"First, let's give him some strength so he can actually survive in that little body of his, okay?" the woman said, sniffling as she wiped away her tears.

Yes! Please, give me strength! I thought, floating helplessly in the dark void. It was impossible to even crawl before—give me some real buffs!

I shouted into the darkness, though I was pretty sure by now they couldn't hear me. I couldn't see them either, but it was obvious by now that they held my fate in their hands. Fine, I don't need them to hear me. Just let me live one more day, that's all I ask for.

"Alright, let's give him some strength," the man agreed, sounding resigned.

"I'll boost his strength by ten," he added, his tone thoughtful. "That should be enough for that tiny body of his."

"Perfect!" the woman replied, excitement slipping back into her voice. "Let's check on him and see if it works."

"Alright, here we go!" the man said, and then—just like that—everything went black again, and in a blink, I was back.


---

Ahhhh, I'm alive!

The forest stretched around me, dark and quiet, but I could feel the difference. I pushed myself up, expecting the usual struggle, but my body responded with ease. Wait—can I… sit up? I tried to stand, and to my shock, my legs actually held me. I'm standing!

"Yayyyyyy!" I squeaked in my head, wobbling a bit, but still on my feet.

Let's test the voice, I thought. I opened my mouth and tried to speak. "Goo goo… ga ga…" I babbled, my own voice is sounding ridiculous I see! .

Ah, this is soo humiliating. I sighed internally. I still can't talk properly. But hey, I'll take it.

Time to check the status, eager to see the upgrades. Focusing, I called out in my mind, Status!


---

Status Window

Name: Silas Thorne

Species: Vampire Spawn

Level: 1


Skills:

Dark Sense (passive)

Drain Touch (active)


Stats:

Strength: 15 (boosted)

Agility: 8

Endurance: 4

Intelligence: 12

Magic: 10

Charisma: 6


---

Alright, alright, I thought, grinning. Silas Thorne is back in business. Let's see what I can do with this!

I focused, thinking mission, and a new window popped up instantly, displaying the task ahead.

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


Alright, determination bubbling up inside me. I've gotta find that food and water. North it is then—here we go!

With my newly boosted strength, I set off, feeling the ground beneath my feet as I walked. It felt amazing to finally move with purpose.

"Heave, ho," I murmured, a little rhythm building in my head. The energy surged through me, and before I knew it, I was singing in my mind:

Here I go, in search of food and water!
Gonna quench my thirst, stay alive a day longer!
One foot forward, yeah, I'm stronger!
On my quest to survive, oh, just a little longer!

The night around me felt less daunting as I sang my way north, each step bringing me closer to my goal. Tonight, I live to see another day.

After walking for a bit, I started to notice the forest around me getting… darker.

Wait, darker?! I looked up at the sky, squinting. It was already night, so how was it possible for it to get even darker than before?

It was strange—even with my heightened senses and this vampire's night vision—lil perks of being a vampire spawn , the shadows seemed to thicken, pressing in on all sides. The passive skill I had should have been helping, but even I could barely see.

Well, I thought, shrugging, it's not like anything worse can happen to me than being reborn as a vampire.

So I kept going, my mind drifting as I focused on each step. Left, right, left, right…

Hmm… I think I've walked 100 meters by now. I glanced around, searching the shadows. So where's my precious food and water?

My mouth watered at the thought, and I called out softly,"Ohh, waterrr," I mumbled under my breath, calling softly. "Where are you? Where are you hiding? Come on, show yourself—where are yo—"

As I wandered around, looking left and right, my eyes finally landed on a small pond tucked into the right corner of a clearing.

Ohhh, there you are! Relief filled me. Time to fill this lil tummy.

I made my way over, grinning at the sight. It was a small, circular pond, almost too perfectly round. Hmm… did someone actually craft this? But what did I care? I was thirsty. First, water; then, I'd worry about finding food.

I knelt by the edge and reached out, dipping my hand into the surface—
Huh? It felt strange, like there was a jelly-like layer sitting on top.

Confused, I pushed my hand against it, trying to force my fingers through the thick, gel-like surface.

And then I heard it—a low, rumbling sound, deep and echoing, as if the ground itself was alive. The earth shook beneath me, and I realized it wasn't just a sound; it was a heartbeat. The air pulsed around me.

Thadum… Thadum…

My own heart pounded in sync with it as a huge shadow rose up from the pond, blocking out the faint light. I froze, craning my neck to look up, and my eyes went wide as I saw what was towering above me.

It was a tiger—a massive one, with eyes fixed right on me.

I gulped, trying to keep my nerves steady. I managed a small, nervous smile. "H-Hi, big kitty…"

My voice cut off, stuck in my throat, freezing mid-word as my eyes lifted.

A huge tiger was standing right in front of me.

My tiny, baby legs started to tremble uncontrollably, and every muscle seemed to lock up in pure terror. Move, move… come on, my beloved baby legs! Please just move!
I'm begging you! Just this one please!

But they wouldn't. I was as rooted to the spot as if I'd been turned to stone.

The tiger lowered its head, staring me down, its eyes glinting dangerously. I caught a whiff of its breath—hot, putrid, and it smelled like it hadn't brushed its fangs in a year. It opened its mouth wide and let out a bone-rattling roar.

The sound alone hit me like a punch. My vision blurred, and I fell backward, frozen with shock.

PS: At least this time I didn't die from exhaustion… I guess.