Chapter Sixteen: Tremor of Memory
I pushed aside the makeshift cover Mary had fashioned from her coat and sat up heavily. My muscles resisted at first, as if they too were trying to cling to the moment of stillness the forest had granted us. Everything around me was still... unnaturally still. No rustling leaves, no distant roars, not even a breeze.
Too still.
I closed my eyes. I wanted to believe it was just a dream… but I knew it wasn't.
That man with the white hair.
His crimson eyes.
His voice, which sank into my bones like frost.
"You're just a monster."
His voice echoed again—not in the air, but inside me—as if his words had carved an unhealable scar into my soul. I began to tremble violently. Every time those eyes returned to my mind, a surge of nausea rose from my stomach, as though my body was rejecting the existence of that being within me.
I held my breath, clutching my shirt near my chest.
Why do I feel like I know him?
Why do I feel like I'll see him again?
No—
I hope I never do.
And yet… I knew that hope was hollow.
That pain returned to my memory. The agony that ripped through me every time he snapped his fingers—like lightning tearing through every nerve in my body. I shivered hard and pressed my hand against my chest. My heartbeat now was steady… calm. But—
Nothing.
No pain. No ache. No bloody bandages. No lingering exhaustion.
Unnatural. Just last night I was dying. Literally. My bones were screaming, my body collapsing, my vision fading. I remember Mary's hands trembling as she tried to stop the bleeding, her voice cracking as she whispered my name over and over.
And now?
No trace of pain. Not even a bruise. No scar.
But stranger than all that… those memories.
Memories that weren't mine.
Faces I didn't know.
Battles I'd never fought.
Names that hurt my chest even though I'd never spoken them before.
Every time I tried to dig deeper, like someone trying to carve into stone—
Agony exploded in my head, forcing me to stop.
Why?
Why grant me memories I can't access?
What's the point?
What goes on in that white-haired man's mind?
I closed my eyes and whispered to myself, "I'll think about it later."
I opened my smartwatch, and the usual blue translucent interface lit up the darkness around me.
[Name: Kim Hyul]
[Total Points: 40]
"System."
The reply came instantly—cold and emotionless:
[What do you want?]
"Show me my stats."
[Password required.]
I sighed in frustration. "Not the time for jokes, you bastard."
[Confirmed.]
I always felt like this system enjoyed annoying me. No emotions. No explanations. Just mechanical sarcasm.
[Name: Kim Hyul]
Species: Undefined + Vampire
Age: 16
Strength: 42
Intelligence: 55
Magic: 92
Mana: 33
Unused Points: 2
Host Condition: Unstable
Bloodthirst: 45
Human Average: 50
I stared at the screen for a long while.
Magic had increased—maybe due to that forced energy fusion last night—but only by two points after all we fought?
Disappointing.
My eyes fell on "Bloodthirst." It had risen.
When?
I hadn't drunk any blood. Not properly. I had planned to collect some after the first exam… from a donor or maybe a monster. But now? If it keeps rising like this…
If bloodthirst hits seventy…
No. I don't want to imagine what would happen then.
I need to find a source of blood… and fast.
Trying to distract myself, I opened the monster classification log on my watch. The familiar list appeared in its gradient form:
Stage One (Levels 1 to 100):
Rank G – Like a black panther
Stage Two (Levels 1 to 100):
Rank F – Like earthworms or lake beasts
Stage Three:
Rank D – Like the poisonous salamander
Then it continues: C, B, A, S, SS, SSR…
And above all: Demigods
[Awakened individuals follow the same system, starting from Stage One.]
[Current Host Level: Stage One]
So… the monster we fought last night was from Stage Two.
That thing nearly killed us. If I didn't have that weapon—if Mary hadn't distracted it—
I looked at the weapon beside me: black alloy, simple design, but something faint pulsed within it.
I swallowed.
Maybe I would've stayed stuck at Rank F forever. Or died lying on the dirt without understanding anything about this world.
I never expected to be this grateful for a weapon.
Even when I was in the army I wasn't that attached to my gun.
"Hyul?" a soft voice whispered into my ear.
I turned to see Mary stirring slowly. Her long hair was scattered over her makeshift pillow, her eyes bleary with exhaustion, but behind that haze… there was warmth.
"Are you okay?" she asked gently.
I nodded slowly. "You're the one who should be asked. Last night… you were really worried."
"You passed out," she said as she sat up carefully. "Your pulse was barely there. I thought I…"
She stopped.
I looked at my hands, then at my arms. "Feels like I slept for a thousand years… My body feels light, but my head is heavy with shadows."
"You can rest more. There's no rush."
I shook my head. "Don't worry."
She leaned closer and placed her hand on my forehead. Her skin was cool, comforting. My temperature was normal… but my face flushed.
Her breath was close. Her scent—a light sweat mixed with forest aroma—was enchanting.
My face turned red. Our breaths collided. I could smell her alluring body.
I hadn't noticed it before, but Mary had an absolutely insane body.
Her Martian curves were bursting through that black coat of hers.
Even the small muscles on her abdomen were addictive.
My eyes settled on those massive rabbits on her chest.
One word to describe them—
"Huge."
Does a chest like that really exist?
I wanted to knead them… but could I even hold them in my hands?
No—Even if I tried, my hands would probably sink into those orbs.
"Seems like you're really okay."
Her voice cut through the chain of thoughts in my head before she pulled away.
"Show some patience."
I had no choice but to calm my thoughts.
Mary is a difficult person—I have to draw her toward me slowly, or she'll think I'm a pervert who only cares about sex.
I can tell she's trying to tempt me.
When she saw my eyes locked on her chest, she gave a sly smile and said,
"Want to touch them?"
"Stop joking."
She chuckled softly. It was the first sound in a long time that didn't resemble a nightmare.
Then her tone shifted.
"In the coming days," she said seriously, "monsters of ranks D and C will appear. The forest won't stay this quiet."
I nodded, my expression hardening.
"Even third-year students fear them."
There's one girl in the academy who can kill Rank C monsters as easily as breathing.
She can even kill SSR-ranked monsters.
But she's only interested in collecting gems.
I didn't need a name.
You all know who she is.
I looked back at my watch. The screen still displayed my goals.
Forty points.
That's my goal for today.
End of chapter
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