Vampire Reincarnation

“Boy, isn’t that…?” the old man asked hesitantly, and turned his head toward Kai while vigilently watching over the beast.

“Yeah… it’s the Obborik.” his clothes fluttered as he jumped down from the bear’s corpse, and picked up his sword from the ground.

He gave the Obborik a curious glance, and couldn’t help but question its reason for coming all the way here, especially with the old man present. Lowering his guard, he carefully watched the white beast’s actions, and it growled softly as it slowly walked toward them.

It left a trail in the black dirt as it dragged one of its bloody hind legs, cautiously approaching the duo, or better yet, what was behind them.

Kai clutched the sword’s hilt as a wave of anger washed over him, however, he decided against his better judgment and sheathed his sword. He watched the beast’s actions carefully, his hand still holding the hilt as a small precaution.

The Obborik glanced at the two as it walked past them, circling the bear’s huge carcass, he began to take small bites from it. It tore the fur and the skin, finally reaching its flesh, and it began to devour the corpse under the duos’ gaze.

Kai’s hand trembled on the sword’s hilt, remembering the hell he had to go through because of the Obborik before him. He bit his lower lip, blood dripping down his chin as anger nearly blinded his judgment.

Looking at the Obborik’s pitiful state, he couldn’t help but pity the beast, as he saw himself in it, however, he couldn’t forget what it had done to him, and most importantly to Kana.

I wonder if she’s right… He gulped at the thought that Haniard would attack her family, but the old man had assured him that they had long since left the kingdom.

The sound of its chewing reverberated in the area as it hungrily devoured the flesh and entrails, digging its snout deep into the bear’s body, and eating the mana-enriched organs.

“Kai, do you want to get rid of it?” the old man asked him after seeing that he was undecided.

He didn’t answer immediately, on the one hand, this thing wanted to maim and eat them a few months ago… on the other, it did what it had to survive, just like he himself was in this moment.

Softening his grip on the hilt, he let his sword fall down the sheath completely, letting out a sharp sound as it clicked in place. Looking at the Obborik, he couldn’t help but feel pity for the bloodied beast. It was obvious its pack had abandoned it, and it was left to struggle all alone in this damned forest.

“It’s fine… the camp won’t miss a few pieces of meat.” He said as he turned his attention away from the Obborik, and instead to the bear’s chest. Taking out his small dagger, he climbed back up the huge carcass and dug next to where the heart was.

A hole gradually appeared, and Kai’s bloodied hands dug deep into the mass of flesh, searching for a very specific object. He pulled out his dirty arms and held a small spherical object in his hand. Descending the bear, he handed the small core over to the old man with a grin on his face.

“That’s some good stuff,” the old man said as he picked up the core, holding it between his index and thumb. “Not very expensive, but can buy at least a day’s worth of food, keep it in case of emergency.”

Kai placed it inside his pocket before turning to the Obborik, who was still eating from the carcass. “Don’t you think you had enough?” he asked the beast, however, it seemed to not have heard what he said and kept on devouring away.

He inhaled deeply as he approached the Obborik, and he gulped as its huge figure almost towered over him even when sitting. Why are these things so big… he cried inwardly as he thought of how to get it off the hunt.

“Grandpa…” he turned toward the old man, who wore an amused expression on his face.

“Don’t look at me! Sort out your own mess.” he chuckled lightly as he leaned on a nearby tree, watching the spectacle that was about to ensue.

Kai let out a deep sigh as he looked at the old man, unsure of how to react before staring at the Obborik whose eating speed had decreased at the very least. His brain raced as he tried to find a solution.

He picked up a branch from the ground, poking the animal from a distance, however, that did nothing more than anger it, letting out a light snarl before resuming its business.

After that, he tried hitting it, which ended with a light tap from its hind legs. Then Kai wanted to drag it away, however the moment he touched its white fur, the Obborik started kicking and screaming like a hyena.

Kai let out an annoyed grunt, and he almost unsheathed his sword, however, he sighed and gave up on the thought.

“Why is it so hungry anyway? It couldn’t catch a single-horned rabbit?” He voiced his exasperated thoughts as he slumped to the ground, almost tempted to give up on the bear.

“Catching one of them little things won’t allow it to recuperate the energy lost while doing so.” the old man commented from the side, grunting as he got up. “And whatever else that is nutritional enough it wouldn’t be able to kill, that’s why they live in a pack.”

He walked to Kai’s side, lifting him up, saying “When dealing with wild animals you can’t afford to be gentle or kind, nor can you be too tough or else they will suddenly attack.”

The old man pulled out his wand and mumbled a short syllable as he pointed it toward the sky.

“Ki!”

Kai’s hair floated upward as a static pressure built up in the air, and a few arcs of electricity danced around his sword as a dark cloud appeared just above the trees.

The cloud split in two as a deafening thunder reverberated through the air, and the canopie’s leaves sizzled slightly as they burned in the same moment. A small bolt of thunder struck next to the Obborik in less than a second, startling it.

It jumped to its feet, wincing in pain slightly as it opened and licked its bloody snout, crying in panic. Its heart threatened to jump out of its chest, and its eyes moved wildly about to look for the source of its scare.

“See? Now we can take the bear without any problems.” The elder chuckled as he pulled out a large cart from his spatial ring, which creaked under the creature’s weight after dragging it in.

The two tied the corpse to the cart before leaving for the camp. The Obborik watched them depart from the clearing, and it licked its snout staring at the huge bear.

It looked at the forest with a lowered head, before quickly turning toward the carriage, and dragged its feet as it followed behind them.

“Grandpa… is it following us?” Kai remarked as his head slowly turned toward the Obborik with a bewildered expression.

“Seems like it.” The old man answered nonchalantly, ignoring the beast as he dragged the carriage further.

Kai walked at a slower pace, feeling flabbergasted by the whole situation but he couldn’t bring himself to drive the animal away. Ah whatever… it’ll get bored, probably…

The Obborik cared not for what Kai thought, however. All it saw was the huge meal that it didn’t enjoy quite enough.

However, after filling its belly earlier and looking closer at the boy, it barely managed to remember where it had seen him before. Its pupils widened in surprise after realizing it, and its footsteps halted briefly before breaking into a sprint.

The Obborik’s huge figure rushed toward Kai, lunging at him despite its wounded leg. He prepared to unseathe his word, however by the time he touched the sword’s hilt it was too late.

The creature knocked him to the ground, locking his shoulders with its paws as it leaned with most of its body weight on the boy. It snarled its teeth as its snout approached Kai’s face, the bloody and nauseating stench inundating his nostrils.

The old man quickly let go of the cart and rushed toward him in a panic as he pulled out his wand. He prepared to cast a spell, however, he stopped right away as he watched the Obborik lick Kai’s face. What in the world?

“Argh, blah, get off, you!” Kai tried pushing away the furred beast that kept on licking his face, despite his protests, however, it seemed like an impossible ordeal. Argh what the fuck is wrong with this guy?

The Obborik’s incessant licking stopped after a few minutes, long after Kai’s face got drenched in droll. It stared at him with widened yellow eyes and winced a few times as it lowered its huge head on his chest.

Its head was wider than his midsection, and its puppy-like eyes seemed a bit comical as they completely contrasted its otherwise fearsome appearance.

A small cloud of dust rose behind it as its tail wagged rapidly, creating a strong wind current.

“Can you get it off me?” Kai said as he struggled to free himself from the Obborik’s strength, however, he wasn’t strong enough to move an inch, let alone push off the thing.

“I don’t know…” the old man scratched his beard while smiling, “It seems to like you.”

“Like? What are you talking about, it wanted to kill me a few months ago!” he yelled as he struggled to turn his head toward the old man. “I’d much rather believe it's tasting me!”

The old man let out a light chuckle as he turned away, dragging the carriage further away, and his voice lingered as his figure disappeared. “It’s rare that you find a companion like that…”

Kai sighed in frustration as he turned toward the Obborik, its huge snout almost pressing against his face, and its wet nose sniffed him playfully before finally getting off him.

“What do you want?” He asked the animal, who tilted its head in response as if it couldn’t understand what he meant.

“Arg! This guy!” Kai let out an exasperated sigh before getting up and dusting himself off. “Shoo! Go back in the forest!” he said as he signaled it to turn around.

The Obborik’s ears twitched slightly, and it walked in a circular motion before sitting down. Kai looked up at the beast and suddenly felt that it wasn’t as scary as it looked… perhaps it was dumber than it looked.

Why is it acting like a dog when it wanted to eat me a few months ago? I… is Lumiera fucking with me? Speaking of which… argh! I’ll kill her! Can I even kill a Goddess though?

He slapped his face lightly as he turned around, ignoring the Obborik and shoving his useless thoughts aside, he ran after the old man.

The wolf-like beast wanted to follow, however it hesitated, and let out a low growl as it ran back into the forest.

…

The days passed, and Kai once again left to train in the forest, accompanied by the old man. They stopped in the middle of the clearing where he had slain the bear, the once-fresh blood had long since dried under the forest’s eternal shadow.

“You’ve somewhat mastered the basic sword skills I’ve taught you,” the old man said, standing ten meters away from Kai. “However, without a body core I’m afraid you can’t advance any further, and attempting to to cultivate one without a teacher is too dangerous.”

Kai raised an eyebrow, and his lips parted briefly before closing just as quickly. The elder stroked his beard before he continued, his eyes gleaming with a faint light as he looked into the distance.

“But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else I can teach you. Your last challenge…” he lingered on his words as a slight smile appeared on his face, and the ground shuddered slightly as the sound of rustling leaves and cracking branches reverberated through the air.

“Has arrived.”

Kai turned around, his pupis widening in surprise as a huge figure emerged from the forest. Its scarlet fur was decorated by a few white streaks, and its huge paws left large holes wherever it went.

The two round and small ears that decorated its head twitched slightly as the old man’s words rang in its mind, and it roared as its head snapped toward the two. Its large, bloody snout rose up in the air as it sniffed the air, and its pupils constricted upon sensing a familiar aura.

“Grandpa…” Kai’s shaky voice escaped his lips as he turned to the old man, who was now grinning sadistically.

“Your final challenge is the mom, Good luck now. I will only save you once you’re really about to die, so try not to break too many bones…”

Kai’s pupils widened after hearing the elder’s words, and a shiver ran down his spine as the sword clanked softly he gripped its hilt, and he took on a fighting stance.

“Isn’t that close to a four-ranked beast?!” he asked in a panicked voice, his heart racing as he watched the creature rush toward him, rising up a cloud of dust in its wake.

“You’ll be fine…hopefully.”

A chill ran down his spine as he let out an exasperated sigh as he unsheathed the purple sword, its dark blade emitted a chilly aura as Kai grunted in pain after infusing the slightest bit of mana into it.

Stupid old man! No wonder my parents never mentioned him!

His feet trembled as the bear rapidly approached him, and his brain raced through several ideas on how to defeat it, however, no matter what he decided to do, it would only end in death.

Damn it! His muscles tensed up, and he could already feel the creature’s hot breath hitting his face despite the distance between them. Holding the sword with two hands, a sharp pain spread throughout his limbs as he enchanted them with the lowest speed enchantment he could.

He retreated toward a nearby tree, and waited for the bear to approach closer and closer, until finally… he jumped!

However the loud thud that he waited to hear never arrived, and before he could even look downward, he felt a strong force grab him by the ankle, and he smashed into the ground right after.

Coughing up blood, he dodged to the side as a huge stream of fire enveloped the place where he landed, turning the ground black as the grass became ashes.

What the fuck! He ran backward while looking at the huge bear with amazement, then he cursed after taking a quick glance at the old man, who seemed to be napping under a bush.

However he couldn’t afford to be getting too distracted, As the huge bear’s claws turned to a blue hue, it slashed toward him and ten huge wind blades shot toward Kai.

They arrived within five meters of him in just a few seconds, and his pupils widened as he blocked with the sword, protecting his vitals while enduring the rest of the strikes.

His pelt shirt got ripped as small amounts of blood gushed out of his chest, dying the ground crimson. Coughing lightly, he ignored the pain spreading through his body and once again began running around the clearing, unsure of how to deal with the beast.

Magic, strength, and speed… not to mention how big it is and the fact that I can’t even be considered a one-rank body cultivator… just what is wrong with this damn old man?!

He could hear his bones rattle as a few of them fractured from the violent impact, but he persevered, barely dodging the bear’s furious attacks by a hair’s breadth.

“Agh!” He grunted in pain as one claw slashed his shoulder, creating a shallow but long wound that ran across his chest. Not letting the opportunity go, he gritted through the pain and slashed at the thick arm, however, that did nothing more than leave a scratch and anger the bear.

It puffed as its scarlet fur started to glow with a red hue, and Kai screamed in pain as it locked him down. Raising its other paw, it created a small air current as it descended toward the boy, who raised his sword in a meager attempt to block.

The paw moved slowly in Kai’s vision, and his eyes snapped shut just before it was about to make contact with his face, however, the excruciating pain he was expecting never arrived.

Instead, a soft thud accompanied by the sound of crackling branches rang in his ears. His eyes slowly opened, and, seeing that the bear had disappeared he looked around in confusion.

An angry growl rang in his mind, and he turned toward its source only to see the Obborik glaring at him, or rather to his side. The scarlet bear puffed as it stood up, and it briefly glanced at its body, where a bit of blood sipped out from a fresh wound.