Chapter 3: Mosquito Chronicles: Bloodsucking heroic antiques

Chapter 3: Mosquito Chronicles: Bloodsucking heroic antiques

Ben found himself in an empty void, everything around him completely blank. It was as if all his senses were numbed, leaving him with a sense of emptiness.

"Where am I? I was supposed to be with that reincarnation system thing, right?"

As he contemplated his situation, he realized that even in this peculiar state, his bad luck seemed to persist.

"It's so random that it's starting to get funny," Ben thought, laughing inwardly. He had grown accustomed to life's bizarre twists and turns.

Just then, a blue screen materialized before him, breaking the monotony of the void.

[Initiating transfer...]

[Transfer complete]

...

"What the hell? Is this a blue screen again? Am I still stuck in the afterlife?" Ben wondered, his gaze fixed on the screen as it flickered one last time and turned crimson red.

[Adapting system...adapted]

[Activating Bloodsucker System]

╔═════════════════════╗ n()0VElb1n

╬═?STATUS?═╬

Name: Ben Franklin

Race: Mutant Mosquito

Evolution: 0 Level: 1

Exp: 0/5

Strength: 0.1

Agility: 0.2

Stamina: 0.1

Luck: 0.000

╚══════════════════════╝

"What in the world? A mosquito? Seriously?" Ben exclaimed in disbelief, reading the information on the screen carefully.

"I need to break out of here..."

"I need to break out of here..."

"I need to break out of here!" Ben muttered, putting all his strength into pushing his limbs and freeing his body.

"Crack... crack...." With sudden cracking sounds, white light flooded into the dark cage he had been in. With one final burst of effort, he managed to break free.

"Huff...huff...Finally. I am free," Ben muttered, trying to shake off the gooey substance around him. However, a sudden realization struck him.

"Why do I feel like...I have six legs?" he muttered nervously before opening his eyes and discovering his new mosquito body.

"Waaaaahhhh!! My waist looks like a mosquito. No, I even have mosquito hands; I've reincarnated as a mosquito!" He screamed inwardly, unable to produce a voice.

"It's unbelievable! Hey, blue screen? Are you listening? Reincarnation system?" Ben shouted in his mind, his frustration evident.

"System! What's the big idea?" He shouted, attempting to survey his surroundings, but his control over his new form remained elusive.

?{Apologies, host! Can you please specify which part of this situation you find objectionable?}?

"Wait, you can talk to me?" Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise as a robotic female voice resounded in his mind.

?{The system is programmed to respond to basic queries from the host.}?

"Alright then, tell me why I'm stuck reincarnated as a mosquito. Wasn't the plan to come back as a human?" Ben inquired, his voice tinged with hesitation.

?{While the system never explicitly stated your future race, yes, you ended up as a mosquito due to an anomaly in this universe.}?

"So, you're saying a universe-altering hiccup turned me into a bloodsucking bug? Great." Ben's voice dripped with sarcasm, peering at the red screen floating before him.

"System, why did you pull off this stunt? Won't it cause mayhem if there's no reincarnation system in this universe?"

?{Indeed, host. Without the reincarnation system in operation, no lives will be born in this world. Babies will enter the world lifeless, while people continue to perish. If left unchecked, the universe will destabilize and get wiped out by higher beings.}?

?{By choosing a host and waiting for a connection with an energy source, the system can remain active. In short, the fate of this universe rests in your tiny, mosquito hands, host.}?

"But..."

[???]

"Do you think a lowly mosquito like me can save the darn universe?" Ben quipped a hint of doubt in his voice.

?{But host, you're not just any ordinary mosquito. You retain the intelligence from your past life, and now you have the Bloodsucker system too.}?

"Okay, so even if I can help you, why should I help you? It's not like you are making my life any better...I better as well try taking a shot in reincarnation again." Ben muttered, annoyed by the behavior of the system.

?{...}?

?{Processing answer...}?

╬═?Quest Update?═╬

?MAIN QUEST: Evolve into a humanoid form within 45 days.

[Reward: Skills x3] [Failure: Your soul will be erased from the universe]

"Well..on a second thought... you're not entirely wrong... And it's not like I have other plans lined up. I suppose I'll give it a shot rather than having a cosmic barbecue and getting erased along with the universe." Ben contemplated looking at the quest, somewhat hesitatingly but relived that he could become at least something similar to human.

"Alright then, spill the details. What's my mission?" Ben inquired, standing on all four of his minuscule legs.

"Ding!"

╬═?Quest Update?═╬

┌ Consume 0.2 ml of blood within 3 hours.

[Reward: ???] [Punishment: instant death]

"Wait a darn minute! Since when do male mosquitoes drink blood?" Ben exclaimed, his mind blown by the revelation.

?{Host, being a mutant mosquito, don't judge yourself by the standards of your previous world.}?

"Fantastic! I've transformed into a mutant mosquito, destined to chug blood like a vampire in a bug-sized tuxedo. Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder," Ben grumbled to himself, shaking his minuscule mosquito head in utter disbelief.

He examined the quest prompt hovering in front of him, contemplating his options. "Alright, let's see. I've got three hours to gulp down 0.2 ml of blood. That shouldn't be too challenging, right? I mean, how much blood can a mosquito drink? It's like a teeny sip for me!"

"The real problem here is figuring out how to fly and how to suck blood," Ben pondered, gazing at the cluttered surroundings.

"Hey, system? Do you have any clue how to fly?"

?{I have no data regarding this request}?

"Forget it; I'll figure it out on my own," Ben muttered, attempting to flap his tiny wings. Despite gaining enough strength to move his body, he was still a fledgling mutant mosquito.

"I could use a flight demonstration or something," he thought before noticing his siblings gracefully soaring through the air.

"Oh, look at those show-offs zipping around like they own the place," Ben grumbled, observing his siblings with a mixture of envy and determination. "Well, if they can do it, so can I!"

...

..

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