"Damn what a first day."
Key released a long breath as he laid back on the bed in one of the rooms inside Nythra's hideout. The old mattress let out a faint creak beneath him, but it didn't bother him. In fact, it was the same bed he had arrived in when he first got here, funny how things came full circle.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, eyes unfocused.
And damn what a day.
A big ass understatement.
After receiving vampire powers from Ego, a portal had suddenly appeared, leading them back to the exit of the stasis portal they'd originally entered. He almost forgot it was even a stasis portal in the first place, the time they spent inside felt so long and real. But Ego had joined them too, after telling the other vampires they were free. She said she'd had enough of the place and just wanted to be free from it all.
They of course welcomed her with open arms.
When they exited the portal, it was like time had stood still outside, while it kept moving on the inside. Everything outside was exactly how they left it, right down to the ongoing battle with the Abyssal Horde.
Which they handled. Swiftly. Efficiently.
They were done playing games.
Tired didn't even cover it.
Not physically, per se. No, this was something deeper. Emotional exhaustion. Mental burnout. The kind of fatigue that sits in your bones and weighs on your soul.
Neither he nor Speedy had the time to really process anything until now.
They gave the others a brief rundown of what happened inside—what they saw, what they did, who they brought back.
And surprisingly, Ego was accepted almost immediately.
Especially by Nythra. Which made sense, considering both of them were goddesses. There was a strange familiarity between them that didn't need words.
Now, everyone was off doing their own thing. Some resting, others preparing food, or simply trying to find their own moment of peace.
Key smiled faintly.
This was the most exciting day of his life, excluding the bullshit back at Eros Village.
"Wouldn't change it for the world." He muttered.
But his thoughts started drifting again, back to what happened before all of this.
Back to Earth. Back to home.
Like what the hell even happened anyways?
There was a slight sting in his chest. A twist he couldn't ignore.
He hoped Ma Dukes was okay.
He knew her though. She was the strongest woman he'd ever known—mentally, spiritually, and physically. He wasn't that worried for her.
But still…
The worry lingered in the background like a low hum.
"Protect her Jesus."
The only one who could.
He inhaled, then exhaled deeply again, burying the thought for now. That was enough reflection. Enough overthinking.
Right now, he needed to check what he got from the system. After all, he did complete a major quest, and probably earned some other surprises too.
He glanced to the side, checking the door.
Locked.
Good.
"Game, show me my rewards from the quest and the other stuff I earned."
[On it, Key.]
[Rewards from Quest: 'Kill the Villain']
Special Skill: Void Cultivation
Level Up!
10,000 Gold
Mythic Box Acquired!
[Reward from Sub-Quest]
Active Skill: Bloodline Override
[Other Rewards Earned]
Void Residues Gained: 2,545
[Carnivorous Void Tendrils] has Mutated!
New Form: [Vampiric Void Tendrils LV.4]
"Not surprised about the Void Residues. My Void Tendrils was fucking them Abyssal Beasts up." He chuckled to himself, stretching one arm across his forehead.
The others had been shocked by their speed, precision, and brutality—especially considering how many tendrils he now had. Their presence alone was overwhelming.
He noticed some of them now shimmered with a faint crimson glow, reddish void veins that coiled like blood-forged tattoos. A few even shifted into blade-like shapes—curved scythes, jagged spears, and ethereal claws.
"Also, that's a cool new name for them."
Time to start from the top and work his way down.
He tapped on the first reward [Void Cultivation]
[Void Cultivation]
A forbidden path of growth born from the Abyss itself.
Unlike traditional cultivation, Void Cultivation does not refine energy, it devours it.
By absorbing enemies, powers, and even fragments of reality, the user generates Void Resonance, a unique force that fuels evolution.
As this resonance builds, the body mutates, abilities evolve, and the boundaries of logic begin to unravel.
The deeper one cultivates the Void,
The less human they become—
And the more reality bends in their presence.
Key's eyes widened.
He'd read tons of cultivation novels before. He knew how insane the power scaling could get.
And now he had that chance?
"Hell yeah!" he whisper-yelled, pumping his fist, careful not to make too much noise. "And plus, apparently it will be easy to cultivate considering I already have devouring abilities."
He grinned.
This was going to be fun.
He planned to test it later. But first,
Mythic Box.
[You have obtained a Void Egg.]
[Wait until it hatches… going to be an unexpected but welcome surprise inside for you.]
Time Remaining: 3 Days
Key squinted.
"Of course there's a wait. Couldn't just hatch right away huh?" He sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. "Of course not."
Next.
[Bloodline Override]
This skill allows the user to absorb, override, and mutate their own bloodline by consuming the blood of powerful beings.
Upon absorbing the blood of a target, you extract genetic signatures, racial traits, and bloodline abilities.
When activated, Bloodline Override temporarily replaces or fuses your current lineage with those harvested traits—granting you their unique physiology, powers, or potential mutations.
The more powerful the target, the more potent the traits gained.
With repeated use, these bloodlines can permanently integrate, evolve, or fuse into a new, unique origin.
"Well damn..can't get anymore overpowered can I?" Key muttered, letting out a small laugh. "Nah..of course not."
If this meant what he thought it did..he could literally start stacking bloodlines like Ichigo from Bleach. Hollows, Soul Reapers, Quincy, you name it.
Next was the Void Residues.
Void Residues: 2,545
Rarity Breakdown:
Common (x1,785)
Uncommon (x498)
Rare (x242)
Epic
Legendary
Divine (x1)
Transcendent
Ascended
Corrupted/Mutation (x19)
"Goddamn it's a lot of them. Won't be able to get through them all in one sitting, but I'll choose one from Divine and Corrupted for now. I'll look into the others later."
He tapped into the Divine first.
[Hemovore's Delight] Divine Longsword
A blade forged from divine vampiric energy, pulsing with life-draining power.
Every strike siphons the target's vitality while feeding the wielder's own regeneration.
The more blood spilled, the stronger it becomes.
Then Corrupted.
[Aberrant Void Clone LV.1]
Creates a twisted clone of the user forged from unstable Abyssal Energy.
Unlike normal clones, the Aberrant Void Clone is not a perfect copy.
Its form mutates over time, often gaining unpredictable enhancements or deformities.
Its behavior teeters between loyalty and chaotic independence, reflecting the fractured nature of the void that birthed it.
"Samehada ass sword and a void clone? Sounds useful." He rubbed his chin. "Actually, an idea came in my mind..I'll just have the clone go through all the Void Residues and pick out the useful ones."
It wasn't a bad plan.
Let the clone sort through the chaos, maybe it'd even mutate smarter in the process.
"Want to test out Void Cultivation really quick before I leave."
He stood up slowly, eyes glinting with anticipation as a low hum of Abyssal energy stirred beneath his skin.