SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 693: Cursed lands
While the outskirts of the wilderness did not give any issues, the inner areas were entirely different. The negative energy seeped into the land was heavy and draining. Even just stepping into it, Damon could feel the hatred and resentment pressing in from all directions, like countless invisible eyes whispering curses into his bones.
This wasn’t simple hostility. It was accumulated malice, the residue of countless deaths, betrayals, and unfinished wars that had soaked into the soil over eras. The mana here felt thick and sticky, refusing to flow cleanly.
Damon slowed his pace, his expression turning cold and focused. His body instinctively began to adapt, blood energy circulating on its own to filter out the worst of the influence. Even so, faint whispers brushed the edges of his consciousness, fragments of rage, despair, and madness that didn’t belong to him.
Kill...
Burn...
Die with us...
Where others would slowly erode, their minds gnawed away by the ambient hatred, Damon was able to continue to ignore the influence. His mind was strong enough to withstand the assault for now. But he had a feeling that things would only start becoming worse the deeper he went.
It would be foolish to treat the wilderness like it were a training area. After all, there was a reason why even the B ranks avoided this place like the plague and did not step inside it. Damon did not plan to push his luck either. The thing was... the pressure he felt at the moment was not just limited to his mind.
His body and his soul also felt some pressure. He did not understand the reason why or how the curse energy exactly worked, but he knew one thing. Even this environment could, in a way, provide the pressure he needed to break open his more complicated meridians.
There was also another merit in his continuing. The drops were getting ridiculously good as he ventured deeper into the madness. He had already collected many crafting recipes, which included ten new poison concoction recipes.
He had also gained a bunch of new skills. The stronger abominations had a more diverse array of skills and fought more like their human counterparts instead of their lesser bestial nature.
Damon stopped beneath a twisted stone arch half-swallowed by blackened roots and checked his interface briefly. The last few skills he had gained were actually vampiric skills. He waited for a couple more minutes before his scouts returned and confirmed the same thing.
"Hmmm... I should go in this direction."
Damon did not hesitate and headed further into the wilderness towards the region where he was encountering more and more vampiric beasts. While these beasts did not drop any skill books per se, he wanted to see if he could steal any new skills from them by devouring them.
Thanks to Blood Reign constantly reminding him, he knew that his vampiric skills and his blood manipulation skills were not as strong as they should be for his current rank. Perhaps in the future, he would need to hunt down more vampires.
Though he did not want to attack his own side, there were some whom he did not mind getting rid of. In the meantime, this seemed like a good place to grind his vampiric skills.
Soon Damon slowed again, his senses spreading outward in careful waves. He had company, and these were not normal blood beasts or mindless undead.
Figures moved between the trees, lean silhouettes clinging to shadows, their eyes glowing crimson for brief instants before vanishing again. Some crawled along branches with inhuman grace. Others stood upright, radiating powerful auras.
Damon only had a moment to react before the entire group dashed towards him.
They came in a coordinated surge rather than a reckless rush. The first wave moved low and fast, claws scraping against bark and stone as they closed the distance in zigzag patterns meant to confuse targeting.
The second wave dropped from above, bodies twisting midair, fangs bared, aiming for his neck and spine. A third presence stayed back, its aura heavy and restrained, clearly acting as a commander.
Damon was finally able to get a good look at them. Werevampires, a whole pack of them. They looked like a hybrid between a wolf and a vampire and looked humanoid more than beast. There were about a couple dozen of them surrounding him all at once.
More shockingly, every single one of them emitted peak C rank aura. There was also one other presence which seemed more profound than the rest.
Damon did not hesitate and immediately unleashed his miasmic field. These werevampires were fast but his speed was still a notch above them. When the first of the rampaging beasts landed near him, he had already vanished and only a miasmic field greeted them.
However, the beasts had shockingly fast reaction speed. When Damon reappeared again, blood claws tore through the air toward him.
He twisted his body at an impossible angle, letting two claws skim past his ribs while another scraped across his shoulder, sparks of condensed blood mana flying. Before the attackers could capitalize, Damon slammed his foot into the ground.
The miasmic field expanded violently.
Dark poison mist rolled outward like a living tide, sinking into fur, skin, and bloodstreams alike. A few werevampires immediately staggered, their movements slowing as veins darkened beneath their skin. Others snarled and forced their circulation into overdrive, burning blood mana to resist the intrusion. They came at him with everything they had.
Damon retaliated. He punched into the chest of the nearest werevampire with fullforce of his new and upgraded body, caving it in with a dull boom. He didn’t wait for the body to fall, he pivoted, elbowing another in the jaw hard enough to snap its neck mid-leap.
The pack reacted instantly.
They spread out, circling, and rotating positions. Two leapt backward to provide support, blood constructs forming along their arms, while the frontline switched tactics, aiming to pin Damon down rather than overwhelm him outright.
The commander finally moved.
