Chapter 4: Too Pretty to Bleed

Chapter 4: Too Pretty to Bleed

In a daze, I observed my appearance.

With a mesmerized expression, I found myself complimenting my reflection in the stream.

"I look so beautiful. How can a woman this beautiful even exist?" I said in amazement.

I wasn’t exaggerating.

My appearance was now incredibly refined.

My hair still held the same chestnut brown color as in my previous life, but it looked more vibrant and silky.

My face was clear and smooth, almost glowing. My nose was straight, and my lips were naturally red, like cherries, even without a trace of lipstick.

My delicate features were now touched by a gentle, wind-kissed glow that made me look stunningly alluring.

"Amazing," I whispered softly.

As I continued to examine my entire body, I couldn’t help but be astonished.

My skin looked so glossy, as if I had never done a day of hard work.

My chest appeared fuller—round and prominent.

"My chest looks so big. How is this even possible? I’m sure this size is about a D cup or even larger," I said, lightly measuring it with my hands.

Then I looked at my clothes.

They were surprisingly modern. I wore a white blouse with soft shoulder cutouts.

The fabric was light and gently ruffled. Dark suspenders crossed over my large chest and blended into a high-waisted corset-style belt decorated with gold fastenings.

Below, I wore a navy skirt that fell in crisp, elegant pleats. It moved gracefully with each step and perfectly framed my curved body, shaping me into what felt like the most flawless girl to ever exist.

"This body is just too beautiful," I whispered, still unable to believe the reflection in front of me.

It felt like I was staring at the perfect version of myself, one I never imagined could be real.

Back in my previous life, I hardly paid attention to beautiful models.

I never found them that impressive.

But now, my own appearance had reached another level of beauty.

I almost felt like marrying myself if I had the chance.

Shaking my head, I quickly dismissed the ridiculous thought and turned my focus back to washing.

Afterward, I examined my entire body, and it seemed I was still myself, only that my body had been transformed into a girl.

Once I calmed down, I stood up and continued what I was doing. I had already wasted enough time admiring my reflection.

I needed to hurry. I didn’t want to be ambushed by a goblin or one of those stone-skinned beings from ancient times.

I had no intention of getting my head bashed in and cooked.

Within minutes, I finished cleaning myself.

I picked up my slippers, holding them in both hands, planning to wear them once I reached the flat grass nearby.

I turned to leave, walking quickly, but my pace betrayed me. I accidentally stepped on a sharp-edged stone. Pain flared through my foot as blood seeped into the water.

"Ouch..." I muttered as I looked down at the wound.

But the pain didn’t last. Thanks to my unique physique, the injury healed instantly.

I wasn’t surprised.

In a world where goblins actually existed, despite being considered myths in my previous life, seeing this kind of magic had become strangely normal.

Still, I had already accepted my fate. I knew there were many strange things I would eventually encounter.

Right now, though, I had no time to question reality.

If what you're seeing is real, then accept it. Accept the present. Don’t run from it. Is that so hard to understand?

Let’s not dwell on that.

Because something strange was happening.

Looking down at the water, I noticed my blood.

I scooped a bit of it into my hand and activated both of my divine visions to inspect it for abnormalities.

Instantly, I felt dazed.

My blood gave off a scent that made me crave it.

It was intoxicating.

I stared, confused.

"What is this shit? It smells so good. My blood looks so appetizing, I wanna taste it. Oh no, fuck, did I just discover my fetish?" I said in shock.

Was this one of the effects of my physique? It seemed like a reasonable theory, but something didn’t feel right.

Thinking deeper, I suddenly froze.

My divine eyes picked up waves of intense hunger from nearby. Countless mana fluctuations were heading toward my location.

I felt the presence of many life forms approaching fast.

Even the fish in the stream were swarming around the drops of my blood.

Then I remembered. The system had changed my bloodline. It was that one.

Type O. The same one I had been angry about earlier.

I hadn’t even bothered to read its description at the time.

With a wave of cold realization, I turned and ran from the riverbank.

It was no longer safe here.

The area had become extremely dangerous.

"It seems my bloodline wasn’t useless after all," I muttered.

I slipped into the thick bushes to hide my presence.

Thankfully, my physique allowed me to blend into the surroundings.

It even suppressed my mana signature, making me undetectable to lower-level monsters.

"Alright, let’s check what effects this bloodline actually has. Maybe the system isn’t as trash as I thought."

I still hated the system, but if it helped me survive and grow stronger, I would be grateful for that much.

I called out to the system, asking for the bloodline description. Since I only requested basic information, the system responded instantly in its usual mechanical tone.

DING.

🧬✨【BLOODLINE: TYPE O】

🩸 TYPE: ANCIENT SUPPORT / MUTATION HYBRID

⚔️ GRADE: HIGH-TIER
💠 RARITY: EXTREMELY RARE

【THIS RARE BLOODLINE EXISTS ONLY IN ANCIENT LEGENDS. ANYONE WHO INHERITS IT GAINS A SPECIAL KIND OF BLOOD THAT CAN GREATLY BOOST SOMEONE'S STRENGTH IF CONSUMED. IT CAN ALSO HEAL ANY POISON AND CLOSE ANY WOUND. HOWEVER, THE BLOOD GIVES OFF A SCENT THAT ATTRACTS SPIRITUAL BEASTS, MONSTERS, SPIRITS, AND MAN-EATING CREATURES. BECAUSE OF THIS, EVEN A SMALL INJURY CAN LEAD TO DISASTER. AVOID GETTING HURT AT ALL COSTS.】

"So the system wasn’t lying. This really is a rare bloodline," I whispered, gasping in a mix of realization and fear.

The weight of it finally hit me.

Those few drops of blood I spilled were not harmless.

They would draw in every nearby creature with even the faintest sense of smell.

And just as I feared, the river was now swarming with monsters.

My breath caught as I stared in disbelief.

"What the hell is that?" I gasped.

Dozens of giant crickets leapt at incredible speeds, nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye. If it weren’t for my divine vision, I would have missed them completely.

Among them stood goblins, gripping stone axes and primitive spears. Their skin was a sickly green, and their eyes were bloodshot, glowing with wild hunger.

A wave of anger surged through me. I recognized them.

"This... this goblin... it was the one who stabbed me back in that cave," I muttered through clenched teeth.

Back then, I was vulnerable and broken, nearly dead.

Now that it stood before me, every part of me screamed for revenge.

But one problem remained.

This particular goblin was far more powerful than any I had seen before.

Cracks echoed through the air.

With a sickening crunch, the goblin lunged forward, its agile body moving faster than my eyes could follow.

It swung its axe and obliterated one of the giant crickets in a single blow.

I froze, shocked.

My feet refused to move.

"Damn... it's fast. Too fast. No wonder it survives here so easily," I thought, panic creeping into my mind.

I tried to devise a way to kill it, something to take revenge for what it had done to me.

But the longer I watched, the clearer it became. This creature wasn’t just strong. It was a natural predator.

It even fought a massive beast that resembled a yeti and brought it down in one strike.

"What the fuck is going on? How did it kill that thing instantly?" My thoughts raced.

The goblin's mana was faint and nearly depleted, while that yeti-like monster had been brimming with power.

Still, with one precise swing, it had ended the fight.

I was stunned.

But I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

Fascinated, I began to study its form. The way it moved, the shift of its feet, the angles of its attacks.

Using the Eye of Origin and the Eye of Silence, I focused every bit of my attention on copying its style.

I wanted to understand, to learn, to take what I could.

Suddenly, the system’s voice rang in my head.

DING

⚔️✨【YOU HAVE LEARNED DIAGONAL PHANTOM STRIKE. YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW LOW-GRADE SKILL.】

The moment the message appeared, understanding clicked in my mind. I had absorbed the skill instantly.

I kept watching, eyes fixed, and muttered under my breath, "This is an opportunity. A chance to learn new skills and comprehend their patterns and behaviors."

My heart raced as I watched the goblin dominate the battlefield. Several small monsters, including dog-sized ants, lunged at it, but this goblin was no fool.

It cleverly baited the other creatures into fighting one another while it retreated to the side, moving swiftly and regaining its stamina.

I was amazed.

Its fighting style was brutal yet graceful. There was a strange beauty in how it moved.

"This goblin moves like a human. Could it be that many in its tribe possess the same skills?" I whispered in awe.

My excitement grew. I wanted to copy more of its techniques.

I turned my gaze to other creatures, attempting to mimic the fighting styles of several insect-like beasts. But I quickly discovered the problem.

Their body structures were entirely different from mine.

What worked for them was impossible for me.

Their movements, while deadly, were incompatible with the human form.

The goblin, however, was different. Its physique was similar to a human’s, and its intelligence made its techniques highly adaptable.

I realized that the best thing I could do now was observe and slowly absorb everything that cunning goblin had to offer.

Time passed.

After nearly an hour of intense combat, only three goblins remained. They stood heaving for breath, their bodies soaked in blood, surrounded by a field of corpses.

Dozens of monsters had been slain on the spot.

But what mattered most to me was not the carnage. It was what I had gained from it.

I had successfully copied four powerful techniques from those three goblins.

DING.

🩸⚡ 【YOU HAVE LEARNED BLOOD BOOST STEP. YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW LOW-GRADE SKILL.】

🗡️💢【YOU HAVE LEARNED THIRD PRESSURE POINT STRIKING BLADE. YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW LOW-GRADE SKILL.】

🔄👣【YOU HAVE LEARNED ROTATION GAP MOVEMENT. YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW LOW-GRADE SKILL.】

💥🩸【YOU HAVE LEARNED BLOOD STRENGTHEN STRIKE. YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW LOW-GRADE SKILL.】

Each notification sent a thrill through me. I could feel the techniques integrating into my body, my muscles already twitching to try them out.

These were real skills. Useful ones. Battle-tested and lethal.

And just as I began to revel in the progress I had made, the wind changed.

The temperature dropped.