Mage Adam

Cleaning bloodline was a very straightforward skill in every way.

In the mage world, if one knew how to use rune systems, they just needed a basic spell to pull out really clean blood from a bunch of not-so-clean blood. But they'd got to know the details of the bloodline they were working on first. That was easy; fancy science tools can figure it out fast.

For super old magical families like the Hill family, cleaning the bloodline was a big deal. They needed tons and tons of blood samples to get the info, and then more tons of samples to actually clean it using an old-school method called the Blood Sacrifice.

But in the Dragon Plane, using magic arrays---tech from the mage world---could make Adam stick out like a sore thumb. Adam wasn't strong enough to risk that, so he had to use a slower, more annoying way.

In this world where bloodline decided one was strong or weak, creatures from the same group usually had the same stuff in their blood. This stuff could show what kind of elements and energy they had. Adam, who didn't have any gear and couldn't use magic, had to get the forest elves to let out energy in their family blood. Then he'd pick out and clean the really good stuff. Adam already tweaked the outer ice spikes; once they found high-quality blood, it got sucked up and stored in the ultra-cold storage units.

"Get it?" Adam asked Lina, who stood quietly about 15 feet away with her head down.

Adam had taken out the leader about half a day ago. Lina hadn't gone anywhere. She even helped Adam chill out the other forest elves who saw their family member die. Adam didn't know exactly how she did it, but he had a clue from the random screams outside.

Hate helps people get stronger.

Lina's creepy voice didn't change. She put away the ice crystal board and repeated what Adam said, asking, "So, that's it, right, Master?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah, go ahead once you get it. Tell me when you finish the first part."

Lina started to walk away, bowing her head in respect. Then Adam said something else, "Do a good job. Whatever you're thinking, you'll need power to back it up. Cleaning your bloodline, if it works, will make you super strong, fast."

Lina stopped and stayed still for a second, finally saying, "Sorry, Master, I don't get what you mean."

Adam just waved his claw, "Heh. Tell your folks to keep an eye out. I want to know if anyone new shows up in the Makalu Mountains, especially if they're trying to climb the main peak."

Adam stayed by himself in the lab, finding the whole bloodline purification thing a breeze. Not wanting to waste any seconds, his main goal was to pump up his power as fast and as best as he could. Even though he couldn't use rune magic, getting the hang of thunder power was easy for him. Setting up energy circuits inside himself to mix thunder and frost? No biggie.

Using telekinesis with precision---a skill he got really good at after years of experiments---Adam was sure he'd stay off the radar of the source of the world as long as he stayed in his dragon form. It might not be the quickest way, but under these conditions, there weren't any better options.

Out of nowhere, the devil chimed in, "Master, aren't you worried the little maid might flip on you when her bloodline gets stronger?"

"I'm the one who's upgrading her bloodline. Why would I let her get a chance like that?"

"But, even the strongest hate can fade. What's gonna happen to her then?"

Adam nearly forgot that his devil servant was a pro at messing with feelings, but he had already thought of that. "Her hate comes from really strong stuff that happened to her; that feeling will stick around."

...

Lina held her breath, exiting the lab and only letting it out when she was far enough away. After making hundreds of master-servant deals, she knew what every servant was thinking---Adam had to know this too. She was ready for anything but didn't expect Adam to read her thoughts so casually, without even thinking of killing her.

Her hands turned into fists so tight that her nails dug into her own skin, but she didn't let go. The pain was like a red flag, telling her to lock up any risky thoughts deep inside her mind. She had to stay on her toes, ace every job, and grab every chance to power up.

After putting her tribespeople into groups of a hundred, she had them take shifts, patrolling every week. With the rest of her people, she went to that awful battlefield. Everyone was there, including her dad, but they were just barely hanging on.

Anger started to bubble up among the tribe. One guy couldn't help but shout, "Curse that wicked dragon, I will---"

Lina spun around, hitting him with a soul-whip. The guy was flopping around on the ground, in total pain. Stepping on his face, she warned him, ice-cold, "Don't ever let words like that come out of your mouth again, or you're dead, got it?"

"Get it through your heads, you're all slaves. Learn to respect your master, and zip it. If not, I'll be the one to end you."

Lina inhaled deeply, forcing herself to look at the horrible scene in front of her. Then she commanded, "Break into small teams, focus your skills on the blood pools under each ice spike. Keep going and don't ask questions. Just do it. Oh, and make sure nobody dies."

She led them, going straight to her father and plunging her hands into the pool of blood below him that just wouldn't stop flowing.

A heavy silence dropped, broken only by the sound of people breathing and the dripping of blood---making an already creepy quiet even creepier.

...

A week zipped by super fast. Adam had nailed making new energy circuits inside himself, mixing thunder power with his ice-molding magic. What he got was a huge jump in how strong his magic was, all for the same amount of energy he used.

But that was as far as he could go without the Source noticing him. Adam knew he had to hit pause on making his magic even better for the time being. Yet he couldn't help but wonder: if there were bloodlines here that could use the power of elements, then maybe there's a creature like a Thunder Dragon out there. Finding and eating that dragon would be the fastest way to get past his own limits.

Also, if that was how it worked, finding a baby Frost Dragon might give him some kind of special abilities.

Right when Adam's brain was buzzing with all these ideas, Lina walked into the lab for the first time in a whole week. "Master, the ice spikes have changed to a blood-red color," she let him know."

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