Unlike any other day, Taufik woke up unusually early.
No, technically, he hadn't woken up at all.
Because it felt like he had never truly slept.
Trying to describe the sensation was nearly impossible: he had been both unconscious and fully aware at the same time. His body rested, but his mind… something else entirely.
Whenever he lay still and closed his eyes, his sense of hearing sharpened to an inhuman degree. The faintest noises, water dripping in the pipes, a gecko crawling across the ceiling, his neighbor's cat knocking something over outside came through as if they were happening right beside his ear.
For hours, he remained in that state: eyes shut, body motionless, but mind hovering somewhere between sleep and vigilance.
And yet…
He felt perfectly fine.
No exhaustion.
No grogginess.
Not even the slightest desire to crawl back under the covers.
His body acted like sleep was optional.
A realization that unsettled him more than he expected.
Maybe this was normal now, after all, he was no longer human. He had transformed into a vampire, a fact that still wrapped tightly around his mind like cold chains he didn't know how to escape.
But the changes didn't stop at sleep.
He sat up slowly, recalling yesterday's meals. Breakfast… lunchbox prepared by his mother... something from the school canteen… then fried chicken with his mom.
That was it.
Yet he didn't feel hungry at all. His stomach didn't even grumble.
His body functioned as if hunger was… irrelevant.
Instead of excitement, worry twisted inside him.
'…In vampire movies, they're always blood-hungry monsters. Am I going to become one of those?'
The mere thought made his skin crawl.
He couldn't imagine himself lunging at someone for blood, especially not his mother.
The fear of losing control… of becoming dangerous… it chilled him more than anything else.
"System," he whispered, anxiety leaking through his voice. "Am I going to become one of those bloodthirsty monsters from the movies?"
There was a brief pause, long enough to make his heart beat faster, before the System responded.
[Master, you do not need to worry. You are not like the blood-dependent vampires often depicted in films. Those are the lowest-tier species known as blood slaves. They must constantly drink blood because their hearts lose the ability to produce blood after transformation. Master, however, is a Progenitor Vampire, a higher-level species. Your heart still functions normally, producing blood naturally]
Taufik held his breath.
[For you, blood is a delicacy, not a necessity. Drinking blood may be enjoyable, but it is entirely optional. You can sustain yourself perfectly with normal human food]
Only then did his shoulders finally relax.
The tension that had been squeezing his chest eased, and he exhaled shakily.
"…Thank god…" he muttered under his breath, covering his face with his hands. "For a moment, I thought I'd become a danger to Mom…"
But now, at least one fear was no longer weighing him down.
He was a vampire, but not a monster.
And that made all the difference.
"Huft~ That's a relief…" Taufik muttered as he exhaled deeply.
'The thought of attacking my mother or anyone else uncontrollably out of hunger… it makes my heart ache'
He shook his head, trying to banish that dark possibility from his mind.
---
A little later, Taufik left his room and headed toward the kitchen.
His mother was still busy preparing breakfast, the soft clatter of utensils filling the early-morning quiet.
As he stepped inside, he pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down, waiting patiently for her to finish.
The scraping sound of the chair legs against the floor made his mother turn around. She blinked, surprised to see him awake this early, something that rarely happened. Instinctively, she glanced up at the wall clock.
"Huh? Fik? What's wrong? That's unusual"
The clock read 5:47 AM. She relaxed slightly; she hadn't overslept. So why is he up?
"Nothing much," Taufik replied calmly. With his newly awakened power, he knew he couldn't fully sleep like a human anymore. After a brief pause, he added, "I just woke up early… And I think it'll be like this from now on"
His mother raised an eyebrow, surprised but amused, and secretly pleased.
"Well, that's good to hear. No more yelling to wake you up every morning… Ah, breakfast will be ready in a minute"
She smiled lightly before turning back to her cooking.
Taufik watched her quietly for a moment, warmth blooming in his chest. Then, as the kitchen settled back into calm, he called out internally: 'System, LOGIN!'
[Yes, Master]
As before, the familiar translucent box appeared in front of him, shimmering with a spectrum of colors before settling on orange.
'Hmm? Orange? What does this represent?'
[Congratulations, Master, for obtaining a rare-level item: Weapon Mastery (Skill)]
'Oh? So orange means "Rare," I see. But… Weapon Mastery? Is it the same kind of skill I'm thinking of?'
Curious, Taufik quickly opened the skill description:
[Weapon mastery - passive skill.
Weapon mastery is a skill that allows the user to master the art of fighting with any type of cold weapon. Greatly increases the user's attack power and speed when wielding weapons]
[your speed in learning the basics Increasing by 100%]
[ Learning efficiency for any cold-weapon-related skill increased by 50%]
"..."
After reading the description, Taufik went silent for a moment. He glanced toward his mother, still focused on cooking, then slowly turned back to the glowing interface.
A wide grin spread across his face.
'This… this is so fucking COOL!!'
Every boy dreamed of wielding swords, katana, or spear like the heroes in stories, and Taufik was no different. He'd always been fascinated by martial arts and weapon techniques he saw in comics and anime. And now, he actually had a skill that made all of that possible.
Satisfied, he closed the system window.
'With the gifts I've gotten these past two days… I might actually become invincible. Maybe I could even learn the sword techniques from light novels…'
The thought thrilled him. Taufik had read countless manga and light novels over the years, many describing in detail how characters trained. If he could replicate their methods with his enhanced senses and learning ability, mastering those techniques might not be impossible anymore.
One particular technique came to mind: "Issen," or "The Way of the Flash," From a novel he'd recently read, a skill that relied on precision and explosive speed. With his new passive ability and vampire-enhanced reflexes, it suddenly felt… achievable.
While Taufik was lost in thought, his mother finished preparing breakfast. She placed the dishes on the table before sitting down beside him.
"…Hurry up and eat. I've got an important client visiting the boutique today, so I'll be leaving early'
"…Hmm~… Oh, Mom"
"What? Just eat your breakfast already"
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask… will you be back at the usual time today?'
"Hmm, maybe a little later than usual… Why? Hee~ Don't tell me, are you planning to bring someone home?" She smirked playfully, then added, "If that's the case, maybe I should stay at a friend's house tonight?"
Taufik sighed. Her teasing didn't bother him anymore; he'd grown numb to it. She constantly poked fun at his non-existent love life.
It wasn't that he didn't want a girlfriend. He just hadn't found anyone who genuinely resonated with him. Despite being fairly popular at school, and despite several girls confessing to him, Taufik had turned them all down. To him, dating without real feelings was pointless.
Which explained why he'd been single since birth.
'…Just you wait. Once I find someone I truly love, I'll give you a dozen grandchildren to look after. But at least… I know you'll be home late today. Hehe~"
He smirked to himself, already scheming how to use her late return to practice his new abilities.
After finishing breakfast, Taufik excused himself to take a shower and prepare for school.
....
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