Chapter 8 – Human

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I tormented Narae for two days, but no clear answer came out of it.

I still couldn’t figure out why that vampire called me “Mother.”

The biggest issue was that the document containing my information lacked any data on the vampire whose essence had been extracted.

Strangely enough, it was simply labeled as “High-Rank Vampire Essence.”

To vent my frustration and cause some chaos for Illye’s faction, I wandered around indiscriminately hunting down and killing vampires, but I still couldn’t gather any useful information.

Considering that someone of Elder Delegate status had to inject their own blood into me before making that claim, it made sense that those low-level vampires knew nothing.

Even so, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I might have discovered the identity of the component that made up 33% of me.

—Maybe the high-rank vampire essence used in creating you, Sir Monster… was from that woman Illye’s mother… and she was once an elder on that side…?

Seeing me struggle with the question, Narae must have feared for her own position. She spent an entire day wrestling with documents and reports before presenting that conclusion.

Honestly, I thought it made sense too—not because I was too lazy to think, but because there was some logic behind it.

The strongest piece of evidence was that the vampire who injected their blood into me wouldn’t have made such a claim without reason.

They were outdated in most ways, but when it came to blood, no beings in the world had a deeper understanding.

For a vampire skilled enough to act as an Elder Delegate, misinterpreting blood-based information was unthinkable.

If anything, they likely extracted every bit of information from it.

Secondly, the timing. I was created about ten years ago. And their elder just happened to go missing ten years ago?

There had to be a connection. There was no way it was unrelated, especially when that vampire directly called me “Mother.”

… I didn’t know what kind of relationship Illye had with the owner of the blood within me, but if they were connected, a mother-daughter relationship seemed the most likely.

I wasn’t well-versed in vampire society, but considering they were organized into “houses,” they couldn’t be complete strangers with no blood ties.

If she was an elder’s child, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have the power and status to act as an Elder Delegate.

… But that wasn’t what I wanted to know.

What abilities did the owner of this blood possess? What was their name? What kind of life did they live? What kind of being were they?

That was what I was curious about—not some meaningless relationship.

If those two were mother and daughter, it meant I might be able to do what Illye did as well… but no matter how much I tried to picture it, I couldn’t see it happening.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t even spent a week in this body yet. Honestly, I still felt like I was half-dreaming.

The sensation of breaking bones, crushing flesh, and the satisfaction of drinking blood felt disturbingly real, but…

Even now, when I closed my eyes to sleep, a part of me wondered if I’d wake up back in my old one-room apartment.

“There’s no way.”

“Huh?! What do you mean?! Y-You’re not thinking of something crazy, are you?!”

Narae, who had been quietly preparing for our flight, flinched so dramatically at my mumbling that I almost felt sorry for her.

Really, now. Does she think I’m some kind of psychopathic serial killer? I don’t kill people without reason.

I may have strayed from the right path, but this much paranoia seemed excessive.

“No, i’m just talking to myself. More importantly, are you almost done with the preparations?”

To calm her down, I changed the subject and asked about our progress. Narae, visibly relieved that she was still useful, clutched her flat chest and rattled off her report.

“Everything is ready except for the photo. We just need to take one for your ID and passport…”

She glanced at me.

“Uh, I guess… using your current face as is… might be a bit difficult?”

She was probably referring to my clearly inhuman appearance. Since thinking was getting dull, I decided to tease her a little.

“Oh? Are you saying I’m ugly?”

“N-No! Not at all! I just meant that normal humans don’t have horns, scales, black sclera, or anything like that! That’s all I meant, please don’t kill me!!”

Heh. This is fun. She’s like one of those squeeze toys that make funny sounds when you press them.

“Why would I kill you? There’s still plenty I need to get from you. So, I need a human form, is that it?”

That meant I had to wear the choker. Well, it was about time I put it on anyway.

By now, Narae must have realized—she was too deep to escape. Illye already knew her face, and she had no means to act against me.

Maybe killing me would bring her momentary relief, but if she thought ahead, she’d know she couldn’t afford to.

Besides, she didn’t even have a weapon.

So… it should be fine to transform, right?

“Wait here. I’ll be back after I change.”

I still didn’t feel comfortable transforming in front of someone, so I stepped deeper inside. Who knows, she might take this opportunity to betray me.

Once I felt safe, I took a deep breath and put on the choker.

What followed was anything but pleasant. I could only describe it as excruciating pain.

I now knew what it felt like to have my bones twisted and my body compressed.

Even Narae, who had no idea what was happening, panicked and ran toward me.

“Ugh… ughh…”

Shivering from pain and cold, I barely managed to hold myself together as Narae poked me with the tip of her shoe, wondering if I was still alive.

Normally, I would’ve snapped at her—but I didn’t even have the strength. In fact, I wasn’t even angry.

“…D-Did you die…?”

“I’m not dead…”

Still trembling, I forced myself to stand up. My entire body was drenched in blood.

I didn’t need to guess where it came from—it was mine.

“…This is not something I should do often. That hurt.”

I wasn’t joking—I genuinely thought I might die. The way my transformation worked was so different from the other monsters’ smooth shifts that I feared something had gone wrong.

Other creatures transformed effortlessly, but why was mine so bloody?

Was it because I was a vampire? Or because I was a twisted hybrid? I had no idea.

What a pain. So many unanswered questions.

Still, one thing was now certain.

This was not a dream.

When I had my monstrous form, it felt like a dream. But in this human body, reality hit me hard.

I was now, without a doubt, a woman.

The absence of what I had for twenty years, and the presence of what I had only ever dreamed of touching, confirmed it.

I hadn’t even gotten to use it.

I wasn’t planning on getting married, but I at least wanted to try it once. But now, all I could think about was—wow, these are huge.

…Just to be sure, I gave them a squeeze.

No particular emotion came from it. Just… huh, nice texture. That’s about it.

“U-Umm, maybe you should wash up first? I’ll go buy some clothes…”

Still wary of my temper, Narae suggested cautiously.

“Do as you please.”

Now that my head was clearer, I let her go and headed to the shower.

As I washed off the blood, I took a closer look at myself.

My monstrous form had pale skin, red hair, and red eyes—but now I looked much more human.

…Somehow, I seemed healthier than when I was a man.

Should I be happy about this or not?

I was pretty, sure. But I wanted to date a woman like this, not become one.

More importantly, I needed a name.

As I pondered, a voice outside knocked and asked in Korean:

“Is anyone inside?”

I froze.

Standing outside the door was Radiant White.

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