Summoned and Unwanted

Vivid mentioned Nick’s father agreeing to give Vincent another gift, yet the second gift was also about to wither soon.

It was embarrassing as the Graymoon family likes to uphold their reputation. However, Vincent looked interested in acquiring both plants while not minding their condition.

“If you don’t mind their condition, then you can have both. ” Nick said.

[Great. Let’s start with the plant familiar first. I wonder if your blood can revitalize it.]

Vincent smirked after listening to the curious Kazumi mention what was on her mind. He raised his hand and approached the plant. Its two antenna leaves moved slightly, and its body turned to face him.

“Overheat.” Vincent’s blood mutated, and the Sub-Familiar Mutation skill became available to use. The pointy tip of his gauntlet-covered finger poked his arm and a green bead of mutated blood formed. It didn’t evaporate as the skill was allowing it to remain intact for a bit.

Nick gulped when Vincent’s finger approached the plant. On the other hand, Leonis worried his daughter might hate him if he brings her husband back home fainted from anemia.

The Nimbus Nerve remained still as if patiently waiting for its prey to leap on him and suck Vincent dry. However, that plan was foiled instantly with one word.

.....

Vincent glared at the plant. He sighed, puffing a cloud of green steam, and said in an authoritative voice, “Submit!”

The Nimbus Nerve shook from utter terror, and its leaves began to fall one after another. The fright of the monstrous presence standing before it almost caused the plant to die.

The drop of blood fell on the plant, but nothing happened. Vincent was perplexed about how to feed a plant if it didn’t have a mouth, so he dropped the blood on it in hopes it would be absorbed.

“Drop the blood in its mouth. ” Nick said.

“Huh?” Vincent questioned with a frown.

“Its mouth is in its chest. It is similar to a flytrap plant, but its selection of food are all living beings with blood.” Leonis explained.

[That vine ribcage is a mouth? That is a dangerous-looking mouth, then.

[We are cheering for your success. Wolfie is wagging its tail and Freerie are making a heart sign.]

[Good luck.]

Vincent felt happy to have someone encourage him. He repeated the process of using Sub-Familiar Mutation and poked his skin to draw a bead of mutated blood. He approached his finger in front of the plant’s mouth, and as Nick and Leonis informed, a mouth formed from vines opened and bit his finger like a fish biting bait.

*Slurp* *Gulp* The Nimbus Nerve let go of his finger, and its mouth faced Vincent. The plant remained dry and faint steam escaped from the dry cracks on its body.

“Lord Leonis, do you perhaps know if it worked? I only heard bout forming a bond. I never saw it happen in person.” Nick asked after nothing happened. The Nimbus Nerve didn’t change the slightest. Instead, its body cracked even further as if it was dying quicker.

“I tried it once, but mine wasn’t about to die. Mine remained the same too, but at least it became more lively than that.” Leonis bluntly replied.

The Nimbus Nerve vigorously wiggled, and it pulled out its leg roots. It stood up and was about ten inches tall now.

Its mouth had already tasted the hardness of the gauntlets. It was a hot hard surface, and most of all, no blood. The plant suddenly fell, and it didn’t move. It appeared to have died in its final struggle to set itself free.

[It died?]

“It died so soon?”

Kazumi, Leonis, and Nick asked. On the other hand, Vincent felt terrible as his blood was the cause of its death.

Vincent lifted the plant and looked carefully at it. Its body was breaking under the faintest touch. *Sigh* The sigh puffed a cloud of steam on the plant.

“Huh?”

The Nimbus Nerve waited for its prey to think it was dead. The moment it felt the moisture of Vincent’s warm steam was when it could find the skin and take a bite.

Its breaking vine limbs moved from one end of the gauntlet to the other while its body was breaking from dryness. In mere seconds, the skin of Vincent’s unprotected arm was met with a small flytrap mouth made out of vines.

“Ahh! It is sucking me!” Vincent exclaimed with his hoarse voice from surprise.

Nick and Leonis saw how strong Vincent was. But the little dying vampire plant was feasting on his blood as if he was a helpless person. Both saw Vincent twist and turn as he couldn’t pull the plant lest he wanted to pull and possibly kill it.

“I will cut it!” Nick chose to help Vincent over the plant.

“I will tear it apart and heal your bite. I don’t want my little angel to hate me.” Leonis honestly said.

Vincent stopped trying to remove the plant. He waved his hands to stop the two from killing the little vampire sucking his mutated blood dry.

But where did his sucked blood go? No one could guess where the little plant kept it.

“If it wants my blood, then let it have it.” Vincent decided. He focused Sub-Familiar Mutation on all the blood being sucked to feed it blood with his skill active.

Five minutes later, the Nimbus Nerve opened its mouth and fell lifelessly on the floor.

Vincent touched his arm with a grimace on his face. It was similar to donating blood aggressively for five minutes without stopping. He felt a little bit anemic. I meant Overheat was about to end from loss of mutated blood.

Leonis was correct to call it dangerous. Vincent might’ve died if it was his normal red blood.

Vincent stopped using Overheat and went to sit on a chair nearby. Nick and Leonis went in front of the motionless plant and prepared to fight if it was faking its death again. But the more both stared, the more sure they were it was dead.

*Sigh* “You got hurt for nothing. The vines are all cracked. That hot emitting form of yours killed it.” Leonis looked unhappy. Vincent got hurt, and there was no reward for the pain. He worried his daughter wouldn’t want to see her father before she went to the academy.

Nick used the flame enchanted sword and moved the dried plant with the tip. *Thiss... boom* The body of the Nimbus Nerve erupted into a burst of green powerful yet short-lived flame. Fortunately, the floor was made out of marble, and the nearest table was about half a meter away. The backstage storage room filled with pricy items didn’t catch on fire.

“What!” Both Nick and Leonis exclaimed.

[It looks like the plant became a small fire bomb... heh.]

-I waited for them to move to have a clear sight and use Inspection. But it burnt before I could check... heh.-

Both sighed. However, their sigh didn’t last for a long time.

“What is this emerald jewel doing here?” Nick asked. He knew all the items for today’s auction, and an emerald jewel wasn’t one of them.

Vincent stood up and focused his gaze on the jewel. A smile soon appeared on his face. He went to pick the small emerald jewel, bit his finger, and dropped a drop of blood on it.

“What are you doing with the auction’s merchandise?” Leonis asked. He worried Nick might take it against them since the Graymoons pride themselves on their reputation.

“No, Lord Leonis. This jewel isn’t ours. Furthermore, I noticed it was in the same place the Nimbus Nerve caught fire and disappeared.” Nick replied while scratching his head.

*Crack* The emerald jewel cracked. Toothpick-sized vines slowly reached out from the cracks and pulled the bead of blood inside.

.

[Notice]

[The host has mutated a new bond through blood and soul with a lifeform completely changed by Sub-Familiar Mutation skill.]

[Nimbus Nerve requires a name for the mutated bond of blood and soul to complete.]

.

“My blood is O negative. I will name you Zero.” Vincent named the Nimbus Nerve based on his blood type after reading the notice window.

Vines suddenly emerged from the cracks and broke the jewel-like shell. In Vincent’s hand now sat a Nimbus Nerve with no apparent difference other than being colored healthy green, the vines faintly gleamed as if it had a small amount of glitter attached to its body, and lastly. It was now one inch tall.

.

[Name] Zero

[Race] Nimbus Nerve

[Condition] Healthy, Blood Bond (Vincent Lionheart), Mutation (1%)

[Stats] Strength 1 || Agility 1 || Perception 1 || Mana 122

[Description]

A vine-like plant creature that uses blood as food. The Nimbus Nerve can grow stronger based on the blood it feeds off.

.

[Look at the cute little plant. I bet Iris is going to be...]

(Hungry.)

[Huh? Vincent, why are you telling me you are hungry?]

-It wasn’t me. I must be Zero.-

(Hungry.)

Leonis and Nick noticed Vincent didn’t look too happy as he stared at the small Nimbus Nerve plant.

*sigh* “It is telling me it is hungry.” Vincent looked at Leonis and Nick. “Do all of these vampire plants communicate with their owner about being hungry?”

“What?” Nick revealed a surprised expression.

“Plants can’t be complete familiars like animals. People bond with them through blood instead of the soul. Only a few types of plants form a core, and a Nimbus Nerve isn’t one of them.” Leonis informed.

“I heard how nobles train them as pets with blood as rewards. A Nimbus Nerve is both a familiar, yet not completely. Even if we call them familiars, they are categorized as semi-familiar instead of complete familiar.” Nick added to the subject.