"Arghh!" Ken groaned, his voice hoarse from sleep, as he sat up on his bed, rubbing his temples. The early morning light streaming through the window only exacerbated the throbbing pain in his head.
"What kind of nightmare was that?" he muttered, trying to recall the fragmented events of the dream, but the more he thought about it, the more his head seemed to pulsate with pain.
"I shouldn't have drunk so much yesterday," Ken chastised himself, though he knew he hadn't had a drop of alcohol. "My head feels so waterlogged," he complained, trying to shake off the fogginess.
Just as he was attempting to devise a plan to alleviate the pain, a translucent screen suddenly appeared above his face, making him flinch in surprise.
"What the heck is this?" He uttered, his eyes wide with confusion, as he stared at the hovering display.
The screen's eerie glow illuminated his disheveled hair and sleep-creased face, adding to the surreal atmosphere around him. And soon a message was displayed on it, accompanied by an ethereal voice playing in Ken's mind.
[Welcome user, you have been granted the unparalleled system of guidance. My goal as the system is not just to provide you with the necessary details for your racial identity, but also to help you evolve and become aware of what and who you are]
Ken's confusion deepened, his brow furrowing as he stared at the screen. "Huh, what?" he blurted out, his voice laced with bewilderment.
[You have come of age, and your vampiric origin which has been put to hold for a long time has now been awakened]
Ken's eyes widened, his mind reeling as he tried to process the System's enigmatic message. "Can someone please explain what's going on?" he blurted out, his voice tinged with desperation. "I think I must be losing my mind here."
No matter how hard Ken tried to dismiss the translucent screen hovering above his face, it persisted, its presence as unwavering as the annoying voice echoing in his mind. The voice, like a relentless whisper, refused to be silenced, leaving Ken feeling frustrated and trapped.
[Warning! The user is suffering from a head pain!] the screen flashed, its message accompanied by a soft, pulsing glow.
[This is due to the side effect caused by the full activation of the system and the coming of age of the user] the voice explained, its tone detached yet somehow apologetic.
Ken's head throbbed in sync with the screen's pulsing glow, as if his very brain was protesting the System's sudden invasion. He felt like he was losing control, unable to escape the constant barrage of messages and warnings.
[Neutralizing headache… 99%… complete!] The screen flashed, its message accompanied by a soft, soothing glow.
In an instant, the throbbing pain that had been tormenting his head vanished, leaving behind a sense of eerie calmness. It was as if the pain had never existed, erased from his consciousness without a trace.
Ken's eyes widened in astonishment, his mind struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events. "How... how is this possible?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
He tentatively reached up to touch his forehead, half-expecting the pain to return, but there was only smooth, untroubled skin.
The System's capabilities seemed almost miraculous, and Ken couldn't help but wonder what other secrets it held. His gaze drifted back to the screen, now displaying a serene, neutral background, as if waiting for his next move.
[Showing Status]
His eyes scanned the screen, taking in the array of information displayed before him.
[Name: Ken Layden]
[Race: Demigod-Vampire]
Ken's mind reeled as he processed this revelation. A demigod-vampire? What did it even mean?
[Level: One]
[HP: 10/10]
[Hunger State: 20%]
His stomach growled, as if in response to the Hunger State indicator. He felt a sudden, intense craving for something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
[Mana: 0]
[Experience Points: 0/1999 (lvl 1)]
Ken wondered what he needed to do to gain experience points and level up.
[Strength: 5/5]
[Speed: 5/5]
[Stamina: 5/5]
[Flight: 5/5]
The array of stats and skills seemed endless, and Ken's head spun as he tried to take it all in.
[Vampiric Skills]
[Blood beam lvl 1]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Divinity Skills]
[Mana balls lvl 1]
[Mana punch lvl 1]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
His eyes lingered on the locked skills, wondering what they entailed and how he could unlock them. The screen seemed to hold secrets and mysteries beyond his wildest imagination.
Seeing the information displayed above by the system, a mix of emotions swirled within Ken. Things that hadn't made sense in the past were now starting to make sense to him.
Years after the incident of his mum and dad, Ken had decided to ask questions, questions he hasn't asked before. Questions about why and who had killed his parents on that day.
Leah, his guardian, had anticipated this day would come, but she hadn't expected it to take so long. Ken's silence about his parents had been deafening, a coping mechanism that had lasted for years. Leah had avoided the subject, fearing the wounds were still too raw.
But when Ken's inquires hung in the air, demanding for an answer. Leah's expression had turned solemn, her eyes clouding with concern. She knew she had to reveal the truth, even if it meant exposing painful memories. Though she might have hid some of the true stories from him.
With a deep breath, Leah began to explain. Ken's father had an elder brother who vehemently opposed his parents' union, a disagreement that had spiralled into a deadly obsession. Going homicidial, he had slaughtered his own flesh and blood, along with Ken's mother.
Leah's voice trembled as she revealed the harsh truth. "If you and Fen hadn't escaped that day, you would have been killed as well." The words hung in the air, a grim reminder of the tragedy that had befallen Ken's family.
Ken's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with the implications. However, matters involving the red glowing eyes that he saw that day wasn't explained by Leah. Neither did she reveal the true identity of his mother, or the fact that Leah could use magic — like the one she did on that night.
Moreover, Ken didn't try asking Leah any more questions and instead searched online for the word; red glowing eyes, whose result are based mainly on a certain type of creature called a Vampire.
He tried searching about the practioner of magics online, but the word magic was universally used by different people. Witches, wizards, mages, warlocks and gods. Yet he had no clue which one Leah falls into.
But after seeing the transculent screen appear above his face claiming to be a system that informs the user about their racial identity, Ken got to understand some things. And that was the fact that he was a Demigod-Vampire. Which means, one of his parents is either a demigod or a vampire.
Ken's gaze remained fixed on the System's display as it shifted to reveal a new tab: Quests. His eyes scanned the list, taking in the various objectives and rewards.
[—Quests—]
[Daily Quest: Meditate for ten minutes per day]
[Reward: 50 Mana points]
[Main Quest: Reach level 10]
[Reward: 100 Exp]
Just as he was processing this information, a new quest appeared:
[You have obtained a new side quest]
[Taste your first blood]
[Reward: 50Exp]
Ken's mind recoiled at the suggestion, his vampire heritage suddenly feeling more pronounced. However, the sound of his mobile phone piercing the air broke the spell, and Ken glanced down to see a text message notification.
Checking what the message was all about, his eyes widened as he glanced at its context.
"I've been invited into the academy!" He exclaimed, yet with an amused expression, but the next line of the message had caused him to jump out of bed. "The bus is picking me up by 8am? But this is 7:15am! Couldn't they have sent this earlier!" He retorted.
Without hesitation, Ken rushed out of the room to share the news with Ben and the others. They were still groggy from their sleep, but as soon as Ken mentioned the text message from the academy, their eyes snapped open, fully alert.
Getting invited into the academy was very easy as long as you have a high school certificate. As for those who doesn't have, they only get invited after those with certificates have been tested and finally selected.
Being invited into the academy doesn't entirely mean they are fully accepted. Each student will have to go through rigorous training for the first ten weeks, and at the end of each week, a test will always be conducted.
It is a fight to death test, the weak dies, while the strong lives to see another day. The aim of the test was to weed out the useless ones, since in the first place they were too many candidates to choose as the next line of Earth fighters.
Many parents were aware of this risk, yet they had to send their children believing there might be a chance for them to survive and succeed.
In Leah's case, she didn't just believe that Ken would succeed, she also felt like this was the only way he could become stronger. The only way for him to find out about his true identity and nature.
So she hadn't objected when Ken had requested to join the academy. She believed that even in a deadly situation, Ken was going to survive!
*****
Love this one? You can check up an even better one written by the same author; While everyone else is a god, I became a god slayer - Coming soon on webnovel.