I entered the house and headed straight for the training room.
The darkness inside was absolute.
At the centre of the room stood a deep black well, specially built to gather demonic energy from the air and the Abyss, concentrating it all in one place.
Inside the well, the energy looked like liquid darkness, constantly swirling.
It required regular cleaning because strange creatures sometimes crawled out of it—a troublesome task.
But despite that inconvenience, it was incredibly useful.
I sat near the edge of the well and ignited my flames, using them to burn and refine the gathered energy.
My unique ability, the Green Fire, allowed me to convert any type of energy into a form I could absorb.
However, this power only worked on non-living sources of energy.
It was nearly useless in direct combat.
In fact, it slowed my overall progress.
Refining energy through the Green Fire required repeating the process again and again just to obtain a small amount of pure power.
But there was one advantage.
Because the refined energy was extremely pure, it allowed me to strengthen every part of my body evenly.
That was the reason my statistics were so balanced.
I could confidently say that among those in my generation at the same level, very few could match my physical foundation.
For that reason, I kept the true nature of my ability a closely guarded secret.
As I continued refining the demonic energy, a wave of clean power flowed into my body.
Hours passed as I trained in silence.
Then suddenly—
Ding!
⟦ Master, you have unique energy available. ⟧
I stopped cultivating and opened the System interface.
Name: Theodore
Age: 22
Race: Vampire
Level: 2
Strength: 205
Endurance: 200
Speed: 204
Physique: 250
Soul: 207
Available Energy: 10
Status: Cursed
Something immediately caught my attention.
My energy refinement speed had increased.
Previously, extracting pure energy from demonic power had been extremely slow.
That limitation was the main reason my training progressed at a steady but slow pace.
Yet now, the process felt noticeably faster.
"Why has the energy collection speed increased?" I asked.
⟦ The acceleration in collecting pure energy is due to the evolution of your soul. ⟧
The evolution of my soul?
How could that have happened?
I carefully reviewed everything that had changed before this training session.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Except for one thing.
The System.
"Is this your doing, parasite?" I asked.
⟦ No, Master. You are the primary cause. You merged me into your soul. ⟧
"I see. But if that's true, why hasn't the 'Soul' stat in the status window increased?"
⟦ Apologies, Master. That was a misunderstanding on my part. That window does not represent the soul itself. It only represents the amount of pure energy you have accumulated. ⟧
"What?"
"If it doesn't represent the soul, then why did you call it 'Soul'?"
⟦ Because I could not find an appropriate name for it. I perceived it as a unique radiance emitted from your soul. It was neither demonic energy nor spiritual energy. At that time, you had not permitted me to merge with you, and after the merger, you did not request an update to the list. ⟧
I fell silent for a moment.
So the System was merely a tool?
Not a truly intelligent entity?
How had its creator managed to design it in a way that made it seem conscious, when it could not even function properly without direct instructions?
And if merging with it had strengthened my soul…
Did that mean the System contained some form of soul-nourishing energy?
Or was it inherently beneficial to the spirit?
Without wasting time, I ordered the System to update the status window.
It asked me to wait a few minutes.
While waiting, I went to the bathroom and took a shower.
After finishing, I stood in front of the mirror.
Long, silky white hair.
Amber eyes.
A body with perfectly balanced muscles.
Almost flawless.
Calling myself handsome would not be an exaggeration.
After dressing entirely in white, I prepared to leave the house.
I planned to visit Uncle Ralph.
He wasn't my biological uncle, but he was one of my father's closest friends, and we shared a strong bond.
Since I hadn't visited him in some time, today seemed like a good opportunity.
I found the head butler, Rudolf, and asked him to prepare a carriage.
Just as I sat inside the carriage, the System's voice sounded again.
⟦ Update complete, Master. ⟧
Name: Theodore Karl
Age: 22
Race: Vampire
Level: 2
Strength: 205
Endurance: 200
Speed: 204
Physique: 250
Energy: 207
Special Ability: [Green Fire]
Abilities:
[Intuition]
[Transformation]
[Blood Control]
[Darkness Manipulation]
Status: Cursed
I examined my abilities with interest.
Some new traits had appeared, including [Intuition], which was a bloodline ability unique to the Silver family.
However, one word caught my attention immediately.
Cursed.
When had I been cursed?
Who did it?
And what exactly was the curse?
I raised an eyebrow and asked the System,
"Why do you keep saying I am cursed? And what exactly is this curse?"
Could it be… the thing I'm thinking of?