Chapter 7 — True Dracula
Crack—crrraaackk!
"...ugh..."
The blood cocoon split apart. Thick, black ichor spilled across the stone floor. A pale hand tore free of the crimson shell, followed by a figure stepping out as if reborn—like a serpent shedding skin or a reptile breaking from its egg.
Edem gasped. Air flooded into his lungs, sharp and cold, as though he had been drowning for hours. His senses exploded awake: the beads of moisture clinging to the cavern wall, the faintest tremor in the stone, the distant iron tang of blood drifting from beyond the cave's mouth.
The world was different now. Every fiber of his being burned with bloodlust and raw power. For an instant he felt unstoppable, as though nothing could stand against him. Yet deep down he knew—it was illusion. The afterglow of evolution.
He staggered toward a pool of congealed blood and caught his reflection.
"…This… is me?"
The frail boy he once was—short, curly black-haired, unremarkable—was gone. In his place stood a man nearly two meters tall, his frame sculpted with lean muscle and an eight-pack carved like steel.
Silver-white hair draped to his shoulders. His eyes, once dark, now glowed with a piercing azure fire. His skin was pale, yet radiant, like moonlight cast over tempered steel.
For the first time, Edem felt truly alive.
---
System Update
> [Evolution Complete]
Race: Dracula (True Dracula)
Level: 5
Crimson Evo Points: 0/500
HP: 250/250
Energy: 200/200
Additional Stats: 3
Attributes
Strength: 35
Vitality: 28
Agility: 23
Endurance: 22
Intelligence: 20
Perception: 25
New Skills Unlocked:
Passive skills [Blood Regeneration (Lesser): Rapidly closes wounds using absorbed blood.
Night Vision: Perfect clarity in darkness.]
Active skills [Blood Sense: Can trace living blood signatures at short range.
Blood Lust: Temporarily boosts all stats when blood is present.]
---
Edem's heart pounded as the system readout pulsed in his mind. Power thrummed in his tendons and bone. He flexed an arm and the muscles obeyed with precise, coiled strength—like a predator waiting to strike.
"This… this is insane." His voice was deeper now, steady and edged with authority. His stomach tightened. Hunger. "Right… I'm a vampire now. Can I even eat normal food anymore?"
He forced a breath through his chest, reining the urge back. At least for now, he could control it.
His mind buzzed with countless subtle changes. His balance was flawless, his reflexes razor-sharp, his thoughts clearer than ever. He nicked his palm with a stone and watched in awe as the cut closed within seconds.
"This is called lesser regeneration? Then what about higher levels…" He smirked. "Wouldn't that make me immortal? Like Muzan Kibutsuji in Demon Slayer?" He shook his head. "Heh. I'm getting carried away. Against military weapons, I'd still be ash."
He stepped forward and the ground resonated under his feet. A glint caught his eye near the pool—the round, brown, fist-sized orb he had seen after the python's fall, half-buried in the blood-damp floor.
The orb.
He crouched, lifted it. Warmth pulsed against his palm, faintly beating like a heart. The System chimed.
> [New Skill Gained: Detect — fused with Blood Sense]
[Item Detected: Rank 0 Beast Core]
[Beast cores are rare. They can craft weapons, potions, awaken abilities. If a beast forms a core, it marks extraordinary potential.]
Another window opened with a metallic chime.
> [CRIMSON EVOLUTION SYSTEM: Beast Core can be converted into Evolution Points.]
[Synchronize Beast Core? Y/N]
Edem didn't hesitate. Yes.
The orb melted into his palm, light streaming up his arm. The System numbers shifted.
> [Synchronization Complete.]
[Crimson Evo Points +50]
"Tch. Five hundred points this time. Five times more than before."
> [Crimson Evo Points: 50/500]
A new function blinked into view.
> [Creation: Host may construct anything—weapon, armor, even mecha. Beast cores required.]
Edem's lips curved. "Now this… this is awesome."
He turned toward a massive rock where the python had once slammed against the wall. Planting his feet, he drove a punch forward. Stone cracked wide, veins splitting through the surface. The strike landed like thunder, yet he felt no exhaustion—only the satisfying precision of a body that moved like an extension of will.
"Not just raw strength," he murmured. "but I can Control my strength."
Time to test speed.
In a blur he dashed across the cavern, stopping at the edge so cleanly that not a grain of dust stirred. His movement was silk—effortless, instinctive. He laughed, low and sharp. "No athlete in the world could even touch me now."
Memories of weakness flickered in his mind. How powerless he had once been. Now he possessed what others only dreamed of.
"This is real."
A sound echoed from deeper in the forest, tugging at his sharpened senses. His pulse quickened. Recklessness whispered in his ear. He could rampage, but caution reminded him: too much noise would draw attention. And attention meant hunters.
Edem clenched his fists. The path to power had opened before him, marked by stars, blood, and hunger. He had only fifty Evo Points, but the System demanded more. It wanted him to climb, to evolve, to reach the peak.
He stepped out of the cave. Cold air rushed against his skin. Through the trees, the moon spilled silver light across the world.
And Edem smiled.