Ian took a deep breath as he began to feel the changes in his body once again. But this time, carefully, to not miss any details. The changes were rapid and still ongoing.
Ian wasn't aware that a smile had crept up on his face due to the exhilaration of having his strength go up. After all, the feeling of getting stronger was quite addictive!
It took five minutes before the process ended. "Alas, this potion has such a drawback. If I could consume a few more times, I might reach the Grand Elder level of strength in no time." A hint of regret appeared in Ian's eyes. He found it a pity, but he wasn't truly desperate for it.
Ian understood that he didn't need to take unnecessary risks. Even though he had the system, he couldn't ignore the risk of genetic collapse that the virus had. It was also at this moment that he realized why there was a huge gap in terms of strength even among Elder-level vampires. It might be due to the virus!
The difference between Elders who had consumed the virus and those who hadn't lay in the quality of their muscular strength, testosterone level beyond racial limits, etc...
'This world makes no sense sometimes,' Ian thought. 'How can even testosterone affect a vampire? Aren't vampires undead? Shouldn't testosterone only affect humans?'
Ian frowned. Yet he couldn't make sense of it even if he tried to think about it. 'Could it be that vampires are actually still affected by damned hormones?'
His skepticism was well-founded... On the surface, it does seem absurd that something as human as testosterone would impact an undead creature like a vampire. However, the explanation lies in the unique physiology of vampires.
You see, vampires, though classified as undead, are not entirely devoid of biological functions. When a human is turned into a vampire, their body undergoes a unique transmutation, a process wherein key hormonal pathways are restructured, not eliminated.
The result? A hybrid system where biological chemistry is interfaced with supernatural energy currents, often referred to by vampire scholars as Thanatos Currents in the Blood.
How the hell did he know all this, you say? It wasn't him. But from his predecessor's lifetime of memories.
So, how does testosterone play into this?
Ian began to sift through the fragmented memories in his mind. 'Maybe testosterone acts as a bio-reactive catalyst!?' Ian's eyes lit up as he began to theorize.
He had read in a certain book in his past life that when present in vampire physiology, it binds to latent vampiric cells known as Nocticytes, amplifying their regenerative and strength-augmenting capabilities.
Ian let out a soft chuckle. 'Damn, I'm thinking too much. How could something I read in books in the past even appear here, right? I've become delusional.'
'System, does my theory even sound reasonable? But why would vampires retain testosterone at all?
When there's something he can't understand. Isn't there still his system that was literally a cheat in the biological field?
[Host, your ideas are in the right direction...]
[Vampire physiology is not "dead," it's locked in a suspended adaptive state. They don't produce new hormones, but any human traits present at the moment of turning can become arcane-encoded imprints. If a vampire were turned during a period of high testosterone, the hormone's pattern becomes encoded in the Thanatos Currents, continuously influencing their development across centuries, though in unpredictable ways.
Ian clenched his fist. As of now, the improvement in strength was quite significant. He could feel that he could punch a hole in the sky right now. Of course, he knew that this was merely an illusion brought on by the increase in strength due to the bullet-train pace. Without reasonable doubt, he didn't have such capabilities yet.
'I wonder how my status looks now.'
Increased Bone Density. Laser Eyes. Bat Larynx & Modified Cochlea (Echolocation). Trupeyo Parabus Enhancement 2x.
Silver Astraenium Retractable Claws + Pyrophoric Metals. Body Size (+86 meters). Kagune. Exoskeletal Armor (Steel+Tungsten).
'My strength seems to have doubled. Every penny was worth it.' Ian caressed his chin, deep in thought, with his eyes becoming distant. 'No wonder contribution points are so hard to gain.' 'But even with contribution points, it would be useless without the special privilege granted by my Honorary Elder status.'
He couldn't help but thank Elder Alaric inwardly and give him a thumbs up.
Inadvertently, Ian's eyes went to the amount of biomass displayed. 'I'm poor again. Indeed, no matter how powerful I become. I might not be able to get rid of my status as a pauper when it comes to biomass. It just seems my demand of them becomes endless.'
Next, his eyes turned to the blood crystal, which had a simple purpose. They are the rare items that vampires could absorb to increase their blood purity. But can he do the same? Ian knew that his points might have come to waste just for confirmation. Even without the blood root, can he increase his blood purity through the absorption of these rare, valuable crystals?
These crystals are, after all, the essence extracted from unformed fetuses of Werewolves. Yeah, their origin sounds evil and disgusting, right? But this simply falls within the category of dog-eat-dog. In this world, vampires and werewolves devour each other to gain strength in quite numerous ways. Every dark race in the Curtained Imperium operates this way. That's why wars are inevitable and co-existence seems like a distant dream!
Ian felt disgusted at first, but he forcefully suppressed it. Beggars can't be choosers!
With that, Ian munched the blood red crystal with his face full of disgust and reluctance. 'It's for my future... It's for my future. I am not coping. I am not coping. Or am I?'
As he bit the crystal, it made contact on his tongue and it melted like cheese, as soft as pudding, as slippery fish. Yeah, the sensation was as strange as the description... In reality, the blood red crystal turned into a kind of energy that passed through his body. It took the form of crimson mist inside his body and swiftly but randomly went to different sections of his body, from his trachea, pancreas, and even to his liver as if in search for something.