A Vampire's Evolution

"Do you really think you can harm me with that puny blade?" the Serpent said as it looked down at me as it hissed.

I said nothing. Instead, I rushed towards it using my Accelerate skill, trying to catch it by surprise.

I darted behind it and tried to cut through its body, but my sword only bounced off its scales.

It swung its tail, trying to hit me, but I dodged, again using Accelerate to jump backward.

"See? What did I tell you? Now just accept defeat and be devoured by me," the Serpent said sneering, its eyes beginning to glow.

As soon as I stared into its eyes, my whole body froze. It had activated its [Paralysis] skill.

"Damn it! ... Move!" I yelled, trying to overcome the effect.

The Serpent lunged toward me. Desperation pushed me to stab myself in the leg and send a jolt of magion through my sword back into my body.

I gritted my teeth as I executed the plan. The pain was excruciating—not from the stabbing but from the magion coursing through me. It felt as though I was being eaten alive from the inside.

Thankfully, it worked. I dashed away just in time, narrowly avoiding its attack.

The Serpent rushed toward me again.

The only thing keeping me alive was [Accelerate], though [Regeneration] played a significant role, healing my wounds slowly.

Using Accelerate, I moved behind the creature and struck again, this time channeling magion through my sword.

"Argh!" it screamed.

The wound I inflicted was small, but it worked. The Serpent retaliated, swinging its tail even faster this time. It narrowly missed me as I struck again, targeting the same spot.

Although this monster was massive, it was alarmingly fast.

It tried to swallow me whole, but I dodged. Using Accelerate, I put some distance between us, trying to catch my breath.

"You! Lowly creature!" the beast roared in rage.

It let out a deafening screech that shook the entire cave. The sound was so intense that, even as I covered my ears, my eardrums were damaged. Blood trickled down, and I could no longer hear.

The Serpent charged at me again. This time, it launched its scales like projectiles. I tried to dodge them all but was hit by a few. Within seconds, it was in front of me.

I blocked its attack with my sword, but the impact pushed me into the wall. My entire body ached as I stood again. Summoning 50% of my magion, I cast the spell Water Shot, aiming for the Serpent's eye to blind it.

The attack failed. The Serpent deflected it with its [Sound Control] skill.

My body began to feel ice-cold. I collapsed to my knees, leaning on my sword.

"Ugh... What's happening?" I gasped, breathless.

"..."

I think the Serpent said something, but I couldn't hear. My vision blurred, and my grip on my sword weakened.

***

(Serpent's POV)

"Yes, finally, the poison's kicking in," I said, my voice full of excitement.

How long had it been since I'd tasted a being with such pure magion?

What!

"H-How?! How can you get up?!" I screamed in disbelief.

The prey I was about to devour stood once again. But something was different. Its hair had grown longer, covering its face.

"W-Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Fear. Was I feeling fear? This lowly creature before me now felt entirely different—overwhelmingly powerful, its body emanating magion.

It remained silent, unmoving, staring at the ground.

I didn't hesitate. I attacked, shooting poisoned scales.

It picked up its sword and effortlessly deflected all of them.

I used [Sound Control] again, but it had no effect.

I dashed forward, intending to swallow it whole. Before I could reach it, it vanished.

"Where?! Where did it go?" I shouted, searching.

Above. It descended from above, slicing down with its sword. I blocked the attack with my horn.

It vanished again, reappearing at my side. I tried to block with my tail, but it severed it clean off.

Pain. Real pain. This was the first time I had felt such agony.

I had to flee. I couldn't win. I turned to escape, but it appeared before me in an instant.

Lifting its sword, it swung in one swift motion.

"What?" I gasped.

Nothing happened—at first.

Then, I felt it. My magion was draining away.

"No, no, no! This can't be happening!"

I collapsed, my magion seeping from my body. I couldn't move, growing weaker with every second.

I should never have come down here. I should have listened to the boss. I should have stayed on the upper floors.

Huh? What's it doing? It's absorbing my magion... So, it was a Vampire? No, this feat should not be possible, even for a Vampire. This is almost like those beings.

My vision darkened. My eyes closed.

***

(Silver's POV)

I opened my eyes, my hair draping over my face.

"Why is my hair so long? No, more importantly, where's the Serpent? Did I escape?" I muttered, looking around.

"Argh, my head..." I groaned, clutching it.

I stood and saw the Serpent's corpse lying before me.

"What happened? Did I kill this? No, that can't be. I clearly remember passing out," I said, trying to recall the events.

Miraculously, all my wounds had healed.

"Huh? What's this on my arm?" I asked, inspecting the strange mark.

This wasn't there before I lost consciousness. What exactly happened?

I attempted to absorb the Serpent's magion, but nothing happened.

"What? Why isn't it working? Does this mean it already dissipated? That shouldn't be possible unless the corpse has been dead for three days..."

"Have I been unconscious for that long?"

I sighed and looked down at my tattered clothes. "These are a mess. I need something to wear... maybe there's something in the cabin."

I decided to head back but stopped, realizing I needed to collect water. While gazing at my reflection in the river, I noticed something.

"Huh? Why is part of my hair black?" I touched it, puzzled.

Something strange was happening to me, but first I needed to figure out how to collect the water.

I attempted to learn the mid-level spell Water Absorption. On my first try, I failed.

On my second attempt, I placed my hands in the water to better sense the magion. This time, I succeeded.

Spell Learned: Water Absorption

Knowledge flooded into me, and I instantly understood the spell. This hadn't happened when I learned Water Shot.

"Sei," I muttered, checking my status.

Race: Vampire

Age: 16

Magion: 850/5,000

Stats:

Strength: 20 → 22

Speed: 15 → 20

Reflexes: 10 → 15

Skills:

Race Skills: [Sei], [Ei], [Regeneration: Low], [Night Vision], [Accumulation]

Accumulated Skills: [Accelerate], [Copy], [Sound Control]

Magic:

Elements: [???: Locked], [???: Locked], [Water]

Spells: [Water Shot], [Water Absorption]

"What?!" I exclaimed.

All my stats had increased, my magion limit rose drastically, and I even gained a new skill.

That skill belonged to the Serpent. Does this mean I killed it and absorbed its magion?

What's happening to my body? Could it be related to one of the locked elements?