Victor walked the remaining way to class and slipped into his seat at the back of the class.
This time, the class paid attention to him because they knew first-hand how powerful the beast he survived was. And they are beginning to have doubt about his powerlessness.
Victor didn't care what they thought. His main goal was getting to understand the system, and now he couldn't even open the system screen because he didn't know if the screen could be seen by others.
The class was like his regular everyday classes, and he didn't go to other classes because they involved ability to join.
Later, as he approached the school's front exit, Victor hesitated. The bright sunlight poured through the glass doors. It would be his first time stepping into direct sunlight since receiving his ability.
His mind buzzed with memories of vampire lore from movies and books. Every scene of vampires burning or turning to ash played through his head.
He stopped, caught between instinct and curiosity. What if it's all true? He wondered. What if the sun really can kill me now?
Victor raised his trembling hands and extended them towards the sun. The beam hit his skin.
He flinched
Nothing happened no fire, no smoke and no sizzling. Although he instantly felt weaker before hearing a system notification ping.
[System notification]
[User Is been hit by direct sunlight]
[All attributes would be reduced by 10 per cent]
[System quest]
Leave direct sunlight within an hour: reward - all stats would return to normal
Punishment for failure - attributes debug increase to 20 per cent.
Victor pulled his hand back slowly, the faint, draining feeling disappearing. Ten per cent doesn't feel like much, but he felt it; his sense dulled ever so slightly like someone had put a film over him, making everything blurred.
He stepped back, retreating into the shades of the hallway.
One hour... He thought. So I can survive in the sunlight but not thrive in it. It's like poison slowly dripping into my body.
Victor turned away from the door, choosing the side exit that had more shades. Then a voice called out.
"You scared of the sun now, victor?"
Victor froze. The voice belonged to Aerin, a cocky D-rank Awakened known for his sharp tongue and sharper wind blades. He leaned against a locker nearby, arms crossed, a smug look on his face.
Victor didn't respond. He just turned to the corner and left through the side, avoiding as much light as possible he tried his best to stay away from the sun, but it was impossible. Throughout his walk home, he heard multiple pings from the system.
[System notification]
[You are in direct sunlight all stats are reduced by 10 per cent]
[You have left direct sunlight your stat will return to normal]
After the fifth message dismissed the screen not wanting to be distracted by the screen. he got home in no time.
The moment the front door clicked shut behind him, he let out a breath of relief.
Finally home, safe, no sun and no one watching him.
He drew the blinds tight, making sure not a single ray of light leaked in. Then, he sat cross-legged on the floor of his room.
And called his system screen
[System status window]
A panel appeared in front of his eyes, semi-transparent with a faint glow; victor went through the stats, trying to understand it.
User: Victor Paul
Race: Vampire
Level: 1
EXP: 0/10
HP: 1/10
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Divine Energy: 35/100
[Active Quests]
Quest: Stay Undetected
Objective: Remain hidden from Awakened and government forces until you reach Level 10.
Progress: 0%
Failure Penalty: Permanent flag as a hostile entity.
Quest: Avoid Sunlight Exposure
Objective: Remain out of direct sunlight for 8 continuous hours.
Reward: +5 EXP
Quest: Complete Your Transformation
Objective: Consume human blood to awaken your vampire abilities.
Reward: Unlock exclusive vampire skills
Failure Condition: If Divine Energy reaches 0 before feeding, all powers will be lost permanently.
Victor stared at the last quest as he swallowed hard
Human blood
He had seen enough movies to understand what was going on, but this was real life; how would he consume human blood?
He stood up and walked to his mirror, his pale face reflecting dimly, and his eye, which was once a dark brown, now had a faint red glow in the darkness of his room.
As he glanced back to his stat, he noticed he had 35 divine Energy left. He didn't know how long it would last, and he didn't know what consumed the divine energy the most. Either way, time is going, and he needs to find a solution to his blood problem as soon as possible.
Victor felt a sudden thirst. He stood up and walked to the mini fridge in the corner, pulled out a bottle of water, and drank deeply. But it did nothing, the dryness in his throat wasn't quenched.
His hand trembled as he shut the door.
A knock on the front door snapped him out of his thoughts.
He froze
"Victor?" a girl's voice called out. It was Elara his neighbor, and one of the few people who'd ever spoken to him kindly. "You okay? You weren't at lunch today. I brought something if you're hungry."
She didn't know how dangerous her timing was.
Victor's throat felt like it was on fire. He blinked aware of how close to the edge he was.
Elara..." he whispered.
"Just leave it there," he called out, trying to steady his voice. "I'm... not feeling well."
There was a pause.
"Okay," she finally said, her voice cautious. "I'll leave it here. But if you need anything seriously, anything just knock. You don't have to go through this alone."
He heard the sound of a container being dropped and her footsteps fading.
He waited for a few minutes before opening the door to take the food. It was a homemade egg fried rice, and it was still warm.
He decided to try it, and it tasted bland, like it had no flavour, but he ate it anyway.
Midway through the meal, his stomach twisted, he felt pain, and then he threw up.
[System message]
[-10 hp]
[ Divine Energy 32/100]
[+10 hp ]
[Divine Energy 20/100]
[Divine Energy has dropped below 30 per cent]
[User's Blood lust would be increased by 50 per cent]