A cool, crystalline clarity filled Vale's mind. The last vestiges of the grunting, mindless ghoul were scoured away, replaced by a sharp, calculating intelligence that felt both new and terrifyingly familiar.
[All data on the species 'Vampire' has been synthesized from the host's memories and consciousness.]
[Host can now designate a name for the primary entity.]
A name. Not just a label, but a banner. A declaration of what he had become.
Hmm, a strong, vampiric name. A goth type name should be good for this setting.
"Vale," he murmured, the name feeling right on his tongue. "The name of my favourite game character." A being of power and tragedy. Fitting.
"Crimson," he added. "Well, you need a noble-like name to be a vampire, and crimson suits blood." It was the color of his new eyes, the color of his power, the color of the legacy he would paint this world with.
"And lastly, a legacy. A heritage name, common in the tropes of vampires." A faint, cold smile touched his lips. "Ravencrest. The royal family name from the novel I liked. It's cool, so I'll use it."
He stood to his full height, the pale moonlight filtering through the jungle canopy glinting off his flawless skin and white hair.
"I am now Vale Crimson Ravencrest."
[Name: Vale Crimson Ravencrest has been registered.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Enslave.]
I got it, finally. A thrill, cold and sharp, ran through him. This was the tool of his dominion. But first… he looked down at himself. This new body was… unnerving. He was sculpted perfection, lean muscle under pale skin, devoid of the scar that had once defined Han. I'm looking like some god-tier character. A male lead of some K-pop band.
He pushed the vanity aside. Pragmatism, always.
System, how do I even enslave someone?
[Prerequisite: Physical contact is necessary. The target must be severely weakened, near death, or deceased.]
Ooh. His crimson eyes slid to the still form of the other ghoul, silver spikes glinting in the moonlight. Let's use it on our friend.
[Enslave slots available: 1/2.]
He knelt, his movements unnaturally graceful, and placed a pale hand on the ghoul's cold, rough hide.
"Enslave," he commanded.
[Enslaving has begun.]
[Will the host like to make the target a Kin?]
A Kin? The system's voice echoed in his mind. Meaning another vampire? He looked at the pitiful creature. Well, this one is my first friend after all. We should be the same race.
Yes.
[Congratulations to the Host.]
[You have established the first Kin.]
[Name the new Kin.]
[Species: Vampire.]
[Gender: Female.]
[Quality: Will retain memories of previous life. Will gain a portion of the host's abilities as the First Kin.]
Wait, it was a female? A flicker of surprise, quickly suppressed. Hm. Well, no one can imagine a girl being a ghoul after all. A strange, unfamiliar sensation stirred—nervousness? This will also be my first time talking to a girl freely. And with the absolute loyalty from Noblesse Oblige, she will pretty much be a good friend who will never betray.
A name. A good female name. Something from the old world, but twisted for this new one. A name that promised beauty and danger.
Lilith Nocturne. A seductive name indeed.
System, save it as: Lilith Nocturne, of the Ravencrest lineage.
[Host has established the second slave.]
[Host now has complete control over the slave, Lilith Nocturne.]
[Slots remaining: 0/2.]
[Increase Blood Purity to unlock more slots.]
Blood purity, huh? Well, I'll get back to it later.
A light began to emanate from the ghoul's body. The twisted, decaying form dissolved into a shimmering, dark energy, swirling and condensing, reshaping itself. When the light faded, a woman lay on the forest floor.
Vale's breath caught. Even with his newfound emotional detachment, he could appreciate the artistry. She was tall and slender, with a lethal grace even in unconsciousness. Her skin was pale ivory, and a cascade of silvery-white hair framed a face of sharp, elegant beauty. She was naked, her form a perfect sculpture of power and femininity.
Although I've never cared about appearances, he thought, this person is beautiful indeed.
[Congratulations!]
[Host has unlocked: Immortality.]
[Host can now control the life and death of his Kin.]
Woah. Life control, you say? A godlike power settled in his chest. I'm already happy being immortal myself, but granting immortality… I've become the god of this species.
Grant immortality to Lilith Nocturne.
[Lilith Nocturne has now become an Immortal.]
[Congratulations, Host!]
[You have unlocked: Primordial Protection.]
[No rays of the sun can pierce you. No mortal blade can touch you. Infinite Regeneration has been unlocked.]
Infinite Regeneration… I guess it's not two but one ability. If I walk in the sun, infinite regeneration will heal me continuously, so I won't be harmed anyway. His analysis was cold, clinical. He was untouchable.
[Warning! Slave #2 is being harmed.]
By what?
He looked up. Through the thick canopy, the sky was beginning to lighten from black to deep indigo. Oh no. The sun's gonna come up. I'll be fine, but this girl…
Without a second thought, he scooped her naked form into his arms. She was surprisingly light. I never imagined I'd be doing something like this. A naked, handsome man running with a naked woman in his arms to find a cave. A dry, humorless laugh escaped him. Haha. It's like a stone age story.
He moved with preternatural speed, his enhanced senses pinpointing a crevice in a rocky outcrop. He ducked inside, finding a small, dry cavern. Gently, he laid Lilith on a flat rock.
I better find some clothes before she wakes, or my first friend will betray the loyalty on the first day.
[Blood Magic has been created.]
`[Host can now create anything with his imagination at the cost of blood.]*
Hmm. I guess hunting some animals and offering their blood will be better than giving mine.
He was a blur in the dying night. Two large bears, stirring from their slumber, were dead before they could even register his presence. He collected their blood in a basin he mentally formed from condensed air.
System, will you sacrifice the blood collected for… a gothic white shirt, black noble-like pants, a gothic female dress, and ornaments—thirteen pieces, as per my imagination?
[Processing… Confirmed.]
The pooled blood shimmered and vanished. In its place, folded neatly on the stone, were the clothes. His were elegant and severe, cut from fine, pale fabric. Hers was a sleek, black dress of a dark, silken material, accompanied by delicate chains and jewelry that whispered of both nobility and restraint.
He dressed her quickly, his movements efficient, though a unfamiliar shyness made him avert his gaze from her body more than was strictly necessary.
As he finished, she stirred.
"Ugh… this… where am I?" Her voice was a low, melodic murmur, laced with confusion. Her crimson eyes, identical to his own, fluttered open. They found him, sitting on a nearby rock, doing his best to look like a noble on a throne.
She sat up, the black dress settling around her. Her gaze was not one of fear, but of instinctual recognition. "Are you… my Master?"
I guess you just get a sense of me being the master. "Don't worry," he said, his voice calm and even. "I'm… your friend."
"Yes, I know," she said, her brow furrowing slightly as she processed the flood of memories. "I somehow have my previous life's memory. Even those of being a ghoul." She looked directly at him, a fierce loyalty igniting in her gaze. "I guess you did that. Although I have a different name now… as a former knight, I swear my loyalty to you."
"Don't worry," Vale repeated, a part of him amused by the irony. "We're friends, not some master and servant." Well, maybe 'slave' would be a better word, but I better not say that.
They ate the bear meat in silence, the strength of the raw flesh fortifying them further.
[Quest Created.]
[Objective:]
[ - Kill Humans x10]
[ - Kill Elf x1]
[ - Kill Wraith x2]
Wraiths I understand. But elves? They're here too, huh? The world was expanding rapidly. What do I get?
[Rewards:]
[ - New Abilities x2]
[ - Infinite Vigor]
[ - Infinite Mana]
[ - Photographic Memory]
Damn. You're hinting at strange things now. We've not even become proper friends. The rewards were undeniably powerful, a siren's call to his pragmatic nature. Let's see where these elves are first.
While he had been communing with the system, Lilith had been busy, expertly carving a sharp, serviceable dagger from a piece of stone with her newfound vampiric strength.
"I'm going outside," Vale announced. "You coming?"
"Yes, Master," she said, rising smoothly to her feet.
"Master, you say?" he mused aloud. "Well, I guess I am your master."
"So, where are we going?" she asked, falling into step beside him.
"Elves," he said, his crimson eyes scanning the treeline. "We're gonna kill an elf."
Lilith looked confused but asked no questions. Her loyalty was already absolute.
They roamed the jungle for the entire day, their enhanced senses stretched to the limit. They found traces—a faint, floral scent on the air, a footprint too delicate for a human—but no elves. As dusk began to fall again, they returned to the cave.
Hm. I'm not even a bit tired. If this is how it is, maybe exercising wouldn't hurt either. Rather, I will get strong faster.
He began moving through a series of fluid, powerful motions, testing the limits of his new body. Lilith watched for a moment before coming to sit beside him on the stone floor, her shoulder pressing against his.
"Aren't you close?" he remarked.
"I feel a sense of familiarity from you," she said simply, leaning her weight against him. "A deep connection."
"Strange, huh?" he said, not pulling away. "Well, how did you even become a ghoul?"
"Ghouls are those who've been wronged in their lives," she explained, her voice losing its melodic quality, becoming flat. "They live aimlessly after dying." She paused. "My father killed me. He was… an alcoholic. I was a trainee knight. My money was going to the training academy, not earning. He hit me every day. But one day, he tried something a father never should."
Vale remained silent, listening.
"I hit him. He hit back, and in the fight, he pushed me. I fell on the broken glass pieces of an alcohol bottle. He took a knife and stabbed me. Continuously." She let out a soft sigh. "Well, now my new appearance is more beautiful than before, so I'm grateful to you for that."
"We're oddly similar," Vale said, the words escaping before he could stop them.
Lilith turned her head to look at him. "Did your parents kill you, too?"
He met her gaze, his own impassive. "Well, they did. In a way."
A comfortable silence fell between them, two broken souls finding a twisted reflection in each other. Eventually, they slept, sitting up against the cave wall, Lilith's head resting comfortably on Vale's shoulder.
A few hours later, a sharp chime shattered his rest.
[Host under attack!]
Huh? An attack?
He heard it then—the soft, nearly silent footfalls of more than one person approaching the cave entrance. In an instant, he was awake. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a wall of congealed blood, mimicking the texture and color of the cave rock, hiding them in a shallow recess.
He held a sleeping Lilith close in his arms, her breath soft against his neck.
Two figures entered the cave, silhouetted against the first rays of the rising sun. They were tall and slender, moving with an innate grace. In their hands were elegantly carved bows. And most telling of all, the light from the entrance glinted on the tips of their long, elegantly pointed ears.
Elves, Vale thought, a predatory smile finally touching his lips. They're real elves.
His crimson eyes glowed in the darkness behind his blood-made wall.
It's my perfect chance to kill them now.
(Chapter End)