2 CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

The Vampires.

A race that has always been the greatest enemy of the human race. They have a constitution that is naturally strong with high regeneration. Pale faces, red eyes, and a great thirst for blood.

They have always hunted humans, for their blood, which they considered better than that of all other living beings.

For them, the human race is nothing but livestock. Livestock that they had to subdue and feed on.

Although they had many similarities with humans, this trait of theirs made coexistence between the two races impossible, thus leading to endless conflicts that continued for centuries until an incident occurred, which led most of their race to retreat into the dark lands.

The thirst for blood is what distinguishes vampires among themselves.

Vampires have their own hierarchy, based on their blood purity as well as their rank. The dependence on blood for the stronger vampires is low.

They can live without drinking blood for a long time compared to weaker vampires, who need to feed more frequently.

The lack of blood can lead vampires to lose rationality and become creatures driven entirely by their instincts.

What Riley was seeing at this moment was one of these creatures.

***

The vampire was absorbed in his meal. He was biting, and continues to bite his prey, without paying attention to the surrounding environment.

Riley, who was behind a tree, at the edge of the clearing, was careful not to make any sound.

He knew how dangerous it could be to encounter a vampire at his level, especially a crazed one.

He had little chance of escaping if he was discovered, so he tried to stay calm as he took small, light steps to move away from the scene.

Just when he thought his daily dose of misfortune was over with this encounter, he stumbled over a fallen twig.

CRACK

For a moment, everything seemed to stop.

Riley felt a shiver run through his body. He slightly lifted his gaze from the twig, pointed it towards the clearing, and saw that the vampire had stopped eating.

Its gaze was fixed on him.

The creature was staring at him with an intense gaze. Its eyes, red as rubies, seemed to penetrate his soul.

"Damn it."

Without a moment of hesitation, he turned his body and ran away with all his might.

The sky was starting to darken as night fell. Riley ran through the dense darkness of the forest, his heart pounding in his chest.

His weak legs, exhausted from the long day of hunting and lack of food, struggled to move quickly.

Every step echoed like a hammer in his head as fatigue threatened to overwhelm him. He could hear the heavy footsteps of the vampire chasing him, a sinister sound echoing in the silence of the night.

The small wounds on Riley's body from the morning hunt had turned his skin into a map of fresh blood, an irresistible invitation for the thirsty creature behind him.

With each step, the distance between them narrowed, and Riley knew he had to find a safe refuge before it was too late.

Reaching the town, where guards were stationed, was not an option as the distance to cover was still too wide, and facing the creature head-on was practically suicide.

Riley didn't know what to do, so he continued running through the trees, regardless of where he was going.

In an attempt to gain ground, he stumbled over the protruding root of a tree and fell to the ground, feeling the breath leave his body.

He struggled to get up and scanned the surrounding environment for the creature.

The creature was nowhere to be seen.

For a moment, hope crossed his mind; just as he thought he had successfully shaken off the creature, it emerged from above and attacked him.

The vampire's superhuman strength pinned Riley to the ground, giving him no chance to react. He tried to free himself from the grip, but failed.

The vampire's red eyes gleamed in the darkness as it approached to bite Riley's neck. The creature's foul breath blew in his face as it drew closer to its target.

With a quick and decisive movement, the creature sank its fangs into Riley's carotid artery and began to suck the blood like a vacuum cleaner.

The agony of the bite spread throughout his body, and he desperately tried to free himself.

The vampire's superhuman strength made sure he remained on the ground, with little chance of wriggling free.

"No, I can't die like this".

Riley didn't want his second chance at life to be wasted like this.

Since arriving, he had sworn to live his life to the fullest.

There were many things he hadn't experienced in his previous life, dying with many regrets. He didn't want the same thing to happen in this life.

"I won't accept it".

In a state of agitation, he began to look around for a glimmer of hope.

The grassy ground of the forest had begun to stain with his blood, and the dim light of the moon allowed him to distinguish the surrounding environment.

He continued to search until his gaze fell on an object.

There, just out of his reach, lay his dagger. With all the strength he had left, he dragged his trembling hand towards it.

The muscles of his arm groaned under the vampire's grip, but with fear and determination swirling inside him, he reached the knife.

With great effort, he took the weapon and plunged it into the vampire's thick neck.

The resilient skin of the being didn't give easily, but Riley continued to strike with determination.

The vampire, horribly tormented by pain, recoiled for a moment.

Riley, battered but determined, wasted no time and took advantage of the moment to deliver decisive blows.

He stabbed and stabbed the vampire for who knows how long until he finally stopped. Exhausted, sore, and with a battered body, Riley caught his breath.

He looked at the lifeless creature beneath him. From the chest to the head, countless cuts could be seen, making the vampire's body unrecognizable.

This was the first time he had killed another person, and he didn't know how to feel about it.

One thing he knew, though, and that was that if he hadn't done it, there would have been his corpse lying underneath.

As he finally began to calm down and recover, a sound echoed in his head, accompanied by a mysterious voice.

[Ding!]

[Vampire blood detected]

[Requirements to unlock the system have been met]

[You are about to assimilate vampire blood]

[Assimilation initialization, in 3... 2... 1]