Arthur was mercifully unconscious during the refinement process. His body was broken down and reconstructed stronger, his bones denser, drenched in ether, an energy source that now suffused every cell of his body. New parts were added to his body's composition, before being hidden behind certain processes and functions. The refinement took place over the course of twenty-seven hours, using so much energy, that there was a noticeable dip in the ambient ether a hundred miles around him. At least it would have been noticeable without his consumption of the Darkstar Essence Core.

  It was only after the twenty-sixth hour had passed that Arthur finally woke up. Though he remained completely immobile, unable to move for the next hour, trapped within the core. Arthur would be a liar if he said he didn’t panic a little. Fortunately, he regained feeling a few minutes before the rose gold cocoon showed signs of cracking, but it took a whole extra half hour before the process ended. He could have easily broken out himself by that point but decided to let nature run its course. He didn't need to rush.

  The outside world greeted him with a cold wind that ruffled his hair, which had somehow grown down to below his shoulders over the last day. It was sometime after midnight and the moon's light was tinged with a pinkish hue native to the Territory of Blood. The stars too were affected, looking like drops of blood scattered across the skyline. Arthur had to admit it made for a pretty pleasant sight.

  He had a stream of system notifications vying for his attention but he ignored them for now, instead focusing on how ‘different’ his body felt. Unlike the dragon core elixir, this time Arthur hadn't grown any taller. If anything, he'd shrunk about half an inch or so, and he felt like he'd been compacted down, made denser somehow. He walked over to one of the many craters dotting the landscape, this one filled with a pool of red water. One look told him a very important detail he'd missed.

  He was buck-naked.

  In hindsight, it would have been surprising if his clothes had somehow survived his transformation. The liquid in the cocoon had been strong enough to break down a body with over 2000 Draconic vitality reinforcing it. If his clothing had somehow survived, it would make them the most durable armour pieces on the planet.

  The mask he'd received from the Serako assembly was also gone, the small tattoo representing its presence removed from his flesh. Losing the item was a shame, but it hadn't seen much use whilst he had it so the loss didn't hit him so hard. His soulbound greaves had of course survived, they were as much a part of him as his toes were and made up a significant part of his physical prowess. Losing so much agility would hurt him far more than a simple mask.

  Arthur took a moment to admire his nude form. He’d always been one to take care of his health, regular Muay Thai sessions and workouts at the gym ensuring he’d always maintained a decent physique. He’d never win any awards for it, and he’d lacked the necessary muscle mass to compete at professional levels, but all in all, he’d been happy with how he looked, lean with a bit of bulk to him. The system’s arrival changed things. He’d lost the little fat he’d had and put on quite a bit of muscle, with the Draconic elixir tying everything up into a body that looked like a chiselled Greek statue.

  His refinement had taken those changes and perfected them, taking an incredible physique and making it flawless. His abdominal muscles were perfectly symmetrical and his muscle insertions had been subtly altered for maximum physical output. Looking at his reflection, Arthur could state without doubt that he now had the most aesthetic physique he’d ever laid eyes upon. The cosmetic changes didn't end there. His facial structure had been refined giving him a more chiselled jaw and higher cheekbones. Arthur's eyes were now the darkest black, pools of liquid darkness you could lose yourself in.

  Observed in the red-tinged water, this hue seemed to change when observed from certain angles, though he couldn’t be certain of the exact colour with the lighting conditions. His hair was the colour of the night sky during the peak of summer a deep black that was tinged navy blue. It was luxurious and silky smooth, the sort of thing he’d expect to see in a hair ad. All things considered, Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn’t the most beautiful human he’d ever seen. It was a certain ‘something’ that transcended the cosmetic changes he could observe, a subtle undertone that enhanced his beauty but was impossible to pin down and identify.

  Okay, this bordering on narcissistic and getting kind of creepy now, Arthur chuckled. There was only so much he could admire himself before things got weird. Flexing his muscles, Arthur grinned. They felt powerful, coiled springs raring to explode into motion. To compare it with his former self, it was as if he’d switched from regular petrol to jet fuel and upgraded his engine to match. The changes were so drastic Arthur was surprised he had such fine control over his new strength. Such significant growth usually took a long time to get used to but he’d adapted instantly.

  Arthur walked out of the Territory of Blood, walking past the guards Ayesha had stationed to guard the place. There were a lot more military personnel present than he’d expected but Arthur knew Iris wouldn’t allow people controlled by the vampires anywhere near this place. The Darkstar essence core was still in effect, and he walked right under their noses with none of them the wiser, going so far as to steal some clothing from one of the many tents set up. The pants were more than a little snug but he’d take that over letting his junk hang out for all to see.

  It was only when he’d left the Territory of Blood that reality hit him. He had nowhere to go. The place he had called home for the last three years was nothing but broken rubble. He’d worked hard for the place, made a home that both he and Rize had grown to love, the first and only property he’d ever held. And now it was gone, exploded into smithereens. For a brief moment, he had the irrational urge to go and murder the vampires in a one-sided crusade pursuing his personal vendetta. He dismissed the notion immediately as foolish idiocy but reconsidered it as realisation dawned on him. With the Darkstar essence core still flowing in his body, perhaps it wasn’t such a far-fetched idea after all.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Whatever the case, Arthur dismissed it for now as he made his way across the city. He had a destination in mind, the abandoned buildings on the city's outskirts. With none of humanity being able to see or interact with him for now, it seemed prudent that he isolate himself for a little while, at least until he got a handle on his new abilities. He also needed to sort through any mental baggage he’d picked up by witnessing the massacre that had happened here and the subsequent fight he’d taken part in. With his current powers, even a little mental instability in his psyche represented a massive threat to anyone and everyone around him.

  It took him less than twenty minutes to reach the abandoned buildings he’d chosen to stay in. The number of people in the vicinity had multiplied from the three he’d seen the last time he was here. When was that? A day and a half, two days ago? It was such a small frame of time and yet so much had happened he could hardly compare himself to the man who’d left the locus of power. He’d engaged in a high-stakes fight where the fate of the very planet had been in jeopardy and saved a woman and her unborn child from certain death in a feat of magic the system itself recognised as miraculous.

  Most notable of all, however, was the refinement he’d undergone, a process that Arthur was beginning to suspect had changed him as much mentally as it had physically. He couldn’t be certain yet, but his memory felt stronger now than it had before. He could perfectly recall the taste of ice cream he’d had during his childhood, poking his mother's stomach and asking why she’d gotten so fat. Arthur chuckled at the memory. She’d tried to take it good-naturedly but had looked mortified, something his childhood self hadn’t realised at the time. Damn, I was one hell of a brat. Well, at least I’ve learnt not to go around telling pregnant women that they’ve turned fat now, I guess.

  That wasn’t all. His thoughts felt ‘clearer,’ somehow. Faster, as if someone had applied some WD40 to a rusty machine. Everything just flowed better. He suspected it translated to a vastly improved control over Ether, though he didn’t just test it right now. It was finally time to look through his notifications.

  It looked like each part of his physique had undergone its own unique refinements in line with his three strongest monster cores. That explained why his bones felt so much denser.

  So I guess I have an extra brain now. What's it for? I guess it's got something to do with ether? Maybe control?

  That was insane. His upkeep costs had increased from 3,000 per hour to 10,000 and that was after taking his incredible new trait into account. Arthur quickly did the math. Without the trait, it would cost him 40,000 ether every hour just to stay in a tier-one zone. Just how much had his refinement changed him? And what the hell was that secondary effect? Fifty percent off on all his skills was a game-changer. If the other traits held up to stuff, Arthur had just become a hell of a lot stronger.

  It was like his source of vitality title, in that it didn’t increase the base stat but stretched each point to mean more, only it applied to everything and not just draconic vitality. Another insane boost in strength.

  Simple, but perfect.

  It was a lot to digest.

  Amazon link

  Goodreads

  Here and read 8 chapters ahead.

  Patreon