A power that bends reality—something beyond the laws of nature, exchanged for mana.
The ways to use it were countless.
Igniting fire without a spark. Healing wounds in an instant. Even toying with life and death itself.
Because it was such a miraculous force, it was only natural that it had always been reserved for the few—the chosen ones.
Which is exactly why I approached Velra.
In exchange for animal blood, I wanted her to teach me magic.
"Will you teach me magic?"
Velra narrowed her glowing crimson eyes. Her wings twitched slightly. She bared her fangs, the corners of her lips curling into a mocking grin.
"You’re quite bold, Parasite. Do you really think I’d share my clan’s magic just for some scraps of blood?"
She looked at me like I was an idiot. Or a particularly annoying insect.
Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.
To her, the deal I offered was laughably one-sided.
The ancient magic of her kind—for a bucket of beast blood? Ridiculous.
Still, it wasn’t just about the trade.
Velra was careful—territorial and proud. The idea of a Parasite, a lowest rank demon learning magic from her, of all people, probably felt like a betrayal of her bloodline.
Like handing a loaded crossbow to a monkey.
Getting her to agree would take more than desperation—it would take persistence.
I could already imagine the forum posts in the tutorial zone.
[Strategy Tip: Newbies, DO NOT try to become magicians]
[Even if you 100% every quest from the Magic Tower, you’ll still be weaker than a half-trained warrior.]
[Here come the masochist mages again. Enjoy spending 10 hours learning "Light a Candle" while knights solo dragons.]
But I didn’t care about that.
I didn’t want to become some overpowered protagonist overnight.
What I needed was control. A way to survive.
If that meant crawling through dungeons for reagents or offering barrels of blood to an ornery bat-demon every week, then so be it.
I wasn’t aiming to be the strongest.
I just didn’t want to be helpless ever again.
"To learn magic, one must first possess magical power. And yours?" Velra scoffed, her crimson eyes narrowing with disdain. "The magical power in your body is pathetic. Barely enough to light a candle, let alone cast a spell."
My magic stat was 2. It barely scraped up to 3 when I used the [Echo Rod], and even that was pushing it.
"So even if I, a noble vampire, took the time to teach you," she continued, flicking a strand of white hair behind her pointed ear, "the results would be worthless. And I don’t waste time on things that waste my time."
Her words were sharp, but they didn’t discourage me.
I didn’t come here for ordinary magic.
If that were the case, I’d have begged at the doors of a proper mage tower or hired a professional sorcerer. No, this was different.
"Magical power isn’t the main issue," I said, meeting her gaze. "And I’m not here to learn normal magic."
Velra’s expression shifted slightly. Her eyes narrowed, not in mockery this time—but in suspicion.
"Then what is it you want?"
"I want to learn your magic," I said clearly. "Blood magic."
That caught her attention.
Blood magic—what set vampires apart from other demonkin. It wasn’t just their innate magical power that made them formidable; it was this dark, forbidden art. A power that coursed through their veins, tied to their lineage, and shaped by ancient rituals.
A power not just learned, but inherited.
A magic born from blood, controlled by will, and refined through instinct.
"I want to learn the same art your kind has mastered for generations," I continued, my tone firm. "Not to play mage. Not to throw fireballs. I want to use blood magic—your blood magic."
Velra stared at me for a long moment. The cave was silent, save for the soft flicker of torchlight dancing on the walls.
Then, slowly, a smirk curled on her lips.
"...Interesting. But my answer is still no."
"Do you think any race can learn blood magic? This blood magic is especially for Vampire race. You are just lowly parasite who is now inside of an human body. Teaching you means teaching this human. And you can die in the process of learning this blood magic of ours."
So that was her real reason. Not the lack of mana, not the pitiful stats—just plain, old-fashioned prejudice.
She thought I was a parasite.
A low-rank demon who had somehow snuck into a human’s body. Probably assumed I’d used some forbidden possession spell to take over this flesh. And to her, that made me filth.
To teach me would be to empower this "human vessel." And empowering humans? That was probably the most unforgivable sin in her book.
I clenched my fist behind my back.
Of course, I couldn’t correct her.
I couldn’t tell her I wasn’t a demon pretending to be human.
I was human—pretending to be a demon.
And if she ever found out that someone like me, a regular-ass human, was masquerading as a demon in her territory, she’d rip me apart before I could say, "Plot twist."
"...I see," I muttered, lowering my gaze.
Velra tilted her head slightly, amused by my reaction. "Did you really think that putting on a skin suit and walking upright would make you one of us?"
I bit down the words forming at the back of my throat. Rage? No. That wouldn’t help me here.
I needed leverage. Something that could change her mind.
"I’m not asking for charity," I said finally, lifting my head. "Don’t forget, because of this Parasite is you are alive now and hasn’t been caught by Draken Duchy knights also if you want blood to survive and recover faster then you will have to teach."
"Didn’t I said this before? You can die."
"I don’t care. I just need power."
My voice came out sharper than I expected, rough around the edges with desperation. But it was the truth.
"I want to learn blood magic and that’s final."