Necrotic Heir

Grey's vision blurred as he looked down and saw [Duskfang]'s fangs embedded in his throat, its jaws clamped tight like a vice. Strangely, the pain wasn't as intense as he expected. But he knew—if he didn't act fast, he might actually die.

Without thinking, pure survival instinct kicked in. Grey's hand shot up, fingers stiff like daggers, and he drove them into [Duskfang]'s scaly hide. His nails dug deep into the creature's flesh, eliciting a low growl from the beast. For a moment, [Duskfang] was taken aback—how was this human still breathing, let alone fighting back?

Angered, [Duskfang] retaliated, sinking its fangs even deeper into Grey's neck, locking down harder, trying to crush his windpipe. Blood dripped down Grey's skin, and the beast licked it hungrily. Yet, something was wrong. The blood, which had felt like liquid power before, was different now. Bitter. Tainted. Instead of energizing it, the blood seemed to sap its strength, making its limbs feel sluggish.

A searing pain flared up where Grey's fingers pierced its hide, burning hotter with each second. [Duskfang] had ignored the initial wound, dismissing it as nothing more than a nuisance. But now, the pain was unbearable, spreading through its body like wildfire. 

Panicking, the beast let out a sharp snarl, wrenching its fangs free from Grey's throat. It leapt back, creating distance between them, its yellow eyes wide with fear and confusion. It glanced down at its side where Grey had struck, and to its horror, the skin around the puncture marks had shriveled and blackened as if it had been poisoned from the inside.

Grey groaned, his body aching as he sat up. His fingers brushed over the spot where [Duskfang] had bitten him, but the wound was already closing up.

Confused, he rubbed his neck and read the strange messages:

[Title detected: Necrotic Heir]

[Condition to awaken as the Necrotic Heir met]

[Innate Passive Skills Activated: Regeneration, Necrotic Touch, Cursed Blood...[Locked] [Locked] [Locked]]

Grey's heart raced. 'Necrotic Heir?'

He quickly scanned the list of new skills.

[Regeneration: Heal any wounds, major or minor. But you won't survive decapitation or a crushed heart.]

[Necrotic Touch: At will, you can drain the life of anything you touch as long as it possesses life.]

[Cursed Blood: Your blood is now akin to the most potent poison, granting you resistance to poison. Any poison taken enhances its potency.]

He clenched his fists, feeling a strange pulse of energy running through his veins. Everything that had just happened with [Duskfang] started to make sense.

His blood had turned into poison.

The bite that should have killed him had only made him stronger. 

Grey couldn't help but smirk. This was no ordinary power—it was terrifying, and now it was his.

Curious about how much he'd changed, he pulled up his status window. His eyes widened at the stats before him:

Name: Grey White

Race: Human

Title: Necrotic Heir

Strength: 22 [+10]

Agility: 20 [+10]

Stamina: 21[+20]

Vitality: 20 [+10]

Intelligence: 13 [+10]

Energy: 230

Affinity: [Lightning] [Ice] [Fire]

Elemental Abilities: [Voltedge - 5] [Lightning Enhancement - 7] [Overcharge - 15] [Static Surge - 10] [Cold Immunity]

Bloodline Abilities: [Essence Plunderer - 1] [Regeneration - 2] [Necrotic Touch - 0] [Cursed Blood - 0]

Others : [Berserk - 1] [Quickstep - 7]

Equipment: [Bane Sword]

"So it was my bloodline that was reaching out to me?" Grey muttered, slowly rising to his feet.

His body felt different—stronger, more alive.

The call he had felt earlier, though he wasn't sure how it worked, had drawn him into a life-threatening situation. It had forced him to dance right on the edge of death.

And now, as he stood there, he had to admit—it had been worth it.

His new title, 'Necrotic Heir', hadn't just awakened hidden skills. It had supercharged his stats, especially his stamina, which now felt almost limitless.

He ran a hand over the bite marks on his neck, feeling the skin knit itself back together. 

His regeneration was working overtime, like that famous mutant with claws, or the antihero who always cracked jokes while shrugging off damage.

Grey flexed his fingers, his senses heightened. He could feel everything around him. The fear radiating from [Duskfang], the faint presence of the surviving human above him—and something else.

His bloodline was awake now, and it was hungry.

He could feel it, a deep pull inside him, wanting to drain the life from everything around him.

The power was intoxicating.

But then he sensed it—hostility. Two sources. One was obvious:

[Duskfang], licking its wounds in the shadows, trying to recover from the fight. T

he second source, however, caught him by surprise.

It was coming from Apollo.

Grey turned to face Apollo, whose piercing eyes were locked on him, a cold aura swirling around him like a winter storm 

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill me just yet?" Grey asked, his voice calm but laced with challenge.

Apollo didn't answer. He just stood there, silent, his icy glare never wavering.

His body was tense, as if holding back something powerful.

It was like every fiber of Apollo's being was screaming at him to strike, to end Grey right then and there.

But Apollo held back. His fists clenched, jaw tight. He wasn't going to act on it. Not yet. 

Seeing Apollo remain passive, Grey shifted his focus to [Duskfang], who was glaring at him with a menacing snarl.

Grey felt a strange mix of emotions—anger and... gratitude?

If it weren't for [Duskfang] pushing him to the brink, he would never have unlocked his title's power. 

The Necrotic Heir...He didn't fully grasp what it meant yet, but it was clear that this title was the reason he had gained three passive skills and survived.

Still, that didn't change the fact that [Duskfang] had nearly killed him. The memory of being helpless, teetering on the edge of death, fueled a surge of fury inside him.

He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as he tried to keep his cool.

With deliberate calm, Grey walked over to where his sword lay on the ground. He bent down, picked it up, and felt the familiar weight in his hand.

He tightened his grip around the hilt, the cold metal reassuring him.

His eyes locked onto [Duskfang], whose body was now trembling with raw power. "How about we end this once and for all, eh?" Grey taunted, his voice steady but filled with intensity.

Suddenly, Duskfang's body began to change.

Its muscles tensed, and its skin started to sizzle as steam rose from its body.

It was growing slimmer, more agile, and its horn seemed to elongate, glowing faintly with energy.

Grey could feel it—[Duskfang]'s aura had doubled in strength. 

"It's powering up," Grey muttered under his breath, recognizing the telltale signs of a skill like his own [Berserk]. Irritation flickered in his eyes:

"So you didn't go all out earlier, huh?"

He thought he had already forced [Duskfang] to its limits in their last fight, but apparently, the beast had been holding back.

Grey's lips curled into a smirk, the excitement of the challenge building inside him. 

"No matter," he said, his voice a low growl.

'This is good.'

Facing an even more dangerous version of [Duskfang] would make the fight more thrilling.

His bloodline was constantly refilling his stamina, neutralizing the side effects of his own [Berserk] mode.

He was already recovering from the exhaustion that had weighed him down moments before.

The only issue now was his mana. He was low, restricting his ability to use his elemental attacks—no more [Voltedge] or [Static Surge] for now.

But that didn't matter.

The new skills he had awakened would...