My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

Chapter 54: Understanding The Rings

Ezra sat in the training room, watching as Olivia deftly maneuvered her feather swords, demonstrating their fluid grace.

"All vampires have tattoo monsters." Olivia began, lowering her swords and meeting his gaze. "Every vampire can have one or more tattoo monsters. But there's a catch. The more monsters you have, the slower your rate of growth."

Ezra furrowed his brow, intrigued. "Why is that? And how is it related to the rings?"

Olivia sighed, tossing the feather swords in the air and catching them. "It's because each additional monster requires more vitality to maintain and grow. Our strength as vampires comes from vitality. The more monsters you have, the more vitality is needed to ascend the rings."

"Like I asked before, what exactly are the rings?" Ezra pursed his lips.

Olivia paused. "The rings are the stages of our development as vampires. Each ring grants us a new power in addition to the abilities we already possess. These new powers are consistent across all vampires, but everyone has their own variations."

Ezra leaned against the wall, his interest growing. "What powers do the rings grant?"

"The first ring," Olivia began, "grants the Fusion ability. This is what you currently possess. You can fuse with your beasts, gaining their powers and abilities, and you can also transform into them. That's why you can summon Valaren's powers."

Ezra nodded in understanding. The sensation of fusing with Valaren, feeling the dragon's power coursing through him, made sense in this context. "Wait a minute. During yesterday's fight, I tried drawing vitality from Valaren but got nothing. What's that about?"

"That's the ascension high." Olivia threw her sword and it sank deep into the ceiling. "Valaren does not produce its own vitality. The vitality you got when you first claimed him was the remnant vitality the progenitor used to seal the monster. You have to feed Valaren yourself to get more out of it. This is related to your ascension."

"Ah." Ezra nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. What about the second ring?"

"The second ring grants the power of Creation," Olivia explained, her eyes sparkling. "Second ring vampires can choose one object they can create freely using their vitality. Once the object runs out of vitality, it disappears."

Ezra's mind raced with the possibilities. "Can I choose to make gold?"

"Yes. But sharing it among humans is a breach of the Law of Secrecy."

Ezra sat back. "So, Gen's battle axe and Sarah's armor…?"

"Yes," Olivia confirmed, "both are second ring objects. Gen can summon her axes at will, and Sarah's armor materializes as needed, providing them both with formidable tools in battle."

Ezra considered this, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. The rings were a structured way of understanding their growth, each ring granting significant enhancements to their already powerful abilities. "How do I ascend to the second ring?"

Olivia smiled, seeing the determination in his eyes. "It takes time, training, and a significant amount of vitality. You'll need to master your current abilities and gather enough vitality to make the leap."

Ezra nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"I know you will," Olivia said softly. "But remember, the more monsters you bond with, the more vitality you'll need. Focus on mastering Valaren first. Next, we have the third ring. Third ring vampires gain the power of Astral Projection. This allows us to visit places without physically being there."

"You're third ring, right?" Ezra's eyes widened with interest. "So, you can travel anywhere just with your mind?"

"Only places that are not private dwellings." Olivia confirmed. "It's incredibly useful for reconnaissance and communication over long distances. You can project your consciousness to another location and interact with people or gather information without risking your physical safety."

Ezra nodded, imagining what he would do if he had astral projection. "That sounds amazing. Do you use it often?" As he asked that question, he realized that X and Malachi could be spying on them at any time. At least they can't enter private dwellings.

Olivia sighed, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, my third ring ability is currently unavailable. I'm in the middle of my ascension to the fourth ring, which means I've temporarily lost access to it."

Ezra's cut short his daydreams of Astral Projection. "What does the fourth ring grant?"

"The fourth ring," Olivia continued, "grants the power of Teleportation. It's the ability X and Malachi used during our battle. With it, you can move instantaneously from one place to another, making it nearly impossible for enemies to pin you down."

Ezra remembered the frustration of facing X and Malachi's teleportation during their last encounter. The ability to teleport would be a game-changer. "Imagine being able to see your enemy and then teleporting straight to them. That sounds incredibly powerful."

"It is," Olivia agreed. "But it's just the beginning. Fifth ring vampires gain a Pocket Dimension. This is a personal space outside of normal reality where you can store items or even hide temporarily."

"Their very own backpack?" Ezra's mind raced with the possibilities. "Can I store a freezer in it? Imagine it. Chilled blood wine at any time and any day."

"I'll let you know when I have mine." Olivia retrieved her sword from the ceiling. "It's very useful for older vampires who need spaces to store their acquired junk. Sixth ring vampires gain the power of Dominion. This ability allows you to enhance other people's abilities or weaken them, tipping the scales in your favor during battles."

"Really?" Ezra was amazed by the range of abilities the higher rings provided. "And what about the seventh ring?"

"There are only a handful of vampires with a Seventh ring. Seventh ring vampires gain Foresight," Olivia said, her tone serious. "This is the ability to see forward in time. It's not always clear or specific, but it gives you glimpses of possible futures, allowing you to anticipate and prepare for what's to come. I heard that skilled vampires can use it in battle."

Ezra sat, unable to speak. What's with these bullshit powers? How are vampires not ruling the world yet? Ah. I forgot. They are.

From the shadows.

"Now, the eight ring is more like a legend. Some say that eight ringed vampires existed before the Death Wave. I was turned before the Death Wave but i haven't even seen one before." Olivia twirled and stabbed her swords into the ground. "Eighth ring vampires gain the Avatar ability. This allows them to split themselves into different bodies, each one being the original.

It's like being in multiple places at once, with all bodies sharing your consciousness and abilities. When one dies, the other bodies live on."

Ezra could hardly believe what he was hearing. "So, if one body is hidden away, they can't be killed."

"Yes." Olivia agreed before her voice became reverent. "As for the ninth ring, that's the stuff of legend. No one knows exactly what it grants but the name exists."

Ezra leaned forward.

"Ninth ring. The ring of Authority."