~the bat's POV~

The beast actually turned into a female human? Does she have the [shapeshift] skill too? Or is it some other skill?

It seems she's not used to the human form as she wobbles to get a firm footing, the two mounds on her chest jiggle almost hypnotically in response to her actions. I wonder if Ilhena feels inferior knowing someone has bigger breasts than her, I'll ask her later.

As she's getting used to her new feet, I decide to use appraise.

Merfolk: one of the favoured races excluded from dungeons. They live in seas and oceans and can visit dry land in short periods. Beware of their hypnotic voices.

The information the system gives me isn't much. Maybe I have to evolve the skill first? I will have to confirm that later.

"H-Hello, are you a l-land dweller?" The merfolk asks meekly. I have to agree. Her voice is melodious and gentle to the ear, almost like Ilhena. But she still has a thing or two to learn if she wants praise from me.

Is this the time to be asking such questions? Though her question makes me think, Am I a land creature or a sky creature? A bit of both, I conclude.

"Do you think I won't kill you?" After my curiosity is satisfied, I recall some unfinished business. I move closer, and she steps back like a frightened goblin. The feeling I get from knowing I have complete control over her life is wonderful, to say the least, I'm almost tempted to torment the merfolk and make her fall into an endless abyss of despair, but I remember the thing in the mist and my mood is immediately soured. Being on the receiving end isn't pleasant.

I withdraw my pressuring aura from the merfolk, and she heaves a sigh of relief. She looks at me with teary eyes making me feel uncomfortable. I should stick to instant kills.

"P-Please don't kill me," she raises her hands to hide her face from me. Does she think she's safe now? Her defencelessness makes me wonder how she has survived to this point. Are there no creatures to put her weakness in check? I should grant her a quick death, so she doesn't suffer under a goblin or kobold's hands.

"M-Mother s-said not to i-interact w-with land dwellers but I was curious, so please f-forgive me," just as I'm about to attack, she speaks again. With that, I notice something. Her voice is compelling me not to attack her. Is this why I'm hesitating? The system said to be wary of her voice, but I paid it no heed.

She's dangerous. If her voice can make me hesitate, what else can it do? I no longer dally. I immediately appear behind her and grasp her firmly. Her total lack of reaction makes me wonder if she's pretending or doesn't realize what will happen.

Nevertheless, I turn her head at an angle and viciously sink my fangs on her fleshy neck, causing her to stiffen. She tries to turn her head, but it is already too late. Her fate has been decided. I hungrily suck her blood that is of much higher quality than the goblin's.

"P-please...," her cries for help are wasted on me as I continue sucking her precious blood.

"Don't kill her," just as I feel her reserves are running low. Ilhena stops me from finishing her off. Having my meal abruptly cut off annoys me, I suppress an impulse to attack her forming [mana body].

What the hell? I almost attacked her? I never thought I would entertain the idea of attacking her. After all, she's been with me for such a long time that I can consider her an ally.

"Don't worry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have interrupted you during feeding when your bloodlust is at its highest," Ilhena somehow sees through my worry. "You'll be used to it soon enough," she then shifts to the pale merfolk in my grasp.

"Don't kill her, She might be useful," looking at the unconscious merfolk. I doubt if she can still live after all her blood is almost completely drained. "She's under some curse that is suppressing the growth of both her mind and power," Ilhena descends and takes the unconscious merfolk in her arms, "Use your skill and convert her."

With that, I'm reminded of the skills that I never got to test. The first is [vampire king]. To use it, I would need to feed her a drop of my blood and simultaneously activate the skill.

I swiftly cut my finger and positioned it just over the merfolk mouth. A drop of glistening blood falls on her mouth and disappears inside her. She unconsciously sucks her lips as if to savour the sweet taste that I assume is my blood.

I activate my skill, and almost immediately, I can feel a strong connection with her.

You have successfully used your skill [vampire king] on Marin the merfolk. She's now under your total control

I didn't expect to receive a status message, but I wasn't against it since it was useful, so she's called Marin? It's a good name but not as good as mine.

Do you wish to change her name?

Can I? Now, this is a surprise. Change it to Marin Bloodrose. I order the system.

From henceforth, Marin Bloodrose shall be under the Bloodrose familia.

Current number of members: 3

Wait, three? Not two? My eyes wander to Ilhena, and I smile at her puzzled look. So this is what she was hiding? I made the connection since she also named herself Bloodrose.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ilhena asks curiously.

"I won't tell," I give her a taste of her own medicine and promptly ignore her inquisitive gaze.

"Hmmph, keep your secrets," she pouts, but I'm not planning to give in. "And please wear some clothes," she fishes out clothes from her inventory and throws them at me.

I grab the black clothes and examine them. They are fine to the touch and surprisingly durable despite how thin and delicate they look.

"Don't you want to stare at my penis?" As I put on the clothes, I shoot Ilhena a question. For some reason, my question makes her flustered. Her eyes nervously turn away from me, I can tell she's embarrassed, but I don't know what it is that makes her so. I had noticed her stealing glances at it for some reason, isn't it just a penis? What's the big deal?

"I need to rest, lest my [mana body] disappears," she quickly turns into a ray of light and disappears in my body.

What is wrong with her? Isn't she just back from resting? I shrug the stubborn thoughts off as I don't understand how [mana body] works.

You have equipped a rare set of clothes.

+5 concealment

+10 defence

It turns out the clothes are actually equipment. I examine myself and feel my connection with the shadow realm has increased.

***

~Marin POV~

My eyes open, and my ringing head immediately assaults me. Where am I? My eyes wander far and wide to recognize any familiar thing, but I fail.

"Oh, you're awake?" A familiar yet unfamiliar voice pulls my attention. My brows furrow as I turn my head toward the source. A strange man clothed in black smiles at me, though his smile is ominous. I don't feel any threat from him.

"Are you Felic Bloodrose?" I blubber out what immediately comes to my mind. Wait, how do I know his name?

"That is indeed my new name, don't you remember what happened?" His question prompts me to dig back in my memories. Then it suddenly comes back to me like a wave how I met him and even things that happened a long time ago.

"Am I freed?" I examine my hands as tears unconsciously stream from my eyes. "Is this an illusion?"

"What is wrong? Why are you sad?" Felic asks me with puzzlement.

His question compels me to tell my story.

You see, I was born as an elite mermaid. My father was a Mer- king that ruled two oceanic regions, a feat that even my grandfather, a former hero-king, couldn't match. On the other hand, my mother has a mysterious backing that even the current king is wary of. What I'm trying to say is that I had a fulfilling childhood and a boundless future. I had an unparalleled potential that the elder-mer's predicted to be superior to my father's.

With that said, nothing could go wrong or should have gone wrong. Everything changed after my father ignored the rise of a rogue ocean master, the current king. In terms of strength and potential, he wasn't inferior to my father. Where the balance tipped is my father's passive nature, for some reason. He only fought to defend himself. Long story short, he was caught up in a scheme that led to his and my grandfather's death.

As for me...