Faye's eyes widened as she admired her reflection in the mirror on the side of the wall in the Ninth Family Castle.
"Is that…me?" she gasped in utter shock.
In the mirror, she appeared to have gained a few inches, but that was the least of the changes. Her skin was now smoother, and every imperfection and blemish on her skin was gone.
Faye had been a decently attractive woman before. But now, she looked like she had just finished a 6-week modelingprogram.
Faye then heard an amused chuckle from behind her. In the mirror, Muka came into frame.
"Ah, yes, I nearly forgot," she replied. "You Humans always seem so astounded by the changes to your physical appearance from the turning process. However, that is the least of the changes. You're now stronger and faster than your typical Human." Muka then turned to Faye. "However, it does come at a cost. The turning process is like being reborn. It completely resets your body, meaning you've been reverted to how you were before you learned your Ability."
Taking in Muka's words, Faye decided to test something. She quickly dashed across the room. However, to Muka, Faye appeared to have almost teleported.
'Well, looks like I don't need to waste time teaching her the Flash Step,' Muka thought.
"Hmm…it's roughly as fast as I was when I was a Level 4 Ability User," she muttered.
Faye then turned to Muka.
"Luckily for me, I had a Speed Ability," she replied. "If I had been one of the soldiers with the Earth Ability, it would have caused problems back at the base. I'd have to come up with a reason why I wasn't using my Ability."
Muka put her hand on where her chin would be under her helmet.
"I see," she explained.
'If that's the case, she might have been a perfect candidate for becoming a Vampire,' Muka thought. 'It means that we can just send her back even without even knowing an Ability, and the Humans will be none the wiser.'
***
Back in the library on Military Base 1, Quinn looked at the screen showing his System Shop. It still had the "Paleneedle Rapier" highlighted.
'I might as well make the Paleneedle Rapier first,' Quinn thought. 'It's already highlighted, and it only costs one Crystal.'
Quinn thought about creating the weapon, and a System message appeared.
[Would you like to create the Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier?
Costs 1 Intermediate-Tier Palewalker Crystal.]
Quinn thought 'Yes', and his vision faded to black. He found himself staring at an endless black void. Lying on the ground in the black void, he could see a tennis ball-sized crystal. The crystal glowed brightly, slightly illuminating the space around it.
Suddenly, the back of the black void began to spin, giving it the appearance of how shadows looked when he was using them from his "Shadow Space" Skill. A small, white ball of light could be seen at the epicenter of the vortex, giving the whole vortex the appearance of a black hole.
Slowly, the Crystal on the ground began to shake. It was then ripped from the ground and became caught in the vortex. It was as if the vortex was dragging the Crystal towards it. When the Crystal finally touched the center of the vortex, it exploded into pieces. There was a bright flash of white light.
When the light faded, there was now a sword in the place the Crystal had been. As the description had said, it was indeed a "rapier" blade. And an elegant-looking one at that. Despite Quinn not really being a sword person, even he could tell that the blade was gorgeous. The blade was an ivory color that slowly faded into the black of the handle. Three thick, black wires intertwined in the space between the end of the blade and the start of the handle, forming the guard.
When Quinn's vision came back to him, he was holding the Paleneedle Rapier. He could feel the Beast Energy of the weapon flooding into him.
A System message appeared in front of him.
[Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier equipped.
+5 Strength, +4 Agility
Strength: 15 [+9]
Agility: 16 [+4] ]
"Wow, that was amazing," Quinn muttered. "It really did just form itself and appear out of nowhere."
Quinn turned to Tsukuru so he could hand him the sword. And as he did, he saw a knowing smirk on his face.
"...What?" Quinn asked.
"You spaced out there for a second," he replied. "Let me guess, your vision faded to black, and you found yourself in some unknown place?"
Quinn's eyes widened.
"How did you-?"
Tsukuru's smile widened.
"'Cause it's the same thing that happens whenever I make one of my Summons," Tsukuru replied, as he took the sword.
Instantly, Quinn felt the Beast Energy leave him.
As Tsukuru held the rapier in his hand, he looked down at it. He felt a surge of Beast Energy fill him, and a similar System message that Quinn had received appeared in front of him.
[Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier equipped.
+5 Strength, +4 Agility
Strength: 11 [+5]
Agility: 15 [+4] ]
However, a moment later, a new System message appeared. The same one that appeared whenever he obtained a new piece of gear.
[Would you like to Scan the Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier?]
'Yes,' Tsukuru replied.
A moment later, a cone of light-blue light shot out of his eyes.
Seeing the light, Quinn jumped back.
'What the heck?!' Quinn thought.
The cone of light traveled up and down the Paleneedle Rapier. When it reached the bottom, it would then begin to go upwards towards the weapons' top.
In Tsukuru's vision, a wireframe, 3-D model of the weapon began to form. Once it was complete, the weapon rotated a few times.
A moment later, Tsukuru's vision returned to normal. When it did, a System message appeared.
[Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier has been Scanned. Blueprints for the Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier have been uploaded into the System's mainframe. You can now recreate the Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier with Skill Video Creation.]
Tsukuru smiled.
"So, what did you see?" Tsukuru asked.
Quinn stared at Tsukruru for a moment, not sure what he meant.
"I'm…sorry?" Quinn asked.
"When the System created the sword," Tsukuru clarified. "What did you see when your vision changed?"
Quinn glanced away.
"It was…like a dark void," he eventually replied. "The only thing in it…was the Beast Crystal. Then, a vortex opened up in the void and sucked in the Crystal. Once the Crystal reached the center of the vortex, it exploded, and the weapon appeared."
"Huh," Tsukuru muttered as he thought about placing the new weapon.
A System message appeared.
[Would you like to place the Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier in your Equipment Tab?]
Tsukuru's eyes narrowed slightly. He could have sworn the System used to ask him if he wanted to put weapons into his 'Weapons' Tab.
"I combined the 'Weapons', 'Armor', and 'Accessories' into one single Tab during the recalibration," Reiju replied, sensing his confusion through the System. "Now, it's just one singular 'Equipment' Tab."
Tsukuru nodded.
'I see,' he thought back. 'Well, if that's the case, could you please place my new weapon into the Equipment Tab, then?'
Reiju didn't respond. But a moment later, the Paleneedle Rapier began to change. Like with the Scordana Crystal, it took on the appearance of a light-blue hologram. Then, a moment later, it broke down into pixels.
A new System message appeared in front of Tsukuru.
[Intermediate-Tier Paleneedle Rapier has been placed in your Equipment Tab.]
Next to him, Quinn turned back to the screen. It was finally time to make his new gauntlets.
***
Back in the Ninth Family castle in the Vampire Settlement, Muka turned to Faye.
"Now, as I was saying, you'll be required to drink Human blood on a semi-regular basis," she replied.
Faye looked over at her.
"How often is 'semi-regular'?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Once every two days," Muka replied. "Additionally, now that you're a Vampire, your body will be able to heal itself when injured. However, doing so will use up energy and require you to drink blood sooner."
Faye felt a pit form in her stomach.
"And what happens if I don't drink blood?" she asked.
"Your body will become overcome with an intense hunger," Muka replied. "Eventually, you'll get to the point where you'll attack the first human you encounter. Or, worse."
Faye's eyes widened.
"What could be worse than randomly attacking someone?" she asked.
Muka remained quiet for a moment. Then, she spoke.
"You could become a Crazed Bloodsucker," Muka replied.
***
Back in the library on Military Base 2, Quinn focused his attention on the "Best Standard Intermediate-Tier Gauntlets" in his System's Shop.
As he did, their square became illuminated, and a System message appeared in front of him.
[Would you like to create the Best Standard Intermediate-Tier Gauntlets?
Costs 3 Intermediate-Tier Crystals ]
Quinn's whole body filled with anticipation.
This was it.
'Yes,' Quinn thought.