55 chapter - Preliminary Skirmish (5)

“Yuna’s ability?”

“Yes. Yuna has a Support/Healing-Type ability. And the light she creates also blocks mental-type attacks. That might have had some influence, don’t you think?”

“Hm.”

A thought struck me.

“Even when Yuna was a lowest-rank vampire, she briefly regained reason.”

“What?”

“When she was lowest-rank, her ability triggered while she was in contact with me. While pressed against me, she regained reason and was able to speak. Yuna will remember. Isn’t that right, Yuna?”

When I asked, everyone’s gaze turned to Lee Yuna.

“I—I remember! You mean the day you came to save me, right, oppa?”

Lee Yechan rested both arms on the desk.

“Explain in detail. From the beginning.”

“...Have you heard of the recent string of disappearances in F-Rank Gates?”

He quietly nodded.

I reported everything to Lee Yechan in detail, starting from my first encounter with Kang Juhui all the way up to now.

Lee Yechan listened silently, only tossing in short questions.

“So that Kim Taehun bastard was a low-rank vampire?”

“Yes.”

When I’d finished conveying the situation, Lee Yechan summarized.

“So what you’re telling me is this. Not only did you capture a mid-rank vampire alive, you also killed several low-rank vampires? And on top of that, you had Yuna absorb their power so they couldn’t reclaim it?”

The first one vanished with the Gate, the second was inherited by Yuna, and the last one I brought back whole.

“It was just luck.”

Lee Yechan grinned.

“Using a Gate that way... That’s new.”

With a pleased look, he continued.

“This is something else.”

“Thanks for the praise.”

“Good. I get it. Then let’s head down right now and have Yuna inherit the power of both the low-rank and the mid-rank.”

“Even the low-rank’s power?”

I wondered if that was necessary, but as if reading my mind, Lee Yechan answered.

“Low-rank, mid-rank—it all comes down to how much blood infused with power they’ve got. So yes, it’s better to absorb the low-rank blood too.”

“I see.”

Listening to Lee Yechan’s explanation, I understood—then a new question arose.

I asked him right away.

“But Chief, how do you know so much about vampires?”

At that, Lee Yechan smiled meaningfully.

“We’ve been preparing for war against those vampires.”

“War...”

“Yes, war. We’ve been aware of them for quite some time. We’ve clashed with them more than once. We’ve even inflicted some significant damage.”

Lee Yechan scowled as he went on.

“Right now, things are in a lull, though.”

Watching his serious expression, I let out an exclamation.

“Ah!”

“What is it?”

“It’s just...”

I hesitated a moment, then continued.

“Taeseong Guild officially requested cooperation.”

“Taeseong did?”

“Yes. Team Leader Hong Yura herself proposed it.”

After a short pause, Lee Yechan replied.

“Alright. Give me her number. I’ll contact her.”

Soon after, we went down to where the truck loaded with vampire corpses was parked.

Inside the truck bed, Hong Soo-ah was standing guard in case of any sudden incidents.

“Which one is the low-rank vampire corpse?”

I pointed at a body crumpled into a plastic bag.

“That one.”

“Good. Miss Yuna, begin.”

Lee Yuna looked bewildered.

Her body trembled faintly.

“D-Do I really have to drink the blood?”

Lee Yechan replied evenly.

“You need to drink the blood to absorb the power.”

“But...!”

I took Yuna’s hand.

Vmmm.

Her power flared immediately, and warm light wrapped around my whole body.

Yuna, her eyes trembling, looked at me wrapped in that glow. Her face crumpled.

“I can’t do it, oppa.”

I met her tear-brimming gaze.

“Oppa...”

“This is for you as well.”

“For... me?”

“How is this for me?”

“Low-rank vampires seemed compelled to obey higher ones. That’s why I told you to stay in your room before—because one might try to control you.”

“...”

I struggled to keep my tone logical.

To persuade her.

“If you absorb mid-rank power, that risk drops sharply. Then you can fight alongside us, and I believe you’ll also be able to command vampires of lower rank.”

Yuna lowered her head and whispered in a voice barely audible.

“Still...”

“Please.”

She looked straight at me, then nodded faintly.

“...Alright. But hold my hand.”

“Thank you.”

Clutching my hand tightly, Yuna walked toward the low-rank vampire corpse.

Before its head, she hesitated a long time, then clenched her eyes shut and pressed her lips against it.

The low-rank’s head shriveled like a mummy, then, as with Kang Juhui, crumbled into ash and vanished.

The same happened to its disconnected body.

When the inheritance ended, the corpse turned to ash and disappeared.

Yuna covered her mouth in surprise.

“Yuna?”

“...Eh?”

“What is it? Something wrong?”

Startled by my gaze, Yuna hurriedly stammered.

“N-No, nothing.”

She didn’t explain, but I could guess why.

‘...Guess it tastes better than she expected.’

It hit me anew that she really had turned vampire.

I asked.

“Can you keep going?”

“...Yes. I’m fine.”

Lee Yechan, who’d been silently watching, turned to Hong Soo-ah.

“Miss Soo-ah. Melt the ice.”

“...Yes.”

Hong Soo-ah revealed only the neck so Yuna could drink.

This time Yuna leaned in without much hesitation and drank.

“...”

Maybe not the right time for such a thought, but watching Yuna drink so cautiously looked... almost cute.

Again, she didn’t stop until her victim withered like a mummy.

Crack.

When the absorption ended, the vampire frozen in ice turned to ash and scattered.

“Well done, everyone. Let’s head up and rest.”

With Lee Yechan’s closing words, the long day came to an end.

**

Ssshhhhh!

A narrow cave.

Inside, cold, violent currents rushed through.

It was more like a waterfall than a river, the cave being mostly vertical shafts rather than horizontal paths.

The freezing torrent stole body heat relentlessly.

If we had ordinary bodies, we’d have already collapsed from hypothermia.

“Fuck, it’s cold!”

Im Jin-sol cursed through blue lips.

“Quiet.”

Following the vertical tunnel to its end, we emerged into a vast chamber.

A small underground lake had formed there.

“Yuna, your hand.”

“Yes, oppa!”

Vmmm.

Warm light wrapped me as I readied for battle.

By luck, I had a recent supply of Lizardman blood—perfect for this environment.

I awakened fully and applied Lizardman blood to my left eye.

Ssshhhk.

Pain seared my eye and heart.

By now, I was used to it.

When it ended and I opened my eyes, I found webbing stretched between my fingers.

“You all cover me from here.”

“““Yes.”””

I dove straight into the underground lake.

Splash!

The chaotic current buffeted me.

I opened my eyes underwater.

The scene was dazzling.

Whmmm!

Dozens of fish with glowing lures on their heads surrounded me.

Anglerfish.

Aside from their glowing head-lures and sharp teeth, they weren’t much different from ordinary fish.

The problem was their environment.

Humans had to fight them in freezing water.

Baring their teeth, they rushed me all at once.

I swung my blade calmly.

Slash!

The first sweep cut down two at once.

Slash! Slash!

In just a few swings, I carved through dozens.

All thanks to monsterization from Lizardman blood.

The survivors wavered.

After all, I was moving through water with startling freedom.

‘With Lizardman traits, water is easier than land.’

They overlooked one fact.

I wasn’t a normal human.

Now I charged at them.

They had attacked in swarms before and been slaughtered—what chance did they have now, with their numbers dwindled?

Only one.

To flee for their lives.

Slash!

Naturally, I didn’t let them.

‘About time it showed up.’

In the middle of the death chase, I felt a sudden surge in the water.

Grumbleee!

An anglerfish far larger than the rest emerged—its bulk rivaling an orca.

It came straight at me.

I shot upward toward the surface.

The monster followed, charging right behind me.

At the moment we met, I shifted slightly aside.

Splash!

Missing its target, the beast burst out of the water.

And then—

Crack! Shhhhk! Thud! Thwack!

Just as planned, support fire rained down.

An arrow pierced its eye, and ice spears from the surface skewered its belly.

It was held perfectly at the surface.

I leapt up and slashed.

Slash!

Its head came off.

At once, my Trait responded, and I felt a faint growth.

A clean kill.

‘Even D-Rank gives only a faint response now.’

In F-Rank Gates, I’d barely felt experience at all.

Watching its body twitch postmortem, I called up to the others.

“Everyone down! Collect the Mana Stones!”

While the party gathered Mana Stones, I hunted stragglers.

After sweeping them all, we fought our way back up the freezing stream to the Gate.

Outside, Manager Yoon Sangho draped us with heavy towels he’d prepared.

“Well done.”

“Goddamn, I thought I’d freeze to death.”

Im Jin-sol shivered violently, complaining.

“Feels like I’m the only one suffering. Why are the rest of you fine?”

She wasn’t wrong.

Seong Yohan and I were both body-enhancement types, barely fazed.

Hong Soo-ah’s ice affinity made her resistant to cold.

And Lee Yuna—now vampire—was beyond human limits.

Even by day, in human form, she’d grown far stronger.

The result: only Im Jin-sol, the most ordinary, had really suffered from the cold.

“Achoo!”

Watching her sneeze hard, I thought maybe I should’ve let her sit out the stone collection at the end.

Just a thought.

‘Too late now anyway.’

I said:

“Good work, everyone. Let’s head back.”

Today’s Gate had been nothing but anglerfish.

Lately, we’d been clearing one D-Rank Gate each day.

Since the vampire attack, we’d been living together at headquarters.

Especially Im Jin-sol and Seong Yohan’s families, who were staying there under guild protection.

“But oppa...”

“Mm?”

“Is this really okay?”

It was a vague question, but I knew what she meant.

She was asking if it was alright for us to be clearing Gates so casually while vampires were still out there.

We had our reasons.

“Because the Chief told us to carry on as usual.”

“I know, but still...”

“More importantly—this week is the C-Rank advancement exam, right? You studied enough?”

“Yes, but... Is it really fine to head to Seoul without any preparation?”

Act as usual, and all party members would enter this quarter’s C-Rank advancement exam.

That was Lee Yechan’s order.

“It’ll be fine. They don’t know about you yet.”

I’d be going too, but as long as my position wasn’t exposed, vampires wouldn’t attack.

And the exam would be in broad daylight, when the sun was highest.

It would take place while Yuna was human.

Vampires wouldn’t risk moving when their stats plummeted in the day.

‘...It’ll be fine.’

There was no need to worry.

Probably.