Towers in the southern district, and the other Mage Tower had not taken in any apprentices for twenty years.

The recruitment of apprentices by the Crimson Mage Tower was now their only hope.

As for going to other districts, those despicable commoners would not allow others to snatch the spots meant for their children, just as they would join forces to resist people from outside the southern district coming to the Crimson Mage Tower.

However, for Vina, what bothered her the most right now was that more and more apprentices were coming into the Mage Tower, but not a single one of them had outstanding talent.

This made Vina very unhappy.

In the girl’s heart, the Crimson Mage Tower took the top priority, as she had long considered the Mage Tower her home.

Of course, the owner of this home was naturally the master she relied on with all her heart.

For the Crimson Mage Tower, for Lord Lide, she was willing to give her all.

She knew well that the future of the Mage Tower needed to be supported by Mage Apprentices, and the Talent of these apprentices represented their future.

The profession of Mage was the most Talent-dependent among all professions. Without Talent, the road ahead would be very difficult.

Not being able to recruit talented apprentices was no doubt a matter that made her very unhappy.

She wanted to make more contributions to Lord Lide’s Mage Tower, and an exceptionally talented apprentice would undoubtedly be the best gift.

“Sorry, the qualification is not sufficient, next.”

A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy revealed an intense disappointment after the Magic Crystal in front of him showed no reaction.

Especially under the scrutiny of Vina’s stunningly beautiful countenance, a sense of self-inflicted shame overcame him, and he left the testing site with his head down, disheartened.

The long line of people did not care about one who had failed the test. Too many such individuals had come and gone in recent days; it was the successful ones that were indeed rare.

Out of over thirty thousand people of eligible age, only about thirty had qualified so far.

Vina watched the scene expressionlessly, completely unmoved by the boy’s hopeful gaze.

In her heart, Lide was her sky. The Crimson Mage Tower needed to grow stronger in order to support that man; thus, during this round of tests, she quietly raised the requirements by two levels.

Soft-heartedness? Nonexistent. To outsiders, the cold-faced Vina was colder than the deepest winter. Her smiles and warmth would only surface in the presence of the one who had rescued her from the abyss.

At this moment, a middle-aged woman, with pride in her step under the watchful eyes of those around her, stepped forward with her children, pushing her young son, barely ten years old, in front of the table holding the Magic Affinity Crystal.

“Good day, Mage, my name is Mary, this is my son—Kili. He has already learned to write, and the Master Priest of the Life Goddess’ temple has even praised him for his intelligence~”

After delivering those words with a sharp countenance, the woman’s face took on a hint of pride, seemingly full of confidence in her son.

Vina’s expression did not change; she had seen many such scenes before. Each parent brought their children with full confidence, but those with Talent were far too few. Just as she was about to let the boy take the test, the scene before her made her frown.

The woman’s face fell upon seeing that her son was about to be tested while still holding a paper pinwheel. Her thin lips tightened into a severe line. She turned to look at the girl beside her, who had been bowing her head all this time, disgust written all over her face.

“Idiot, won’t you take that thing from your brother’s hand? If you hold up your brother from becoming a Mage, wait and see how I’ll deal with you when we get home!”

The fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, dressed in worn hemp clothes, was so slight that she looked like she could be blown over by a gust of wind.

Startled by the words, she hurriedly stepped forward to receive the pinwheel toy from the boy’s hand, still not daring to raise her head.

The woman’s impatience showed as she glared at the girl, muttering under her breath.

“Hmph, monster.”

The young girl trembled at these words, bowing her head even lower.

Seated behind the table, Vina’s expression subtly shifted, a trace of anger rising in her heart, yet she remained silent. In this world, a woman’s life was considered cheap unless she possessed great strength, otherwise…

In the families of commoners, boys always held a higher status than girls; this was a sight she had seen all too often. Even if she scolded this woman now, the one to suffer upon returning home would still be the young girl, unless she were to kill the woman.

“Place your hand on top, and you’ll feel the magic power wafting around you; all you need to do is gather it and channel it into the Magic Affinity Crystal,” she said. “The denser the magic, the brighter the Magic Crystal will glow, signifying the higher your Talent.”

Vina’s voice became colder by a few notes, even though she knew she couldn’t change any of this, it still stirred up disgust in her for the mother and son before her.

It reminded her of that malicious stepmother—if not for the presence of Lord Lide, she might have spent her life serving that Noble man with the crippled legs, rather than becoming a high and mighty Mage as she was now.

The sharp-faced woman failed to notice the loathing in Vina’s eyes and turned her head, speaking to the little boy with a smile.

“Kili, perform well, and once you become a Master Mage, mommy will buy you everything you want~” This amiable demeanor contrasted like an Angel and a Devil with how she treated the little girl beside her.

“Alright, mommy~” Exclaimed Kili, the little boy called, his laugh full of gaiety. His cheerful expression, clad in bright clothes, was a stark contrast to the girl beside him, holding his things, hanging her head in silence, dressed in tattered burlap.

Vina’s heart twinged slightly as she watched the girl. On her, she saw a faint reflection of herself from long, long ago.

Kili stepped forward confidently, “My name is Kili, and I shall become a noble Master Mage~”

The little boy’s proud shout attracted sidelong glances from the surrounding crowd. Having said that, Kili placed his hand on the Crystal Ball amid the onlookers’ curious gazes.

At that moment, the sharp-faced woman behind him couldn’t help holding her breath.

Vina’s expression remained unchanged as she watched, and about a dozen Mage Apprentices who maintained order around the Mage Tower turned their heads to look out of curiosity.

One minute passed, and the Crystal Ball showed no reaction.

Two minutes passed, and the Crystal Ball still showed no reaction.

Three minutes passed, and the Crystal Ball seemed asleep, utterly still and silent.

With a whoosh, the woman’s face turned ashen, muttering to herself.

“Impossible, impossible, the Master Priest told me himself in bed last night that Kili has the Talent of a Mage; it can’t be, it must be the Crystal Ball that is broken!!”

Kili, by this point, opened his sweat-drenched eyes and, seeing the crowd’s gaze, his face instantly flushed red.

“I, I felt the magic power, but, but I can’t harness it—it must be because there’s too little magic power here, it must be!”

His claim drew laughter from the crowd.

“Hahaha, you little runt, if you don’t have Talent, then scram, don’t waste my time waiting in line.”

“Not enough magic? I remember someone passing the test just one Sunshine Hour ago.”

“Beat it…”

Under the mocking laughter of the crowd, Kili and the sharp-faced woman behind him looked incredibly disgruntled, yet they didn’t have the guts to challenge or retort to the Test Mages.

The sharp-faced woman turned intending to leave immediately but, seeing the little girl beside her hanging her head as if unaffected, anger churned within her, and she slapped the little girl across the face.

With a smack, the crisp sound echoed far across the open space in front of Crimson Mage Tower.

“You filthy, lowly monster, if your brother can’t become a Master Mage, I’ll sell you to the Nobles!”

The slender body of the little girl, already so frail, was sent crashing to the ground by the slap, scattering the belongings she held.

It was only then that Vina clearly saw the girl’s appearance—a delicate yet pale face, exquisitely beautiful like that of a doll. What surprised her were the girl’s crimson pupils.

Those red eyes transformed her otherwise delicate face into something eerie.

Just as the surrounding crowd started to get angry at the woman, someone, sharp-eyed, caught sight of the little girl’s eyes and let out a gasp.

“A monster!!”

Monster? Many in the crowd were originally dissatisfied with the sharp-faced woman’s actions, but that outcry instantly shifted their reactions, and they all looked towards the little girl.

The girl, still in a daze, was accustomed to being hit, yet the sharp pain on her face meant she hadn’t yet snapped back to reality, so she didn’t lower her head to cover herself like before.

Those red pupils were seen by everyone.

With a rustle, many instinctively stepped back, their faces filled with horror.

“She’s a vampire? Why does she have a pair of red eyes?!”

“This is a monster! A monster!!”

“Quick, kill her, she’s a devil sent by the demons!”

In the countless legends of humans, demons and vampires are both creatures with red eyes.

In this world filled with numerous races, there were indeed several evil races with red pupils; and at this moment, this little girl was instantly categorized as one of those monsters by them.

Ignorance, coupled with the fear of evil beings, caused a huge commotion among the crowd.

“Great Mage, please kill this monster for us,”

“It must be a vampire!! Surely the sunlight has weakened her during the day, but by night she will definitely drain all of our blood!”

“Quick, let’s all kill this monster together”

The frail body of the little girl lay on the ground, her crimson eyes gradually filling with despair and helplessness.

Her mother’s anger and panic, her brother’s disdain and disgust, the loud accusations from the frightened crowd around her.

All of this was imprinted in those red orbs.

At that moment, it seemed as if the whole world had abandoned her.

Her mother, who should have been the closest to her, abandoned her; her dearly loved brother detested her; even strangers feared her.

Monster?

Am I really a monster? But, all I have are a pair of red eyes.

Her fragile body at this moment felt as though it was being crushed by the weight of the whole world; the girl slowly curled up, her tattered linen clothes wrapping around her delicate frame like a shroud.

The world seemed to lose all its color in that instant, turning from vibrant brightness to a gloomy gray.

Those crimson eyes of the girl, at this moment, slowly dimmed, losing their light bit by bit.

When Vena saw the little girl lying helplessly on the ground, barraged by angry shouts and even on the verge of being lynched, her heart ached; she recalled her own past helplessness.

She had to save her!

She stood up, her magic power circulated, and just as she was about to cast a spell, a series of loud fireball explosions plunged the scene into chaos.

Bang, bang, bang~

Fireballs rained from the sky and slammed into the ground, the vicious magic power burst forth.

The hard bluestone shattered under the impact of the magic, leaving more than a dozen holes in the ground.

The scorching air caused the crowd that had been about to surge forward to retreat violently instead.

A Master Priest has taken action!!

The crowd was uncertain, their clamor making the entire square boil with noise.

And yet, the fallen little girl remained miraculously unscathed beneath the fury of the fireballs, a trail carved by one of the fireballs conveniently separating the crowd from the girl.

It wasn’t until the crowd had somewhat calmed down that they frantically turned to see what had occurred.

A figure who had just stepped down from a carriage brought the scene to a hush.

Clad in a pure white mage’s robe, the chest embroidered with the crescent emblem denoting the status of an Advanced Mage.

Features handsome enough to dazzle any girl, an elegant and outstanding noble demeanor, every move carried an impeccable poise.

“No one decides the life or death of another in my territory.”

The powerful aura of one person overwhelmed the crowd of thousands at that moment.

His indifferent words carried the most domineering authority.

“Even if it’s a Great Mage!”