It was dark and gloomy.

The forest stretched around me like a nightmare, shadows twisting between trees too thick and tall, almost blocking out the sky. Insects buzzed, creatures rustled in the underbrush, and howls echoed through the night air. Where were they taking me?

The hulking man holding me trudged forward, his muscles tense and bare under the moonlight, while another man followed behind him, clutching a torch that barely cut through the darkness. They looked uneasy, their eyes darting around as they ventured deeper into the woods.

The towering man who carried me glanced back, his voice a low, rough whisper. "Hey, why don't we just leave him here?"

The other man hesitated. "But weren't we ordered to take him far west?"

The big one grunted, shaking his head. "It'll be fine. He's already dead. And if we leave him here, some wild beast will eat him. No one's gonna find out."

As if on cue, a wolf's howl broke the silence, echoing somewhere close by. The man carrying me jerked, panic flaring in his eyes. He dropped me roughly onto the ground, his legs shaking as he backed away. "Let's go. No one's gonna find him, anyway."

And just like that, they turned and bolted, disappearing into the shadows, leaving me alone.

The impact stung, pain spreading across my back. You big apes, couldn't you have put me down gently?

"Big bastards," I mumbled internally.

Another howl echoed, this one closer than the last. I felt a chill down my spine and… oh no. I literally felt myself soil the rags they had wrapped me in. This child body couldn't hold up to the fear—I had actually wet myself. Great, I thought, my last shreds of dignity slipping away into the damp forest floor. At least there's no one here to see.

Then, my stomach growled. Hunger gnawed inside me, the ache sharp and relentless. I was starving, every small movement sending jolts of pain through me. With all the strength I could muster, I tried to roll over onto my hands and knees, crawling as best I could, though every sensation only reminded me how pitiful I was in this tiny, helpless body. And that smell... One day, I swear I'll get a bath.

Suddenly, a voice—calm and mechanical—spoke into the quiet. "Your system is loading. Please wait."

I froze, staring into the darkness, when a glowing window suddenly appeared in front of me, suspended in the air.

What… the actual…? If I could speak, I'd have let out every curse word I'd ever known. But trapped in this body, I could only stare.

The voice continued, unbothered by my shock. "System has loaded successfully."

Another window popped up in front of me, words scrolling across its glowing surface.

> As the user is currently unable to speak, the system can be accessed by simply thinking the word 'status' to open the status window.



Okay, I thought, sighing in resignation. After today, nothing is going to surprise me anymore.

I focused, thinking status, and the window shimmered, filling in with lines of text like a character sheet in a game.


---

Status Window

Name: Silas Thorne

Species: Vampire Spawn

Level: 1

Skills:

Dark Sense (passive): Allows heightened perception in darkness.

Drain Touch (active): Absorbs a small amount of life energy from physical contact.


Stats:

Strength: 5

Agility: 8

Endurance: 4

Intelligence: 12

Magic: 10

Charisma: 6




---

The window glowed, and I stared at it, my mind racing. Silas Thorne? The name settled oddly in my head, feeling both familiar and new. I wasn't just human anymore—whatever those voices had done, they'd remade me into something different, something more.

But as much as the thrill of it all tingled through me, reality crashed back in. I was alone in a dark forest, hungry, and too small to fend off anything that might come looking for me. My mind churned as I looked over the stats, focusing on each one, trying to understand my new strengths, my new limits.

Well, Silas Thorne… looks like your survival starts now.

The system window popped up right in front of me, breaking my serious, intense moment. Really? Can't you read the room for once? Let me look a little dashing at least, I thought with an eye roll.

The system, unfazed and as blank as ever, displayed another message in crisp, glowing letters:

> First Mission: A source of water and food has been detected nearby, approximately 100 meters to the north. Quench your thirst and hunger to survive the night.



Food? Water? My eyes widened. Did it really say food? And to the north? Here we go!

I dropped down onto my hands and knees, determined, and started crawling forward. Every muscle felt like it was being torn apart, my arms and legs screaming with each movement. The hunger was unbearable, clawing at my insides, making my stomach growl painfully. But I grit my teeth and focused.

"One step at a time," I muttered under my breath, forcing myself to push forward. "Left, right… left, right…"

I tried to keep a rhythm. "Heave… ho…" My arms were trembling, barely able to support me as I crawled. But just when I thought I was making progress, my hands slipped, and I thudded face-first into the ground.

Pain throbbed through my body. This is it. I'm going to die again, this time starving to death in the middle of nowhere.

But I couldn't just give up. "No," I muttered, clenching my fists. "I'm gonna eat something first, then I can think about dying."

I pushed myself up again, teeth gritted. "Left… right… left…" My mind chanted the rhythm, and I forced myself to keep going. I could feel myself weakening, but I didn't stop. One step, then another, then another…

And then—everything went dark.


---

I was floating in that strange, endless void again, no light, no sound, just the cold emptiness surrounding me. What happened? I thought. I was so close!

Then I heard her voice, soft and crystal clear, echoing in the darkness. That same woman's voice from before.

"He died..."

The woman's voice cut through the darkness, sounding annoyed, almost like she was throwing a tantrum. "He died! Is this how you said you'd handle it?" she snapped, her words filled with frustration. "Look at him—he died so pathetically, just trying to find water! Poor soul didn't even get the chance to wash himself…"

What?! No way... am I really dead again? I thought, the shock hitting me hard. But I was going to be famous! Powerful! I was supposed to fight those who wronged me, make them pay. The legend of Silas Thorne—an epic rise to power! My mind filled with visions of what could have been.

I wanted to scream, to shout in protest, but the darkness held me silent. Wasn't I supposed to be the chosen one? Didn't I have a system?

And yet… here I was, dead again, left to rot in some dark forest.

In the darkness, their voices echoed again, as if I was floating in some strange void between life and death.

The man's voice sounded defensive, almost sulking. "How was I supposed to know he'd die like that? And you're the one who made him a boy. If he were older, he would've handled that mission no problem."

The woman's response was furious, practically spitting her words. "Oh, so it's my fault, is it? That's what you're saying, huh? Everything's my fault?"

I couldn't see him, but I could practically feel the man panicking, realizing he'd stepped into dangerous territory. I had no idea what he looked like, but something told me his face was full of dread. It's probably a universal rule, no matter where you are: never, ever let a woman think you're saying it's her fault.

"N-No, no, don't cry!" he stammered. "It's not your fault! Really—it's all my mistake. I forgot to give him some buffs, yeah. Totally my fault, you're right. Don't worry, I'll fix it…"

Her voice softened slightly, though she was still sniffing. "Really…? I told you it was your fault."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right," he said, his voice calm, like he was soothing a storm. "So… what should we do?"