Chapter 1 : Charlotte – II

And all while relying solely on moonlight?

Yes.

The night was unnaturally bright.

But that wasn’t the only strange thing.

The white legs and tiny soles of the feet seemed to glow as if they emitted their own light,

like the gentle moon floating in the sky.

While I marveled at the shimmering skin, I noticed a subtle movement at the edge of my vision.

Thick clothes, a large backpack slung across the back,and a strange metal skewer held in their hand.

Suddenly, a strangely sweet scent began to drift in.

And it was coming from the direction I was facing.

I swallowed hard.

It must be a dream, it certainly must be, but why was I feeling such intense thirst?

My body began to move on its own.

I slowly walked, following the figure of the stranger ahead.

The closer I got, the stronger the sweet scent became.

That person. That person must be hiding something.

Could it be sweet candy? Or maybe chocolate?

I couldn’t tell for  sure.

But one thing was certain: my instincts were telling me to catch that person.

Enchanted by the sweet scent, I continued to follow in a dazed state.

The stranger with the backpack entered a building and began collecting something.

Inside the large open bag were sparkling cans, water bottles, and various types of books.

“Hello.”

I casually greeted them.

But the response was far from casual.

The stranger jumped back in shock, as if they had heard something they shouldn’t, their expression wide with fear.

I stood there, mouth agape.

Clank!

The metal skewer they were holding rolled across the floor, making a loud noise.

Tension, excitement, fear, and hostility.

The person in front of me was glaring at me and the surroundings with intense caution.

Why were they looking at me like that?

Ah-

It was then that I realized I wasn’t wearing any clothes.

Clothes—coverings, something to conceal my body.

As soon as I thought that, a shadow on the floor began to squirm, slowly forming a shape.

I accepted it naturally, as if it were the most obvious thing.

After all, this was a dream. In my dream, it was only natural to get what I wanted.

Softly—

A pleasant texture covered my body.

Shoes, pants, a shirt, and a coat.

Is it okay now that I’m dressed up?

No, it seemed the other person didn’t think so.

“You…!”

The low voice was filled with clear hostility.

And the actions were the same.

The man picked up a metal skewer from the floor and pointed it at me.

Why is he showing hostility?

I couldn’t understand his actions.

“Wa-”

Puuuk-!

I was about to say ‘wait.’

But the words couldn’t be completed.

A stinging and burning sensation.

A chilling sound.

The next thing I felt was coldness.

Something long and hard pierced my body, specifically my neck.

Grrrk-

With the sound of blood gurgling from my mouth, red blood flowed out.

As I recognized that fact, my gaze quickly followed the metal skewer piercing my neck.

Blood flowing along the skewer soaked the man’s hand.

His trembling hand and dangerously shaking gaze were directed at me.

Reading the endless hostility contained within, I wondered.

Why does he hate me so much?

I couldn’t know the reason.

At that moment, shadows began to move at my feet.

Srrrk-

Black and red.

The two colors mixed to form the head of a giant beast, which then opened its mouth wide.

Chomp-

Crunch!

A simple movement.

The mouth opens and bites down hard on the man.

The sound of squishing red meat begins.

There wasn’t even a scream.

My hazy mind awakens.

A moment of clarity.

The smell of blood hitting my nose tells me this isn’t a dream.

“Huh…”

The black beast that had finished its feast disappeared through my shadow.

The man holding the metal skewer in front of me vanished.

The metal skewer that had pierced my neck had also somehow fallen out and was rolling on the floor.

If it weren’t for the blood soaking the floor and the backpack the man had brought, I would still think this was a dream.

Shadows, blood, and a ruined city.

The words forming in my mind combine to remind me of a game’s title.

No way.

Could it be?

I shook my head and started rummaging through the backpack on the floor.

It’s still too early to be sure.

I needed more concrete information.

What I could pull out from the backpack were magazines and books filled with various specialized knowledge.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

[First Aid Volume 1]

[Gun Maintenance Volume 6]

No author’s name.

No publisher’s name.

Just the titles on the book covers.

My suspicion turned into certainty as the vague outline in my mind became clear.

“Blood Carnival…”

Werewolves, vampires, humans, hybrids.

A game where four species coexist in the same world.

As soon as I recalled the game’s name, a flood of memories followed.

It was inevitable. Blood Carnival was the only online game I truly enjoyed playing.

A sweet scent tickled my nose, and I let out a hollow laugh.

Eyes that are too bright at night, skin that gleams even in the darkness, the ability to manipulate shadows, a thirst for blood.

The mental state that remains calm even when someone dies right in front of my eyes.

These are all traits of the vampires in the game.

I now possess those traits.

There was no denying it.

I had become a vampire.

So, what should I do now?

I sat on the large backpack, lost in thought.

I muttered, hoping for some miracle.

But as expected, nothing appeared before my eyes.

I let out a small, bitter laugh.

The fact that I can continue thinking calmly in this situation must mean the game’s settings are in effect.

Even though I can’t see them, the game settings must still be active.

As I continued my calm thoughts, a small piece of memory surfaced.

A gigantic map, like something out of a game, unfurled in my mind, showing the terrain around me.

And over it, a red mark appeared.

With this many windows appeared too.

“Status window… Status… Skill window… Inventory…”

There were two locations showing up.

[Survivor Camp]

[Werewolf Territory]

There was a survivor camp near the ruined city, and far beyond it was werewolf territory.

I frowned and tilted my head. These memories were clearly not mine.

But they didn’t feel unfamiliar.

They seeped into my mind as if they had always been there.

I stood up.

Even though the origin of these memories was unclear, I couldn’t just stay here.

Fortunately, the survivor camp wasn’t far from here, so I decided to head there.

I picked up the backpack from the floor and left the building.

Vampires possess superior physical abilities compared to humans.

In this world, being able to run quickly and tirelessly in silence is a blessing.

I used my vampire abilities to swiftly dash through the ruined city.

As I was running.

A strange sound reached my ears.

The low, echoing growl sounded strangely familiar.

I stopped and focused on the sound.

The sound becomes clearer.

Instead of fear, a feeling of discomfort arises.

After carefully moving towards the sound for a while, I slightly peeked through the gap between the collapsed buildings and found a strange creature.

Long, extended limbs.

A body covered in what looked like tough, dark red skin.

Rough fur growing on its back.

Sharp claws and fangs, long teeth covered in fresh red blood.

A species you always encounter while playing Blood Carnival.

It was definitely a hybrid.

A strange tension filled the air.

Only one hybrid was in sight.

The keen senses of a vampire also told me this was all that was visible.

If I were truly playing the game, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill the hybrid in front of me.

But that was back when I played the game with a keyboard and mouse.

Even though I stepped on glass shards, I didn’t feel any pain.

Even though a metal skewer pierced my neck, I didn’t feel any pain.

But I couldn’t be sure it would be the same this time.

It means I wasn’t sure if I wouldn’t feel pain when my body was torn by those huge claws.

That’s why I couldn’t move rashly.

In the end, my choice was to find another path.

I opened the small map in my mind and changed direction.

After moving for a while,

I managed to get out of the ruined city and reach the place where the survivor camp was located.

I hid in a slightly distant place and observed the camp.

Barricades made of wrecked cars and building debris, and people standing guard on them.

There was only one entrance to get into the camp.

I narrowed my eyes to check the state of their armaments.

Bows, spears, and iron clubs made up most of their weapons.

Only a few had guns.

The camp was larger than I expected.

There were many guards, making it difficult to approach recklessly.

Thinking back to the reaction of the first man I encountered, approaching the camp without thinking could result in bullets flying my way.

I spent a while contemplating how to make contact with people.

As the camp gate opened, a group of people slowly walked out.

Dressed in thick clothes, carrying large backpacks.

The weapons they held were crude, such as iron clubs, metal skewers, and bows.

None of them seemed to have guns.

It was the same as how the human faction operated in the game.

They seemed to be a scouting party going out to secure supplies.

Watching the scouting party leave, I gripped the backpack and hunged it over my shoulder.

Maybe, I could gather information more easily than I thought.

I hid in the shadows and followed the scouting party.