The scavenger faction retreated, scrambling away from the beast and disappearing into the cover of the woods.
"Was it right to retreat, Sir?" Julius asked cautiously, his voice careful—like stepping around a sleeping snake.
The man let out a low, bitter laugh.
"Right?" he repeated, as if the word itself amused him. "Of course it was. That beast wouldn't have let any of us walk away. If it couldn't catch at least one prey…"
His lips twisted into something between a grin and a sneer.
"…then we would've been its meal instead."
Then his expression hardened, and his voice turned venomous.
"You worthless brats!" he barked, spitting the words like filth. "Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes on that beast?! Why didn't you warn me it was dangerous?!"
He stepped forward, his shadow swallowing the men in front of him.
"Because of you filthy dogs, I had to abandon this damn hunt." His eyes narrowed, cold and greedy. "I'm cutting fifty percent from your next pay. And don't think you'll be resting either—you'll be working double from now onward."
The hunters' faces sank immediately, their shoulders drooping under the weight of his words. Some clenched their fists, but none dared speak.
Julius slowly turned his head toward the lakes direction.
His voice dropped, filled with bitterness and helplessness.
"I'm sorry you had to die like that…" he murmured. "But we couldn't do anything."
---
Quinn lay motionless on the shore, his body half-submerged in shallow water.
System notifications flashed one after another, filling his vision—yet he couldn't respond.
Not far away, the corpse of the beast floated lifelessly in the lake. Its massive body slowly sank, and the water around it turned pitch-black from its blood.
"Quinn… wake up!" the System screamed inside his head.
Quinn's consciousness slowly returned, ripping through the darkness like a blade, Only to greet him with pain.
His body was crushed. Bones broken. Organs failing. Even the slightest movement sent agony ripping through him like wildfire. He couldn't breathe properly. His lungs felt torn, collapsing with every shallow gasp.
Worse…
His body wasn't healing.
Shock was already creeping in. Cold, numb, deadly.
Quinn's eyes were bloodshot and unfocused. His vision blurred violently, and the glowing notifications in front of him looked like meaningless sparks.
His fingers twitched, but his body refused to obey.
"Quinn, you need to wake up, don't lose your will!" the System pleaded, its voice frantic. "Don't give up now! You defeated that monster—so you have to live!"
But Quinn's eyes slowly dulled.
His pupils rolled upward.
His hands stiffened… then fell limp against the wet ground.
More notifications flashed.
But Quinn didn't see them.
For a moment, the System went silent.
Then its voice returned—no longer sounding humanoid.
It was cold.
Dry.
Mechanical and Emotionless.
[Quest Survive complete]
[you have gone above your limits and killed a legendary beast- the silver serpent]
[You have gone beyond the system's expectations]
[Level up! ]
[Level up!]
[You unlocked a hidden reward]
Yet Quinn couldnt comprehend even a little.
[EVOLUTION PROCESS INITIATED]
Evolution: Draconic Adept — Beginning…
Suddenly, a strange orange glow enveloped Quinn's body.
His spine arched violently.
Bones cracked.
Joints twisted unnaturally.
His body began convulsing, bending in ways it was never meant to bend.
[ERROR] [ERROR]
Forced Evolution Starting…
Evolution in Progress… ERROR
Body Systems Failing…
The System watched the messages scroll endlessly.
"No… Quinn…" it whispered, panic leaking back into its voice. "No… this can't be the end for you… please…"
Quinn's MC wasn't replenishing either. It was empty—drained to nothing.
Then suddenly…
A different screen appeared.
[QUEST AVAILABLE]
Become a Vampire
Would you like to accept?
YES / NO
The System's voice trembled.
"Quinn! You can survive this, if you become a vampire! Vampires regenerate… they can heal even from fatal wounds. Please—just say yes!"
Quinn could barely hear the System now.
The screen in front of him was fading. His vision swam in darkness.
"…Say… yes?" Quinn grumbled weakly, his voice barely more than breath.
And then—
It began.
[VAMPIRE RITUAL ACTIVATED]
.....
.....
[ERROR] [ERROR]
Evolution: Draconic Adept — In Progress
Evolution interrupted.
Vampire Ritual — Taking Effect
[ERROR] [ERROR]
A wave of pain exploded through Quinn's body.
His chest convulsed violently.
His arms jerked.
His legs slammed against the ground like a corpse being puppeteered.
His entire body shook uncontrollably, as if something inside him was trying to tear him apart from the inside.
Quinn coughed.
Blood spilled from his lips.
Then more.
And more.
His body was undergoing a terrifying transformation beneath the skin.
The Draconic Adept evolution was trying to take hold , to strengthening his flesh—hardening his bones, reinforcing his connection to the dragons bloodline, forcing his body to become something closer to a dragon.
But at the same time…
The vampire blood surged like a raging curse.
It invaded his veins, hungry and violent, trying to overwrite everything.
Two forces.
Two bloods were reacting, fighting for control.
They clashed inside him.
Suddenly, the air around him changed.
Mana was being sucked into his body at an unnatural rate.
The plants nearby withered instantly, their green fading into gray as their life was drained away. Leaves curled. Grass turned brittle. The surrounding forest seemed to die in silence.
Inside Quinn…
Energy erupted.
Flames, the emerald light of healing and the misty white energy twisted and collided, coursing through his body like raging rivers.
The water around him, began evaporating while clashing with the static charges.
A gush of poison, rushed out from his body, toxicating the very air.
His skin ranged from.ash grey to pale white.
Suddenly the wounds that refused to heal , suddenly began to patch upnin real time.
Yet seconds later, the wounds tore again.
Then healed again.
Cracklind sounds of bones didnt seize away.
His entire body was breaking down and remodeling over and over.
Minutes passed.
One minute.
Three.
Five.
Then ten…
Fifteen minutes of endless suffering, as quinn passed out from the pain.
Then finally—
The convulsions stopped.
The glow of different energies subsided.
Silence returned.
A final set of messages appeared.
[VAMPIRE RITUAL — UNSUCCESSFUL]
[EVOLUTION — FAILED]
....
....
[NEW EVOLUTION UNLOCKED]
[NEW EVOLUTION — SUCCESSFUL]
[RACE: ???]