Small raindrops fell on Kier's face as he coughed. He slowly sat up, his gaze darting around.
He died. He was sure he died.
But there was this strange voice in his head, he remembered clearly. He could still smell the blood from his body, staining his shirt, but when he touched his neck there was no wound and he could move all his limbs just fine as if he were repaired perfectly. It was beyond a miracle.
Kier was astonished and relieved. He didn't want to die yet. He was just twenty-one years old. More importantly, he didn't want to die in an alleyway like this.
Words suddenly popped up in front of him, like a holographic screen. But it was framed with some vine like lines that looked gothic and the edges appeared to be dripping with blood. It was something he had never seen before.
[Hello, host. Congratulations in the successful death transfer. Would you like to understand the system better?]
Of course Kier wanted to understand what he was getting into. If this thing made an impossible thing possible, it would be advantageous for him to know how to use it properly.
At the thought, new words came up together with the strange voice saying them on his head.
[Being the host of Death Log System means you will be granted Death Allowances. One Death Allowance means you can die and be resurrected once. You will be rewarded with Death Allowance once you hit a certain number of Death Points. DP will be given to you by completing system tasks. The system won't only give you Death Allowance but also grant you gifts depending on your performance.]
[Would you like to check your system profile?]
"Sure."
[Name: Kier Zoldrec]
[Race: Turned Vampire]
[Age: 21]
[Level: 1]
[Deaths Claimed: 1]
[Death Allowance: 0/1]
[Death Points: 0/500]
[Sin Art: ?]
Kier didn't understand much but what caught him off guard was the word 'Vampire.'
"What do you mean my race is a Turned Vampire?"
His hand shot up, his finger tracing his canines. They seemed a bit sharper now, and longer.
Did he really become a vampire?
But from what he knew, the transition from human to vampire took at least three days, and the transition didn't always succeed with the 70% fatality rate.
The human must be fed with the vampire's blood who bit him to complete the transition. Kier was sure that didn't happen.
[Yes, you are now a vampire, Kier.]
Kier had always imagined that being a vampire would be far better than being human but it had never been more than a passing thought. The transformation was risky, after all, and he didn't even know a single vampire he could trust enough to try.
Now, having become one by accident, he wasn't sure whether to laugh or panic. Still, in a world ruled by predators, maybe it was for the better. If survival was all that mattered, he'd rather be the hunter than the hunted.
At least this way, what happened earlier wouldn't happen again.
"Once I reach 500 DP," he asked slowly, "does that mean I'll level up?"
[Once you reach the 500 mark, you will be granted a Death Allowance.]
[The number of Death Allowances you can possess depends on your level. However, accumulating DP does not automatically qualify you for leveling up. You will level up only when the system deems you worthy regardless of your DP count.]
Kier nodded thoughtfully, eyes fixed on the words.
"Death transfer," he muttered. "That was mentioned earlier… what exactly does it mean?"
[Death Allowance does not mean the system resurrects you directly. Instead, the system performs an exchange. Another being dies in your place.]
Kier's eyes widened.
So someone else had died for him? That was how he'd come back?
[Upon your death, the system automatically initiates a Death Transfer. If you possess no remaining Death Allowance, the transfer cannot occur.]
He swallowed hard, his mind spinning.
"So… did you choose the person who died in my place? Or can I decide who it'll be?"
[Yes. The system selected a recipient at random for your first transfer.]
[At higher levels, you will gain the privilege to choose your recipient. But at your current level, that is not possible.]