Tia gently cradled the cup of blood in her hands. It didn't feel like she was holding a mere source of sustenance, but rather a sacred chalice. She stared intently at the liquid—she did not lose herself to bloodlust, nor did hunger drive her into a frenzy. There wasn't even a trace of entitlement in her heart.

  At this moment, she felt as though something deep within her had been filled. But what was it? Gratitude? No, it wasn't gratitude. The warmth of being cared for? No, not that either.

  Suddenly, as if recalling something, she sharply raised her head to look at Kenley. He met her gaze with a calm, reassuring expression.

  And then, she understood.

  This feeling—it was the sense of being needed. Kenley had given her this cup of his own blood because he needed her. Yet why was it that she couldn't detect even the slightest hint of selfishness in his actions? This sensation was strange, inexplicable.

  "Drink, Tia. If it's not enough, my wound hasn't closed yet—I can give you more," Kenley said with a faint smile.

  To him, this was nothing more than losing a bit of HP. Restoring HP was easy. When he raided the slaver caravan, he had taken plenty of low-quality healing potions from them.

  Even if they were of poor quality, for someone at the first rank like Kenley, just one bottle was enough to nearly restore him to full health. Losing some blood was no big deal. The people of this world likely didn't even have a concept of HP, so they wouldn't understand his reasoning.

  "Master…" For the first time, tears welled in Tia's eyes—not from pain or despair, but from Kenley's words alone.

  "Master, please rest assured. From now on, I will do my best to never let you bleed again," she said solemnly.

  Then, she lifted the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

  After finishing, she still seemed unsatisfied, her eyes flickering with a lingering hunger as she stole a glance at Kenley's wounded palm.

  The sensation of blood sliding down her throat dulled the burning thirst inside her, but drinking from a cup didn't truly quench her hunger. Only the feeling of sinking her fangs into flesh, drinking directly from the source, could truly satisfy a vampire's craving.

  Kenley caught the look in her eyes and let out a wry chuckle. He knew all too well—Tia had entered a full-fledged bloodthirst state. In this condition, a vampire's desire for fresh blood became an instinctual compulsion.

  Glancing at Tia's status screen, he saw that the cup of blood had only restored 37% of her need—far from enough.

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  Kenley nodded at her."Tia, go ahead."

  With that, he pulled off the blood-soaked bandage, letting the crimson liquid trickle down his palm.

  In an instant, Tia lunged forward with the speed of a panther, catching Kenley completely off guard.

  "Master?" Tia halted just in time, raising her head to glance at Kenley with a hint of concern in her eyes.

  Kenley gave her a reassuring nod."Drink. I won't resent you for it, so don't worry."

  "Thank you, Master." As she spoke, she parted her small lips, revealing her fangs, which had been concealed deep within her mouth. Only now did she truly resemble a vampire.

  Having a living, breathing vampire sink her fangs into him—it was hard for Kenley not to feel a little unsettled. But as he looked at Tia's delicate figure, the pain became somewhat more bearable.

  "Hiss—" Kenley's face twisted slightly. The sensation of teeth piercing flesh was far from pleasant, especially as he could feel his life force rapidly draining away. For a brief moment, he had the illusion that he was on the verge of death.

  He gritted his teeth and endured, but midway through, something changed—the pain dulled. He could still feel his life slipping away, and his HP was dropping bit by bit, but the agony was no longer as sharp.

  A natural vampiric paralysis effect? Kenley speculated.

  Meanwhile, Sylph could no longer bear to watch. She covered her eyes with both hands, though Kenley clearly saw how she left a gap between her fingers, unable to resist sneaking a peek.

  Just as Kenley's HP was about to hit critical levels, and he was on the verge of calling it quits, Tia finally stopped!

  Satisfaction was evident on her face as she covered her mouth with her hand, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, savoring the afterglow of her feast. She looked just like those addicts in movies, basking in their high.

  Without wasting a second, Kenley yanked the cork off a bottle of low-grade potion and downed it in big gulps. Yeah, it was time to seriously consider picking up an alchemist or potion-brewer profession—no delays, no excuses!

  Only when he saw his HP bar finally ticking back up did he let out a breath of relief. He lifted his hand, watching his wound visibly knit itself back together, and felt slightly reassured.

  "Is it over?" Sylph cautiously lowered her hands upon hearing the sound of Kenley drinking his potion.

  Kenley, still looking a little pale, nodded."Yeah, it's over. Alright, I'm exhausted. Let's get some sleep—I'm dead tired."

  With that, he expertly opened the wardrobe, pulled out a spare blanket and quilt, and spread them on the floor.

  "I'll sleep on the floor. You two take the bed." Not waiting for any protests, he collapsed onto his makeshift bedding and instantly fell asleep.

  He really was exhausted. After a long day of running around, he still had to deal with the tasks the dwarves assigned him tomorrow. Reality was such a hassle—if this were a game, he would've just powered through the night and finished the quests. But here, he actually had to consider stamina management.

  Tia, finally coming back to her senses from the lingering euphoria of being fully sated, blinked."Why is Master sleeping on the floor?"

  Sylph stared at Kenley with a complex expression. She was beginning to find this human increasingly difficult to understand. Why would he willingly sleep on the floor while letting them take the bed?

  "I have no idea," Sylph admitted, shaking her head.

  Tia gazed at Kenley, lying alone on the cold floor, and after a moment of contemplation, made up her mind. Turning to Sylph, she said firmly,"Sylph, I'm sorry, but I'm going to sleep with Master. You take the bed."

  Sylph nodded absentmindedly."Mm… okay…"

  Then, realizing something was off, she snapped her head up."Wait, what did you just say? Say that again?"

  Tia repeated, her voice unwavering,"I want to sleep with Master. You take the bed."

  Her tone left no room for argument.

  Sylph was completely stunned.