The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 145: Weakness Of A Vampire

“Cough—!!!”

Lucian lowered his head sharply, blood spilling from his mouth as his widened eyes locked onto Valentina’s pale hand—now bloodied—embedded in his chest.

Shock… maybe even horror flashed through his expression.

But as if that wasn’t all, in the next instant, Valentina’s fingers moved.

She twisted her hand deeper, as if searching for something inside him… which she immediately did.

“Do you know something…?”

She suddenly asked softly, as though this were nothing more than a casual conversation, while her fingers twisted inside his chest with precise control—tearing through veins before slowly wrapping around his heart.

Lucian’s vision wavered, as if something inside his body—something very essential—seemed to loosen under her touch.

“Haa.. haa…”

His breathing grew ragged and uneven, breaking between shallow gasps—not just from the pain, but from the sheer strain of trying to stay conscious while his body struggled to function.

Still…

He forced himself to raise his head and look at her, only to find a dangerous smile spread across her face as she stared back at him.

“Do you know something…?”

She repeated the question again, her voice even softer this time.

As though she was enjoying watching him lose his composure, yet at the same time quietly urging him to ask—while keeping her grip on his life itself, waiting to either continue or stop depending on his reaction.

Lucian should have felt horror. He should have wanted to get away from her… to run from the monster who smiled while casually tearing into his chest and holding his heart as though it were nothing.

But…

Strangely, he didn’t feel as much fear of death as he should have. And it wasn’t because he no longer feared death.

It was simply because…

He trusted her. An irrational trust that told him she wouldn’t kill him.

At least… not now.

“W-What…?” he finally asked in a weak, shaky voice, his crimson eyes locked onto her golden ones.

The moment those words left his mouth, Valentina’s smile widened in satisfaction.

She finally continued.

“All vampires possess two weaknesses fatal enough to kill them.”

Her fingers tightened faintly around his heart, almost squeezing into it as she felt the rhythmic pulse slowing against her skin.

Lucian’s breath hitched suddenly.

His body reacted instantly as his circulation faltered, the veins torn apart by Valentina and her fingers deliberately preventing them from healing.

Coldness spread through his body, accompanied by a faint numbness.

His face paled, almost taking on a bluish tint… and yet… his gaze never wavered from hers.

“One,” she continued calmly, “is by ripping out the heart.”

As she spoke, she gradually twisted her hand deeper.

Blood continued to stream down his chest, while the wound desperately tried to regenerate.

Yet every attempt was halted by her hand lodged within it.

The flesh continuously reformed around her arm, only to be blocked from healing any further by her presence inside the wound.

Then, she slowly lifted her free hand.

Her nails extended slightly, becoming sharper.

Without the slightest hint of urgency, she brought that hand toward his throat, her sharpened nails lightly tracing across the skin of his neck.

“And the other is by slicing the heads off.”

Blood immediately surfaced in thin lines where her nails had traced across his skin, only to heal completely a second later.

Her voice remained calm and gentle, almost soothing—if not for the dangerous gleam lingering within her eyes.

Then—

She withdrew her hand from his throat and, in the same motion, pulled her other hand free, tearing it out through his mangled chest.

Lucian staggered forward, his legs trembling slightly beneath him as he quickly forced himself to regain his balance.

“Haa… Haa…”

And right before Valentina’s eyes, the gaping hole in his chest began to close. Muscles reformed, flesh reconstructed itself layer by layer, and skin sealed over the wound.

Within moments, there was nothing left behind—not even a scar.

And all of that happened within just a few seconds, causing Valentina’s smile to widen as genuine interest flickered within her eyes.

‘Even royal-blooded vampires don’t regenerate like this.’

Her body trembled faintly as excitement surged within her.

The desire to train him—to shape the rough diamond standing before her—only grew stronger.

Lucian immediately steadied himself, taking several deep breaths before finally lifting his head to face her once again.

“Why did you do that?”

He wasn’t furious as he should’ve been, which was a bit strange.

If Vivienne or anyone else had done that to him, he would have done everything in his power to kill them with his own hands.

But for some reason, it wasn’t the same with her.

He was merely questioning her actions, curious to know her reason.

“Just wanted to check your will and your regeneration,” she answered, raising her hand as she looked at the blood staining her arm.

The intoxicating scent drifting from it was enough to make even her want a taste. Her eyes briefly flickered crimson, but she quickly suppressed the impulse and looked away.

“Are you satisfied then?”

Lucian asked, ignoring the look in her eyes as she stared at the blood coating her fingers.

Valentina turned to him fully, and a beautiful smile curled across her lips.

“More than satisfied.”

Her answer caused a faint smile to appear on his face as well, and for once, Valentina didn’t try to erase that small moment of happiness.

“Anyway, choose any one of the weapons from there.”

Seeing her shift her gaze elsewhere, Lucian followed it, only to find a vast array of weapons perfectly aligned across rows of racks and display stands.

The arrangement was so orderly that it almost resembled clothes neatly organized inside a massive wardrobe.

Lucian’s eyes widened faintly, and his mouth almost parted as he fought the urge to ask how all of these weapons had suddenly appeared.

But he simply shook his head, deciding not to be surprised by her anymore.

It wasn’t as if he could understand the abilities of the strongest vampire in existence. Who knew what kinds of absurd tricks she was still hiding?

So instead, he slowly walked toward the weapons, his gaze moving from one to another as he examined the countless varieties of swords, spears, daggers, blunt weapons, and many others.

He recognized the names of only a few of them, while most were completely unfamiliar to him.

Then, Valentina’s voice came from beside him.

“I will teach you how to fight, how to survive… and how to use weapons,” she said as she walked beside him.

As he moved closer, Lucian was able to see the weapons more clearly.

The intricate details carved into their hilts, the polished blades gleaming beneath the faint nightlight, and the craftsmanship behind each one became far more apparent.

His hand eventually reached toward a spear, slowly lifting it from its rack.

After examining it carefully for a moment, he activated his Analysis skill.

[Analysing…]

[Analysis Complete.]

The screen immediately appeared before him.

[Long Spear]

Rank: A Rank

Description: A weapon created for distance and discipline. Its reach allows the wielder to kill before fear can even settle inside the enemy’s heart.

Lucian raised a subtle brow upon seeing that it was an A Rank weapon.

He didn’t know exactly how valuable that was, but judging by the ranking systems from his previous life, it certainly felt like something precious.

The spear’s shaft appeared simple at first glance, yet there was an understated elegance to its craftsmanship that made it difficult to ignore.

After a moment, he returned the spear to its rack and shifted his attention to another weapon, activating Analysis once again.

[War Hammer]

Rank: B Rank

Description: A weapon that abandons sharpness entirely in favor of overwhelming force. Against true power, armor becomes little more than decoration.

[Battle Axe]

Rank: A Rank

Description: Its heavy edge exists solely for destruction. Every swing feels less like combat and more like execution.

Valentina didn’t interfere, allowing him to take his time while she simply watched from the side.

She was curious as well, interested in seeing what kind of weapon he would ultimately choose.

After several minutes of examining them and using Analysis on a number of different weapons, multiple status screens floated before him.

Each weapon served a different purpose. Some favored precision, others emphasized speed, while a few were built purely for destructive power.

Every single one of them was either A Rank or B Rank, and all of them seemed far too good—almost temptingly so.

He did like the scythe because of its beautiful design and the lethality it offered, and he even found the spear to be good… but as he looked through all of them… his brows furrowed slightly.

“Master,” he called out, turning toward Valentina, who didn’t seem bored or annoyed despite him having taken more than ten minutes.

“What is it? Do you want something else?” she asked curiously, seeing as he hadn’t yet decided on a single one.

“No, it’s not that…”

For a brief second, he hesitated before finally speaking.

“Do I really have to be stuck with only one weapon?”

“Hm?” Valentina’s gaze turned slightly questioning.

“Can’t I… learn all of them?” Lucian finally asked.

Silence fell across the entire forest, the wind blowing softly as the leaves rustled among the trees, and for a few seconds, Lucian felt like she might laugh it off.

And she did laugh—but not in the way he expected.

“Haha…” Valentina chuckled softly, finding herself becoming truly amused again and again just by being with him.

“Of course you can.”

Her answer came confidently, her voice slightly vibrating through the air.

There was no trace of doubt or ridicule in her tone.

She then continued calmly.

“The process will be torturously slow, and it’ll require an absurd amount of time depending on your level of comprehension. But if you’re willing to endure all of that, then I’ll teach you all of them.”

Lucian tilted his head again, his eyes sweeping over the countless weapons before him, then looked back toward Valentina.

There wasn’t even a trace of hesitation left in him anymore.

Slowly, he gave her a firm nod.

“I want to learn them all.”