Leah stood high above the forest floor, perched on the thick branch of a snow-covered tree. The wind rustled through the canopy as she remained still, her glowing red eyes locked onto the figures below.

  A group of snow goblins—twenty, maybe more—were making their way through the snow, their short, stout bodies wrapped in thick furs. They moved cautiously, scanning their surroundings, weapons drawn. Their breath came out in visible puffs of white, mixing with the snowfall.

  There were more of them now, and they were looking for her.

  Leah closed her eyes for a few moments, steadying her breath.

  Through the faint, pulsing link of her Blood Connection skill, she could feel them—Ibbi and the six other goblins she had captured and turned. Their presence flickered in her mind like embers in the dark, each one waiting, ready.

  With a thought, she directed them.

  From the shadows of the trees and the hollows of the snow, her goblins emerged, creeping forward with silent precision. They moved swiftly, circling around the unsuspecting snow goblins below.

  As her goblins moved in, Leah leaped from the branch, cutting through the air like a phantom. She landed in the centre of the group with barely a sound, the force of her descent kicking up a small swirl of snow.

  The snow goblins recoiled in surprise, their eyes widening.

  Before they could react, four blood-red tendrils burst from her back, lashing forward with precision. They impaled the nearest goblins, piercing straight through flesh and bone. A sharp gasp escaped their lips before their bodies stiffened.

  Leah narrowed her eyes and willed her blood to flow.

  Dark crimson pulsed through the tendrils, flooding into their veins. The moment it entered them, the goblins convulsed, their knees buckling as they collapsed into the snow, their bodies writhing as the change took hold.

  Then Ibbi and the others struck, rushing in with snarls of aggression. The clash of weapons and the crunch of snow filled the air as blood goblins engaged their former kin. Leah observed the fight for only a moment—her blood goblins were stronger, moving faster, hitting harder.

  Satisfied, she ripped her tendrils free from the changing goblins and turned her gaze to new prey.

  Leah barely had time to turn before three snow goblins charged at her, their crude weapons raised high. Their snarls of fury echoed through the frozen air as they closed the distance.

  Without hesitation, she sent out three blood tendrils.

  They shot forward like whips, slicing through the air with lethal speed.

  The goblins barely had time to react before the tendrils met them head on.

  Leah pumped her blood into the three goblins, watching with cold detachment as their bodies spasmed violently. They convulsed, their limbs jerking uncontrollably as her blood coursed through their veins. With one final shudder, they collapsed to the snow.

  She withdrew her tendrils and turned her attention to the goblins she had pierced earlier. They were now rising from the ground, their skin tinged with a crimson colour. Their eyes were vacant for a moment before they locked onto her with an eerie sense of loyalty.

  Leah wasted no time, her voice calm and commanding. "Join the fight. Restrain the rest of them."

  The newly-turned blood goblins rushed forward, swiftly tackling and binding more snow goblins. They were far stronger than their former kin, their newfound power overwhelming the snow goblins' attempts to fight back.

  As most of the goblins were brought down, Leah moved around the battlefield, using her blood tendrils to pierce the fallen snow goblins, one by one, injecting them with her blood. Each one shuddered as they were converted.

  When the last of the snow goblins had been turned, they all knelt down on one knee in front of her, their eyes glowing with devotion. Ibbi was at the forefront, grinning from ear to ear, her expression full of pride and loyalty.

  Leah glanced at her system panel and navigated to the Legion tab. The numbers had increased to twenty eight blood goblins.

  She smirked as she surveyed her new army of blood goblins, a sense of power welling up inside her.

  She then felt the familiar buzz of the system in her mind, signaling a couple of new notifications. She briefly glanced at the messages but decided she would check them when she got back to her base. There were more important things to focus on right now.

  She turned to face the group of goblins, all of them now under her command. With a single gesture, she motioned for them to follow her.

  The group began their trek back, moving swiftly through the forest, their footsteps crunching in the snow behind her.

  Eventually, after what felt like hours, they reached an opening in the forest. Ahead of them was an open cave. The entrance was wide, with the lip of the cave hanging over, offering a sense of protection from the outside elements.

  Leah waved her hand dismissively, sending the goblins off to do their own thing. They scattered, some setting up makeshift camps in the cave, while others ventured into the surrounding area, perhaps to forage or scout. The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance as Leah moved to a large rock at the edge of the cave and sat down.

  Pulling up the system interface, she scanned through the messages that popped up before her. She saw the familiar prompt indicating that she had gained experience and had leveled up. Her eyes narrowed as the number on the screen showed that she had reached Level 10. A small thrill ran through her, but she didn’t linger on it for long. There was more to focus on.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  But just as she was about to move on, the screen flickered for a brief moment. The word 'Error' flashed at the top of the system notification, and for a split second, the entire panel seemed to glitch.

  Leah's brow furrowed in confusion, but before she could process what was happening, the error faded away, blurring into nothing. The screen shifted and a new set of words appeared.

  [System Message]

  'Class automatically selected.'

  'New Class: Blood Maiden'

  Leah exhaled sharply, gripping her knee. She had gained a class? And why had the system chosen for her? Before she could dwell on it, more messages appeared.

  [System Message]

  'You have gained new skills'

  **Active skills**

  Blood Armour (Proficiency 0%) – Forms an undulating suit of armour from your blood that covers your body. The armour continuously shifts, making it hard to damage, while also increasing your defense.

  Blood Empowerment (Proficiency 0%) – Temporarily enhances your physical strength, speed, and overall combat power.

  **Passive Skill**

  Regeneration (Proficiency 0%) – Gradually heals any wounds or injuries over time. Temporarily increases when feeding.

  Leah exhaled slowly, absorbing the information. She then suddenly felt a rush of energy course through her body, her veins pulsing with unfamiliar strength.

  She stood up, and as she moved, she noticed something else—her skin tingled, and dark, intricate black markings began to appear on her arms, spreading across her skin like tendrils of ink.

  They twisted and turned, and she felt them wrapping around her limbs, up her neck, and across her face, leaving a pattern that almost seemed alive.

  Her heart raced as she flexed her fingers, feeling an odd weightlessness in her limbs. It was as if her body was becoming lighter, more agile. At the same time, she felt an unnatural toughness forming in her muscles and bones, a newfound resilience that almost made her feel invincible.

  Leah took a moment, her eyes wide, feeling her body shifting in ways she couldn’t fully grasp. She ran a hand over the markings on her arm, fascinated by them.

  Ibbi came running over, her small feet kicking up bits of loose stone as she skidded to a stop in front of Leah. Her wide, red eyes were filled with concern.

  "Master! You okay?" she asked, her gaze locking onto the strange black markings covering Leah’s body. Her ears twitched as she hesitated, then added, "What… what happened to you?"

  Leah glanced down at herself before exhaling. "I think my body evolved because of my new class." she said, flexing her fingers, still adjusting to the changes.

  Ibbi tilted her head, confused. "Class?"

  Leah didn’t answer, simply giving a small shake of her head. Instead, she pulled up her status overview. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she noticed something new—her race had changed, from 'lesser blood fairy' to 'blood fairy maiden'.

  As she finished checking out her overview, Leah then caught the scent of blood coming from somewhere far away. Her enhanced senses honed in on it immediately, pulling her attention toward the source. Her head turned in that direction, eyes narrowing slightly.

  "I’m going somewhere." she said.

  Ibbi’s ears twitched, and she immediately stepped forward. "If you go, I go! I’ll protect you!"

  Leah waved a hand dismissively. "It’s fine."

  Ibbi puffed out her cheeks. "No! It’s—"

  Before she could finish, Leah extended a blood tendril and, with blinding speed, slashed it across the rock she had been sitting on. A sharp crack split the air as the rock was cleanly severed in half.

  Ibbi’s mouth hung open, her words frozen in her throat.

  Leah smirked. “I’ll be fine.”

  With that, she rolled her shoulders, and her wings unfurled from her back, seamlessly passing through her clothing. The translucent red appendages shimmered faintly in the light.

  Then, with a powerful push, she leaped into the air, activating 'Flight'. The wind rushed past her as she soared above the trees, heading straight for the source of the unfamiliar blood.

  Time passed as Leah flew through the air. The wind whipped past her, and the forest below became a blur as she moved swiftly. Eventually, her sharp eyes picked up a large clearing ahead.

  As she flew over it, she spotted what looked like the remnants of more than a dozen houses scattered across the clearing, their walls shattered and roof beams broken. But it wasn’t the destroyed homes that caught her attention—it was the massive, lumbering creature standing between them.

  The creature was colossal, towering over the ruins of the houses. It was a snow-white giant, a hulking figure, with a massive club dragging behind it in the snow. The name that appeared above it was red and bold: 'snow ogre'.

  Leah’s sharp gaze then darted downward, where a few humanoid figures with grey skin stood trembling in front of the ogre. Their bodies were rigid with fear, and their shaking was visible even from her vantage point. She noticed the lifeless bodies of several of their kind littered across the clearing, blood staining the snow beneath them.

  The ogre let out a deep, terrifying roar, shaking the air around it. Its heavy footfalls resonated as it lifted its massive club overhead. With a grunt, it brought the weapon crashing down onto the ground. Snow and humanoid bodies flew through the air, the sheer force of the blow sending them scattering.

  Leah’s eyes widened as she watched the ogre’s raw power in action. The way it struck, the way it dominated everything around it—it was terrifying. But as she observed, her mind began to form a thought. If she could somehow kill the ogre... and then convert it...

  Her lips curled into a dark smile as she considered the prospect. The power it could add to her legion would be immense. The thought of commanding such a force, made her blood race.

  As the snow ogre lifted its massive club, preparing to bring it down for another devastating strike, it failed to notice the silent shadow descending upon it from above. Leah moved like a streak of crimson against the pale sky, her wings carrying her swiftly through the air.

  The moment she was within range, four blood tendrils erupted from her back, twisting like living spears towards their target.

  With precision, they struck true—each one piercing deep into the ogre’s eyes. A wet squelch filled the air as the tendrils burrowed into the soft flesh, rupturing the giant’s vision.

  The snow ogre let out an ear-splitting roar of agony, its massive hands jerking up to clutch at its bleeding eye sockets. Its club dropped from its grip, crashing into the snow with a deep thud. The creature staggered back, shaking violently.

  Leah retracted her tendrils, and then gathered the tendrils together, twisting them into a spiraling mass. A wicked smile tugged at her lips as she sent the drill of blood forward with all her might, aiming directly for the ogre's skull.

  For a brief moment, she believed the battle was already over. Her blood drill sliced through the air, its pointed tip aimed perfectly at the creature's head. But then, as the tendrils began to drill deeper, Leah's confident grin faltered. The ogre's skin was tougher than she expected—an impenetrable wall of muscle and bone. The drill then burst under the strain.

  Leah’s eyes widened in shock.

  Before she could react, the ogre’s roar split the air, filled with rage.

  With shocking speed, the ogre swung its massive arm downward, its huge hand rocketing toward her. Leah barely had time to brace herself, and in an instant, she was struck like a mere insect. The force of the blow sent her plummeting to the ground, the world spinning as she crashed into the snow.

  The world seemed to slow as the snow settled around her. Leah gasped for air, the pain from the impact searing through her body. In the corner of her vision, a small health window appeared, displaying her health: 143/500.

  The ogre’s massive shadow loomed over her as it took a step forward. Leah’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the creature’s eyes—what had once been gouged out—now were fully regenerated. The ogre’s gaze, burning with renewed fury, locked onto her, and Leah’s stomach twisted. She was in trouble.