That torture machine was called "The Imp's Embrace." It split open like a set of heavy doors, from the crown of the head down to the feet.
The device opened to both sides like a twisted, romantic embrace. But once you stepped inside, every part of your body would be pierced without exception—even the most private areas.
There was only one sanctuary: the head.
After finally preparing myself mentally, I stepped inside.
I could hear the terrifying rush of my own blood; my heart was drumming violently against my chest from sheer terror. What made it worse was the anticipation.
Finally, those agonising seconds of waiting ended.
The machine slammed shut and began piercing everything inside it.
Instantaneously, an unbearable pain tore through me.
My body went into immediate shock. A sudden, strange weakness washed over me, a desperate urge to fall asleep and escape.
I began to hallucinate that I was trapped between the jaws of a gargantuan, horrific creature.
The machine left no part of my body untouched.
In a twisted way, it was a relief because I couldn't pinpoint the pain to just one area, but at the same time it threw my system into such severe trauma that I lost all focus.
My entire body was screaming in agony.
There was one specific area in the body that, once pierced, made my lungs contract.
Immediately, my stomach turned, forcing me to vomit everything inside.
I was sobbing and screaming.
My face was a mess of tears and mucus.
I could taste the copper of my own blood from the continuous, high-pitched shrieks.
This lasted for ten minutes—minutes where I prayed for death a thousand times.
Finally, the machine's doors began to creak open.
This was the decisive, most agonising moment.
The pain peaked as all the needles were ripped out at once after they had settled into my flesh.
It was excruciating.
The moment I stumbled out of the machine, I immediately dumped ten raw energy points into my Body stat.
Then, I lost consciousness.
I don't know how much time passed before I finally woke up.
My head was throbbing with a violent headache.
My stomach felt hollow, and a strange sense of disgust washed over me.
My thoughts were a tangled mess.
As soon as I regained my bearings, I rushed toward a strange object that looked like an eraser, sitting on a purple table at the edge of the hall.
I pressed the device against my head and channelled my mana to activate it.
A notification pinged from the System.
Ding!
[Warning...]
[Master, an external force is attempting to access your memory.]
[Defending...]
I cut it off before it could finish.
I can defend against most mental intrusions in the world thanks to my Green Flame, but I didn't want to use it today.
As I ordered the System to stand down, I felt as if things were being stolen from me.
I didn't care.
I was used to this feeling after every regeneration session.
Immediately, I forgot everything I had endured during the torture.
The needles.
The screams.
Everything was gone.
In the end, I only want to develop my regeneration.
Habitualizing pain is impossible.
While I have a high tolerance, it isn't supernatural.
I can endure purposeful torture without deleting my memories, but I do it here for a specific reason.
Simply put, if I lived with those memories, I would go insane within months.
Pain exists for a reason, but over-training it can fry your brain with psychological trauma and delusions.
It would create a permanent phobia of training.
Even the greatest vampire warriors erase their memories after regeneration sessions.
My father was the one who taught me this.
And he was the one who insisted on the deletion.
I left the hall and headed to the dining area.
Every kind of dish was spread across the table, covered and waiting.
There was enough food for four people.
Without any pretence of manners, I began to eat with unparalleled greed.
I ate and ate without stopping.
Once I finished, I drank heavily.
Exhausted both mentally and physically, I went straight to my room and collapsed into sleep.
As usual, for the third night in a row, I faced those same revolting dreams.
I tossed and turned all night.
My body was tense, still reeling from the shock.
Now and then, I would wake up with a sudden jolt of phantom pain, only to find nothing there.
I knew this state well.
It always happened during the days of regeneration training.
After a long, restless sleep, I woke up to a slightly bright world.
I hated that, especially on training days.
We vampires prefer the deep, pitch darkness.
In our layer, there is no true daylight, only a faint glow from the Crimson Moon.
Today, I would have to train in this dim light.
My schedule was focused on Endurance and Speed.
I went to the gym, grabbed some heavy weights, and stood outside the manor.
I planned to reach the mountain range quickly.
I intended to climb it as well, but first I had to get there.
It was far beyond the city limits.
I looked at my body, strapped with heavy weights, and prepared to run.
Like an arrow, I took off.
I ran for nearly six hours straight until I reached the base of the mountain, gasping for air, drenched in sweat despite the chill.
I sat at the foot of the mountain and cooled my body with fluids.
The air was freezing, and a thick fog blanketed the area until I could barely see my own hand.
This was Fog Mountain, also known as the Mountain of Serenity due to its isolation.
The haunting beauty of the place, the silence, and the mist immediately captivated me.
I decided to eat here before the climb.
I used my storage bracelet to pull out a light meal: bread stuffed with meat and vegetables.
After finishing the meal and regaining my energy, I began the ascent.
It was easy at first due to my high strength.
But something unexpected happened.
The weather shifted abruptly, and the temperature plummeted.
The fog thickened.
I didn't notice how dense it had become until three hours into the climb.
I had noticed the weather change from the start, but mountain fluctuations are normal.
As the cold became biting, I pulled heavy clothes and thick gloves from my storage bracelet.
I continued climbing.
An hour later, the weather became unbearable.
I couldn't go back.
And I couldn't move forward.
Time ticked away.
Fifteen minutes later, I finally spotted a cave in the mountainside.
Despite how strange and difficult it was to find, I managed to reach it.
From the outside, the cave was pitch black—a void where nothing could be seen.
I entered cautiously.
With every step, I began to smell a familiar scent...