[How did you find this book? I didn't put a warning notice to make this book somewhat hidden]
Chapter 3: Awakening to a New Reality
A resounding blast shakes the entire room, sending clouds of dust into the air and causing fragile items to shatter. The debris scatters across the dark, decaying lab, once a hub of cutting-edge science, now reduced to a tomb of forgotten experiments.
Laznoire clutches her ears, wincing at the intense ringing.
"My ears!" she screams, her voice barely audible over the echo of the explosion.
But there's no time to dwell on the pain. The blast has made it clear: she needs to move, and fast.
"Forget that! I have to run!"
Ignoring the searing heat radiating from the blast site, Laznoire pushes forward, sprinting through the ruins of her lab and into the unknown outside world. Her bare feet, now stained with dirt, dodge between roots and rocks with an instinctive agility she's still getting used to. The vegetation seems alien, thick with mutation and decay, a testament to the centuries she's slept through.
She keeps running, breath heaving, until she finds shelter inside a hollowed tree. The darkness inside offers some safety, but her mind races with the implications of what just happened.
"The blast wave… that bomb is no joke. I was this close to blacking out... or worse. How am I even alive?!"
Her hands tremble as she leans against the rough bark, trying to calm herself.
"Sixteen thousand joules, and I survived it... This body... it's stronger than I ever imagined."
A twisted smile forms on her lips. In this moment, the thought of mocking the human supremacists who once scorned her feels almost sweet.
"Still… I don't feel hunger, or any need to rest. I could keep moving without stopping... Is this part of the mutation too?"
As the adrenaline subsides, she starts to notice her surroundings. A rustling sound nearby makes her freeze. Her eyes, sharper now, catch sight of a mutated deer. Its eyes lock onto hers, glowing with an unnatural blue light. The creature's horns pulse with energy, and suddenly, it fires a magic missile toward her.
But Laznoire is faster.
"Too bad for you," she mutters, her voice laced with newfound confidence. In a fluid motion, she evades the projectile and rushes forward, her short sword slicing through the air with precision. The blade meets the creature's throat, cutting through muscle and sinew with ease.
The deer stumbles, bleeding out in seconds, its once-vibrant body quickly withering as the life drains from it.
"Not bad... This body is more agile than my old one," she observes, wiping her bloodied blade on the grass. For a moment, she's fascinated by her own power.
But then, something primal stirs within her. The sight of the blood calls to her in a way she's never experienced before.
"I want to taste it…" The thought surprises her, but she doesn't hesitate. She lifts the dying creature's neck and licks the blood, her tongue exploring the unfamiliar flavor.
"Bitter… like a mix of kiwi wine and rum," she notes, almost clinically.
Then, without warning, she bares her fangs and bites down, sinking them deep into the deer's flesh. The animal's eyes widen in terror as its life force is drained. Its body grows frail and desiccated in seconds, reduced to little more than a husk in her grasp.
"Pwah! That hit the spot!" Laznoire gasps, wiping her mouth, then freezes in shock.
"Wait… What the hell am I doing? Am I… a vampire?" Her mind races, trying to reconcile this new craving with the person she used to be. The realization should terrify her, but instead, it feels strangely natural, as if this is who she was always meant to be.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore. If I want to survive, I will. And if I find one of my old Key Series weapons, I'll take it back—by force if I have to."
She pauses, considering the implications. Her thoughts feel different now, sharper, more ruthless.
"Is it just me, or have I changed mentally too? Like flipping a switch..."
Laznoire shakes off the thought.
"I need to figure out my abilities, but first, I have to fix Meow." Determined, she sets off, running through the forest with an unnatural speed, carefully navigating the treacherous terrain until she reaches a road.
The sight of the road ahead fills her with a strange mix of hope and dread. It's intact, too intact for how long she's been gone.
"The road's in good condition… No cracks or damage. That's strange…"
She sprints down the road, her thoughts focused on finding the nearest city. Her enhanced senses pick up the distant hum of civilization, leading her toward the towering city walls.
But she stops in her tracks, suddenly realizing a crucial problem.
"My ID is expired. There's no way they'll let someone like me into the city… Especially since I don't even know what I look like now."
From a distance, she can see the towering skyscrapers and the ships hovering above them, a clear sign that the world has moved on without her.
"Cyberpunk era, huh?" Laznoire muses, an odd smile playing on her lips.
"At least Meow won't look out of place now. If I can find an abandoned city nearby, I might be able to scavenge some parts and use them as a cover to get inside."
She heads down a forked road, choosing the path with more cracks and signs of wear. It leads her into a territory filled with low-level mutants, perfect for testing her new abilities.
The first mutant lunges at her, but she's faster, stronger. Her roundhouse kick sends its head flying, body crumpling to the ground.
"Good, my calculations were spot-on."
Another mutant charges, and Laznoire jumps, delivering a powerful kick. The force of the blow sends its head spinning, but she frowns.
"Hmph, my parallel kicks are still weaker. I'll have to work on that."
The battle is over almost as quickly as it began. The mutants' dark blood stains the ground, filling the air with a scent that makes her blue eyes glimmer.
"Heh~ This is getting interesting."
Ignoring the fact that the mutants are still twitching, she indulges in their blood, her fangs piercing through their thick skin. The taste is bitter, like blackberries mixed with gooseberries, but somehow satisfying.
"I forgot… mutants don't die unless you destroy their cores." She chuckles, enjoying the thrill of it all.
"No sense in wasting food, right?" she mutters, licking the last drops of blood from her lips before leaving a pile of desiccated corpses behind.
Laznoire walks away from the carnage, her thoughts already turning to the next challenge. The city looms in the distance, and with it, the answers she's been seeking since she woke up in this twisted world.