Enrico carefully gathered the fragments, fitting each piece together until the parts finally joined. As soon as the last fragment found its place, the set shone intensely, and a small creature appeared before him: a red bat marked by black lines running across its body. It was approximately the size of Enrico's hand and seemed to possess an almost living form.
There were two ways to use those artifacts: it was possible to gather them all to obtain their complete effect or use each one separately.
Enrico had decided to follow the second option for two reasons. The first was that, in approximately three weeks, that villain would begin searching for the artifacts using an item created specifically to find them. That was precisely why Enrico had accepted that week of rest so easily. In fact, he had already intended to request some time away from the academy, since now that he was part of Class A, he could request one week of rest once every four months.
The second reason was even simpler: he couldn't risk someone stealing or destroying the artifacts.
Neither he nor the system had a truly safe place to store them, so keeping them all together could end up causing problems. The only inconvenience was that, by using the artifacts separately, the blood would not be enhanced by one hundred percent. The result would be close to ninety-five percent of the complete effect, but Enrico already had a way to work around that.
"First I make an alchemy circle like this and then..."
Enrico had seen that technique many times when the alchemist mage used it to enhance Kai's items in the future. The circle remained active for only one hour and, at that stage, could increase the efficiency of consumable items by ten percent. Later, the technique would be capable of enhancing other types of objects, but for now, that was the limit Enrico knew.
"Done."
A magic circle appeared on the ground. It had two concentric rings, one larger and one smaller, connected by a cross in the center. Enrico brought his hands together in a gesture of gratitude before looking at the small bat.
"Sorry for using your secret technique, Malunes, but I need it."
He used his fire magic to activate the circle. The magical lines began to glow, enveloping the red bat, and the artifact seemed to acquire an even more refined appearance.
[Red Night Bat — 105%]
Since Enrico was using fire magic to reproduce the technique, the result would never reach the level of Malunes, who possessed a much greater understanding of that magic and could improve it more and more over time. Because of that, during that week, Enrico had sent her a tip through a secret letter. With that, he managed to advance the development of the technique, and, knowing the mage's abilities, she had probably already reached halfway through the process.
Enrico picked up the Red Night Bat and pressed the artifact's small teeth against his own wrist. When he pressed down, blood began to flow, and almost immediately he felt a sensation of heat spreading through his vein.
It was as if his blood were boiling from within, making Enrico slightly contract his face.
In the original story, those artifacts enhanced the user's blood according to their magic. That villain's blood was described by the vampires as bitter in taste, but pleasant at the same time. Since Enrico possessed fire magic, he imagined that his own blood would acquire a different characteristic, perhaps something warm, intense, or even similar to the sensation of freshly prepared food.
The artifact's red glow slowly disappeared. Enrico then removed the bat from his wrist and wrapped it in a piece of cloth.
"The Red Night Bat will recover its effect in a week, but it can't be used on the same user again. So..."
Enrico looked at the small artifact for a few seconds before throwing it onto the ground. Then he stepped on it with force.
CRACK!
The red bat broke apart and began to disintegrate shortly afterward.
"Just like him, I'll destroy it so that there will only be one person with this pure blood."
Enrico put away the bag and began leaving the cave. By now, his blood should already be above average for vampires, although it still hadn't reached the level he intended.
Besides that, the artifact had produced another effect that he couldn't ignore: his body seemed healthier. The constant feeling of exhaustion had decreased, and even the recovery from his injuries seemed slightly faster.
To Enrico, that meant only one thing.
He could train even harder.
"I have to get the other two items before he starts looking for them, but I'll need help."
In the original story, even after acquiring all the artifacts, the villain still took some time before ordering the vampires to attack his enemies.
He wanted to prepare properly before acting, but even with all that care, he eventually lost.
[I'm back. What did I miss?]
"Just me using the item."
[You did that without me? You should have waited for me, damn you.]
Enrico merely shrugged, which irritated the system even more. For a while, she remained silent, clearly sulking at him.
After leaving the region where the dungeon was located, Enrico started running again, immediately resuming his training.
"Great... there really was an improvement in my body."
[You're going after that villain? I saw that she wasn't that strong and that her family is also going to be difficult.]
Enrico increased his speed and began jumping between the trees, using the branches to propel his body forward as he advanced.
"I know. But I'm going to heal her father and help them recover the stolen territory."
[I understand. And I also understand why you want to recruit her even though she's weak. Thanks to that family's ability, her Circle will reach yours quickly. That ability is really good for them, even with that limitation.]
Enrico smiled as he continued looking ahead. His destination was a city with architecture and culture similar to feudal-era Japan.
Tsuyokuni.
Hours later, night began to fall. Enrico finally stopped to rest and pulled out a cloth tied to his waist, wiping his hands while observing the boar lying at his feet.
"You gave me some trouble, huh?"
He dragged the animal a few meters toward the campfire he had prepared and began separating the best pieces of meat. With his dagger, he carefully cleaned the animal, separating the loin, shoulder, and other parts that could be used.
"Now comes the most important part... not dying from poisoning."
Carefully, he opened the small side pouch he carried with herbs and ingredients collected during the journey. He took three green leaves, with slightly serrated edges and a citrus aroma that intensified when rubbed between his fingers.
"Ryemil Leaf... calms the strong flavor of the meat. Urvan Root... but only a little. More than that and it locks the throat. And a pinch of ash salt... great for grilling over a campfire."
He rubbed some of the herbs between his fingers, smelled them, and carefully observed their coloration. After confirming that they were safe, he nodded to himself.
"Alright. Time to season."
Enrico spread the seasonings over the meat, rubbing them firmly until the aroma began to awaken his appetite. Then he skewered the pieces onto straight branches that had been previously peeled and cleaned, and positioned them over the campfire, supported by two stones.
The smell soon spread through the forest, dense and warm. The meat slowly began to brown as the fat dripped onto the flames, producing small crackles that broke the silence of the night.
"It's been a long time since I made food for myself... Heh... This smells better than anything from Astrong's cafeteria."
[It's incredible that you know how to cook... and the worst part is that it smells good.]
'Well, since childhood I cooked for myself... I really started cooking when I turned 16, so I wouldn't have to depend on anyone.'
Enrico sat with his legs crossed, keeping his eyes focused on the meat as he slowly turned the skewers, controlling the cooking time on each side like someone who was already accustomed to cooking. As he watched the meat browning over the fire, he felt a strangely familiar sensation.
A gentle breeze passed between the trees, carrying the smell of roasted meat. Enrico closed his eyes for a moment.
'If it were the old Saul, at 16 years old... he would have cried with emotion seeing how much he had improved at cooking.'
The crackle of fat falling onto the flames broke the silence. Enrico picked up the first piece that was ready and took a bite. The flavor was strong, but the seasonings had balanced the boar meat well, leaving it juicy inside and slightly toasted on the outside.
"I've spent months eating only academy food and not preparing a dish for myself. I was always busy with training... Hah, I thought I would've gotten worse."
He didn't quite smile, but he took a deep breath, satisfied with the result.
[I want some. Can you send me one?]
"How would I send it to you?"
[I'll ask my boss to allow it.]
After a small argument, Enrico eventually gave in and sent the rest of the food to the system, which simply made the meat disappear before him.
A few minutes later, with the meal finished and the fire slowly dying down, Enrico lay down on the ground, using his own bag as a pillow. His eyes remained fixed on the starry sky for a few moments, until exhaustion finally overcame him.
Without saying anything else, he closed his eyes and began to sleep.