It was the first time Ashton had activated all of the genes in his body. Well, technically, it was the second time, but this was the first time he had intentionally activated them. Simultaneously activating the Vampire and the undead genes was a lot more painful than he thought.

Even the Pain Tolerance couldn’t do much against it. But Ashton powered through it. As he knew, if he had any chance of making it alive out of there, he needed everything he had in his arsenal.

He looked the Mera in her eyes, and the only thing he could see was hostility. An urge to kill him was all she had. Completely void of any other emotion. Ashton was a bit… scared at that point. Especially since he had intended to take her out first.

He might have been successful if it wasn’t for the other guy’s interference. However, Mera’s hostility proved to be a blessing in disguise. He had forgotten about it, but it didn’t look like his system did. As the following moment, there was a notification in front of him.

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You have fulfilled the condition for a skill to level up. A skill has levelled up! You have unlocked an additional perk.

>> Perception: A prime ability found in bloodsuckers. It is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. You can now sense the intention of mid-levelled beings through this skill.

Additional Perk:

[Reflex]: The longer you fight a target, the easier it is for you to get used to their moves.

Grade: Mid

Condition to upgrade the skill: Kill a target you have gained maximum hostility with or use 5 skill points to level this skill up.

Current Vampiric skill points: 0

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He must have blinked countless times to see if what he was reading was real. The moment he realised it was, he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t know whether it was coincidental or not, but the [Reflex] perk was something that felt as if it was the second part of his [Battle Tactics] skill.

The [Battle Tactics] skill could slow down the enemies attacks, making it easier for him to dodge the attacks, while [Reflex] would also do something similar but by making Ashton get used to the attacks of the enemies rather than making them slow.

Either way, now that he knew his enemies were out for his blood, he had no choice but to retaliate in kind as well. Even though he had no idea how capable his opponents were. Still, as long as he kept dodging their attacks, an opening will eventually open for him to act on.

[Battle Tactics Activated.]

[Reflex is in effect.]

Mera lunged at him first, while Jacob stayed in his spot. They were going for a two-front attack. While Mera tried to indulge him in close combat, Jacob would probably use the crossbow to get him.

It was a perfect plan and the proof of their years of experience as hunters. They were professionals, at least when compared to Ashton. They knew what they were doing.

Ashton, on the other hand, had no idea about what these people were capable of. All he knew was the names of the skills they had without a hint of what those skills actually did. That was also the reason why he did not want to get touched by them. Who knew what kind of crap they might pull?

“Stop running away you coward!” Mera yelled in frustration as Ashton dodged yet another one of her attacks.

“Two adults are fighting a child, yet I’m the coward?” Ashton replied in a muffled voice while keeping off of Jacob’s target range, “I didn’t know vampires were hypocrites as well.”

“You…”

Mera lashed out again. Her claws kept getting closer and closer to him with each swing. Even though he was using both [Battle Tactics] and [Reflex], it was proving to be quite a taxing task to dodge her.

Deep down, Ashton knew it was only a matter of time before she will eventually get him. He wanted to wait for an opening before attacking the woman. But whether he saw an opening to attack her, Jacob was there to prevent him from doing so.

Waiting for an opening to show up, was no longer feasible to him. As the longer he waited, the slimmer his chances of survival got. This was to be expected, because the [Reflex] perk he was depending on, wasn’t exclusive to him.

[Perception] was a skill found in all of the vampires, thus it was no surprise that Mera had it too. Which meant, she also had the [Reflex] perk. So, while Ashton was trying to get used to her movement, Mera was getting used to his movements as well. That was the reason why with each attack, she was getting closer to him bit by bit.

‘If I can’t find an opening, then I shall make one for myself!’ Ashton thought to himself and rushed towards Jacob.. If he could take him out, even temporarily, then he just might be able to get of Mera.