Bathilda, a creature of conflicting emotions, perched on the edge of her subterranean ir, her brow furrowed in a perpetual state of perplexed dissatisfaction. The transformation, a hasty decision made in the throes of victory over the King Slime, had left her in a state of bewildered disappointment. Her gaze, shifting between her features and their carefully crafted delicateness, was a constant cycle of fleeting joy and profound dismay.

  "Why can't I ever get what I want?" she murmured, her voice a delicate, almost childlike timbre that seemed incongruous with her vampiric nature. It was a rhetorical ment, a yearning directed towards the indifferent heavens, yet a response echoed through the cavern, shattering the silence.

  "I thought this was what you wanted?" Hiro's voice, ced with a hint of bewildered amusement, only served to ignite Bathilda's simmering frustration.

  "Are you mocking me? Just look at me, Hiro!" she squeaked, her voice betraying a hint of the childlike vulnerability that now permeated her being. Activating her [Enhanced Echolocation], she attempted to perceive the full extent of her altered form, a desperate attempt to reconcile the reality before her with the grandiose vision she had held in her mind.

  Standing a mere three feet tall, she was a diminutive figure, a stark contrast to the imposing presence she had envisioned. The victory over the level 23 King Slime, a feat that had propelled her Vampire Bat form to its zenith, had offered her two new evolutionary paths: the Night Terror Bat, a creature of formidable power, or the Lesser Vampire, a chance to shed the bat lineage once and for all. In her eagerness to embrace her newfound humanity, she had opted for the tter, neglecting to delve into the finer details of her transformation.

  The echolocation revealed a body that was disturbingly frail, a skeletal frame draped in pale, almost translucent skin. The image that fshed in her mind was that of an anemic child she had once treated during her time as a hospital worker, a haunting reminder of fragility.

  A single tear traced a path down her cheek, a testament to her profound disappointment. Yet, as she moved, golden locks cascaded over her shoulder, a vibrant spsh of color against her pallid skin, and a flicker of a smile touched her lips.

  "At least my hair is silky smooth, and I can speak properly now," she mused, her voice still bearing the innocent lilt of a child. "Though I sound like I'm five. When I saw 'Lesser Vampire,' I expected… more."

  A mencholic aura enveloped her, a somber reflection of the vampire archetype she embodied. "It could be worse, remember? You could be a Brat," Hiro offered, attempting to inject a dose of levity into the situation.

  "I suppose you're right," she conceded, a hint of resignation in her voice. "At least this is a step in the right direction, even if I'm a little girl again."

  Her form was undeniably human, devoid of any monstrous deformities. The coarse fur of her previous bat form had vanished, revealing smooth, abaster skin. Gone were the extra eyes, the formidable cws, and the rows of jagged teeth, repced by a single, delicate set. She was finally capable of blending into human society, a prospect that should have filled her with unbridled joy. Yet, a deep-seated sorrow lingered, a sense of unfulfilled potential.

  "Why did I choose to evolve down here?" she mented, her gaze fixed on the towering walls of the pit. "I should have done it in the Slime's chamber!" She stamped her foot, a childish dispy of frustration, her eyes tracing the impossible ascent.

  The loss of her wings, a consequence of abandoning her bat lineage, compounded her predicament. The sheer height of the pit, now seemingly insurmountable, loomed before her like an insurmountable challenge.

  "There's nothing you can do about it now," Hiro stated. "Looks like you're going to have to climb out of here."

  "Urgh. Why does everything have to be so difficult?" she groaned, slumping to the ground and drawing her knees to her chest, her body rocking back and forth in a rhythm of despair. She cursed the pit, the monsters, and her own impetuous decision. Little did she know, however, that her wings were not the only means of escape.

  The [Clone] materialized in her mind, and a duplicate of her diminutive form appeared beside her, offering a clearer perspective of her transformation. X-rays were informative, but nothing could repce the crity of direct observation.

  The clone, a mirror image of her, appeared even more childlike, with its silk-like hair and fiery eyes. Bathilda gently poked her clone's baby fangs, that were small and sharp.

  "I don't like this, Bathilda," Hiro protested, his voice ced with a hint of discomfort. "It's not right. I was a man in my previous life, you know? And an adult! This constant gender and age swapping is unsettling."

  "You didn't compin when you were a bat," she retorted, a pyful smirk tugging at her lips.

  "Yes… well… that's because I didn't perceive it as a female bat!"

  "Well, that's precisely what it was. Besides, someone has to test this body. If I die while testing, so do you. But if you die, your spirit returns to me, and we can try again. It's logical for you to be the guinea pig, Leech." A mischievous grin spread across her face as she id out her rationale.

  "Don't call me that, please. It's demeaning," he frowned. "You don't like it when I call you Bat."

  "You're right. I apologize, Hiro. I'm just a little frustrated. I don't want to climb out of this pit, but I know the exit is up there!" She grumbled, her frustration palpable. She then brought up her status.

  Name: Bathilda

  Race: Lesser Vampire

  Css: None

  Title: Rodent Exterminator

  Level: 1

  XP needed until next Level: 4800

  HP: 1488/1488

  MP: 1044/1044

  "Skill Points Avaible"

  Bathilda smiled at the increase in her stats, but her mind quickly returned to the task at hand. "Well, there's no time like the present. Go, Hiro! You can do it!" She pointed towards the cliff face, her voice brimming with false confidence.

  "I'm sitting right next to you, and I'm not a dog, you know? What do you expect me to do? I'm half your size." He moved towards the wall, his small hands reaching for the first handhold.

  To his surprise, the climb was easier than he had anticipated. His small frame allowed him to navigate the crevices with ease. "To be honest, Bathilda, this is quite easy! You might as well start climbing now, because I doubt I'll lose my grip…" He trailed off, his words cut short as he lost his footing and plummeted towards the bottom of the pit.

  He locked eyes with Bathilda, a look of resigned acceptance on his face, as he crashed into the ground. Miraculously, he sustained minimal damage, only losing ten health points.

  "Well, shit!" he chuckled, marveling at the resilience of his new body.

  "Hiro?" Bathilda called down. "You don't have to climb anymore. I just discovered we can still [Fly] without wings! Isn't that amazing?"

  "Of course we can," Hiro sighed, wondering why he had bothered with the climb in the first pce. "Why didn't we try that from the start?"