Chapter 9: Limit Break

I pulled it off.

Evolved without a hitch from Truly a Teddy Bear to Vampire Teddy Bear.

This evolution was all thanks to Miss Vampire.

Without that blood orb, this path wouldn’t have opened.

Heck, I wouldn’t have leveled up in the first place.

I felt a twinge of guilt for mentally cursing her as an intruder.

She was an uninvited guest, sure, but also a benefactor.

Thank you, beautiful Miss Vampire.

I faced the direction she’d vanished.

With heartfelt gratitude, I bowed deeply—twice.

Bear-bow, bear-bow.

Wait, hold up!

Is two bows bad luck?

Eh… she’s a vampire, so it’s probably fine.

Feeling a bit sheepish, I pulled up my status window.

【Vampire Teddy Bear Lv.9】

┗ Power: 9 (+2)

┗ Rank: Normal

Evolution shaved off a level, as expected.

My base Power dropped too, tied to rank and level.

Only the bonus Power was independent.

It jumped to 2—a reward from evolving, just like my first time.

And that wasn’t the only perk.

I snagged a new skill, too.

【Skills】

[Helper Lv.1], [Evolution Lv.1], [Action Lv.2], [Consumption Lv.1], [Magical Chef Lv.1], [Teddy
Bear Disguise Lv.1], [Bloodsucking Lv.1]

Two rewards from one evolution!

Was today my lucky day?

Or was this the blood orb’s influence again?

Just in case, I bowed twice more toward Miss Vampire’s departure.

Thanks again.

I dove into the Bloodsucking skill’s details right away.

[Bloodsucking Lv.1]

─ Uses vampiric fangs to rapidly absorb an opponent’s blood.

─ Concentrates mana spread throughout the body into the blood for absorption, excluding mana stones.

─ Pure blood converts to Consumption Mana.

─ Allows differentiation between two types of mana.

└ Consumption Mana: Mana used for skills.

└ Reinforcement Mana: Mana granting permanent strength.

Whoa, that’s a long explanation.

Took me a while to wrap my head around it.

So, I’ve got fangs now?

Let’s check that first.

I activated Helper to view myself.

No external changes.
Just the same old teddy bear.

Guess only the fangs sharpened.

I bared my teeth with a fierce grin.

Rawr!

Oh, there they are!

Long, pointy fangs gleamed.

I looked like a wild beast.

Pretty badass.

Appearance check done.

Now to test Bloodsucking.

Oh, what about that?

My eyes landed on a corpse.

The Venomfang Rat I’d saved as a gift for Jjokkomi.

Sucking its blood shouldn’t ruin the gift.

The meat and mana stone are the real presents.

Roar!

Chomp!

I sank my ferocious fangs into the corpse like a starving predator.

Slurp, slurp.

Blood gushed out, like I was chugging through a straw.

Gulp, gulp.

Hell yeah!

Mana-infused blood absorbed!

The process was over in seconds.

The corpse shriveled into a husk.
I pulled out its mana stone—no mana left in the body.

All of it had been sucked into the blood.

My body wasn’t flooded with blood, though.

No need for Consumption to break it down—it all turned to mana instantly.

My reserves felt brimming, overflowing.

Nice, Bloodsucking’s working perfectly!

****

Mana’s power.

Consumption Mana and Reinforcement Mana.

I’d sorted out what they meant.

In my own terms:

Consumption—mana you burn for skills.

Reinforcement—mana you can’t use up, but it boosts levels.

When moved from its source, its power drops sharply.

Like, absorbing all the Reinforcement Mana from a Level 10 monster won’t give you 10 levels.

You lose some in the transfer.

That’s how I understood it.

Checking further, living creatures had way more Consumption Mana than Reinforcement.

Mana stones, though, were packed with Reinforcement Mana and light on Consumption.

Of course, not every creature or stone might follow this.

Could vary by species or stone type.

But that’s how it was for me and the Venomfang Rat.

So, no level-up from the blood.

It was mostly Consumption Mana.

To level up, I’d need to eat the mana stone in my paw.

It’s loaded with Reinforcement Mana.

I hesitated.

Eat it or not?

This was for Jjokkomi.

I don’t need to level up right now, so maybe hold off?

As I waffled, my eyes caught something.

┗ Rank: Normal (Limit Break possible at Lv.10)

Huh?

What’s that?

Limit Break at Level 10…?

…

…OH MY GOD!

My jaw dropped.

I bounced in place, heart racing.

Finally!

I can break my limit!

I’d missed that note next to my rank.

How’d I overlook it?

No matter—better late than never.

With this revelation, my decision was made.

Sorry, Jjokkomi.

Your gift’s just dried-up meat now.

Forgive your useless big sibling.

Chomp.

I swallowed the mana stone whole.

****

I was buzzing with excitement.

【Vampire Teddy Bear Lv.10】

┗ Power: 10 (+2)

┗ Rank: Normal (Limit Break possible)

【You have reached the level required for Limit Break.】

My hunch was right—keep evolving, and eventually I’d hit a species that could break its limit.

【Upon Limit Break, your rank will ascend from Normal to Uncommon.】

Just as I’d guessed—Limit Break was a promotion ritual.

Nailed it.

Heh.

Farewell, pathetic Normal rank.

This bear’s headed for greater heights.

Mecha Teddy Bear, I’m coming!

Oh, by the way, my Physical Adaptation tanked hard.

Vampire Teddy Bear might be a bit too advanced for me.

After evolving and leveling up, it’s down to 12.

But that’s fine.

I’d already confirmed Physical Adaptation doesn’t affect Limit Break.

Figured as much anyway.

【Upon ascending to Uncommon rank, your level will drop to 5.】

Normal Level 10 has 10 base Power.

Uncommon Level 5 also has 10 base Power.

Looks like levels adjust to match base Power.

【Calculating time required for Limit Break.】

【Approximately 12 hours needed.】

【We recommend performing Limit Break in a safe location. A sturdy Mana Orb will protect you during the process, but it will dissipate immediately after completion, leaving you vulnerable to external attacks. You will be especially susceptible to ambushes post-Limit Break.】

I’ll do it right here.

Don’t know any safer spots.

【Upon successful Limit Break, there is a high chance of species evolution, though in rare cases, the current species may remain. In either case, your rank will ascend.】

【Upon failure, your level will be randomly reduced.
You may attempt Limit Break again after reaching the required level.】

【Would you like to attempt Limit Break now?】

You bet!

Let’s get started!

【Initiating Limit Break.】

Whoosh!

Blue mana erupted from my body.

It coalesced into a sphere, encasing me.

This must be the Mana Orb shield.

I was now a teddy bear trapped in a glowing blue capsule.

Like a collectible figure in a display case.

【If species evolution occurs, the species will be randomly selected.】

Wait, it’s random?

Can’t I pick my species?

I was grumbling inwardly when—

Crackle.

【■□ Evo■ution ■ occur?, spe□ies ■ ran△◇ deter■■□ed.】

The text glitched, shattering into nonsense.

The voice reading it cut off, leaving silence.

What the hell?

A bug?

What’s going on?

Panic surged.

Thud, thud, thud!

I pounded the Mana Orb with my paws.

If something’s wrong, let me out!

Somebody help!

Your cute, charming, awesome teddy bear’s in trouble!

As anxiety gripped me, relief came just in time.

Normal text reappeared, and the voice resumed.

【“Helper Lv.1” skill intervenes in Limit Break.】

【Limit Break will not fail.】

【Species evolution will occur. You may select the evolved species.】

【List displayed.】

『Evolvable Species』

◎ Rookie King Teddy Bear – Uncommon

◎ Self-Destruct Teddy Bear – Uncommon

◎ Thief Teddy Bear – Uncommon

◎ Gourmet Teddy Bear – Uncommon

◎ Sweet-Spicy Punch Teddy Bear – Uncommon
◎ Venomfang Teddy Bear – Uncommon

◎ Undead Teddy Bear – Uncommon