Ken scrubbed vigorously at the skin on his face and arms, the hardened, dead layer peeling away effortlessly to reveal the newborn, smooth skin beneath. He ran a hand through his hair, and it came away in large clumps, as if loosely attached to his scalp. After a thorough shower, he stood before the mirror, confronted by a visage noticeably younger than before. The bald head seemed awkward, and the unfinished teeth appearing in his mouth looked peculiar, but the transformation was undeniable.
Having disposed of the thoroughly dead and slightly foul-smelling chicken in multiple layers of garbage bags and tidied the feathers and bloodstains, Ken sat down on the only chair in his room to contemplate the sequence of events that had befallen him. Unquestionably, everything had commenced after Thursday night's intoxication; he awoke to an anomaly within his own body.
He had developed an aversion to normal food, vomiting anything he attempted to eat, yet felt a mysterious, intense craving for animal blood—so powerful that it drove him to purchase a live chicken and drink its blood directly from the severed neck. Although he remembered the process clearly, he had been propelled by a primal instinct, a hunger beyond his control.
Now, after consuming the blood and sleeping for another day, his entire skin had molted, his hair had fallen out, his teeth had been replaced by growing new ones, and even his fingernails and toenails had shed, revealing thin, tender new nails underneath. Unless this was all an elaborate hallucination, these symptoms could not be explained by mere hangover, internal heat, or sleep deprivation, nor did they match any known illness he had encountered.
Scenes from novels and films flashed through his mind, crystallizing into a single word: vampire.
Had anyone suggested last Thursday that he would transform into a vampire, Ken would have deemed them insane or deceptive. Yet now, faced with the evidence of his own body, the term surfaced in his thoughts unbidden.
He searched for his symptoms online, finding no satisfactory "scientific" explanations. Conditions like pica, rabies, or porphyria differed significantly from his experience, failing to account for the regeneration of teeth or full-body shedding. As a programmer, using a VPN to search on Google was second nature, but even English sources yielded only unreliable legends, none perfectly matching his condition.
What should he do now? Seek medical help? Hospital equipment and professional diagnosis could certainly clarify his physical state. But how would he explain it to a doctor? That after a hangover, he could no longer keep down food but had developed a taste for chicken blood, followed by a full-body molt, complete dental renewal, and hair loss? If this was an illness, the lack of documented cases online suggested one of two possibilities: he was the first known case, or previous instances had been deliberately concealed. In either scenario, seeking medical attention would likely result in him becoming a subject of intense scrutiny, potentially losing his freedom under "protective" measures. In such a situation, while he might not worry about medical bills, the primary focus of any institution might not be his well-being or cure, but the nature of his condition itself.
After careful consideration, he decided against visiting the hospital until his "condition" deteriorated beyond his control or became life-threatening. This decision carried risks; if this was a fatal disease, he might miss the optimal window for treatment.
Ken opened a new Word document on his laptop. Putting on his glasses to type, he immediately felt dizzy, the screen distorting slightly. Removing the glasses resolved the issue. Suspecting another change, he pulled back the curtain and looked at a distant billboard. The slogans, previously blurry without his glasses, were now clearly visible to his naked eye. Though still somewhat nearsighted, his vision had improved dramatically. Following the pattern with his teeth and skin, he recognized this as another manifestation of the "condition."
Checking his teeth in the bathroom mirror, he observed significant growth in just over an hour since waking around 4 PM; it was nearly 6 PM now. At this rate, his teeth would likely be fully formed by morning, even the previous cavities restored.
Returning to his computer, Ken began typing decisively:
Hypothesis: Factor X is responsible for all bodily changes.
I. Possible Causes of X:
Contamination in the alcohol or food consumed at the food stall on the evening of July 11th.
Activation of a latent genetic disorder triggered by an external stimulus, such as alcohol.
Infection via an alternative route (e.g., insect bite) introducing a virus or bacteria.
An unknown event occurring after he returned home drunk and fell asleep.
Other.
II. Bodily Changes Induced by X:
Full-body skin renewal (healthier, smoother texture, disappearance of old scars), dental replacement, nail renewal, complete hair loss, significant improvement in myopia.
Inability to digest normal food, resulting in immediate vomiting.
A distinct craving for blood, attracted by its scent, driving a powerful hunger. Consumption induces satisfaction and drowsiness.
Changes not yet identified.
III. Strategies for Managing X:
Investigate the origin of X.
Document bodily changes meticulously, identifying patterns and trends.
Resolve the sustenance issue.
Reviewing the document, Ken rubbed his chin, contemplating that most changes seemed beneficial—even the hair loss was manageable. In gaming terms, these were mostly buffs, not debuffs. Except for the critical issue of sustenance.
Human survival depends on consuming energy. Since July 11th, he had consumed nothing but the chicken blood, vomiting all other food. He doubted that small amount of blood could sustain him entirely.
He drank a cup of warm water and sat for ten minutes without any adverse reaction, confirming his stomach tolerated water. Encouraged, he poured a cup from a remaining carton of pure milk and drank it in one go.
Within twenty seconds, he was rushing to the bathroom, vomiting everything back up.