Chapter 8: An Uncomfortable Roommate
by fnovelpia
An uninvited guest had invaded my precious hideout.
The intruder was a terrifying monster called a Vampire.
【Vampire Lv.40】
┗ Power: 240
┗ Rank: Elite
Elite rank?
Another new one.
Looks like Elites gain 6 Power per level.
Definitely above Superior, but below Unique.
My Teddy Bear Disguise skill was working like a charm, after all.
“What’s this? I swear I felt vibrant mana from this teddy bear earlier… Was I mistaken?”
Yup, total mistake.
I’m no monster.
Just your average, run-of-the-mill teddy bear.
“Hmm. Maybe it wasn’t the bear, but the dead rat next to it.”
The Vampire crouched down.
Her eyes flicked between me and the Venomfang Rat’s corpse.
“They’re so close together, no wonder I got confused. Judging by the battle scars, it must’ve been attacked by a predator, fled here, and died.”
I didn’t budge an inch.
I played the part of a lifeless teddy bear to perfection.
One twitch, and my cover would be blown.
“Wait a second. This rat… it didn’t die recently, did it? So what was that lively mana I sensed?”
The Vampire’s face twisted with suspicion again.
Ugh, come on.
Drop the paranoia.
Been burned one too many times or what?
“…Sigh.
I must be exhausted and losing my mind.
To think I’d misjudge a dead creature’s mana like that.”
Looks like she settled on “mistake” as her answer.
Oh, and I could understand her words, too.
Was she using a translation skill like that Poison Tiger?
Seems odd to use it for muttering to herself.
Maybe it’s always active, or there’s some universal language everyone understands.
Anyway.
Miss Vampire, you done here?
Please leave already.
This is me and Jjokkomi’s secret spot.
“I should rest here for a bit.”
What?
Don’t be ridiculous!
I claimed this place first!
It’s my home!
My territory!
Get lost!
“Phew. Yeah, resting sounds right. I haven’t stopped once on my way here.”
Plop.
The Vampire settled down right next to me.
And so began our awkward cohabitation for the day.
I was itching to throw a Teddy Punch.
“But this teddy bear…
The more I look at it, the cuter it gets.”
Okay, scratch the Teddy Punch.
***
Vampires.
Bloodsuckers.
I knew plenty about them.
They were celebrities back on Earth, in a way.
Not real, of course—just staples of folklore, myths, and fiction.
Earth’s vampire lore came in many flavors.
I remembered most of the common traits.
They looked human.
They were immortal, or at least lived stupidly long.
Weak to sunlight—either losing power during the day, unable to function, or straight-up
disintegrating.
They didn’t show in mirrors.
Hated garlic and crosses.
Drank the blood of living creatures.
And so on.
Funny how my important memories were fuzzy, but this useless trivia stuck like glue.
Anyway.
That “weak to sunlight” bit?
Total nonsense.
A bold-faced lie.
“The sun feels nice. Perfect weather.”
This Vampire had zero issues with sunlight.
She loved it, even.
She’d stripped down to bask in it like it was a beach vacation.
Lady, could you put some clothes on?
What if someone sees you?
I’m a teddy bear, so I’m fine, but still.
The Vampire soaked up the sun with a contented smile.
She kept muttering to herself, too.
“Haah. It’s so nice to be alone out here.”
Yup, totally alone.
Just you.
I’m just a doll, remember?
“Been ages since I could relax like this.”
Must’ve been busy, huh?
Take it easy today.
You’re squatting on my turf without permission, but since you’re stronger, I’ll let it slide.
“This peace won’t last long. This continent’s headed for chaos soon.”
Why’s that? Something big about to go down?
“…”
Answer me!
The Vampire clammed up.
Don’t leave me hanging like that.
Keep muttering, please!
“Well, you never know with the world. Who’d have thought the barrier that’s cloaked this continent since the dawn of time would vanish overnight?”
Oh, she’s back at it.
My desperate wish must’ve gotten through.
A barrier vanished?
Like some protective shield around the continent disappeared?
“With the barrier gone, humans will soon set their filthy feet on this land.”
Oh, so there are humans in this world.
Just not on this continent, huh?
Thanks for the intel.
“Come to think of it, the Lord mentioned humans use their technology to make strange tools…”
Who’s this Lord?
A Vampire Lord, maybe?
Sounds like they could cross the barrier.
They knew about humans in the outside world, at least.
“I’m not thrilled about this land falling into chaos, but I’m curious to see those tools.
History says humans were pathetically weak long ago, but these devices supposedly made them strong.”
I’d love to check those out someday, too.
Now I’m curious.
What are these human tools?
Weapons?
Magic items?
That was the last of the Vampire’s muttering.
She went silent, staring at the sky.
Time dragged on.
After finishing her sunbathing, she gathered her clothes and dressed.
From a pocket, she pulled out an ornate, old-fashioned box.
Creak.
She opened it.
Inside were blood-red orbs, like dumplings.
What were those?
I sensed mana in them.
Blood packed with mana?
The Vampire plucked one, popped it into her mouth, and swallowed without chewing.
Emergency rations, huh?
Good thing she didn’t touch my prey.
I half-expected her to slurp up the rat’s blood like a smoothie.
She closed the box.
One orb seemed enough.
“Blood’s topped off. Time for a nap.”
Sweet dreams.
The Vampire lay down and closed her eyes.
She left the box by her head, not tucked away.
Planning to grab another orb right after waking up, I bet.
…
A little time passed.
I waited patiently.
…
More time crawled by.
She had to be asleep now, right?
Snore, snore.
Perfect timing—her snoring started.
I sprang into action.
Sneak, sneak.
I crept toward the Vampire, silent as a shadow, with all the stealth of a master thief.
I had no plans to attack her.
My punches wouldn’t even tickle.
My goal was something else.
Reaching her side, I carefully opened the box by her head.
This was my target.
She wouldn’t notice one missing orb, right?
If it was just plain blood, I wouldn’t care.
But this was mana-infused blood.
I grabbed an orb.
Consider this rent, Miss Vampire.
Gulp.
No chomping noises.
I swallowed it whole.
【Truly a Teddy Bear Lv.10】
┗ Power: 10 (+1)
┗ Rank: Normal
Oh, hell yeah!
Back to double-digit levels!
One orb, and I leveled up?
This thing’s the real deal.
Greed stirred.
Should I snag another?
I could probably level up again.
Eat it, bear!
An inner devil-bear whispered, egging me on.
You gonna waste this chance, bear?
The devil-bear wouldn’t shut up.
But its temptation didn’t last.
Die, bear!
An angel-bear burst in, tearing the devil-bear to shreds.
Yeah, let’s not.
I barely suppressed the creeping greed.
Why?
Simple.
Another orb might kill me.
Just one had flooded my body with blood.
My stuffing was soaked, drenched in it.
If I got greedy and ate more, I might literally burst.
This orb must’ve been made from a ton of condensed blood.
Special blood, too, maybe.
My Consumption skill was breaking it down, but way too slowly.
So, I decided to be satisfied with one.
Side note: I briefly considered hiding the box or stealing it outright.
But I scrapped that idea.
Call it thanks for her “cute” compliment.
You’re welcome, Miss Vampire.
***
Night fell.
The Vampire stirred, getting ready to leave.
“Hmm. I’d love to take this adorable teddy bear, but… it might belong to someone.
Better leave it.”
Safe travels.
Don’t come back.
I waved her off in my mind as she faded into the distance.
When she was finally gone from sight—
Spring!
I leapt to my feet.
She’s gone!
Time to evolve.
My Physical Adaptation was already at 30.
It had dipped to 29 after my last evolution, but the orb’s level-up pushed it back up.
I’d checked the evolution options earlier.
『Evolvable Species』
◎ Vampire Teddy Bear – Normal
Vampire Teddy Bear!
Now that’s a name I like.
It oozed strength and coolness.
Eating that blood orb must’ve unlocked this path.
Let’s do this!
Vampire Teddy Bear, here I come!
【Evolution complete.】
【Vampire Teddy Bear Lv.9】
┗ Power: 9 (+2)
┗ Rank: Normal (Limit Break possible at Lv.10)
【Skills】
[Helper Lv.1], [Evolution Lv.1], [Action Lv.2], [Consumption Lv.1], [Magical Chef Lv.1], [Teddy Bear Disguise Lv.1], [Bloodsucking Lv.1]
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