CHAPTER 60: BLOODLINE AND GROWTH

"Welcome to Ragnarok. Finally got here after so long," Ryder said with a sigh that was half relief, half quiet triumph. The glint in his eyes was different from his usual calm — this was a man who had been carrying responsibilities for far too long. Now, at last, he could set them down. No more strange incidents to clean up, no more unexpected dangers to shield them from. For him, this was the end of a Chapter.

He parked the sleek black car in front of the sprawling campus gates, the polished emblem of Ragnarok University gleaming in the morning sun. Students in tailored uniforms bustled about, the air buzzing with chatter and the faint scent of freshly cut grass.

"You guys come with me. I need to get you registered," Ryder said as he stepped out, his shoes crunching lightly on the stone path.

Aaron and Alice followed without a word, their eyes moving across the towering academic buildings and the enormous glass dome that reflected the sky like a giant crystal.

They didn’t have long to linger. Ryder waved them into another smaller vehicle. "Come on. We’ll meet the admission officer first — I want to make sure you’re both properly admitted."

---

The process was quicker than Aaron expected. The office smelled faintly of coffee and polished wood, the clerk moving efficiently through stacks of digital forms. Ryder handled the paperwork with the ease of a man who had done this countless times.

"Congratulations on finally being students," Ryder said as they stepped outside, his smirk carrying that familiar touch of dry humor. "If you need anything, just let me know. I promise I won’t be available to give you the answers you want."

With that half-serious farewell, he left them in the care of a sophomore assigned as their guide.

"Hi, I’m Lily," said a girl with long, silky black hair that caught the light in a soft sheen. Her eyes were bright, her smile easy. "I’ll be showing you around today."

She led them across campus — past lecture halls buzzing with students, past training arenas where echoes of sparring rang out, past labs humming with arcane machinery. She pointed out their classrooms, introduced them to key professors, and even took them to the student market where vendors sold everything from enchanted stationery to combat gear.

By the time they reached their final stop — the residential dome — the sun was dipping lower, bathing the white villas in a golden glow.

---

Aaron and Alice had been given separate villas, each one a modern blend of glass and smooth stone. Inside, they found open-plan living spaces, fully equipped kitchens, and balconies overlooking landscaped gardens. It was the kind of dorm reserved only for those the school considered high potential.

Alice lingered at the pathway between their doors, her expression soft. "So, Aaron... concerning what happened. Want to talk about it?"

Aaron shook his head, the apology clear in his eyes. "I need to rest first, Alice. Not today. Maybe... another time."

Her smile was gentle but understanding. "Alright. Whenever you’re ready." She disappeared into her villa, leaving him alone under the soft hum of the dome’s ambient wards.

---

Aaron didn’t waste time. After a hot shower that steamed the mirrors, he slipped away into his sanctuary.

He knew his flaws — the unstable hunger gnawing at the edges of his control. If he didn’t want another... incident... another blood-soaked rampage, then discipline was his only option. That meant feeding regularly. That meant growing stronger.

The human side of him still recoiled at the thought, but he couldn’t afford the luxury of disgust. Survival didn’t leave room for sentiment.

He took the vial of angel’s blood in hand. The liquid glimmered faintly, the scent sharp and divine. The moment it touched his tongue, his veins felt like they caught fire — his pulse thundered, muscles tightening with renewed strength. Shadows flared briefly behind him, unfolding into the wings of a fallen angel before fading again.

Checking the stability of his growing vampire dynasty through the link only he could feel, he confirmed all was well. Then he knelt beside Flameborn, running a hand over the creature’s fiery mane. The thought crossed his mind — maybe he could bring the beast to the university, disguise him with the void mask. It would be... interesting.

---

Later, back in his villa, Aaron tilted his head as a thought struck him.

"System. Why am I feeling... stronger? Much stronger than I should be?" His voice was calm, but there was a restless undercurrent. This wasn’t the kind of power boost he could dismiss as coincidence.

[Cause your sire line is increasing exponentially. The more vampires you have under you, the more your strength increases — aside from the usual gains from fresh blood and the life force of living beings.]

Aaron frowned. "It can’t just be that. This... this feels like I’ve stepped into the realm of demigods. Am I a demigod now?"

[Have you forgotten your vampire queen? I suspect she’s been turning quite a number of people. As for your status — no, you are not yet a demigod. You only have the strength of a human demigod. For the vampire race — the one the universe classifies you under — you are far from that level.]

Aaron narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you saying?"

[Would you like me to update your stats? I can stop using human race benchmarks that give you a false impression of your rank. I can switch to hybrid-scale measurements — more accurate for your actual race.]

The explanation was getting tangled, but he pushed to understand. "So... a demigod in the human race is different from a demigod in the vampire race?"

[Exactly. Think of it like a liter bottle versus a massive water tank. Both can be ’full,’ but their capacity is worlds apart. A lower-ranked vampire, not even a demigod, could easily overpower a human demigod. Likewise, a dragon that isn’t a demigod could wipe the floor with a vampire who is.]

Aaron rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Show me my increase in strength first, then you can update the scale."

He grabbed his phone while waiting — mindlessly scrolling until a trending livestream caught his eye. The tag read: "Lightning God vs Unknown Demigod".

Curiosity got the better of him. He tapped.

The feed came alive — and his eyes widened. "System... that’s—"

[The child you turned into a vampire queen. Yes. What about it?]

Aaron’s voice spiked. "What do you mean, what about it? She’s fighting Geralt on equal footing! I turned her just days ago — how is she stronger than me?!"

[Likely mass feedings — perhaps even from awakened individuals. Combined with her growing sire line, she’s simply more of a vampire than you are.]

He stared at the screen, trying to process. "You’re going to have to explain this better."

[One: You made her a vampire queen, the highest rank below primogenitor. Her bloodline is not far from yours. Two: Newly turned vampires can grow exponentially until they plateau, as long as they stay true to their nature — that means feeding on the blood of the living. A viscount vampire, for instance, could rise to S-rank in a short time if they feed consistently.]

Aaron’s brows knit together. "So you’re saying I could grow exponentially too, if I just fed like she does? Then what about the Myriad Blood Pool? How strong could I get with it?"

[The Myriad Blood Pool sustains you and grants special abilities from consuming rare bloodlines. But it lacks the life force of living beings’ blood — that spark is what truly strengthens vampires. Without it, you can’t grow stronger, only keep the hunger at bay.]