Alter's awareness shifted inward again without any hesitation or transition lag, and the blood grid responded immediately, unfolding in full clarity as a complete structure rather than something partially accessed or passively observed. The illuminated pathways formed a network that no longer required interpretation, and his focus moved through it with intent, tracing the active routes while simultaneously holding the inactive branches in view, not as background detail, but as equally present sections that had simply never been engaged. The contrast between what was active and what remained dormant did not create confusion, and instead aligned into a clear understanding that the system itself had never been incomplete, only underutilized.
His attention followed one of the unlit pathways further than before, allowing the structure to define itself through its arrangement rather than forcing a response, and the pattern revealed its classification through alignment alone as it organized into transformation-based branches and beast integration routes that extended deeper than the currently active grid. The pathways were not fractured or hidden, and their existence did not resist access, which made the conclusion immediate as his awareness withdrew slightly and the thought settled into place with quiet clarity, "Still sitting there unused," the words forming naturally as part of his ongoing evaluation rather than as a reaction to it.
He did not attempt to force activation through the grid itself, because the limitation had already revealed where it actually existed, and his focus shifted laterally instead of deeper, moving across the system rather than through it. The response came without delay as another interface surfaced alongside the grid, not replacing it but existing in parallel, and the evolution menu formed within his awareness with a structure that differed completely from the pathway-based design of the blood grid. Instead of connections and nodes, it presented defined parameters, each one categorized, labeled, and measurable in a way that required no interpretation once seen.
His gaze moved across it once, taking in the full scope of the interface, and the state of it registered immediately as his expression shifted slightly, a faint wry edge forming as he said under his breath, "Level one… everything," the words carrying a tone closer to disbelief than surprise as the realization completed itself. Every parameter sat at its base state, untouched despite the accumulation of resources that had been building alongside it, and the gap between potential and actual development became obvious without needing further confirmation.
He continued through the list without pausing, allowing the categories to align themselves in sequence as faster blood absorption, accelerated healing, and increased vitality appeared first, each one tied directly to core vampiric function and scaling in a way that was clearly defined. The structure extended into perception next, where omni sensory acquisition speed could be increased to accelerate the rate at which weaknesses were identified and processed, allowing information to convert into actionable advantage faster than before. The list did not stop there, and instead continued into physical development where claw extension, fang reinforcement, muscle density, and cognitive acceleration formed distinct yet interconnected upgrade paths that shaped both body and mind.
As he moved further, the remaining parameters presented themselves as expansions of sensory capability, increasing olfactory range and extending perception radius outward in measurable increments that integrated directly into the same system. None of it was abstract, none of it required experimentation to understand its function, and the clarity of it made the conclusion unavoidable as the words slipped out naturally, "And he never even opened this," not as criticism alone, but as a direct acknowledgment of the difference in approach.
His attention shifted to the cost.
The requirement appeared.
And the reaction followed immediately.
"That's cheap."
The words carried a quiet amusement as his available resources surfaced alongside the parameters, the total count aligning into view without needing to be called forward explicitly, and the number did not require recalculation or estimation. Millions. Accumulated. Unused.
"…you've got to be kidding me."
The thought settled fully now, and the decision that followed did not require deliberation or comparison against alternatives, because there weren't any.
He began.
It did not overlay the world.
It existed alongside it.
His status presented first, structured and complete, the information arranged in a format that required no interpretation. Attributes, levels, resource values, all defined and accessible, each responding to focus rather than input. He moved through it quickly, not lingering on what was already obvious, but confirming structure, hierarchy, and accessibility. The system responded without delay, each section opening as soon as he shifted his attention toward it.
"Better," he muttered, the word carrying mild approval rather than surprise. His focus shifted to skills, and the list expanded immediately, displaying abilities in categories that aligned with the structure he had seen within the blood grid. Each skill carried a defined function, its parameters clear, its interaction with other abilities already mapped within the system. There was no guesswork required.
He scanned through them.
Not slowly.
Not carelessly.
Efficiently.
The system held more than what had been used.
That much was obvious.
He shifted deeper.
The blood grid responded.
It did not appear faint or incomplete as it had before. The structure revealed itself fully within his awareness, the pathways and nodes clearly defined, extending outward in a network that connected everything he had just reviewed. The orb remained above it, no longer chained, its light steady, illuminating the entire structure.
He studied it.
Then frowned.
"…only this much?"
The grid did not change in response.
He traced its extent, following the pathways outward, and the limitation became clear as he reached the edges of what was currently active. Entire sections remained dark, present but inaccessible, their pathways visible but unlit, their nodes unresponsive.
"Only a quarter," he said, more clearly now, the disappointment evident in his tone. "He didn't even touch the rest."
He shifted focus toward one of the inactive regions, and the structure revealed its category without needing to be labeled. Beast integration. Transformation pathways. Entire branches of capability that had not been accessed.
"…wasted."
The word came flat.
Not emotional.
Evaluative.
He withdrew from the grid and returned to the surface layer of the system, the interface closing partially as his attention moved outward again. His gaze lifted, returning fully to the chamber, and the transition between system and physical remained seamless.
His eyes dropped briefly to the relic on the floor, then moved past it.
Irrelevant.
For now.
He reached for his equipment next, not through the system, but through direct awareness of what he was wearing. The armor that had served Noctis remained intact, its structure unchanged, but the moment he focused on it, the assessment formed immediately.
Too rigid.
Too limited.
Locked into a design that did not match the system now available.
"…this is outdated."
He exhaled slightly as he raised his hand, not to remove the armor, but to replace it.
Blood responded.
Not from the relic.
From him.
It gathered outward from his body, condensing along the surface of the existing armor, forming a secondary layer that did not drip or scatter, but aligned itself according to intent. The structure began at the chest, spreading outward across the torso before extending to the shoulders and down the arms.
The material formed quickly.
But not loosely.
Each segment defined itself before the next appeared.
Layered plating emerged, overlapping sections shaping into a pattern that imitated scales rather than flat surfaces, each piece aligning to allow movement without sacrificing structure. The armor remained light, but the density within it exceeded what the previous set had offered, the blood condensing into a reinforced state that held form without requiring external support.
He adjusted it slightly.
The response was immediate.
"Better."
The plating refined further, the edges sharpening, the connections between segments tightening until the entire structure moved as a single system rather than separate parts.
He continued.
The lower half followed next.
A coat formed from the same material, emerging from the belt line and extending downward, the fabric-like structure settling into place before splitting at the center to allow movement. The upper portion remained fitted, while the lower half spread outward into a mantle that carried weight without restricting motion, the blood forming into a stable, layered texture that moved with him rather than against him.
The details finalized quickly.
Not rushed.
Complete.
His gauntlets and greaves followed, forming over his limbs in black armor, the surface darker than the rest, reinforced with red circlets that locked into place at the joints. Runes etched themselves along the edges, not decorative, but functional, integrated directly into the structure of the armor.
He flexed his hand once.
The gauntlet responded instantly.
No delay.
No resistance.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "That works."
Gaia watched the entire process without interrupting, her gaze tracking the formation of each piece as it settled into place. When he finished, her attention shifted slightly, focusing not on the armor itself, but on something else.
"Those," she said, pointing toward his waist.
"On your belt."
Alter glanced down briefly.
Holsters.
One on each side.
Empty.
He smirked.
"Something I couldn't make before."
His gaze lifted back to her.
"Needed a DLC for it."
He raised both hands outward, palms slightly open, and the response came immediately.
Blood condensed.
Not as a surface.
As mass.
Two large crimson orbs formed in front of him, dense and stable, the volume of blood within them compressed into a contained state that did not disperse or lose structure. The pressure within them was visible, not through movement, but through the way the surface held under its own density.
He held them there.
Then spoke.
"Crimson Arsenal."
The words left Alter without hesitation, and the two condensed masses of blood before him tightened immediately under his control, their surfaces stabilizing as the internal structure compressed into a denser state that no longer resembled fluid held in suspension. The pressure within each orb increased, the outer layer smoothing as the contents reorganized, and the shape began to shift as segments formed within the mass, defining boundaries where none had existed before. Gaia's expression changed the moment the skill was spoken, recognition surfacing before the transformation had even completed, and she stepped forward as the memory connected to what he was attempting to create.
"Alter, stop," she said quickly, the urgency in her voice carrying through the movement as she closed part of the distance between them. "Don't make that."
The warning came from a point far earlier than the current moment, tied to development decisions that had required restriction to prevent the system from diverging beyond controlled limits, and she knew exactly what he was reconstructing now that he had access to it again. Alter did not look at her, his attention fixed on the forming structure as his hands lifted slightly, fingers adjusting with precision as he guided the compression rather than forcing it, and the blood responded instantly, condensing further as the internal components separated and reassembled into defined parts.
The spherical forms elongated under his direction, the mass dividing along internal lines before locking into place, and the density redistributed as chambers formed within, each section aligning with the shape he intended rather than collapsing into a single block. His hands moved inward as the structure completed, closing around the forming objects as the final configuration settled, and weight transferred into his grip the moment the transformation finished.
Two pistols rested in his hands, their frames large and reinforced, the barrels extended and thickened to accommodate the force they were designed to carry, and the material held a deep crimson-black tone that reflected the light without losing its density. The structure was not decorative, every line and contour serving function, the balance set to respond to control rather than compensate for instability, and the weight distributed in a way that matched exactly what he expected.
A grin spread across his face as he adjusted his grip, rolling his wrists slightly to test the balance, and the response aligned immediately, the weapons settling into position without resistance.
"Yeah," he said, the satisfaction clear as he lifted them slightly, feeling the weight and control settle into place.
The reaction built without restraint as he shifted his stance, the motion carrying through his body as both arms lifted, the pistols angled outward in a posture that came naturally rather than being constructed, his expression sharpening as the familiarity of the form aligned with the memory behind it.
"YEAH—my very own gun," he continued, the excitement carrying through his voice as he adjusted one pistol upward, the other outward, the movement smooth and continuous as he held them in position.
"The silver Hellsing ARMS .454 Casull Auto—bam!—and the Jackal, this giant anti-freak combat pistol firing 13mm explosive rounds—BOOM!"
The words flowed with the motion, not interrupting it but riding alongside the way he handled the weapons, his grip steady as he shifted them slightly to emphasize the structure he had created, and the laugh that followed came naturally, not forced, carrying the same satisfaction through it.
"Perfect, Walter."
Gaia stood a short distance away, her posture still but her expression no longer neutral, a small bead of sweat forming at her temple as she watched him, the concern from earlier settling into something more defined now that the construct had fully materialized. The warning she had given him remained unheeded, and the fact that he had completed the formation without hesitation confirmed that the limitation she had once relied on no longer applied.
Alter lowered the pistols slightly as the initial surge of excitement settled into a more controlled evaluation, his attention shifting fully onto the weapons as he rotated one in his hand, then the other, checking the alignment, the weight distribution, and the response to subtle adjustments. The structure held perfectly, the material maintaining its integrity without fluctuation, and the connection between his control and the weapons remained seamless.
"Not bad," he said, his tone leveling out as he continued to inspect them, the motion unbroken as he turned one again, then paused briefly.
"…but those names."
The thought formed quickly, and the conclusion followed just as fast.
"Too long."
He spun one pistol around his finger, the motion clean and controlled, then repeated it with the other, the rotation precise as both settled back into his grip before he guided them down toward his sides, sliding them into the holsters without looking, the fit exact as they locked into place.
The movement completed in one continuous motion, and the weapons remained secure without adjustment.
Gaia's gaze followed the action, her attention shifting from the pistols to Alter himself as she reassessed what she was seeing, the version of him standing there not aligning with the one she had known during development. The difference was not limited to behavior, and the way he moved within the system reflected a level of familiarity that exceeded what she had expected from the release.
Alter rolled his shoulders slightly, settling into the armor and the newly formed equipment as if it had always been part of his standard configuration, and his attention shifted back to Gaia without pause.
"So what's next," he asked, the question direct as he moved forward without lingering on what had already been completed.
Gaia straightened slightly as she responded, her posture returning to a more composed state as she lifted a hand, referencing the system as she spoke.
"I've added your objectives to your quest log," she said, the explanation structured and clear as she continued. "You can access it directly through your interface."
As she spoke, Alter's attention divided without breaking, his awareness tracking her explanation while his gaze shifted briefly to the reflection in his gauntlet, catching the image of his hair as it fell along his back, long, white, and unstructured.
"…how did he fight like this," he muttered, the observation immediate as he reached back, gathering the length of it in one motion, his fingers guiding it together as his aura reinforced the action.
The strands aligned quickly, drawn upward and secured into a high ponytail, the structure tightening into place as the loose ends settled, and the change sharpened his appearance immediately, the previous unstructured length replaced by a cleaner, more defined form.
He adjusted it once, then turned slightly toward Gaia, presenting the result without interrupting her explanation.
"Better," he said, shifting his stance slightly as if to confirm the change from multiple angles, his posture relaxed but deliberate.
Gaia stopped speaking.
The pause held for a moment as she looked at him, her expression flattening slightly as she processed the interruption, and the silence extended just enough to register before Alter straightened again.
"Right," he said, the transition immediate as he returned his attention to her. "Go on."
Gaia held his gaze for a brief moment longer, then continued, her tone returning to its structured cadence as she resumed the explanation.
"Your current objective is to remain at the vampire elders' covenant," she said, the system responding as the quest log displayed within his awareness. "You will stay there until preparations for your entry into the academy are complete."
The information settled without delay, the objective clear and accessible within the system as Alter nodded once, the response immediate.
"Got it."
The chamber remained stable, the system active, and the next step defined.
Alter's attention moved inward again without hesitation, and the blood grid unfolded within his awareness in full structure as every illuminated pathway connected into a coherent network that he no longer observed from the surface but engaged with directly. His focus traveled along the active routes with purpose, tracing their intersections and limits while maintaining awareness of the dormant branches that extended beyond them, their forms complete yet unresponsive under the current state. As he followed one of those inactive sections further, the classification revealed itself through structure rather than label, aligning into transformation-based pathways and beast integration systems that had never been activated despite being fully present. The realization did not produce frustration, but a clear assessment that the limitation had never been in the grid itself, only in how it had been accessed and utilized.
He shifted his focus away from the grid without disengaging from the system, redirecting his attention toward adjacent layers that existed alongside it, and the response came immediately as a separate interface surfaced within his awareness. The evolution menu formed with a structure distinct from the grid, organizing itself into parameters rather than pathways, each category defined by level, function, and resource requirement in a format that required no interpretation. As his gaze moved across the full list, the state of it registered in its entirety, every parameter remaining at its base level despite the extensive activity that had occurred within the system up to this point. The alignment between available capability and actual development made the oversight obvious, not as an error in the system, but as a gap in its use.
His attention moved steadily through the parameters, beginning with core vampiric functions as faster blood absorption, accelerated healing, and increased vitality presented themselves with clear scaling values tied to direct functional improvement. He continued into perception-based enhancements, where the acquisition speed of weaknesses through omni sensory processing could be increased, allowing faster analysis and exploitation of targets through accumulated data. The list extended further into physical development, where claw length, fang reinforcement, muscle density, and cognitive acceleration formed separate yet interconnected paths of enhancement, alongside expanded olfactory range and increased perception radius that extended his awareness beyond immediate proximity. Every category stood independently yet contributed to an integrated system of growth that had remained completely untouched.
When he checked the cost, the requirement registered as minimal compared to what he had expected, and the implication followed immediately as his available resources surfaced in response to the same focus. The accumulated total remained vast, measured in millions, and the lack of prior investment made the next step not only obvious but efficient. His attention returned to the parameters without pause, and he began allocating resources into the system, the interface responding instantly as the first upgrades applied and levels increased without delay. Blood absorption improved first, the internal process refining into a faster, more efficient cycle, followed by accelerated healing as the system recalibrated regenerative capacity, and then increased vitality as the structural resilience of the body adjusted in response.
He continued without interruption, moving through the list in sequence to ensure balanced development rather than over-specialization, and the parameters rose together as the system integrated each upgrade into his current state. Omni perception acquisition speed increased, tightening the rate at which data translated into actionable understanding, while his physical attributes refined as claw extension, fang reinforcement, and muscle density adjusted in measurable increments that did not distort his form but strengthened its underlying structure. Cognitive acceleration followed, sharpening the already clear processing of his thoughts into faster and more efficient patterns, while expanded sensory parameters extended the range and clarity of his perception without introducing instability.
As the levels increased, the cost adjusted accordingly, and the system recalculated the requirements with each upgrade, raising the resource demand in proportion to the current state of development. The initial efficiency gave way to a steeper progression curve, where each subsequent level required significantly more investment than the last, and the pace of advancement slowed from immediate succession to deliberate allocation. Alter did not reduce his engagement, continuing to distribute resources across all parameters rather than concentrating on a single path, allowing the system to evolve in a balanced state that preserved overall functionality. The upgrades continued until individual parameters reached their defined limits, at which point the system marked them clearly and prevented further progression without additional conditions or disproportionate cost.
The final stages of allocation brought the remaining parameters to either their maximum state or a threshold where further investment no longer aligned with immediate efficiency, and the system stabilized as the evolution menu reflected the completed changes. What had once been an untouched set of base-level attributes now presented as a developed and integrated structure, each parameter elevated to a point that matched the scale of the system it supported. Alter withdrew from the interface not out of disinterest, but because the current optimization had reached its practical limit for the moment, and the menu receded as his awareness returned fully to the physical environment of the chamber.
His posture adjusted naturally as he reoriented outward, the refined state of his body responding without resistance as he rolled his shoulders and shifted his stance, confirming the integration of the upgrades through movement rather than inspection. His hands moved to his sides, drawing both pistols from their holsters in a single continuous motion, and the weapons settled into his grip with the same balanced weight and immediate responsiveness they had held upon creation. As he looked at them again, the absence of defined names remained the only unresolved detail, and the thought carried forward as he rotated one slightly before shifting his attention toward Gaia without breaking the motion.
He asked for names that aligned with blood and vampiric identity, and Gaia's response followed after a brief consideration, offering "Nocturne" and "Ruin" as she completed the connection between tone and function. The names settled into place as he tested them internally, then assigned them without hesitation, aligning the right pistol as Nocturne and the left as Ruin, the distinction immediate and stable. The weapons moved fluidly in his hands as he spun them once, the motion continuous as he adjusted his stance and tested the alignment between naming and control, the integration complete without requiring further refinement.
He continued the movement for a short period, allowing the natural flow between grip, motion, and balance to settle into familiarity, then returned both pistols to their holsters in a smooth action that did not require visual confirmation. Gaia observed him throughout, her expression composed but carrying a subtle tension that had not been present earlier, the accumulation of his actions presenting a version of Alter that operated within the system with complete freedom. Alter drew one pistol again as his attention shifted to its internal structure, and the system responded immediately, revealing the attributes tied to the weapon without interrupting the continuity of his awareness.
The ammunition source presented itself as condensed blood essence rather than external rounds, formed directly within the weapon through internal conversion rather than loading, and the system expanded the detail as he focused further, revealing that each shot could be infused with elemental properties at the point of creation. The interaction allowed freezing, burning, or any other elemental effect to be applied directly to the projectile without requiring additional preparation, and the versatility of the system aligned with the broader structure he had already developed. When he assessed the velocity, the comparison to standard projectiles confirmed a significant increase in speed, placing the output of the weapon above conventional arrows and most spell-based attacks.
The conclusion formed naturally within the same flow of thought, not requiring further confirmation beyond the system's alignment, and he lowered the pistol slightly as he completed the assessment before returning it to the holster in a controlled motion. The satisfaction that followed did not manifest as outward excitement, but as a stable recognition that the tools now available matched the level of control he intended to operate at. The chamber remained unchanged, the system fully active within him, and the next phase of testing would come when the environment required it rather than in preparation for it.
Alter's awareness shifted inward again without any hesitation or transition lag, and the blood grid responded immediately, unfolding in full clarity as a complete structure rather than something partially accessed or passively observed. The illuminated pathways formed a network that no longer required interpretation, and his focus moved through it with intent, tracing the active routes while simultaneously holding the inactive branches in view, not as background detail, but as equally present sections that had simply never been engaged. The contrast between what was active and what remained dormant did not create confusion, and instead aligned into a clear understanding that the system itself had never been incomplete, only underutilized.
His attention followed one of the unlit pathways further than before, allowing the structure to define itself through its arrangement rather than forcing a response, and the pattern revealed its classification through alignment alone as it organized into transformation-based branches and beast integration routes that extended deeper than the currently active grid. The pathways were not fractured or hidden, and their existence did not resist access, which made the conclusion immediate as his awareness withdrew slightly and the thought settled into place with quiet clarity, "Still sitting there unused," the words forming naturally as part of his ongoing evaluation rather than as a reaction to it.
He did not attempt to force activation through the grid itself, because the limitation had already revealed where it actually existed, and his focus shifted laterally instead of deeper, moving across the system rather than through it. The response came without delay as another interface surfaced alongside the grid, not replacing it but existing in parallel, and the evolution menu formed within his awareness with a structure that differed completely from the pathway-based design of the blood grid. Instead of connections and nodes, it presented defined parameters, each one categorized, labeled, and measurable in a way that required no interpretation once seen.
His gaze moved across it once, taking in the full scope of the interface, and the state of it registered immediately as his expression shifted slightly, a faint wry edge forming as he said under his breath, "Level one… everything," the words carrying a tone closer to disbelief than surprise as the realization completed itself. Every parameter sat at its base state, untouched despite the accumulation of resources that had been building alongside it, and the gap between potential and actual development became obvious without needing further confirmation.
He continued through the list without pausing, allowing the categories to align themselves in sequence as faster blood absorption, accelerated healing, and increased vitality appeared first, each one tied directly to core vampiric function and scaling in a way that was clearly defined. The structure extended into perception next, where omni sensory acquisition speed could be increased to accelerate the rate at which weaknesses were identified and processed, allowing information to convert into actionable advantage faster than before. The list did not stop there, and instead continued into physical development where claw extension, fang reinforcement, muscle density, and cognitive acceleration formed distinct yet interconnected upgrade paths that shaped both body and mind.
As he moved further, the remaining parameters presented themselves as expansions of sensory capability, increasing olfactory range and extending perception radius outward in measurable increments that integrated directly into the same system. None of it was abstract, none of it required experimentation to understand its function, and the clarity of it made the conclusion unavoidable as the words slipped out naturally, "And he never even opened this," not as criticism alone, but as a direct acknowledgment of the difference in approach.
His attention shifted to the cost.
The requirement appeared.
And the reaction followed immediately.
"That's cheap."
The words carried a quiet amusement as his available resources surfaced alongside the parameters, the total count aligning into view without needing to be called forward explicitly, and the number did not require recalculation or estimation. Millions. Accumulated. Unused.
"…you've got to be kidding me."
The thought settled fully now, and the decision that followed did not require deliberation or comparison against alternatives, because there weren't any.
He began.