Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood-Chapter 73 - Two Methods

"Make me a vampire."

The Tatum guy declared, his voice cracking slightly from the effort. He was huffing and puffing, his lungs struggling because of the sheer amount of injuries he had all over his body.

His chest heaved with every breath, and I could tell he was in a lot of pain, but his eyes... they were fierce. They were the eyes of someone who had already died once and didn’t care what happened to his soul as long as he could stand back up.

"Tatum!"

The girl who had been taking care of him, Ashley, gasped and immediately ran to his side. She put her shoulder under his arm to support him, worried that he might just keel over right there.

And in that moment—

"How about you guys? You don’t have to follow my decision here. This is my choice, not yours."

Tatum asked that of the others while leaning heavily on Ashley. He looked at each of them in turn, giving them a chance to back away. Just as I had suspected, he was really the acting leader of these young ones. They looked up to him, and he felt responsible for their lives even when he was the one closest to death.

"What are you talking about...?"

Just then, the young man who had been talking with me earlier, the one who seemed second-in-command, spoke up. He looked offended that Tatum would even suggest they split up. The others turned toward Tatum as well, their expressions softening from fear into something much more solid.

Then, with small, tired smiles appearing on their faces—

"We only have each other left now. Everyone else is gone. There’s no way we’re going down different paths now."

One of the boys said, his voice firm despite his trembling hands.

"That’s right. If you’re going to be a vampire, then we’re all going to be vampires together."

Another one added, nodding his head.

"Haha, you’re really an idiot, Tatum. You think we’d let you have all the fun of being a vampire by yourself?"

"We’re going to stick with you even in hell, captain!"

They all started following after his decision, one by one. It wasn’t a choice made out of logic; it was a choice made out of pure, unyielding loyalty. They were a pack, and they refused to be broken, even by the threat of eternal damnation.

"..."

All of them then turned as one to look at me. And with a resolute look in their eyes that hadn’t been there when I first arrived in this village—

"Make us vampires as well."

They declared that boldly. They stood as straight as their broken bodies would allow, facing me like they were ready for whatever ritual I was about to perform.

"..."

I just smiled secretly while watching them. I kept my face neutral, but inside, I was impressed. Their camaraderie was really something else. It was the kind of bond that was hard to find, and honestly, it was something to be envious of. Having people who would follow you into the dark without hesitation... that was a rare thing.

Anyway, opening my mouth—

"I see. If that is your final answer, then let’s proceed with it."

I told them that calmly. I stood up and gestured for them to move a bit closer to the fire.

... ... ...

*****

I did tell the group that I would turn them into vampires, but honestly— I didn’t actually know how to do that.

I was playing it cool, but my mind was racing. Back in my old world, the common sense was that if a vampire bites a human, then that human is converted into a vampire. It was a simple infection, like a virus. But in this world... things are a bit different. Magic and mana are involved, and everything feels more complicated.

Though, the vampires here aren’t really that far off from what I know, either.

There are plenty of similarities. For example, although I can walk under the sun, it still weakens me. I still have to feed off blood to maintain my strength, and my appearance has that pale, sharp edge to it. They’re all very close to the vampires from the stories in my old world.

So, I figured that I, too, could probably turn others into vampires if I tried.

And it’s not just a random hunch, to be honest...

’I can feel it instinctively. I know I have the ability to do it.’

It was like a dormant muscle I hadn’t used yet. The power was there, buzzing under my skin. The only real problem was that I didn’t actually know the "how" of it. Was it the bite? Was it the blood? Was it some kind of weird spell?

"..."

I looked down at the ground in front of me, and there they were— the seven kids sitting quietly in a semi-circle. They were waiting for me to do something magical or terrifying.

The look in their eyes hadn’t changed at all; it was good to see that they weren’t going to go back on their words now that the moment had arrived.

’If that’s the case, then I shouldn’t go back on mine, either.’

I couldn’t exactly look like I didn’t know what I was doing. But I also didn’t want to kill them by accident.

So, with that in mind, I decided to be a little bit honest.

"I’m going to be honest with you seven— I don’t actually know how to turn you guys into vampires."

I told them that. Their faces immediately shifted. They looked betrayed for a second, like I had been leading them on just to get their hopes up. Before they could say anything or think the wrong thing—

"I have two methods in mind... So we’ll have to experiment."

I quickly followed with that.

They calmed down a little bit after hearing that. It was still a gamble, but at least I had a plan.

At that moment, the young guy who had been the acting leader’s right hand— the one who had been talking with me earlier— raised his hand. It was a strange sight. Here we were in a dark forest, surrounded by death, and he was raising his hand like he was in a classroom.

I looked at him and nodded my head, signaling for him to go ahead with his question. By doing so, it really did feel like we were a student and a teacher. It was weird, to be honest.

"What are those methods?"

He asked.

I raised my index finger on my right hand.

"First is... I’ll bite you guys in your necks. I’ll drain a bit of your blood and replace it with my essence."

I told them that. They looked absolutely terrified after hearing those words. I guess the idea of a vampire’s fangs in their throat was a bit much to handle. I just ignored their shivering and continued, raising a second finger.

"And second... I will have you all drink my blood. It’s more direct, and it carries my mana."

This time, they seemed a bit more okay with the idea. Drinking blood was gross, sure, but it felt less like being prey than getting bitten did.

"And so, I need two of you to volunteer to try these ideas first. We’ll see who reacts better."

I asked them that. At this, they huddled together and started whispering among themselves. They were discussing the risks, trying to decide who was strong enough to handle it. And after a while...

"We’ll do it."

Tatum and the other young man declared together. They didn’t let me say anything else about the risks. They immediately stood up on their own, showing their resolve.

The other guy, whose name I found out was Jed, was supporting Tatum to keep his balance. Tatum looked like he might fall at any second, but he kept his head high.

"Decide between the two of you who will be bitten, and who will be drinking my blood."

I told them calmly.

"Tatum will be drinking the blood. I don’t think he’s in a good enough condition to be bitten right now. He might not survive the shock."

Jed said, and I actually agreed with his assessment. Tatum was already hanging on by a thread; losing more blood, even for a second, might snap it. I nodded my head in agreement.

And without further ado—

"Well then, let us begin the ritual."

I stated that, and the two of them started walking slowly toward me. The firelight cast long, flickering shadows behind them, making the whole scene look like something out of a dark legend.

... ... ...

*****

I drew my sword. The steel hissed as it left the scabbard, reflecting the orange glow of the campfire. I didn’t hesitate. I pressed the edge against my left wrist and pulled.

SLASH-

I cut my wrist, and immediately, my blood began to flow. It wasn’t bright red like theirs; it was a deep, dark crimson that almost looked black in the moonlight. It had a strange, heavy scent to it— metallic and sweet at the same time.

"Drink."

I said, holding my wrist out. Tatum didn’t hesitate. He grabbed my arm with his trembling, mangled hands and pressed his mouth to the wound. I let him drink his fill of my dark blood, feeling my mana transfer into him as he swallowed. He coughed at first, the thickness of it clearly surprising him, but he kept going until I pulled my arm away.

After that, I wasted no time. I turned toward the other guy, Jed.

"Are you ready?"

I asked him. He looked pale, his animal ears flattened against his head in fear, but he didn’t back down. With a resolute look on his face, he silently nodded his head at me as a response.

And as soon as he did that, I didn’t give him any more time to overthink it. I didn’t give him a warning or a countdown. I just moved.

CHOMP!

I sank my fangs deep into the side of his neck.

"...?!"

His whole body flinched violently, and a muffled gasp escaped his throat. I could feel his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. I paid no attention to his struggle and focused entirely on the task at hand.

I carefully started drinking his blood. I had to be extremely precise. I wasn’t hunting now; I was trying to change him. I kept my intake slow and controlled, making sure not to turn him into one of the dried-up corpses like the preys I had hunted before.

As I drank, I felt a strange connection forming. My blood and his blood were meeting in the wound, and I could feel my vampiric essence beginning to seep into his veins. It was a cold, tingly sensation that traveled from my teeth into his entire body.

The other five sat by the fire, watching in absolute, terrified silence. They were witnessing the birth of something new— and the end of their lives as they knew them.

I pulled away, a single drop of Jed’s blood running down my chin. He slumped forward, gasping for air, but he didn’t fall.

"Now..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

I whispered, looking at both of them.

"We wait to see if you change, or if you die."