There are people born with innate talents or mutations that make them stronger than the average person. Whether its increased muscle density, heightened senses, unbreakable bones, or frightening intellect. They manifest in vastly different forms, and accelerate an individual's growth. Some species are more predisposed towards certain mutations; Elves are prone to magic-based or mental mutations, and mutated dwarves usually gain physical-related mutations. These are also capable of manifesting as disabilities, and several factors affect the probability of them occurring. Environmental conditions, the genetics and level of the parents, and much more are shown to influence mutation rates.

~ An excerpt from a research paper on mutations

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! It's time for a royal….RUMBLE!”

Damien looked on, bored as they did introductions. He examined the surroundings and his opponents; the floor was sturdy and compact. The adults participating eyed him like a predator would when hunting prey. The vampire was going to take advantage of their naivety.

“The last five standing will move on to tomorrow’s battle to determine this week’s champion! Let’s introduce our contestants!”

He was confident in his skills. Not only were his opponents under the level milestone, meaning they had no class, all the subsequent fights had only shown him just how weak the competition was.

The coliseum offered a variety of armor that would only impede his movement; a sword was all he needed. The hulking warrior from the previous round, Jasiah, seemed like a challenge. He would have to prepare for the next round.

'Chester did say he would help me out. Perhaps he can help me get better equipment?'

Damien’s eyes sharpened as he noticed a heavily dressed figure covered in bandages. Victor Lupin, according to the introductions. He was particularly wary as he noticed that their daggers were of much higher quality compared to the rest of the rabble. The vampire figured that it was enchanted.

They offered a variety of weapons for the contestants to use, and Damien wielded a simple, bronze shortsword from their arsenal. He gave it a few swipes and found it mediocre, but nevertheless knew that a weapon was better than no weapon.

Damien possessed a mastery over a multitude of weapons, trained by the masters from his clan at a young age. They had stressed the importance of fundamentals to him, training in melee, ranged, and magical combat. The fundamentals they taught him were meant to ensure his survival, and to ensure that the prince had access to a wide variety of potential classes once they were able to select their first class at level twenty. He wanted to ask Braham, his older brother, about what class he chose. Everyone in the clan had figured he would be a mage, but Damien didn’t think so.

He was the only one who knew about his brother’s eccentricities. Underneath his pleasant exterior, was a very violent, and sadistic fighter. He never saw his brother do any undue harm to allies, but during the defense of Wisperium, he noted his elder brother’s tendency to violate intruders in the most painful way possible.

Judging by his reputation, he figured that his sibling became a melee fighter, or at least some sort of class capable of mass destruction or agony.

The bell rang, and it reverberated through his bones, signaling the fight had begun. Damien entered a stance, before nimbly avoiding the warriors who approached him.

The vampire parried and dodged, avoiding the edges of the arena so that he wouldn’t get cornered. A man twice his size came barreling towards him.

In a flash, the man was sent down to the ground after a strike to the back of his head, using the pommel on his sword.

He stepped over the man’s unconscious body, swinging at another fighter. The club wielder parried clumsily, almost dropping his weapon from the sheer force behind the blow. The sheer speed Damien operated at was well beyond his opponent’s capabilities.

'Tsk. This sword's horrible, it'll break if I keep using it like this.'

Damien’s second swing cut deep into his thigh, leaving the man incapacitated and rolling on the ground. A kick to the head finished him off, bleeding on the ground profusely.

The crowd roared in delight, surprised at his technical ability with the sword and his lack of hesitation. Now his fellow gladiators were intimidated, watching his every move with caution.

From afar Damien could see the fire mage blasting his enemies, taking care to maintain a good distance from everybody. The mysterious Victor Lupin was managing against two enemies at once with considerable ease. Similar to the vampire, they relied on superior speed to handle their opponents.

‘Where is the spearman?’

The sound of air being displaced from behind alerted Damien, and he twisted his torso in time to avoid a piercing spear thrust to the torso. In the same move, he swung the sword but was blocked by the man’s armor.

“Child, I will acknowledge your strength. But you will fall to me. You are ill-equipped.”

He didn’t bother to answer, dashing towards the spear user. The man’s absurdly long reach meant that Damien was forced to avoid strikes from almost three meters away. Even though the vampire parried most of his attacks, the spearman Hody Weinstein still managed to keep him at bay.

Damien rushed him once again, dodging another thrust with ease. However, he latched onto the spear’s shaft and pulled as hard as he could.

The boy’s deceptive strength had made the man stumble forward slightly, and he unleashed a vicious slash that would’ve gravely injured the spear user.

Quick reflexes had allowed for the man to block a portion of the blow, and the armor negated most of the damage and his spear prevented it from going any further. Hody gritted his teeth in concentration, struggling to get the blade away from his collarbone.

The vampire disengaged, retreating a smaller distance away. He sighed, clearly annoyed by the man’s fighting style.

‘I’m faster, but he never bites on my openings. Is he trying to get me exhausted first?’

“Annoying…I didn’t want to use this here.” He said, his eyes filled with contempt and cold, analytical intent. “Darkness Infusion.”

His body began to subtly exude an aura of darkness, empowered even further by the magical energy. His speed had increased by a magnitude, catching the vigilant spearman off guard.

A downward strike came down on his head, forcing the veteran fighter to block. He was clearly suffering from the increased force. A kick to his stomach made him stumble backwards.

Damien smashed the pommel into the man’s face, taking advantage of his incapacitated state to deal a devastating blow. The man’s face crumpled, his nose clearly broken. In an unexpected move, he dropped his sword and grabbed the man’s face and hit him with a brutal knee.

Spasming on the ground, the vampire’s violent move had rendered Hody indisposed, clutching his nose in pain.

‘A demon..! Argh, my nose!’ The disciplined spearman couldn’t recall the last time he was beaten so easily.

Damien stabbed the sword into the man’s shoulder, eliciting a noise of pain. The sword, which was infused with dark mana, began to erode his stamina and health, sapping him of any energy to fight back.

He could feel the rush of adrenaline through his body, absorbing what he took from the man and energizing his body.

“Stay down.”

The vampire removed his blade and licked its edge, moving away as he observed the rest of the arena. Many had looked in a mix of awe and terror as the boy easily dispatched of the elite spearman.

“Hey, I don’t really know about this, guys.”

A group of three men had decided to band together and take him down, but their eyes clearly showed they were hesitant to deal with such a powerful foe. Many were previous participants and had known first-hand what Hody Weinstein was capable of.

The young vampire looked at them with a small grin on his face, his expression showed he was much more unhinged than before. Bloodshed only served to arouse the vampire race’s thirst for battle. “You’re next, I assume?”

Blood of other contestants covered his white shirt and copper sword. The fighters began to have doubts about taking him on. He picked up the fallen man’s spear, wielding two weapons at once.

Under so much pressure, one of the men casted a lightning spell which was elegantly dodged. The spear hurtled towards the group with great force, piercing the mage in the leg. The weaker man cried out in pain, falling to the floor in a fetal position.

The fights in the arena raged on; Rex the fire mage had begun to tire, conserving his mana as he warily regarded his foes. Victor Lupin was dealing with skirmishes on the outskirts of the arena, keeping a close eye on the powerful mage and the sword-wielding boy. They all did their best to move away from the vampire's range.

“It looks like the final block is host to some of the most powerful contestants tonight! Only a matter of time until this round reaches its conclusion.”

Damien grew more and more wild, his attacks becoming more damaging with every strike. The childlike smile on his face as he decimated his opponents served to terrify his enemies and the crowd to cheer even harder. The more blood was shed, the more frenzied his fighting style became.

Even the spearman was physically no match for the boy; the lesser gladiators could only hold on for two or three hits before they succumbed to the violent onslaught he dished out. Those who attempted to flee were hunted down like prey. He had abandoned his sword and picked up a fallen gladiator's, attacking anybody who was within his sight.

The sound of the bell ringing had knocked him out of his frenzy, and he took a deep breath to regain his calm. The fire mage was huffing and puffing, but unharmed. He eyed the boy from several meters away warily as though he was going to attack him.

‘I need to get a hold of my bloodthirst. It will become an obstacle during battle.’

“THE ROUND IS FINISHED! What a spectacular display of power from all the contestants. Come back tomorrow to see the outcome of the tournament! Our tournament is sponsored by the church of Pernatia and Elway Hospital! They provide exemplary healing services, and-”

People rushed in to collect the injured and Damien went with the rest of the surviving combatants to be checked over for injuries. The surviving gladiators casted a sideways glance at the bloodstained boy who followed them from behind. He hadn't suffered a single wound; a monumental task when you're stuck in a pit of gladiators without any armor.

A nurse approached him with a healing potion, but he shook his head. The minor wounds he had sustained already healed. He was sad to see that his new dress shirt had been damaged, and was glad he bought a few during his shopping spree.

At the receptionist’s desk, Damien was swamped with visitors; many looking to recruit him.

“Would you be willing to join my party? We could use a talented swordsman like you!”

“Nonsense! You can be sponsored by the Tower of Magic, under my Dark Magic division! Do you have any other magic spells?"

"Come to the Royal Army! We offer great pay and benefits! I can get you instated as Chief Petty Officer once they see how talented you are."

“Um, can I have your autograph?”

A dozen people fought for the boy’s attention, and he recoiled. The vampire quickly regretted his decision to enter the tournament, unfamiliar with such praise and fame.

“Get out of here! You’re disrupting my charge! SHOO!” Chester made himself known, shoving through the crowd and standing between them and Damien. His voice hadn’t changed, but his appearance was altered slightly. His curly hair was now straight and black, his olive skin was now a pale white. The man’s regular facial features remained largely unchanged. He looked similar to the vampire, and could pass off as Damien’s relative.

“Chester?”

“Hurry up and get your things; we’ll talk once we’re out of here.” He whispered to the boy, before turning and glaring at the upset crowd. “He’s not obligated to say anything! Due process in the court of law, and all that stuff. Scram!”

As Chester did his best to ward off any enthusiastic fans, Damien went to collect his rewards. The finalists from every block received a small batch of health potions, and fifty silver; more than enough to offset the cost of the entry fee for the tournament. The receptionist told him to come tomorrow at midnight for the final round.

A large, and bulky warrior rumbled towards the receptionist, forcing everybody in his way to move. Jasiah, arguably the strongest competitor from Block 3, raised his brow at his much smaller opponent. His frame allowed him to stand nearly three feet over the boy, peering down with a cocky grin on his face. The shield he fought with laid by his side, almost the size of Damien's torso.

“Well, fancy seeing a filthy fang-head ‘round here. Must’ve been hard not wanting to drain those scrubs dry, no?”

Damien looked at him, too bothered to deal with the boisterous man. He shrugged and turned to leave, seeing Chester stare at the warrior. He had to crane his neck slightly to look at him.

“I got it, let’s leave.”

“Ignore me all you want! I’ll make you bleed in the finals, parasite!”

The two made a swift exit, with few bothering to try and follow them outside. Chester cast Invisibility on both him and Damien, wordlessly moving through the empty streets before dawn.

“...How’d you find out I was in the coliseum?”

“I saw you while I was at the casino, they broadcasted the fight. Thanks for that; I made a killing betting on you.”

Chester told him how much he had earned, and Damien quietly listened as they weaved through the streets of Elway. After several minutes, Chester dispelled the Invisibility spell, and they proceeded at a calmer pace.

“What’s the prize for winning?” The man asked, back to his regular appearance.

“Twenty-five gold, and some medium-grade health potions.”

“You think you can win?”

Damien closed his eyes, examining the potential fight from every angle, carefully considering their skills, equipment, and talent in comparison to his own.

“I’m confident, but…” He hesitated. “That guy, Jasiah. He’s strong. Really strong.”

“And he’s racist. That shield of his? I tried to sneak a look, but it had some sort of enchantment that prevented me from seeing how it worked. It's probably why he’s so strong.”

Damien took that information to consideration, ruminating over the upcoming battle. He was confident that out of all of the fighters, only Jasiah could pose a threat. The others, from what he had seen, were around the same level as the spearman from before.

If two or more people at that level ganged up on him, he wasn’t sure about the outcome.

“...I don’t know. In one on one, everyone’s beatable. But if they decide to group up to take me out, it would be a different story.”

Chester grinned. “Well, we’ll have to change that, won’t we?”

They returned to the inn, dropping off their belongings. The man counted up the wealth they had accumulated so far, which was over a hundred gold in total. He had discarded his old bag in exchange for an expanded extra-dimensional one on Damien’s recommendation. The one that Damien brought around was filled with camping supplies and rations, whereas Chester’s was filled with gold and other items he had stolen.

“Damien, are you well-versed in economics?”

He turned to see the boy shirtless, his pale, unmarred skin in full display. The boy pursed his lips, thinking to himself.

“I received a basic education, so to an extent, yes I do.”

“What’s something you could get with fifty gold pieces?”

“Depends. What are you thinking of?”

“Magic equipment. We got to draw up a budget for you and me. But mostly you.”

They visited the shops in Elway, combing for any ideal equipment to arm the boy with. He had given the boy suggestions, and they both came to the conclusion that lightweight armor that didn’t inhibit his movement was the best investment.

Chester believed he should focus on his strengths, buying a few amulets that boosted his agility and intelligence. They had some trouble finding armor that would fit the smaller boy, and they opted to go slightly larger to anticipate Damien’s growth.

MITHRIL CHAINMAIL

- Made from mithril, it boasts great hardiness and durability while also being very light.

- Reduces slashing and cutting damage greatly

- Reduced Weight I: The mass of the equipment is reduced by half

- Weight: 2.5kg

MITHRIL GREAVES

- Made from mithril, it boasts great hardiness and durability while also being very light.

- Reduces slashing and cutting damage greatly

- Reduces blunt force damage

- Reduced Weight I: The mass of the equipment is reduced by half

- Weight: 0.5kg

STEEL VAMBRACES

- Reduces slashing and cutting damage

- Reduces blunt force damage

- Weight: 2kg

STEEL BOOTS

- Reduces slashing and cutting damage

- Reduces blunt force damage

- Weight: 3kg

AMULET OF AGILITY

- Increases AGI by 5

- Weight: 0.1kg

AMULET OF INTELLIGENCE

- Increased INT by 5

- Weight: 0.1kg

“Sorry Dame, I would’ve bought the full mithril set but you saw the price tag…”

The vampire shook his head. “Don’t worry. This is far more than enough. Also, don’t ever call me that.”

The chainmail armor covered his entire upper body. His neck up to his wrists were covered in a layer of meshed-mithril. It looked like regular metal armor, but occasionally the light shined down and revealed a greenish tint. His legs were protected by mithril vambraces covering the joints and other vital spots. It was a high-quality set reserved for the likes of top-tier adventurers.

The total cost had come down to fifty gold, but it was a worthy investment. Damien did a few preliminary movements, adjusting to his weighted movement.

After they finished shopping at the armor shop, they went further to look for more items to buy.

“...so, do you wanna hear about how my night went?”

The vampire sighed, and ignored him. However, Chester pestered him constantly..

“I pay for your armor and this is how you treat me?! Wow, okay. I see. Vampire honor is clearly something you only pay attention to when it benefits you. You’re scum. SCUM!”

The boy punched him in the gut. “How did your night go? Are you happy now?” He crossed his arms, clearly irritated at the man’s attempt to goad him; which worked wonderfully.

Chester doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. He winked and gave the boy a thumb-up. “Oh, you’re so mean. That’s nothing to punch people over. Don’t worry; I forgive you. Your big bro here just scored a woman! And by score, I mean absolutely pou-”

The vampire kicked him in the shins before he could go any further.

“You’re annoying!"

They entered a weapons shop, with all sorts of armaments on full display. Chester whistled at the variety. He was disappointed that the system didn’t offer specific insights on just how much weapons increased damage by, but figured that it would be hard to quantify.

REINFORCED TUNGSTEN FLAIL

- Made from tungsten, has good hardiness and durability.

- Deals great piercing and blunt force damage.

- Greater Durability I: Further increases the equipment's natural durability and resistance to wear & tear.

- Weight: 2.5kg

His mind was drawn back to his days in the forest where he had armed himself with the tusk of a boar he had killed; sharpening it into a usable weapon. It was clumsy work, and he knew that having a superior weapon would be an important item to have in the future.

‘I wish they had guns here. Oh, there's an ultra strong bear? Say hello to my glock. Bam bam!’

The duo asked the shopkeeper for any recommendations, listing out their budget.

Damien had kept most of the shopkeeper’s attention by asking questions and testing out the swords they offered. Chester was looking at the large weapons with interest; heaving a greatsword almost as tall as himself with mild difficulty.

“This is heavy! Damien, look!”

The boy pointedly ignored him, making his transaction with the shopkeeper. Chester had allowed a much higher budget for his weapon than the armor, almost double of what he had given the boy previously. This allowed the vampire to invest in a greater quality sword that would last him years if taken care of properly.

MITHRIL SWORD

- Made from mithril, it boasts great hardiness and durability while also being very light.

- Deals great piercing and slashing damage.

- Greater Durability I: Further increases the equipment's natural durability and resistance to wear & tear.

- Reduced Weight I: The mass of the equipment is reduced by half.

- Weight: 0.5kg

Having two enchantments came at an exponentially higher cost. The weapon was valued at forty-five gold just by itself.

“You didn’t buy anything, Chester?” Damien asked the man, who was looking glumly at the pocket on his bag containing all his money. They left the store, and the vampire followed the man from behind.

“No.” He responded. “Next stop is the Tower of Magic. I want to get some info on my class. You can study there too, or whatever.”

The vampire was content to follow the man, grateful for all the equipment he had received.

'When I first met this guy, I thought he was no more than a two-bit criminal who's too greedy for his own good.' Damien thought quietly. 'Well, he still is. But maybe he's not that horrible.'

Chester whistled a tune, making sure that the equipment he had stolen from the shops were secure in his bag.

‘Three days until the auction…Let’s do this.’