In the towering, neon-drenched city of Veros, life moved at the speed of light. But for Vicky Thorne, a 19-year-old engineering student, time felt like thick, slow-moving concrete. He sat alone in his tiny, rented apartment, the flashing sign from the noodle shop across the street painting his cheap walls in sickly green and red.
Two weeks. Two weeks since Seraphina, his girlfriend of two years, had delivered the gut-punch.
"Vicky," she had said, her voice already distant, standing next to a sleek, black Porsche. "I need more than potential. Damien bought me this car today. You can't even afford a coffee without checking your bank balance. I'm sorry, but you're just… ordinary."
Damien Vance, the rich heir and Vicky's senior, had simply smirked from the driver's seat. That moment—the flash of the expensive car, the cruel words, Damien's smug face—had not just broken Vicky's heart; it had poisoned his soul. He wanted more than sorrow; he wanted to see them suffer.
It was 1:17 AM when it happened. Vicky was staring at the cracked screen of his old laptop, searching for ways to make quick money, when a cold wind, smelling of iron and ozone, swept through his closed window. A chilling, powerful presence filled the room, and a voice, which sounded like it was being spoken right inside his skull, boomed.
"Host: Vicky Thorne. Despair and vengeance detected. Binding protocol initiated."
Vicky screamed, clutching his head. A burst of intense, icy heat coursed through his veins, quickly followed by a strange, exhilarating rush of energy. When the pain subsided, a translucent, blue screen floated in front of his eyes like an augmented reality display.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Vampire Progenitor System bound.
Tier Unlocked: Low-Tier Infected.
Warning: Proceed to designated zone for tutorial mission. Immediate compliance required.
Before he could even ask what a 'Vampire Progenitor' was, his world dissolved into a dizzying swirl of color and noise.
He stumbled onto hard, dusty pavement. The air was thick and metallic, and the only light came from a massive, full moon peeking over the rusted skeletons of abandoned cranes. He was in an old, fenced-off industrial district—the kind of place the city forgot about.
The blue screen now showed his status, along with a terrifying warning at the bottom.
VICKY THORNE: STATUS
Level: 1 (0/100 XP)
Tier: Low-Tier Infected
HP: 100/100
Strength (STR): 5
Speed (SPD): 5
Endurance (END): 5
Stat Points: 0
Skills: [Blood Arrow (Lvl 1), Blood Claws (Lvl 1)]
Passive Effect:Daylight Debuff: Active. Vampires below Level 5 lose 20% of all power during daylight hours.
Daylight Debuff. It felt like a sick joke, but his fear was instantly overwritten by a primal, terrifying focus. He wasn't alone.
Three figures shambled out from behind a stack of busted concrete pipes. They were human once, but now their skin was gray and peeling, their movements jerky and hungry. Ghouls.
"TUTORIAL MISSION: Defeat 3 Low-Tier Infected (Ghouls). Failure results in death."
The voice in his head was cold and utterly serious. Panic returned, but the system had given him tools. Blood Claws. He focused on his hands, and with a sickening rip sound, his fingernails extended into razor-sharp, crimson blades, dripping with what looked like condensed blood.
The Ghouls were slow, but their stench and mindless hunger were overwhelming. The first Ghoul lunged. Vicky instinctively sidestepped, his new Speed Stat making the move smoother than anything he could manage before. He swung his clawed hand wildly, connecting with the Ghoul's torso.
[-12 HP to Target. Critical Hit!]
The Ghoul let out a dry, rasping sound but kept coming. Vicky realized that a basic human punch wouldn't do anything, but these new claws were deadly. He ducked under a flailing arm and drove his fist into the Ghoul's chest. The claws sliced deep, and the creature dropped.
[Low-Tier Infected defeated. +35 XP.]
He didn't have time to celebrate. The other two were closing in. Vicky needed distance. Blood Arrow. He threw his right hand forward, and a small, crimson bolt of energy shot out, hitting the second Ghoul in the shoulder.
[-20 HP to Target.]
The Ghoul staggered. Vicky rushed the weakened enemy, his adrenaline pumping harder than any pre-workout drink. He tore at its neck with his claws, the sound of tearing flesh echoing horribly in the silent yard. The Ghoul went down, dissolving into a small wisp of dark smoke.
[Low-Tier Infected defeated. +35 XP.]
70/100 XP. Just one left.
The last Ghoul was faster, sensing its comrades were gone. It tackled Vicky, driving him against a fence. Vicky felt his air leave him, and the Ghoul's putrid breath washed over his face. He yelled, channeling everything he had into a single, desperate claw strike that raked across the monster's face.
The Ghoul went limp, and the cold screen flashed bright blue.
[Low-Tier Infected defeated. +35 XP.][XP Total: 105/100.][LEVEL UP! Level 2 achieved.]
The intense, rushing feeling returned, but this time it was pure warmth, filling the gaps in his tired body. He stood up, feeling stronger, lighter, and completely energized.
VICKY THORNE: STATUS
Level: 2 (5/200 XP)
Tier: Low-Tier Infected
HP: 110/110
Strength (STR): 6 (+1)
Speed (SPD): 6 (+1)
Endurance (END): 6 (+1)
Stat Points: 1
Skills: [Blood Arrow (Lvl 1), Blood Claws (Lvl 1), Blood Shield (Lvl 1 - NEW)]
Passive Effect:Daylight Debuff: Active.
He had gained three stat points automatically and one point he could assign manually. He also had a new skill, Blood Shield.
Vicky looked down at his trembling, blood-stained hands, the crimson claws retracting back to normal fingernails. He was alive. He was powerful. And in the wreckage of his broken past, a single, terrifying thought bloomed, hard and cold as iron:
This power is my vengeance. Seraphina and Damien will learn what happens when you discard the ordinary.