Blood Assimilation

"So how many abilities did you awaken exactly?" Jiang Chen suddenly asked.

"Eh? Uhm, not much. In truth, all my abilities are part of my class I think, and they all had something to do with controlling blood, well, that's all I can tell you." Randy gave him a response despite being caught off guard.

"Oh? Is that so."

Jiang Chen uttered as he looked at him and displayed a disappointed look and Randy did not miss this change in his expression.

"Hey, come on now, don't look at me like that. Alright, fine. I'll just show you then. I can use an ability similar to reinforcement." Saying so, Randy transformed into his werewolf form partially with only his hair turning white, no extended claws or protruding fangs, however his eyes were yellowish-green in color.

This transformation was only 10% out of the total 30% so the effects did not alter his appearance that much.

"Ohhh!!" Jiang Chen's excited voice resounded.

"You can actually change your appearance, no, transform should be the appropriate word. You can actually transform yourself. This is very interesting. So how strong are you now?" Jiang Chen excitedly asked.

Randy appeared to be in thought as he held his chin, and then casually said, "Let's see, I should be as strong as a B-rank with my current appearance, give and take."

"What?! B-B-rank? Already? You're not lying to me, right?" Jiang Chen exclaimed in shock upon hearing his claim and then doubtfully asked in return.

Randy waved his hands and then tried to clear the misunderstanding, "Wait, calm down. That is only my physical state, not accounting my magical energy and other stuff."

After hurriedly saying so to stop him from overreacting too much, he then continued with an uncertainty in his voice, "As for other things like the energy rankings, I am not too sure of it myself until I pay a visit to the hunter association or other organization."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense." Jiang Chen finally understood and then continued, "Then again, you have been through so much without an innate ability for a long time, so I guess this makes up for all those times of shame and frustration."

Jiang Chen genuinely said to him from the bottom of his heart.

Hearing him say that Randy could not help but feel emotional at this moment. Indeed, he had been through a lot these past few years and finally, he can raise his head up high without any worry of being ridiculed again.

After a while of silence between the two, Jiang Chen recalled something, then finally spoke up again, "Ah, also, you said, you could control blood, right? Do you mind demonstrating it so I can see? I need to see it for my personal research."

Jiang Chen said with an intrigued voice. After seeing his transformation ability just now, he cannot wait to see what other ability he had awakened. Although most people only awaken one ability but there are few people who managed to awaken two or more abilities, not to mention those who could use more than one type of energy. These kinds of people are rarer than those with more than one ability from the same energy type, thus they are few and far between no matter where you go.

However when he looked at him, Randy had a pondering expression as if he was rather troubled by his sudden request of his.

Noticing that his troubled expression, which was rather strange, Jiang Chen looked at him for a bit before asking, "What is it? Do you not want to show it to me? Or is there some other reason why you looked troubled?"

Hearing him, Randy snapped out of his thoughts with his eyebrows raised for a moment and then hurriedly said, "N-No, that's not it. I don't mind showing you, but do you mind losing some blood?"

"You need my blood? No problem." Saying so, he hurriedly went to grab a knife from somewhere in his room. Although, he was surprised by Randy's request but that was only secondary if he could see what type of ability he has.

Randy appeared surprised seeing him holding a short knife in his hand without a care and he muttered, "So quick to decide? You're not even the least bit scared of losing your blood? Or even suspicious of the fact that I need your blood specifically to display my ability to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Jiang Chen asked in confusion.

Randy replied in a serious tone, "What if I use your blood for some, you know, some voodoo or some ritual or maybe use it to place a curse on you or something? Are you not scared of that possibility?"

Jiang Chen chuckled after listening to him and then said to him while shaking his head in disappointment, "Randy, I have known you for so long and yet you act like a stranger toward me even now? Are we even friends at this point? Stop talking nonsense and take my blood and let me see your ability."

Although he told him all that in seriousness as if he was disappointed in him, but he could not hide the excitement in his voice as he spoke.

Randy on the other hand was stunned speechless when he heard those words from his best friend and then he silently thought.

'Right, he is my only friend in all these years, so it is normal for mutual trust to exist between us.'

Thinking so, he did not hesitate anymore, he revealed a smile, and then spoke in a playful but somewhat mysterious tone, "Although, I cannot do any voodoo, conduct a ritual or even place a curse on you, I can do something else."

Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise, a bit interested in what he was saying, "What do you mean by those words?"

Randy did not bother to reply to his question and simply said to him, "Just give me your blood. On second thought, just cut your finger or whatever you want, and I will do the rest."

"Alright" Jiang readily replied to him and proceeded to poke his index with the knife.

'He really arbitrary cut his finger without hesitation.' Randy silently thought in surprise.

Randy was shocked but still maintained his calm, and after seeing the blood coming out of the fresh wound on Jiang Chen's index finger, he stated, "Alright, that's it, leave it like that."

Saying so, he tried activating his Blood Authority skill but then he thought of something and then he decided to do so after undoing his werewolf transformation beforehand.

"Damn, it really is pretty cool to transform your body like that. I wish I had something like that." Jiang Chen gasped in admiration when he saw Randy visibly changing back to his own appearance.

Seeing him like that, Randy thought for a bit and told him, "Don't worry, I heard that there are techniques purposely used for changing one's appearance. If I get my hands on one someday, I will hand it to you first since you want to change your appearance so much."

"Really? But I heard those techniques are really so expensive… no, they're definitely expensive." Jiang Chen said and then waved his other hand dismissively before saying, "Don't worry about my nonsense and use your blood manipulation ability already."

"…Alright, but don't be surprised by what you see" Randy said to him in ambiguous tone.

"Why would I be? And why aren't you coming closer but standing in the distance?" Jiang Chen confusedly asked.

Randy did not reply to him this time and only mumbled to himself, "Well, this distance should be enough?"

Saying so, he fully activated his ability from about 2 meters distance away from where Jiang Chen was standing.

[Activating Blood Authority]

Randy felt some sort of invisible energy almost like a magnetic field around himself as he compelled the dripping red blood on Jiang Chen's left hand's index finger. Immediately after, almost like a magnetic attraction or like telekinesis, the dripping blood started levitating as it floated towards his direction in a straight line.

A shocked voice resounded shortly after.

"Whoa!"

"Y-You can actually manipulate my blood from such a distance. Do you also have a telekinetic ability?" Jiang Chen almost jumped in surprise as he suddenly asked with a look of disbelief.

He knew that Randy had a transformation ability, and a blood manipulation ability but he never thought that Randy also had a telekinetic ability. Just how many abilities did he awaken?

While Jiang Chen was seriously thinking about this, Randy himself appeared helpless as he tried to explain, "This… I don't think it is telekinesis. It is called Blood Authority and that's all I know about it at this point. Well, it is pretty handy as I can even detect any harmful substance within the blood I collect from others."

"How wondrous…" Jiang Chen muttered under his breath.

And then he paused as he suddenly realized something and then curiously asked, "Did you just say, 'blood I collect from others?' Whose blood did you collect so far?"

'Damn! He is so sharp! Picking up on these little crumbs I accidentally dropped by accident.' Randy silently exclaimed inwardly while looking at Jiang Chen's curious gaze.