Ryan prided himself on three things: his looks, his grades, and his cleanliness. His apartment was spotless. Sterile even. The kind of place that smelled like lemon-scented bleach and judged you for wearing shoes indoors. He hated filth. No, more than that. He despised it.
And nothing symbolized filth more to him than those buzzing, blood-sucking demons that haunted the summer: mosquitoes.
He was a war veteran in the war against them.
Over thirty confirmed kills just within four days. He kept an electric racket by his bedside and mosquito coils in every room. Once, he even sprayed pesticide on a mosquito mid-flight and slow-clapped as it spiraled to the ground.
It was justice.
So when, one humid July evening, the high-pitched whine of wings echoed in his perfectly clean bathroom, Rin reacted on instinct. He spotted the mosquito, perched mockingly on the mirror like it owned the place and lunged.
That's when fate, karma, or perhaps just pure dumb luck, struck back.
His foot slipped on the edge of the bathtub. He pinwheeled, arms flailing, and the world tilted. The back of his skull met porcelain with a sickening crack.
Darkness fell.
When Rin awoke, he was… floating?
It wasn't warm. It wasn't cold. It was just... void. Infinite, unfeeling, blindingly white.
Before him stood a woman, tall, ethereal, with flowing robes that shimmered like smoke. Her eyes were silver, ancient, and very, very tired.
"Ryan," she said, voice echoing like it was both right beside him and far away.
"Am I... dead?"
"You are."
"…Shit."
"Indeed."
They stood in silence.
"…Was it the mosquito?"
She gave him a flat look. "You slipped. You hit your head. Instant death. Very undignified."
Rin winced. "Not the most glorious exit."
"No," the goddess said. "But very karmically satisfying."
He squinted. "Wait. Karma?"
She lifted her hand, and a massive book appeared beside her, flipping through pages on its own. "You have slain approximately 4,623 mosquitoes in your lifetime."
"Uh."
"Forty-seven of those were pregnant females."
"That seems... oddly specific."
"I'm a goddess. I do specifics."
Rin scratched the back of his nonexistent head. "Okay but—mosquitoes suck! They give you malaria and dengue and—"
"You used bug spray indoors," she interrupted. "While the windows were closed. You caused two of your neighbors to develop asthma."
"…Yikes."
The goddess closed the book with a snap. "For your crimes against the natural order, and your extreme hubris as a so-called 'clean freak,' your soul shall be reincarnated."
"Oh thank god. As what? A noble? A dragon? A—?"
She smiled. It wasn't kind.
"As a mosquito."
The silence returned. This time heavier.
"Pardon?"
"A mosquito," she repeated. "You will begin your new life as the very thing you hated. Consider it... poetic karma."
"But I'm a person!" he protested. "With goals! Aspirations! I was gonna open my own cleanliness brand!"
"Now you'll be sucking blood for sustenance."
"I'm clean! I use three different types of disinfectant!"
"You will bathe in puddles."
"No... no, there has to be some mistake. Can I appeal this?! Can I talk to your manager?!"
She extended a finger, touched his forehead and the world shattered like glass.
Pain. Hunger. Cold.
Rin's consciousness slammed into his new body like a freight train. His limbs were wrong. Too many joints. No bones.
No mouth—wait, yes there was, but it was a proboscis?!
He screamed and it came out as a pathetic shrill whine.
The world was massive. Everything was terrifyingly big. A blade of grass towered over him like a tree. The wind almost knocked him out of the air.
And worst of all?
He could feel everything. Every droplet of moisture. Every vibration in the air. Every scent of nectar and blood.
"Oh no," he whispered. "I'm a mosquito."
His antennae twitched.
"Oh god. I have antennae."
[MALICIOUS EVOLUTION SYSTEM]
[User: Ryan]
[Species: Aedes Daemoniaca (Demonic Blood Mosquito)]
[Lineage: Extinct – Last Recorded Instance: [Redacted]]
[Threat Rank: E- (Elevated due to unknown bloodline traits)]
✦ Core Stats ✦
[Level: 1]
[Evolution Points (EP): 3]
[HP: 12/12]
[Stamina: 30/30]
[Hemoglobin Reserve: 0/100]
[Blood Potency (BP): F]
[Flight Agility: D]
[Proboscis Penetration: E+]
[Resilience: F-]
[Camouflage Adaptability: D-]
✦ Racial Traits ✦
• Bloodline Instinct (Dormant)
[You belong to an ancient demonic variant of mosquito, genetically engineered to thrive on arcane and monstrous blood. Hidden potential slumbers within your corrupted hemolymph.]
• Blood Echo
[Drinking the blood of intelligent or magical beings grants memory fragments or passive abilities. Fragment quality depends on Blood Potency and Host Resistance.]
• Miasmic Swarm
[Passive. Your presence slightly lowers the perception of others within a 1-meter radius. Weak minds may ignore your existence entirely.]
• Hemovoric Efficiency
[You extract 20% more blood per bite, but risk greater detection due to longer feeding time.]
✦ Current Skills ✦
• Piercing Feed (Lv. 1):
[A basic but refined blood extraction technique. Can target arteries with higher success. Leaves a distinct pain spike.]
• Instinctive Evasion (Lv. 1):
[When in fatal danger, there's a 10% chance to trigger a rapid, erratic aerial burst that dodges incoming attacks.]
• Anathema to Cleanliness (Passive):
[You suffer -10% stamina regeneration when within sterile or disinfected areas. Triggered by karmic retribution. Cannot be removed.]
✦ Evolutionary Paths Unlocked ✦
[Swarm Architect (Requires Hive Formation)]
[Plague Herald (Requires 3 Cursed Blood types consumed)]
[Mistborne Lurker (Requires Stealth Mastery C-grade)]
[Sanguine Sovereign (Requires Ancient Blood Awakening)]
✦ System Message ✦
[Welcome to your karmic punishment. You are not special. Yet. Survive long enough to become the horror you once feared.]
Why do I have to suck blood when I'm a male mosquito?! Does this have something to do with my bloodline?!"
He knew for certain that male mosquitoes only drank nectar, never blood. Blood was always the female's domain, a vital resource they needed to reproduce asexually and give birth to more mosquitoes. So why on earth did he need to drink blood?
It felt... wrong.
On top of that, there was the harsh truth all mosquitoes lived by: their lifespan was short, their purpose singular. Male mosquitoes lived only 5 to 10 days, with one goal above all else and it is to mate. Often, they died shortly after losing their virginity.
Their ritual was well-known: gather in swarms at dusk, a mesmerizing lekking display to attract females. As long as they could find a mate and fulfill this one duty, their purpose was complete.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[You are the last of your extinct bloodline.]
[To survive, you must consume blood to extend your lifespan and secure mates.]
So this was his curse? After slaughtering thousands of mosquitoes, he was now doomed to become the very thing he despised—the progenitor of a new army. He had to find mates, breed, and lead a swarm.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[First Mission: Blood Intake]
[Remaining lifespan: 2 days]
[Objective: Suck blood to extend life and secure your lineage.]
[Failure to complete mission will result in permanent extinction.]
Two days left. Two days to drink blood, survive, and fulfill the destiny he never asked for.