Beneath the Green Tide

In Little Chessboard, time was the cheapest resource of all.

Ron stood on the central observation platform of grid γ-No. 18, his gaze passing through layer upon layer of translucent data panels to land on the surface of that miniature planet.

The Tri-Symbiotic System—flesh, the Echo Tree, and stellar fragments.

After repeated tear-downs and restarts, parameter corrections, and ratio adjustments, it finally achieved stable operation in the eleventh large-scale experiment.

He named this version "11.0."

The first batch of Experiment Subjects cultivated under the 11.0 plan were officially named "Bloodborn" by him.

The name pointed both to their genetic foundation originating from Vampires and to the implied beginning of a "new bloodline."

He distributed the first batch of stable, fully formed Bloodborn across three different testing zones.

Their outward forms were highly similar to humans—they walked upright, had long limbs, and clear facial contours.

But on closer inspection, the differences were plainly visible.

Their skin showed a warm, deep amber color, an outward sign of the stellar fragments slowly burning beneath it.

In environments with abundant sunlight, the amber would deepen, faintly tinged with gold-red, like magma flowing beneath a thin shell of stone.

After they spent too long in the dark, their skin tone would recede to pallor, approaching the original coloration of their Vampire ancestors.

Their irises were the most distinctive marker.

Unlike the scarlet of Vampires or the many colors of humans, the Bloodborn's irises displayed a unique "halo gold."

Under strong light, their pupils were like miniature coronas.

"Very pretty. Baby's got great taste."

As Nari watched the real-time footage through the mental link, she could not help but praise it.

"There's one detail I personally like especially much, too."

Ron called up a set of microscopic images. "Look at their blood."

After Bloodborn blood was