[Gained Blood System][New Affinity Found][Blood Affinity Gained][System Interface Being Generated][Evolution Tree Being Created][Finalizing Setup]
"Huh!" Blake woke up from a deep slumber, his hands trembling continuously in a state of frenzy. He swayed from left to right, his body undulating as the sound of clattering teeth could be heard in the empty space. His eyes, now burning a faint, unsettling crimson, slowly parted from the scene of horror scattered across the room.
For there, lying motionless on the cruel, cold floor, were the corpses of his former teammates. Gerald, Reina, Yumiko, Ichigo, Kushui, and Kamodo. All of them were dead, without the slightest motion of life. Still as statues, their bodies twisted into grotesque forms, they lay there resting in the eternal abyss of time.
The pain-struck faces of what were once his teammates and comrades, only mere minutes ago, were etched into his skull. Every intricate detail, from the sweat down their brows to the blood gushing down their lips, zoomed towards his brain. Realizing this very well could have been him, he let out a little sigh. In front of him was a corpse party for the dead, a gruesome tableau he had only barely missed joining.
[Host: Blake Kamoto][Race: Low Elderian Vampire (Tier 1)][Level: 3][Experience: 2550 / 3000 XP]
[Stats:]
Strength (STR): 15 (+5 from Vampire Tier 1, +2 from Level Up) [Base 8] Agility (AGI): 18 (+6 from Vampire Tier 1, +2 from Level Up) [Base 10] Endurance (END): 14 (+4 from Vampire Tier 1, +2 from Level Up) [Base 8] Perception (PER): 20 (+10 from Vampire Tier 1, +2 from Level Up) [Base 8] Willpower (WIL): 12 (+5 from Vampire Tier 1, +2 from Level Up) [Base 5]
[Blood Points (BP): 105 / 150]
Max BP: 150 (Base: 100 + 10 per Endurance + 5 per Level) Regeneration: 1 BP per hour (Passive, only when calm and fed). Consumption: Acquired by consuming blood from living beings. Quality and quantity vary.
[Active Skills:]
Blood Burst (Minor): Short burst of incredible speed. Cost: 5 BP. Elderian Strike: Infuses physical strike with vampiric energy. Cost: 10 BP. Blood Shard: Projectile of hardened blood energy. Cost: 20 BP. Blood Fortification: Temporary defensive aura. Cost: 30 BP. Blood Siphon (Relic): Drains energy from ancient artifacts/relics (specialized). Cost: N/A.
[Passive Skills/Traits:]
Rapid Regeneration: Minor wounds heal quickly. Severe wounds require significant Blood Points or time. Predator's Instinct: Heightened senses for tracking prey, innate combat awareness (fully active when BP is sufficient, partially active during Blood Frenzy). Weakness: Sunlight Vulnerability (Minor): Direct sunlight causes discomfort and minor BP drain. Prolonged exposure causes significant damage. Weakness: True Hunger: Extreme Blood Point depletion leads to "Blood Frenzy," a state of uncontrollable, primal bloodlust.
Blake stared at the mental interface, the cold, stark data of his new existence. A Low Elderian Vampire. He had been transformed. That explained the agony, the red eyes, the strange power humming within him. It also explained the pervasive, gnawing hunger that had briefly subsided but now began to make its presence known again. His Blood Points were at 105 out of 150; a decent amount, but the warning about "sustenance quality low" and "imminent Blood Frenzy" told him this was a precarious state. He still needed real blood.
'Why did this happen to us? Who was that mysterious voice? Why am I the only one alive?' Question upon question plagued Blake's mind as he tried to puzzle together what to do. His mental gears worked in overhaul, trying to slot the pieces of the elaborate puzzle together. It took a few moments, but eventually, Blake gradually started to remember the turn of events that led to this outcome. 'The voice. It was the last thing I heard before I collapsed. Something... something system.' It was becoming clear to him, however he still hadn't remembered the full details of the transformation itself, only the outcome.
Getting up, Blake went to check on the rest of his companions for the final time. He had only known them for a short amount of time, mere hours perhaps, however he felt like he had a stronger connection with them than some people he had known for a lifetime. Perhaps it was a sense of camaraderie forged in shared terror, or maybe the fact that they were all powerless misfits in society, thrown together into this impossible situation. Whatever the reason, he would remember these people. Their likes and their goals, their names and their stories. All of it he would remember, all of it. For the forgotten and mistreated people in society, he would be the torch that gave them light.
One by one, Blake made his way to the bodies, his hands feeling their cold, harsh skin as he gently closed their vacant eyes so that they could preserve the dignity they deserved, even in death. 'The dungeon isn't the ideal burying ground, but it will have to suffice. I wish I could give them a proper burial,' he thought, a wave of profound sorrow washing over him.
After grieving for a bit, Blake headed toward the statue with the ring. The giant, seductive female form stood silent in the gloom. Grabbing the ring, he pulled it off the lady's stone finger. Holding it firmly in his hands, he examined it. Inside the ring was the dragon token that the group had been assigned to fetch, the one that countless scores of people before him had tried to get but ultimately had failed.
Expecting to feel a sense of pride for obtaining it, or perhaps some divine power like the voice he had experienced earlier, Blake's eyebrows creased when he realized it felt like just another ordinary ring. It was a cold piece of metal, no hum, no warmth, no inherent magic. 'What was so special about this that we had to go out and risk our lives?' he wondered, a bitter taste in his mouth.
Realizing that no one was going to answer his questions in this desolate chamber, Blake headed towards what he hoped was the exit. It was time for him to head back home to reality. He had done his job, against impossible odds, and now wanted to go home to the comforts of his divine pillow and bed.
Muscles creaking, his new, subtly powerful limbs still felt heavy. He decided to lightly jog towards the far end of the chamber. He knew the portal that had brought him here was closed, and the way back to Lina and Ricardo was unknown. But there had to be another way out. He would find it.