Just Became a Vampire, I Clinged to Life by Grinding Health

Chapter 5: Innate Hardened Skin! Cutting Oneself with a Knife, Unharmed!

Almost in the very instant the colossal body of the giant crocodile was completely turned into a dry corpse.

In Veridian's mind, the long-awaited final judgment from the system, like a divine oracle, crashed down!

【Quality Transformation Complete!】

【Congratulations, host! You have obtained your first permanent talent: [Talent · Hardened Skin (Beginner)]!】

[Talent · Hardened Skin (Beginner)]: Passive talent. Your skin has been tempered through trials, undergoing a qualitative transformation in its physical structure, with significantly enhanced toughness and density. Effect: Provides a fixed reduction in physical damage.

Veridian's breath hesitated for a moment.

It's done.

He slowly raised his left hand.

This was the hand of a vampire, pale and slender, with distinct knuckles, the skin so delicate it was like fine porcelain, looking almost frail.

But Veridian knew, it was different now.

He walked over to the nearby stone wall, bent down, and picked up a piece of rock that had been shattered by a giant crocodile earlier, its edge sharp as a knife.

Without the slightest hesitation, his gaze was cold and focused as he exerted every ounce of strength, driving the sharp stone fragment fiercely into his own forearm!

"Clang!"

A screeching sound like metal grinding, abruptly echoed in the stillness of the sewer!

The sound was sharp, even sparking a trail of tiny embers.

Veridian looked down.

Only a faint white mark remained on his forearm, not even breaking the outer layer of oil skin.

And the hard stone slab he had used for testing, its sharp edge, had actually chipped a tiny crack visible to the naked eye.

Success.

It actually worked!

A nameless surge of elation, mixed with an obsessive, validated sense of immense satisfaction, exploded from the depths of his heart, instantly sweeping over his entire body!

In his previous life on the hospital bed, every breath was accompanied by a tingling of internal organs, and every examination meant another slice of his life being cut away by Death.

In this life in the castle, the holy light that penetrated the cracks of the doors, like the sword of Damocles hanging above his head, would fall at any moment and burn him to ashes.

The despair of watching oneself walk towards death yet being utterly powerless is the most profound and inescapable nightmare of his two lifetimes!

And now!

At this very moment!

He himself, for this fragile life of his, laid the first indestructible cornerstone!

This is no longer an ethereal skill, one that could become rusty with lack of practice at any moment.

This is a permanent, passively effective, soul- and body-imprinted [Talent] that cannot be stripped away by any external force!

It is the first step towards the highest realm he seeks, the realm of [Absolute Immortality]!

However, that rush of joy lasted less than three seconds before being replaced by a deeper, soul-imprinted obsession and sense of crisis.

"Not enough..."

Veridian muttered softly, his voice hoarse, his eyes burning with a fiercer flame than ever before.

"Far from enough!"

A 【hardened skin】is still far from enough!

He also wants to turn 【Resist Blowing】 Liver into 【Damage Absorption】 talent! Convert bludge damage you receive into your own life force!

He wants to push 【Holy Resistance】 all the way up, ultimately transforming it into 【Holy Affinity】! Let the judgmental holy light of paladins become a sunbath that warms his body!

He wants to transform 【Enduring Pain】into 【Hyper-Fast Regeneration】! Let the enemy cut his health bar at a speed that will never keep up with the speed at which his cells divide and wounds heal!

He needs 【Puncture Resistance】, 【Slash Resistance】, 【Fire Resistance】, 【Frost Resistance】, 【Mental Fortitude】, 【Soul Warding】..

He wants to grind all the survival skills he can think of into golden, shining talents!

With hundreds and thousands of immortal talents, he armors himself from the inside out, from the physical to the conceptual, into a monster that no god or demon can kill, and even the concept of "death" itself cannot touch—an eternally indestructible being!

Veridian forcefully suppresses the surging thoughts in his mind, regaining absolute calm and reason in the fastest possible way.

Living in fantasy is meaningless; reviewing the gains and planning the next step is the only criterion for survival.

He had a thought, and he brought up his refreshed attribute panel.

【Name: Veridian】

【Species: Vampire (Remnant)】

【Health: 20/20】

【Strength: 3.3】

【Agility: 6】

【Vitality: 2.5】

【Spirit: 7】

【Talent: Hardened Skin (Beginner)】

【Skills:】

【Pain Resistance (LV3: 388/400)】

【Holy Resistance (LV2: 259/300)】

【Blood Siphon (LV1: 181/300)】

【Basic Bite (LV1: 131/200)】

【Environmental Utilization (LV1: 101/200)】

【Claw Attack (LV1: 11/100)】

【Pain Tolerance (LV0: 51/100)】

Looking at this luxurious panel, Veridian's lips finally curved into an inner, cold, and satisfied smile.

【Combat Skills】Just 12 skill points away from the next level.

【Holy Light Resistance】Also within reach.

The first elite boss of the novice village, who has squeezed out the last drop of value and has become a stepping stone to his path to immortality.

It's time to seek out the next "experience package."

He cast his gaze into the deeper darkness of the sewer.

Beneath the glistening surface of this vast city named Silver Sail, there must lie countless sins and filth.

The gangsters, killers, thugs who lurk in the darkness……

They are all "proficiency potions" that walk by themselves.

Veridian elegantly adjusted his collar, already soaked through with mud and ragged, as if he were not in the stinking sewer but preparing for a grand ball.

However, just as he was about to set off.

His movements abruptly halted.

He slowly closed his eyes.

After consuming the blood of the giant crocodile and his physique being enhanced, his extraordinary senses belonging to the vampire race also became sharper.

Especially his hearing.

After excluding the sound of flowing water, the squeaking of mice in the distance, and the heartbeat drumming in his own ears……

A sound that was extremely faint yet incredibly clear, from somewhere deep in a branch of the sewer, like spider silk, wrapped itself around his eardrums.

That wasn't the sound of water, nor was it the roar of a beast.

It was……

The heavy iron chain dragging across the slippery ground, making a "clatter... clatter..." sound.

And, mixed among the sound of the chain, the sound of a human woman's, suppressed to the extreme, intermittent……

Sobbing and crying.

Veridian slowly opened his eyes, a hint of cold astonishment flashing in his crimson eyes.

Only a person of ill intent would play a game of imprisonment this deep in the sewers.

And someone capable of committing such a crime would have a concentration of "sin" in their soul and blood far exceeding that of the previous apprentice knight!

A silent smile curved Veridian's lips.

The feast, it was truly about to begin.