The vampire stared at me for a while longer, before snorting, as if losing interest.

"You are indeed different from other humans,

" he said, returning to his throne.

"Others would have pissed their pants by now, in my presence.

"

"What can I say? I've seen worse,

" I replied. Nothing could ever be scarier than losing your family directly in front of your eyes.

"I admire your courage, and I respect those with courage. Therefore, I won't pry for information about the strength you wield. I already know you have a special power - I just do not know exactly what it is.

"

Yeah...looks like denying it any further is not going to do any good here.

"Was that all you wanted to say?

"

"Yes. I wanted to ascertain your mental strength and willpower. Even if you hold an insurmountable amount of external strength, that power will be rendered useless if you are easily manipulated by someone else.

"

"...I know,

" I replied.

"So? Can I go now?

"

"...Before you do that, I have an offer for you,

" the vampire said after a short hesitation.

"An offer?

"

"Yes. But before that, perhaps a more thorough self-introduction is needed,

" he replied.

"My name is Abathasca Draculus. I am one of the current Counts of the Vampire race, and the strongest living vampire.

"

"The strongest living vampire. Big words,

" I mused.

"I am not merely bragging. If you were to go to Vampire territory and ask them who the strongest Vampire was currently, they would speak my name.

"

"No no, I believe you. All of the sixteen Founders are supposed to be insanely strong, after all. So? What's the offer?

"

"For you to become a half-vampire.

"

He said these words calmly, with his expression not changing whatsoever.

"A half-vampire...and why would I want to do that?

" I asked, both surprised and confused at this sudden and unexpected proposal.

"You gain incredible powers by doing so. Powers that no human can obtain. How does that sound?

"

"Oh? Certainly, that does sound great...almost too good to be true.

"

Count Draculus looked into my eyes for a brief moment, before chuckling deeply.

"As I thought, you are unique. Almost impressive...for a human. Indeed, there is a price to this power, just as you had hinted at.

"

"And that price is?

"

"Drinking a drop of my blood.

"

I blinked.

"That's it?

"

He nodded.

"That is it. No strings attached.

"...I won't have to drink human blood to survive or anything?

"

He shook his head.

"No. You will only become a half-vampire by consuming my blood, and therefore will not need to fully abandon your humanity.

"

I scoffed.

"I already abandoned my humanity long ago. I was just thinking it would be a hassle having to drink human blood every day.

"

"...I see. So? What will it be?

"

I sank into thought.

"Hm...can you be more specific in terms of the benefits I will gain by becoming a half-vampire? And the disadvantages too, of course.

"

"Very well. That much is acceptable,

" Count Draculus said, and took a deep breath, then stared into my eyes with that piercing blood-red gaze of his.

"By becoming a half-vampire, you will gain superhuman physical strength. Your reaction times, speed, muscle power, and agility will all be greatly improved. In addition, any injuries you suffer, be it external or internal, will be regenerated near instantly. Moreover, when you consume human blood, your physical and healing power will be amplified several times over, though doing so is not necessary. However...

"

"However?

"

"...There is just one disadvatange of becoming a half-vampire. If your identity is ever discovered, you will be isolated by both the human race and the vampire race. Keep that in mind.

"

"That's not too big of a deal for me. I've been isolated all my life,

" I replied calmly.

"I'm a bit curious about what you said, though. Humans will obviously be afraid of vampires, even if they are only half-vampires, but does your race look down on them as well?

"

Count Draculus sighed.

"Yes. Us vampires are obsessed with royal lineage and pure blood. Those with high-ranking lineages were respected. Those who did not were trampled upon, regardless of their talents. They were made to be used as slaves, as servants to those with higher lineages. But even lower than these servants were the half-bloods. If you were to expose yourself as a half-blood within Vampire territory, you will be killed on sight.

"

"That's...kind of excessive, isn't it?

"

"Not really, if you look at it from a historical perspective. You see...pure-blood vampires see half-bloods as a disgrace to their race. Without even looking at anything else, as long as a person was a half-blood, they would be mercilessly slaughtered. I...I could not accept that. I could not accept the fact that no matter how kind, caring, and innocent you were, you would still be brutally murdered for simply being a half-blood.

"

...And that is why he moved out of the Vampire race, and grouped up with the other fifteen Founders to establish the Library of Infinite Beginnings.

"...You sound like you're speaking of your past,

" I remarked.

Count Draculus snorted.

"Do I? Perhaps I am.

"

"Well, whatever. That's none of my business, anyway,

" I muttered.

"Sure. I'll take your offer. Make me a half-blood vampire.

"

"...Are you certain? This is an irreversible decision.

"

I nodded.

"Get on it with it.

"

The Count closed his eyes, and then opened them again.

"Very well.

"

Standing up and walking closer to me once more, he raised his arm in the air. Then, with his other hand, he cut open the raised arm using one of his sharp fingernails. Then, he took out a vial, and gently angled his arm so that the blood would flow into the vial from above. A few seconds later, the wound closed. My eyes widened.

I knew that vampires had insane regenerative abilities, and Count Draculus had said I would get them too if I became a half-vampire, but that was a huge cut just now. For it to heal in less than three seconds...that was incredible.

He then handed the vial to me.

"Here. Drink it.

"

"Uh...how does it taste?

" I asked, in an attempt to crack a joke.

"I do not know either. I have never tasted vampire blood.

"

"Only human blood, huh?

" I muttered. My joke had failed. Miserably.

Opening the vial, I hesitated for a brief moment, then drank the whole bottle in one go.

And then, my body froze.

I dropped the glass vial, and it shattered on the floor. I fell onto the ground in pain, sending Count Draculus a glare.

"You...what did you...?!

"

"Relax,

" he said.

"This is natural. Your body is undergoing extreme changes. Bear with it. If you cannot even make it past this tiny pain, how will you defend yourself against the stronger opponents coming your way? I can see it, child. The burning passion for revenge in your eyes. A deep, bloody red...just like my own. But if you cannot even withstand this, you might as well give up.

"

"D-Damn it...!

" I croaked, screaming in agony as sharp pain jolted up every cell of my body. It felt like my bones were being broken, then reformed. My entire body was getting broken down and reconstructed from scratch, all while I remained conscious. It was pain like I've never felt before.

"Ngh...!

"

"It should be done right about now...

" Count Draculus murmured, right as the pain began to fade away.

"Hah...hah...

" I panted heavily, just barely supporting my body from collapsing completely.

"Looks like the transformation was successful.

"

After catching my breath, I stood back up. I could feel it. My body was a lot stronger, and my senses had improved significantly. I picked up one of the shattered glass pieces on the floor, and cut my finger open with it. However, before any blood even spilled out, the wound was already healed.

"Incredible...

" Count Draculus muttered.

"Even if you were a pure-blood vampire, the regeneration speed would not be that fast. For it to heal before blood could even spill out...this must be the product of that special power you possess.

"

This must be my Chaos power at work. Looks like it not only boosted my magic, but through this process of breaking down and reforming my body, the Chaos energy within me managed to slip its way into my body's very foundation, boosting my basic abilities.

Overall...this was quite the benefit. I made the correct decision, this time around.

Then, looking at Count Draculus, I smirked. Making a leap for his throat, I could feel myself move at nearly Mach 1 - the speed of sound. Count Draculus himself seemed surprised at this too, and wasn't able to defend in time. My hand around his throat, I lifted him up into the air. From the outside, it must've seemed like I was about to kill the man.

Our eyes met, and it felt like we stared into each other's very souls.

I laughed slightly.

"Hm...this power...is indeed interesting.

"