I continued cultivating the scriptures. First, the *Supreme Spiritual Scripture*, then the *Supreme Strength Scripture*. I followed this routine daily for an entire week. It took me more than six hours to complete both sets, and I only ate after finishing them. That became my rhythm.
One week later, when I went downstairs to extend my stay at the tavern, I saw Lilla. But something was off. Her usual spark was missing—she looked drained.
"Hey, Lilla. What's up? Why do you look like that?" I asked.
"We had an accident… two days ago," she said softly. "A group of C-rank beasts attacked us."
Her voice held a strange mix of frustration and guilt.
"I managed to kill three," she continued, "but we had to use an artifact. Even then… Leon lost his hand."
"What?! How?" I asked, stunned.
"Someone attacked him from behind," she said. "He lost focus, and a beast took advantage of it… tore his hand off."
I blinked. "But wait, aren't vampires supposed to have regeneration? Won't his hand grow back?"
She shook her head. "It's not that simple. He needs to reach B-rank first. Only then will his regeneration activate. Until then, his body thinks it's fully healed. His cells have gone inactive. He won't regenerate anything unless there's a mage who can keep those cells alive... or an S-rank healing mage willing to help."
I frowned. "So, find one? Isn't that an option?"
She looked away. "There's none in this city. I asked my father. And even if there were, they wouldn't help. Those kinds of mages… they're arrogant. They won't even *talk* to people below A-rank, let alone heal them."
"So, what now?"
"Leon will register with the Mage Union… as a non-combatant. He's not a mage, so that's all he can do. They've agreed to help him keep his cells active until he reaches B-rank."
"Let me guess," I sighed. "He'll have to serve them in return?"
Lilla waved her hand. "It's not like that. It's a time-bound contract. Twenty years of service."
"Twenty years?" I muttered, eyes wide. "Damn… So he can't come with you anymore. That's why you're upset, right?"
She nodded, looking down. "It was my mistake. I'm the leader… and I still couldn't see who attacked him."
I leaned against the counter. "How long will it take for Leon to reach B-rank?"
"About seven years," she replied.
"Seven years…" I murmured, then muttered to myself, "I'll break through in less than a month. And to reach A-rank… four to five months, maybe?"
Was this the disparity of talent? Did I truly have that much potential—to shatter limits like paper?
"Adam? Adam! Are you even listening?" Lilla called out.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah. Sorry. So… do you need anything else?"
"Just wanted to extend my stay for another week. And… I want breakfast."
She nodded and told me to take a seat. After a hearty breakfast, I paid the bills for the stay and food. I said goodbye to Lilla and went to the exchange station.
I exchanged 5 million dollars into 500 Royal Bronze coins. That was a lot for me. In this city, the highest common currency is standard silver—royal silver isn't even available here. For that, I'd have to visit a higher-tier city or the City Lord's home.
Afterward, I purchased a variety of fruits for my Jumbo and returned to my room to begin another week of seclusion.
I had also placed an order for elephant blood earlier. The vendor said they had been waiting for over five days to gather it, but it had been kept fresh.
I closed my eyes… and returned to my mental space.
Jumbo came running again—but this time, he looked slightly bigger. He'd grown.
This week, I planned to inject and assimilate 20% of the DNA I had, pushing the total past the 50% mark. Once I broke through in my Supreme Spiritual Scripture, I'd follow that with another gene assimilation session—this time reaching 61%.
That would make me a B-rank powerhouse.
And then… I'd hunt that wolf.
A cold glint shone in Adam's eyes.
But I had not forgotten the attack from Kaven's side. He too would pay—with his life. I would not only kill him, I would assimilate his core and talent. His blood magic would become mine.
After finishing my training, I lay on Jumbo's back, gazing up at the black sky. This space had an artificial day-and-night cycle, crafted by the Bloodline Source itself.
"You've helped me a lot these days… thank you," I shouted aloud, knowing full well that the Source could hear me even if I merely murmured. It could control every inch of this realm—it was always watching, always listening.
Jumbo, unaware of the atmosphere, suddenly sprayed water from his trunk toward his back—right where I was lying.
"No! Stop, Jumbo! If you do that, I'm not giving you any of the new fruits I bought!"
Hearing that, Jumbo sucked all the water back in and walked silently, sulking like a scolded baby. I chuckled, rubbing his fat belly as he stomped forward, trunk swinging left and right.
Then, my mind wandered back to what Lilla said… Seven years for Leon to reach B-rank. And yet, I would do it in mere weeks.
Why such a huge difference?
The answer came to me clearly—our paths to power were different.
I was climbing a steeper, stranger ladder.
When I injected and assimilated the first 31 % of DNA, I rose directly to C-rank initial stage. But I stopped to assimilate more after that.
Now, I could assimilate up to 61% after I breakthrough the scripture.
With that, I would move through C rank initial stage and assimilate till 60 % to reach C rank peak then cross the 61th % to reach B-rank's stages—Initial, Middle, and Peak—just by maximizing DNA absorption till 90%.
And then A rank, but After A rank my path is undefined. I am not bothered about it
My breakthrough in the Supreme Spiritual Scripture was the final trigger.