《I Was Reborn Just To Be Killed?》 Chapter 0. Verdict: Scourge. Chapter 0. Verdict: Scourge. ¡°Huh? Am I dreaming?¡± These clich¨¦ words were the first thing that escaped my mouth once I realized that something was very wrong. I mean, I have had lucid dreams a few times before, but this time, it was different. First, my mind was too clear. I was able to think freely, but more importantly, the feelings of fear and anxiety were too strong, too clearly pronounced for it to be a simple dream. Furthermore, I felt as if I was moving, but all I could see were random flashes of dim, star-like light in the darkness that surrounded me. ¡°Try to think about it calmly.¡± I told myself and tried to recall what was the last thing I could remember. I was in the middle of studying for my third-year midterms¡­ and I fell asleep after putting my head down on the desk? I know I had played games for too long and ended up cramming like crazy for the rest of the night but to think I¡¯d fall asleep! I was so going to be late¡­ but uh, this probably wasn¡¯t what I should be concerned with at the moment, was it? ¡°Did I die?¡± Just as a chill passed through my body at this scary thought, I started feeling dizzy. I couldn¡¯t help but close my eyes as I tried not to fall down. After a moment, I started regaining my senses and tried to open my eyes when an indistinct, angered voice reached my ears. ¡°What are you still standing there for?! Hurry the hell up, can¡¯t you see how many others are waiting behind you?!¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I was so startled that I almost jumped up. With no time to get accustomed to the situation I landed in, the first thing that filled my eyes was the image of an angered middle-aged man who stood beside some weird¡­ object. I couldn¡¯t tell what this thing was, but it was big. In the middle of it, on the floor that looked as if it was made from steel, was what I would describe as a formation array from wuxia novels. What surrounded this array, though, was a mechanic construction that looked very much futuristic, almost sci-fi-like. There was enough space in the front for someone of my height to enter, but the angry man who stood near me would need to crouch heavily to do the same. Now that I thought about it¡­ I was quite short? I raised my hands and looked at them, only to find out that they were small, too. I peeked at my body, then glanced at the man. I was a child, wasn¡¯t I? Judging from my height¡­ was I around seven to nine years old? Hearing some whispering behind me, I turned around and saw an orderly line of at least two hundred children, all of them just around the same height I was. Still, it probably wasn¡¯t the wisest thing to do as I soon got yelled at because of it. ¡°Get in there or I will throw you in myself!¡± The man appeared to be quite an impatient one. However, seeing how red his face became, I didn¡¯t want to test if he was going to keep his word. I swallowed, then with a few unsteady steps, I entered the weird construction. I guessed that I should stand in the middle of the array, so I did just that. While I was listening to the sound of my drumming heartbeat, I saw the metallic construction around me light up with what looked like white stream-like clusters of energy. I didn¡¯t know how, but I could sense a dangerous aura coming from them, so I stood perfectly still, my fists and teeth clenched tight. I saw the white energy fill up the lines of the array formation below my feet, then when all the engraved lines became dazzling white, my vision went blank for a moment. Name: Alexander Age: 8 Level: 1 Class: Soul Devourer (???) (???) (???) ¡°Damn, there¡¯s more and more of them recently¡­¡± As my vision was clearing up, I somehow heard the disappointed words of the middle-aged man from behind me. ¡°Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.¡± The man declared loudly. I frowned a little as I had a hard time coping with what was going on, but soon, one of the women I hadn¡¯t noticed before approached me. Chapter 1. Purgatory (1) Chapter 1. Purgatory (1) I was still in a daze after hearing the man¡¯s words when the long-haired woman walked up and smiled at me with an amiable look on her face. ¡°You¡¯re Alexander, right? Don¡¯t worry, come with me.¡± I looked at her from inside the weird mix of a construction, my mind still somewhat blank. Her smile appeared to be genuine and she even extended her hand towards me encouragingly, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t help but feel distrustful of her. Was it because I had seen far too many people who smiled at me and talked with me nicely only to snicker and scorn me after I was gone? Either that or it was my imagination acting up as admittedly, I wasn¡¯t in the best state of mind at the moment. ¡°Hurry up.¡± The middle-aged man reprimanded me sternly but unlike before, he didn¡¯t yell at me. To the contrary, I noticed that he was looking at me with a sense of pity in his eyes as if he was looking at a poor dog that was deemed too dangerous and was to be put down. Truth to be told, this was the kind of a gaze which I hated being looked at with the most. It always made my insides churn. ¡°Eh, didn¡¯t I already die once? I hope that this time, too, it will be painless.¡± I told myself and walked out of the object, then approached the smiling long-haired woman. My legs felt weak and I could tell that I was trembling slightly, while my face was undoubtedly pale-white. Yeah, no matter how I reassured myself, it still was scary to think about dying. Yet, when I looked up, my thoughts wandered in somewhat different of a way, thus allowing me to calm down. By the looks of it, both the woman and the middle-aged man were surprised. I wondered if it was because I didn¡¯t panic entirely nor did I start crying, and when I thought so, I started feeling better about myself. I knew it was stupid since I was actually a twenty-three years old man at heart while the one they were impressed with was the me in the body of an eight-year-old, but I didn¡¯t care. At the very least, those silly thoughts allowed me to stop shaking like a scared puppy. ¡°Come, we will wait to the side.¡± The woman spoke to me gently. I wondered, was there a point to be nice to someone who was about to be killed? Why was she even there? ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything to you and if you have any questions, I¡¯ll do my best to answer them.¡± Ah. By the looks of it, I wouldn¡¯t be kept in the dark at least. I nodded and after a second or two, I followed behind the woman. It wasn¡¯t really my intention, but as I walked, I saw the petrified expressions on the faces of the two hundred plus kids who were waiting in the line. Maybe I was a bad person, but that sight calmed me down further. Knowing that I wasn¡¯t the only one afraid was soothing in the weirdest of ways. ¡°First, let me ask you.¡± The woman brought up the moment we found ourselves in a dim-lit corner of the hall. ¡°Have you learned anything about the Scourge Class?¡± That was probably something they were required to ask everyone, or so I thought. However, even if it was a common knowledge in this world, I had no idea what being a Scourge Class entailed, so I shook my head in response. Contrary to my expectations, the woman didn¡¯t look surprised this time and started explaining with that standard, amiable smile of hers. ¡°They really didn¡¯t pay much mind to your education back at the orphanage, huh?¡± Huh, so it looked like I was actually an orphan in this world? I felt bad and good about it at the same time. Still, knowing that I wouldn¡¯t be worrying or causing trouble to anyone was a relief in its own way. ¡°Then let me tell you that despite what Ulm said, it¡¯s wrong to say that you will be disposed of.¡± Oh? That certainly piqued my interest. ¡°You will be detained with the other kids who were misfortunate enough to awaken a Scourge Class and you¡¯re going to be rehabilitated.¡± ¡°The place you will be going to might have a scary name, Purgatory, but it¡¯s for your own good. Isn¡¯t it better than if you lost control and hurt people around you?¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t think about it too much. Just give your best once you are there and enjoy every day to its fullest.¡± Mhm, that definitely didn¡¯t sound like the death sentence I imagined. However, I wasn¡¯t a kid, so before I rejoiced, I looked the woman in the eye and asked. ¡°How many people are rehabilitated there? Is it hard?¡± I didn¡¯t do it quite on purpose, but I guess I got used to asking questions with similar wording to the ones used to describe something to me. Was it because my mom used to accuse me of not listening if I replied with simple ¡®yes¡¯, ¡®yeah¡¯ or with a simple nod? I had such silly and relaxed thoughts since the smile didn¡¯t disappear from the woman¡¯s face even after I asked what I did, but her answer stunned me. ¡°I guess you are thinking about it in a little wrong of a way, Alexander. You see, full rehabilitation of a Scourge Class is impossible. That¡¯s why certain Classes were verified as Scourge-type, you know?¡± ¡°You were really unlucky, but there¡¯s nothing anyone can do about it. So, the best advice I can offer you is to try and enjoy yourself as much as possible.¡± Okay, this was getting progressively worse the more I learned about what awaited me. I had a feeling I would regret it, but I asked one more question regardless. ¡°Is this Purgatory really not a bad place? How long can people verified as a Scourge Class live there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good place for those verified as a Scourge-Class. On average, they can live there for about three years I suppose? Still, it¡¯s longer than you¡¯d be able to live on the outside.¡± ¡°As for how long you will live exactly, it depends on the type of your Class, but sooner or later every Scourge-Class goes out of control and either self-destructs or attacks everyone around them and gets killed. There¡¯s no helping it, so as I said, you should do your best to enjoy the time you have left.¡± ¡­ that¡¯s it. This woman wasn¡¯t good at her job at all! Wasn¡¯t she supposed to reassure the kids who were undergoing the mental trauma of being declared a Scourge Class? If I wasn¡¯t an adult, I would have broken down and started crying immediately! Hell, I feel like crying even now! My last hope was that my Class was one of those that allowed you to live longer. Also, she didn¡¯t really answer whether the Purgatory was a good or a bad place, did she? She just dodged the question. I could pester her about it, but I didn¡¯t feel like doing that. I will learn once I arrive there anyway¡­ and I had a feeling that the longer I didn¡¯t know, the happier I would be. After I decided to stop talking and fell silent, I noticed that the woman was glancing at me curiously. Was she surprised that I wasn¡¯t making a fuss? It was likely just that, since after seeing me look up at her she smiled at me, nodded and looked away. Hrm, maybe her job wasn¡¯t to console the unlucky kids, but to explain the basics to them and if necessary, keep them under control? I mean, I was in a world where both array formations and sci-fi-like technology coexisted, so even though this woman looked weak and fragile, she could very well be capable of snapping my eight years old body in a half with a flick of her finger. Suddenly, I started feeling even better about my choice not to stubbornly ask her about the Purgatory. ¡°Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.¡± The sentence wasn¡¯t all that loud, but the familiar words spoken by the middle-aged man drew my attention. I wasn¡¯t the only one, huh? Ah, the boy inside that machine started screaming and thrashing about. After a few more seconds, he ran out of that thing, ran past the middle-aged man and started escaping, The man didn¡¯t even try to stop him¡­ the kid is dashing past the rest of the boys and girls¡­ huh? The slight movement in the corner of my eye, akin to a cluster of moving shadows, drew my attention so I turned my head to the left. ¡°Weren¡¯t there two women a second ago?¡± I asked myself, but a dull thud of a body falling down made me look back in the direction of the kid. I saw the boy fall on his butt and roll over on his back; it looked like he had been pushed by something or as if he had crashed against a spongy, invisible wall and ended up blown away. However, when the kid rolled on his side and grabbed his stomach with both of his hands, then started coughing, what must have happened became clear, especially with the figure of a short-haired woman standing near him. ¡°That was the first warning.¡± ¡°If you cause a disturbance again, you will be punished more harshly.¡± ¡°The third time, you will be killed.¡± The cold words of the woman disillusioned me whether I liked it or not. The woman who was ¡®taking care¡¯ of me was nice, but that was definitely only because I didn¡¯t attempt to do anything stupid and didn¡¯t make much of a scene. This other boy was less lucky; he wasn¡¯t able to keep his composure and now, was lying on the cold floor while struggling to breathe and coughing up blood. The ¡®Scourge Class¡¯¡­ no wonder. From the moment we were found out to be of that Class, it was just like that middle-aged man said, we became disposable.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Well, at least they aren¡¯t killing us immediately.¡± I told myself so in order to keep my nerves under control. My current goal should probably be to enjoy the rest of my life as best as I could as that woman said¡­ only, I was having serious trouble believing that a place called Purgatory was a geriatric resort for the Scourge-Class children. It would be great if the Purgatory turned out to be a comfortable place where, within reasonable limits, we could play games or do whatever for as long as we had left, but I doubted the reality was as nice. After this small incident, the testing proceeded without further emergencies. The boy who had been hit in the stomach was brought over by the short-haired woman, but unlike me, he didn¡¯t ask any questions. When I glanced at him, I noticed that his eyes were like those of a dead fish; lifeless and without any hope. I felt bad for him, but I wasn¡¯t about to risk walking up to him to chat in my fear of offending one of those three women. What could I say? I might be an adult at heart, but I was as scared of pain and death as anyone else. With nothing better to do, I focused on listening to the words the middle-aged man would occasionally speak. ¡°Class: Guardian.¡± ¡°Class: Higher Vampire. Aren¡¯t you a lucky one?¡± ¡°Class: Flamelord.¡± ¡°Class: Soul Master of Ultimate Ice. Congratulations.¡± ¡°Class: Qi Master.¡± ¡°Class: Technomancer. Remember to stop by the office later with your parents." ¡°Class: Divine Archer. Congratulations.¡± ¡°Class: Cultivator. Work hard.¡± ¡°Class: Lower Soul Master.¡± ¡°Class: Elementalist. Congratulations.¡± The more I listened, the more curious I became. I already guessed that this world was a strange one where things like cultivation and technology coexisted, but judging from the Classes those kids were awakening, I could see that it wasn¡¯t limited to just that. There were some typical Classes among them, but at the same time, there were some very unique ones. For one instance, there were at least two or three ones that I could connect with the stories I had read in the past. I enjoyed those novels greatly, so my memory of them wasn¡¯t vague at all. Had I been the one who awakened such a Class, then my life here would be simple given the cheat-like knowledge I had. Alas¡­ ¡°Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.¡± Oh, this time it was a girl. I wondered what Class she had to be declared as Scourge? And what was the Class of that boy¡¯s from before? I remember seeing that my Class was named Soul Devourer, but where the rest of the information should have been were only rows of question marks. Was it because of that machine-like thing wasn¡¯t strong enough to read that deep into one¡¯s potential or was it because Scourge Classes naturally obstructed any deep intrusions? Seeing that the third of the women proceeded to lead the girl over without any further trouble, I once again lost myself in my own thoughts. The Classes from this world were so novel-like and so familiar to me¡­ I would feel stupid if I tried and nothing happened, but I still closed my eyes and thought silently. ¡°Character Widow.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I felt my cheeks blushing from embarrassment as seconds passed and nothing appeared before my eyes. Was it stupid to feel embarrassed when I should be so nervous about going to that place called Purgatory? Perhaps, but in my opinion, it was better not to worry about things you couldn¡¯t do anything about. Anyway, I wasn¡¯t about to give up so easily. I concentrated on the ¡®me within¡¯ or whatever could it be. Weirdly enough, I actually felt something there, something that wasn¡¯t present when I did the same silly things back in my past life. I tried reaching out to it and the moment I grabbed ahold of that thing with my mind, something showed up before my closed eyes. Name: Alexander Age: 8 Level: 1 Race: Human Class: Soul Devourer (???) (???) (???) ¡­ It looked like the only new thing I could confirm was that I was still a human. On the side note, the number of question marks didn¡¯t decrease even though one more line of information was revealed to me. Did it mean that there were multiple batches of information still waiting to be discovered? ¡°Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.¡± I opened my eyes the moment I heard the already scarily-familiar phrase being spoken. Once again, the one with a Scourge Class was a boy, so as far as the ratio went it was 3:1. However, most of the kids had been tested by this point, so I doubted that anything would change unless someone was really unlucky. After all, out of two hundred plus kids, only four had the misfortune to turn out to be a Scourge Class. ¡°So they take turns.¡± I thought to myself when the long-haired woman by my side headed towards the machine and promptly brought the boy over. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to how the other two kids looked, but I couldn¡¯t help noticing how the originally medium-long, blond hair of that boy was growing a few blood-red strands here and there. Was this the result of his Class? So, that machine didn¡¯t just read one¡¯s innate Class but also helped him awaken his abilities? Just like the other two kids, the golden-haired boy didn¡¯t ask any question either. The knowledge of what happens to one once he is deemed a Scourge Class should be common knowledge in this world, so I no longer pondered too much over this matter. Coincidentally, just a moment later, the last of the kids was tested and as I expected, the boy wasn¡¯t in the unlucky group. ¡°Liana, we are leaving them with you.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go drinking once you¡¯ve delivered them to the Purgatory~¡± The short-haired woman declared simply, while the other long-haired one spoke with a smile. Then, the two of them led the entire group of two hundred plus kids out of the hall. On the side note, the middle-aged man left as the last one, though it probably wasn¡¯t anything important to take notice of. ¡°Stay where you are. We will leave once everything on the outside has calmed down.¡± The long-haired woman said with a slight smile. I nodded, causing her smile to grow a little wider. The other three kids, however, didn¡¯t react in any way, looking thoroughly dejected. The woman didn¡¯t pay much attention to any of us though as she retreated to under the wall and leaned against it. She crossed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes, looking as if she was intending to take a nap. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a while then, huh.¡± I thought to myself. I knew I had a habit of speaking some of my thoughts out loud, but given the situation, I consciously stopped it from acting up. ¡°What do I do?¡± I couldn¡¯t quite decide what I wanted to do. I could sit down somewhere and rest, but that seemed like a huge waste of time. I was in a tight spot, but I had been transported¡­ or rather, most likely reincarnated into a different world with magic and cultivation. Wasn¡¯t that what I always dreamed of? Maybe I would kick the bucket soon, but I wasn¡¯t planning to spend those days depressed and weeping into a pillow. Hrm. Maybe this woman was better at her job than I gave her credit to. Definitely, I preferred her blunt attitude compared to fake sympathy and lies about how everything was going to be all right. What she said about focusing on having a good time, it was just the right advice for the spot we had found ourselves in. That being said¡­ ¡°Hrm, his hair isn¡¯t turning blood-red anymore? Only four or five strands changed, huh. I wonder what Class does he have?¡± Since the last boy was also brought over by the same long-haired woman, I was naturally a bit more curious about him. Moreover, he was standing quite close to me, unlike the other two who were keeping their distance. The boy was clenching his hands and looking down at his feet, so I could observe him for a bit without making it awkward. Now that I took a better look, the kid was certainly the type to grow to be extremely handsome. I bet he would have already been very popular in the elementary school had he attended one in my old world. His clothes also appeared to be of much higher quality than the ones I was wearing, though they weren¡¯t all that extravagant. My best guess would be that the boy¡¯s parents were nobles or were very rich if I were to judge them by a fantasy world''s standards. ¡°He started trembling.¡± I mused a bit helplessly. I had been shaking quite badly too, but I have had more than enough time to compose myself. And well, I wasn¡¯t really an eight-year-old like him. ¡°It really must suck for those three. I at least had a pleasant twenty-three years of my life before, but to them, their lives were only starting and now, they are over.¡± I sighed quietly. I wasn¡¯t the most social or empathetic person, but for some reason, I just couldn¡¯t bear to stand there and do nothing while this blonde kid was shaking all over. He was clenching his fists so hard that his fingers had gone white, too. However, what should I do? Try talking to him? Would that even work? What would I say to begin with? To be honest, I had no idea what to do. I pondered over this problem for a moment before coming to a conclusion¡­ or rather, before I stopped trying to reach any kind of a sensible conclusion. Was it because I gave up on thinking or was it because my mind became more child-like once I found myself in the body of an eight-year-old me? Once I stopped trying to plan out what I would say and do, I simply approached the golden-haired boy. He didn¡¯t seem to notice me though, so without thinking, I reached out with my hand and held him by the wrist. This instantly caused the boy to snap out of his thoughts as he raised his head and looked at me in confusion and shock. ¡°Yo, calmed down a little?¡± I asked with a smile, looking the boy in the eye. By the way, his eyes were azure-blue and seemed to be shining almost like precious diamonds. In my world, I¡¯ve only seen eyes like that in people who liked to wear contact lenses, so I naturally took notice of it. Still, the glittering part might be due to the tears that gathered in the boy¡¯s eyes, but they looked amazing regardless. Yup, just like I had thought, this kid would have surely been a popular one anywhere he went. The golden-haired boy looked at me for a moment, his expression frozen. Was he that startled? Still, I could feel that his body relaxed a little and stopped shaking. The fist I was holding onto loosened a little, allowing my hand to sink into a somewhat awkward half-handshake position. I wanted to reassure the boy in some way, but to my surprise, he suddenly tore his hand away from mine, then shakily took a few steps back. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± He yelled at me, making me worry if the long-haired woman wasn¡¯t going to get angry. I didn¡¯t want to be hit, but at the same time, I pushed those worries away and focused on the matter at hand. ¡®Don¡¯t touch me¡¯, eh? At first, the idea that he didn¡¯t want to be touched by someone of low birth crossed my mind, but once I realized that he had a terrified look on his face, I understood that it wasn¡¯t it. ¡°Why?¡± I asked straightforwardly. I kind of had a hunch that there was no point in overcomplicating our conversation at this point. ¡°Because¡­¡± A flustered look flashed past the boy¡¯s face, but he closed his mouth as if he changed his mind about what to say. ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s dangerous? Just don¡¯t touch me.¡± In the end, he still snarled back at me, but I could tell that he didn¡¯t mean it in a bad way. He really appeared to be worried that he was going to do something to me. ¡°Is it because of your Class?¡± I asked with a playful, slightly sarcastic smile. My attitude must have shocked the boy as he looked at me as if I was crazy. I didn¡¯t mind though. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all in the same spot? What¡¯s the point in being scared of each other?¡± I asked innocently. Logically speaking, there were many reasons to be wary of one another, but what was logical about this situation we had found ourselves in? The ridiculous question appeared to have thrown the golden-haired boy off, too. He stared at me for a few seconds, speechless, before speaking up in a self-mocking, dejected tone. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being scared? What if I told you that my Class is a Blood Thrall, eh? Are you still not scared to touch me?¡± Whoa. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but this Class was probably quite frightening as the other two kids, who until now had been listening in without a word, showed horrified expressions and edged backward by a few meters. The golden-haired boy didn¡¯t fail to notice it either; he snorted and looked back at me, seemingly waiting for me to do the same. Still, despite the way this kid acted, I could see that he was scared and confused. I knew those emotions all too well as I had spent most of my early childhood school years alone, without ever playing with the other kids in my class. I was nervous to speak to them since I was scared of being rejected and because of it, whenever one of them approached me and tried to have a chat, I would tell them to go away and while refusing to listen to what they were saying. It was stupid, but I guess I was more scared of being rejected than of staying alone. ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡± I said with a smile and soon, saw the eyes of the golden-haired boy widen. I chuckled a little and walked up to him, then grabbed his right hand in the same way I did before. The boy was so startled, though, that he didn¡¯t resist and allowed me to raise his hand up in a clumsy handshake. ¡°I¡¯m Alexander. I hope we get along.¡± I said lightheartedly. Blood Thrall? He was probably the lowest-ranked kind of a vampire based on the settings from various stories I remembered. His fate wasn¡¯t an enviable one and he could potentially turn anyone he bit into another Blood Thrall, but I didn¡¯t care. Wasn¡¯t I something called a Soul Devourer? We were all freaks here, so I intended to follow my new mantra. Do my best and enjoy every day to its fullest. ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Michael.¡± The golden-haired boy replied after a few seconds. I chuckled again and gave him an amused smile and finally, I received a slight smile in response. Chapter 2. Purgatory (2) Chapter 2. Purgatory (2) After I let go of Michael¡¯s hand, I glanced at the other two kids. The two of them looked no less scared than before, but I could somehow tell that their eyes came alive if ever so slightly. I was a little surprised with myself for being able to see such little details as I used to be quite an awkward person. Was it because I was now properly looking at other people¡¯s faces and into their eyes that I could see more? Or was it because in this body and in this world, I was better at telling emotions apart? ¡°What¡¯s your Class?¡± Michael asked me once he also took a look at the other two. Unlike me, it looked like he wrote them off and wasn¡¯t about to bother with them at all. ¡°Something called Soul Devourer.¡± I replied with a troubled smile and habitually, scratched the back of my head. It was something I always did when I was embarrassed, so it stuck with me even here. Oh, by the way, I had dark-brown, almost black hair and eyes of the same color. As an adult, I used to be average-looking before I got lazy and accumulated some unnecessary fat on my stomach. However, since my mom had many pictures of me as a kid, I knew that I used to be fairly good looking back then. I couldn¡¯t be compared to a handsome guy like the one in front of me, but I wasn¡¯t unpleasant to look at. ¡°Rare Class.¡± Michael muttered. He appeared to be lost in thoughts for a moment, but when he saw me tilt my head with a questioning look on my face, he explained. ¡°There are some Scourge Classes that aren¡¯t too well-known. There is little information about them, so even families like mine weren¡¯t able to gather much.¡± ¡°All I can tell you is that from what I know, you will experience hunger much like I will.¡± Having mentioned that, Michael sent me a wry smile before saying a few words more. ¡°In my case, I will hunger over blood¡­ in your case, you will hunger over soul. Both of us are going to get worse as the time goes, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°We¡¯re both going to go insane sooner or later, heh. We¡¯re a good match for friends in that sense.¡± Both of us laughed a little once Michael finished speaking. Going mad from hunger, this wasn¡¯t something I looked forward to. If my Class worked the same as his, then giving in to the desire wouldn¡¯t help but instead, would escalate the deterioration of the mind. Of course, this was an assumption I made from my own knowledge, but I was assuming that this new world was similar to those from the novels and stories from my old world. As for the details, I was sure I would be able to learn about them as the time went. ¡°Maybe we won¡¯t.¡± I said half-intentionally. I wasn¡¯t planning to sound overly optimistic from the beginning, but since I already caused Michael to frown at me, I guessed that I could as well explain myself too. ¡°Aren¡¯t there countless ways for someone to grow stronger? Who knows if we won¡¯t be able to survive if we train diligently and have some luck.¡± At first, it looked like Michael was about to get angry with me, but after a few seconds of battling his own thoughts he sighed and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are courageous or stupid, but fine. I¡¯ll go along with that. It¡¯s better than giving up.¡± I was impressed. Somehow, the scared kid from a few minutes ago turned into a smiling noble-looking youth. It was true that children were very good at adapting to new circumstances, eh? Anyway, I was glad that I was able to help him out and hopefully, make friends with him. However, just as I was in this self-congratulatory mood, Michael¡¯s smile suddenly disappeared. He shut his eyes, his body tensed up, and his face turned red in a matter of seconds. I saw him grit his teeth, looking as if he was holding himself back. His lips soon started bleeding and it didn¡¯t take me long to notice why; the two fangs that started growing in pierced through the delicate flesh. This worrying ¡®attack¡¯ continued for a few more seconds before Michael relaxed and started taking deep breaths. There were drops of sweat flowing down his face, but it looked like he was better. "Was it a hunger attack? So soon?" I wondered silently, but I didn¡¯t voice my worries aloud. After all, if those attacks were starting that early for someone with a Blood Thrall Class, then it bode no good news. ¡°Shit.¡± Michael cursed in a manner very unlike his polite, adult-like speech from before. He then smirked helplessly and looked at me, though he did raise his eyebrows when he heard me whistle quietly. ¡°Your eyes.¡± I said with a smile and took two steps forward, wanting to take a better look. I¡¯ve never seen eyes like that before, so I couldn¡¯t help myself. ¡°They turned bright red¡­ crimson was the word? They are shining too, even more than when they were blue.¡± For some reason, Michael took a step back. Was it my imagination or did his face turn redder again? I could understand if he had gotten worried that he¡¯s changing into a Blood Thrall, but it looked like he was concerned about something else. Could it be that despite the way he acted, he didn¡¯t have any friends and was socially awkward, just like I used to be? So just me getting closer embarrassed him? ¡°At least you got something nice out of today¡¯s crap. Your eyes look amazing and those red strands in your hair are cool too.¡± I said merrily, wanting to uplift Michael¡¯s spirits. The result I got was him sweeping his hand through his hair to take a look if there really were bits of red there, only to then shake his head and laugh helplessly. I didn¡¯t know what he was thinking, but he was smiling again, so I assumed it was all good. ¡°I guess so.¡± Michael said in a low voice and looked somewhere to the side. Heh, he really was flustered. I decided that once an opportunity arrived, I would ask him to tell me more about his life. I was positive that he was a child of a noble family, so it was bound to be interesting in a way. I wasn¡¯t aware, though, that by this point the other two kids were convinced that there was something very wrong with my head. Even the long-haired woman opened her eyes and was looking at me attentively. Standing close to a Blood Thrall undergoing a hunger attack wasn¡¯t something anyone would do willingly. Even those who were strong enough to fight the Blood Thrall off wouldn¡¯t be willing to take the risk, so it really wasn¡¯t a surprise that those three thought about me in this way. ¡°What about you guys? What Class are you¡± I called out to the boy and girl who were keeping their distance. However, I didn¡¯t receive a response despite waiting for a few good seconds. ¡°Since we¡¯re in this together, we should try to help each other.¡± I attempted to persuade them, but when I saw the distrustful and reluctant looks on their faces, I changed my approach. ¡°Well, we should at least not get in each other¡¯s way, right? It will be easier for you guys too.¡± This seemed to have convinced them. Although those two didn¡¯t talk with each other before, they exchanged a look before replying to me. Did my actions accidentally create two ¡®teams¡¯ in our little group of four? Well, not that I minded as long as they weren¡¯t trying to kill me. ¡°I¡¯m an Ifrit.¡± The boy informed in an emotionless tone. ¡°I¡¯m a Primal Werewolf.¡± The girl said with a snort. The name of this Class wasn¡¯t all that clear to me, but Michael and that other boy seemed surprised. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡± The girl asked haughtily. She must have noticed that I was more confused rather than shocked, huh? ¡°Werewolves suffer from the opposite problem than Vampires. Your friend is screwed because his bloodline is way too impure, while my bloodline is too pure.¡± ¡°I will grow incredibly strong, but I will quickly turn into a mindless monster. Just like you two and just like him.¡± She declared coldly and swept the three of us with a presumptuous gaze. ¡°So you gave up?¡± I asked, unbothered by her attitude. The girl didn¡¯t seem to appreciate my honest attempt to make friends though as she continued in the same arrogant tone. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m only being realistic. There had been no one in our family who retained their mind after awakening as a Primal Werewolf in the past ten thousand years.¡± I wondered if she knew that she was contradicting herself, but I couldn¡¯t be bothered to point it out. Well, now I knew that it was best not to make enemies out of her, so I was satisfied enough. ¡°Oi.¡± Yet, the moment I shrugged my shoulders and turned my eyes away, I heard the girl¡¯s angry voice. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get involved with you two, but I give you my word that I won¡¯t cause you trouble. So, promise me the same.¡± Hrm? I didn¡¯t like the way she said that, but it was a reasonable agreement. The only thing was, I didn¡¯t understand why someone as haughty as her suddenly changed their mind. She herself said that Michael wasn¡¯t particularly strong in terms of potential, but maybe she was scared that she would be bitten by him in a fight and would go mad all that much faster?This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Not him, you.¡± The girl commented impatiently. I had glanced at Michael a second ago, but what did she mean by that? ¡°You really know nothing. A Vampire can¡¯t turn a Werewolf to begin with, not to mention with our difference in bloodline strength. You, on the other hand, are bad news.¡± As annoying as she was being, she piqued my curiosity. If I could learn something about my Class, then I would welcome the opportunity with open arms. ¡°Why?¡± I asked, seeing as she was waiting for me to follow up on our little conversation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I only intend to worry about those who can harm me since I¡¯m not planning to die. This guy won¡¯t be able to do anything to me, but we Werewolves were always weak against soul-based attacks. So, you are dangerous.¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself and smiled when I heard the girl say so. She really was a kid, huh? She was treating us as enemies but she still told us her greatest weakness¡­ but when I thought about it more, wasn¡¯t this perhaps another piece of common knowledge in this world? ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°What about you, will you join too?¡± The girl snorted at me and turned to the guy who claimed his Class to be Ifrit. If I recalled, Ifrit was a powerful fire-element spirit that sowed destruction everywhere he went. If this boy¡¯s potential was the same as of those spirits I knew from the novels, then he indeed was extremely dangerous. ¡°Why not.¡± The boy wasn¡¯t as talkative as the girl, but it was probably for the better. ¡°Fine.¡± Once again, the girl took the lead. She was probably used to being in the center of attention, eh? ¡°I give my word that as long as you three don¡¯t act to harm me, I won¡¯t harm you either.¡± She said quite eloquently. It looked like with all the flaws of character which she had, she had still been taught basic etiquette by her clan. ¡°Same.¡± The Ifrit boy, on the other hand, acted in the exact opposite manner. I could see that it angered the girl, but she didn¡¯t comment on it for some reason. ¡°Mm, I promise too.¡± ¡°And I promise too.¡± I said with a friendly smile, after what Michael did the same. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but I was happy with what I could get. The Purgatory or whatever, I was planning to survive through it and this little agreement was the first step toward it. Well, maybe a second if getting on good terms with Michael was to be considered a step toward that goal, too. I was feeling happy, but the next second I almost jumped up. All of the sudden, the entire hall shook in its foundations while at the same time, a sound similar to compressed air exploding reached our ears. The four of us were startled, but to our surprise, the long-haired woman spoke up in order to calm us down. ¡°Someone appears to be causing trouble. It happens from time to time when a family can¡¯t accept that their kid will be taken to the Purgatory.¡± So that was why we were made to wait here? That and the fact that most of our Scourge Classes appeared to have problems with mental stability, so having us see happy kids and potentially our parents or caretakers probably wasn¡¯t the best of ideas. As I was thinking so, a few more explosions resounded before the sounds of battle died down. I wondered which family was it that couldn¡¯t stop themselves from acting up, but when I noticed the troubled look on the girl¡¯s face, I had a safe guess. ¡°How are you two called?¡± I asked, partially to change the mood and partially for the sake of convenience. After all, it would be easier to call them by their names instead of ¡®that Werewolf girl¡¯ and ¡®that Ifrit guy¡¯. ¡°Why would I need to tell you my name?¡± I suppressed a sigh when the girl responded in the way I feared she would. This pride of hers really was annoying. ¡°I¡¯m Anak.¡± On the other hand, the Ifrit-boy introduced himself briefly and without any qualms. He appeared to be an unsociable one, but I preferred him over this girl. Still, with the three of us glancing at her, the little miss gave up and revealed her name. ¡°I¡¯m Marie. You better remember it.¡± Unable to hold myself back any longer, I rolled my eyes. It used to be fun reading about this trope of character when I was a teenager, but actually dealing with it was a pain in the ass. I sincerely hoped that an event that would cause this girl to pipe down would pop up sooner rather than later. ¡°Um.¡± I wasn¡¯t really sure if it was okay, but I looked at the long-haired woman and spoke up regardless. ¡°How much longer do you think it will take?¡± The long-haired woman smiled at me, causing me to secretly sigh with relief. It was still fine to ask questions or so it seemed. Moreover, was it my imagination or was her smile more genuine than the one she had shown me in the beginning? ¡°About ten minutes.¡± I nodded in response, then encouraged by the way she responded, decided to ask one more question. ¡°Can you give us any advice? How can we survive in the Purgatory?¡± I didn¡¯t forget how she dodged the question about the Purgatory before, so I trod carefully with my words. ¡°Don¡¯t make enemies.¡± It was a bit too simplistic for my liking, but it was better than nothing. However, to my surprise, the woman continued. ¡°As for the other half, you are already doing it.¡± I raised my eyebrows at first but laughed a little right afterward. Did she mean making allies? I was happy that I was going the right way. It was a bit regrettable that I didn¡¯t learn any details, but once again, I was satisfied with what I got. ¡°I¡¯m going to rest for a bit.¡± I told Michael and walked up to the wall, then sat down and rested my back against it. I was planning to spend those ten minutes trying to meditate. I couldn¡¯t know if I would have any peaceful time later, so I was planning to find out the extent of my abilities as soon as possible. After all, even though I was acting calm, I was anxious deep inside. Would I be able to prevent myself from going mad or would I end up as a mindless monstrosity? Stressing over this scary prospect more than needed wasn¡¯t the greatest of ideas, but getting too relaxed wasn¡¯t good either, or so I reminded myself. As I was collecting my thoughts, I heard someone walk up to me and sit down close to my right. I opened my eyes for a bit and as expected, I saw Michael. I smiled to myself, then got right back to calming my mind. The ten minutes we had would undoubtedly pass in the blink of an eye. --- ¡°What a ridiculous day.¡± Michael murmured soundlessly. Without a doubt, it was the worst day of his life. He had been worrying about the possibility of his Class being weak, but he hadn¡¯t thought that he would turn out to be a Blood Thrall, a Scourge Class. A Lower Vampire could still train hard and even had the option of taking in the blood of a higher-ranked Vampire in order to strengthen his abilities and potential, but a Blood Thrall wasn¡¯t so lucky. Maybe one in twenty thousand children born in their large family would be a Blood Thrall and that most often happened when the kid¡¯s parents were both Lower Vampires of when they were of mixed blood. For him, whose parents were both regular Vampires, becoming a Blood Thrall should have been impossible, but it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t deny reality. Just thinking about what his parents would feel once their learned of this news had been making him feel sick, and it still was, but not to the same degree. His life was over, he had thought. He had been ready to give up on everything, but then this strange kid approached him. The kid, Alexander, appeared ridiculous to him at first, but then the boy impressed him time after time. What still came as hard to believe for him was how Alexander seemed not to be scared of him at all despite knowing that he was a Blood Thrall. Even when he felt the hunger flare up within him, Alexander hadn¡¯t backed off or showed fear¡­ but to begin with¡­ ¡°Stupid.¡± Michael shook his head strongly, his face blushing quite badly. How could he not know what caused his hunger to act up? That on itself was embarrassing enough, but then he had even gotten all flustered in front of Alexander after the boy complimented him with that carefree smile on his face! It was both embarrassing and infuriating at the same time. ¡°We¡¯re going to survive the Purgatory.¡± He told himself in order to bring his thoughts back onto a less shameful track. ¡°Then, we will find a way to deal with our Classes and we will live on.¡± He reaffirmed his conviction, though right after he did so, his thoughts made the full circle and returned to the original topic. It was this fearless and friendly kid whom he had met but a dozen minutes ago who convinced him not to give up. For someone who looked like a commoner to influence a noble so easily¡­ he was grateful, but the awareness pecked at his pride a little. ¡°If we live, we live. If we die, we die.¡± ¡°For now, I might as well do everything I can to live.¡± He mused, then once his mind calmed down to an acceptable level, he attempted to cultivate his bloodline. Common sense dictated that he wouldn¡¯t be able to attempt Blood Refinement or Blood Circulation as a Blood Thrall, but he intended to find a way around it. He would either find a way to control the impure bloodline of his and employ his family¡¯s techniques or if that wouldn¡¯t work, he would create his own bloodline arts or look for yet another way to live on. He knew that countless Vampire Families had spent a considerable amount of time and resources in order to cure the Blood Thralls and yet, they had all failed without exception. He understood that he didn¡¯t have good chances of success by any means, but he was now of the mind that it was better to try than to give up. Perhaps his mindset would change once his hunger started flaring up more often and with greater strength, but he didn¡¯t want to think about it at this moment. Thus, he calmed his breathing and slowly sank into a meditative trance. -- The long-haired woman, Liana, stood by the wall without moving. She appeared to be killing time and she had been indeed doing so until something drew her attention. Her Class was a Cultivator and her specialty were Shadow Arts. She was at the early Core Formation Stage, so she could be considered to be amongst the upper echelon in the galaxy as far as battle prowess went. She wasn¡¯t amongst the very strongest, but she wasn¡¯t mediocre either. What was relevant at this time, however, was how acute her senses were. Not all Classes possessed the ability to use things like Aura or Spiritual Sense, but Cultivators were easily capable of that. She hadn¡¯t really been paying much attention, but at one point she felt the soul energy in the air stir up around that dark-haired kid. That alone startled her enough, but she then felt fluctuations of bloodline energy from the golden-haired kid, too! In both cases, it was a confirmation that the boys successfully entered the meditative state which most Classes used to improve their abilities. On its own, that wouldn¡¯t have been too surprising, much less shocking. Those of Scourge Classes more often than not weren¡¯t deficient in terms of strength and battle potential. On the contrary, in most cases, they were superior to the majority of normal Classes. However, entering the ideal training state that allowed one to rouse the energies they were compatible with required a tranquil state of mind. For kids who had just been declared to be disposable to accomplish that¡­ it was unthinkable. She shuddered to think what kind of potential those boys would have displayed had they awakened some of the common Classes. A pity, she thought, that the world was robbed or two geniuses just because of a stroke of misfortune. That black-haired boy seemed like quite a nice kid too when he interacted with her and when she watched him interact with the other children. Alas, no matter how much of a pity she felt, there wasn¡¯t anything she could do to help those two. ¡°Well, nothing all too meaningful at least.¡± She corrected herself, then stepped from one leg to the other, making herself comfortable while leaning against the wall. --- I had always wondered how it would feel to meditate, but now that I finally managed to accomplish this feat, I was unnaturally calm. I expected to have some kind of trouble once I tried to resonate with my inner energy, which wasn¡¯t all that hard to find, but no such a thing happened. Was it because my Class, Soul Devourer, had only awakened an hour ago or so or was it because the Class had no energy-control issues? I already learned that my main problem would be controlling my hunger, the so-called desire to devour souls, but I was yet to experience it. I could guess that giving in to this hunger and just eating my fill wasn¡¯t a way for me to save myself; this world was surely also full of people who needed to be killed, so otherwise there would have been no need to waste a perfect weapon like a Soul Devourer. ¡°I¡¯ll ask about it and confirm it later.¡± The half-conscious thought crossed my mind. I didn¡¯t want to screw myself over by making too many assumptions. Regardless, I smoothened my mind up once again and focused on the pleasant sensation that was surrounding me from every side. If I were to explain how it felt in words, it was akin to being submerged in a giant pool filled to the brim with body-temperature milk. Well, maybe it wasn¡¯t the best metaphor, but it was the closest thing that came to my mind. At first, all I could tell was that this pleasant sea of milk filled me both from inside and from outside. I was sure that I wouldn¡¯t be able to discover anything else since those brief ten minutes were bound to pass quickly, but to my surprise, my training wasn¡¯t interrupted. For a second I worried if I wasn¡¯t causing trouble, but I could tell that my senses weren¡¯t cut-off. I would have heard if anyone said anything to me so since I didn¡¯t, I stopped worrying about it and kept going as I was. I wasn¡¯t sure how much time passed, but at one point I started ¡®feeling¡¯ something in that sea of milk. It was a weird sensation, one that was akin to touching something without actually doing so with your body. However, I could feel one such presence right next to me and two of them further away. I had a blurry idea that the milk in one other place was somewhat distorted, too, but I couldn¡¯t quite make anything out in that space. To compare it to something, it was akin to looking at a spot where the air was a bit hotter than in the surrounding area and thus, was distorting ever so slightly. Then, all of the sudden, this peaceful training state of mine was disrupted by a game-like line of text that appeared directly in my mind. [ New Skill Has Been Acquired! ] [ Astral Sense - low rank - grade 10 ] [ Innate ability of the Soul Devourer Class. Allows its wielder to sense the presence of nearby souls. ] [ Due to the low proficiency, the effectiveness of the skill is limited. ]