《Vampire Reborn》 Stats (Up to most recent Chapter!) Stats (Up to most recent Chapter!) ************************** Name: BallsDeep69 Race: Vampire Level: 3 Stats ************* HP: 8 MP: 7 PHY. ATK: 8 MAG. ATK: 7 PHY. DEF: 7 MAG. DEF: 5 AGILITY: 11 SPECIAL: 5 RESIST: 5 ************* Magic and Skills ************* FireBall Drain {Click to see details} ************* Passives ************* Basic Disease Immunity Basic Poison Immunity Bludgeoning Vulnerability V Critical Hit Immunity Cold Resistance II Dark Vision Death Magic Immunity Fire Vulnerability V Food, Water, and Air are Unnecessary Energy/Essence Drain Immunity Light and Holy Element Vulnerability V Mind-affecting Immunity Necromancy Resistance II Paralysis Immunity Fast Healing I Physical Penalty Resistance Recover by Dark/Negative Energy Silver Vulnerability V Stalker''s Gift ;) Sleep Immunity Sun Vulnerability V Spell Damage Resistance I Weapon Damage Resistance I ************* Special Passives ************* Blood Lust Blood Furor {Click to see details} ************* Race sses Vampire (lvl 3) ************* Job sses Blood Sucker (lvl 2) ************************** Chapter 1: Prologue Chapter 1: Prologue 2020, the biggest turning point in all of humanity It all started with a global pandemic that ravaged and consumed the entire world. An extremely contagious, deadly disease called "the Schlechtes virus" came out of nowhere and was the cause of millions of deaths worldwide. Society was absolutely ruined; people had to wear face masks and numerous establishments of work including even schools were forced topletely close down. Various people lost their jobs and the economy was ruined by the mass hysteria towards quarantine to the point that even toilet paper became more expensive and rarer than gold. Yet, humanity, at least most of it, was patient for a vine that the government had promised them. And, in 2021, the next year, the promised vines were finally introduced. However... Due to the virus''s evolutionary nature, the vines proved to bepletely ineffective... If anything, they led to even more deaths and dispair than before... (DISCLAIMER! : This is just a fictional story! I am not an anti vaxer! Take your fucking vines like a normal person and don''t be an idiot!) The entire world was outraged riots and protests in every country around the world, cities in mayhem and several people sick. The governments tried to calm the masses by saying that it was all an ident that they had overlooked a very specific gene pool and they had no idea about the new variants of the virus. They tried to urge the people to not panic and stay home while they develop a new vine that would set things right. But, at that point, people''s patience had reached its limit their trust for the government had faded away, now nowhere to be seen Despite the immense bacsh and tragedy, new work of a vine was still underway and people all around the world still stayed home out of fear of the now even more powerful virus. However, just when things could not get any worse, they somehow did Humanity had been neglecting the climate for too long, and it was time for mother nature to give her retribution Over the years, pollution had only been getting worse and worse, people rarely using reusable energy sources until one point, the air outside was simply unbreathable and did not allow for any wild-life or nts to flourish. The sky was nowpletely yellow, filled with almost nothing but sulphur and carbon monoxide to the point that a full recovery was but a distant dream. Earth was growing more and more uninhabitable, and with no hope of escaping to Mars anytime soon, people began to lose hope of ever taking another breath of fresh air... The only reason humanity could even survive was due to various breakthroughs in science from some of the world''s brightest minds. Eventually, after these new life-saving discoveries, humans grew more faith in scientists and tried the new vine proimed by the government. And, to everyone''s pleasant surprise, they worked exactly as intended with no side effects. Still, now that only meant that masks indoors were unneeded, social interactions could once again go back to normal, and that the economy began to show signs of recovery. However, the damage done to the earth was irreversible, and would never be the same Everything was documented in videos seen online, of a past that they so deeply wanted to experience, a world much brighter and freer than the one they live in. People dreamed of a world with no more pollution, a world full of green, where one could look up at a clear blue sky with the sun shining down instead of a yellow, polluted mess, where they can go outside without fear and breathe fresh air, see the animals flourish, stare at the clear night, starry skies, experience nature instead of being locked in this deep, dark, depressing world they lived in. 2142, A video gamepany named "New Era" announced a game that would shock the world. The game was called "Rebirth". A fully immersive, full dive VR videogame in a luscious greennd of magic and swords, a world not polluted and liberating, the graphics simting reality to its utmost capacity with the highest quality textures they could muster. A fully immersive experience simting the human senses to an impressive degree, with of course some technical restrictions due to data and so people did not lose sight of what was game and reality. Although the game developers could not yet let it be a full online MMORPG, they still allowed CO-OP y, group raids, and PVP along with a full single-yer campaign for yers toplete, which really excited people to experience the new world with all of their friends. Once they developed more and got more used to all the new technologies, they did promise to release a new, massive update that would allow full MMORPG features in a massive open world with thousands of yers all at once in theing years, just like the masses had been asking for. The world had never been more excited for anything in many, many years. It was almost like a dreame true, something that only ever happened in movies, books, anime, and manga, but only now they were able to touch it with their own hands. It was a game that capitalized and grabbed onto people''s desires to experience a cleaner, better world, reaching an audience that gaming had never before seen. The game not only interested gamers, but the entire world of all ages, growing to be the most purchased game ever in only the first hour after itsunch. Rebirth came out to critical sess and acim, praised by all. The world absolutely loved it and it did not disappoint like some people feared. Yet, that did not mean that the game was by any means perfect. It was still an early concept, the first of its kind. It was gued by many bugs, some minor and some game-breaking: many area, spell, and movement restrictions were put in ce, the graphics were not 100% urate to life, and, senses were not fully urate either like some things were advertised. Nevertheless, for what it was, it was unquestionably fantastic andpletely shattered what humans previously thought was possible. And, with the massive update along the line, things only looked to get even better. *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Chapter 2: Doing The Impossible... Chapter 2: Doing The Impossible... Underneath the clear, ck, starry night sky above, a single small, glowing object was seen whizzing by above a certain man, the sight of the music-filled bustling city below him, lit up by both torches and his own dark vision, merchants selling to customers, beggars asking for money, strippers in skimpy outfits, advertising themselves to the masses to lure them in for cash, city guards patrolling the area fully armoured, sword in hand waiting, ready for any crime to ur. There, all alone, a man cloaked in a simple outfit of all ck, his rather handsome, pale, ghost-like face on full disy, his short, smooth white hair flowing in the cold wind breeze that was striking his face that felt both real and not real at the same time, a serious look in his slightly glowing blood-red eyes jumped from building to building like a ninja, attempting to navigate the city as fast as he could, sweat running down his face as he tried his best not to get spotted. "Stop right there, criminal scum! Nobody breaks thew on my watch! Get off of th" A sound was heard from below from one of the guards, his voice deep and intimidating yet somewhat t at the same time. ''Shit! They caught me! Why now!? I have to end this quickly before they catch me! Infinite sprint isn''t good enough! At this rate, I might even hit an invisible wall before I find it! I''ve been building up to this moment for over 7 years! I can''t fail now after getting so far!'' The man thought, showing a scowl on his face, revealing his 2 long teeth-like fangs hiding in his mouth, his heart beating quickly, the sweat running down his face now even faster. "Follow him! He''s going north!" The voices underneath him seemed to be getting even closer, that was what he got for getting there as fast as possible and no preparations. He needed to speed up by any means necessary; at this rate, he would never make it. [ Wind Walker ] [ Haste ] Suddenly, the man''s body glowed a faint colour of red and green, his speed drastically increasing at the cost of both blood and mana that he was so desperately low on in his condition after everything he had been through to even enter the city as he continued jumping from building to building, his movement meticulous and quick, like aplete expert. "Stop! In the name of thew! Follow him! Stop! In the name of thew! Follow him! Stop! In the name of thew! Follow him! Stop! In the name of thew! Follow him!" Ignoring the guard''s incessant ramblings almost like they were all toomon for him, he focused on the task at hand. ''Almost there'' ... ''Found it!! Absolutely perfect! He spawned!'' His face brightened up yet became more panicked and jittery, looking at what seemed like a pub with a group of muscr men sitting on a table by the back door, talking and having a beer, their attire looking like those of peasants rather than the middle ss. Yet, his focus did not stay on them for long, immediately shifting towards the man standing beside the back door of the pub, his pants unzipped and his facepletely red, drunk out of his mind, peeing directly on the wall to the right of the closed door. Without a moment of hesitation, the white-haired man jumped down from the high building above, nobody noticing him despite his rather shy entrance. Promptly afternding on the ground, he dashed towards the back door of the pub on the opposite side where the other man was peeing, now repeatedly dashing at the wall like an idiot or a madman, of course not before perfectly lining himself up with a certain mossy crack. Despite the many civilians in the area, his rather odd disy garnered absolutely no attention from anyone around him, almost like he was not even there, even including the man that was still peeing to his right and the group of men having their beers who were no less than a few meters away. "Have you heard the news? king Reinhart''s forces that he sent to destroy the hoard of evil spirits have all been wiped out Even captain Raven died in the massacre" "Massacre!? Were they defeated that easily?" "Yes All found dead on Bruma hill No survivors other than a few desperate screamsing from surveince spells" "Do you think it''s Midnight''s doing?" "No clue But if this keeps up, I''m not fucking sure about the state of our country anymore" The man paid absolutely no heed to the drunken men''s conversation, almost like filtering out their speech was second nature to him as he continued dashing into the wall, impatient waiting for the man to his right to finish his piss. "Guards! Here! I found him! Arrest that man! Roof jumping is against thew in this town!" "AHHH!" Swiftly, turning a corner, the guards had finally caught up, now rushing at him with their red and silver armour, swords drawn ready to attack. ''Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Not now! Piss faster! Piss faster!'' He inwardly panicked, the armoured men now only 100 metres away from his location. "That darn slut Serena If she doesn''t stop bitching then I might have to teach her a lesson" A sudden smile of hope and excitement filled his face as the man beside him had abruptly stopped pissing, zipping his pants back up and reaching to open the door of the pub. Yet It might have been toote... "Submit or perish! criminal!" The guard had already reached his location, now shing straight at his chest, not flinching at all in the wake of his strike as he profusely prayed to the heavens above to not let things all end here after he had gotten this far, still constantly dashing at the wall And It seemed like his call was answered Suddenly, the man that was previously pissing thrust the door open with a mighty m, the wooden door crashing straight at the white-haired man''s body mere millimeters before the guard''s sword made contact with his body. "Hmmm? No sign of him Must have been the wind" The white-haired criminal hadpletely disappeared, now nowhere to be seen. He had phased through the wall and ground of the pub, instantly falling into a deep, ck abyss below, seemingly endless, no fear at all in his heart. In fact, it was quite the opposite actually. He was celebrating, cheering and thrusting his arms up and down in victory, taking a quick peek at the sky above only to see small fragments of the world and the guards that almost killed him, now casually walking away like nothing even happened. "LET''S GOOO!!" "YEAH BABY! That''s what I''ve been waiting for! That''s what it''s all about! WOOO!" "Sub 6 hours! Sub 6 hours! In the 7 years, this game has been out, I''m the first one to get a sub-six-hour 100% speed run!" "Poggers in the chat baby!" *Huh* *Huh* *Huh* "Wha?! $10,000 DONATION FROM "Biggus_Dickus" SAYING: Wow! Sub 6 hours! You beat your own world record! 6:20 was good from before but you managed to get sub 6! This will never be topped in the history of the game! You''re insane! Keep it up man!" "Thank you so much for all the love and support on the streams and- WHA! $1,000 from "E-rectile_Reptile": Broooo! Ren! That was" The man, now known as Ren, felt his heart beating faster than machine-gun fire, the relief and excitement overwhelming his jittery, vibrator-like body as he continued falling down in the deep, ck hole of darkness underneath the world, reading his live stream''s chat and the flurry of seemingly endless donations and subscriptions that he had missed during the run. What Ren just did was what most peoplemonly referred to as a "pro gamer move". By perfectly aligning himself with the correct side of that door, once the scripted NPC mmed the door open, the force would clip him outside of the world and skip him all the way to the credits. Most good speedruns all ended at that final part... That pissing NPC only spawned in that area a quarter of the time, and even if he did manage to get him to spawn, he needed to perfectly line himself up in order to be clipped, which was much easier said than done. What made the situation even tenser was the addition of the guards that had nearly killed him. It was the perfect run that was almostpletely ruined...one that neither he or his live stream chat that he was broadcasting to could believe, he had never felt so alive in years, one of the best moments of his life. The emotions he was feeling in his heart were simply indescribable... And, after a few minutes of calcted dropping into the void, he had finally made it to the end Music began ying out of nowhere as the names of all the developers began scrolling down his vision, making him mute the game and continue his conversation and interactions with his chat. Until, suddenly, the message he had been waiting for so long had finally arrived. [Congrattions yer! You have 100%pleted the game along with all of the side quests! You are the true hero who had saved the world of the evil spirit menace, at least for now] [Final time: 5 hours, 59 minutes, and 47 seconds ] [New world record!] [Hidden Quest Complete: Undisputed Champion!] [ You havepleted and proved yourself beyond the world''s wildest imagination in many ways over the years! On behalf of the entire New Era team, we would like to bestow upon you, the undisputed number 1 yer in the world, exclusive, early ess to beta test the next new game-changing update that had been anticipated for many years! Congrattions!] [ept] [Decline] *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 3: Happy Times Chapter 3: Happy Times Ren''s chat of 200 thousand went wild seeing the notification pop up on his screen, the frenzy so insane that the chat was moving down so fast that even the shortest, most simple messages could not be read. Yet, the person most bewildered of all was Ren himself, his eyes wide open and his body shaking like crazy as if the best day of his life had only gotten even better. "Shit This can''t be real, it must be a troll or some kind of virus right?" Heughed and mumbled to himself, only to look at the chat screen to his right that was stillpletely unreadable. "Fuck I don''t even know what to say If any of the devs are in chat, I just want to thank you so much, and say that I am so honoured to receive this It''s been a long journey to get to where I''m at but I would have never been here if it weren''t for everyone''s support! SO LET''S FUCKING DO THIS!" With no hesitation, Ren lifted his hands and stared at his 2 options once more, clicking the only option he could possibly pick. [ ept ] [ Are you sure you would like to ept? Please read the terms and conditions below ] [ If you ept, you must promise confidentiality. You will not be allowed to stream any of the new content provided in this update until itunches to the public, this will also include discussing any major changes provided Please click here to read more about our terms and conditions ] [ Do you ept all the terms and conditions? ] [ ept ] [ Decline ] "Shit, sorry guys, it seems like I won''t be streaming this! But I guess I''ll just have fun by myself! Ha! Losers!" Renughed heartily at his chat that seemed to not take it personal or bad at all. { LEAK IT! LEAK IT! LEAK IT! } { Come on man! Don''t be a dick about it! You could at least show us a little bit of the good stuff ;) } { You''ve always been a savage! Don''t be a pussy! Fucking leak the content You''re called balls for a reason!! } Of course, Ren had no idea what his fast-moving chat was saying, yet deep down he knew exactly what they were thinking as he smiled and spoke. "FBI might be knocking on my door if I leak this But fuck it! I''ll consider it after I see what it''s all about, no way I''m streaming it though!" He chuckled once more, casually hitting the ept button with the hands of his game character. [ You''re all set! The update is currently installing onto your VR machine! ] [ Time Remaining: 25 minutes ] There was nothing in the emptiness of the void other than his floating body and that simple timer as it slowly ticked down. [ Time Remaining: 24 minutes 56 seconds ] "Well guys, I guess I kinda have to end the stream here. I''ve been live for almost 14 hours now just grinding away at the game and I can''t really be ying this much when it''s updating now can I?" He took a pause to softly chuckle at his own words before he took a deep breath and continued in a more serious tone. "I would like to thank all of you for showing up for the stream! You legit just witnessed history being made live! But this is only the beginning! Theunch of the next major update that we were all promised years ago is almost upon us! And your boy will have an early advantage on everyone else! So, we will rule it as well! Our reign of supremacy will not fall! I would once again like to show my appreciation to every single one of you. I would not be here without you and it truly, truly means more to me than you think And on that note, I''ll be ending the stream and enjoying the new update all by myself! See ya!" *Click* After ending the stream, Ren''s facepletely changed as he took a deep breath and thought profoundly in his mind, making a menu show up, clicking the final option written on it, directly below game settings. [ Log Out ] [ Owner: "Ren Silver" has returned back to reality! Wee back! ] As soon as he clicked the button, he was immediately thrust back staring at something all too familiar, looking at the thick ck ss of his premium VR helmet, leisurely taking it off and slowly setting it on the metal table ahead of him, noticing a countdown right on its screen directly matching that of the update. With a mellow smile, he leant back onto his chair, looking around his dark,pletely white, fairly small and lightly furnished apartment that was slightly more futuristic than the average house at the time, his high tech gas mask hung to the side of his front door just in case he wanted to go outside, an artificial oxygen machine that allowed there to be air in his home, and a particrly messy desk in the corner that he had never bothered to clean up since he quit hisst job. Many would not think it fit for the house of a millionaire and the biggest, most popr streamer on Spaz thergest streaming site in the world. However, he could not care less about suchments, a moderate lifestyle was all he really ever wanted. His gaze eventually fell on his curtains that had shreds of dim, yellow, polluted lighting through it. ''Morning already huh'' He had 25 minutes of time to burn until the update finished and he needed to spend his time doing something productive other than a nap which he was sure would take him out for at least a few hours. He was unsure of what to do until the answer hit him in the face, or, more like in the nose... He slowly lifted his tired, sweaty body and immediately went to take a shower, not before smiling at a certain picture, 1 third of it clearly ripped, feeling a mixture of emotions looking at it before he shook his head and entered the shower with his new clothes in hand, throwing all of his sweaty attire in a basket at the corner of his bathroom before he casually strolled in front of the mirror in an extremely good mood unlike he had ever felt in years. There he saw his own reflection, the face of a somewhat above average, clean-shaven, well-kempt man that looked no older than an average college student. He was not skinny and not fat yet leaning closer towards the skinny side. His smooth ck hair fell down slightly past his reddish hazel eyes that almost seemed to glow on his clear, pale face that was quite amon thing due to theck of sunlight outdoors. Still, even amongst most people, his face was particrly pale, which that, along with other things, earned him the nickname "Vampire" that he eventually began to embrace as he grew up. Although he stayed home 99% of the time, absolutely hated and adamantly avoided human interaction, he was definitely a man that took good care of his image. It was either from habit from his previous job or because he was forced to show his face every day on stream to millions of people and needed to look presentable, even he was unsure which one influenced his behaviour more. "Huh" As he was looking deeply into his reflection, he noticed odd redness under his slightly watery eyes, a sight he had never seen in a long time. "W-was I crying? Fuck! Did I cry on stream?" He had not shed a single tear in years, ever since that faithful day so why was he doing it now? Although, unlike thest time, these were tears of joy instead... Was he that happy for what he had aplished today? He had no idea. Yet, what he was certain of was that he had never felt such warmth and sense of aplishment in years, if only his dad was there to see it too Immediately, Ren shook his head and entered the shower bare naked, standing tall at 5''11" as he turned on the shower and stared up at the ceiling, cold droplets of water falling on his smiling face, seemingly unphased by the rather refreshing coldness as he let his mind drift in peace. However, not even 5 minutester, his peace was abruptly ended by the ringing of the phone that he did not expect, making him quicklye out of the shower, butt naked as he quickly grabbed the phone and answered in his natural, deep voice. "Who is it?" There were slight noises of static on his phone before another voice was heard, one sounding like the tender love and care of an old woman. "Oh! My sweet little RenRen!? You actually picked up! I just called to congratte you on your new achievement! You were all over the news! I w" "Shut the fuck up" "Sweetie?" "How the fuck did you even get this number?! I told you to never call me again! You fucking bitch! I know exactly what you fucking want! And you''re not getting shit from me!" Hearing that person''s voice suddenly clicked something odd in Ren''s head, his mood and expression shifting aplete 180 degrees. "Oh no! Sweety! It''s not wh" "Shut your damn mouth slut! You''re lucky I even pay for your sorry ass living expenses! But that''s way more than you fucking deserve! Lucky for you, unlike someone else I know, I''m not heartless enough to leave my bitch ass mother living on the streets!" "But honey You''re rich and you don''t even use any of your money But that''s not what I wanted to call you for! I really jus" "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! And don''t fucking call me again! You''repletely dead to me! You fucking witch!" "B-but Re" *Beeeeeeeeeeep* *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 4: A New Beginning Chapter 4: A New Beginning Ren shut off his phone and ced it back on the table, something that he knew he should have done a long time ago. If anyone else he did not like had called him, he would have simply shut the phone in their face. However, his mother incited apletely different reaction from him every time like a primal instinctpletely oveing his body, one that he could not stop no matter how hard he tried. His hatred for her was as such, almost unquantifiable. If anything, his outburst towards her just now was not as severe as all the other times, which was probably due to his previously good mood. He knew exactly why she called him as soon as the news arose and it was not at all for a good reason. She just tried to pounce on any opportunity she could and what better time than when her son made the front page of all worldwide news? *Argh* He tried to calm himself down, putting his hands on his wet face, heavily breathing, a serious look in his eyes that were hidden under his pitch-ck hair. He was in such a good mood only a few seconds prior, but now that joy was ripped away and reced by all memories and torture he had experienced. *BEEEEEP* { Updateplete! "Rebirth" is now once again ready to y! } In his moment of grief, the sound of his VR helmet rang in his ears, notifying him that the update he had been waiting for had finally finished. "Heh I can''t let this bother me Today is a good day Maybe ying the new update will cheer me up again I''ll be the world''s first after all" Ren mumbled to himself, a small smile appearing on his face as he had never been so excited about something like this in many, many years. ying video games, especially Rebirth was the time he felt the happiest and freest. It was a time where he could finally forget the pain of his earthly life and be something different. NPCs were far greater than humans could ever be anyways. At least they couldn''t actually hurt him, they were programmed... loyal and would never betray unless scripted to. All that he knew about the update was that it was going to make the game even more realistic, they were going to remove all invisible walls, and that it would possibly take ce in a new region; everything else waspletely unknown. His body still dripping water, a small puddle forming under his feet, he walked over towards his VR helmet, stillpletely naked forming small footprints on the cold, wooden floor, picking up the ck and red helmet with his two, soaking wet hands. He knew that the VR helmets were all waterproof, and he simply could not wait any longer to dry his body and wear new clothes, he was too excited to waste any time, like his body did not allow him to do anything else. Plus, ying naked might somehow be more refreshing, and now was as good a time as any other to test it out. He took a moment of pause, staring eagerly at the helmet in his shaky hands, taking a deep breath before promptly putting it on his head, making sure it was secured before he turned it on. { Power on } {10%} {34%} {69%} {100%} { Boot upplete! } Suddenly, just like he always saw, he was thrust into a white void with absolutely nobody, numbers flowing down his entire vision before another pop-up emerged. { Please Select a game to y. If you wish to go to the store or settings, simply cancel this window } Ren answered by simply thinking of the name in his mind. ''Rebirth'' He directly skipped the starting menu that appeared to not change and went immediately into a new game file as it seemed like everything else had beenpletely deleted, which made sense in his mind. ''New Game'' { Before youmence your new journey, would you like to use your own character that you already created prior? Note: The new update did not provide any new races or customization options } Ren ignored the rather odd notification and chose the obvious answer, his faithful vampire race had never once let him down. Not only was it one of the most overpowered races in the entire game, he felt some sort of connection to it, almost like it was his spirit animal. it was the same insult that had been thrown at him his entire life, and he had now more than fully embraced it. Plus, he wanted to see how it would stack up with all the new possible changes. ''Old character build: Vampire'' ... He was left with absolute silence, almost like the game hadpletely glitched or frozen up on him before his vision instantly turned pitch ck, his consciousness moving forward into what looked like an endless void that seemed to be almost alive, calling out to him from its depths, which was something that had never happened to him before in all his years of ying. ''W-wah! Did they change the starting animations for the game!?'' He thought inplete turmoil as it was the only usible exnation in his mind. << Greeting Ren Silver You have proven yourself worthy without a shadow of a doubt Wee to your NEW REALITY... >> A deep, almost otherworldly voice mysteriously spoke out towards him, his voiceing from ostensibly every direction, shaking him down to his very core, his heart lurching deep down in his chest, pain and fear, unlike anything he had experienced in a long time engulfing his whole body that did not even exist, meaning that he was unable to scream or shout in his deep, seemingly endless agony. Yet, as soon as the pain came, it just as quickly disappeared. It made him wonder if that pain even existed and what that unknown, new starting voice in his subconscious was as he felt a massive headache ravage his mind. ''That really fucking hurt! Was that some sort of glitch? That voice Did they revamp the entire opening? Or was that a special message from the devs just for me?'''' *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* "Huh" Ren mumbled to himself as he felt something rather odd, cold yet refreshing hitting him in the face, a feeling really familiar yet not one he would expect to feel inside the game *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* He slowly opened his extremely fatigued, heavy eyes only to find out that he was looking at the top of a cave where water droplets slowly fell on his face, the feeling so realistic that he almost thought that it was actually real life. He instinctively began moving his hands, realizing that his entire body had spawned as well, and that he finally entered the game. Yet, was it even a game? Ren had yed Rebirth for so many years that he was immediately able to tell the difference between game and reality What he was feeling now lent far more towards reality than a game. Everything simply felt too real to be a simtion, the feeling of his naked body on the rocky, cold hard ground, the wind blowing coldly on his skin and shrivelled member, even the textures and level of detail on the entire cave that was illuminated by the passive race attributes of being a vampire which inherently should not feel real yet somehow felt all too familiar. However, the biggest, most profound difference was when he took a breath It was a sensation unlike he ever experienced in his entire life, in-game or in real life. The air felt so fresh, rejuvenating his entire body from the inside into a feeling of pure bliss. No artificial air, air conditioners, or anything of the kind couldpare to this feeling it was exactly like he imagined air would feel over 100 years ago. It was a feeling that he could get addicted to, as he started non-stop breathing over and over again with a smile on his face. He was scared that he had already developed a breathing fetish for fresh air from how good it was. But, now that he thought about it, with how good it felt, would he evenin if he did? *CRAWWk* However, he was suddenly interrupted by a sound from the outside, that of a bird that rang into his ears in, once again, an oddly all too realistic way, snapping him back to his senses. ''Ahhh Where am I?'' Using all the power in his oddly fatigued body, he lifted himself off the ground, feeling pricking pains from the rocks poking at the soles of his feet. He seemed to have spawned into some obscure area that he did not at all recognize, a rocky ck cave with odd-looking crimson roses growing from the cracks,pletely unlike the scripted cutscene at Vinay Empire''s prison that he so fondly remembered, deeply engraved into his very being from how many times he had experienced it. He began to move around, finding his movementspletely unrestricted, the coldness and moisture of the cave not seeming to have a big effect on him, noticing the exit of the cave that led into a dark forest that seemed to be lit up by both his dark vision and what seemed like a bright white light which was most likely the moon Right now, his mindset was not that of a usual professional yer or speedrunner, but more like a curious cat trying to examine everything carefully, like a slight, hidden instinct of survival overtook his senses. The more he walked around and experienced the world, the more and more usible in his mind that the odd, seemingly impossible thought became... "Ow!" He instinctively yelled, feeling a sharp object stab him in the foot, looking down to see a ck, sharp rock. ''This feels too real. Am I still in the game!? Did they update the yer''s movement and senses to such an extent? Or have I been transported to this world for real?'' He thought, doing something that he should have checked a long time ago, something that he had a feeling would put an end to most of his questions ''Stats'' ************************** Name: BallsDeep69 Race: Vampire Level: 1 Stats ************* HP: 5 MP: 5 PHY. ATK: 5 MAG. ATK: 5 PHY. DEF: 5 MAG. DEF: 5 AGILITY: 5 SPECIAL: 5 RESIST: 5 ************* Magic and Skills ************* FireBall Drain {Click to see details} ************* Passives ************* Basic Disease Immunity Basic Poison Immunity Bludgeoning Vulnerability V Critical Hit Immunity Cold Resistance II Dark Vision Death Magic Immunity Fire Vulnerability V Food, Water, and Air are Unnecessary Energy/Essence Drain Immunity Light and Holy Element Vulnerability V Mind-affecting Immunity Necromancy Resistance II Paralysis Immunity Fast Healing I Physical Penalty Resistance Recover by Dark/Negative Energy Silver Vulnerability V Stalker''s Gift ;) Sleep Immunity Sun Vulnerability V Spell Damage Resistance I Weapon Damage Resistance I ************* Special Passives ************* Blood Lust Blood Furor {Click to see details} ************* Race sses Vampire (lvl 1) ************* Job sses ************* None ************************** ''It''s there'' He thought to himself, looking at his character sheet with a strange feeling in his heart a feeling of bothfort and disappointment that he was still in the game and had not transferred into a new world like in fantasy, which might have seemed fun in theory but extremely dangerous the more he thought about it. ''It seems that the technology had really advanced this much This is insane! I bet everyone else would be so jealous if I revealed this!'' He thought with a smirk, taking another deep breath of bliss. Ren then immediately started reading his stat sheet to see if there were any changes added in the new update, until his eyesnded on his name, which made him inwardly chuckle and cringe, almost instinctively covering his face. ''BallsDeep69'' He had made the ount when the game had recentlye out, and at that time he was only a little kid. And, by the time he became mature enough to realize how bad his name was, it was already toote The developers gave no way for the yers to change their usernames, and by the time he wanted to change his name, he had already aplished too much on that ount for him to simply abandon it thus, he was reluctantly stuck with it for the duration of his time ying. However, in his case, it ended up being kind of a good thing since it had be a massive meme in hismunity and was probably part of the reason for his massive, widespread growth and sess. Ignoring that part of his character window like it never even existed, he continued to examine the rest of his stats, his eyes moving from top to bottom as he mumbled to himself: "Hmmmm everything so far seems to be in order" "OH! Lord Balls! You''re finally awake! Wee back!" "AHHHH! WHAT THE HELL?! WHO ARE YOU?!" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 5: Lord Balls!? Chapter 5: Lord Balls!? "L-lord balls? You don''t recognize me? It''s me! Luck!" "Luck!?" Ren blurted out, caught entirely off guard by what he was seeing in front of him, a creature that was all too familiar to him yet moving in totally different ways than what he was usually programmed. A small, slightly glowing figure around the size of a middle finger. His short, deep, purple hair slightly spiked, his eyes that were a mystical uniform colour matched his hair andplimented the soft, almost feminine-like features of his yellow, slightly glowing face. He pped his almost see-through matching purple fairy wings in the air wearing absolutely no clothes, his private parts fully missing from where a normal person would usually have them. It was a custom fairy NPC that he always created on every y-through of the game he had ever done, one that proved to be extremely useful every time, yet not one that he expected to see in his new ythrough of the game. "Lord Balls! I''m so happy you''re finally awake! I was so worried about you!" His voicepletely caught Ren off guard. Firstly, he usually had all of his party members on mute, that was if he had any, so he didn''t have to listen to their ramblings and pre-programmed voice lines over and over. And secondly, he had never heard an NPC ever refer to him by name. It was always "Hero", "Traveler", "Young Wizard", Etcetera, but never specifically by name. ''Damn, they must have really updated the AI He sounds so good... And why is Luck here? I thought I started a new game. Is this the new starting cutscene? Did they put my own custom character in the game as an homage to me!?'' Ren couldn''t really contain his excitement, a clear look of Joy on his face. "Ummm Lord Balls? Are you okay? Can you talk to me? You''ve been asleep for 2 days I was so worried about you But don''t worry! I made myself useful while you were asleep!" Luck''s tone was very joyous and worried at the same time, the emotions on his face very expressive, which made Ren inwardly nod, taking in everything, not speaking a single word back at the NPC ahead of him. "Ummm Lord Balls?" "Can you please stop calling me lord balls!?" Ren blurted on instinct before sighing to himself as it was just as effective as talking to a brick wall, thinking nothing of it as an NPC wouldn''t be able to respond to such amand. "Oh I''m sorry Would you rather me call you by your full name? Lord BallsDeep69?" "NO! That''s even worse!" He instinctively responded once more, before taking a step back as he came to a sudden realization... ''He responded!? What!? He responded!?'' Usually, NPCs only respond to very directmands, or prompts given by the game to tell the yer to say what he needed to say, like multiple choice. This was the first time he had seen such a thing. ''Did they program realistic AI in the game? Just like in all those novels and anime? Can I now have a full-on conversation with an NPC?'' He felt his excitement well up, even more, everything seemed almost too good to be true, him not sure how the developers could allow such realism in the game. "Umm So Lord What would you rather me call you?" Ren''s eyes grew wide with a massive smile on his face. He finally had the chance to change his own name. He had thought, no, more like fantasied about it many times about a cool, fitting vampire name to call himself but simply never received the chance to use it. And, after years of contemting, he had ultimately narrowed it down to 1, simple name "Alucard Call me Alucard" Luck''s slightly worried and confused face looked up brighter than ever. "Alucard! Lord Alucard! I like that! I like the new name lord! I was worried that you were going through an identity crisis," Ren ignored the part about the identity crisis as he felt a great sense of pride now being referred to as Alucard, which was his favourite character in all vampire media and somewhat of a role model to him in some sick, distorted way. "So, luck What can you tell me about where I am now? You said I''ve been asleep for 2 days right? You must have done some sort of exploring right? You also said you got some work done too?" It felt somewhat odd talking to an NPC, yet the fascination of the new update got the best of him as he wanted to test the limits of this new AI. "To bepletely honest. I have absolutely no idea where we are and how we even got here. All I remember is that you and I have been on many adventures together and I feel some sort of loyalty to you that not even I''m fully sure of I did do some exploring, but I wasn''t able to go far since the nearby vige was being raided by mercenaries or bandits, so I was only able to explore the nearby forest ahead." ''Amnesia A ssic start to any new tale! Oh! And a Vige raided Noted! Maybe a side quest, might even be part of the main quest too!'''' In the game, there was no proper quest or notification when a yer was told something, so it was up to them to keep track of anything important said to them. "And what did you make yourself busy with?" "Oh! Here! Come outside! I spent thest 2 days retrieving good armour pieces from the bandits and soldiers that fought for the vige a few days ago! They are very heavy for someone small like me so it took a really long time to do it I hope you like it!" Luck seemed to be holding in his excitement, like he was proud of what he had aplished as he pped his wings and flew out of the cave with haste, Ren following suit, making sure to avoid any spikes or pebbles protruding out of the ground as he learned his lesson the previous time. As he exited the cave, the light of the moon fell down on his face, the fresh wind breeze hit his face once more, the slushy feeling and texture of the mud under his feet entirely different from the previous rocky ground as he could not help but stare at the forest ahead of him withplete awe and fascination, almost like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, a scene so real and majestic that he only imagined it in his dreams, almost shedding a tear from its sheer beauty ''Wow'' Ren had never in his life felt freer as he, in his still naked body stared at the forest ahead, taking the best, deepest breath of his life his addiction seemingly never going to end as he was quite literally high on air. He was stood at the entrance of a seemingly endless forest that spanned far as his dark vision eyes could see. The heavily swaying trees affected by the howling wind were ofpletely foreign, unknown origin to him, noticing 3 or 4 different species that looked somewhat simr and distinct in their own ways. The vegetation was ratherpact and shot out high up into the illuminated pitch-ck sky enabling cascading light from the bright moon to bounce between the rich green leaves; this allowed for a variety of saplings to flourish in the thickyer of leaves below where several types of nts and flowers grew. On top of that, what sold the beauty of the scene even more was a massive hill in the distance with a waterfall protruding from it, the sounds of the water crashing clear to his ears despite the massive distance. Yet, despite all the beauty and grandeur, he could not help but notice patches of burnt trees and greenery, that along with an odd, rather disgusting stenching from somewhere close to him that he had only just noticed yet did not demean or take away from his experience at all. "Lord Alucard! Come here!" Suddenly, his moment of pure bliss and freedom was interrupted by a small, almost child-like sound, making him turn around only to see Luck once again, hovering over a set of rather disgusting, bloody leather armour and daggersid directly beside a ck rock not too far from where he was standing. "Come here! It took me a while to get it here. I hope that you like it!" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 6: Bad Luck Chapter 6: Bad Luck Ren did feel slightly annoyed to be snapped back to reality so quickly. Yet, he didn''t let that bother him for long as he knew he had to move on and explore the rest of the world unknown that he was certain looked even better, especially the cities with all the new NPC AI It was a general rule of thumb that the beginning areas in any video game were usually the most nd and boring. Ren deeply sighed before shaking his head, walking on the leafy and muddy ground of the forest towards Luck and the set of leather armour he was flying over, the rather disgusting smell getting closer and closer the more he neared him. "Luck, mind if I ask what this smell is?" "Hmm?" He looked at his master with a hint of confusion and spoke. "Well, like I said. I looted it from many dead bodies around the forest, you''re probably smelling the smell of blood," The second Luck responded to him, it was almost like something clicked in his brain. ''Of course!'' Vampires were creatures that adored blood, but the older the blood became, the more disgusting it smelled and tasted. However, that part had only been mentioned in the game''s lore and did not have any game-changing impacts other than the benefits of old blood being less effective for vampires. But now, with these realistic enhancements, that part of the lore had be real "Ahh! I see, makes sense" He nodded towards Luck, picking up the pieces of ck, slightly tattered and bloody armour thatcked a helmet and seemingly gave absolutely no stats, finding it hard to put it on as he held his breath from the stench of death around him. "Much better!" He spoke, as he began stretching in his armour, the smell only seeming to get stronger. ''Inspect party member,'' ''Huh?'' Ren raised an eyebrow at the sight ahead of his inspect skill not working on his party member, which made him assume that it was probably locked until another level. He wanted to check if Luck knew a specific spell that could end his misery, but now it seemed like he simply had to ask. "Luck, could you use purification on this armour? The smell is killing me," "Hmm? Really? I picked the most bloody armour on purpose because I thought you vampires liked it!" "That''s only fresh blood, old blood is disgusting," "I apologize lord Alucard! It shall be purified immediately." Without a second of hesitation, Luck flew all around him, pping his wings that sprayed down small sparkles of light that went around and cleaned his armour along with the disgusting smell surrounding him. "Hmmmm-Ahhhhh Much better!" The addicting smell of wildlife and fresh air once again entered his nostrils unhindered by that disgusting stench. "Luck what''s the status of the forest? Will I be able to find any beasts there?" "From what I''ve seen, the forest is extremely empty due to the attack on the nearby vige you might be able to find a few basic beasts but that will be quite rare! It''s good for us since we don''t really know the strength of the beasts in the area. So, I think it would be best for us to get out of the forest and get to a city where we could learn more about where we are now," "But this is only the starting area, the beasts here should only be level 1, no way the devs would add strong beasts from the start. Oh! Or is this some sort of stealth mission? That would also make sense," Ren began mumbling to himself, his voice slightly louder than he expected. "Level 1? Devs? Stealth mission?" Luck questioned with a look filled with great confusion, which made Ren chuckle as it seemed like such terms were not familiar to the AI, which made sense to him considering that it might have ruined the already beyond amazing emersion embedded in the new update. "Never mind, let''s go! Do you know the way out of the forest?" "Yes!" Luck nodded. "I believe I spotted a path slightly up ahead! It should not be too far! I''ll try to navigate us away from any of the dead bodies of the old fleeing humans since those are the areas that probably have the most beasts that would be trying to feed on thier corpse Let''s go!" Luck promptly flew into the forest, the light around his body bing dimmer, most likely to not attract any attention his way, Ren following directly behind him feeling far more sluggish and fatigued than usual wearing the rather heavy leather armour, yet still feeling good from the cold wind breeze mming on his face, the fresh air entering his nostrils, and the bright moon shining down on him through the thick leaves of the high trees. ''Ah! Ah! This damn armour! I was never this slow even as a level 1! And did they patch the infinite sprint glitch!? Fuck!'' Ren inwardly cursed, as he struggled to keep up with Luck despite his rather meticulous movements around the forest that he had honed through many years of practice, avoiding sticks andrge clumps of leaves that would make the most sound. ''*Pant* *Pant* even in the full moon, I''m still this bad I bet I''d be dead by now from over-exhaustion if I were a human Damn Vampires are so OP.'' He inwardly smiled with a slightly mad chuckle, still struggling to keep up, looking to his left at the edge of a deep cliff that led to a wide, expansive in Although in PvP this advantage of course did not exist, in PVE (yer vs Environment) Rebirth allowed the user to skip days by doing some specific tasks such as sleeping in certain beds. And that was what made Vampires so unbelievably overpowered. This pretty much rendered their only major weakness, the sun, almostpletely futile as yers would immediately be able to skip to night time all the time, and not just that, but skip to a night with the full moon where they would be even stronger. Most quests and side quests did not get affected by the passing of days and there were only a few scripted scenes and quests that required the user to be in broad daylight. It was something that was never patched in the game, making vampires the best race that only a few others could evenpare to. "Hmmm?" As he was running, he managed to pick up on something in the ins beyond the cliff, shrouded in darkness and ash, the vegetation around itpletely dead, burnt to the ground, the various buildings he managed to pick up on with his rather good vampiric vision utterly broken down, and some still on fire, small figures walking around, some in what seemed like shackles as he watched groups of them, some all at once and some, one by one fall dead on the ground. Part of him knew that what he was seeing was most likely a scripted cutscene to show the destroyed vige that Luck talked about and that it would be nice if he were to just navigate his way down the cliff to see if he could go there and if there was any easter egg he could receive. After all, he was simply in a game and has nothing to lose; if he died he would simply respawn at another checkpoint or save state. Right now was merely a test run where he could do and test whatever he wanted with absolutely no consequences before he started a proper ythroughter on with all of his new knowledge a time where he could really let loose and have fun. However, on the other hand, another part of him felt scared looking at that vige True fear Like only death and pain lied in there. A feeling that he never imagined he would feel in a video game. Maybe the new senses of realism were starting to get in his head? The game usually did a good job of separating the walls of game and reality, but the more he yed the more those walls became thinner. *Argh!* He shook his head from those thoughts,pletely disregarding them, in the end deciding to go with his gut and not check the possibility of the easter egg and leave it for another time. "Hey Luck! Do you still think that there are bad guys from that vige roaming in this forest?" Ren whispered, panting, almost out of breath. "No my lord, I''m fairly sure they rounded up all of their targets already. We should be more than safe. The main road is up ahead, it shouldn''t be too long!" He whispered back, leading to Ren nodding back to his words. As Ren continued sprinting in the forest, he couldn''t help but think that this first mission was too easy, and that there had to be more, before, suddenly, his suspicions were proven true as he heard a loud howling from the direction ahead of them, in a small clearing making them both stop mere meters away from the beast ahead. "Shoot! Why now wolf! The road is right there! Maybe we should try and run! We have no idea how strong that thing is!" Luck cursed his bad luck, looking back at his smiling master that was slowly stretching his rather tired body, knowing full well he can''t flee. There stood a massive ck and blue wolf, its sharp fangs out, a yellow glow in its eyes and foam running down from its mouth like it was ready to pounce. "A new Beast! This must be the tutorial mini-boss! Let''s see how fighting works now!" "T-Tutorial? mini bo" "Luck! Go distract him! Make sure he doesn''te close to me! I have a n!" "Yes sir!" With no hesitation, Luck obeyed orders and raced towards the wolf, grabbing its attention by shing a bright light in its eyes before flying around it, a known taunt move that Ren knew Luck possessed even at level 1. With a wide smile on his face, Ren brought his hands together and focused his mind, trying to cast a magic spell. ''W-what!?'' Suddenly, he felt an unknown, almost unbelievable energy flow all around his body, empowering and rejuvenating him unlike ever before like he had the power of the entire world right before his fingertips; he felt almost unstoppable. With an even wider smile on his face, he noticed heat being formed between his fingers that eventually turned into a yellow, then orange, then finally a bright crimson me, lifting his hands and aiming straight at both Luck and the wolf ahead, his fireball slowly bing bigger before it was finally time. "Full Moon: Crimson Nova!" The massive ball of crimson fire sted straight at them with moderate speed, leaving a trail of fire in its path and lighting up the entire forest before the two entities ahead of him werepletely engulfed in crimson mes. His smile grew even further listening to the wolf''s agonizing cry in the burning hellish tornado mes before it all subsided, leaving nothing behind of the wolf that once was. There was not even a charred remain, only the odd, all too realistic, disgusting smell of burning flesh that he was not sure if he would ever get used to, yet was forced to deal with for the duration of his time ying so it was no big deal. [ +25 XP! ] [ Level Up! ] "Hey Luck! The Road is up ahead! Let''s go!" "Ummmm Luck?" "Luck? . Luck . LUCK?!" "What the fuck!? They enabled friendly fire!?" *********** I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 7: Taking Things In Chapter 7: Taking Things In Ren could not believe his eyes as the dust from his attack subsided, thereid visible a moderately sized hole in the ground with small patches of grass being burnt from the st''s aftermath. There in that same holeid one small glowing figure, all bloody and nearlypletely charred, with clear scar marks on his entire body that seemed almost dead, his wings ripped, burnt and broken, patches of his previously purple hair missing. Yet, for a fact, Ren knew he was still alive, not just because essential NPCs couldn''t die, but also because of that mystical yellow glow surrounding his body, healing him from all of his wounds that Ren felt for an instant looked too graphic to be kept in such a game. Yet, despite all that he was seeing, the nearly dead, unconscious Luck was the least of his concerns at that moment "Did they really enable friendly fire!? What the hell!?" Ren knew that the developers vowed to make the game more realistic, but friendly fire was a firm exception that they promised fans would never be enabled in that pursuit for realism. So, why was it enabled now? Did they just straight-up lie to all of their yers? What did thepany gain from doing that but a bad reputation? Nothing made sense to him His mind kept on spinning round and round in circles trying to wrap his head around what had happened but it always came back to the same conclusion that sounded so unreal that even he began to doubt his own thinking. ''I''ve been transported to another world! This is all real!'' From all the extensive isekai novel and anime knowledge that he never thought he would ever rely on, only one thing sprung up in his mind that would confirm if he was in a game or not. Simply having the same game system as he was used to was now no longer good enough. < Menu > He thought in his mind, and the usual long list of options showed up exactly where he expected them to be until he scrolled down to the absolute bottom to check if one option was missing [ Log Out ] It was there the log-out option was there, which oddly gave him once again, a feeling of both relief and disappointment. It wasmon knowledge in any isekai that if the logout option was missing, then a person was confirmed to be in another world. However, that fact only served to further enrage him when the realization that the developers actually enabled friendly fire after all that they promised and after all the yers pushed them to keep it disabled. "I guess I''ll reload the save for now to get Luck back," He mumbled to himself as he thought: < Reload tost checkpoint > However, this only led to a message appearing at the top of his vision instead. { Error, the yer has yet to finish the tutorial! Please try again once you have! } "What the fuck is this shit?" Ren''s eyes grew wide reading the message. He, the top pro yer had never once in his entire time ying the game reloaded a checkpoint before the tutorial, so he never knew that such a game mechanic even existed or if it had been recently added. Ren grunted, clenching his fists even tighter before hepletely let them go and took multiple deep breaths to calm his nerves. New Era might have ruined the game in some aspects but they definitely improved them in others. And, so far the positives far outweigh the negatives. He had never felt so alive ying this game or even in real life for that matter. If he ever imagined how life was like over 100 years ago before the world and its nature got ruined, it would be what he was experiencing now and he was not about to let some changes ruin his experience although he willin to the developerster on. For now, he merely had to finish the tutorial as a dummy y-through where he will not try too hard for once and just rx and admire the world while noticing all that had changed from the old version at the same time. Slowly, he walked over towards Luck''s injured yet mostly healed body and picked him up like he was some sort of action figure and simply ced him in his pocket. Now, seeing Luck''s body once more made him think about something that he only just now considered. Luck was the one leading him out of the forest, but now he was almost dead so that was no longer an option. ''What am I supposed to do now?! How do I finish the tutorial!?'' He inwardly screamed before a sudden realization dawned on him, he couldn''t believe that he was so stupid. Since the game didn''t say he failed the tutorial or restart, that must mean one thing "Of course! Luck getting injured was supposed to be something scripted! All I did was speed it up! He would have gotten injured whether I hit him or not! But maybe I skipped an important cutscene by doing so This just means the next part of the tutorial is pretty straightforward, find a way to heal Luck!" His gaze shifted towards the forest ahead, managing to spot a vast, open in ahead deducing that was where he was supposed to go. As he walked through the final stretch of the forest, he could not help but smile and take various breaths in anticipation of what he was about to se A scene even more mesmerizing than he could ever imagine It was a hilly, vast open in filled with green grass being blown by the heavy wind as far as the eye could see,rge mountains far away in the distance. The full, bright, white moon in the stunning ck, stary night sky was finally clear and unhindered by the thickyer of trees of the forest. The sight''s beauty was so clearly seen to the point he almost shed a tear It filled a craving and desire in him that not even he knew he yearned so much to see... It was the first time he saw the moon in such a state It was clearly nothing like the virtual moon he was so used to seeing. Ren walked slightly forward, still taking in everything before suddenly, he felt a different texture than the grass he was on prior, looking down only to see himself walking on a broad, clearly man-made heavily trodden dirt road with signs directly in front of him showing two directions. The right sign read "Goldcrest" while the left one, which was the same way as the destroyed vige read "Nuxvar". Ren could not help but smile at the conveniently ced signs. ''The devs might have made the game more realistic but they couldn''t keep such things more subtle? Well, a game is still a game after all,'' The sign almost seemed like they were ced specifically with him in mind, waiting in that exact ce for him to emerge from the forest to show him directions to the next city where he was supposed to go which was probably not the destroyed town to his left. He shifted his vision towards the direction of Goldcrest and began slowly walking in that direction, admiring the scenery, high on air taking in as much as he possibly could. When, suddenly, he heard a sounding from behind him. The sound of carriage wheels rolling and the nay and galop of a horse in the distance, making him turn around only to see exactly what he expected to see. "Greetings Traveler! I could not help but see that you are headed in the same direction as us! Would you like a lift? That will be of course at a small cost" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 8: Human Interaction Chapter 8: Human Interaction There he saw an old man carrying a string attached to a horse, shabbily dressed in standard viger clothes sitting at the front of a brown, worn-down-looking carriage with what seemed like a lit small tent in the back to house boxes that Ren managed to spot from behind him. He had short, ash gray hair that fell down slightly past his thin eyebrows that sat firmly above his eyes that were for some reason closed. He had a sweet, tender-looking smile on his face that had various wrinkles and cracks clearly showing his age and what seemed like small scars on his hard-working hands. Yet, despite his innocent, loving appearance, he could not help but feel like there was something off about him... Maybe even dark... Ren was not able to fully admire the character models before seeing how small Luck was, but seeing an actual real-life human left him almostpletely speechless before he mustered himself up to talk and see if all the AI was as good as Luck''s as well. "Greetings kind sir! I really appreciate your offer but I''m sorry to say that I ampletely broke" His eyes still closed and his face still tenderly smiling, the old man spoke once more. "It doesn''t have to be money. It could be anything of somewhat value. But I won''t force you if you don''t want to. The vige I assume you''re headed to is very far away so I thought I''d give you a lift since we are on our way there as well!" ''Our?'' Ren thought, noting it in his mind like usual. "Would these daggers do? They are clean and in good condition! I can assure you of that!" The daggers that Ren received from Luck were very standard and did not match what he usually liked so it was a good way to get rid of them since he was never going to use them anyways. He wanted to join the old man on the carriage for many reasons: to test the new AI, possible side quests, possibly being part of the main quest, and most importantly, because he was unnaturally tired and needed to rest. If the vige was far like he imed, then he knew there was no way he wouldst. "So, do you like them? Are they good enough?" The old man simply put his hands on his mouth, ncing in his direction with his eyes still closed like he was deep in thought. "Um, sir If you don''t mind me asking Why are you not opening your eyes to see my daggers," Hearing Ren''s words, the man couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle. "Kid! I''m blind!" ''Huh!?'' Ren could not believe his own ears, but before he was able to respond, the old man beat him to it. "Those daggers are indeed quite fine! I shall take them! There should be more than enough space for you in the carriage! Climb on back and we''ll be off!" The old man''s smile was pure and bore absolutely no malice, one that felt so real and genuine that Ren could not help but stare at him for a few seconds, him seemingly oblivious before Ren walked to the back of the carriage and jumped in. "Hmm?" There, as soon as he did, he saw various boxes stacked on top of each other, some opened revealing their contents being food and grains that he surprisingly managed to also smell. However, that was not what caught his attention. Quietly sitting on a bench near the front of the carriage was a small, blond hair girl no older than 10 years old wearing clothes slightly better than rags. She had purple eyes on her dirty, white skin that looked slightly tanned from clear hard work in the sun, various dried-up scratches and wounds on her small hands. She was looking down at the wooden floor, waving her feet in the air that did not touch the ground below before her gaze abruptly shifted to Ren''s direction. Suddenly, Her eyes and body began shaking uncontrobly, her face immediately changing into a face filled with absolute fear, like her heart was about to leap out of her chest. "AHHHHH!" She screamed in a high pitch like she saw a ghost, finding the power in herself to jump out of her seat and rush towards the front of the carriage where the old man sat, catching him along with Renpletely off guard. "Grandpa! Grandpa! T-that man! I-I I''m scared We need to run! We''re gonna die... His face His eyes His hair" Her eyespletely burst into waterworks, her heart beating faster than machine-gun fire as she began to shake her grandpa vigorously like her life depended on it, whispering in his ears so she doesn''t catch the attention of that man at the front. "Petra! Calm down! What''s gotten into you? Don''t you think it''s rude to be judging someone by their appearance? People have different features and circumstances you know! I thought you were old enough to get this" He deeply sighed with a great hint of embarrassment towards his client and disappointment in his granddaughter. "B-but grandpa He- he" "I said calm down youngdy! I promise you he isn''t going to hurt! I sensed him with my gift! You know I don''t invite people on if I know they''re bad! But he''s not a bad person! If you disrespect him again then I will be very angry with you," The girl whose face was still white as a ghost took a deep gulp, clenching her fists before saying. "Y-yes grandpa I understand" She mumbled, walking back into the carriage, sitting back where she previously was, the fear and unease on her face still clear despite her efforts to keep everything under control which Ren found rather cute. He did not manage to pick up on what the girl spoke but he clearly heard the voice of the old man. It seemed like the girl was simply scared of strangers. At first, he thought it was because she knew he was a vampire but it seemed like the NPC AI had not been adjusted topensate for that. In the old update of Rebirth, the NPCs would not care at all about the yer''s race, clothing or appearance. A yer could walk around a church as a naked demon and they would still receive no reaction from the NPCs and it seemed like that had not beenpletely fixed which made sense from a game development perspective since all the many races shared the same story mode. As to not agitate her, he sat on theplete opposite side of the bench and took a nce at her, smiling and nodding in her direction which only led to her immediately turning away from him. ''A So cute'' Suddenly, with a small whipping sound, the carriage began to move forward at a steady pace. "Sorry about that, I''m not sure what''s gotten into her. I''m sure she doesn''t mean any disrespect," "Oh! Don''t worry! I don''t mind at all! I''m sure she''s quite shy so Ipletely understand! I used to be like that when I was small too!" Ren, chuckled at himself. "So, Traveler! What''s your name? I''m Adryan, and that little angel over there is my sweet little grandaughter Petra! Say hi to the kind stranger!" Petra slowly turned her head, trying her best to avoid eye contact with him and bowed. "H-hello, my name is Petra I''m so sorry for my earlier outburst Grandpa says you''re a nice guy and his gift is never wrong...I hope we can get along" She spoke before turning away once more, Ren still finding it rather cute. He was used to dealing with children in his previous job before streaming, and it felt very refreshing seeing someone like Petra. "Yes! I hope we can get along too!" Ren nodded back with a smile. "Thank you so much for all this kindness! My name is Alucard, and it is very nice to meet you!" "Hmmm? Alucard? That is a rather unusual name You must not be from around here right? Sorry, I probably could have picked up on that if I wasn''t blind," Heughed heartily at himself. ''He said my name just like how Luck did Either they are both also essential NPCs or the AI had all advanced to that level,'' He took another mental note before speaking. "Yeah, I''m not from here. Ie from the continent of Astria," Ren said what he said with intent; he wanted to see how the NPC would react as he wanted to extract as much information out of him as possible. "Astria? I''ve never heard of such a ce" Ren nodded at his words and took things in. Astria was the continent that was yed in thest update. So, he seemed to be in a new region just like he expected. "How did you get here Traveler?" "I washed up on shore a few weeks ago and have been aimlessly wandering since. You''re the first humans I''ve seen ever since I came here so it''s very refreshing," The old man, Adryan''s expression shifted into surprise hearing his words. "Oh wow! That must have been a very hard life! The shore is quite far from here! I would offer you food but I need everything here to ship to Goldcrest," ''Oh yes! Food I need to test that out soon!'' Ren once again noted in his head. For as long as he could remember, in Rebirth, food served as nothing but simple consumables that gave no taste so he was really curious to see how that was affected. "Why are you shipping so much food if you don''t mind me asking," "Seeing that you''re not from here, you might not know this The neighbouring town of Nuxvar was just attacked by, from what I heard, soldiers or mercenaries and many people evacuated to Goldcrest. I need to transfer this food for the refugees," Ren inwardly nodded once more before asking a question that had been bugging him for too long. "So, sir, I have a question You say that you''re blind but you''re still able to drive this carriage, and you were still able to inspect my daggers How is that?" "Well, that is simply my gift," "Gift?" Ren raised an eyebrow. He had heard that word tossed around but he had no idea what it meant. "Oh! I guess you might not have had that in your continent. A gift is a special power given to a very select few and can vary drastically from person to person. I may have been born blind, but I never had any problem seeing. My gift allows me to sense the auras of everything around me, inanimate or not. I can also sense many things about the auras, including if they are bad or good. That is how I''m able to tell that you''re not a bad guy!" Adryanughed once more, making Ren inwardly nod and note everything down mentally. It seemed to be a new game mechanic added. He was fairly certain he had not received one and he began to wonder at what level he would unlock it or if it was something exclusive to the NPCs. Ren took a deep breath, it seemed like he had gotten most of what he wanted off his chest, but now it was time to ask about the very specifics. "Old man Adryan. If you don''t mind me asking, can you tell me a bit about this continent and the general area? I don''t know anything and I don''t want to look like an idiot when we get to town," "Why certainly! I''d be d to help!" The old man responded in a good mood, whipping his horse forward down the road. *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 9: Reality... Chapter 9: Reality... For the next hour or so, Ren spent his time casually talking with the old man, he was not used to role-ying with NPCs in such a way but he could not help but be sucked into his role of wandering warrior from another continent which also served as intel gathering to him. He learned many things from old man Adryan, from the general geography of the area, the country he was in along with what was neighbouring it, the currency, how some of the society worked and much more. He couldn''t help but bombard him with seemingly endless questions, some of which he was unable to answer and others that he had no problem telling him about. Despite asking him non-stop for nearly an hour, during that entire time, not once did he get tired orin, keeping a smile on his face. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy, a breath of fresh air from all the people he was used to dealing with in real life. At times he would even forget he was talking to a simple NPC only for reality to hit him very hard. It was an odd experience he had never felt before ying any video game. After asking most of what was on his mind, Ren was satisfied and rxed back on the benchpletely at peace with a smile on his face, casually looking at the beauty of the outside world and enjoying the smell of fresh air instead of checking if the fast-forward option was still in the game. Yet, despite all of that, he could not shake off an odd feeling in his heart, like something inconceivable, dark and ominousid within this carriage. He had an urge to stand up and check around for any hidden items. But, that was when something happened that he did not expect. "U-ummm Hello mister I just wanted to properly apologize again for screaming and yelling like that Grandpa says you''re a nice guy so you must really be one. He''s never wrong you know," The girl that looked at him like the boogie man only an hour prior seemed to be trying to make up with him. Maybe it was from seeing him so casually talking with her grandpa earlier. "Oh no! Please don''t worry about it! It''s no big deal," He nodded at her with a smile, leading into a small awkward silence before he spoke once again. "Hey, Petra, do you have a coin? I want to show you something cool!" Ren lifted his hands from his sides and thrust it in front of him wide open with a smile. At first, she was slightly hesitant before she decided to agree and trust him, which was more like trusting in her grandpa''s words. Out of her pocket, she pulled out a copper coin, the coin worth the least, and ced it in his hands. "Here," Her voice was still shy which made Ren smile making kids happy was a big part of why he liked hisst job but his colleagues and the annoying and rowdy kids were what really ruined it for him. "Thank you!" He took the coin and ced it hovering into his palm, hidden behind his fingers. "I will be cing the coin here I will snap my fingers three times *snap* *snap* *snap* and vo!" "WHAT?! It''s gone! It''s really gone! What did you do with the coin? Do you know invisibility magic?!" Ren chuckled at himself before he continued. "Now, I''ll be cing my fingers back into my hands And after snapping three times *snap* *snap* *snap*" "It''s back! It''s really back! How did you do that mister!" "Uh uh uh! A true magician never reveals his secrets!" Ren could not help but chuckle once more saying that since he learned it from a Utube video himself. "Hey! Do you want to see another trick?" "Mhm! Yes please!" The previously scared eyes of the child were no more, reced by stars that damn near illuminated the entire carriage. At first, Ren was only doing what he did to test the limits of the new NPCs but he could not help but feel happy doing so too. It really took him back to those days of teaching elementary school. He never thought he would miss it but doing what he did made him somehow relive those good old days, singling out the good, disregarding the many, many, bad that happened... "I will throw this coin in the air, and you have to guess in which hand it''s in after I catch it, okay?" *Mhm* She nodded vigorously. *flick* *snatch* He whipped his fists at top speed towards the coin and grabbed it. "Left or right?" "Ummmm left! It was definitely left!" "Ehhhuh wrong! It was in my right!" "W-wow! How is that even possible! Show me more!" A smallugh was heard from the front of the carriage as old man Adryan most likely noticed what they were up to. For the next few minutes, instead of searching around like he wanted to, Ren ended up spending his time ying with Petra, showing her various magic tricks he had learned online before the carriage suddenly came to a halt. "We''re now right outside the vige. The security there is very tight right now considering everything that''s going on so this is as far as I can take you. The rest you''ll have to go bye foot" "That will be fine! Walking the rest of the way won''t be a problem! Thank you for everything, sir!" "Ho-ho! It was truly a pleasure! Thank you for showing Petra a good time! Good luck to you and your friend! Hope you get him some help soon!" ''Wait Friend How did he know about lu-'' he thought to himself before the answer hit him in the face immediately. "No worries! She''s a sweet little girl, who wouldn''t be happy ying with her?" Ren stood up and left his daggers sitting on the bench where he previously sat and looked straight at petra. "Here you go! Thanks for letting me borrow it!" He ced the copper coin he borrowed back into her hands and turned around to the exit of the carriage before he felt a tug on his gauntlets. "Do you really have to go?" "Yes Petra. I have to go now but I''m sure we''ll meet again soon!" "Really? Do you promise?" He nodded to her words, rubbing her on the head with a tender smile. "Yes, I promise," As he prepared himself to go once more, he felt another tug on his hands and a voice that sounded more like a whisper. "Take this I''m sure you''re really hungry Just don''t let grandpa see it" When he looked down, he noticed a bright red apple in his hand. "Okay Thank you so much That''s so sweet of you" He hid the apple in his pocket and hopped out of the carriage and onto the muddy trail under the night sky. "Okay let''s go!" *Whip* As soon as he hopped off, the carriage once again started rolling away in the distance with Petra waving at him from the back and him waving back at her until they were no longer seen. "Bye-bye Alucard!!" Ren took a big huff of fresh air ying with the apple in his hands deep in thought. The gamer side of him really wanted to test out what would happen if he were to kill the merchant and his granddaughter, especially since there was that ominous feeling that could not leave his subconscious ever since he went in It was like it was screaming at him to do something about it. By killing the merchant and his daughter, he might have unlocked a secret quest, a secret item, received goods to resell. But, at the same time, there was a high chance of him failing the tutorial doing so. There were so many possibilities and all he would lose out on would have been a little time after he resets. However For some odd, inexplicable reason, he simply could not let himself do it It waspletely unlike him and his nature... He had never hesitated about killing any NPC in the past so why now of all times? Had he grown such an attachment to random NPCs? Even if they acted more realistically than any NPC before, they were still NPCs which was probably also the reason he was able to so casually talk to them. However, even still, he did not feel any regret choosing what he chose He just hoped that it wouldn''t be the case for all the NPC''s in the world. Ren shook his head and disregarded those thoughts and looked at the sky. It seemed like nighttime was only going tost for a few more hours so he needed to find an inn very soon. His vision then shifted ahead of him. Around 1 kilometre away was a vige just like the old man said. It seemed rather simple and primitive with some buildings that seemed to be fairly high ss and made out of stone while most other ones seemed to be made out of wood or even straws. Around the entire vige was an extremely long yet very short palisade wall spanning many kilometres and a gate where the road led. The fully rested Ren immediately began walking on the road towards the city, smiling before taking a bite of his apple with great anticipation. *Crunch* "Wait! What the fuck! I can actually taste this thing!" He could not contain his excitement as he dug into the entire apple with star-like eyes. "Damn! That was good! Realistic as hell! Now let''s hope they don''t make me taste blood if I suck someone!" Heughed heartily at himself knowing exactly what the answer to that question was. There was still a long way to go until he reached the vige and he decided to take it into assigning his 5 stat points and 1 ss point. He did not yet have any sses other than vampire so it was the obvious choice, or more like the only choice he had. Just like he expected, at level 2, it provided him with no new skills or spells, but with 2 extra stat points that were auto-assigned into physical attack and magic attack. And, for the other 5, he assigned 2 in special, 2 in MP and 1 in Agility. Normally, for the start he would have dumped everything in the agility stat but seeing that he is ying more casually, he decided that his stats should reflect that as well. As soon as he did, he felt a sudden rush of energy envelop his body that felt simr to how it was before only now it was hitting him in ces he never even thought were there. He felt his body be lighter, the armour on him felt slightly lighter too and, his muscles tensed up, like a key unlocking some sort of hidden potential within him. He began jumping and running around feeling himself before he stopped once more when he became tired, cursing the devs for removing the infinite sprint glitch. Before he even knew it, he was face to face with the vige walls that were much taller than he expected seeing them from far, reaching over 4 metres in height. There, at the gates were two armed guards with metal spears in hand, standingzily around doing nothing with almostpletely lifeless eyes just like pretty much every guard NPC in every game. The gates themselves were wide open, almost like they were inviting him in, so he decided he might as well answer that call. "Do you think these new refugees are gonna ruin the uing holy festival? Why did they have toe now of all times? This is a once-in-a-half-century type of thing. What if they find out?" "Don''t worry Linis, they are one of us... They will join us in the festival..." "Really!? I had no idea Nuxvar were also followers of Kree!" "Hmmm? Who the hell is that guy?" "I don''t know... Just tell him to fuck off or prove who he is," "HEY! Stranger! Back away from the gate" ''Forced event or cutscene with the guards right before entry to a town or city, the ssic! Should have expected this. Some things never change don''t they?'' With a smile on his face, he raised his hands in the air and slowly approached the gate where the 2 guards stood. "Fear not guards! I havee in peace! I''ve simp" "MONSTER! IT''S A MONSTER!" *Guack* ... "What the fuck* ... *Guack* ... Suddenly, his vision grew hazy, throwing up buckets of blood on the ground with a sickening pain thrust through his stomach. When He looked down, he noticed a wooden stick aimed at where all the pain was, making him tightly hold it as a desperate attempt to stay standing "Blood This was never supposed to be in the game Pain That wasn''t supposed to be a thing either *Cough* *Cough*" "M-MONSTER!" That dreaded yell rang in his ears once again, the pain piercing his stomach only increasing even more. *Cough* "A-a-a-m I gonna die Am I really gonna die Th-this can''t be happening What is this? The devs w-would never, ever do this *Cough*" Before he even knew it, tears began welling up in his eyes, rolling down his face like a waterfall which made his vision even worse than before. For a moment he focused on the pain, honing in on every sensation. Where it came from, how badly it hurt and how badly he wanted it to stop. When he looked up, he managed to notice the hazy figure of that middle-aged guard and the fearful look in his eyes like he had seen a ghost. The grip on the spear thrust through his body became weaker, that along with his legs that could barely even stand, sinking ever so slowly towards the cold ground below. His vision grew ever darker and more nauseous as the entire world felt unrecognizable to him and all that was left of him was the unbearable pain and the voices in his head Everything felt too unreal It couldn''t be real Was he dying? Was he dreaming? His life shed right before his eyes along with all his regrets and aspirations for the future as tears of pure blood began to slowly trickle down his cold face. His thoughts lingered until they could not linger anymore he wanted it all to end He desired relief no matter what form it came in And finally his wish came true as everything went slowly and painfully nk The sight of the bright, full moon and the scared guard thest things that he saw... *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 10: Living Nightmare Chapter 10: Living Nightmare *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop* Ren gradually opened his blurry eyes, the entire world twisting and turning around him until it once again became clear. "Wh-where am I" He mumbled to himself staring at an unfamiliar stone, mossy ceiling dripping what he assumed to be water on his head. As his hazy vision and hearing became crystal, his smell followed right after. *GAWK* Suddenly, the blurriness in his eyes returned, his mind felt like it was spinning and about to explode out of his skull from nausea as he clenched and contracted his turning, shrivelled stomach frompletely erupting out of his mouth; the odour entering his nose waspletely disgusting beyond his wildest imagination. The smell was so horrid that the polluted, ck and yellow air that roamed the streets of his city paled inparison. He had absolutely no idea what it was. If a mountain of feces was sitting mere centimetres from him, he doubted that it would be even able topare. "Wh-where am I *Gawk*" He muttered to himself, still lying down and nkly staring at the ceiling, trying his best to ignore the smell before suddenly. *SQUEEK* "AHHHHHH!" He screamed a high pitch scream A massive, gray red-eyed rat crawled onto his face like he was nothing but a corpse, the sensation of its hairy, wet, disgusting body on his face scared and revolted him beyond his wildest dreams. "AHHHHH AHHH!" Shuddering, he Instinctively tried to run away from the monstrosity in front of him. However, when he tried to move more than an inch, he felt the deepest, most disturbing wave of pain in his entire life. Like his bones were crushed to dust all at once. Luckily for him, due to his screams alone, the rat scurried away in absolute fear,pletely out of his field of vision. Ren was breathing heavy, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets yet absolutely no sweat was escaping from any of his pores, and he did not feel his heart beating at all when he would have expected it to be pounding like a battering ram on steroids. His cold, familiar yet unfamiliar feeling body that he was not even able to grasp immediately tensed up as he slowly looked down at it with his vision that had once again grown hazy and dizzy, time suddenly slowing down in his mind. *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop* With shaky, horrified eyes that shrunk to the size of pees, he witnessed the traumatizing sight of his naked limbs, twisted and turned in odd ways that were not in any world natural: like some sort of bent spaghetti or messed up tree branches, wounds and bruises all over what he could only assume to be his flesh. He was surprised to even be living with such injuries... The sight nearly made his heart leap out of his chest, but instead, he threw up everything in his stomach as he managed to roll slightly to his side, horrified beyond his wildest dreams. There, in his own, bloody barf he witnessed small pieces small pieces of a red apple The simple sight of that made everything click in his mind, like it was some sort of missing link He remembered everything Everything from starting up the game until he got nearly killed by a city guard along with everything before and in between He was feeling pain Actual pain beyond any human capacity he had ever imagined, and he was feeling that right now. It was like his worst nightmaree true only it sadly felt too real to be one His mind was in more turmoil than almost ever before in his life only the death of his father couldpare. He was not in a game No way he was in a game New Era would have been sued to oblivion if he were. Other than certain situations, Rebirth did not allow any blood in their game of any kind, let alone pain beyond the very basics. Characters and NPCs were simply nothing but numbers, biting into a person as a vampire felt more like biting into cardboard, upon death, NPCs and Mobs simply dropped their loot on the ground and disappeared, the game took so many precautionary measures to separate itself from real violence. In a game centred around killing and adventuring, especially one as realistic looking and feeling as even the old version of Rebirth, a line had to be drawn. No one would y the game if the killing was too realistic, most humans would refuse and be absolutely disgusted at taking a human life so making an entire game centred around realistically doing it was not a smart move, not to mentionpletely illegal. And, pain receptors were suppressed for a reason, it was simply a game after all. No one would pay to constantly fight life or death battles, only to die and respawn over, and over, and over, again until they achieved victory; no one wanted an endless, realistic war simtor unless they were the military. If anything, if that were to happen, the game would be simply used as a means to cultivate serial killers as killing would be so numb, and the sick-minded might even find it fun and try it in real life. It would bepletely different than ying any other normal video game such as GeeTeeAe since itcked many of the realistic elements and drew a clear line between game and reality. But now, all those rules seemed to have been gutted out the window. That only left him with two options And none of them said this was simply a game Either he got transported to another world, or he was living in a realistic simtion illegally conducted by New Era. No matter what choice it was, he was certain of one thing Someone was messing with him And there was only one way he could find out as he mumbled in his beyond hurting mind. "Options" And suddenly, a familiar screen appeared right in front of him. He was obviously unable to scroll down with his broken arms, so he simply had to use his mind and eyes until he reached the very bottom. "Log Out..." He issued the voicemand, only to be left in silence but then a message appeared. { This option is currently not avable! Please get past the tutorial first! } He expected to see the message but the realization of seeing it in real life incited some sort of primal instinct from within him maybe it was the part of him that had faith and wished from the bottom of his heart for his instinct to be wrong... "Log out..." { This option is cu- "Log out." { This o- "Log out!!" {Th- "AHHHH!!!" He was going crazy. He wanted to cry but his body would not even allow him to, the horror, sadness, and hopelessness in his soul were immeasurable and he could not even let it out in tears other than small hints of blood... Someone was clearly messing with him, either a god or a game developer. In hindsight, he should have realized it when he was unable to reload a checkpoint... He should have realized it when he saw hints of what he assumed to be blood on Luck... He should have realized it when he sniffed the awful smell of the armour he wore that he now knew was the smell of a corpse... He should have realized it when the entire game felt all too realistic and NPCs felt like actual humans... His carelessness and excitement blinded him and this was the punishment he received for it... "Oh whatever god or higher being is seeing this... Stop screwing with me... Please stop screwing with me... Why did I deserve this? What did I do? What do you want? Answer me!! Please stop and end my misery..." He murmured, staring at that dreaded, life-sucking blue error screen only to receive absolutely no response but the drops of water falling from the ceiling and the slight sound of metal nking in the air. *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop* ''If I''m here... I might be dead in real life I might be DEAD IN REAL LIFE!'' That sudden realization abruptly sunk in even deeper. He, with all his money and fame, might have died But dying after sess was not the crisis he was facing It was simply the fact that his mother, the only family he had left would be receiving his entire inheritance, which left him in even more turmoil than before. However, that was when a small smile appeared on his face, remembering that he had taken precautionary measures to ensure his money did not ever end up in her hands; if only he could see the look on her face when she finds out. However, his smile and slight moment of bliss were then immediately taken away by a drop of water falling on his face, the squeak of the rat in the distance along with that same loathsome smell re-entering his nose that he now recognized as the smell of rot, death and decay *Drip* *Drop* *Drip* *Drop* *GAWWKK* With shaky, blurry eyes, he looked around the room only to notice exactly what he expected. Beyond the pool of his own bloody barf beside himid rivers of disgusting, unknown liquids running through the cracks of the cold, dirty stone ground, moss was growing from every inch of the room, shackles on the cracked walls, a bucket in the corner surrounded by various rats right next to it. The more he looked the more his fear increased. He was no doubt in a prison or some sort of dungeon. If his body had not been broken beyond repair, he was certain it would be shaking uncontrobly. Just by looking at his surroundings, the cold, ruthless reality of his new life and existence became more than apparent... All that awaited him was gloom He wanted it all to end but the end did not seem anywhere in sight as his mind raged and brewed like a storm, tears of blood finallying down from his eyes. But, even through those thoughts, he did not wish for death... he still had a will of his own, and wanted to live... Even he was unsure why. Was it his father''s words to him? Or was it something else within him he did not even know about? *Stomp* ... *Stomp* ... *Stomp* ... *Stomp* *CLANK* And, in the deepest depths of his dark cave of panic, fright, and despair, the exit now only seemed to get even farther Or had it just gotten closer? "I thought I heard something from here! d to see you''re finally awake You disgusting little vampire" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 11: Tunnel of Death Chapter 11: Tunnel of Death There, in his deep, dark, depressing abyss of pain, he heard a voice A voice that was notpletely clear. Still, it was something that he grabbed onto and distracted him from his pain within *ARGH* When he tried to turn around to face the direction of the voice, he was reminded of the state his body was in as another rush of agony was shot through his entire body, making him let out a distorted, audible grunt. "Hmmm It seems like you''ve got some vigour in you still Quiet a feisty little vampire I got on my hand Your kind disgusts me..." That same voice emerged once again in his mind, which was followed by the sound of the metal, creaking door gradually opening and subtle footsteps slowly inching closer and closer in his direction. When suddenly "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" A pain kicked him in the stomach with the impact of a bullet train, sending waves of pain ravaging his entire body. It felt like a deep, mushy pain; he was certain it would have been even more agonizing had all his bones been intact. His crimson eyes turned white for a split second and his hands instinctively lept to hold the impact only for him to be once again reminded of the state his body was in, further adding to his torture. His head felt light, everything around them seemed to spin and a feeling of nauseousness crept up slowly in his mind. "Hahaha! Damn that felt good!" For the second time in his life, he thought he was once again going to actually die, only this time was even more than before. He was scared, even after all that he had gone through he did not want to die. He could not stop his screaming as tears of blood began welling up in his nauseous, and increasingly blurry eyes Abruptly, he felt something surging up inside him. At first, he thought that it was his soul, but in reality, it was just another wave of vomit, spewing blood out of his mouth and onto the ground ahead of him. "Is that apple bits? Didn''t know your kind liked to eat anything other than flesh and blo*&%$#@#" The world was slowly bing darker and darker as that man''s voice became even more distant than before until they were no longer recognizable. But that was when he felt his first sense of relief in a long time. Vigour suddenly began to resurge into his body, light began to re-enter his eyes making the world clear once more, and that odd static in his ears was now seemingly nowhere to be found. From his angle on the ground, all he was able to see was his blood and vomit, that along with something new, the ck boot of an unknown person. When he slowly looked up, now finding the energy to do it, he saw the shadowy figure of a man with his hands out shooting a dark aura directly at his body, slowly healing all of his wounds which added confusion onto Ren''s still hurting mind. However, as soon as that bliss began, it ended soon after That ck aura from the man suddenly disappeared, making all his misery resurface, only nowhere near as bad as before yet he still doubted he could probably move. With the dark aura away from his sight, he was finally able to see the face of the previously shadowy man. It was a middle-aged, scruffy-looking man, his messy ck hair fell down from the edges of the helmet right underneath his eyebrows. The sight of the amused smile on his olive-toned visage gave off a cold-hearted feeling to his ugly face and demeanour and fastened something inside of him. His NPC-rooted mindset was now gone and he snapped back to his true self. In that man''s eyes, his smile, his entire demeanour radiated the ugliness he always knew humans as. It was a scene that he felt like he had seen before, it was his first actual conscious human interaction he had encountered, and he could not help but imagine his mother''s face onto that man. The guard instinctively took a step back looking into the vampire''s eyes, the fear they once harboured was no more, instead reced by unquantifiable hate. "BEHAVE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Abruptly, the man kicked him over, making him face the ground,nding in a puddle of that disgusting liquid he saw from before. *ARGH* That was when he went over towards the struggling vampire on the ground and grabbed his hands to put him in handcuffs. "DON''T TOUCH ME!!" Ren roared all of a sudden, a burst of bloody mes escaping from his body in all directions, turning around and looking up with the eyes of a demon, heavily breathing with bloody tears. The wave was more than enough to send the guard tumbling back a few steps, yet not enough to hurt him or make him fall. "I SAID BEHAVE!!" His rage intensified. He began to repeatedly kick Ren over, and over again until his face was nearly unrecognizable. His teeth were null and void, his eyes were the size ofs, his nose was bent nearly like a hook, but despite all that pain, he endured and hung on trying to resist until he no longer could, and the sound of handcuffs was nked on his wrists. "Lucky Heathen... If I were not given explicit orders not to kill you, you would have been nothing but ash right now!" He grunted, slowly healing the vampire once more so he could once again move behind him."You! Stand up and follow me! If you don''tply I''ll just beat your ass harder! If you don''t want me to touch you then so be it! I don''t want to get your filthy germs anyways! Nowe, there is much to discuss" "Understood" He murmured in a low, hurting voice, somehow managing to use his hurting yet healed legs. Ren took deep breaths and finally calmed his mind. The overwhelming feeling was gone yet his immense anger and hatred still remained. He might have been angry, hurting and in a vulnerable state, but he was not dumb enough to deny orders in his position, he would just be dying the inevitable. Yes Following orders Something he was all too familiar with... What he had always done in life until he broke free But it seemed like he was once again back in shackles killing his hands. Using all the energy in his body, he forced himself to stand up, looking down on the ground as to not meet that man''s gaze. Thest thing he wanted to do was intimidate him and get another beating. "Follow me" Ren watched as the unidentified man in guard''s armour walked outside of the dark cell he was in and into the light ahead that seemed to be the same brightness due to his dark vision. But, that was when a rat suddenly jumped onto the guard''s foot as it began biting him out of nowhere. "Get off me!" With a simple kick, the rat was sent crashing towards the walls of the cell, Ren watching it with open, half-dead eyes devoid of hope. The guard thrust his hands open, a bright glow emerged from them before he spoke. [ Holy Light! ] The glow in his hands sprung forth into a beam of radiance attacking andpletely frying the evil rat. Ren slightly regained some vigour in his eyes. He recognized that spell from rebirth: Holy Light, a simple 2nd tier spell typically learned by clerics and used against enemies with negative karma. Did the people of this world share the same magic as Rebirth? "Hey! Follow me! Move along or I''ll make you!" The guard''s obnoxious, raspy voice woke him out of his thoughts and thrust him back into reality. "Understood..." He whispered back in a stiff tone, a glint in his glowing eyes. Forcing his body to move behind the guard was a task more excruciating than he ever expected. With every step, he felt his bones cracking. His body felt like it weighed tons, like gravity was pushing down at him with ten times its vigour and like 2 elephants were taking a piggyback ride on his naked back. In all his years of beating and pain that he never thought could be topped, it might have now met its match although he would argue his mental anguish had yet to peak past his father''s death... Still, he gritted his teeth and forced his body to move forward no matter what since he knew if he didn''t it would only be worse for him. Behind the guard, he slowly walked into the stone hallway of what seemed like a barracks, torches on each side of the cracked walls dyeing his vision a flickering tint of yellow. The hallway itself was lined with prison cells that housed other people inside of them, locked up like wild animals. Some of them were actual animals, as in beast-men and demihumans such as lizardmen yet most of them still consisted of humans. The looks on their faces were like that of zombies, some of them skinny as wires from malnourishment, dirt on their faces with nothing but rags infested with fecal matter for clothes. He felt a pain in his empty stomach looking at their traumatizing state yet he did not at all feel pity or worry for anyone other than himself. As soon as he went by their cells, they could not help but look up at him with dead-looking sad eyes like they knew something bad was going to happen. That was when he noticed something that made him want to throw up what little stomach acid he had remaining. Far-right, in one of the cells he saw children, they could have not been any older than ten or twelve years old. Their stomachs were contracted, their constitution was like twigs to the point that it looked inhuman. Their dirt-stained faces barely contained their droopy eyes. Some of them were crying, huggingforting some of the younger children while others had the look of pure despair and hopelessness, like there was no point to ever expect escape. Ren was a teacher, and always had a soft side for children. Most of these were humans, only part of them were demi-humans and beast-men. What kind of prison was this? And, how could the guards not even bat an eye? Was he even the real monster? What crimes have theymitted? Why did they deserve such a fate? As they looked at him walking past, he noticed the disgusted nces of the few but the depressed, lifeless and crying stares were more prominent and broke him most of all. He could not help but see his old self in their eyes. "Monster... please save us?" He heard the small whispers of a little boy. Yet, all he could do was close his eyes and look away knowing there was nothing that could be done. He took a slow gulp of saliva that fell down towards his cramped, non-existent stomach as he went to walk through a door to another side of the building. On this end, the cells were reced by different walls as far as the eye could see, banners hanging from both sides with text he did not at all recognize, and obscure bronze statues and symbols. There were statues, of an armoured winged creature holding a scale. It truly looked majestic, yet, they were not the only ones. There were also the statues and symbols of a nine-tailed cat which Ren found particrly odd yet could not let himself linger on for too long as he needed to focus all the power in his body to move forward. Of course, he was very familiar with the legend of the nine-tailed fox but a cat waspletely foreign to him and almost made no sense. As they walked even further down the hallway, other guards wearing ck and white were seen either guarding or conversing amongst each other, and without a single exception, they all stopped what they were doing and silently and coldly stared at his naked figure walking slowly behind the ck-haired guard. He did not seem embarrassed at their gaze, he only felt fear like the eyes of various preditors were on him ready to eat him alive. Some of them bore a grin of hatred and contempt, some with disgust, some with amusement, and others bearing a mixture orbination of them all. However, for certain, none of them bore any pity for him in their eyes, he was not human: he was beneath even a wild animal and deserved to be treated as such. After what felt like an eternity of walking, the man he was following abruptly stopped. In front of him was a ck door unlike any door previously seen before it. "We''re finally here. The captain has been waiting for your arrival. Please enter, he has much to discuss with you If you cooperate you shouldn''t be hurt too badly" The door in front of him slowly opened revealing a dim light from within the room, his unease and anticipation nearly reaching their limits. "Captain! He''s finally awake! I''ve brought him in!" The guard previously in front of him entered and spoke, of course not before bowing and saluting. "Good job soldier! Bring the heathen in!" A voice came from within, one deep and dark with no remorse. "Yes sir!" The guard stood from his position and looked back at him with that same disgusted look. "Get in!" Gulping down his dismay and worries, he steeled himself to enter, walking by the hate-filled guard. *m* The abrupt sound of the mming door shutting closed behind him did not even startle him at all as the cold, sombre feeling of the room swept over him as he felt reluctant to even look up and inspect his surroundings. "Please Have a seat right over there I just have a few questions to ask you." That same voice of death once again rang in his ears, sending slight shivers down his spine as he slowly lifted his head to make the entire room clear. It was a moderately sized room made out of stone. There was only 1 light source, no... two light sources if it was including the extremely small gap at the top of the wall leading to the outside world, showing barely any light, confirming that it was still night time and that he was indeed underground. The other light was from above, a fire shedding light directly under it on a long, work-heavy table filled with various papers that spanned nearly half the room''s surface area. On the other side of the table sat a single man If menacing had a physical personification, it would undoubtedly be that man in front of him. He had curly, jet ck hair that fell down slightly past his bright green eyes that shot daggers into his soul. His face was well structured yet showed slight hints of age and experience in battle, arge scar visible from the side of his cheek, just missing his eyes. Unlike the regr ck and white worn by every other guard, this man who was most likely the captain wore ck and red instead, odd symbolisms of cat tails on the rough-looking armour that looked far more durable and pristine than that of the other guards, including the two guards standing directly behind him looking calm as ever; yet, he could not help but shake away the hints of their disgusting irs on his naked body. "I said please have a seat! Do you want to see what happens if I repeat myself once more?" Ren was snapped out of his daze and immediatelyplied in panic. "... Understood ..." *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 12: Interrogation Chapter 12: Interrogation He slowly forced his body that was beginning to feel slightly better and more tolerable towards the seat and sat down with his hands still tied behind his back, taking slight glimpses towards the captain on the other side. [ Silence! ] One of the men behind the captain cast an anti-spying spell, to ensure what happens inside stayed private. "My name is Reagrit Theoden, what is yours?" Calmly, he grabbed a piece of paper from his desk and spoke gently, which was something that Ren did not expect. "My name is Rem" He mumbled back, finding the brain in himself toe up with a fake name to see if they had some way of lie detection, just to get it out of the way early. "Rem That is quite an unusual name is it not?" "Well sir I''m not from around here" He replied, a harsh emphasis on the word "sir". A small chuckle was heard from the other side, making Ren''s worry increase even more. "Of course I know that Do you think I''m an idiot? I know exactly where you''re from" "Y-you do!?" Ren''s eyes grew wide hearing the captain''s words, making many questions in his mind surface such as are isekaied people amon thing? And, did his body have a life prior to him inhabiting it? But, none of his assumptions seemed to be the answer. "You''re a soldier from the Orobonian theocracy sent to raid these viges, churches, and temples in the name of the devils and demons you people associate with!" The answer caught Renpletely off guard, it was a neighbouring country that old man Adrian had talked to him about but he did not know what they had to do now, and he could not help but let his opinions be known. "W-what?! I-I''m not from there! I" *SNAP* [ Holy Light ] Suddenly, a massive beam of white, holy energy shot out of the ground and ceiling beneath him, bathing his body in white. The sensation of his flesh burning by some odd, divine light that both felt like fire and did not all at the same time felt so surreal. The pain was unlike anything he had experienced, it was unimaginable, like small, microscopic daggers striking him everywhere on his body, especially his heart. A feeling of lightheadedness and nausea took over himself as he felt like he was about to pass out or even die at any second. Every part of his being ached for an answer to this feeling of misery and any answer that could bring relief was one worth considering. It was all too much to handle and for a moment he even considered giving in to the pain and giving up before immediately shaking that thought away like it never urred as he continued to fight on. And, after what felt like an eternity of suffering in his mind, the pain suddenly subsided, leaving his body aching and nearly once again broken, no signs of burns to be found on his body despite the feeling. "That is what you get when you lie to me You got that?" The voice of that devil was picked up by his ears, making him look up to see his deadly, life-sucking stare. "What do you expect me to believe? Youe to my town wearing the standard Orobonian soldier''s uniform and you expected me to ept that lie? Who the hell do you think I am? I''m the knight captain! Not some fool who thinks the people who attacked Nuxvar were simple mercenaries! I can tell an Oroborian insignia when I see one! Summoning and controlling a filthy vampire is 100% something they would do to increase their fighting strength!" Ren was breathing heavy still trying to recover and take everything in the air that he had been so deeply fantasizing about no longer mattered or felt as good as it did the first time. The armour that luck had given him must have belonged to one of the "bandits" that he now recognized as proper soldiers. He had to be careful about what to say if he did not want to get fried once more. "Understood..." The captain slowly nodded back. "Good!" "So! You and your buddies had just attacked Nuxvar and killed hundreds in cold blood! From what I''ve seen, you must have been here to spy on us So Is Goldcrest the next target? Who are you after? Is it one of the Refugees here? Are they one of your targets? Did you hear about our holy festival ande to ruin it in the name of your devils? And where is your group''s camp?" If Ren could sweat, his entire body would have already been soaked. He had absolutely no idea what the answer was to any of those questions But for his own survival, he had to answer" "Before I answer, I would like to know how long I''ve been asleep for to assess the situation," "3 days! You slept like a sloth! No matter how many times we tried to wake you up, no matter what we used you would simply not budge Now answer the damn questions!" "Understood... I''ll answer the best I can." Ren pretended to be remembering the answers when in reality he was using the time toe up with his lies. "I have no knowledge of this festival of yours. We have no target in this city And yes This city is our next target, there should be an attack either today or tomorrow. Our camp is a few kilometers northwest of the town in between two small hills beside a river. As for the motives, I really don''t know! I''m just a simple soldier! Please don''t hurt me! I promise I''m telling you the truth!" Silence once again befell the room as the captain put his hands over his mouth, deep in thought before he spoke. "Norrix! Go out and confirm if this man''s ims are truthful! Be back here in 2 hours and report your findings to me!" "Yes sir!" One of the men immediately saluted and bowed, sprinting out of the room in haste. That was when the captain''s cold, bone-chilling gaze was brought back towards him who was slowly losing more and more of his sanity ''Two hours All I have to live are two hours huh It''s been a nice run...'' He thought in his mind, wanting to cry only for no tears to fall. "Well then REM two hours There is two hours until I can confirm your words And if you lied to me Then It won''t be pretty I''ll crack you like an egg until I get the information I want I will smite you with my holy light until I gr" Then, out of the corner of his nk eyes, he noticed a dim, yellow light enter the area from that small opening at the top of the room, slipping through the tight bars like they were not even there. Ren found it hard to tell what it was in his hazy, disoriented state yet he could not take his eyes nor focus off it as the captain continued his threats ahead of him. "Close your eyes" A faint, almost inaudible whisper entered his ear sounding like a little child, one that felt so odd yet so familiar at the same time. Ren was desperate, he had absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to run. This all could have simply been a figment of his imagination, which was highly likely yet he still decided to do it. He would grasp on to any shred of hope he had left in his otherwise, bleak, gloomy tunnel of death. So, he closed his eyes and put all of his trust in that voice. "HEY! Are you even listening! Why are you clos" [ Blinding ir! ] Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a bright, blinding sh of light that was so powerful that it prated Ren''s eyelids despite him still having his eyes closed and reached his now hurting eyes and engulfed everything around him. "ARRRRGGGGHHH!! MY EYES!! MY EYES!!" Screams of agony filled his ears, feeling grateful to that unknown voice he now knew aspletely real. Luckily, his eyelids provided a coat of protection good enough that once the light disappeared, he was able to once again open his eyes with little to no problems. And there, as he opened he slowly sight that was still blurry and disoriented, he witnessed the sight of the captain and the one man behind him holding their eyes tightly writhing in agony, still screaming like it was the worst pain of their lives. But, his attention did not linger there for long as his vision finally became crystal once again... Directly in front of him, he saw a person he never even imagined he would ever see. "LUCK!?" Ren blurted out in disbelief. Ren had all butpletely forgotten about Luck''s existence or simply deemed him as dead, he was only concerned for his own safety at the time after all and could not care less about luck who he had only just gotten to know and almost disregarded as useless or insignificant in his predicament. However, now, seeing the little, cute flying fairy in front of him, he could not be more shocked as he did not know if he had saved him or had simply gotten him in more trouble than before. "Luck! What ar" Before Ren was able to finish his sentence, he was immediately interrupted by Luck who spoke as he used a small, metallic item previously in his hands to pick the lock at his back, making his bindings abruptly drop on the ground. "Shhh My lord! I''vee here to save you! Please follow my lead for once! I''ll lead you and tell you how to escape! I''ve got it all nned! I know you are my leader and master but please trust me! I promise I will prove myself to you to make up for my previous ipetence!" Ren still could not believe his ears The person who he nearly killed because he thought he was an NPC was talking to him with such loyalty and kindness... There in front of him, he saw a literal light of hope, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to keep hanging on and escape from his living nightmare and inevitable death. He could not help but feel slightly happy for seemingly the first time in forever... "Okay Luck I trust you! Lead the way!" ****************************** "AAAHHHH!!" "Huh?! Huh!? HUUHH!?!" The captain slowly opened his red, aching eyes, looking all around him only to see that the naked vampire once in front of him had suddenly somehow escaped and his cries for help seemed to have not been picked up by anyone from the outside the silence spell seemed to have shot him in the foot. "WHERE IS HE?!" His rage continued, one hand over his red eyes as he looked around to also try and find the other soldier that was in this room alongside him. He was also nowhere to be found, but after he started walking around, he felt some sort of heavy object hitting his feet. "WHAA!?" When he looked down, to his surprise... it seemed to not be a heavy object at all It was Dreven, the other guard that was supposed to be there, his eyes fully white, dead, bleeding on the groundpletely naked. That was when two and two clicked in the captain''s mind and the realization of what the vampire must have done became vivid *SLAM* Suddenly, the doors to the room were thrustpletely wide open with a panting soldier at the front of it, behind him amotion of massive proportions as the panicked figures of various soldiers were seen rushing towards the exit. "CAPTAINN! CAPTAIN! IT''S A" The soldier at the front of the door, heavily panting began screaming like a madman,pletely unlike how a normal guard was supposed to act. However, before he was able to finish what he had to say the mad, beyond furious captain interrupted. "THE VAMPIRE ESCAPED! RAISE ALL SECURITY AND CATCH HIM! HE DISGUISED HIMSELF AS A GUARD! HE MUST BE CAUGHT AT ALL COSTS!" "BUT SIR! NOW ISN''T THE TIME FOR THAT!!" "WHY IS THAT?! HOW DARE YOU!? ARE YOU DISOBEYING ORDERS!? "BECAUSE THE VILLAGE IS UNDER ATTACK BY THE OROBONIANS AND THEY HAVE ALREADY SET THE TOWN CENTER ON FIRE!!" "HHHHUUUUUHHH THEY WHAAAAATTT!?" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 13: Mass Destruction. Chapter 13: Mass Destruction. "MEN! Move! Move! Move! It''s a sneak attack! Protect the people!!" There was aplete frenzy in the hallway, the ground rumbling and explosions piercing the ears. Like waves, soldiers headed towards the door of the barracks, weapons in hand ready for anything that came their way However, out of those many soldiers, there was one that slightly stood out yet blended in perfectly with the crowd, having a slight limp in his step. Ren, who was wearing guard''s armour and a helmet to cover most of his red glowing eyes had yet to fully recover all the wounds on his body. And not only that, but his body also felt drained in a certain way that he only had a slight idea about and had never actually experienced himself... He struggled and tried his utmost to follow the crowds and rush to the exit as naturally as possible, yet that was a harder task than he first expected. However, for some reason, that was far from the main focus in his mind as he stared nkly at his gauntlets that bore flesh blood beneath them "I killed a man I actually just killed a man" The memories of him thrusting his hands through the guard''s heart were still fresh in his mind What should have been truly a frightening experience now that he pondered over it for some reason felt too Natural As soon as Luck told him to kill the guard and steal his armour, he did as he was told immediately. He had a few initial doubts but they were instantly swept away like a leaf flowing down a river. Even if those guards did some very inhumane, despicable acts towards him, other than his mother, killing a living, sentient being was something he never imagined or even considered prior. He was unsure if it was simply his panic, desperation, or anger that took over him to make him do what he did yet, as soon as he got over the initial shock and went to do it, it felt no different than squishing a mosquito. He used his sharp, vampiric nails to pierce through the guard''s armour and flesh to reach his heart, feeling the throbbing right around his fingertips as he mercilessly dug into it, ripping it out as he watched the guard shriek and writhe in agony, praying to god and saying his final words all the while his own blood gushed all around him. Ren stared coldly at all of that with no remorse like he was a bug. He even undressed himpletely naked as fast as possible, and he did not feel any disturbance in the slightest. So, why only now was he thinking about his previous actions and not in the moment? Was it his sense of morality kicking in? Thinking back to what he did, he should have felt at least something? Right? Had he been a psychopath all along and had no idea? His actions were simply not things any normal man would just nonchntly be able to do for the first time after all... At one point, the blood on his body and hands looked so fresh and delicious that he felt an unquenchable urge to bite and lick up everyst drop. But, due to his panic and Luck''s warnings to hurry up, he had no time to feed. At the time, and even now to a great degree, it did not feel morally wrong to do what he did and wanted to do. Was that why his body felt drained? So far, all of his own mechanics had matched up to his in-game race. He was a vampire and It had been 3 days without any blood for him after all, which never happened to him in the game since he never reached that point. Had bing a vampire changed more about him than simply his appearance and abilities? Right now he was not sure but he was certain it would not take long for him to find out "Lord Alucard Are you feeling okay? What''s on your mind? I tried to heal you with negative energy spells but I''m sure it did not stop all the pain" Ren''s train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a sounding from his pockets, snapping him back into reality. He was unsure why those thoughts popped up in his head at times like this. Once again, survival became his top priority as he thrust those thoughts to the back of his mind. "Yeah luck I''m fine Don''t worry about it" He whispered back, still trying to maneuver his way through the hallway, looking for safety. *BOOOOOOOOM* That was when suddenly, a massive explosion hit the side of his barracks all around, causing the ceiling to copse on top of him and everyone else. Although clumsily, Ren was able to react in time by dodging all of the iing massive rocks falling from above. "AHHH!" He managed to survive, but he could not say the same about many of the other guards who were crushed by boulders, crying in pain behind him, which he ignored in favour of moving on and not wasting time The way ahead of him that led to the exit of the barracks waspletely cut off by mountains and mountains of metals and rocks blocking his way. Now, the only way out was climbing the rubble up The sky was once again visible to Ren after so long, but it did not harbour the same beauty it did before It waspletely pitch ck with a tint of orange, smoke as far as the eye could see and various magic spells flying around almost like shooting stars. "AHHHH!!" "MY BABY! MY LITTLE BABY! YOU KILLED MY BABY! MONSTERS!!" ""IT BURNNNSS! PUT ME OUT! SOMEONE PUT ME OUT! IT HURTS! PUT ME OUT OR KILL ME!" "Papa Papa Wake up papa PAPA!!" "FUUUUCCCCCKKK!!" "PIGGG!! GET OUT OF MY CITY AND STAY AWAY FROM MY WIFE!!" Almost like they were previously blocked, his ears suddenly managed to listen to the frightening screams and battle cries of the violence inevitably ahead and what he should expect to see. The once heavenly, fresh air of the outside world was no more, tainted by the smell of burning flesh and wood that made things feel more and more like the smell of his own world Using all his energy, he looked in front and scaled the rather extensive wall of rubble ahead of him until he eventually saw a wide view of the entire city. And, even he who was inplete panic could not help but stop and watch all of the mayhem happening all around him with a beyond shaky gaze. The rich, vast world that made him nearly shed a tear from its beauty was no more... Instead, it was reced by a living hell... Plumes of ck smoke and ash shrouded the whole battlefield and the burning buildings life fog The streets were dyed a mixture of orange and crimson, riddled with raging mes, organs, blood, and lifeless bodies for as far as the eye could see. He witnessed the sight of people being burnt alive, jumping out of their windows in panic and falling dead on the ground to end their suffering Mothers crying and pleading for their lives, tightly holding their children before being mercilessly ughtered by soldiers who wore simr armour to the ones given to him by luck, their victims'' heads rolling lifelessly on the ground with a startling expression People were running in the streets, screaming and begging for their lives only to bepletely ughtered by those same soldiers, their victim''s blood spraying in the air before they immediately moved on to their next targets Soldiers and city guards were fighting in every corner of the vige, but it was clear to any onlooker who was truly winning Ren was no pushover he had seen many hardships and unquestionable scenes in his life but nothing came even close to what he was witnessing right in front of him with disgust and many things running in his mind It was absolutely wild This was exactly why he never wished to be isekaied Itpletely set the tone for him about what kind of world this was going to be and what was his new reality The sight made his stomach turn and his blood boil. Yet, despite all of the atrocities he had just watched beingmitted right in front of his eyes, for some odd reason, he could not feel a single shred of remorse for any of them. Innocent people were being ughtered in the most inhumane, disturbing ways imaginable and he felt absolutely nothing, almost like they were merely cattle sent to the ughter. At least there were no children dying at the hands of these barbarians... He always found himself staring at the blood sttering all over the air and at points even ignoring many of the other things until the smell of burning and the sounds of desperate cries of deaths brought him back to everything else. It once again brought into question his own mental thinking in his mind... *Whooosshhh* Seemingly out of nowhere, a massive ball of fire flew by and nearly skimmed his face, making him shudder ande back to his senses, no longer staring at his surroundings like he was hypnotized. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU''RE DOING SOLDIER!? Don''t just stand there! Go out and protect your people!" "What about the children in the dungeon!?" He instinctively blurted, their crying images popping up in his mind. He knew that there was no way that he himself would be able to save them. Especially if he wanted to get out alive, but he wanted to know what the guards had nned for them. "Hmmm? What did you say!? The children!? Now is no time to think about the festival soldier! Go out to defend your people!!" A man spoke from right beside him jumping down into the fray with seemingly no fear in his heart. Ren was confused, yet the screams and explosions of the battlefield made him disregard any uneededt houghts. He took a deep breath and steeled his resolve He had to find some way to escape the vige alive and the only way that was possible was navigating through the burning hell in front of him. He was still undoubtedly scared out of his mind, but his will to survive and adapt were even stronger as he jumped down from the rubble above and into the maze-like streets that he knew would be a nightmare to navigate properly and nearly impossible to navigate safely without being spotted. That was when Ren felt some movements in his pockets. In a time that he least expected when he thought he was all alone, he was reminded that he had a seemingly fully reliable ally who had his back at all times. "My Lord! Follow me! I''ve already scouted the entire city and secured the best and safest escape path for us!" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 14: Torn in Half Chapter 14: Torn in Half Suddenly, Luck shot out of his pocket like a bullet and flew in a certain direction to his right, and without hesitation, Ren followed suit as fast as his injured body allowed him There were still many unanswered questions in his hurting mind, especially towards the confident luck that seemed to know exactly what he was doing yet he had no time to ask or ponder over anything as the panic and intensity of the moment overcame his body. As Ren ran through the burning vige, the force of the mes around him were beginning to really get to him, despite him never actually making contact with any of it, which slowed him down far more than he expected. ''This This must be a vampire''s weakness to fire in action It''s not even touching me... It wasn''t like this in the game either...'' Ren thought in his mind that bore a mixture of fear and determination as he pushed himself to the limits just so he could barely keep up with Luck''s wless flying. They avoided all of the intense areas of battle, passing by numerous screaming and begging civilians in the distance without batting an eye until they reached a certain corner "This way my lord!" Luck flew up and above a small 9-foot pile of debris that was blocking an alleyway and motioned Ren to follow suit. Without hesitation, Ren swiftly yet not so elegantly began scaling the pile of rocks, catching the attention of a few soldiers far away behind him. "GET HIM!" "Fuck! Fuck fuck!" Ren mumbled in panic as he forced himself to climb even faster. If he still had feelings of his heart he was certain that it would have been flung out on the ground in front of him. As he reached the top and was about to jump down towards luck who was waiting for him, he felt a crushing pain on his skull, startling him. *Ding* The impact of the attack pushed him over the edge of the rubble and flung his helmet off his head, making itnd and roll far ahead into the alleyway. The fall definitely did hurt but in his current state and heavy adrenaline, he could not care less "Follow me!" Luck once again began flying in dimly lit alleyways that resembled more like abyrinth. And, fortunately for him, Luck seemed to be going in the direction where his helmet hadnded. He knew that it was essential for him to be able to hide his identity so wasting a few moments to pick it up was only natural. "AHHHHHHHHH!!! Grandpa no!!" However, as he bent down to pick it up, an abrupt, female sound suddenly emerged from his right, an alleyway that led to the back of a store. It was a voicepletely unlike all of the other screams It was one that he recognized without a shadow of a doubt and made him take the time to turn around and see exactly what it was "AHHHH! It hurts! It hurts!" "Please! We''re only simple merchants! We''ll give you whatever you want!" There, to hisplete shock, he witnessed the scene of six men surrounding two people, ones that he knew all too well They were non-other than Petra and old man Adrian that gave him that ride on the carriage They were surrounded in a corner. Petra''s visage was nearly unrecognizable from all of the burns, ash and wounds on her face thatpletely blinded her left eye, leaving her solely with her right eye that lost all of its beautiful purple and now simply turned into a dull gray Her beautiful blond hair was nearly burnt off, left as a tattered relic of what it once was Her clothes were all ripped, her right armpletely lost, dripping blood from where it once stood, and streams of tears were running down her frightful yet resilient face. Old man, Adrain was not fairing much better... It almost seemed like he had survived running straight into a burning building His gray hair was no more and his entire body was nearlypletely ck and riddled with scars that were clearly seen through his clothes that were barely intact. He sat on the ground, shielding his crying granddaughter with his body that was being abused by the soldiers in front of him "Stop resisting old man and give us what we want!" "What!? I have no idea what you are talking about! P-please spare us! We''re just simple" "AHHHHHHHHH!!" Adrian''s hands that were previously wideout were both chopped off by lightning-quick sword shes that left Ren beyond dumbfounded. The soldier''s speed and power were beyond immense... all Ren managed to see was a sh it was almost like the man didn''t move at all... Abruptly, both of Adrian''s arms fell on the ground and sprinkled blood from where they once were, painting Petra''s face who hid right behind himpletely red in her own grandfather''s blood. "Petra Stay behind me As long as I''m still alive they will never get to you..." He mumbled in a low voice, still standing his ground despite all of his injuries and severed arm. "NOO!! STAY AWAY FROM MY GRANDPA!" Yet, that was when he was kicked down by one of the men and was forced into kneeling over his grandaughter, softly smiling at her face despite the struggle,forting her all the while. "Kid, do you even know what kind of man your grandpa is? I doubt he even cares for you at all! I bet the only reason he''s hanging onto you is for the small chance to use you at the festival! You are the initiator old man! You can''t hide it! Where is the Mk!? Hand it over!" "*cough* What are you talking about... What festival?" "Fine! So be it! Then here you die!" With a shaky, wide gaze, a frozen Ren sat and watched as one of the soldiers tightly gripped and unsheathe his bloody sword That was when the crying, shaky, beyond-hurting single right eye of Petra wondered all around her as it eventually grewpletely wide, her body trembling even more than before... "A-Alucard? Is that you Please I beg you Please Save us Save us Save us Save us..." It seemed like he was noticed by Petra who stared deeply into his soul with her one remaining eye as she mumbled with all her might, Ren barely managing to pick up on her faint, desperate voice that made his spirit crack in two. A rush of emotions unlike ever before overcame his entire body. He looked at the sight in front of him with his eyes shaking, yet this time it was not solely out of fear and panic, but anger as well. Even after seeing multiple simr scenes ur right in front of his eyes, for some reason he felt a deep pain in his non-existent heart. "WHERE IS HE!?" "I saw him go this way! Keep searching!" Voices from far away in the distance suddenly entered his ears, and another voice came from in front of him that made him cry even more and his eyes grow even wider. "My lord! What''s wrong!? Hurry! We have to go! THERE''S NO TIME!!" "..." His brain was torn, considering absolutely everything in the mere fractions of time he had... He sat silent, so many things rushing in and out the warzone of his mind until he reached the only logical conclusion he could have ended with "I''m sorry" *********** I know this chapter was pretty shocking but I hope you guys enjoyed it nheless! Please! Don''t be afraid to give me feedback or criticism! I want to write the best, most engaging story I possibly can! Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 15: No Mercy... Chapter 15: No Mercy... His body shaking immensely, he gazed at Petra''s figure and stared deep into her single, gray, desperate eye before looking away with bloody tears, grabbing his helmet off the ground and rushing off behind Luck who was slightly beginning to panic and grow impatient. "I''m sorry" As he slowly began to follow behind Luck, a small, subtle banshee-like shriek almost calling out to him from the depths of hell entered his ears and sunk down deep into his lurching heart. "MONSTER! I THOUGHT GRANDPA SAID YOU WERE A NICE GUY!!" "AHHHHHHH!!" That voice was followed by the sound of metal shing flesh and screams from that exact same corner He let out a bloody tear once more, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth before shaking his head, looking straight ahead of him at Luck''s flying figure with determination and an unquestionable will to survive His whole life, Ren had always been a logical and rational thinker. Adrian and Petra were as good as dead and there was nothing he could do about it Soldiers were following him from behind and there were six men in front of him, one of whom was immensely out of his league to the point that his movements did not register. Especially In his state, fighting them was nothing short of suicide. As he ran away, he heard the girl''s frightening scream echo in his head once more as he wore his filthy helmet. Suddenly, he felt a deep pain in his heart and an empty feeling in his stomach as he looked at Luck''s back with hazy eyes, struggling to keep up due to his injuries and the patches of fire all around him. He had no idea what that feeling was Was it regret? No It couldn''t have been If he were to be thrust into that situation once more, he would have chosen the exact same thing every time. Even if by some miracle he managed to kill the soldiers, in their state, they would notst for long without medical treatment. He would have to escape from the burning vige with them slowing him down and painting a target on his back. Luck was clearly panicking and struggling even with just him following behind, adding two more extremely injured people would be nearly impossible seeing how he was acting. It was to the point that had the guards not even been there, he would have still left them to die. He was no selfless hero, and never had been He WAS human... How could he expect to save others when he could barely save himself? At least now, he actually felt something more for them unlike the other hundreds of people he had seen murdered. Maybe he was not aplete psychopath after all... He still felt pity and emotions for others Or, was it just his mind trying to search for some shred of positivity in his current state? He had absolutely no idea and had no time to ponder over it He needed to forget about everything for now and focus on what was truly important... *BOOOOM* Suddenly, a massive explosion was heard from above him, and in the next instance, rocks began falling down onto his head which forced him to move faster and push his body further. *Ah* As he rolled away from the final rock, he heard echoesing from behind him. "Did you hear that!? Do you think it''s him!? Split up and search! No one is allowed to run!" The voices seemed to only be getting closer and Ren''s panic was growing even further along with it as he Ran behind the flying luck through the damp yet fiery alleyways. They avoided all of the falling rocks and even needed to take extra turns and scale rubble to get to where they needed to go and where Luck was meticulously leading him. That was until they turned a corner and were met by an intersection where a single enemy soldier was patrolling, multiple dead bodies on the ground around him. ''SHIT!'' Ren inwardly cursed, unable to advance any further, and with the voices behind him still getting louder, he seemed to be trapped. That was until Luck, who was peering over the corner beside him spoke. "Lord, wait until he turns around I''ll push that rock up there to the ground to catch his attention and muffle your footsteps! I know you are no amateur but remember to aim for the heart! To end it quickly since we have no time!" And, before he could get an okay from Ren, he immediately flew away and left him alone. Ren had no time to think or interject, an immense rush of adrenaline flowing through his nerves he hardened his undead heart and steeled himself for anything as he unconsciously wore the slightly shaky eyes of a predator. *Crash* "Hmmm? Someone there?" There hit the rock and there was his queue. Although it felt different, he Instinctively used some of his previous in-game knowledge and pro movements. Like a shadowy mist and as quiet as a rat, masked by some of the explosions from the outside, he snuck behind the guard with his slightly extended nails as hard as steel and thrust them deep into his heart. Without being told, as soon as he noticed his opponent''s mouth open wide, he instinctively reached his hands over to his throat and shed topletely remove his vocal cords so he did not scream, making him fall silently dead on the ground with a less than pleasant expression on his face... [ +50 XP! ] [ Level Up! ] This was Ren''s second time ever killing someone and other than it feeling far more natural, it did not differ much from his first one. He stared coldly at the dead body he just slew on the ground with even more adrenaline pumping through his veins. That was when something entered through his nose, making his eyes instinctively look towards his hands that bore sulent fresh blood And, without even knowing it, like somethingpletely took over his body, he began sucking his hands and licking it up like he was a toddler, savouring everyst drop of that delicious substance that tasted so good and invigorated him unlike anything before. [ Congrattions! You have reached the requirements to unlock the "Blood Sucker" ss! Would you like to unlock it? ] [ Yes ] [ Not Now ] As if the message was not even there, as if he was hypnotized, Ren kept on sucking his hands over and over, the taste too good to stop. That was when hepletely ran out and his gaze once again shifted towards the soldier and the blood gushing out of his heart. He bent down with piercing red eyes, about to dig into the meal when a massive explosion hit from above him, making rocks fall down towards him. Snapping back to his senses, he rolled away from the rocks thatpletely crushed the body he was about to feed on before Luck''s voice came into his head. "Nice thinking cutting off his vocal cords my lord! Let''s go! It shouldn''t be much longer!" Luck began flying away, the sound of the mayhem and intensity of the battlefield only getting worse from the world outside of this maze of alleyways. Ren followed suit, thinking with shock. ''Did I just do that? Did I always like blood or is it just being a vampire?'' Whenever killing and blood was involved, he seemed to be almost like apletely different person Had his in-game experience helped him that much? Was this part of being a vampire? Or, had he been a natural-born killer all along and had only just noticed? When he looked up in front of him, and noticed the notifications he had missed, he immediately assigned all the stats he gained into agility for obvious reasons and his ss point once again into vampire. Although it was minuscule, as soon as he did, he felt that same rush of energy ovee his body like before, and his speed increased allowing him to better keep up with Luck with his fresher feeling, slightly more rejuvenated body. As for the "Blood Sucker" ss, it waspletely invaluable in his eyes. If it was anything like the game, It was a permanent decision that will shape him for the rest of his life yet he was so confident that he easily chose it anyways without even thinking as to not waste any time. "We''re all almost there!" Luck whispered through the sounds of violence and destruction. "The city walls are just up ahead!" *********** Sorry for thete chapter guys... I really am... I had some stuffe up and a lot of school... I will 100% post another chapter today to make up for that. I hope you guys aren''t too mad at the MC and understand where he ising from. Next chapter will him finally trying to escape. Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 16: Eyes of a Survivor Chapter 16: Eyes of a Survivor "Have you found him yet!?" "NO!" "Then keep searching!" "..." "We''re almost there There it is!" "Come here! I think I hear something! He''s right around this corner!" "..." "?" "Where is he!?" As the soldiers turned the corner, they were surprised to see that there was absolutely no one. Right ahead of them was an intersection leading towards the chaotic main road where the explosions of battle and the screams of soldiers and children alike were still heard. And, splitting off from there, straight ahead of them was a stone tower with a metallic door connected to the vige walls. "Do you think he left the vige or went back into the battle!? Should we split up and follow him? There might be a door leading to the outside from that tower!" One of the soldiersughed heartily at the other''s suggestion. "Doesn''t matter, let''s all go back to the main fight" "B-but sir" "Don''t worry, he''s dead either way If that''s the way he''s leaving the vige, he will be in for a rude awakening from our leader..." ***************************** Inside the dark tower only lit by Luck''s dim, natural light and his own dark vision, Ren was leaning back onto the door, breathing heavily unable to believe he just made that It was his first time that he had a moment of peace and quiet where he felt safe to slightly calm his mind and think. ording to Luck, the tower he was in had been long abandoned for a reason he was not sure about. So, there should have been no one inside of it. And, the key to the locked door was with him in his armour, as the first guard he killed inside the interrogation room possessed one due to his high status in the vige. Everything seemed way too convenient... Yet, he had no energy or brainpower to question anything as his moment of peaceful serenity was interrupted by the entire tower shaking from above and underneath his feet "Lord Alucard! This tower is unstable and we need to leave! The soldiers from the outside might have found out that we came in here! We don''t'' have time!" Ren took a deep breath of dust-filled air, steeling himself once more as he slowly approached Luck who was hovering over another metal door. As he twisted the door nob, it was swung slowly wide open, the sound of the creakingpletely muffled by the explosions of the outside. There, in front of him was a wide, expansive field of high grass greenery that spanned for nearly as far as the eye could see and ended in a forest in the distance. The smoke and ash of the burning vige showed masses of smoke floating in the air, whichpletely blocked out the beauty of the clear night, stary sky he so fondly remembered, reminding him once more of this world''s true colours As soon as the door opened, Luck flew out and motioned him to follow. *CRASH* The tower shook once more, making him eagerly want to head outside and follow Luck. Yet, as soon as he was about to take a single step outside, he felt a sudden chill running down his spine and fear unlike anything ever before Like death, itself was waiting for him beyond that door as he looked straight ahead with wide-open eyes. "My lord!? What''s wrong!? are you okay?" Ren blinked a few times, putting his hands on his unbeating heart and looking at all his limbs with a look of awe, like he was surprised to be still alive. "It''s nothing I think the fumes starting to get to me Let''s go!" Taking a leap of faith, Ren left and closed the door behind him, feeling immense relief for some odd reason as he crouched down to blend in with the high grass. For the next few minutes, slowly and carefully, Ren crawled after luck that guided him through the thick grass that did not allow him to see anything. Despite it all being so far safe, he could not shake away the stress and unease in his soul. And, his concerns were confirmed when he bumped into several dead bodies along the way All of them burnt to a crisp with an arrow directly to their heads that bore a terrifying expression. It seemed like other cowardly soldiers also attempted something simr to what they were trying... But, even through that all and the potential danger signs, Ren stayed unmoving and pushed forward, choosing to trust luck who had yet to let him down so far. That was when they reached the edge of the tall grass Ahead of them, the grass was no longer long enough to hide. They needed to ensure their safety and secure a path for them to escape that could be possibly risky. So, taking small peeks from the grass, Ren and Luck were ready to look around for potential patrol. However That was when they heard a loud, arrogant voice enter their ears from the left. "Give up! We''ve got you surrounded, Orobonian Scum! Call off your men now if you want to leave here alive!" Ren recognized that voice a million times over It was non-other than that nightmare of a captain that tortured him out of information. Hearing his voice once more greatly surprised him, yet what surprised him even more was what he heard next "*Sigh* Do you really call that a sneak attack? I saw youing from a mile away" It was a thick, low voice that stabbed deep into the hearts of the masses and demanded the utmost respect. However The voice was unmistakably female When Ren looked to where the sound came with a bad feeling in his soul, he witnessed the figures of 30 men wearing vige guard armour surrounding 2parably smaller armoured females wearing helmets that hid their faces, their body barely able to be made out due to the thick wall of men in his way. "Leader Should I take care of them?" "No Let them be for now" The conversation between the two girls could not help but make the captainugh out loud. "You fools! You''re in no position to talk in such a way!! Enough chatter! Guards! Kill them both! Cut off their heads to show to those barbarians terrorizing our vige!" "CHARGE!!" All at once, the men pounced on the two girls like wolves, the sounds of screaming and metal crashing against metal filling the air. "My lord! This is perfect! Now is your chance! We can leave while they''re all fighting! Let''s go!" All of a sudden, Luck flew out of the tall grass and into the open meadow, darting towards the forest ahead. And, as if instinctively, Ren followed suit Or at least he tried to His body would not let him get out of the grass as he was once again struck with a bad feeling in his heart, his eyes growing wide and shaky once more. It was beyond surreal... "My lord! What''s gotten into you again!? We have no time! Let''s go!!" The panic on Luck''s face was evident, and Ren fully well knew why. He clenched his teeth as hard as he could and lept out of his cover, sprinting at the top speed his still injured legs allowed him. He had no idea why he was thinking or hesitating This was the only chance he might ever get. No way he was about to give up now that he had gotten so far and how much he had sacrificed to survive Frantically, Ren continued sprinting behind Luck with his hazy vision through the field, the polluted light of the iplete moon shining on his face and the sound of battle behind him. He could not help but shake off the odd feeling in his heart yet his adrenaline and will to survive overshadowed all of that. However, before he even reached halfway a blinding sh of white light engulfed his vision, with the sound of heavy squealing all at once that, that along with the sound of flesh and blood being cut directly behind him entered his ears Ren, and in addition to him Luck could both not help but stop what they were doing... Their entire body was shaking faster than a vibrator out of pure instinct, their eyes grew abnormally wide like they were in some kind of trance. Without a doubt Death was waiting for them right behind The air felt so thick that he was unable to breathe His vision that was supposed to be aided by night vision suddenly grew dark... Like an invisible shadowy hand was hovering over his lungs and heart ready to take him out at any second... It was a familiar feeling yet more severe than anything prior in his life. Was this the same death that he had sensed before Had it not been a hallucination all along? Without a shadow of a doubt, had his body been normal, his skin would have beenpletely drenched in buckets of sweat from head to toe, his bowels would have been emptied and his heart would be pushing the boundaries of his rib cage on its way to explode. Ren was no quitter, yet he knew exactly when to quit and when there was no way in hell out... He was going to die Undoubtedly going to die Yet, he did not want to die like some insignificant bug; he wanted to see the face of his killer. His father would never forgive him if he died in such away... As a coward... Taking a gulp of saliva, Ren fought against every fibre of his entire being to turn around, which was far more painful than he expected as it seemed like it went opposite to everything his body wanted. When he did, his keen, shadowy, determined gazended upon the figure of the two girls, a mountain of bodies at their feet from the men who were once standing, burn-marks on all of their bodies. Yet, his eyes only fell there for a short time Above the bodies was where his true focus lied But not at the taller, fully heavy armoured girl aiming a fiery bow directly at his head, the size and intensity of the me beyond huge, almost like he was staring at the sun itself. His gaze solely focused on the girl to his left, her armour rather skimpy and revealing with an opening showing off her massive breasts, other armour where it was most necessary. Undoubtedly, just from her body alone, she was the most attractive girl he had ever seen. Yet, that thought did notst for very long. Soon after, his gaze shifted slowly towards her cold, yellow, predator-like eyes shining through the slits of her heavy, metallic helmet The look in her eyes shook him beyond repair deep down to his very core It was unlike anything he even conceived could be possible. It was almost like her entire history was tattooed and worn directly into her deadly eyes. Despite her appearance, she was no slut, he could immediately tell He had no idea how it was even possible to achieve eyes like her''s What kind of horrors did she have to live through? What kind of heartbreaks had she experienced? What kind of hardships did that woman struggle through? It must have all been unimaginable beyond his wildest dreams. In a way, he envied her. She had the eyes of a pure survivor. Was that what it took to survive in this world? Compared to her gaze, power, and might, he was absolutely nothing. He had never felt so insignificant in his entire life. He now wondered how those guards were even able to meet her gaze without running away. Were they that much more resilient than him? Had he always been so pathetic? No! he could not allow himself to fall in such a way, scared beyond his mind. He wanted to survive! More than anything he wanted to live! And if in this world, the minimum requirement was to meet the gaze of this woman, then so be it! It would be better to start now than never! Even if his entire body was rejecting him and wanting to explode and curl up into a little ball awaiting his death, he could not allow himself to do it. He endured through all the pain and mental turmoil and met her gaze head-on. In his mind, those eyes of hers were like the entire new world, and if he could not even meet her gaze, then, surviving another day would have beenpletely meaningless... ********************** The woman''s hard, cold stare suddenly grew wide looking at her opponent''s deep, blood-red eyes that stared back at her. It was almost like looking into a reflection. "Put your bow down Let him live" She could not help but slightly smile at the sight of that clearly inhuman man for some odd reason as she walked away, heading towards the burning vige ahead. Her subordinate could not believe her own ears, turning around to face her leader who was turning away, her bow still drawn. "But leader! We can''t leave this weed unplucked! We must ta" "Just obey your orders and follow me to the vige Don''t waste your energy on him We have much more pressing matters to attend to," With a tough look on her face, she gave in and dropped her bow beneath her knees and unlit her fire spell. "Very well leader You have never once been wrong I will follow you to the ends of the earth and back if I must" She spun around and followed directly behind her leader, walking over all the dead bodies and heading towards the burning inferno ahead of them, leaving the fleeing, red-eyed man free to run into the forest. *********** I really went into detail with this since this is one of the biggest turning points in the story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 17: New Reality... New Self... Chapter 17: New Reality... New Self... Heavily breathing with wide, trembling eyes, Ren, and in extension Luck were both frantically running through the dark depressing forest. The noises of howling beasts filled their ears from every direction sounded more like hungry demons, Ren tripping and hurting as he traversed the dangerous, spiky terrain of the somehow dark forest that seemed to have glowing eyes looking at him from every direction. Yet, in his already injured, frantic and chaotic state, that was the absolutest thing in his mind as there was something far more scarring and pertinent engulfing his entire focus. That was when he heard the first voice in seemingly forever enter his ears, that of a little boy. "Lord Alucard! Come here!" It took him a second to remember who that voice belonged to before the answer struck him immediately in the head as he followed Luck in a deep, dark cave away from the outside forest. There For the first time in a long time, Ren sat down leaning back on a rock, nkly looking out into the sky outside the cave with half-dead eyes and began to think, finally properly taking everything that had happened to him that day... Yet, the only thing on his mind was that staring contest he did with that woman They were eyes that no doubt would be forever branded into his mind. It was by far the hardest, most painful thing he had ever done in his whole life. Nothing even came close That was the moment that pushed him over the edge... Not waking up in a dungeon half dead and naked with every bone broken Not being tortured by holy light in an interrogation, not seeing thousands of innocent vigers being mercilessly ughtered Nothing Absolutely nothing However, when he thought about if it was more impactful than his father''s death, he was not able to allow himself to say it. Her gaze It was like staring into an endless void filled with nothing but grief, death, and despair That girl He had no idea how she was living with such pain and demons residing in her soul. She was a survivor from birth That was what it took to survive in this new world And even if he only seeded to match her gaze for a few seconds, he still managed to do it in the end It was an incredible, self-validating experience. If he had failed, he was not sure how he could even live with himself, and simply ept himself as a weak, cowardly boy who would go nowhere in life. He could not help but softly smile, unsure how he was even alive but right now he did not care. He had been considering things for a long time now, and he hade to many conclusions. *Grrrr* That was when another sound entered his ears, something other than his own panting and the howling beasts of the outside woods. It was the sound of his own stomach. Ren was a vampire. So by nature, he did not require any nutrients other than blood. Yet, even still, there he felt hungry for some odd reason despite knowing he did not need it. It must have been his human nature and instinct he had yet to shake off which must also exin why he was reliant on breathing as well. His mental turmoil was so great that he only just noticed that he was on the verge of dying He could not take it anymore He needed food He needed Blood. Slowly, standing, his nose picked up on something deeper into the cave "My lord? Where are you going?" He heard the silhouette of a serious yet still shaky voice enter his ears. But, it waspletely filtered out like everything else in his hazy mind. There, as he walked further and further into the cave, his dark vision flickering in every now and then, he forced and pushed his body forward. That was when he picked up on the sound of snoring which made him know he was going the right way. And, not too long after, following his nose and his ears, he came across a sleeping figure of a baby bear, the flickering of his dark vision revealing its lime green colour and what seemed to be a smile on his face. Ren had always appreciated animals and the very few that did survive back in his world. Yet, now, in the face of his own survival, that admiration was no more. In front of him, the baby bear looked like nothing but a steak A juicy Blood-filled steak Slowly ducking down with his piercing red gaze, he went to go biting at its neck, only for his eyes to suddenly turn soft contemting what he was about to do. However, that was when in that instant, he shook those thoughts away and the pure look of a predator returned to his eyes. ''survive I must SURVIVE!'' He mumbled to himself in his subconscious as he bit into the bear''s neck, making him struggle and let out a piercing, pain-filled cry. *ARRRGGGRGRGR* Yet, even through the struggle, Ren did not falter nor bat an eye as the sweet, less than delicious blood began entering and filling his system. It did not taste even half as good as that of humans, if anything, it felt almost disgusting, yet it was more than enough to do its job to refuel his body. The more he sucked and bit, the more and more the baby bear''s screaming and squirming that echoed throughout the entire cave began to quiet down, and, the more rejuvenated he felt and the more and more his dark vision began to return to him, making the previously dark cave clear once more. [+5 XP] That was when at one point, he had stopped gaining energy and the bear stopped screaming Ren removed his bloody fangs from the baby bear''s neck and simply looked at its shrivelled, bloodless corpse like it was simply meat, his stomach still growling He had tasted the bear''s flesh as he bit into it and it was still less than pleasant His pallet had yet to adjust to raw meat so he needed to cook it up. With cold, distant eyes he picked up his dead prey and looked back towards the entrance of the cave. If someone had told him a few days ago this is where he would be at: as a wildly hated race, fighting for survival in the wilderness after running into unquestionable pain and death over and over again, forced to eat and drink human blood and kill baby animals to survive, he would have simplyughed it off as a sick joke as the situation seemed too unreal. He would have never imagined himself doing anything like that. But now, this sick, cruel joke was no joke at all, but his new reality... If this was what it took to survive, then so be it If he had to throw away some of his humanity, then so be it He was not even human anymore after all He needed to throw away what he deemed as useless and could only hinder him and leave the important. Alucard That was only a cool name he had wanted to call himself yet never saw himself as in reality From today onwards He was Ren yet Ren no longer The Ignorant Ren should have died as soon as he entered his new life He never had anyone holding his hands his entire life... Like he always did, he needed to evolve and adapt to his new reality. So... Alucard... Yes... From today forward, he will be Alucard *********** Sorry for thete chapter... I had a lot of school work and it''s hard to write while fasting... I''ll try to post another chapter today too so please bear with me! Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 18: Campfire Stories (1) Chapter 18: Campfire Stories (1) Deep inside the cave unnoticed from the outside, the sound of crackling filled the otherwise sombre, windy air. And from that crackling was a fire the lit up the otherwise dark, damp cave and gave off a smokey, sulent, meaty smell that nearly reached the outside forest. On that lit me were two pieces of meatpletelycking blood, one muchrger than the other, suspended from wooden, rotating sticks. Around the lit fire, holding these branches of wood were two figures, calmly sitting down on opposite sides waiting for their food to finish, an armoured pale man with white hair, bloody fangs, and deep-red piercing eyes and, a little flying naked fairy with purple hair and wings. Slightly off to the side of them were two dried bodiespletely devoid of any blood, bite marks on the neck. One was of a small, lime-green bear and the other one looked almost the same, only muchrger and more ferocious. Parts of their fur were skinned off and chunks of their meat were removed, which was now probably on the fire. "Should be about done now Have a taste" Alucard spoke, calmly removing his massive b of meat from the fire. "Oh! Don''t mind if I do!" With a smile, Luck lifted his own much smaller b of meat off the mes and dug in. "Hmmmmmmmmm! My lord! This is delicious!" What was in front of Alucard did not look at all appetizing, however, Luck''s reaction seemed to have slightly elevated his expectations. However, as he bit into the meat, it was exactly as he expected. ''Disgusting'' He thought at the back of his mind, yet he still chewed down and ate it with no visibleints. It seemed like his taste buds were still used to high-ss, at least seasoned human food and not wild bear yet, he was certain he would get used to such things in due time. "My lord! What you did out there was amazing! I couldn''t even move against those twodies but you scared them off with your stare! And you''re far from full power!" "Don''t think about it too much, I did what I had to to survive" Alucard took another bite of his meat before the sudden realization hit him about Luck''s words. "Far from full power you say How do you know that? Do you know what my full power is?" Luck stood still, deep in thought, not taking another bite of his meat. "..." "I don''t know I just had some sort of feeling Like you were much stronger before we came to these strangends Me too actually now that I think about it..." Alucard sighed at the response he was expecting. It seemed like the amnesia was truly affecting him yet not to a full degree. In many ways, Luck was Alucard''s saviour. Yet, that did not stop him from questioning and doubting him despite all that he had done so far being good. "Let me ask you a different question Why are you so loyal to me? So far I''ve done nothing to warrant your respect." "..." There, just like before, there was another long pause of silence, the wind crackling the fire slightly more before he finally spoke. "I I really don''t know Like I told you, I almost don''t remember anything It''s hazy... I don''t know who I am or where I came from All I know is that I am Luck, a fairy and you are, or were, Balls, my vampire master It''s hard to exin Ummmm It''s like we''ve gone through thousands of adventures over and over again, a lot of repeats, yet I can''t remember exactly what they are I just feel like I have a deep-rooted connection with you" Now, it was Alucard''s turn to sit and ponder. But, the more he thought the more his mind came back to the same conclusion that only served to give him more hints yet confuse him even more. This Luck seemed to truly be the NPC he always knew. And, he seemed to possess some recollection of their adventure within the game. It seemed like his characteristics, vour text, along with his loyalty had transferred along with him ande to life. What was truly worrisome was if he had ever done anything bad to Luck back when he was an NPC and if so, would he remember and begin to hate him if the amnesia were not there? Had the amnesia saved him... "Hey Luck, you did great back in the vige. It almost seemed like you had everything nned What did you really do and why did youe to save me?" That was when the confused, gloomy look on Luck''s face turned bright as he smiled and puffed his chest out in pride and a hint of embarrassment. "I saved you because we were a team of course! But It was my fault you were in that situation in the first ce..." Alucard really had the urge to lift his eyebrow up in confusion yet he decided to stay quiet to listen to what Luck had to say. "If it weren''t for me stupidly getting injured, you wouldn''t have been forced to go to that vige to get me healing in the first ce I truly apologize," "Oh, it''s really no big deal," Alucard waved it off. "Thanks a lot, my lord!" Alucard didn''t know what to say other than to just roll with what Luck imed. He was unsure if he simply thought that he could have dodged the fireball or he was burnt so badly that he had forgotten what happened "I''m sure you already knew that we fairy''s regenerate fairly quickly. After I was unconscious, I suddenly woke up in a shaky world, and, the next thing I knew I was in your bouncing pockets." "I chose not to scream and panic as I heard the voices of guards outside and quickly assessed the situation, realizing what had happened. So, I escaped from your pocket when the voices were distant and I felt that there was no one watching and flew up to see where I was at. There I saw your unconscious body at the foot of a barracks and in the middle of a vige. And, from that moment forward, I knew I had to get you out" "So, I came up with a n. From the ways the guards were treating you, it was clear that they hated you yet didn''t want to kill you, and, I used that to my advantage. So, the first thing I did was swoop down and cast my sleep powder on you to keep you sleeping and not immediately killed or tortured as soon as you woke up," "I explored the entire vige and took note of everything I saw until a sudden n hit me. So, I explored the area around where our previous cave was and I managed to locate those same bandits or soldiers that we saw earlier that day. And, from the looks of it, it seemed like they were headed towards that same vige you were in!" "So, using my amazing estimation skills, I managed to predict when they would arrive. And, in those days, I snuck inside the prison, which was much harder than you would expect, and cast my sleep powder on you, even more to keep you sleeping until the time was exactly right! That was also when I spent time to think of the best escape route and n for when I get you out still, you still had to be the one to save us both." Luck took a small pause to chuckle at hisment before continuing. "However In the end, when the time came, my calctions were slightly off, so I had to insight something in those bandits to make them speed up a bit. It was really risky and I barely managed to make it out alive That was why I was a littlete to help you And you know the rest since we lived through it..." Alucard, who was really impressed and thankful suddenly raised an eyebrow, interrupting him. "What exactly did you do to them" "Oh! It''s really nothing my lord!" Heughed in an upbeat tone. Alucard could not help but take notice of Luck''s attitude. Unlike him, Luck seemed to have been ustomed to life such as this and was tougher than he expected. However, he also did notice how he always liked to stay positive yet not naive when the time came to it. It was a breath of fresh air in his otherwise gloomy perspective on life. Luck really went that far just to help him, he could not help but feel warm on the inside hearing how deeply he nned and endured for his sake. There was no reason for Luck to save him yet he did it anyway. It seemed like he truly did care about him and felt some sort of trust. It was definitely more than anyone would have done for him in real life for an incentive other than money. "Hey Luck, thanks for all of that It must have been tough, it really means a lot," Alucard casually spoke with a smile, eating arge chunk of his bear meet with his eyes closed. "Oh! But, you were only in trouble and suffered because of me It was the least I could do There is no need to thank me, my lord!" "..." "Call me Alucard" Luck''s eyes suddenly grew wide, almost like he wasn''t able to believe his ears. "Lord Alucard?" He asked, only leading to the man in front of him to smile and finally open his eyes. "No Just Alucard I''m getting tired of hearing ''My lord this and my lord that,'' It really does get annoying So, just call me Alucard" Luck lookedpletely stunned with a hint of nervousness on his face as he looked down with slightly rosy cheeks. "Ummm Okay Alucard" *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 19: Campfire Stories (2) Chapter 19: Campfire Stories (2) "N-no I''m sorry my lord I just can''t Y-you''re far too kind! I''m gonna go out to get more firewood. Bye!" Luck''s flying figure rushed out of the cave, leaving the smiling and still eating Alucard alone. "I had a feeling that wasn''t gonna work," He calmly mumbled to himself taking another bite of bear. The cave was quiet and peaceful, nothing but the sound of crackling mes in his ears. It gave Alucard time to himself to ponder over what had just happened What rtionship did this new world have to the game? Were they connected? It gave Luck, previously a blob of data and numbers actual, real-life emotions, thoughts, and independent action He was alive. What kind of world was this? So far, It did share several mechanics and spells as the game, only altered to match the realistic aspects that was what he was now basing his world knowledge off of. How was he transferred? Who transferred him? Was he the only one? Why was he here? Was there a purpose? Was this world a simtion? Game? Reality? He had absolutely no idea the answer to any of those questions eating at the back of his mind. All that he knew was that everything around him, his pain, his own flesh and blood felt real and that''s all he needed to know to survive yet, that did not stop his ever-growing thirst for answers. For now, he disregarded those thoughts. He did not have enough information toe to a definitive answer and all he did by thinking about it was confuse himself even more and just run around in circles. He was certain at least some things would reveal themselvester on That was when he remembered that he had levelled up from killing the mother bear and needed to assign his stat points. ''Stats'' ************************** Name: BallsDeep69 Race: Vampire Level: 3 Avable stat points: 5 Avable ss points: 1 Stats ************* HP: 6 MP: 7 PHY. ATK: 7 MAG. ATK: 7 PHY. DEF: 5 MAG. DEF: 5 AGILITY: 11 SPECIAL: 7 RESIST: 5 ************* "Seems like my name hasn''t changed At least as long as I say my name as Alucard out loud, this shouldn''t really matter," He sighed to himself before taking a good look at his stats. Despite all that he had went through, Alucard knew he had to stay calm with a level head. He had been a top pro yer for a really long time and knew the game and the mechanics like the back of his hands. Yet, assuming the simrities between this world and the game to be true, now, he needed to use that knowledge in ways he never thought that he would, and assign his stats in a way that he usually didn''t. There were no such thing as glitches. He had to keep in mind that the world was real and it was no game, so, he might have to build his stats, skills, armour, weapons, and abilities slightly or possibly very different from what he was used to. The strength of his enemies won''t be dictated by areas. There was no such thing as area or region one, where enemies were level 1-10 and region two where enemies ranged from 10-25. It was now a normal world with normal people of all strength. He was no longer the entire focus of the world and enemy strength along with everything around him did not progress with him. For now, he was extremely weak, getting his body stronger was his top priority. Right now he was fragile, and not because he was a ss cannon, it was because he was simply built like ss, there was no cannon there. Special, the stat that was extremely useful for vampires, boosting everything that was not affected by the other stats, almost like a luck stat but slightly different, and, resist, that served to counteract certain weaknesses such as even sunlight, needed to take a back seat for now until he wasfortable that he wouldn''t be taken out by one hit and wouldn''t have the attack-potency of a wet noodle. So, keeping all of that in mind and assuming that magic users were lessmon than weapon users, he assigned his five avable stat points as such: 2 in HP => 8 2 in PHY. DEF => 7 1 in PHY. ATK => 8 All of his stat point distribution had a purpose for a build that he had in mind. A build that he had only used once, finding it to be his style yet never using it again due to all the other ones that involved glitches and exploits that were better Next, was his ss point that he needed to assign. And, after not a lot of thinking, he assigned it into blood sucker, bringing it up from level 1 to 2, activating its benefits of better, more efficient bloodsucking. And, in the meantime, he scrolled down and carefully read through his stat sheet to see if what he had done so far had changed the game system in any way from what he remembered. That was when he came across one part that made his eyes almost fall off of his head and roll of the ground. ''Stalkers Gift ;)'' "Had this always been there?! HAHAHAHAHA!" He could not help but break out intoughter. "What does this even do!? Is this some sort of joke!? It''s confirmed! I knew it! Someone really is fucking with me! Was it that voice that spoke to me in that void!?" Hisughs echoed throughout the entire cave until they suddenly came to a halt, reced by slow breathing. With a smile, he ate his final b of meat before standing up and strolling towards the exit of the cave, deep in thought. He did not know how he was supposed to feel, whether or not he should be out for some stupid revenge against some entity whose intent was unknown and powers were in all likelihood way beyond his reach. But the answer quickly struck him as soon as it was asked. Of course not! For now, he disregarded this stalker of his and kept them engraved in the back of his mind. He would first need both power and many answers to choose what he needed to do. And, for now, power was the first thing on his list in order to survive in this dark world, and possibly even thrive. He was prepared to do anything As he exited the cave, the beauty of the outside world once again came into view, unhindered by his previous frantic fear. It was truly fascinating, seeing the endless expanses of green and lush wildlife, and the beauty of the nearly pitch-ck, clear, starry sky. The fresh wind breeze hit his face, allowing him to once again get a puff of that fresh air. He was still truly lost for words despite knowing the other, uglier side of this new world. Was this all worth it? To leave his previous, calm, rather peaceful inparison life to be in such a world where he had to suffer and fight for his life to survive? He was unsure if he was simply lost in the moment, but most of him felt like it was indeed a nightmare, yet, a small part of him felt it to be a blessing. It was truly an odd feeling. He then shifted his vision to his right, where old man Adrain told him the next human stronghold was located, this time a city instead of a vige. And, he needed more strength before he went there. He indeed had much nned... As he looked up into the sky, he noticed small signs of a future sun-rise, and although he wouldn''t die in sunlight, he would rather not get the debuff and die to beasts instead. So, he had to get his training in before then, then wait out into the cave once again. That was when abruptly, Alucard''s focus and attention were immediately taken away from the sky and brought right in front of him. *GGGOOOAOAARRRRR* And, right after that roar, Luck''s darting figure was seen flying through the bushes with a panicked look in his eyes. "MY LORD! I''M SORRY! HELP! IT''S PAPA BEAR! HE''S CHASING ME!!" Breathing heavily with sweat running down his face, Luck pped his chipped, slightly ripped wings and dashed behind Alucard. And, not too long after, another roar was heard along with ruffling in the bushes, only for a lime-green, red-eye bear to emerge standing tall on his hind legs, showing his sharp, ferocious teeth. "A Shit Here we go again" *********** Really sorry for thete chapter guys... I promise I''ll try to never do it again... Also, weapons and builds you would like the MC to use. I have one in mind but I''m curious to see what you guys think! <3 Also, I n to do a time skip in the next chapter. Not sure if you guys want to see the bear fight that badly xD Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 20: First Boss... Chapter 20: First Boss... There, the monster in front of him that dwarfed him like an insect roared, heavily breathing with its red eyes looking at the cave it once called home and at the nervously smiling man underneath it. Although she wasparably smaller, Alucard had faced the mother bear with little to no difficulty. Despite his currentck of levels, skills, and spells, he was confident of winning. He knew all of its ticks and weak points, and could easily take advantage of its rage and frenzy brought upon by him taking refuge in its own home. He had to use what he had in his small arsenal to win And with a piercing glint in his bloody eyes, he stared down the bear in front of him, taking up a stance with no side moving an inch, as Alucard prepared himself to do the only viable move he could Run. Like the wind, Alucard immediately bolted from his ce, even further fueling the bear''s outrage as he roared once more, closely following him from behind. "MYYyYyyyY LoRD! What are you doing! What''s the n!? Are we giving up!?" Luck, who was struggling to follow behind him screamed in a jittery voice, clear fear on his face as he looked back at the bear that was gaining ground. "Well, I can''t just cut it down and burn it to bits like the mother But, from what I learned fighting it, I have a n" "O-oh! P-please tell me! I''ll follow your lead!" *RAOOOOR* With glowing red eyes and seemingly no care in the world, the bear behind them was ravaging through the entire forest. It was not even bothering to evade the trees as he tore them down like simple sticks in his path; yet they did still admittedly slow him down considerably, enough for Alucard to somewhat manage to keep ahead. The few animals that were in the forest instantly shrieked and quivered in fear, fleeing as far away as possible when they got even remotely close to them. Just from that, he was able to determine that this bear was in all likely hood the apex predator in this forest and far stronger than even he had first imagined... "So, you got that? Luck?" "Are you sure it''s gonna work!?" "Yeah! I''m certain! Trust me! I''ve done this thousands of times in the past!" Alucard smiled, finding it hard to breathe. And, after a few minutes of more running than he had ever done in his entire life, he found exactly what he was looking for, a ce that Luck had seen while he was exploring the forest. There, directly in front of him was a hill that had a steep, rocky cliff, and in that cliff was a small cave only fit for the size of a human or a rtively small animal. As he approached the final stretch towards the tiny cave, the creature''s grunting, roaring and ground-shaking footsteps got ever so closer behind him to the point that he could feel its heavy breath on his back. And, seemingly at thest second, Alucard jumped and rolled into the cave, diving into it as the bear nearly bit off his head. *CRASH* The entire side of the hill shook like an earthquake, rocks and dust falling from right above him to the point that he was afraid that the cave was going to copse on his head. The bear had lost itself in its blinding frenzy and crashed directly into the side of the cliff at top speed as it was unable to fit into the tiny hole where Alucardid. *GGGARRRRRAARR* It let out an earsplitting cry of agony that shook his eardrums. That cry was then followed up by another small tremor in the hill that led to the sound of rolling and copsing, a multitude of crashing soundsing from the outside, along with another cry of pain. *GAAAWWWWWWWKKKKKRRRRKRKRK* It was more like a barrage of shes, like something outside was raining rocks tumbling from the sky, which when he looked out at the exit of the cave, seemed to be exactly the case. It caught Alucardpletely by surprise as he did not have such a thing nned. Yet, he was notining. When he looked back, he noticed that the cave was not deep at all, if anything, it was more like a hole in a wall than an actual cave. Once that bare shook the hill slightly more, the entire roof of his hiding spot was going to tumble ande crashing down on his head. However, luckily for him, hiding in the cave until the bear left was not part of his n... The bears cry still in his ears, as quiet and as brisk as he could muster, Alucard darted out of the cave, noticing the bears painfilled, bloody, agonizing figure as it held its paws over its face it was clearly in no position to retaliate against him and a perfect opportunity for him to flee. However, this time, he was not going to be running away No, this time, he was fighting back... Slowly but surely, with his fairly low stats, he was making his way up towards the side of the hill using every ounce of energy in his body; he had to make it up before the bear regained its senses. And, there, once he made it on top of the tall hill, he looked down with an unstable, wide-open gaze over the edge of the cliff''s dizzying heights, the bear''s still agonizing figure down below His n sounded sane in theory. He had seen this sight so many times in Rebirth, yet this one felt far different This was all real, and the possibility of death was looming over his head like a guillotine... He tightly gripped the handle of the bloody soldier''s de on his waist, still shaking as he looked down at the massive drop below that felt akin to jumping from a three-story building... *GRROAAAOOORRR* The bear roared once more, removing its hands from its eyes and bleeding head. However, as soon as it removed its paws, it was met by the flying figure of a certain glowing fairy [ Blinding ir! ] *RRROOOOAAARR* The bear roared once more, the sh of blistering light was mere centimetres away from its sights, and it was more than enough to once again put it in a daze with its hands firmly nted on its eyes. "My lord! It''s time! Finish him off!" The n was going smoothly so far; Luck had done his part and it was now all up to him. His palms that bore non-existent sweat tightly grasped the hilt of his sword even tighter, and with a rather disturbingly wide smile and a nervous chuckle, he took the plunge... Moving his previously unmoving, reluctant legs, he jumped down the cliff, unsheathing his sword in mid-air and aimed it down at a very specific spot on the frantically moving beast below And, in that moment, the reality of the situation once again settled in... Unlike every other time, this was all real... If he missed, it was all over As his body was suspended in mid-air, the familiar, warm feeling of the ground nowhere to be found other than 10 meters below him, he felt the guillotine of death slowly approaching his head. That was when his smile grew evenrger as he felt something ovee his entire body like autopilot, a feeling so familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time It was almost like forgetting and suddenly remembering how to brush his teeth... With a shaky gaze and a smile on his face, Adrenalinepletely overtook his body as he waspletely unbound from the shackles of both his fears and the ground. It was unlike anything he had felt in his entire life as he began hurling towards the earth like aet, the wind hitting him on every inch of his exposed skin, his sword pointed down in front of his body. "DIEEE!" *RAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAOOAOAAAAAAAARRR* Before he even knew it, that sword pointing down was plunged meters deep into the beast''s weak spot, exactly where it had rammed its head into that cliff. He was unsure how he seeded and managed to get this far and he had no time to think about it as he was focused on nothing but killing the beast and his own survival. Blood began gushing out of the bear''s head like a fountain, Alucard opened his mouth to savour some of the tastes as the bear continued iling its head around, trying to get off whatever was twisting and digging that stabbing pain deeper into its head. ''FUCK! Why is it not dying or giving up!? There is a sword in its brain! WHAT IS THIS THING!?'' Alucard inwardly cursed as he struggled to keep a hold of his sword and not get immediately flung against the side of the cliff. The bear seemed to be giving its final,st-ditch effort before its death it''s blinding rage and frenzy extended to such lengths "My Lord! You can do it! I believe in you!" He heard a pain-filled yet determined voice echo from behind, charging him with even more vigour. Like a wild beast looking for nothing other than its survival, his eyes grew wide, with visible redness expelling out from the edges, he clenched his fists hard and gritted his teeth to the point of hearing cracks from his mouth. Using every single ounce of his being, blood popping out of his bulging veins, he grabbed on the hilt of his sword with only one hand, digging it as far as he could while he freed the other one, lifting it high up in the air, a red glint emerging from his palms in fingertips, the glow slowly growing bigger and bigger. With the bear''s increasingly wilder shaking, keeping a grasp on the metal hilt was growing to be impossible. Yet, he pushed himself beyond the impossible, withstanding all the pain His hands grew numb, as he could no longer feel his broken body... It was to the point that his grip had gotten so bad that all the skin on his hands was all gone, now nothing but rotten flesh and blood But, enduring all that grief was for this one moment, as he released all the anger and pain that he had kept bottled up until now, thrusting his glowing hand forward at the creature''s head with everything his breaking body could muster. "FIRRREEEEBAAAALLLLL!" ********************** I''m so sorry for such ate chapter... I hope you guys enjoyed it... I rewrote it at least five times now, each with different scenarios until I came to this one which I was happy with. Writing while fasting has been really hard for me but that is no excuse for this. I''ll try my best to post extra today and in theing days to make up for this. I beg for your forgiveness. Chapter 21: First Boss... (2) Chapter 21: First Boss... (2) A burst of raging fire expelled from Alucard''s palms and quickly spread around and ravaged the entire bear with flickering crimson mes. A st that close-up did more than simple added damage, especially since it struck him in the face. *RRAAAOOORRRR* The beast''s shriek echoed loudly through his eardrums as his movements and desperation became more frantic. Yet, Alucard hung on despite it all, his teeth showing even more visual cracks as he gripped his sword with two hands now, watching the fire spread around the beast as it slowly sizzled underneath him with nothing it could do to retaliate. Yet, what did was also to his deficit As the beast burned, so did the odorous intensity of the cooked fur and meat entering his nostrils. However, now it seemed like the smell of his burning flesh would also be added to his nostrils... The mes that were previously on the beast had spread all the way up and caught his entire body on fire, slowlying up from his shoes and engulfing his entire face in one fell swoop. Fire was one of his major weaknesses, and it seemed like he had taken himself out with his own attack. Yet, the mes did not burn him at all, they felt more like a small tinglepared to the massive burst of pain one would have expected. He did not at all smell any burning from his flesh and even his silver hair was still intact like nothing had happened. His facepletely on fire, illuminating through the darkness of the night like a flickering torch, Alucard smiled, his piercing blood-red gaze shining through as he cried out in victory, a rush of satisfaction and adrenaline vigorously pumping through his veins unlike ever before. "HAHAHA, IT WORKED! NOOWWWW DIEEEEE!!" With two injured, shaky hands sped on his de, he lifted his burning sword out of the mad beast''s head and raised it into the sky, the light of the iplete moon reflecting from its surface. And, in one final attempt, he rammed it down into that open wound with more vigour and ferocity than prior,pletely tearing its brain apart. *RAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOoooOooor* Atst, it was finally all over... The bear cried its final cry; it lost all the exasperated energy it had remaining and came crashing down on the ground with a heavy m. Alucard, who was still breathing heavily, hanging on to the de on his hands did not have enough energy in his legs to jump away. So, he came crashing down along with it... He was flung away from the sword still nted on the bears head and skitted across the grassy and muddy terrain, enduring all the pain as he finally stopped moving, resting stationary on his back as he stared up at the light of the iplete moon with a wide smile on his face. "Heh I did it" He mumbled softly to himself before slightly chuckling through the immense pain. He had pushed his body way beyond its limits and it was clearly seen through all the torn, exposed flesh, popped blood vessels and his cracked, nearly nonexistent teeth. In-game terms, that bear must have been at least 10-15 levels higher than him. In a pure, 1 vs 1 confrontation, he was no match and would not fair any better than a fly one clean swipe would have been more than enough to take him out. He always thought of his game knowledge as nothing more than a gimmick that would never actually help him in real-life situations. But, without it, he might not have been alive right now. He could not believe he had just survived through all of that He had taken too many stupidly dangerous risks in such a short amount of time out of pure reflex and survival instincts it was crazy to think about. Yet, nothing was more stupid and dangerous than what he did in the end. Using a fireball spell in such close proximity when he had an extreme weakness to fire was asking for suicide. In Rebirth, other than a few recoil spells, yers were extremely resistant to the flow of their own mana, and any damage inflicted upon themselves from their own spells would be almost non-existent. This was one thing that Alucard had foolishly never tested prior to this encounter. It was a more than likely oue that this feature was not carried over to the new world; friendly fire on party members didn''t work after all, so why should this? Alucard knew the risks yet did it anyway due to the heat of the moment it was his only chance at victory, and it luckily worked. He had no idea why it did work while friendly fire didn''t and, his pain and feeling of happinesspletely overshadowed any will to find answers. But, if he had to guess, then maybe this feature that yers were resistant to their own mana was written somewhere in the game''s lore, while the friendly fire was simply a game design choice implemented by the devs for a more streamlined experience. Still, despite being a top pro yer, he was not very versed into the game''s rather extensive lore. So, his theory could never be anything more than simple spection. *Argg* Suddenly, the still smiling and heavily breathing Alucard felt thest shred of mes extinguish from his body, along with the final whimper from the bear meters away from hisying corpse, making him turn around to see its charred, nowpletely lifeless figure. [ +500 XP! ] [ Level Up! ] [ Level Up! ] [ Congrattions! You have reached the requirements to unlock the "Battle Mage" ss! Would you like to unlock it? ] [ Yes ] [ Not Now ] He looked up with blurry vision to see a barrage of notifications flood his field of view, making his injured, beyond recognizable smile shine even brighter. "Perfect" Not only did he level up twice, but he received a ss he had been wanting ever since he settled on his build. "Battle Mage". It was an alternate path to the "Wizard" Job ss. The only difference was the battle mages were better suited for a close-quartersbat build. They focused more on short, quick burst attacks rather than the ones that took longer to charge yet dealt more damage. It also provided a different selection of buffing spells found at certain levels of the ss that was different from that of a wizard, and for his build, a battle mage was more than perfect. In rebirth, a ss could be unlocked by performing specific actions. And, the requirement to achieve the battle mage ss was to either perform an extremely close-up spell attack to kill a considerably higher level enemy or ten low levelled enemies. And, seeing that it was lingering mes thatpletely took out the raging bear, what he just did seemed to count aspleting the requirements. From what he had seen, the sses so far seemed to be identical to Rebirth both in nature and in requirements. Yet, part of him doubted it wouldst for long. He could not help but think if the other citizens of the world experienced and have the same thing. Or, if all of this would soundpletely foreign to them. He closed his eyes to calm his nerves for a few seconds before he looked up at the text above him once more and chose the obvious answer. [ Yes ] And, before he was able to assign his stats toplete his victory ritual, he heard a voice enter his ears that sounded more like a crying little girl than anything else. "MYYyyYYyYY LOooOrRrrRRddDD!" I''m so happy your okaaaayyyyyyyyyyy! *sniffle* *sniffle* When you were burning up, I was so scared you were gonna die!!" Luck flew at him like a damsel in distress, hugging his ashen cheeks with his whole body as his tears began to stick and make contact with Alucard''s skin. *Oow* Although part of him thought that Luck''s actions were over the top and annoying, for some reason, he didn''t mind, if anything, they brought himfort. "Heh... Thanks But, it kinda hurts rubbing on me so hard And what do you mean by that? There was no need to worry! Did you not have faith in me? I was never in real danger! I''mpletely *.... . Fine" Seemingly out of nowhere, a massive wave of pain ravaged his entire body, like all the strain he had been enduring was suddenlybined into one and shoved down his throat all at once. His eyes went hazy; he was starting to lose perception and feeling of the world around him ever so slowly and painfully. Was this what he got for pushing his body too far? "M-MY LORD! Don''t worry! I''ll heal you! Hold up! Please!" As his darkness enshrouded vision was nearing pitch darkness, he heard a faint, staticky mumble enter his ears and the slightly glowing, golden figure of a winged fairy pping its chipped wings and showering him with dark energy. That was when he could hang on no longer and his vision went ck... *********** Don''t forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation! Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings! Chapter 22: Alucard vs The Sun Chapter 22: Alucard vs The Sun Slowly, Alucard forced his tightly sealed eyelids open and stared up with hazy, disoriented vision like the entire world was turning all around him. Instinctively, he lifted his hands to clear his eyes, yet, when he tried to do it, it was like his body was not responding to him, almost like he was paralyzed. So, he had to use more energy to do it than he first expected. When his eyes cleared, he found himself gazing at a rather familiar-looking rocky ceiling. He did nothing but look up, feeling strange calmness, the light and sound of crackling mes entered his ears from the right as he pondered. ''Where am I? What was I even doing?'' He thought to himself as he rested his numb, almost unmoving body. That was when the answer hit him in the face Literally. "MY LORD! I''m so d you''re oookkkkaaayyyyy!" Seemingly out of nowhere, the familiar figure of a golden, purple-haired crying fairy entered his vision and began vigorously hugging his cheeks. "I didn''t know what to do You wouldn''t wake up I couldn''t check your pulse and I didn''t know if you were alive or dead. Well, of course you''re dead because you''re a vampire and all but I mean dead dead. Anyways, I''m just so d you''re okay! If you died I wouldn''t know how to feel! It was my fault the bear even came so abruptly and" Luck continued to ramble on and on and on, and at one point, Alucard stopped properly listening since he began repeating himself over and over again and he knew exactly what he was going to say. Nevertheless, in the midst of his speech, he remembered exactly what had happened to him and why he was in the state he was in now. He could not help but smile at Luck''s reaction. It was not exactly over the top considering he almost died, but he felt it to be slightly odd. Although their methods were far different, other than his father, he never had anyone in his life be this concerned or supportive of him to the point of celebrating and crying over him. "It was all my fault! I would have ran away but I chipped my wing on a tree branch like an idiot! I don''t know how I can ever be for" "Shhhhhh" Alucard lifted his finger and ced it covering Luck''s entire tiny mouth. "Don''t worry about it Luck, and thanks for looking after me after I fell unconscious. I don''t hold this against you. You were a great help! And, besides, I bet the bear was going toe back home anyway sooner orter so it''s no big deal. You saved my life before and what I did was no different. Now, think of it like we''re even. I am a man who always repays his debts," Alucard casually grinned as he forced his stiff body to stand up and lean against the wall. Hearing Alucard''s words, Luck immediately backed off and his body twinkled brightly with a smile. "He, he Well, If you say so! Then, let''s call it even! You''re okay, and that''s all that matters. It was only natural I did all of this, I''m certain you would have done the same for me too!" "Mhm," He nodded back, repaying Luck''s smile with a subtle one of his own. Leaning against the wall, Alucard used this time to inspect his surroundings. And, it did not take him long to figure out where he was. It was a rather tiny and cramped cave with a meagre, makeshift firece at its center, the small hole of the exit shining in bright sunlight from the outside, the first hints of the sun''s rays he had seen since entering this new world. When he looked down, he noticed his previously ashen and bloody armour was all clean, although slightly broken from the fight, which was most likely Luck''s doing. He was not in the main cave he resided in, but in the small hole he used to hide from the bear''s charging attack. Luck must have dragged his unconscious body from outside into here, which made more sense than dragging his heavy corpse all the way back to the original cave. "Luck, mind if I ask you where the bear is?" "It''s still outside, exactly where you left it," "And, how long was I out for?" "It''s only been a few hours, the sun only rose a small while ago," "I see" He nodded once more, slowly standing on his two feet and stretching his extremely stiff body back to shape. "I guess I''ll check it out," Casually, Alucard strode to the opening of the cave before promptly stopping in front of a ray of sunlight shining in towards the entrance. He was a vampire, and the sun was his mortal enemy Any man would have been scared or hesitant, but Alucard seemed rather intrigued, confident and determined. He had faith in his game knowledge, everything so far seemed to be nearly identical and he saw no reason for this to be any different. It was only a matter of time that he needed to test this out and now seemed as good a time as ever. As an experiment, he poked a single finger into the light. And, to no surprise, it did not disintegrate into dust like in many vampire stories. His confidence and slight smile grew evenrger as he stuck his entire arm out, and, immediately, he felt as if its weight increased tenfold or even more. He struggled to even remain standing as one side of his body was much heavier than the other. He did not notice it with a single finger, but an arm more than well made it obvious. He did not expect it to be this bad it was to the point that his entire body tipped and he came tumbling down into the sunlight of the outside world away from the safe space of the dark cave. In the game, the sun only served as a debuff, but here, it was so much worse. *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* *Pant* "What the hell This is so much shittier than the game" He mumbled to himself as it felt like life and energy were immediately sucked out of his body, ttening him like a pancake under the harsh rays of the bright sun. He assumed he would just walk out there, feeling weaker and slower. But, in his current state, it was like he was not even able to function. "My lord! Are you okay!?" Luck flew in front of him good as new,pletely unaffected by the sun and its rays which made Alucard feel slightly envious. This was not a problem from before considering time could be easily skipped and the world functioned nearly the same both at night and in the morning. But, in this new world, the same could not be said. This was the first ever time he realized the true negatives and pain of being a vampire, and how fortunate humans and other races were in this aspect. Thispletely locked him out of half of the day, making him virtually useless, unless he was indoors. He was unable to fully appreciate the beauty of the brilliant blue sky, bright sun, and the bustling cities functioning in the morning as intended without feeling the wrath and annoyance of the sun, making him powerless even against themon bandit. Instinctively, Alucard searched for ways to alleviate the strain on his body, and that led him to open his stat sheet, remembering that he had levelled up twice and had 10 stat points to assign. He could have assigned the stats into resistance, which served to help against any and all of his weaknesses, including the sun, but he chose not to; he did not want to ruin his stat distribution for something this petty after all. In Rebirth, if a vampire had the correct gear and assigned enough stats into resistance, they would have been damn well able to conquer the sun. The only problem was that the build was less than optimal for virtually anything; it was more of something that yers used for the challenge or to mess around for fun. So, naturally, he assigned them to physical attack and agility. Yet, it seemed to not have served too much help. "Shit" Alucard inwardly cursed once more as he felt like he only had one more option remaining. Using all the energy left in his body, Alucard strippedpletely naked. Luck had seen him naked more than once now so he did not at all feel shy or embarrassed doing so, not that he would have cared in his situation. Although this meant that more of his skin was making contact with the sun, stripping seemed to have more than done its job. He finally had enough energy to stand and inspect the bright, blurry world around him, including the bear''s corpse that was not too far away,ying under the shadow of a tree. "Luck, go out and scout for me I don''t want any beast to show up and kill me while I''m like this If you see anything, immediately report back to me" "Yes sir! Got it!" He flew out with no hesitation, and quickly faded away into the bright light, leaving Alucard all alone. After what felt like forever, he managed to limp towards the bear in the distance. Now under the tree''s subtle shade, he was able to finally rx. He still felt the effect of the sun heavily affecting him, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. This was a new mechanic that was dearlycking in Rebirth, and one that the devs promised to implementter on. The bear''s corpse was still rather fresh and full of blood, and its juices were calling his name. With no hesitation, he dug into its neck andpletely sucked it dry, feeling like it tasted much worse than he expected, but still filling both him and his blood gauge up. He was honestly unsure if the bear''s blood had always been this bad, or if blood began to taste worse if it was not immediately consumed. The taste of blood was never in Rebirth, so this was something that required more testing for him to confirm. When he finished his meal, Alucard noticed his sword was still nted on the bear''s skull, so he immediately ripped it out. That was when he began to slice the massive bear up into medium slices. He was far from an expert at cutting and skinning meat yet that did not stop him from trying. Thus, it resulted in a fairly sloppy job. Once the meat was cut, he immediately began throwing them into the cave, which was going to be his food for the rest of the day, and possibly his future money maker and profit if the skin could be sold. Once all the meat was thrown, he prepared himself for the burning inferno of hell once more. Yet, he seemed to have a n. Like he threw the meat, he nned to throw himself as well. "I can do this!!" He pumped himself up. Using all the energy in his body, he bent his knee and pushed off the ground, jumping with all of his might. *Plop* It was far more underwhelming than he expected he barely managed to get a quarter of the way back to the cave before he fell t like a pancake. He struggled to get back to his cave once more, and even ignored his armour, hoping Luck would get it for himter on when he returned. To any outsider, what he was doing would have seemed ridiculous, there was nothing more calming and peaceful than the path he was using, especially with the sounds of morning birds. But, in his eyes, it was more like a hellish inferno. Entering the cave once more, heid t on his back, heavily panting like he had just ran ten marathons without rest. The relief was immense, and it once again gave him time to think about himself. He was too weak and inexperienced in this world. There were still so many things he wanted to do and learn. But, first, he needed strength; he was far too weak. He knew nearly nothing about the power standard of this world and he had no ns to go into the city unprepared and find out the hard way. He needed to return to his old cave, grind more levels, unlock some more sses and spells, and do some more exploring and info gathering. But, all of that could wait for now. His body was aching and there was nothing he could do in the morning. "A nap sounds really nice right about now" *********************** Sorry for thete chapter. I was celebrating Eid with my family. I hope you guys had a happy day if you celebrated! Don''t forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter! <3 Chapter 23: The Abyss Chapter 23: The Abyss *Sometimeter...* Underneath the light of the full moon, torches in hand to see through the darkness of the night were two armoured men. They seemed to be taking things slowly, carefully looking where ever they could as they traversed through the grass, nothing but the sound of the cold win, crickets and their own footsteps entering their ears as they began whispering in a low voice. "Henlo This is so weird All of those broken trees are not normal Where did all of the beasts go? Wasn''t this forest full of them? I''ve barely seen any. Hell, I''ve barely heard even a sound" "Well, there was an attack on a city near here not too long ago, I wouldn''t be surprised if the beasts ran away or are in hiding," "But, wouldn''t we have seen them on the way? They must have gone somewhere, right?" "Eh, doesn''t really matter. This just makes it easier for us, they were never even our objective anyways. Remember, we are only here for the forest guardian; no way he would ever leave this forest for some attackers," "Yeah, I guess But, it''s still pretty off" "*sigh* just shut up and follow me, there''s a cave up ahead, from the look of it, I have a feeling this might be where he''s at. If you''re acting like this, why did you take up this job knowing all the dangers?" "I''m just a simple magic caster in need of some money. I''ve been in debt for a long time now due to magic academy. For the difficulty, this was the best paying job I''ve seen at the guild in a very long time, so, I decided to take it with a team. Other than money, why are you doing this? Fame? Recognition? Power?" Henlo suddenly stopped and once again took a deep breath before he continued forward, leading the way towards the dark cave. "That''s where you and I differ. Your motivations are shallow and selfish, mine go much deeper. My daughter has been really sick for the past month Her mother already passed away due to that same sickness and it was all because I wasn''t able to secure money for a healer Curse those damn temples and their unreasonable prices!" "..." "You know, I have a few healing spells in my arsenal, I might be able to do something to help" "Idiot! First, that would be highly illegal. And, second, If it were that simple I wouldn''t be this desperate! This isn''t like a mere scratch or sickness! This is an expensive treatment that might need some offerings!" "Wow I''m sorry man, I''m just trying to help" Henlo once again took a deep breath and rubbed his fingers on his temples. "Yeah, I get that. Thanks for the offer, I didn''t mean to snap like that." "It''s okay, I can only imagine how stressful this must all be on you" "Yeah" He looked down with a sad gaze before looking back up once again, peering straight into the dark abyss-like cave. "Okay, remember, we''re only here to scout The bear might well be in there probably sleeping so lower the brightness of your torch. Keep your guard up and expect the unexpected. Once we confirm the bear''s location, we need to quickly get out of here and report to the leader. I don''t want to hear a single peep from you okay?" "Yeah I know, you don''t have to tell me [ Dampen ]" The man held his staff with more confidence than ever before, casting a spell that reduced the sound of footsteps. "Good Now follow me," The cave was extremely big and rather damp, a testament to the bear''s might and size, yet that did not deter them at all. Carefully, they walked in the dark brown cave, making sure to stay as quiet as possible by avoiding certain terrain, and especially puddles. Their entire focus was on the path ahead and on their task at hand, they even managed to filter out the sound of their own heavily beating heart. The cave felt endless, like it spanned forever yet that was simply all in their mind. It had not even been a minute since they had entered. That was when a massive drop of water sshed on the man''s face who was trailing behind, which startled him enough to snap out of focus and look up. That was when he saw it Something he had only seen in his nightmares A pair of glowing, blood-red eyes piercing through the dark and staring into his very being like a predator ready to pounce. His eyes immediately became shaky and his legs and dder began to fail him. "Ah-ah DIE! AAAHHHHHHHH!!" Henlo suddenly heard an ear-piercing cry enter his ears and echo throughout the entire cave. "IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? I TOLD YOU T-" His words were cut off short as he turned around to a horrible sight A sight that filled him with more dread than he could ever remember, as his heart immediately sank down to his stomach. There, he saw the corpse of his ally, his body slightly dried up, a puddle of blood underneath him extending up to his lifeless eyes and neck that had a clear bite mark. At a simple nce, he knew what it was, but by that time, it was far toote his slight hesitation and unexpected shock led to his inevitable demise. *Sqrinsh* Abruptly, a sudden pain emerged from his stomach, a numb feeling that only sunk in once he looked down to see a bloody de thrust right through him. "V-vampire" The de felt like it was stuck in his abdomen forever, the pain was absolutely unbelievable. Yet, he still refused to give up after he had gotten this far. If he did, what kind of father would he be? [Ki Arts: Sunlight sh!] With all the energy he could muster, he pulled out his sword from its scabbard and it immediately lit up in a me-like light. "NOW YOU DIE MONSTER!" He yelled a demonic shriek of anger and determination before his happiness was immediately crushed by another, even brighter light. Ahead of him emerged a small, flying and glowing figure that exploded into a massive st of light right in front of his eyes, essentially blinding him. "AHHHHH! MY EYES!!" He yelled out in agony, his hands tightly holding his burning eyes as he threw up buckets of blood on the ground from the sword still stuck in his stomach. "That was some move you got there It''s quite interesting indeed I''ve never seen anything like it... Care to exin it to me? What was it?" The vampire finally spoke, his voice as cold and distant as ever as he pulled his de out of his opponent''s body, watching as he dropped to the ground screaming in agony, heavily breathing. "You monster! *Cough* Stay away from me! Stay away!" "Hmm? Where did all of that confidence go? What''s going on?" "If you have any shred of humanity left in you p-please let me go I promise to never do this again I have a family waiting for me at home My daughter needs me" "Hmmm?" The vampire seemed quite perplexed. "That''s quite shameless of you I''m not sure you understand what''s happening You were the ones that walked into my domain uninvited are you not? If I were the one in your position, would you have let me go if I begged and pleaded? Would you have turned a blind eye and looked the other way? I don''t think so You would have captured me alive or sold me for a bargain all to save your precious little daughter, am I wrong? If so, then please enlighten me... Who here is the real monster?" That was when Henlo truly broke, as he began to cry tears of blood and softlyugh at himself. "Hey! Don''t cry! At least you''re being honest with me. Look on the bright side. I left you alive because I knew you would be useful to me unlike that sorry dead corpse in the back. I''ll cut you a deal! You work with me for a bit, and I''ll let you go free! What do you say?" "Heh heh heh Liar You''re lying I know a lie when I hear one I won''t tell you shit! I know I''m dead, but I won''t sell out everyone else along with me!" "Hmmm, so be it. I honestly expected that answer. People in this world truly are built different. But, that still doesn''t change the oue Luck!" "Yes my lord?" "Can you heal his eyes for me?" "Yes! Certainly!" That was when Henlo experienced the only sort of relief he felt for seemingly the longest time. Shards and sprinkles of pure bliss fell on his face andpletely healed his previously blinded eyes, allowing him to see once more. But, when he instinctively opened them, he wished he had still been blinded There, for the first time, he saw the vampire''s shining, fierce red eyes that stared deep into his soul with a brilliant and deadly glint. It was like true horror incarnate, yet he could not help but feel oddly lost in their eternal abyss with trembling eyes. "So, care to tell me all you know and cooperate old friend?" He spoke with an odd smile that was seen from Luck''s ambient light. "Yeah, that won''t be really a problem, what do you need to know and want me to do? *cough* *cough* But first, I might need some healing" The vampire''s smile grew even wider seeing what just transpired in front of him. "That would be no problem Friend" Chapter 24: Friends Chapter 24: Friends "I see Thanks for the help! The bear should be in that other cave. Sadly, I have important business to attend to so I can''t join you on the hunt... I don''t need credit, you can have it! Don''t tell your other friends about me. If you say you found it by yourself, then you''ll get a bigger pay right? It''s for your sick daughter so you need all the money you can get!" "Oh! You really are too kind! I don''t know how I will ever repay you!" "Hahaha! Don''t worry about it! We''re friends are we not? This is what friends do! And, you should probably take Peter''s dead body with you, the bats in this cave were really dangerous." "Yes of course! I''ll take him back with me! If we meet again soon, I promise to give you something for all of your help. But, for now, I''ll have to go! Maybe my pay will be more now since he''s dead, less reward money to go around you know?" Henlo, the now fully healed soldier spoke with a mysterious glint in his eyes, a small chuckle and a subtle pinkish red shimmer almost unseen to the naked eye. He bowed gracefully to the tall smiling man in front of him and the small fairy to his side before leaving with a lustrous torch in his hand. "Good luck friend!" The man waved him off, a profound glint in his brilliant, blood-red eyes. It only took a few more seconds until his footsteps were no longer heard, and Alucard could finally stop pretending, his smile fading away. He was indeed happy that his skill functioned as intended, yet he could not help but feel disgusted at the same time. "My Lord, is that man really your friend?" Luck asked with genuine curiosity, which even managed to break Alucard''s iron gaze and make him break out into tears. "Hahahaahahahaha!" However, he quickly stopped and calmed his nerves before responding. "Of course he''s not my friend I trust no one Even the most pure and innocent of people are probably not what you expect. People are always fake. Backstabbing and betrayal are always in people''s nature. If they see an opportunity to manipte you they will use it. If I''ve ever learned something in life is that you can only rely on yourself, and true friendship and love are harder toe by than a nun in a strip club. At least to me I sure haven''t found it yet." He softly chuckled at himself. "But My lord Am I not someone you trust?" Luck nervously spoke, making Alucard ponder for a few seconds before responding. "Don''t worry Luck, I trust you, but I don''t see you as my friend just yet. But, you''re definitely the best person I''ve met in a very long time. It''s quite an achievement." He decided to be mostly honest. "It''s okay my lord! I fully understand! We''ve only met a few days ago after all! I promise to prove my loyalty and good nature to you more in the future!" "Hmph," He smiled again, "I still think calling me lord is a little annoying and over the top but do what makes you happy I guess." "Thank you, my lord!" He bowed before continuing. "Anyways, if that man was not your friend then why were you acting that way towards him?" "Alucard took a deep breath before responding. "Simple, I charmed him with my new vampiric eyes of charm. It was much easier for me to do it considering the state he was in. Charm and domination are not the same. Doing this, I don''t getplete control over him. The skill simply makes me seem like a good friend in his eyes so I had to y along. He wouldn''t do anything for me that he wouldn''t do for a good friend." "I see! That''s really cool! It all makes sense now!" Luck flew around with excitement, only to see his lord slowly approach the mouth of the cave. "My lord! Where are we going?" "The charm effect will onlyst for thirty more minutes or so. We need to move fast if we want to reach the next cave and hide." "I see! Do you have something in mind my lord?" Luck asked curiously as they exited the cave and were once again face to face with the bleak nighttime forest. "Yes, Indeed I do I''ve gotten a decent amount stronger hunting these past few days but I still think I''m fairly weak. I may not be able to fight all head-on, but I can certainly try other means. It was a shame I couldn''t finish my meal a few minutes ago, I had to cut my feast early in that cave For the past few days, I''ve been craving human blood. I haven''t felt normal since, beast blood was never the same. And, it seems like I didn''t even have to go searching for the meal, it just came right to me" **** The sky still pitch-ck, nothing but the sound of odd beast cries, the wind, and crickets filling the air, small shakiness was spotted in the bushes. And, out of those bushes emerged various men, light along withpletely armed with a mixture of excitement and seriousness on their faces. "This one! The Guardian is in this cave!" Henlo, along with a group of armed men ran out of the forest and into a small, muddy clearing. At the front of the five men was a man that clearly stood out. Red, scruffy hair rigidly hung over his scarred, chiselled face. Clear brown eyes, sat wickedly within their sockets, as he peered deeply into that sorry excuse for a cave. His eyebrows were furrowed and his hands were ced firmly ying with his crimson beard. He stood towering over his men, seeming almost an entire foot taller. He wore standard yet pristine-looking armour with what seemed like a bastard sword hung firmly around his waist. And, something that could not have been so easily missed was the silver te hanging off his neck like a dog tag, standing outpared to the bronze and iron ones from the people all around him. There was nothing alluring to his look and demeanour, he seemed like a confident warlord right to his core. "Henlo, doesn''t that cave seem rather small to house the guardian?" "The beast itself is not as big as the rumours said. I confirmed it with my own eyes!" "Hmmmm You sound quite confident I trust you, I''ve known you long enough to do that" "Sir, do you think that we should just st spells from the outside and take it out?" Another man spoke from the back. "No, that would be stupid. All the attacking spells you people know are fire spells, anyone knows that charred skin goes for much less on the market! It''s best we lure the beast out into the open, and you just use your buffing spells to boost me and Henlo as we are the only good melee fighters here." Despite his look and deep voice, the leader seemed to be quite analytical and well thought out. "Yes sir! Understood!" The man went back into his position, and backed off from the leader and Henlo at the front. "Henlo, how deep is the cave exactly?" "It was at least half a kilometre sir! It''s very long, if I were to go in and lure it out, I doubt I would make it out alive I''m definitely not fast enough." Henlo responded with a hint of disappointment and frustration. "I''ll do it sir! I''m the fastest on the team! I''m an assassin, I rarely ever lose in a contest of speed," Raymond, another man showed up from behind, cloaked in ck and wearing abnormally light, cloth armour. "Hmmmmm We don''t know the speed of this beast, it could very well be too much for us to handle in speed..." The leader once again took some time to ponder, rubbing his hands on his thick, scruffy beard. "You support mages, wait around the beginning to the middle section of the cave, give Raymond an initial speed boost as he goes in, and by the time hees out and you see him again, cast your other speed spell that onlysts a few seconds, it should just about give him enough time to exit. So, Raymond, what do you think about that? Does this sound good for you?" "Hmph," He chuckled with confidence. "I personally don''t think I need the assistance but if you insist on it boss, I''ll do it. Plus, I don''t want this to backfire as much as all of you so I''ll get this over with quick, we all need the money. But, you all have to be ready for when Ie out with the beast!" "Yes, of course, don''t worry," The leader nodded with confidence, holding onto the hilt of his sword. "I''ll cut it down as soon as I see it! Me and Henlo will be waiting for you all outside." "Got it!" Raymond smiled, stretching himself before he walked up to the start of the cave, mouthing off seemingly inaudible words in a low voice that made his body glow different colours before he dashed with only a small light source in hand, the mages following behind, waiting towards the entrance of the cave. As told, Henlo and the leader remained outside, a fighting stance taken with their hands over their des. That was when suddenly, they all heard a crash inside the cave, or more like a small thump, that was followed up by a loud echo from within. "What the fuck! This cave''s empty! And there''s no beast in here at all!?" "HENLO!? What is the meaning of this!?" The leader roared in outrage, a cold, thick killing intent from his gaze stabbing daggers at the clearly confused Henlo. "I-I-I-I-I-I really d-don''t know I-I swear I checked it when I came," "Grph," He scoffed, and looked away from the shivering Henlo and redirected his gaze back at the cave. "Raymond! You and the otherse back out! We have much to discuss!" "Yes sir! Right away!" The response was quick and sharp, yet what followed was even quicker, sharper and stabbed deeper "I''m sorry But this was thest discussion you will ever have" A raw, distant voice softly entered their ears and slowly made its'' way down their spines something was clearly off And, before they even had the chance to turn around, they witnessed as various spears of ice were flung from where the voice came, hitting directly above the cave. Not too long after the impact, the entire cliffside began shaking immensely, and everything began tumbling down, rocks falling like cats and dogs. "WHAT''S HAPPENING!! AHHH! AHHHH!!" "NIAAAAIAA!!" [ +45 XP! ] [ +60 XP! ] [ +80 XP! ] The entire cave copsed on top of all of them, a mountain of rubble and smoke now in ce of where the cave once stood. And, watching the dust cloud with a gaping mouth and wide-open eyes were the bewildered leader of the group and the heavily sweating, ghost-like Henlo. It was all so sudden and unbelievable "WHHOOOO DID THATTTT!!? YOU COWARRRRRDDD!" And, eventually, their shock led them to turn around, only to see who exactly did what they just witnessed. It was a man in Goldcrest city guard armour that looked less than pristine, he wore a tightly fit helmet that did not well hide his ashen hair and especially his predator-like, blood-red gaze that pierced through the deep darkness of the night. The sight of seeing him led to absolute outrage, yet a hint of hesitation from the leader who immediately recognized him and his race. Yet, in Henlo, all that seeing him insighted was fear and disbelief unlike ever before, his face turning deathly pale as he mumbled. "F-friend I-is that you" ** Checkments for a sketch of the new cover!! Hope you like it so far! Don''t be afraid to give me any suggestions! Chapter 25: Beast vs Demon Chapter 25: Beast vs Demon The leader stood still, a mad, bone-chilling aura exuding out of his body as he turned around and stared daggers into Henlo''s very soul... Henlo, shuddered, damn near pissing his pants as the look of pure horror in his eyes multiplied staring at his leader''s murderous gaze. "Nononononono! Please! Leader! N-no! Lyker! This is all a misunderstanding! I would not betray you! I have a sick daughter at home who needs me! I have no reason t-" Those were hisst words before his head rolled on the ground like a watermelon, the ugliest, most desperate, tear-filled expression imaginable as blood gushed out of his neck like a sprinkler, Alucard opening his mouth to grab a slight taste of the iing rain. "Yum... ha... hahaha..." Alucard slurped the red blood, a sensation intensifying inside him. "Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! I don''t want to ever hear another worde out of your mouth... I thought you were my friend... I thought you were a brother to me... But no... You were a traitor... A filthy fucking traitor..." He spat at his bleeding dead corpse, his teeth clenched, breathing out like a wild bull as he began to show signs of madness. "And you! You are next! Monster! What provoked you to do this!? Your kind is not from around here!" He unsheathed his massive greatsword that was hung on his back and raised it facing towards his opponent. "Who me? I am simply defending myself against attackers who invaded my home So, if you be so kind, save me some time and surrender your blood to me," There was a mad glow in his eyes, almost like that of a primal beast as he licked his lips exposing his elongated fangs. "Attacked your home, raped and tortured your family, whatever excuse you give, true or not I don''t care! All I know is that demons like you should be exterminated from the face of the earth no matter what! You are the enemies of mankind! I will cut you down! Screw the protector of the forest! Your head shall make more than enough to make up for it!" With vigour and passion in his eyes, he thrust his sword out forward with one hand, causing a massive gust of wind. "Prepare yourself!!" "KI ARTS!" |Enhance body| |Limit Break| |Numb Pain| His body glowed different colours as he screamed out his powers. And, the vampire, Alucard retaliated with spells of his own, enshrouding him with a different, more magical glow and aura than that of his opponent. [Quick Sprint] [Minor Strenght Boost] [Bludgeoning Resistance] In his right hand, the man through his torch on the ground both to create fire that the vampires hate, and to create a light source for his struggling eyes. Yet, it did not take long for the vampire to react, simply shooting ice spikes at the fire, fully extinguishing it. Of course, he fully expected that to transpire, and he didn''t bother shield or defending the mes in the case of this as he simply cast the only spell he knew, but a rather useful and rare one at that. [ Light of the forest wisp ] Around him spawned a ball of light, shining the area all around him, yet it did not at all remove his vision disadvantagepletely against the dark seeing demon of the night. "NOW DIE!" The man who he now knew as Lyker shouted, now grasping his greatsword with two hands, rushing straight at the vampire with clear outrage. He was quick, and abnormally nimble on his feet especially for a man wielding a great sword. Alucard retaliated by firing tier 2 and tier 3 ice and fire spells at the oing attacker to no avail as he simply avoided or outright blocked his attacks like they were nothing. That was when they came face to face, and the crazed Lyker lifted his sword wide and mmed down with all of his might. "Is this all a vampire can do!? I expected greater!!" Yet, by doing so, it only left him wide open for a strike, which Alucard more than utilized to his advantage by stabbing him straight in the chest with a crazed, blood craving smile. Blood splurted everywhere through his armour, but instead of the man staggering and tumbling back like he expected, he did not even flinch as he continued his strike that had death written all over it. "HUH!?" Alucard''s sword was stuck in his rock hard abbs, and the strike to his skull seemed all but imminent, Alucard had to resort to his new moves. [ Blood Arts: Limit Burst! ] His body glowed a tint of bloody red, as a rush of energy overcame his body for a split second, allowing him to pull out his sword and roll away. Yet, as if his opponent had ultra instinct, he sensed his immediate movement and retaliated, switching his sword from a downwards sh to a sideways swing. *Grgg* ''Was that his numb pain Ki arts Grrrr'' He coughed a mouth full of blood, the sound of his cracking bones filling his ears as he was sent flying and breaking a nearby tree. Luckily for him, he invested into bludgeoning resistance, for it not for that he might have been dead. With hazy vision, he looked up, coughing and losing even more blood, in addition to expending his blood arts. Yet, his bleeding wound and shattered bones were the least of his concerns, as he could not control his near unquenchable thirst and urges... He had a n in mind for victory, but he began to lose sight of it All that he was able to focus on was that bloody wound dripping from Lyker''s stomach and the body of Henlo still bleeding out on the ground. *GRR* Like a primal beast, he clenched his teeth and roared, the glow in his eyes increasing as he held his sword tighter. He found his opponent already rushing at him, so he decided to retaliate head-on. "Snare! Bind!" His opponent''s speed decreased suddenly, along with red mana binds surrounding him, which were immediately broken out of an instantter. "PATHETIC! I''ll fucking kill you demon!!" *nk* *nk* "Are you really a swordsman! I expected much more from a vampire!! What kind of sorry excuse for a swordsman are you!? HAHAHAHA! You killed my crew! Now I kill you! die die die DIE!!!" Luck was high above from the battlefield, his hands tightly on his heart as he could not believe what was happening. "My Lord Is that you?" He had never seen Alucard act in such a way He was way too reckless. Underneath him was not a noble battle of strength and will, but one of two beasts, throwing their life away. His lord had a n, but it seemed like the n was immediately thrown at the window. Alucard had extracted much information from Henlo, including his leader''s strengths and weaknesses, and one of them was that he possessed a blessing. A gift that allowed him to have a high natural perception. allowing him to perceive everything within a three-meter radius around him. In simpler words, it raised the user''s uracy and evasion to the utmost limit. That was why Alucard decided on avoiding closebat at all cost, due to hisck of sword training, and that devastating passive, and instead use his natural night vision advantage to easily poke at his weak spots from the shadows. That was also the reason why he decided to announce his appearance before he shot his ice shards to destroy the cave. He did it as a distraction tactic, if he didn''t then the leader might have intercepted the attacks and ruined his ns. "My Lord What are you doing You''ve been acting odd recently but... Why have you gone against your ns and words Is this a n I don''t understand? Or is it the vampiric urge for human blood" Chapter 26: Pure Madness... Chapter 26: Pure Madness... Luck watched from above as they both shed from underneath him like wild beasts, his Lord, Alucard on the losing end of both power and strength as he continued to grow wilder and wilder His eyes grew into tiny slits, his mouth unconsciously grew open as he kept on whispering things in a low voice [Limit Burst] [Limit Burst] [Limit Burst] Veins were beginning to visibly form onto his injured body, and his mouth began salivating as his actions became wilder and wilder. Luck felt so helpless just standing up, watching his lord being insulted by a mad man, on the losing end about to fall However, he was afraid that he would prove to be even less than useless and get in the way instead of helping The only moves he knew were healing, purification, and blinding ir which might do more harm than good in such a case He knew no attacking moves. "You ruined me! You killed my whole team! My family! But I''m about to make a whole lot of money from you! Vampire scum! I''ll make the most of this chance god has bestowed me! I''ll end you!" The mad roars of the man below snapped him out of his daze and inner thinking as he inwardly cursed. His lord was standing on hisst legs and he would be damned if he were to let him die while he sat idly by doing nothing. [Limit Burst] Alucard whispered once more, a bloody aura surrounding his feet as he lunged over towards his opponent who smiled and deflected it like it was nothing, using the opportunity to kick him away. *Cough* Alucard spat what little blood he had remaining in his system Breathing heavily with the glow in his eyes zing and pulsating like a living heart, his vision died in red He had no time to waste as his opponent proved to be relentless. "Stop running you bug!" |Fatal sh| His sword glowed a shimmering orange and his moves became frantic. He was as rigid as a rhino and as graceful as a butterfly at the same time,pletely going against the attack patterns he was used to. This was more than enough to catch thecking Alucard off guard. [Limit Burst] He whispered once again, trying to dodge the attack but he was far too slow Although he managed to dodge most of the impact yet what hit left him more than hurting *Cough* There was now a massive sh mark showing through his armour, one rather deep as blood began to pour out of it like a waterfall. He gritted his teeth and held his wounds, spitting out more blood as he fell down on one knee, only being held up by his sword. His blood-filled eyes were demonic red were slowly growing blurrier, intently looking at the slight, blood-dripping wounds on his opponent''s body. His breathing was frantic, and smokey particles were seen exiting from his mouth and nose. He looked more like a rabid dog or beast, hanging on to itsst shreds of life. Slowly, Lyker wiped off the blood from his bastard sword with a quick swipe, dying the grass underneath him red. He shifted his gaze on the hurting vampire who was clearly on hisst legs and smiled, with a low chuckle that slowly got louder. "That''s it No more running you little piece of shit Your kind ruined my life before and I''m not letting you do it again" Alucard tried to move To lunge at that blood but he was far too wounded, it was like his body was moving in slow motion It was like he didn''t recognize he was about to die "This is where it all ends! DEMON SCUM! DIE!!" Seemingly It was all over, Lyker''s sword was slowly hurling towards Alucard''s head, cutting through the wind like it was butter until suddenly "GET AWAY FROM MY LORD YOU MONSTER!!" "Ah What the hell! GET OFF OF MY FACE!!" Out of nowhere, there was now some sort of small, glowing mosquito hanging onto his face and punching his eyes. He missed his finishing blow on the still unmoving vampire and lifted his hands towards his face to stop whatever was on it. "Go my lord! Now it''s your chance!" Luck yelled, yet there was no response from Alucard If only he knew that all his lord was able to hear was static "I GOT YOU!" "..." Finally, Lyker managed to catch that small bug, clenching it tightly with his right hand with an even wider smile. "A little fairy Are you with the vampire? You''re kind is extremely rare You''ll sell for a fortune in the ck market!" Luck''s life was being squeezed out of him, yet he still found the energy to speak "Let go of me you ugly pig! And stay away from my lord!" "Call me ugly again I dare you You, I won''t kill I''ll leave you alive and knock you out Be grateful little fairy" He squeezed him tighter, only for Luck to bite him on the hand with all he had. *OW* He loosened his grip. "Grr! Why you little! I''ll" [ Blinding ir! ] The small fairy in his hands suddenly glowed with the intensity of 100 torches, yet, Lyker managed to close his eyes in time due to his quick reaction and since he was expecting such a thing. Yet, even still, the light prated his eyelids and caused massive pain, pain enough for him to let Luck go, making him fall straight on the muddy grass. "Hah Why you little shit! I''ll pop you like a balloon!" He opened his now crying, bloodshot eyes and reached over towards the desperate and hurting Luck on the ground. His hands were swift and giant, and with too many injuries to p his wings, it was seemingly all over Yet, Luck could not stand for defeat Not in the face of his lord He looked up at the iing hands with serious eyes, determined to fulfill his duty. It was finally his turn He must protect his lord just like his lord protected him He instinctively held his hands up, feeling a massive rush of unknown energy flowing through his fingertips as he yelled the words at the tip of his tongue. [Magic Arrow!] A small ball of blue energy shot out of Luck''s palm and through Lyker''s fingertips, heading straight for his face. "HA! You missed!" He flexed his head to the left, avoiding the unknown attack. That was when his vision went pitch ck Like someone had turned off the lights in the room "You were never my target" He heard a small, deadly voiceing from the dark. "My wisp! You took out my wisp!" His rage once again exploded as he frantically looked around for both the vampire and the fairy. The darkness of the night consumed him The small light he saw was only what was shining down from the full moon, which was admittedly not very much. Wherever he looked, he always found nothing When he tried to cast another wisp his meagre mana was too depleted. He was truly losing his mind That was when in the darkness, he found a tiny crimson spark that was clearly outlined, yet nothing around it It was not too far away from him, maybe three or four meters away. And not even a split secondter, that small spark multiplied tenfold, and shined through the darkness of the night And allowed him to see the bloody, beating, predator-like eyes of that vampire The injuries still clearly shown on his body. [Full Moon: Crimson Nova!] He was far toote... The attack was too quick He felt fear For the first time in a long time He felt fear thatpletely reced the anger in his heart The ball of crimson mes was hurling at his body so quickly that his hurting eyes, and slightly injured body could not handle it "God forgive me... I''m so sorry... Martha..." *AAAHHHHHHH* He cursed his entire existence The pain and despair of utter failure flooded him as he was engulfed with bloody, demonic mes from the depths of hell, his screams growing evermore distorted until they were heard no more. The mes raged on like a crimson tornado, eating up everything in its path until it gradually settled down. The once standing, frantically shaking and screaming figure inside of it was now seemingly no more as it slowly came crashing down from its knees... Now, all that was left of him was a charcoal, beyond burnt corpse, the firey spark-like magma still more than visible on his skin, and especially on his face that bore the ugliest, most distorted visage conceivable... Chapter 27: Monster Chapter 27: Monster "Ha...Ha Haha HAHAHAHAHAHA! You did it! My lord, you did it! Victory! Whoooo!! That was amazing!" Luck danced and scurried in the grass, jumping around like it was the best day of his life. Yet, he was only able to lightly flutter his injured wings to gain a slight elevation off the ground that was the most his body allowed. "My Lord?" Luck took a slight moment of pause as he jumped on a rock and peered over the aftermath of the fight The air stood unnervingly still, and the only thing other than the howling wind he could hear was the sound of heavy breathing. *Huh* His mood shifted aplete and immediate 180 degrees. There, he saw Alucard Or, at least who he wanted to believe was Alucard His clothes were bloody, barely able to stand as he struggled to stay on two feet with his bent legs. His right arm waspletely limp, like it was made out of jello, dangling to the ground as it dripped blood like a faucet. His face was nearly unrecognizable, and his red eyes were wide and barbaric, pulsing with the rhythm of a beating heart He was unable to believe his own eyes Was that really "My Lord! It''s all over! You won! You won! You''re injured! Calm down and let me heal you! Y-" His words were cut off short. Like a pouncing wolf, Alucard lunged at the charred body ahead of him like his life depended on it and dug his wide fangs into its neck The smell of evaporated blood was still fresh over the corpse yet the taste of the flesh was burnt and rocky. He growled slightly, spitting out pebbles of ash out of his mouth as he redirected his gaze towards the other bleeding corpse in the distance, the one that waspletely headless. Once again, struggling to move, he forced his body to the other side of the forest, His sharp, predator-like teeth tightly clenched, his heavy breathing more than visible in the cold, nighttime air, blood gushing and exploding out of the cracks of his armour with every step until he reached his target. *Huh* *Huh* *Huh* *HUUUHHH...* Like he was a rabid dog who had not seen food in weeks, he dove down towards the headless corpse and sunk his teeth into its throat, ripping out parts of his neck and chest and eating them raw. Luck waspletely speechless as he watched who he did not want to believe was his lord drain all the blood out of the body like a juice box, the vigour from the corpse was sucked out dry until what was left of it was a gray, barren, bony husk of what it once was. It was like a syphon, as the corpse grew more and more scrawny Alucard''s wounds began to heal and his power and vitality were restored, all at a speed visible to the naked eye. "M-my lord" He muttered his first words in seemingly forever as he hopped down and intuitively slowly began inching closer and closer towards his saviour. That was when a sudden chill went down his spine as he looked at the grim disy ahead of him, and the glowing eyes that pierced his heart. It was like he was walking straight towards hell itself. His heart lurched deep down in his chest and his face became as damp as a river. It was an odd sensation He wanted to inch closer, like an instinct in his body was motivating him to go out and help his lord but at the same time, the feeling of utter fear was lingering ever so close as well, telling him to run away as far as he could before it was toote. ''AAAHHHHHHHH!!'' He inwardly screamed in his hurting head, his hands over his heavily beating heart. That was when he finally came to a decision He took his hands off his chest and clenched his fists tightly he studied his shaky gaze and strode forward towards the amalgamation of demonic wildness ahead of him. Mountains were on his shoulders. With every step, he felt like he was going to tumble and die from the aura and savage killing intent exuding from him. Yet, he did not stop or waver. The only thing motivating him was to help his lord To snap him out of his madness like he would have done for him. By the time Luck reached Alucard, he had already moved on to the severed head and had nearly degraded it back to a skull. "PLEASE! MY LORD! SNAP OUT OF IT! CALM DOWN! IT''S ALREADY OVER!! PLEASE!" Luck tugged him on the hand with all that he had, his screams not very loud yet exceptional considering his tiny stature. "More More blood blood..." He heard faint, breath-like whispers from above him as Alucard removed his mouth from the head underneath. That was when his gaze was redirected at Luck who was grabbing onto him from below, and for the first time They made eye contact, Alucard''s snake-like tongue licking all the residual blood on his face as he prepared for his next meal. "M-m-m-my lord... N-no... I-is that really y-you?" Just like before, he lunged down towards the only blood-filled creature around him with his mouth first, and luck reacted instinctively by raising his arms up out of fear and looking away. "AAAHHHHHHHHH!!" Monstrouslyrge fangs dug into Luck''s whole right arm as it could barely hang on to his main corpse other than by a small thread of connecting flesh. *GRRRR!!* For the first time sinceing to this new reality, Luck cried His child-like tears flowing from his purple, slightly open eyes like a waterfall, snot filling his bloody, rosy, distressed face. "M-my... Lord" Suddenly, there was a sh and an image that appeared in the monster''s red, blood-filled vision A sh of a red-eyed little ck-haired boy The terrified, injured and bloody face of a child... one cowering in the corner from a shadowy, merciless demonic giant towering over him. And, just like that Colour came back into his eyes and his mind was unshackled and free. His vision was once again clear and, more than clear was what he was doing in front of him. His red eyes immediately started losing their demonic brightness and began to quiver at what was in front of him. He felt a terrible wave of pain ravage his non-existent heart and undead soul as he immediately opened his mouth and release Luck''s arm that was barely attached free. Another pulse of mental agony overcame his body. He clenched his unbeating heart out of human instinct and crawled back until he tripped, making him lie down on his back staring at the moon with trembling, crying eyes, his arms over his crimson hands holding his blood-stained head. ''What-what have I done What have I be I''ve be what I hated and sickened me most... I''ve be one of those demons in my life... A... Monster...'' Chapter 28: Monster (2) Chapter 28: Monster (2) Alucard No Ren simply stared nkly up into the clear night starry sky Up at the bright moon and its fullness, nothing but the sound of the wind and the odd crickets soothing his ears. A flood of emotions overcame him as he could not help but show hints of tears as he softly chuckled to himself. The moon was exactly like that when he first set foot into this new reality One that was full and round, yet, the one he peered up at now did not bear the same beauty One month It meant that it had only been one month since he was known by that name Ren... one month since he was at home ying video games to millions of people with no care in the world. And In that month, he felt like he had done and gone through years of struggles and turmoils It was to the point that he no longer felt like who he once was. "One month huh" He could not help but mumble to himself and hear his new voice that was much deeper than that of his original self. He slightly smiled to himself as he looked more closely at the hypnotizing moon, but that smile was only to fool himself into a false sense of happiness. The more his mind wandered, the more that smile began to fade away. << I''ve never actually liked you! I just had to put up with you okay! I''m fucking out >> << I''m sorry bro I I just had to >> << Don''t call me mother! You''re a devil! Those red eyes are proof! I should have gotten rid of you while I had the chance! You''re the reason my life is so miserable!! >> Multiple sounds from various faces he had almost forgotten about yed into his mind And there did he remember his definition of a monster Ren was lost in the moon''s radiance, it was like he was stuck in a bubble in his head disconnected from the outside world. "Monsters Monsters are not those who kill and torture for fun Not those who run organizations that prey on the weak And not those that sell ves and do human trafficking No, not at all, at least those make their intentions known The true monsters are those who betray and hurt their family, dear friends, and loved ones, especially at a time when they were only trying to help or needed them most. Yes They''re all monsters Everyst one of them And I am now one of them" More than anyone, Ren knew full well what it meant to be on the receiving end of that And now, he had be that person he hated most all unbeknownst to him in the name of survival. shes of the crying Petra and herst dying words yed over and over in his mind That along with, far more importantly, the crying and screaming Luck who''s arms were stuck into his own fangs, the taste of his blood and flesh still fresh on the tip of his tongue. As he looked up, his eyes began to show hints of red that obscured his vision. Thus, he instinctively raised his hands and wiped his eyes, snapping himself back slightly from his own bubble. And as he looked back at his own hands, he saw one ring thing. Blood He was crying blood He could not help but chuckle at himself once again. It was a reminder of who he now was, or who he was all along. "I really am a monster Inside and outside I can''t even cry like a normal person What''s the point of living if I am a person no one wants to be around Maybe Spaz chat Those imaginary friends were the only things keeping me sane and alive..." "Maybe I am the reason everyone is pushed away from me Maybe I am the reason I am so hated Hell, for the longest time, I even hated myself I hated myself until I got over it and redirected all of my rage and frustration their way Maybe Just maybe" He took a rather long pause thinking deeply to himself, sinking deeper into his own thoughts and depression before he continued what he had to say. "Maybe... It''s not their fau" "My My Lord Are Are you okay?" "L-Luck!?" Ren''s eyes grew wide and his mouth instinctively opened out of pure shock and disbelief. He was so lost in his own mind to even feel his small little imprints climbing over his body. There on his chest stood that small naked purple-haired fairy, heavily panting with spatters of his own blood all over his naked body, his right arm still barely attached, blood quickly trickling from it to his own armour underneath. "My Lord Please Are you still hurt P-please talk to me" Luck slowly trodded the bumpyndscape of his lord''s armour, inching ever closer to his open mouth. Ren stared closely at him, too focused and shaken to even move let alone speak. "Here Don''t you worry about anything... I understand you need blood Please have this" Luck softly smiled a shaky smile, hovering his ripped arm over his lord''s mouth as his blood slowly trickled over his fangs and down his throat, Ren''s eye growing even wider and his mind going into more turmoil than he could ever remember in a very long time. ''What''s happening How is this real I thought he would surely run away in fear or hate me after what I did Why Why is he doing this!? What''s going on!? Is this because he''s a programmed NPC!?'' Ren honestly did not know how to feel, but his dominant emotion was oddly Happiness "M-my lord Do you need more" Luck spoke once again, snapping some sense back into Ren''s mind. "O-oh, I''m fine Thanks for that, you didn''t need to go through all that" Ren immediately waved Luck off telling him to stop before he slowly sat up, Luck now firmly on hisp. "Oh! My lord! I''m so happy you''re okay!" Luck smiled brightly, sparks and shimmers of light floating all around him which further increased Ren''s disbelief. "Hey, Luck, can''t you just heal yourself or something?" Ren asked seemingly somewhat casually. "Oh, yes! I can! But, I just wanted to make sure that I was bleeding enough for you to go back to normal" He somewhat shyly responded, firing fairy dust-up in the sky for half a minute until he was fully healed. Ren blinked a few times before taking a deep breath. His soul began to settle down and his mind was slowlying back to normal. It seemed like Luck''s NPC tendencies for loyalty saved him, there was no other exnation for why a man like him could even exist. ''I guess I just worried over nothing What the hell was I even thinking? Was I reverting back to that same snowke I was before? I wouldn''t survive a day thinking like that!'' He softlyughed at himself.'' I can''t believe I almost thought my mother and that bitch were the good guys How down bad was I'' He felt his non-existent stomach-turning and a sudden, strong urge to puke, that was when he came to an abrupt realization. Why Why was I like that Did Did I really see Luck as a friend...'' Alucard slowly stood up and Luck reflexively began flying behind him. He stretched his body slightly and gazed upon the entire battlefield and the two corpses, one of which he had eaten beyond recognition when he was frenzied "It seems like there''s a lot for us to clean up right Luck?" "Y-yes! Of course!" "But, first, let''s get all our things from the other cave. There might be other people sent here to investigate these people''s deaths after a while Plus, we''ve gotten strong enough hunting here.. it''s about time we moved out of this ce and expand our narrow view of the world... Follow me" Alucard casually walked away from the battlefield and back into the dark forest, Luck following moderately close behind. That was when Alucard suddenly stopped Odd silence grew all around them and nothing could be heard other than the howling wind, Luck was caught off guard and instinctively stiffened up unbeknownst to Alucard That was when the thick atmosphere was cut by Alucard''s words that almost seemed out of character in Luck''s eyes. "Hey Luck I''m really sorry for what I did I wasn''t myself and I should have been more careful That That is what happens when I lose too much blood I had no idea it would be that bad at the time but now I sure do Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate all the help and it truly means a lot. Hope you''re okay." Luck was not able to see his lord''s face, but just from his tone and mannerisms, it was safe to say he wore a genuine smile of care and relief. "Thank you so much my lord! It really means so much to me to see you care! Like I said before, I don''t hold anything against you I''m certain that the circumstances forced you into that situation. I should thank you for all of your trust in me..." Luck could not help but feel slightly warm inside as he smiled to himself. But, that was when suddenly, an unforeseenwave of odd pain ravaged his entire system and he began to see things that were not there... His eyes grew wide and unsettled as he stared at his lord''s back. He immediately clenched his left hand on his now elerating, heavily beating heart and his fully healed right arm that still bore dry remnants of his own blood on it was out in front of him spread out wide as he deeply inspected it and rubbed it around his entire body like he was making sure his flesh and limbs were intact. That was when a small grunt was hearding out of Luck''s previously heavy breathing mouth followed up by two loud ps and a heavy shake to his head, readjusting his wide, shaky eyes to something more serious and casual. "Hey Luck, what was that sound? You good?" "O-oh! Yes! I''m fine my lord! Lead the way!" He answered in his usual, cheerful, upbeat tone. ***************************************** I''m so sorry for theck of uploads. I hope it wasn''t too long and that you haven''t forgotten about me. I had an entire month of exams and needed all the time to study. But, guess what! I just graduated high school and it''s summer so I have all the time to write! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please vote if you haven''t already! Thank you so much for all your patience and for those who voted all these days that I did not even post! <3 Chapter 29: New Arrival Chapter 29: New Arrival The densely packed stone road lit up by only torches and the light of the full moon still on top was crawling with people visiting all of the nearby buildings and travelling salesmen set up on the outside. The diversity in the crowd was more than clear, yet it could be argued that it was not very diverse for a fantasy world considering the only race seen outside of a cor were humans. There was a distinct higher archy between the rich and the poor. The less fortunate including even the average people stayed clear of those who looked well endowed and kept a close eye on them just so they can ensure they don''t get in their way. The fear was more than clear in their eyes. Still, a majority of the people themselves did not seem particrly rich. Most of them were wearing the regr rags expected of a medieval age citizen. Even in the midst of the night, the road was very lively with people conversing casually amongst each other, sellers and businesses advertising their services and strumpets enticing the male citizens rather aggressively and whisking them away into a brothel like subi. But, even still, if one were walking on this particrly dense road, they would be very hard-pressed to find the regr street urchins more miserable than the poorest of the poor. They were usually found next to the road torches that gave them the only heat outside of their filthy, thin rags as they pleaded for money. Their constitution were like sticks and theck of fat made their faces look like ghosts or banshees. Most people felt disgusted looking in their direction or simply ignored them like pebbles on the road, but, there were some cordial souls that stopped to lend their aid. There were no residential areas to be seen, only food markets, clothing stores, cksmiths, alchemists, restaurants, strip clubs, along with other businesses selling their services to the public. It was clearly some sort of market district of a city. In such an area was a very distinct and massive building that stood out far more than the rest. From the outside, it seemed grandiose, yet not so pleasant and clean. Bricks and marble pirs made up most of the building''s outer structure, and arge sign at the top made itself be known. It was tough to see through therge, stained ss windows, but the thrilling, boisterous sounds from within could be felt outside. Through the thick crowd, various armed and armoured figures stood out. Some of them were simply guards on duty patrolling the city while others were most definitely not. They did not seem as organized and unified they seemed more like rogues and mercenaries. But, what did group them together was the fact that they were all headed in the same direction, inside that samerge building. The interior was just as expansive and well constructed as the outside, yet far dirtier, rowdier and lessvish than what was initially disyed. Past the wooden swinging doors was a new experience. The ground and walls were made out of a mixture of stone and wood and the high ceiling was adorned with yellow-tinted glowing crystals that reflected off the marble path that led to the front desks and gave the room an abnormally warm tone. Around the marbleid path were many wooden tables filled with men that looked like they have seen their fair share of battles. Numerous maids were out cleaning as the men talked and split their alcoholic drinks and food all over the ground with no care in the world. Currently, the front desks were abnormally empty and the secretaries seemed to be simplyzing around looking deadpanned at all the chaos ahead of them. "The guild should really reinforce the rules about the noise and eating Everyone is here just to celebrate their victories at night, we barely get any new people to sign up..." Said one of them, leaning one hand on their desk. "Well, at least it means we can rx at night, no onees here thiste anyways thanks to them..." "You call this rxing? I would rather be working if it meant I wouldn''t have to deal with this night!" "Yeah Why did they think it was a good idea to make this ce for recruiting, eating, and as an inn?" a female secretary sighed at the all toomon sight. "They said it''s to form a strongermunity or something, I don''t know" "Well It does seem to be working Kinda" One of them panned a look at two men bullying one of the neers on a corner table. That was when the swinging doors of the establishment waved open for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. The room was getting increasingly more congested and unruly to the point that they worried about the capacity. "What''s up with this? Why are there so many neers these days?" "I think it''s because of the recent attacks around the borders Many cities were destroyed and raised to the ground so the people had to evacuate Our city probably just happened to be the nearest and safest spot," "Yeah, makes sense" "..." They all sat back down on their seat and rxed after a hard day of work. They doubted anything interesting other than the odd fight would happen but even then it was not their ce to step in. Even if something else interesting did ur, they doubted it would be worth their time. That was when one of the secretaries still in their post spoke in a tired voice as they stared at a single hooded man enter the building. He stood at what seemed like a respectable 6 feet tall and wore all ck, light armour along with a cloak that shrouded most of his clearly thin yet lean body. Still, that was not why he caught their attention initially, no, it was the fact that he wore a full, charred mask over his face, one so thick that the colour of his eyes could not even be made out. "Hey, what''s up with the guy in the mask? I don''t see many masked people these days" The volume of the room clearly dampened a few decibels at his arrival and conversations started about the new guy as they smiled drunkenly and sized him up. He was most definitely special. Most people would not bat an eye at any neer. What made this man more interesting and garnered the attention of most was his mask and the fact that he was going to sign up at night rather than in the morning like a normal person. Most newbies would be too scared or annoyed to enter at night to sign up. It was a well-known fact that the nighttime was reserved for partying and celebration, not to mention the fact that all the workers would be too tired after an entire day of work. The other secretaries stood out of their seats andzily took a peak. "Oh, that guy does seem kinda interesting You think he''s an assassin or something?" "I don''t know But, if he is, I''m not sure why he''s joining here instead of an assassin group" "Hey You think he''sing our way?" "Yeah Seems like it He probably wants to sign up. Jenny, you can take him, you''re the newest one here so it will be a good experience with talking to the unorthodox." "Ugh, you''re just saying that because you''re toozy to do it yourself!" "Maybe" "Fine! But you have to take over for me for the rest of my shift! I''m going home after this!" "Deal! Now do it," "Okay, okay I will!" Jenny might have seemed indifferent on the outside but that could not be farther from the truth. She was worried, more than she thought she would be. She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves. She looked at her reflection on the marble floor and fixed her long, wavy, cyan hair. Then, she looked down at her work attire and skirt and made sure she was presentable. It was rather hard to see her bottom half due to her bountiful chest but she was more than used to it by now. Being as professional as possible was a big part of the job and she did not want to lose it, especially after working so hard to just narrowly get it the other day. This was her first step to climb up thedder ofmand and be the head secretary of the establishment which would be quite the achievement, especially for someone like her. "Hello Is someone here? I want to sign up" She heard an abnormally deep, masculine voicee from the front desk that almost caught her off guard. She once again took a small pause to steel her nerves, readjusting the muscles on her face before she spoke with a bright, cheery smile on her face. "Coming!" She strolled over to the desk where the man stood and looked him in the mask which was oddly even worse than looking into his eyes. "Wee to the adventurer''s guild, sir! How can I help you today!" "Hello, I am here because I want to sign up." "Oh! Wonderful! Are you already familiar with all of the rules or do you want me to state them?" "I''ve already read up on most of that. Don''t worry." "Oh great!" Her smile grew brighter. "It seems like you''ve already made up your mind! If you want to proceed with the sign-up process, please ce your hand on this crystal and you will be all set!" She looked down and pulled out a blue glowing crystal from a drawer and ced it on the table. "Wait, what is that? And, do I not need to take any exam to prove my strength or anything? How will you assign my rank?" "Oh," she casually chuckled. "There will be no exam necessary, all adventurers will start at the lowest rank, copper, and work their way up bypleting assignments and quests given by the guild! All I need from you to sign up in your hand on this crystal to confirm who you are! That will be all! But, by doing so you agree to bind yourself to the guild''s rules! Of course, you can choose to opt outter, but joining back with the guild after that will be very difficult! So, what do you say?" She continued smiling through all of that as she pushed the crystal closer to the man ahead. She held her hands together and patiently waited. The man was sure taking his time thinking, it was to the point that her nervousness was slowly taking over and she began to show slight visible sweat. But, that was when he finally spoke after what felt like forever in her mind. "Okay, I''ll do it. Sign me up." "Oh! Great! So, please put your hand on the crystal and I''ll see what I can do," "Mhm," He nodded and did as he was told, cing his hands on the crystal that suddenly began to glow upon him touching it. And, not too long after, a projection of pure mana appeared. The projection was almost empty, which was not a very umon sight. All it meant was that he had no criminal charges or big achievements tied to his name. Firstly, she needed to do was write down that he was now a registered copper rank adventurer of the adventurer''s guild. "Almost done!" She smiled and reassured the man who still had his hands on the crystal. ''Now, all I need to do is check his n-name and congratte him on his registratioPFFFFF''*Cough* *Cough* *Cough* *Cough* But This time was different from all the others as her eyes shotpletely wide and she began to cough uncontrobly with a sudden pain in her chest and a twitchy smile on her face. "Hey, are you alright?" "Y-yeah I''m fine Sorry" She spoke trying to control her breath only to cough slightly once more, her face turning red like she was holding something in with every fibre of her being and only slightly managing to suppress it and keep herself under control. But, it did not take too long for her to somewhat get her breaking act together and speak once again. "Hello, O-on behalf of the adven A-adventurer''s guild I-I would l-like to thank you f-for joining W-wee to the... Adventurer''s guild B-b-b-b BallsDeep69" Chapter 30: Birth of a Legend Chapter 30: Birth of a Legend "PPPFFFFFFFFF* One man spat out his drink like a sprinkler volley before he started uncontrobly choking on some liquid stuck in his throat, tearsing out of his eyes as his choking turned into maddeningughter. "Did you hear that! No fucking way! That guy''s name is BallsDeep69!" "Wait really!? That has to be a joke right?" "No! It''s real! I heard it with my own ears. Why else would the secretary be acting like that!" The secretary had said his name loud enough for some of the nearby tables who had their eyes trained there to listen, and they all at once lost their minds. The word spread like wildfire and the entire room of drunken men began to absolutely lose themselvesughing like this was the funniest thing they have ever heard in their entire life. The sudden contagiousughter of the room got to Jenny and she could not help but burst outughing herself, she had held it in for too long and this was the final straw that pushed her over the edge. "I-I''m sorry" She eximed putting her hands on her mouth to try and once again hold it in before ducking down under her desk out of embarrassment. "HAHAHAHAHAHAH!! His name is Balls! BallsDeep69! How much did his parents hate him for them to name him that!" "Yeah! man, man! I can just imagine this He came out of her vagina and they immediately frowned! he looked ugly as shit! They didn''t want to kill him so they named him fucking Balls and abandoned him!" "Mate! Please stop! You''re killing me! Now I''m actually imagining that in my mind!" He held his hurting stomach tightly and rubbed the sudden flood of tears in his eyes. "Yeah! No wonder he''s wearing a mask! At first, I thought he might be some rookie assassin or wanna be renegade but this makes a lot more sense!" The masked man simply stood still, taking all the insults andughter head-on like nothing happened. He simply stared straight ahead in silence, only God knew what he was thinking and it was probably nothing pleasant. "Hey! Hey guys! Watch this!" One man stood up tipsily out of his seat. He was a man of tall stature, his shoulders were broad and his constitution was like that of a mountain. His blonde hair was tied into a bun at the top of his head and he wore what looked like a standard set of brown leather armour and a bastard sword sheathed around his waist. But, what stood out the most out of his attire was an iron te worn proudly dangling around his neck. "Hahaha! Go get him Ron! Give him a newbie''s initiation!" His rosy face was smiling unnaturally wide and the mood it exuded was that of confidence and amusement as he strolled over towards the front desk where the masked man stood, people making way when he came past him as they cheered him on all the way. "Hey there Balls! You gonna just stand there like a statue or are you gonna talk back!?" Ron leaned casually on the desk as he tried to take a peek under his mask, his speech was heavily slurred and his movements felt heavy, it was more than clear that he was drunk out of his mind. "..." The masked man did not react and simply stood silent, not moving an inch as the crowd praised on. "Still nothing to say? Damn I must have really scared you or you must really be ugly as hell!" "..." "Huh!? Are you listening to m" "Hey, Lady! Is my registration over? How much is it for a room upstairs?" The masked man casually interrupted Ron like he was not there or even worth his time. "Go Ron! Don''t let him do you like that! Teach him a lesson!" "BEAT HIS ASS!" "EXPOSE HIM!!" The cheers from the crowd continued and only served to even further boost his inted ego. Ron smirked with more confidence than ever before as he brazenly walked directly into the masked man''s face. "HEY! Listen here BALLS! I don''t think you know how things work around here You will do what I want you to do AND FIRST THING I''LL HAVE YOU DO IS TAKE OFF THAT STUPID MASK AND SHOW US HOW UGLY YOU REALLY ARE!!" And with those words, Ron lunged and thrust his hands forward toward''s the masked man''s face as the crowd exploded in the back. "HAH! GOTCH" "Shut up" *SMAAAASSSHHH* "..." ''What What just happened'' He thought to himself. It only felt like an instant ago that his hands were touching his opponent''s mask And in the next, he felt a crushing, iron grasp squeeze his face before he felt like he flew like a rag doll. The entire world in front of him was nothing but a blurry half-white half-ck mess, his body feeling like it was run over by a carriage. Nothing felt real and reality had yet to set in The sounds all around him were muffled and the world was only slowlying back into view. It almost felt like he was in a bad dream But, it did not take too long for him to realize that it was more like a nightmare. The world slowly came into view, and he found most of his vision was covered in ck that heter recognized as his opponent''s filthy gloves. The only light that was entering his eyes was from the tiny slits separating his fingers. But, the light was not so bright It was shrouded by a cold, unforgiving darkness. The man''s mask was clear, but through thatid two dormant eyes that felt like it was peering into his very soul There was no light in them, no colour, no hint of it at all, but his entire body was screaming at him with every fibre to look away. But, from the way he was being held, there seemed to be no escape. In that instant, time froze The feeling of death and dread had never loomed any closer above his head until now. He had to do something, but his entire body felt broken from the initial impact. With frantic and shaky eyes, he went into full desperation trying his best to hang onto dear life He began squirming around like a worm and screening as he began biting his opponent''s gloves like a dog. That was when he heard a cold, distant voice that put an end to all of his futile efforts. "I said shut up" Sparks of orange began to flicker in the previous darkness of his fingers that put an end to the cold atmosphere of the air "AHHHHHH!!" He screamed like a banshee, noticing his teeth melting right before his eyes, tears welling up in his vision only to evaporate the second they left his eyes. The increasing flickers seemed tost an eternity slowly increasing in pain, power, and intensity as he pushed his aching body even further to escape the ticking time bomb But, no matter how much he struggled, he was not able to run away from the burning hell and smell of his own burning flesh... The pain was too intense to the point it didn''t feel real... It was far too much for him to handle... And thus... his vision went nk... Chapter 31: A Memorable Impression Chapter 31: A Memorable Impression The entire guild hall immediately filled with silence and unexinable coldness that consumed all, nothing but the sounds of the bustling streets of the outside road along with the whispering wind entering the room. The spectacle disyed in front of them was something none of them except a very select smirking few expected. The aggressor turned into a terrifying prey that tried to get away at all costs like it witnessed a ghost Nay, even a ghost would have not elicited such an insane reaction. It was not an umon sight for a newbie to be stronger than expected and put people in their ce, but something about this took their breath away. Time felt like it froze still for several minutes, but then it once again started as the masked man finally began to move. All eyes on him, the masked man sighed and removed his hands from the charred face of his still breathing adversary as he slowly stood up and casually spoke, breaking the unnerving silence like nothing but a minor inconvenience urred. "Hey! Lady! Are you still there! How much is it for a room?" "O-oh! I-I''m here!" Jenny, the hiding secretary spoke in a slightly shaky voice, still chuckling despite the sudden silence in the room. "It''s 5 copper a night! 2 more for food and drink if you wish!" She spoke rather unprofessionally, still hiding under her desk. "Very well" He nodded and a slight movement was seen from under Alucard''s cloak. "Here''s 28 coins, consider it down payment for the next 4 days." He threw down his money on the desk and waited for a response. He heard a deep breathing from behind the desk ahead and the secretary he once saw let herself be seen once more. She looked notably different from how she looked initially, far less organized and put together as she nervously struggled to count the coins and find the key. "Here is your key! Room 21 on the floor above! I hope you enjoy your stay!" She smiled, quickly fixing her hair and steadying herself with a smile. "O-oh! I almost forgot! Here is your copper te! Keep it visible on you at all times so people know you''re with the guild!" She ced it on the table with a jittery smile and the man immediately took it without batting an eye. "Thank you very much," He did not waste a single second as he stepped over the charred body of his earlier adversary and marched up the stairs. The exchange did notst even 10 seconds yet to the onlookers, it felt more like 50 And, as soon as the man was out of view, it was like time resumed once again. ''That was so much more stressful than I initially thought'' Jenny thought to herself as she clenched her heavily beating heart and wiped the thick droplets of sweat off her forehead. But, as soon as she opened them once more, her gaze immediately fell upon the unconscious, steaming body on the floor, coughing and struggling to breathe. "W-wha What the hell happened here" She could not help but mumble as she looked up at the drunken crowd that immediately beganughing like usual, all incited by one single man. ***************************************************** The masked man hurriedly walked up the stairs as quickly as he could, passing by other fellow adventurers before he found his room located towards the end of the wooden hallway that had a window at its rear peering over the illuminated and busy roads of the city. With his key in hand, he took a deep breath and opened the door, immediately locking it behind him as he entered. He was humbly greeted by a simple yet equally disgusting room. The wooden, splinter-infested floor was covered in remnants of unfamiliar food and unknown liquids, while the stained walls were the home of mold that grew especially in their corners. The room was rather small yet could not be considered ustrophobic It was adequate enough for a wooden desk in the corner alongside a single bed near the open window that overlooked another part of the city. It did not seem like the mostfortable ce, yet it certainly beat out sleeping on the cold, hard, unforgiving cave floors. Turning around to once again reassure the door was locked behind him, the masked man casually strolled towards the open window and immediately closed the blinds before sitting on his hard bed with a deep sigh of relief, looking all around him before he removed his mask revealing his piercing, blood-red eyes, sharp, viper-like fangs and his skin that was as pale as the palest snow. Of course, it was non-other than Alucard. After taking care of the adventurer group in the forest, he searched and eventually came across their camp. It did not house much, but the few items it did were more than useful, though, sadly, he was not able to carry everything with him without looking extremely suspicious. The only things he decided on taking in the end were some of the money, a new set of equipment, including a white mask that heter turned ck with his own mes, one more than good enough to fully mask his clear vampire features. And, finally, several odd-looking potions that he had never seen in his entire life. Nevertheless, even out of those, Alucard was very selective with what he took and simply trashed the entire camp to the best of his abilities in order to make it seem like the work of a beast. And, it wasmon sense that a beast would not steal all the valuables before going on a rampage. Not only that, but to also ensure everything lined up, he went back to the battle scene to make it as convincing as possible that it was from the work of a beast, more specifically, the first guardian. Luckily for him, most of his work was alreadypleted for him due to his previous outrage induced by his loss of blood As such, all he had to do was remove any evidence of bloodsucking. Now, their residence in the forest was far too dangerous considering the possibility of higher-level investigation teams from the adventurer''s guild. Thus, immediately after doing that, Luck and Alucard made their journey towards by far the biggest border, the city of Oslo, the very same ce where the adventurer team they killed resided and the very same that Henlo told them about. And, now that they were here, it was finally time to expand their horizon, properly explore the new world and find the best way to make money for what Alucard had nned It all started with the adventurer''s guild But, now that he was here, things did not go exactly as nned as Alucard was left scratching his head taking in how badly things went down a few seconds earlier. "ARRRGGGHHH!! Those people make my blood boil! How dare they make fun of such an honourable name! It''s truly despicable!" A purple, tiny flying figure zoomed out of his cloak and flew around the air in frustration. "Don''t worry about that now Luck I think we might have a bigger problem on our hand for us to worry about that" Alucard mellowly chuckled shaking his head. On the outside, he seemed calm and rxed in front of that crowd but on the inside, he could not help but be slightly panicked as he wanted to get things over with as soon as possible. He had absolutely no intentions to elicit such a reaction from the audience. He did not intend to bring too much attention to himself, he simply defended himself after some random idiot tried to unmask him. But, that led to him screaming like a lunatic, which indicted slight panic from Alucard who thought he figured out who he was, so he resorted to burning him unconscious to shut him up. However, it had the effect of also shutting up the crowd and drawing all attention on him. Nothing made sense to him until now that he finally had time to ponder. After his fifth level into his vampire ss, he unlocked a passive skill called, "Undead Presence," which, in the game, served to give a slight fear debuff to all weaker living beings once inbat. Little did he know at the time, but that same effect took hold of a great majority of the crowd along with the man he attacked. Now, in his new reality, since there was no determining factor of what and didn''t count as "Inbat," he discovered that the skill now could be activated by sheer killing intent and can take hold of multiple people. This made him realize that he desperately needed to work on better managing his emotions. On one hand, this served to tell him that he might be stronger than a fair amount of people present at the time But, on the other hand, it might lead to his downfall after causing such a scene upon his first arrival Only time could tell and Alucard''s hands were left to the whims of fate... Chapter 32: Society Chapter 32: Society Alucard did not tire nor require any kind of sleep due to his undead nature but, he was still unable to break out of some of his human habits so he always made sure to get some sort of sleep whenever he could. And, now was a better time than any considering how drained he felt. He took onest whiff of the not-so-fresh air before once again grabbing his thick ck mask, slowly entering the first bed he felt in months as he stared up at the creaking boards of the room''s ceiling. Although the mask blocked much of his airflow from the outside world, he was not about to take any chances of people somehow peeking inside his room only to find out he was a vampire. Besides, Alucard thought that the thinner air entering his nose as he slept would slowly train him to be able to utilize his undead body''s strength of not needing air to its full advantage and eventually break out of his human practices. As heid down on the bed, he could not help but find many simrities between it and the hard stone ground of the moist cave he used to reside. Even after readjusting himself multiple times, the feeling of rock hitting his head and back could not be escaped. This was all a reminder of how he was currently at the bottom of society. A rich, well-endowed man like him slept on the mostfortable of beds, yet now he could not remember that feeling nor did he think of it too fondly. To him, it was all the same now. He had seen more than enough horrors in his single month of being here and people who had it far worse than he did. He had no right toin about a slightly ufortable bed. He looked up mellowly at the ceiling and began to slowly ponder. Just like the game, the world wascking in technology but made up for it with its heavy origins in magic. But, that did note as a surprise to him at all. Alucard had seen many things upon entering the city and had learned much about the reality and culture of this new world. It was rooted in strict tradition and socialws far more than the rather free inparison world he was used to. It was a rather jarring, eye-opening experience when he first set foot on the busy roads of the city. The social divide between the sses were more than clear at but a nce. It was like half the people he would see on the streets wore nothing but rags and a good chunk of them imed certain corners of the roads as their homes. It was like he could not go a few steps without noticing at least one man begging for money. The rich and nobles walked around proudly like they were on top of the world while the poor in rags seemed to try their best to survive and get by without getting in trouble as guards could not care less about them. But, not even those people had it the worst No, it was by far the non-human ves. Those were the true dirt of society. It was impossible to see any non-human sentient creature in anything outside a cor and thick chains. They were publicly beaten senseless if they did not do as they were told and were treated worse than the worms that slivered on the ground on rainy days. They weremon to see amongst certain rich and nobles. From the brief moment'' Alucard took to find the adventurer''s guild he managed toe across all kinds of ves Everything from elves, lizard-men, wolf-men, orcs, and far more. That alone spoke volumes about the state of this country''s economy and social systems. Alucard had never been an advocate or anyone''s life other than his own and there was no way he was about to begin now. Not to mention, he had no business discussing something heckedplete knowledge of. He had no idea about anything pertaining to the history of the country or its people like any previous wars that would have made this happen. He had only gotten a surface view from the first few minutes he saw of the city. There was still much for him to learn and much for him to adapt in order to fit in and not stand out. At a first nce, this world was very simr to that of the game he knew and loved, but upon closer inspection that could not be farther from the truth, especially in one area When he walked around the city, it was nearly impossible to see a woman that did not wear a dress or skirt, walking around trying their best to appear as pretty and dignified as possible, this was especially obvious in the rich but oddly existed in even the lowest ss. Not only that, out of all the guards patrolling the busy roads, not one of them was a woman. At that point, he could note to any conclusion considering he had only visited certain parts of the city, but once he entered the guildhall, it was more than clear It was the most masculine gathering he had ever seen. The testosterone was almost oozing out of the walls. Every single adventurer with no exception was male, while a bulk of the staff were the only females around. They were all treated like second-ss objects that the men used for their own purposes, harassment was not too far off the table. It was truly a medieval society through and through. It was truly despicable, yet at the same time, he was no hero and felt no obligation to do anything about it. But that made him wonder even more as the sudden image of that golden-eyed woman popped up in his mind along with that piercing stare that was etched deep down in his subconscious and still sent shivers down his spine to this very day. "Hey Lord Alucard Are you going to sleep now?" His thoughts were immediately interrupted by a sudden glowing figure flying directly into his line of sight. "Yes Luck, I am" He smiled underneath his mask. "Can Can I sleep beside you?" He nervously asked, taking Alucard by surprise. "Sure, why not, it''s not the mostfortable ce but here you go," He scooted over to the left side of the bed to allow Luck some space on the pillow. "Thank you so much, my lord!" He fluttered down and snuggly made himselffortable on the rock-hard pillow, the light turning extremely dim around his body as he slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep like a little child. "Hey, aren''t you scared I might move while I sleep and identally crush you?" "Uh, uh," He gently shook his head. "I trust you my lord just like you trust me I''m certain nothing like that will happen" Luck smiled, closing his eyes once again and peacefully went to sleep. Alucard''s eyes suddenly softened as he looked at Luck''s peacefully sleeping figure and he could not help but be once again overwhelmed with a sudden wave of guilt. The memory sprung back into his brain like a volcano The memory of outrage brought upon by his thirst for blood and the sight of the beyond scared face Luck wore which was brought upon by his actions. In Rebirth, that outrage was the vampire passive, "Blood Furor," which simply increased certain vampire powers but made the user agro on every enemy in sight indiscriminately, unable to escape or flee from battle The yer was had lower defence and was slightly harder to control in such a state but was still very yable, not to mention that the state did not force attacks on allies due to the no friendly fire set in ce by the developers. To a certain point, it was almost a joke debuff that yers at times even resorted to on purpose depending on the situation. In hindsight, he should havepletely expected for this mechanic to be tweaked to trante to this new world but he was too ignorant. And as such, he had to pay the price. Yet, despite all of that, Luck still acted the same towards him and even feltfortable sleeping next to him. If he did it out of his own free will and not out of some programmed AI embedded in him, he couldn''t imagine the strength needed to do what he did. He wondered if that was how a true partner was meant to be... ************ IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE!! Please check author''s thoughts for important message. Thank you! <3 Chapter 33: The Late Morning Chapter 33: The Late Morning Alucard struggled to open his eyelids that felt like they were sealed shut by several locks. His blurry eyes that sat under his thick ck mask found it harder than usual to adjust to the light, but it did not take too long for the world to finallye into view. He blinked several times before his faceid frozen. He simply gazed up with azy stare at the now orange-tinted wooden ceiling that was concealed by a thickyer of illuminated dust that elegantly danced in the air, and the ambient sound of birds chirping loudly trickled into his ears through the small cracks of the unpolished window. He could not help but find himself lost at the humble, rather familiar, warm feeling of the view. It was peaceful and unusually sombre; it almost felt like a dream that he could stay in forever. But, like all dreams, it sadly had toe to an end. *Grrreh* *Ehh.* He once again blinked many times as he was mellowly snapped back to reality by the sound of slight gruntinging from his side. It seemed to be always there, but he did not notice until this very moment as though it was filtered out by his ears. When he tried to turn his head to the side, he found it to be just as difficult if not more difficult than forcing his eyes to open. Still, he persevered through the unusual pain, and he was rewarded by quite an odd sight. There he saw Luck, fast asleep yet not so peaceful, he shook around switching from side to side like he was in a cradle, his face that held an ocean of sweat was contracted in agony, his teeth biting his lower lip tightly to the point that blood began to drip and mix with the sweat. The sweat spread all around his body and leaked onto the pillow underneath, forming a wet puddle where heid. "Huh" Alucard''s dull eyes shot wide open as he witnessed what was going on and heard the low grunting, it was the first time he saw anything like this happen. He had many things going through his mind, but as though it was out of instinct, he forced his heavy hand up and slowly brought it towards him. "Hey, Luck, what''s up? You okay?" He nudged him lightly with one finger, and Luck''s eyes immediately sprung to life. "WHA!!" " He screamed before his reality set back in, looking at the ceiling of the room. He lifted his hands up in the air and inspected the state of his body with clear shock. "Luck, you hear me?" He heard a sparse voice to his side and he abruptly shuddered before he took several deep breaths, shaking his head and slowly turning around to meet that voice head-on. He was met by a ck mask, but underneath that mask, he sensed eyes of concern staring at him, which helped ease his nerves and calmed him down, giving him the courage to smile. "Oh Lord Alucard I''m so sorry to startle you It''s nothing to worry about, it''s just that some days during the year, we fairies experience unbelievable pain when we sleep, this is the trade-off we have for receiving our fairy dust." He lifted himself and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "See, I''m good as new!" He smiled, fluttering all-around Alucard''s head in elegantps before he rested softly on his shoulders. Alucard could not help but feel slightly skeptical about this fact he had never heard about, but he eventually disregarded it as something he had not read up on or simply something new to this reality of his. He was just d Luck was okay and that it was not his fault in some way. ''Huh? What am I even thinking?'' He shook his head seemingly out of nowhere, but when he did it almost felt like it was about to explode like the watermelon it felt like. "d your okay," He replied back as he tried to force himself to stand outside of bed, his hands tightly gripping his dizzy head. "My lord! Are YOU okay?" His hands still on his head, he managed to get out of bed and bring himself up on two feet, nodding towards Luck who flew off his shoulders. He did not want to directly answer him just in case there was anyone spying at them through the door. He was almost certain that it was not well made or insted and he did not want to take any chances, so in the end, he simply whispered it all to Luck. "It''s because of the sun, these curtains are like paper, they don''t even work," Alucard should have both expected the low-quality blinds to leak in sunlight and for that to be the reason for his weak body, but he only now noticed due to him being lost in some weird nostalgic fantasy he barely even remembered. He felt stupid, now was not the time nor ce to waste time for such things, not when there was much to be done. Alucard''s headache was intense, but it did slowly get better. Taking that in along with the colour of the light shining in, the sun must have been close topletely setting. "How dare they put you in such a filthy room! Have they no respect!" Luck screamed in a whispering voice. "Don''t worry, we won''t be forced to live in this dump forever. I have bigger and greater things nned." Alucard sighed and chuckled at Luck''s words. "Oh yes! Certainly, I have no doubts!" He nodded vigorously as he saw his lord slowly inch towards the door. "Come on Luck, there''s much to be done today if we want to survive in this new, unforgiving world. Let''s go on our first field trip in the city." "Of course!" He beamed and swooped down towards his lord''s shoulders. "In the pocket Luck," Alucard shook Luck off his shoulders and pointed at a pocket along his cloak. "I don''t know how this city will react to your kind and I''m not taking any chances. You can take small peeks out for air but that''s it. You are not toe out unless I allow it. Don''t worry, I''ll let you out once I go on my first mission," Luck seemed somewhat disappointed butpletely understanding, but, when Alucard made that promise, his eyes immediately twinkled with glee. "Is that a promise?" "Yes, it''s a promise," "Okay!" Despite how much he clearly hated it, Luck smiled brightly and did as he was told. ********************************************* "Hey Jenny! We''re about to go on our break! Can you take over for us?" "Yeah, sure, why not" "Thanks, Jen you''re the best!" She deeply sighed as the sounds of her fellow staff member''sughter echoed into her ears. She tried to act indifferent on the outside but she could not shake away the unease in her heart, especially after yesterday''s events that continuously popped up in her mind. *Argh* She scratched her head vigorously before she took several breaths to calm herself down and forget about her worries. Yesterday was bad enough, and she had no ns today to make it any worse. She forced her tired eyes open, leaning her head on her hands as she stared calmly at the rather soothing guildhall ahead. "Hey, missy, can you tell me where can I find the salt," "Yes of course! Right over there!" She smiled and pointed to the side counter. "Thanks," "Your very wee!" Jenny smiled brilliantly at the disgusting face of the blushing man, feeling inner revulsion that she was not allowed to show before going back to her normal face. That was when she sighed once again, looking at the increasingly dimming light shining through the thick ss windows over the swinging front doors. The hall was rather empty, she could count all the people on the inside on one hand. This was known by the staff as "The dead zone,". A time in the day when people were not recruiting and eating to prepare for their next adventure, and a time when they were not back to sleep and celebrate, it was sometime in between then. Currently, it was nearly sunset and most of the adventurers were out either on an assignment, exploring, or doing some errands. There was no reason for them to stay. The few stragglers that remained were either people who came in to eat or simply the dead-beats that everyone hated or could simply find no team. Though it was the most peaceful time of day, it was also by far the most boring. There was nothing to be done that would help distinguish herself from her peers and further make up for yesterday''s disaster, the hall was clean, the quests and assignments were all posted, and no mail carriers were going toe to deliver anything new any time soon. She had already done it all and extra. All that there was to do was wait and wait and wait and wait... and wait... Eventually, the waiting felt too long, and she was left staring at the unmoving front doors with ever so dimming eyelids until her blurry vision suddenly went nk "..." "..." "Miss" "Miss... " "Miss Are you there?" "Miss?" She heard faint, rather familiar whispers enter her ears, but she felt too fatigued to even think before responding. "Yes, yes I''ll be right there Stop nagging me I do more than enough around here okay" "Ummmm Excuse me?" She heard the voice once again, only this time was even louder. "Huh?" She yawned loudly, scratching her eyes wide open, the light of the hazy world hitting her eyelids, only this time, that light was not bright at all like there was a shadow looming over her. Not to mention, her vision was abnormally filled with ck which made her deeply wonder. "Hello? are you alright?" It only took for that same sound to enter her ear onest time before something clicked in her brain, and she was finally shocked back to her senses, her eyes slowly panning up only to be met by that same ck mask as the day before... ********** I''m so extremely sorry for thete chapter, I''ll try my best to make up for them. Good news is that I got a 93 on myst chemistry test, but I''m overdue on my project XD. I promise to try my best, but 8 hours of school makes it really hard to write. Oh and just to throw it out there. If you want to join my discord and chat you can join here, I''m always free to talk if you ever need to contact me for anything. Criticism and suggestions are more than wee, if not encouraged! https://discord.gg/8eryTRA5kN Chapter 34: Customer Service Chapter 34: Customer Service Her eyes spurred open and her trembling pupils dted into the size of peas as she peered into the dead, lifeless void of the man''s eye-sockets that seemed to be mere moments away from consuming her whole. "I''M SO SORRY FOR THIS MR. BALLS!! I BEG FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS!!" She promptly shot up stiffly before punctually lowering her head. Her heart rate skyrocketed and her face began sweating buckets, some drops even falling onto the floor below. Jenny had not slept the night before, instead, she had stayed up the entire timepleting misceneous tasks and extra work in order to help make up for her blunder of embarrassing and disrespecting a future adventurer byughing at his name, especially one as capable-looking as him. In her eyes, it was a massive stain on her reputation and she needed some way to wash it off, she did not know what got into her the day prior and what exactly provoked her to act so childish and unprofessional. This was not the first sleepless night of work she endured, though this was the only time she felt so fatigued to the point of falling asleep. She could not believe her luck, this was the first time doing such a thing, and it had to be just as that man came. More than once, she was warned about the dangers and reality of her job but she pushed onwards, only now that she was face to face with that hardship did she truly understand, and it did not even take a month of working to reach such a point. She was certain that the man in front of her could ruin her life if he so pleased. The vision of her entire world crumbling after she had struggled so tirelessly to get to where she stood now was vivid in her mind. Almost more than any other time in her life, she wanted to curl up into a little ball and cry, that or to be buried and forgotten about rather than be remembered as a failure "Don''t concern yourself with such minor things. It''s no inconvenience." After what felt like an eternity, the man finally spoke his first words that sounded cold and harsh in tone but rather different in meaning. On the outside, Jenny did not react, but on the inside, her mind raced at his response that she did not at all foresee. "Thank you so much for your kindness! It truly means a lot! I cannot begin to apologize enough about yesterday" Her voice was unsteady, and she waited patiently for a response which felt like it took forever as more sweat flowed from her forehead and onto the ground. "Fear not, I don''t hold it against you, you were simply doing your job, now ca" "THANK YOU SO MUCH MR BALLS! I PROMISE IT WON''T HAPPEN AGAIN!!" Her heart began racing even wilder, and her bow was now a near nighty degree angle as a massive sense of relief overcame her body. "Hey,dy, can you calm down? Everyone is looking at us" *OOP* She shut her mouth and took several deep breaths. "Are you okay?" "Oh-oh yes! I''m okay mr. balls, thank you for worrying about me!" "please don''t call me balls" "I''m s-so sorry! Mr. BallsDeep69," "Not that either!" She heard the frustration in his voice that suddenly shifted, and she immediately quivered. "That name was all an ident that I shall not exin to the likes of you, all you need to know is that my true name is Alucard. That is the name I want to be referred to by." "Alucard? That is quite the odd name, but one that sounds very exotic" She nodded slightly, only to hear an annoyed voiceing from above. "My face is up here, why stare at the ground?" "I apologize!" She shot up stiffly once again and trained her gaze towards him. "I simply wanted to show my sincerest apologies for my previous actions." "I see You should just calm down, I won''t eat you. Too much stress is very bad you know," He sighed and slightly nodded his head, and before she even had the chance to respond or apologize with anything past an initial reaction, Alucard spoke once more. "Anyways, I came here to ask if I could have or purchase an in-depth copy of the city map?" "O-oh yes!" She scrambled around her desk and pulled out a piece of paper tied with a red bow. "One free map will be provided to each adventurer by the guild! I got the impression from your name, but are you not from around here?" "No I am from and far far away, you need not concern yourself with the private matters of your clientdy." His eyes seemed to pierce into her heart as he grabbed the paper from the desk and took onest look at the trembling woman before he began walking away. That was when he heard a voicee from behind him, and he immediately turned around. "Are you not hungry? Do you not need the free meal you paid for from the guild?" "Not today! I have a restaurant I want to eat at in mind, nevertheless, thank you for the reminderdy!" He waved her off, the few men still in the hall eating their meal staring at him as he walked towards the door. But, out of everyone in the room, Jenny''s stare was by far the most intense. She immediately sped her heart, feeling it to be like a battering ram trying to break out of her chest. Things had not gone nearly as she had initially envisioned it in her head when she had woken up to see him staring down at her. Her hurting mind spun in circles as she tried her best to take in everything that had just urred. She had so many questions that she was unable to ask. That was by far the oddest interaction she had with an adventurer, and she was conflicted on how she should feel. But, despite all of that, thest thought she had as she stared at his back leaving through the dim light of the swinging door was how she felt like he was moving rather rigid and strange, like he was carrying something heavy before he other thoughts consumed her ''J-Just who is that man...'' ********************************** So recently, I asked my discord if they would rather me release a chapter every now and then until I''m done with summer school on the 23rd or not release for like 2 weeks bute back with like a 7 chapter mass release when Ie back. And, most of them chose for a mass release. I''m not sure if you also feel the same way. Also, I''m gonna post a work in progress art in thements section if you want. If you want to keep up with the progress of the art and any future stuff concerning the novel, including questions, just join my discord and I''d be more than happy to answer. https://discord.gg/KxczF8YHB2 Chapter 35: The Allure of The City Chapter 35: The Allure of The City Alucard exited the guildhall with a headache brewing up in his undead skull. In spite of the fact that the sun was setting and its light was nowhere near as strong as in the middle of the day, its powers were still felt weighing him down with every step, although it was admittedly not as bad, especially if he followed the path with the most shadows. He could still walk, although it was far less thanfortable and demanded considerable effort. However, the sun was not the only reason for the strain that festered his mind. ''What''s wrong with that girl? Why was she so stiff and apologetic about every little thing,'' He thought to himself, shaking his head with his hands grasping his mask. This was a reminder of how much he despised human interactions. The only times he talked to other people was through his Spaz chat, and when someone would call him. It was not that he was too shy or introverted, no, not at all, it was rather a culmination of many things that made him who he was today. After he had quit hisst job, he had not had proper human contact in many years. In fact, he went out of his way to avoid it, he rarely ever went outside not even for food and shopping which he did online, only when absolutely necessary did he exit the safety of his home. As such, he doubted his social skills; he needed to try his best to fit into society and not stand out like a sore thumb. Being sociallypetent was mandatory for his survival; he could not simply avoid everyone around him as he did before. He only hoped that the reception girl did not pick up anything suspicious from him or god forbid surmise his true identity. In that effort, he tried his best to act as sexist as the other men around him towards her. He had not been around to analyze the crowd of adventurers and their habits other than a few initial glimpses, so, he prayed that he did note off as something out of the ordinary. He could not escape the fact that he was not only a foreigner in an unknownnd, but an alien from an entirely new reality. But, he could alleviate that shackle with effort, which was what he had nned today. The upbeat, music-filled central za of the city was where the guildhall resided, it was by far the busiest area in town. Despite the fact that the sun was setting, the bustling, congested nature of the area was not diminished which served as great camouge within the crowds. It was natural considering it housed everything from food and clothing to weapons and arms. Amidst the masses, the shop and stall owners let themselves be known as they energetically shouted their sales pitches over each other, grabbing the attention of the people walking by, while the older women haggled with the merchants as they looked for the freshest of food. The alluring aroma enveloping the za was sulent and by design, drawing men from all corners to drink and consume the warm, sulent skewers of meat on disy whilst various armoured warriors were inspecting arms from the side stores, looking at items they in all likelihood could never afford. "Please Could you spare 1 copper? 1 copper" "Get out of my way! Know your ce! Hey! Beast! One apple dropped is onesh! understood?" From an outside look, all was positive, yet there was much brewing underneath if one kept a closer eye, it was all a familiar sight to when Alucard had first entered this city, the city of Anri which was the major city of the kingdom closest to the border of the Orobonian theocracy. As Alucard walked, he noticed several stares headed his way. It was to be expected considering his rather shy, masked attire, that and the probable rumours surrounding him fromst night. However, he paid them no heed and moved onwards, not wasting any time. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" However, that was when suddenly, one thing significant enough for him to stop everything he was doing to go and see it urred, that along with a rather delicious smell to apany it. Since first entering the city, he had never seen so many people gather in one area, it piqued his curiosity. Thus, he went to inspect it. "MY BROTHER!! MY BROTHER!! ALL OF YOU STAY AWAY!!! ALL OF YOU STAY AWAY!! WHO DID THISSSSS!!" What Alucard drew near, he saw exactly what had happened In front of his eyes was a short, brown-haired girl that looked no older than fourteen years old, on her knees, crying over a corpse. Her eyes were bloodshot and her body was trembling along with her speech as she looked over at the crowd surrounding her. The man underneath her, presumably her brother had simr features to that of his sister and seemed to be an adult. The cause of death was evident and clearly fresh, an iron dagger meticulously stabbed into his back, precisely, his heart, the source of blood Blood that trickled slowly on the ground and enveloped his previously snow-white robe, dying his sister''s dress a simr colour Blood Sweet Sulent human blood ''Huh?'' Alucard shook his head and averted his eyes, cursing at his own weakness. Now was not the time for such things. The fact that this city andnd was dangerous came as absolutely no surprise to him, in fact, it should have been expected. It was a simple assassination, it was no business for him to intrude. It was not like he could do anything to help even if he wanted. He took a deep breath and readjusted his mask before he turned away from the crowd, heading back to his original path. "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN We We were just walking He''s dead DEAD!!" The girl''s screams of anguish echoed in his head, making his eyes soften underneath his mask before he looked up and moved onwards, picking up lingering conversations from the crowds until he was too far and their voices were lost in the wider sea of noises from the za. "Hey Isn''t that saint Rodrick?" "Yeah, he was a kindhearted man He was almost on the level of a noble What happened Who would have wanted to do this?" "I''m not sure But I have my guesses I''ve seen this happen before After all, he was the same saint who entered this city not too long ago and began giving much charity" The road was tiring, and the path was arduous, but Alucard persisted through the light of the setting sun until he reached his destination A ce where he would learn the history of this fantasy world and uncover many mysteries unknown to him now. A ce of knowledge that would aid him in his path to coexist and learn many things that the residents would think to bemon knowledge. The Library **************************** (Checkments for art! Hope you like it! and authors note for message) Chapter 36: The House of Knowledge (1) Chapter 36: The House of Knowledge (1) The Library of Anri was famed all throughout thends. Schrs from various neighbouring cities would traverse many miles almost as pilgrimage just to acquire ess to this great house of knowledge. And, the exterior of the building well represented its fame as Alucard stood at the foot of its long, marbleid steps looking up at its massive, almost dwarfing frame. The library itself was made out of premium materials, more exorbitant than any library he could have ever imagined, with numerous statues of people of unknown origin lining up the steps leading up. The ck, limestone-like pirs that held up the archway leading towards the magnificent,rge, open doors bore an intricate design he had seen so many times before, the one of the nine-tailed cat. To Alucard, it felt like a ce too grand for him to belong, even the others going up the steps around him could not help but peer over with a hint of disdain. However, luckily for him, he had done his research and could not help but smirk from under the shadow of his mask. As he entered through the doors, it was almost as if he had entered an entirely new reality. The building appeared extensive from the outside, but it was somehow even more spacious once he entered. The circle-like dome surrounding him was high, the ceiling considerably distant from where he stood. Where ever he nced, there would always be a book, walls did not exist in this new world, only bookshelves for as far as the eye could see. There were many schrly people troding the patterned marble, pale brown tiles of the establishment, making distinct sounds that echoed and bounced throughout the room, yet were something almost soothing and not at all distracting. Still, the library was more than big enough to house all of its visitors, in fact, he would be hard-pressed to spot more than a few people at a time unless he went out of his way to do so, such was its size. However, unlike what he would have expected from a normal library, this one was oddly much louder. People had no filter controlling the volume in which they spoke, making it a rather boisterous environment, especially at the door. If he were to speak now, he was more than certain that his normal voice would be drowned out. Yet, that sound was no hindrance to the grandeur of what he witnessed as he could not help but take a moment to gawk in awe, but more than anyone he knew that it was no ce to waste time on something so trivial. As he took a deep breath further inspecting his surroundings, as a new visitor, there was only one way to go unless he wanted a quick warrant of arrest for trespassing, and that was towards the front desk that was unusually empty. There he saw a man that he certainly did not expect in such a dignified establishment, he even blinked several times to ensure that it was not some trick of the light and what he saw was indeed reality. It was a man dressed in a long, navy robe etched with lines of gold, his ck boots were crossed on his wooden table, a red book covering his face, one that he seemed to be deeply entranced with reading. There were many other, more presentable representatives at the front desk, but, for some reason, out of all of them, none drew him in more than that man that stood out like a sore thumb. "Good day sir, I''m new here, would it be possible to obtain a library card for entry?" "Huh?" He received a rather annoyed response from behind that book, one powerful and far deeper than he expected. "Couldn''t you read that sign? It clearly says do not disturb. Now leave me be," "My apologies sir, but to tell you the truth, I am incapable of reading..." "Huh?" The man spoke once more, this time lowering his book to see the face of whom he was addressing. Just like his voice, the man''s face caught Alucard byplete surprise. He had imagined him to be a cranky old man, but instead, he did not look a day older than thirty. He was a handsome man with a box-like face. His ck, wavy hair was of moderate length, falling down just under his eyebrows in an even part. His eyes that were not too far underneath were a simr colour of ck and were keenly staring at his visage. "You, you''re not from around here are you Masked stranger" He sighed, putting his legs down and finally sitting properly. "No, I''m not I''m a new resident of the city and a new adventurer as well" "An adventurer you say..." His expression suddenly shifted to one of intrigue as he took particr notice to the copper te hung around his neck. "What business would someone like you have here?" "Well, I''ve heard of this deal that the library made with the adventurers guild allowing adventurers free ess to the first floor of the library, is that not true?" "Damn right it is! You adventurers are a pretty stupid bunch! Whenever you would go anywhere, you would always bring embarrassment to the guild due to your stupidity andck of knowledge. So, we cut a deal with the adventurers guild. They''d pay us money for us to take in their adventurers for free, only for the first floor. On paper, all was well We would receive more funding, you would be less braindead, more people would want to be adventurers to take advantage of the free ess, and we''d have some potential returning customers if they wanted to ess more than the first floor." ''What''s up with this guy?'' Alucard could not help but think. "So, let me guess, that didn''t work out as expected?" "Yep! The mage adventurers who had always wanted to study here took the opportunity, but every other brute could not care less, it should have been something fully expected!" Heughed at himself, setting his book down, the cover something that Alucard could not read. "Why are you telling me all of this? What''s the point?" Alucard wondered. "Because your the only illiterate brute who''s actuallye here since the first inception of this deal! They all thought of it as a waste of time when they could be training or monster hunting!" Heughed heartily at himself once more, pulling a pipe out of thin air before quickly lighting it in a slick yet shy manner."Everyone else at least had a semnce of how to read, learn and extract knowledge. Reading properly and having a basic level of the sciences and world nature is an opportunity reserved for very few It is a privilege to be taught how to do so properly but most people don''t seem to see the true value in that There is a reason why every noble child is taught how to read and write from a young age... You know kid, I lost good money because of you I really didn''t think one of you woulde..." His mood became slightly sombre, yet the smile on his face did not dissipate. "I see I actually really agree with you, being eloquent in thenguage, reading, writing, knowing maths, history, the nature of the world All of these are invaluable tools. Without them, you would be a stranger in your own world You never know when you might need them. Besides, it would help make you seem dignified in front of royals and nobility, even as amoner." "You know For an uneducated bum, you''re pretty smart and well-spoken What''s your name" The unknown man behind the counter smirked and released a puff of smoke from the pipe in his hand. "Alucard My name is Alucard" He immediately responded. "Alucard eh? Not amon name is it? But, you know what? I like it!" "If you don''t mind? What''s yours?" "I''m known by many names around here, but you, you call me Raven," "Raven Not a bad name either! Now, how will I be able to get a library card?" "That''s the easy part, the guild already did all the background checks on you. All that''s needed is to register your copper te attached to your guild identification with what we got around here." "So how can I get started?" "Don''t worry, I already got you registered, you cane in and out whenever you want, as long as you have the guild te on you of course, think of that as your library card I guess. The magic sensors should now detect that you are a tier 1 patron, as long as you don''t go up to the second floor, there should be no problems." "Oh! I didn''t realize! Thank you very much Raven," Alucard smiled and nodded his head slightly before he looked over towards the true entrance of the library. However, when he took his first step, he heard that same deep voice he caught from before, yet the tone sounded profound. "Wait!" "Apologies, did I miss something?" Alucard nervously turned around, looking over towards that same man who once again put his legs up on his desk and began reading with a cold, dominant air. "You... you lied to me about your name didn''t you?" ''FUCK ME SIDEWAYS!'' Chapter 37: The House of Knowledge (2) Chapter 37: The House of Knowledge (2) As soon as those, dark, distant words were uttered, it was as if something consumed him and his world turned bleak. There was a certain feeling in the air that was unexinable, like the end was near. If he had a heart, it would have been beating to the moon, and had he had proper sweat nds he would have been sweating buckets. All he could do now was wait for his fate to be decided or think of a way of escape despite it all. "You don''t need to answer because I know you did You know I actually suffered from the same problem as you" "Huh?" Abruptly all the tension surrounding Alucard had instantly snuffed away as though blowing out a candle, and all that was left of him was shock. "Yeah, I don''t me you for that, but I''m not sure others would be so lenient. But, as a tip, it''s good practice to always tell the truth when ites to that. You have to just put up with it, don''t worry, I know how it feels," He nodded to himself before his voice became awfully quiet, turning into a whisper. "My dad thought it was funny if he named me something stupid, and I was stuck with that name for the longest time Neither I nor you need to know what that name is I haven''t told many people about this You will take this information with you to the grave Understood?" "Understood," Alucard responded, his surprise only increasing as Raven spoke. "Good! But, you know it''s not the end of the world, right? You could always save up for a name-change crystal like I did, but those things are stupidly expensive and hard to find," He whispered back. "Wait THOSE EXIST!?" Alucard shouted in a whispering voice, his eyes shot out wide beneath his mask. He had long given up on the hope of ever-changing his name. After all, that was impossible in Rebirth. However, this rekindled that fire once extinguished in his heart and confirmed one more thing that he had hoped to be answered with his visit to the library. In this new world, things were not the exact same as the videogame world he once knew. "Mhm, they''re real alright." He nodded, smirking from behind his book, "They''re not that well known about or sought after, just really rare. They''re mostly used by spoiled nobles who denounce their family and want to mess around, and by the royalty to bestow permanent titles onto people''s names. It''s usually pretty disrespectful to your parents if you want to change the name bestowed upon you. But, in our case, I''m sure it''s more than justified." "I see Thanks for the info Thanks for everything actually!" Alucard whispered, now finally turning around to enter the house of knowledge. "Wow wow! Slow down there! What exactly are you going to do now!" However, just like before, he was once again called, this time not in a whisper, which made him turn his back once again. "I''m going to read and educate myself," Alucard responded. "And, how exactly are you gonna do that without being able to read?" He put down his book once again and looked him dead through the dark sockets of his mask. "I''m not sure, I thought I''d just explore and try to teach myself," He answered honestly. "That''s quite bold for someone who''s never learned something like this before," "Well, it''s the only choice I really got. I''ll do whatever it takes, I''m confident in my abilities." Although it was not possible to see through Alucard''s mask, his confidence was more than evident. "I like your tenacity, I really do, but, you have to be realistic. How would you like it if someone were to teach you how to read and write? We usually give discounts for tutoring adventurers but for you my friend, I''d make that free!" "Really? You''re willing to tutor me?" There was a slight twinkle in Alucard''s eyes. If he was tutored, it would greatly speed up the learning process. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!! Me? Teach you? Don''t be ridiculous! Of course not!" Heughed hysterically almost as though it was the funniest thing he had heard in years, tightly clenching his stomach and attracting the attention of many people in the area before he slowly calmed himself down. "HAVEL! Come here!" Raven called out, and not too long after did a boy show up in haste, sweat running down his forehead. "Y-yes boss?" He panted, his hands firmly grasping his knees as he tried to catch his breath. His robe was of a simr style to Raven, however, there were certain design differences that stood out. The most notable of which was how it was coloured brown instead of Raven''s navy blue. His face was round and seemed fairly young, his hazel hair was rather short and glistened in the light from up above, and his emerald green eyes were shaky, staring at the ground, fatigue was written all over them. "You hear that kid? Boss is another name I''m known by around here," He winked and whispered towards the nkly staring masked man. "B-boss, did you say something?" "Indeed, are you done setting up the books? "Yes boss! Three hundred and forty-three books all sorted and organized in the right order." His voice was shaky yet firm in many other aspects, like a sense of pride. "Excellent! I''ll be checking thatter today, but in the meantime, I have another task for you," He released another puff of smoke from his pipe as he casually flipped to the next page of his book. "Yes of course! I''m ready! Will it be some training if I am so bold to ask?" His voice bore excitement. "Indeed" Raven lightly chuckled confidently as he responded, making the panting man look up with star-like eyes and renewed vigour, almost as though his fatigue was no more. "Really? What is it? I''m prepared to do anything!" "Mhm, I see Very well So For your task, I''d like you to teach this guy over here how to read and write," And as soon as those words were uttered from Raven''s mouth, the vitality and enthusiasm from the brown-haired boy''s expression disappeared, instead reced with a deep disappointment and a raincloud of depression hovering over his head. Chapter 38: House of Knowledge (3) Chapter 38: House of Knowledge (3) "Hmm? Is there a problem Havel? Are you not satisfied with your task? If you have any gripes do please let me know..." Raven''s voice was rxed, yet the shift in attitude from Havel was instant. "Oh! No! Th-There is no problem!" "Good, that''s what I wanted to hear Teaching and learning are two different arts yet on different sides of the same coin. Your first true task will be to teach this illiterate man how to read and write, help him in any way you can. To you it might seem tedious, underwhelming, unnecessary even. But, trust me, it is something not many know how to do well and might aid you in the future." "Yes boss, I I understand You''re right, I am too impatient and got my hopes up too unrealistically" He lowered his head out of respect and calmed his nerves. "Now, how long would I need to be his tutor?" "Until he''s fluent," Raven flipped through another page of his book and casually released a puff of smoke from his pipe. "P-pardon" Havel''s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and his anxiety returned in full. "Didn''t you hear me the first time? I said until he''s fluent! I care not how long it takes, could be days, weeks, months or years, as long as he is willing to learn, this will be your task. Understood?!" Raven lowered his book and witnessed as his words sucked the life out of Havel, seemingly breaking his mind as he tried to fathom what he had just been ordered to do. "Yes sir U-Understood" "Hey, boy, this is your chance to finally prove yourself to me! This challenge is only as tough as you are. Once you manage to do it, I promise to teach you something special like a new spell. How does that sound?" "R-really?" He slowly raised his head and finally met Raven''s smiling expression. "Indeed, a promise is a promise. And, speaking of promises, young Havel, I have something I need you to promise me" "Yes, boss? I''m willing to do anything!" Havel slightly shook his head and reaffirmed his gaze. "Come close, I need to tell you something in private" "Understood!" Havel lifted his head and slowly strode over towards Raven''s desk. From afar, Alucard watched as the two conversed in a tone that even he could not detect. It was only a few words exchanged before they separated, yet they were more than enough to pique his interest. If only he had walked a few steps closer, he was certain to be able to overhear them. Nheless, he felt no regret, but instead a great sense of relief. he would not be as a cat would and allow his curiosity to make him enter forbidden, trouble-prone boundaries. "Now both of you leave me be! I have a book to finish! Good luck to you Havel, I know this will be a long, difficult journey but I''m certain you can pull through, and good luck to you as well Alucard" "Thank you Raven. This truly means a lot," Alucard closed his eyes and deeply bowed, receiving a slight nod and a chuckle from the man ahead who once again lifted his book and read on. When Alucard opened his eyes and stood up straight, he was met with the face of his new, soon-to-be mentor. His mouth was open and his face looked stiff. His expression was rather odd, like he was annoyed and wanted to say something but couldn''t bring himself to do it. "Sir Havel, I''m ready, please teach me!" Alucard showed him the proper respect and spoke, which seemed to have snapped him out of his daze. "Oh-oh yes, Alucard Please follow me" He took a deep breath and turned his head away, taking the lead as he marched in front, Alucard following him not too far behind. "Hmph, I wonder how that duo will end up,"Raven lowered his book as he peered over towards the two figures walking away in the distance before smirking and once again immersing himself in his reading. The two men walked around in the vastness of the library. There were many eyes in their direction. Yet, It was to be expected, after all, Alucard was one of a kind, like a shiny pokemon walking amidst the regrs. Alucard did not have much time to admire the book covers and architecture of the library as before he knew it, they had already reached their destination. "Sit here, I''ve already picked out a book." Havel sighed and spoke. In front of them was a standard wooden table with two seats adjacently ced. However, that was nothing out of the ordinary, what was truly special was a certain dome surrounding the table. It was a translucent white swirling around, like a white ocean of magic. "What''s the matter? Walk in," Havel was the one who took the first step, sitting on the table. Alucard was intrigued by the dome of magic ahead of him, so he tested it out with his hands before he fully entered almost as though there was no barrier there. "What," Alucard''s eyes grew wide when he set foot in such a space. The obscure bustling nature of the library was removed, and was now reced with an eerie silence unmatched by any noise-cancelling technology of his age. It was quiet, far too quiet in fact. "Huh? Have you never been in a noise-cancelling bubble?" "Apologies, I have not How is this made? Is it a spell?" Alucard replied. "Spell? I suppose so It''s from a magic item embedded in this table," "What kind of magic item? Are there tiers to this?" "Certainly, this is a simple umon grade item. Anyways, enough asking questions, please take a seat so we can finally begin!" "Yes sir," Alucard nodded and took a seat beside Havel, fully prepared for whatever was toe next. Havel lifted his right arm and took out a book, one that was rather thin and light and mmed it on the table. "What kind of book is that?" "We''re gonna start all the way from the beginning. This is what''s known as a "fundamentals book,". it''s used to teach noble children about their letters, but for our purposes, it will serve more than well. Every word ispromised of letters, some letters are special, like vowels; they make different sounds depending on the situation. There are twenty-six letters and..." Havel continued to ramble on and on about the basics of anguage that were mostlymon knowledge for a man such as Alucard. Yet, he had to continue to feign ignorance and listen on. Indeed, there might be new information specific to this world and he could not expose that he was eloquent in anothernguage. In the end, he was stunned at all the simrities he noticed between English and thenguage Havel was describing known as "The human tongue,".In fact, as he listened, his zest only grew to finally start learning. Nevertheless, there was still indeed a sizable chunk of information that was quite new to him, information that he now kept fresh and brewing in his mind. "That''s the basics. Did you get all that or do you want me to repeat?" "No need, I fully understood," "Very well," Havel sighed. "Then let us finally begin" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, finally opening the book ced on the table to the first page where it showed an obscure, swirly symbol that Alucard had never seen in his life along with a matching picture of what seemed like a fruit just as strange. And thus began Alucard''s literary journey in the human tongue... Chapter 39: Deepwalker Chapter 39: Deepwalker The sun had long set, and the light once piercing through the ss windows and open door was reced by a mellow darkness and the calming silence of the nighttime crickets This was even reflected by the once bright lights that illuminated the inside almost as though it was day, now the light of magic torches was sparse and withering away. The once bustling, loud library of Anri was now a ghost of its former self, almost as though it were abandoned. It seemed like nearly everyone had gone home. Yet, there was still one light that shined brighter than the rest, on a wooden table at the rear end of the first floor were one man sat yawning and tapping his feet. "What took you so long? I thought you were going out to choose some random books to see how well you can make out the letters. Were you in the bathroom again? Is your dder okay?" Havel looked over to his side as he witnessed the dark shadow of a masked man enter the magic dome surrounding the table. "Apologies teacher, I wasn''t in the washroom this time. There were so many interesting books that I had a hard time choosing," Alucard bent his head in apology. "So what did you end up choosing then?" Havel yawned. "One book," Alucard pulled out a book of considerable girth and dropped it t on the table, causing an audible thud the woke the half-asleep Havel out of his daze. Although, that shock was not as a result of the heavy sound, but by the contents of the book ced in front of him. The book itself seemed rather old and not touched in years, the edges were ripped and the stained pages were not tightly connected, yet, the picture of the crest it held brought upon a flurry of emotions. "The Tales of Legends Where did you find this?" "I was looking for a history book, and this one caught my eye most out of all of them. Is it good?" He spoke and slowly took a seat back to Havel''s side. "Yes, it''s a great book It houses many tales of yore Tales that almost every man knows of the ancient past and foundation of ournds" Havel took a small pause, shaking his dazed head before continuing. "Anyways, the content doesn''t matter, some of it is pretty outdated legend anyways, what''s important is for your learning. This book is fairlyplex but I think it will more than serve our purpose," "Understood, may I begin then?" Alucard nodded. "You may," Havel gestured, prompting Alucard to finally open the book. The pages were huge, yet the writing was rather meagre considering most pages were filled with utterly jaw-dropping, detailed illustrations. At first, Alucard flipped through the pages reading the letters and spelling the words he now recognized. However, it eventually turned into Alucard asking Havel about each of the pictures, which Havel was hesitant, but eventually gave in to exin. It was to the point that Alucard no longer read as he continuously flipped through pages asking questions, like a curious child with no filter reading stories with their parents. They talked about the age of dragons, how the great beasts founded the first countries, and about twelve gods that descended on earth that ushered in a new age for humanity and put an end to the age of dragons. The six demon gods of dark and the six great gods of light. At one point, even Havel forgot the purpose of why they were even reading as he continued to exin. To Alucard, his passion on the subject was clear, and his exnations had considerably more passion than that of his other teachings. But non-more passionate than when they reached a page with an illustration a single man, nay, calling such a being a man would have been a disservice, he was akin to that of a great warlord. His shoulders were broad as mountains and his muscles were protruding heavily from his ckened, fully armoured frame. In his hands was a massive greatsword the size of his entire body resting on his right shoulder and his armoured helm had a cold blue light emerging out of them like a trail of magic. To his side was an elegant, silver cat of nine-tails, the same one seen on those statues and engravings on the wall where ever he went. Together they marched into darkness, what could only be described as a deep, swallowing abyss that the illustration managed to capture in magnificent detail despite the age of the yellow, slightly ripped paper. "Who''s this exactly?" Alucard could not help but wonder," And that simple question led to a beyond shocked face from his teacher. "You don''t know the legend of f the Deepwalker!? Not even as some heroic tale or bed-time story!?" "Ummm No Sadly not I wasn''t really on good terms with my parents and I wasn''t an active speaker as a child." He slowly replied, scratching the back of his head. "I see, well, I''m not gonna pry into your personal matters, that''s none of my concern." Havel shook his head at Alucard''s response and sighed with much brewing in his mind before continuing. "The tale of f the Deepwalker is the story of how our great kingdom of Crory was formed a very long time ago. There was once a profound, endless, oozing gorge within the ground of thisnd. The darkness was so thick that legend said that dropping a rock within it would lead to no sound... Out of that whole was corruption and wickedness unparalleled, said to be a remnant from the age of the dragons and demon gods which terrorized the people of thend and made their life miserable." "f, one of the great heroes of Yore stepped up to stop this dark abyss when everyone else failed or was too cowardly to even attempt, he and her highness the magical nine-tailed cat ina, they dove down into this void and put an end to this abyss. In the end, the tyranny of the deep was ended due to their help But sadly, the great hero f, now remembered as the great Deepwalker, never returned His body was not found even though that depth was now safe to traverse The only survivor was her majesty ina, not unscathed, however" He took a small pause, gazing slightly at the ground and taking a thick breath "Many sacrifices were made, but such sacrifices were necessary for the creation of this great country. With the help of the high magical beast ina, the country of Crory was formed, and as you know, she is still our great monarch to this day and hopefully forevermore! That was a major oversimplification of what happened, but that''s the children''s story you never knew..." He once again took a long pause, closing the book of legends in his hands with a smirk on his face before leaning back on his chair and letting out a deep yawn that echoed in the space of the magic dome surrounding them. "That''s really an interesting story That man, f, truly sounds like a Goliath," "Yeah Anyways, I think that''ll be all for today, the library''s been closed for a while now and I don''t have infinite energy. I need some sleep, we can continue where we left off tomorrow, how does that sound?" He stood up and yawned once more. His eyes were barely open, feeling like anvils from the crushing fatigue, he was used to working long hours but now he feltpletely drained to the point that he was unsure he was even conscious. "Teacher, thank you so much for your hard work and for answering all of my questions. But if you don''t mind, I have one more question to ask This book, can I borrow it for practice?" Alucard pointed at the ck-covered book in Havel''s hands. "This? Sure thing, you can have it! Just make sure to return it" He yawned once more, rubbing his eyes and throwing the book towards him. "I assume you''ll be back here tomorrow at the same time right?" "Yes," Alucard nodded. They both exited the dome of magic surrounding them and roamed the dark, tranquil library until they reached the front doors. Alucard could clearly see the bags under Havel''s eyes and the fatigue with every step, if anything, he looked even more dead than he was. And as they left, they didn''t exchange too many words before they split their own, opposite ways. Chapter 40: Study Chapter 40: Study As Alucard walked upon the dimly lit, rtively empty stone path towards the guildhall, he could not help but ponder over what had just transpired. Luckily for him, he had a mask on to hide his expressions, if it were not for that then he didn''t think he would be able to keep up his act. Talking to people in such a way was just as taxing as it was annoying in his mind. Of course, all he was trying to do was extract as much information as possible from Havel, and to that end, he was willing to do anything. All things considered, he was a fairly mediocre teacher in his eyes, but considering it was his first time, he wasn''t too bad, still certainly the best option he had. To Alucard, he was nothing but a tool. It was a mutual rtionship. Havel used him as a tool to get closer to and please Raven, while Alucard used him as a tool to further himself. There was no guilt to be had. On the other hand, Raven himself was a far more interesting man. No matter how he looked at him, he couldn''t decipher him at all nor why a librarian like him would have taken such an interest in a man such as he. When he was outside of Raven''s watchful eye, he began acting differently. That was even exemplified as his fatigue took hold of him he began acting far less professional. It made him wonder why a seemingly simple library assistant such as Havel would hold Raven in such a high regard. He shook his tired skull once more trying to rack his head around what happened, and before he even knew it, he had already reached the foot of the guild hall''s lit, swinging doors. There was light shining from the inside along with the sounds of conversations. ''People are still awake?'' He wondered as he let himself in. There he saw the now all too familiar sight of the vast guildhall, only it was distinctly cleaner from any other time he could remember. The entrance itself was notably emptier than it has ever been, there were only a few tables upied and only some of them were in conversation. The front desk was still fully upied with staff looking over towards the few adventurers while others were cleaning the slight hints of a mess still remaining on the floor. He walked inside and up the stairs and did not notice anything other than the simple look in his direction from both fellow adventurers and staff. It was the first time he felt like he was not the center of attention when entering, which he assumed to be due to the dead state of everyone currently in it. ''It seems like even these adventurers have their limits when ites down tote-night celebrations,'' Alucard thought to himself as he climbed the stairway to the floor above. The hallway leading towards his room was dimly lit with torches, and the sound of heavy snoring was leaking through the closed doors. As Alucard entered his room, he could not help but let out a deep breath before sitting on the table in the corner, leaning back to rx. That was when he noticed hints of knockinging from the window, and his attention was drawn. Any normal man would have thought it to be the wind, but the still masked, smirking Alucard had something else in mind. "I''m sorry if I waste my lord, hope you were not waiting too long," He opened the blinds only to meet a small, flying figure with purple wings. "No need to worry Luck, you were right on time. So, did you manage to find anything?" Alucard whispered, closing the blinds once again and walked back towards his seat in the near corner, Luck trailing close behind as he spoke. "No my lord, past the fifth floor, there was some sort of magic barrier, I couldn''t fly past it" "Should have figured," Alucard sighed, slightly disappointed. "Well, did you find anything of interest in the first five floors?" "I''m afraid not my lord I truly found nothing of interest other than books that I could not read nor understand I''m only proficient in tomes of the fairy tongue, which I found non-there to be seen But, as I went up in floors, I believe that there were more books ssified as "spell books,"." "I see Well, good work Luck, that''s truly been a help," He smiled, leading to Luck fluttering around in joy. "It''s me who should be grateful that you let me free and help you instead of staying in the pocket!" ''This makes sense, Havel told me there were no spell books on the first floor. So, the higher the floor the moreplex the spells I have much to experiment on, whether or not I can both learn this new world magic and my system magic at the same time and if these Ki-arts are something I could replicate But in the pursuit of that, I can''t get anywhere without one thing'' Alucard sat up straight and removed his mask, setting it to the side, revealing his silver hair and piercing crimson gaze he knew it was going to be a long time since he would need that again. And, from under his thick cloak, he pulled out several crumpled paper and set them t on the table. As they uncrumpled, they revealed what could only be described as writing, only that writing was greatly different from anything the hovering Luck had ever seen. "My Lord, what What is that?" Luck asked. "This? This is English, a specialnguage no one of this world knows" "Oh! Oh wow!" Luck gazed in wonder at such foreign yet beautiful text. "As expected of my lord! Was this what you were doing in the washroom and why you took so long?" "Indeed, I have no need to go there, I just used the time to write notes from what my teacher was saying into words I can understand and refer back to. I''d rather not reveal that I can write in an unknownnguage." "Ahhhh! I see!" Luck nodded. "But, my lord, sorry if this is not my ce to ask, but shouldn''t you go to sleep and rest? You worked hard today and the sun will soon shine." Luck seemed genuinely concerned, yet Alucard could not help but smile at his suggestion. "Don''t worry Luck, I''m a vampire, I don''t tire like many others do nor do I need sleep. It will be good practice for me to get used to this new self of this world. I''m going to stay up and study sleepless for as long as it takes, I''m gonna learn thisnguage in no time, speedrunning has always been my specialty" Alucard organized the papers on his desk in a way that was best for him, and he brought out that book that Havel had lent him and set it on the table. He was fully aware that what he was about to do will be more than challenging, but it must be done in order to break out of his human habits and to further his ns of living in this new world. "My lord What''s speedrunning?" Three days had past since Alucard''s first visit to the library, and in those three days he had not slept a single time. In thete nights and when the sun was shining, he could always be found in his room with papers and books in hand, deep into his studies while Luck would be sleeping to rest his living, non-undead self. And, when the sun began to set, he would leave the empty guild hall to visit the library once more, where he and Havel would continue their lessons. It was an experience that drained Alucard more than he could ever imagine, not physically but mentally. His body did not tire, but his mind was not ustomed to working at all times. Still, he persevered and he felt like the results were more than worth it. He had made much progress in that time. Although he only felt slightly morefortable in his own body, he now feltfortable reading the levels of the posted requests on the message boards along with some details, yet not proficient enough to read an entire book. Other than the mental fatigue, there seemed to be one other consequence He felt his hunger grow exponentially faster. And it was no simple hunger, when he tried to satiate it by hunting animals around the city, he found it to be no use. It was a time that Alucard knew woulde, a time of both risk and happiness. It was once again time to consume human blood... Chapter 41: The Feast of Dread Chapter 41: The Feast of Dread The sun had long set and the streets were consumed in a thick darkness that was only alleviated by several torches. Alucard walked back from the library for thest time until the foreseeable future and he had already told Havel that he was going to take a break he felt like his reading abilities were more than good enough for now. It was a break not only to find something to eat, but because an uing event will soon ur, an event he needed to capitalize on in the guild. his reserve of money was not endless nor would it sustain him much longer money was a resource he was in dire need to obtain. And in order to do that, a silver rank needed to be attained, two ranks higher than his current copper. But still, he had his priorities, and his priority now was to make this unspeakable pain aching his mind and body end, like millions of small, lethal parasites gnawing at him from the inside, sucking away his vitality. He had already derived a n to feast, but now he felt far too drained that he knew not if that n was even feasible. His eyesight was growing blurry, and that feeling of pain crawling around his body exemplified. Those were signs of what happened before, he feared that he would once again be consumed into a blood frenzy, one that would no doubt spell the end of him. That was when his dull eyes fell upon a certain part of the road on the far-right, deep in an alleyway. There he saw a young man sleeping, shivering from the cold yet still clearly unconscious. He was sat with his back facing the road ahead, seemingly holding a dark object tightly in his hands. His limbs were thin as twigs, he doubted there was much separating his skin from his skeleton. His dirt-stained rags that were clearly once white were now a deep, festered brown. His skin was filled with bruises and cuts, crawling with tiny insects; some of whom made their way to his brown hair that was no doubt a nest for their offsprings. And a disgusting smell hovered over him, like the smell of rot and fecal matter. It was a man that Alucard would see every time he would walk back from the library, yet most of the time he would blend in with the background. But now, he seemed like nothing but a massive sack of fresh, sweet human blood Blood that he needed for his own survival... As though his body moved on its own out of pure instinct, Alucard stepped closer to that alleyway. The roads were empty, and no windows were open in sight, there was no better time than now. A homeless man is a perfect target, the scum of society that no one would bat an eye if they were gone. [ Nightstalker] He mumbled, activating a spell in a low breath, a new one from his vampire ss that reduced his visibility at night. It was not long until he found himself at the foot of the alleyway, and the man was soonid directly in front of him like a full course meal. He felt absolutely nothing as he looked down, it was nothing but food after all. Alucard was consumed by hunger, but he was more than certain he was still himself. Recklessness was could not be tolerated when any mistake would spell the end for him. He opened his cloak and brought out his arms, and using his metallic gauntlets, he stabbed through the man''s neck and ripped out his vocal cords as he had done once before, the process was swift and precise, leaving no mess behind other than blood dripping out of his neck. The man was immediately shot awake. He felt like he could no longer breathe, but when he turned around was when his breath was truly taken away. *Queeek* *So* *N-* Queeek* Alucard watched as his pain-filled face turned into pale dread. Fear and bewilderment engulfed him unlike ever before. He tried to scream, but only a pitiful squeal utterly invisible to the ear exited his mouth. Alucard expected him to panic, so he prepared to kill him on the spot before he could run away or bang the rocky walls to draw attention, but he was surprised to see that rather than that, the man lunged over towards that object he had been hugging from before like it was thest thing he would ever do. Alucard could not help but smile, even in his dying breath, he wanted to protect whatever money and possessions he had left. And without a second thought, he wasted no time snapping his neck to reduce the mess of piercing his flesh once more. [ +2 XP! ] That was when he finally removed his mask, revealing his fangs and blood-red eyes before he bent down to enjoy the meal. He watched as the familiar look of his meal shrivelling up into a hollowed husk devoid of liquid, and he relished in the feeling of blood. The feeling was blissful, better than animal he could have found in the wild, yet something about the taste left much to be desiredpared to every other human he had consumed, like a murky taste mixed in with the sweetness. Nevertheless, it was more than enough to nearly fulfill his blood craving. And as the homeless man stuck between his teeth was nearly suckedpletely dry, he heard a slight mumbleing from directly ahead of him, and a feeling of panic and alertnesspletely overtook his senses. "W-wha D-dad" "D-dad? What was that sound? Are you okay..." Alucard watched as a small, humanoid figure no taller than his kneecaps rose out of the homeless man''s hands, wearing a dress-like filthy cloth all over his body. As he stiffly rose up on two feet, he immediately yawned and rubbed his eyes. The world slowly set into the boy''s hazy, dark engulfed vision There was only a slight lighting from the faraway streets, yet it seemed to be more than enough for him to make out what just happened... His body began to tremble, and his eyes dted into the size of peas as a feeling unlike any other overcame his trembling, crying body "What Ah... DA" However, before he could even finish screaming for his dead father, he found a dagger deeply impaled into his throat, and a pain that put him back to sleep from the nightmare he just witnessed forevermore... Chapter 41: Late Night Hunting Chapter 41: Late Night Hunting IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE! Before I say anything, I would like to greatly apologize from the bottom of my heart. I deleted thest chapter because it was brought to my attention that it did not make sense for what I had established in the story. Just forget that chapter ever happened. I beg for your forgiveness, I truly let you down. But please, if you ever find any problems, don''t be afraid to let me know, I''m always open to and even greatly appreciate feedback criticism and I''m always looking to improve. My goal is to give you the best story I can and nothing else. Thank you to those who have supported me all this time, that truly means the world to me and motivates me unlike anything else. I truly appreciate every single one of you. And with that being said, here is the rewritten, new chapter, I hope you enjoy it... ************************ The night-time, stary sky felt brighter than usual, yet Alucard could not peer up at it through the thickyer of trees where heid. The air was calming, nothing but the sound of forest ambiance and night-time crickets. He slept in a small dip on the ground with a book in hand, looking up and trying his best to read the pages. Despite thepleteck of light, he had no problems reading it considering his night-vision. The flowery grass all around him had a refreshing scent, and his head felt morefortable resting on the grass than on his dorm-room pillow which seemed like a rock inparison. He hadn''t felt more rxed in a very long time, the bustling city was filled with much headache and anxiety, but out in the forest near the main path around the outskirts of the city, it was like a whole new world. "Luck, do you see anyone yet?" Alucard whispered, casually looking up at the book he had in hand, the same one he had borrowed from Havel when they had first met. "Not yet my lord" Luck yawned a tired response. It was the second day that they had been camping the same areate at night, yet nothing seemed to be showing up. In those two days, Alucard had told Havel that he would not be returning to the library for quite some time. The sudden break was all due to two major reasons, and luckily for him, he felt like his reading abilities were more than good enough for now. the first reason was that in theing days, there would be a special event at the guild that he certainly did not want to miss, and in order to take advantage of it, a silver rank needed to be attained, two ranks above his current copper. However, that was not the main problem. No, it was all due to his sudden hunger for blood. Alucard had assumed that he had more than enough time until the next time he was forced to feed, after all, the first time he went into a frenzy hested weeks without the taste of human blood. But now, in less than seven days, he felt that hunger crawling ever so closer towards him once more. To him, it made no sense and it interfered with his nning and organization. The only reason he could conclude was that hisck of sleep and immense mental fatigue over the past few study days were the culprits and it had greatly sped up his need for blood. It was not something overwhelming, he could more than control it with ease, but the fact it was even there was reason enough for Alucard to hunt before it got out of hand. At first, he tried to satisfy his hunger by hunting wild animals, but that soon proved ineffective, so he quickly changed his ns, which was why he sat where he did today. Finding a meal within the city would be too risky, and Alucard was not willing to take such a massive risk. So, every night for the past two days, he and Luck sat in the exact same spot near the main, slightly lit road, a ce that after many hours of scouting the area, concluded would be the most likely ce to wait for some sort of bandits to arrive due to the hilly nature were cover was easily found. Considering the state of the city, Alucard assumed that it would not be too long until he found someone, but seeing how things had been going for the past two days, that certainly did not seem like the case. ''Maybe we need to switch hiding spots'' He sighed, pondering to himself. "My lord I''m sorry if this is not my ce to ask, but why would we not attack unarmed vigers, travellers or caravans, we had seen much of them isted." Luck whispered. "Simple, I''m really in no rush and I''d rather fill myself up with quality blood. Innocent vigers and merchants are probably weak, their blood would be of lower quality while the bandits would be stronger. The stronger the opponent, the better quality blood it is Anything else is not worth my time since it wouldn''t really satisfy my needs for long and I''d much rather spend it reading. Besides, bandits are nobodies, no one would bat an eye if they''re gone" Alucard casually spoke, flipping through a page of his book. To Alucard, his reasoning made sense. However, at the same time, he could not help but feel like a part of him was fighting to convince himself it was more sound inparison to Luck''s suggestion. "I see it makes sense to me now I thought you were having mercy on these humans... Thank you for enlightening me," "Well, Luck, that is also part of the reason in the end. I''d rather not take my chances with that kind of thing unless absolutely necessary. For all we know, this world is predominantly ruled by humans and we would be forced to live amongst their ranks. It would be a good idea to not risk trouble and even build up a good reputation," "You know I never thought of it like that" Luck replied, his previous half-asleep eyes wide in realization. "I re" "Shhhh" But before Luck could continue what he had to say, he was promptly interrupted by his lord. "I think I hear somethinging this way" It was a familiar sound that he had heard many times before, the sound of wheels rolling and bumping on a hard surface. However, this time it was apanied by another sound, one far more subtle It was the sound of footsteps... "Luck, fly up and don''te down unless absolutely necessary, understood?" Alucard whispered, and with nothing but a look of acknowledgement, the dimly lit Luck did as he was told, flying high up in the sky. Alucard closed his book and put it away, yet he did not move from his position where no light would reach. He waited patiently still, not even taking a single breath as he heard the sound of footsteps in the forest and the rolling wheels approaching ever louder. In that entire time, he spoke nothing but a single word that he mumbled in a low breath. [ Nightstalker], a new spell from his vampire ss that reduced his visibility at night. It did not make him invisible, but with it, he was much better able to camouge within the darkness and disappear from anyone other than the keen-eyed. As he waited still as a pebble on the side of the road, he noticed a slight light in the distance from whatever vehicle was approaching, and not too long after did he notice the sound of footsteps growing even louder, and a figure suddenly bursting out from behind him, jumping straight over him tond directly on the small hill to his right. Although the enemy was mere meters away, Alucard remained unmoving, and only when the carriage drew even nearer did he find it safe to finally move, crouching to peer up at his target as the sound of his movements were drowned out by the rolling wheels. He could not help but inwardly smile under his expressionless mask. He could not believe his luck, it seemed like his patience had paid off in full. Yet, that did not mean that he could be careless or that it was going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, strategy and using his night-time advantages were imperative for sess. Ahead of him was a hooded man dressed in all ck, crouched down overlooking the lit, main road with a sword in hand,pletely oblivious to the man behind him who was bathed in the night-time dark where that light did not reach. To Alucard, it was clear that they nned an ambush, and he was certainly not alone. His window of opportunity was slowly closing, and Alucard had to act quickly. Yet, there was no panic in his movements, almost like he was a trained predator. He sharpened his mind and dampened his steps, slowly approaching his target, knowing exactly when to strike... Chapter 43: A Fated Encounter Chapter 43: A Fated Encounter The tables of battle had suddenly been turned, and the bandits were on theirst legs. Their unity waspletely broken, and all that was left of them was panic and their selfish will to survive. Alucard used all of his powers and all his senses. He threw caution to the wind, yet in the current state of battle, caution was not nearly as required. He stayed in the shadows no longer as he showed himself in an attempt to take out as many enemies as he could. The bandits in front of him were nothing but piles of walking blood and XP, and it was a race against time to see how many he could eliminate before those four unknown warriors did it for him. Like a grim reaper wielding daggers, he elegantly manoeuvred his way around the battlefield cutting down all those who stood in his path in a manner that felt all too natural. Anyone who recklessly approached from behind was sted with a quick fireball they did not expect, and any others would be taken out from the dark with dagger-y they had never seen before in their lives. As he neared his foes, he could immediately sense the fear overwhelming them, some even stood motionless as their heads were cleaved clean off and rolled on the ground, showering the battlefield in crimson blood like a sprinkler. His blood furor passive seemed to be doing its job quite well. He did not feel much stronger than the average bandit, yet the air of dominance and death exuding from him killing so many sent fear down their spines, unlike any fear they had felt in a very long time. Eventually, he had made his way towards the carriage, and there did he and the four warriors finallye face to face. They simply shared a nce for a split second acknowledging each other''s presence, and in that split second, it was more than clear that they were on the same side. The center of the battlefield was far morepact than that of the outskirts filled with weak-hearted, fleeing bandits, it posed much more of a challenge. However, he along with those four warriors worked together in ways he would have never predicted tobat them. As they fought side-by-side, Alucard noticed the use of what he could only assume to be Ki arts he had never seen before in his life. Things such as the man with the great sword-swinging only a single time, but that single vertical swing would take out four enemies as if it were four shes, and immense gusts of wind emitting from the bow user''s arrows as they cleave through the air. They had each other''s back and covered their weaknesses, working in tandem like he too was part of their team, almost as though it were instinct. And before long, all the bandits that once stood were dead, littering the ground, all but a few of them who had willingly surrendered themselves for questioning, and their leader cloaked in purple, not out of choice but by force. ''Seems like all has been taken care of'' Alucard breathed a slight sigh of relief beneath his mask and resheathed his des under his now filthy cloak, taking slight looks towards the four men to his side. ''Gold tes huh? Interesting'' Through the mayhem and thick of battle, he did not notice it, but now that it was calm and all over did he remark the gold te hung around all of their necks. "S-sir Lisvern The sound has stopped Is it safe to finallye out" The voice of a terrified man suddenly appeared as the doors to the carriage were slowly opened. "Yes coachman, it''s all over! You did a damn good job staying calm when it came to it! You can tell the mistress that the danger has been taken care of! "The bloody-faced, blonde-haired warrior previously wielding a greatsword smiled towards the worried middle-aged man as he finished tying one of the surrendered bandits. "Y-yes, sir!" He replied, quickly shutting the door. "There we go!" He smiled, dusting his hands off. "If you guys don''t mind, tie up the rest for me will ya?" "Got it," His team nodded towards him like he was their leader as they continued doing as they were told. The blond, greatsword-wielding man of slightly above average height and looks now known as Lisvern took a deep breath, and shifted his ocean-like aqua eyes to a certain man to his side. "You''ve sure stayed quiet there leader You''ve really got nothing to say? If you answer my questions you can save yourself a lot of pain Why did you want to harm the mistress? Who sent you? Your men don''t seem to know, they just blindly followed you..." "I ain''t sayin anything! Torture me all you''d like!" The leader scoffed, curling his lips. "Fine, be that way" Lisvern sighed, turning away from him and instead redirecting his attention to the masked man in the distance, and his serious expression immediately subsided into an upbeat smile. "Hello there stranger! Thank you so much for your help! We really worked well together out there! Without you, I wasn''t sure we would have been able to protect the carriage. You''re a lifesaver! Sadly, I don''t think mydy has time to see you nor to pay you for your efforts, but me and my team and in your debt!" "Oh, no need for the ttery, I just did what I thought to be best and nothing more As soon as I saw those bandits I knew what had to be done... I just happened to be sleeping around here when I heard peoplee this way. It''s quite a coincidence really." "Come on man! You''re being too modest! My team and I and really do owe you one! Not only did you buy enough time for Taylor toplete his protection spell so they didn''t burn down the carriage, but you also caused distress in their ranks and split their formation almost in half when the leader sent people to look for you in the forest!" "I see Well, it''s truly my pleasure to help and fight alongside you," Alucard nodded. "Likewise!" Lisvern''s smile grew even brighter. "Anyways, why would you be sleeping in the forest sote at night? Do you not have anywhere to sleep?" He casually asked. "Well, I''m an adventurer at the guild, so I have a roof I can call home in the room I''m renting. But that ce is far less thanfortable." "Wait! You''re also an adventurer!? Huh But How are you only a COPPER RANK!? That''s unbelievable!! With your skill, you should be at least silver! No! Probably even gold!" His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he noticed the copper te hanging around his neck. "Well, I only joined the guild a few days ago and had yet to embark on a single mission yet. You see, I''m new to this city of Anri and I spent my first few days here getting ustomed to my new environment." "Ahhh! That makes a lot more sense now!" Lisvern''s bewilderment lessened. "Anyways, if you don''t mind me asking. Seeing how you too are an adventurer, how have you been hired to do this? It''s strictly forbidden for my knowledge since an adventurer''s only job is to hunt down monsters." Alucard asked with a hint of curiosity. "Oh, well, that''s quite simple!" He smirked crossing his arms. "We were never hired to deal with bandits, we were only tasked to protect our targets from possible monster attacks as we escort them. What we did here was self-defence, nothing in the guild rules stopping us from doing that!" "Smart," Alucard simpered from beneath his mask. "Lisvern! We''re all done here! We should really get going to tell the authorities to clean this up and to get our mistress to safety!" There was a sudden voice from behind, and Lisvern immediately answered and turned his head. "One second! I''ll be right there!" He yelled back. "I see that you''re busy. It was quite nice talking to you. But, I think it''d be best if we part ways here. I need not pry further into your mission anymore just like you didn''t pry too much into me. Whatever you''re doing seems to be pretty important and secretive seeing how many bandits were out to get you. Best of luck to you and your team." "Wait! But before you go! Can you tell me your name?" "Alucard My name is Alucard" He turned around and responded. "Alucard eh? Pretty cool name! Well, I''m Lisvern! The leader of the Hollow yers adventure group! It''s truly an honour to meet you! And as you leave! Remember this, I''m in your debt! If you even need anything please let me know!" He put his arm out for a handshake, and Alucard shook it with no real hesitation. "I''ll be d to take you up on that offer!" They tightly shook each other''s hands and let go at the same time, and without exchanging a single word more did Alucard once again turn around and stride back into the darkness where he emerged. "Lisvern! Come on! What''s taking so long?" "Coming!" He nodded and ran towards the carriage, and when he turned his head around for an instant, he noticed that the once masked man who was there was no longer visible and hadpletely disappeared into the night, and he could not help but smile as he turned around, running faster towards his carriages open doors. "Lady Filiarnore, those bandits were certainly sent by someone from the capital! Not many knew of your departure, and so many bandits sent was no mere coincidence! An official from the castle wants you dead!" "Apologies for being sote," Lisvern spoke, entering therge carriage in the middle of another speech and closing the door behind him. Inside the lightly decorated wooden carriage were six figures that had more than enough room to mark their own territory. The four adventurers who had just fought in battle were drenched in blood from head to toe, and had it not been for their spell caster''s expertise would thedy they were tasked to protect most likely find it ufortable, she and her assistant. She was ady with a gentle, elegant air to her looks. Her thin, tender arms were exposed through the snow-white dress that hugged her rather tightly, and her face was barely seen through the thick veil covering her features. "Lisvern, what took you so long? We even cleaned out all the corpses so the carriage can properly move," The short-statured rapier wielder spoke. "Oh, I was just talking to the guy in the mask, that''s all'' Lisvern casually responded. "I see, but we''re in a hurry. I''m sure we''ll see him again soon" He inwardly nodded. That was when a soft, tender voice soothed into their ears, and their attentions were immediately grabbed by the fair maiden in white who had barely spoken to them ever since their depart. "Who is this masked man you speak of?" She asked, and the stiff-looking Lisvern immediately responded. "Mydy, he was an adventurer who had been lying down here to rx when he sensed danger approaching. Then he helped us defeat those bandits attacking us by causing confusion in their ranks and splitting their numbers, we would have never survived without him" "Ahhh I see" She nodded slightly. "Where is he now? I would have liked to see the face of my saviour" Lisvern''s eyes grew wide hearing such a request, and not before gulping a mouth-full of saliva did he reply. "Apologies mydy, but the man you seek is no longer with us. He had already left for the city of Anri." "Oh, tis a pity indeed...'' She sighed. "What was his name?" "His name was Alucard, and he was a copper rank adventurer." "An odd name indeed" "Lady Filianore! I-If I had known you would have wanted his presence I would have not let him leave so easily. I-I just assumed that you did not want to slow down or risk exposing who you are... He shouldn''t be that far mydy! If I leave now, I should be able to find him and bring him back!" "No need for that," She waved her hands. "I have a feeling that this was not thest time we meet Certainly, one day, we will be fated to meet again" Chapter 1: Alucards Character Sheet (Updated to The Most Recent Chapter) Chapter 1: Alucard''s Character Sheet (Updated to The Most Recent Chapter) ************************** Name: BallsDeep69 Race: Vampire Level: 13 Avable stat points : 0 Avable ss points: 0 Stats ************* HP: 12 MP: 12 PHY. ATK: 20 MAG. ATK: 12 PHY. DEF: 13 MAG. DEF: 12 AGILITY: 20 SPECIAL: 16 RESIST: 7 ************* Magic and Skills ************* Bind [ Tier 2] Blood Arts: Limit Burst [Tier 4] Bludgeoning Resistance [ Tier 2] Charm Person [Tier 3] Drain [Tier 3] FireBall [Tier 3] Full Moon: Crimson Nova [Tier 6] Ice Shards [Tier 2] Minor Strenght Boost [Tier 2] Nightstalker [Tier 3] Quick Sprint [Tier 1] Snare [ Tier 2] {Click to see details} ************* Passives ************* Bludgeoning Vulnerability V Critical Hit Immunity Dark Vision Death Magic Immunity Basic Disease Immunity Fire Vulnerability V Silver Vulnerability V Eating, Drinking, and Breathing are Unnecessary Energy Drain Immunity Good, Light and Holy Vulnerability V Mind-affecting Immunity Stalker''s Gift ;) Necromancy Resistance Paralysis Immunity Cold Resistance II Fast Healing I Physical Penalty Resistance Poisoning Immunity Recover by Negative Energy Sleep Immunity Sun Vulnerability V Weapon Damage Resistance I Spell Damage Resistance I ************* Special Passives ************* Blood Lust Blood Frenzy Blood Furor Undead Presence {Click to see details} ************* Race sses Vampire (LVL 5) ************* Job sses ************* Battle Mage (Level 4) Blood Sucker (Level 4) ************* Pending sses Assassin ************* Chapter 44: After The Battle Chapter 44: After The Battle Through the open, grassy ins separating the forest to the city, unhindered from the stary sky walked Alucard, the wind blowing on his face and much brewing in his mind. ''What What was that?'' He thought, shaking his head. At first, he had nned to request some sort of reward from whoever was in that carriage. After all, he did save their lives. And from the evidence presented to him, they seemed fairly rich. But, that n suddenly changed, and he decided to quickly leave instead and not push any further. There was a certain disturbance he sensed from that carriage, a feeling overwhelming all his wits, screaming at him to leave and not approach as though it was forbidden ground. It was a feeling he had felt once before during the night of the escape from his capture, yet this one possessed a different, subtle, more tranquil vibe. Indeed, his curiosity was peaked yet, he dared not approach as though it was a primal survival instinct begging him to leave. It was a matter he would leave for another time, he was certain he would eventually find answers. This was just more of a reminder that he was still far too weak and that this world was a vicious ce where no one could be trusted and where danger could be found even in the least likely of ces and in the most honest looking of people, which now that he thought about it, shared many parallels with the world he once called home. It was more reason for him to stay on edge and not let his guard down no matter what. Still, that did not mean that his venture was all for naught. In fact, it was quite the opposite, it was more of a sess than he ever anticipated. Not only did he sessfully satiate his hunger, but he had earned the favour of a gold rank adventurer group and had most certainly raised his own reputation doing so. However, what was most sessful about the endeavour in his mind was all the XP and levels he had obtained. After so long, he had finally managed to break past the level 10 threshold, going all the way from level 9 to level 13 from a single encounter. There was much he needed to assign. It was more XP than he could have ever imagined. He could not help but smirk from beneath his mask as he opened his stats menu and assigned all of his points ording to what he had nned. ************************** Name: BallsDeep69 Race: Vampire Level: 13 Avable stat points : 0 Avable ss points: 1 Stats ************* HP: 12 MP: 12 PHY. ATK: 20 MAG. ATK: 12 PHY. DEF: 13 MAG. DEF: 12 AGILITY: 20 SPECIAL: 15 RESIST: 7 ************* Magic and Skills ************* Bind [ Tier 2] Blood Arts: Limit Burst [Tier 4] Bludgeoning Resistance [ Tier 2] Charm Person [Tier 3] Drain [Tier 3] FireBall [Tier 3] Full Moon: Crimson Nova [Tier 6] Ice Shards [Tier 2] Minor Strenght Boost [Tier 2] Nightstalker [Tier 3] Quick Sprint [Tier 1] Snare [ Tier 2] {Click to see details} ************* Special Passives ************* Blood Lust Blood Frenzy Blood Furor Undead Presence {Click to see details} ************* Race sses Vampire (LVL 5) ************* Job sses ************* Battle Mage (Level 4) Blood Sucker (Level 3) ************* Pending sses Assassin ************* He finished allocating his stat points, yet he still had 1 ss point remaining that he was unsure where to assign. And, as he pondered, he could not help but find his eyes hovering over the single pending ss he had just obtained. The Assassin ss. It was a ss he had been curious about ever since he had entered this new world. In theory, it would be a ss that would perfectlypliment the abilities of a vampire. However, reality was not as generous. In fact, many of the spells and passives unlocked through the assassin ss had their counterparts within the vampire and even the battle mage sses. Perfect examples of this were skills such as Nightstalker, which was a clear upgrade over the assassin ss''s Deception Veil but exclusive for vampires. The Illusionist ss was a much better asset to him, and a ss certainly on his list to obtain. The only benefit he could possibly see to justify the Assassin ss was it was one of the only sses that possessed a perk where sneak attacks delt extra damage depending on the "SPECIAL" stat. However, that perk was rather useless the more he thought about it. In rebirth, stealth kills meant more than nothing and were difficult to execute. The bulk of the game would simply not allow it to happen due to the highly perceptive AI or it was simply not viable, such as in boss encounters where seeking was not possible. On the other hand, if that perk also existed in the new world, would not have its use either, especially for a melee-wizard hybrid such as his current self. If he had the ability to sneak up on someone, then it would be natural to go for their vitals and take them out with one strike. The extra damage from the perk would have been wasted. Although If the min-maxed build he had in mind was possible, that perk may be his best asset in the future "My Lord! Sorry for the dy! I just wanted to make sure no one saw me. So! How did it all go?" That was when he suddenly heard a voice from above, and as he turned around to face the sound did he notice a beaming purple winged fairy fluttering his wings. "Yeah, all went well. You did a good job too noting down. I''m full, and I got stronger, what more can I ask for really?" He smiled from beneath his mask. ''I guess I''ll save this assassin ss untilter. I can always go back and get it if I ever change my mind.'' He thought to himself, assigning his final ss point into "Blood Sucker" for faster, more efficient blood siphoning and one extra stat in "SPECIAL". Battlemage was not as important to him currently since he had already extracted all that he needed from the ss for now the next spell he would have the chance to obtain from it would not be able to be fully utilized with his current stats, so, he thought it would be best for him to save it forter. On the other hand, he would have put the stat into "Vampire, however, his Vampire ss had already reached its maximum. Currently, if he wanted to upgrade it he would have to reach level twenty, so bloodsucker was both his best and only option, one that he was more than happy to spend his points on. "But did the people you saved give you a reward?" Luck wondered. "There was need," Alucard waved. "It''s best that way, for now, don''t worry." "I see" Luck paused and pondered before gently gliding down on Alucard''s shoulders to rest. "You tired?" Alucard continued to casually walk as Luck made himselffortable on his shoulders. "I haven''t had good sleep in days My apologies" Luck yawned. "You did a good job, just rest for now," Alucard chuckled. "So is it over? Where are we going now?" "Yeah, It''s over," Alucard smiled. "We won''t stay up in the forest hunting like that again for quite some time. Or, at least until the next time I get hungry. Right now we''re heading back to the dorm. Like I said, you really should rest, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." "Really? What is it?" Luck''s tired voice sprung to life once more, and Alucard could not help but notice the excitement in his voice as he responded. "Tomorrow will be our first task as adventurers" Chapter 45: Unfortunate Circumstances Chapter 45: Unfortunate Circumstances "My lord! Wake up! It''s 9:00 am!" "Oh Good It''s finally time" Alucard replied in a rxed voice. It was now the early morning, and Alucard felt refreshed, fit as a fiddle from the first ounce of sleep he had experienced in many days. The bustling atmosphere of the hall underneath leaked through the walls of his room, after all, now was the time when the guild would receive and post new missions for the day on the bulletin board, and like many things in life, it was firste first serve. During his break, Alucard had done his research. Right now, he was dead bottom as a copper, and in order to obtain the silver te he strived for, there were many things he could do. The adventurer ranks were based off minerals around the world and went as follows from least to greatest: Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold, tinum, Amarium, Zeal, Titanite, and Oblivion. Each level would be based on both a mixture of the guild evaluation and the amount of money the client would be willing to pay. The danger levels were ssified into tiers, ranging from beasts that even armed farmers could stave off to country toppling threats humanity could only dream of facing. They went as follows: [ Level 1] : 1-9 [ Level 2] : 10-19 [ Level 3] : 20-29 [ Level 4] : 30-39 [ Level 5] : 40-49 [ Level 6] : 50-59 [ Level 7] : 60-69 [ Level 8] : 70-79 [ Level 9] : 80-89 [ Level 10] : 90-99 [ Level 11] : 100+ Generally, to progress from copper to iron a total of ten low-end ''Level 1'' missions needed to bepleted, that or a single mission of ''Level 2'' difficulty. And to reach from Iron to silver, ten ''Level 2'' missions or a single ''Level 3'' mission needed to bepleted. Currently, Alucard''s n was very simple, no need to mix and match, he would take the fastest route to silver bypleting a level 2 mission and a level 3 mission back to back, and he felt more thanfortable doing so as long as the requests met his criteria. As such, in order to ensure he found one that did, he would have to race downstairs and enter a crowded guild hall for the first-ever time since his initial arrival. The first thing he needed to ensure was of course to find a mission suited for a vampire-like him; a dark cave or a request for night-time hunting would be ideal. And, the second was the estimated time he needed toplete it, which was arguably even more important in his eyes. There were three weeks remaining until the event he wanted to attend would officially close. However, when he told Raven about his leave, he only allowed him a maximum of two weeks off from his studies or else he would not only cut off his free tutoring but instead charge him twice the price, and the thought of that made him inwardly shudder. Alucard fought through the light hindering him through the blinds of his room and prepared all he needed before leaving, Luck firmly in his pocket like normal. Immediately upon exiting through the creaking doors, the change in atmosphere was clear. The hallway that he had never seen looking like anything but an empty wastend was now filled with adventurers conversing along with servants and maids walking through. Not even a second after he took his first step, he noticed several nces in his direction, ones casual and that did not stand out through the sea of conversations. Alucard sighed his presence was unique and undeniable, there was no need to act subtle and conspicuous. Most looking at him bore different expressions, and Alucard didn''t have time to analyze their demeanour as he quickly made his way through with his back straight and head up high as though he had no care in the world. As expected, the main guildhall was even more crowded than the hallways, yet it was not congested to the point one wouldn''t be able tofortably maneuver. Many of the people sat in groups around their tables, eating their morning breakfastughing and cheering, others were at the front desks where the tens of staff workers were busy, yet the bulk of them was towards the back watching from afar as a single man who marched up to a bulletin board with a pile of papers in hand, pinning them as fast as he could. ''Seems like I''m notte at all'' Alucard smirked walking down the stairs, reaching the bulletin board''s crowds where he turned several heads as he casually marched towards the front of the group. Even before the man had finished posting all of the new missions, Alucard was already reading them from afar to preemptively pick one out. Yet, sadly, his reading speed was far too slow to even remotely keep up with the pace that the missions were being posted. And as he did so, he could not help but pick up on the conversations from his side. "Hey! Did ya hear the news?" "What news?" "Look at the sign over there?" "Does it look like I can read? That shit is written in cursive! What does it say?" "It says that due to unfortunate circumstances, the ''House of Knowledge'' will close in four days." "For real!? Why?" "I''m not sure... It doesn''t say..." "Shit! Well, that''s a damn fucking shame! I had so many bright ideas to propose Ain''t no way I''m getting to silver rank with even a week!" "Same There''s always next year though" ''FOUR DAYS!?'' Alucard''s eyes nearly dropped out of his mask and rolled off the ground. He could not believe his own ears, so he decided to check himself for the chance that perhaps that this was all some sick joke. Yet, as he turned his head towards the poster, his eye sockets abruptly dted into panic and his unbeaten heart lurched down to the deepest depths of his body. He had nned for two weeks, which was more than manageable but four days sounded damn near impossible, and he had no time to wait for next year. The only way he could even conceivably aplish this was if he were to choose a mission of level four difficulty to instantly shoot up in the ranking. However, that was impossible by himself. As a copper rank, the highest request he could ept was that of a level 2. The only way this would be even possible was if he joined a silver-ranked adventurer group willing to not only embark on a level 4 mission that was rmended for gold ranks but also be willing to take him, a copper rank with no experience in the field along with them, which sounded more ridiculous the more he thought about it. Alucard stood motionless as though he had malfunctioned. He was a calcted man, yet he had not foreseen such a drastic change in time which ruined everything. The man posting the requests had long finished posting, and the various adventurers were already swarming around ripping papers off the walls. His brain was spinning in high gear, and the world gradually began to slow down, numb and fade all around him. And that was when in the mayhem and mental turmoil did he catch a glimpse of shiny gold hung around a man''s neck out of the very corner of his eyes A glimpse of a single man and his team sat around a table happily eating and drinking their meals. He was a man that Alucard immediately did not think he would see so soon once again, yet his presence rekindled the me in Alucard''s soul and inspired a chuckle from underneath his mask followed by a wide grin from ear to ear. ''Lucky you... Looks like you can now pay your debt sooner than you thought'' Chapter 46: Quick Reunion Chapter 46: Quick Reunion "Damn this ce is crowded! We barely even got a ce to stay in the guildhall! I damn near thought we''d be forced into booking hotels from outside!" A man chuckled and mmed hisrge wooden mug on the table. "Well, goes to show how many refugees arrived in the city after the attacks I see a lot of copper tes. I bet a lot of people were forced to be adventures to survive and pay the bills. It must have all been pretty wild," Another man responded, his demeanour far calmer than the man adjacent to him as he casually took a sip of his drink. "So where we goin now? We just gonna stay here?" "Our mission is over, so I''d say it''d be best if we headed back to the capital." "I guess" A blonde adventurer sighed as he casually took a sip, listening to hisrades, trying his best to block out the bustling nature of the outside world. But that was when through the thick crowds, he caught a glimpse of a man that breathed life into his amiable eyes. "Hmmm? Alucard? Is that you! Hey! How''s it been! It''s great to see you again so soon!" "Same to you sir Lisvern, I hope you and your team had a safe journey after yesterday''s events," Alucard nodded his head out of respect before looking up towards his teammate''s stares. "My apologies, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Alucard, a new copper rank adventurer in the guild. We had fought briefly alongside each other yesterday on the road, I hope I''m not being an inconvenience to any of you." "Hey man! Stop being so stiff! They already know all about you! You''ve got some serious skills! What are you doing still standing up? Come take a seat and join us!" Lisvernughed heartily and tapped Alucard''s back in a friendly manner. "Thank you so much for your hospitality," Alucard bowed and pulled a chair in an open space around the table beside Lisvern and the Bow user from the day before. "You know, you''re a lot more formal than I thought No simple kid from the boonies talks like that... Your entire being is weird You''re a poor masked man with less than optimal attire fighting on the level of a silver or gold rank adventurer. But, you''re only a copper rank And not only that, you just happened to be in the right ce at the right time to help us..." Alucard raised an eyebrow and turned his head to where that voice emerged and his gaze met the rapier wielder who was by far the shortest of the group. His soft, less than rugged characteristics along with his height made him seem like a child, his scruffy reddish hair was short and poignant, his eyes were closed leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed as he spoke, only to open his fiery ocean blue gaze upon him like missile fire. "Vernon, what''s this all about? Why are you being such a prick?" Lisvern retorted. "I''m just saying the facts as it is. I can''t deny that he did save us and without him, things would have been much different. But that doesn''t mean I''m gonna trust him so easily, even if you force me Lisvern. Bottom-line is, I can''t say I can trust a man who I can''t even see their face" "Hey I''m really sorry for what he said... Don''t listen to him too much. He''s always cranky and mistrusting but Vernon is a really nice guy I don''t doubt your intentions and I''m truly grateful for what you''ve done Th-thank you" The brown-robed spell caster spoke, trying his best to disperse the problem as heforted and apologized. His voice was soft and gentle, yet at the same time rather jittery and filled with nervousness. His caramel hair was cut short, and his eyes shined brightly like encrusted amethysts. He was the next shortest in the group ahead of Vernon, the rapier wielder and his features were gentle, and his constitution was skinnypared to his peers even from what Alucard could perceive under the abnormally baggy robe. "No need to apologize, he has a point and I agree. If I were you, I wouldn''t trust me either," Alucard sighed. "I''m a new adventurer who arrived here from a faraway, rural vige. I''ve trained ever since I was young. I''m a simple copper rank since all must start at the bottom and I had yet toplete any mission since I had only just arrived in town. When I was but a little child, I was greatly abused, and my face suffered the punishment," He held his mask tightly, lifting it up only slightly revealing his chin. His skin was scarred bright red, and it seemed as though it was filled with disgusting rot. From the little that they saw, they inwardly shuddered, and the drinks they had just drunk began to react vigorously with their turning stomachs. "That''s all you''re gonna get and I don''t n to show more. I''ve worn this mask ever since my scars Never once took it off and don''t n to now either. If you want to trust me, it''s up to you. But just like you don''t trust me I don''t fully trust any of you either. I''ve no need to exin myself any further." "Great! That''s not bad!" Lisvernughed. "This is like how all rtionships start! We may not have trust now but I''m sure we''ll build some soon! We did fight life or death with each other! That''s more than I could say for even my closest buddies at home!" "I''d have to agree with Lisvern on this one. I''m all for it. Y''all need to loosen up. Especially you Vernon! For once listen to Taylor and show some appreciation!" The archer who almost seemed like the eldest brother of the group spoke in a strong yet casual voice, staring daggers at Vernon who immediately scoffed and looked away. His hair was a bright orange and fell down slightly over his hazel eyes. His face had several scratches and small scars, yet its features were solid. What truly defined it was his firm jaw and small nose that almost seemed tock an arch. His arms were crossed around his waist and his posture showed calmness and maturity, and his blue leather armour was light and nimblepared to everyone else''s, fit for an archer. "Yeah, whatever," Vernon grunted, rubbing his head. "I''m gonna trust you guys on this one but that''s about it." He shook his head before continuing. "Anyways You, Alucard I''m almost certain you didn''te here to have a friendly conversation. You clearly want something, so talk!" "Oh! So you found me out! Well, I won''t dy you any longer." Alucard smiled from beneath his mask. "Your leader Lisvern said that he and all of you are in my debt, so I''vee here to make a request. I request that you allow me to join your team for a simple level four mission. I hope that''s not too much to ask." He pulled out arge, crumpled piece of brown paper from his pocket. Everyone around the table instinctively leaned in closer to peer over at the request, but Lisvern snatched it away before any of them read past the first few words as he read the request out loud with great intrigue. [ Level 4 Request ] [ Danger Level: 30 ] "Greetings brave adventurers. I am the chief of the border vige of Yorksha. For many years, our poor vige has been haunted by death with every step The mountain that was once home for our livestock is now unsafe, terrorized by a cave-dwelling monster. The animals that once called the mountain home and made up most of our meals have all run away, and now we are struggling to nt food on our less than furtile soil. Thanks to this, ournd is poor and rampant with crime, our people are sick, and our children are dying of hunger. We have sent many of our strongest warriors from our vige to that cave to y whatid inside, yet none have ever returned alive. Please! You are our only hope!" [ Reward: 25 Silver Coins ] Chapter 47: Quick Reunion (2) Chapter 47: Quick Reunion (2) "The vige of Yorksha huh It''s only a day''s journey from this city, not too bad actually And the mission is only to defeat a single danger level 30 monster. Not bad either!" Lisvern smirked and ced the paper back down on the table for the others to see. "Yeah But this request is kinda odd isn''t it?" Taylor remarked. "Yer right." Vernon nodded. "The pay is way too low for a request like this. In fact, it''s actually the bare minimum for a danger level 30 request. 25 silver coins? Even the lowest a person would usually see for a level 4 request would be 50 silver coins. I can guarantee you 99% of adventurers wouldugh and not take the request as they don''t see it worth the time or effort. The reward being so low could only mean one thing... it" "It means that the vige is really desperate," Alucard casually interrupted, finishing Vernon''s sentence. "They probably ved away trying to gather the money needed and simply posted the request as fast as they could" "Is-Is that why you chose this request Mr. Alucard?" Tayler asked. "Yes, partly." Alucard turned his head to face them. "Anyways, so, what will it be? You guys willing to help me out with this one? I can''t really do it myself considering I can only take level 2 missions and I''m not sure I can face that beast all alone." He leaned forward and asked, his sombre voice easing into the table''s ears. "Well yeah!! Of course! We''ve done a lot of requests like this! This shouldn''t be more than four days to finish if we set off right now! If anything, I find this too lenient for saving our asses yesterday!" Lisvern''s smile grew bright as he peered over towards Alucard, tapping his back once more. "Yeah, it''d be best if we leave now. I don''t see a problem with any of this, we needed something to do anyway so why not right? What do you guys say?" The archermented before looking over towards Vernon and Taylor. "Of course I''ll join!" Taylor asserted. "Yeah, whatever, I''m in." Vernon yawned and waved his hands. "Is that so Thank you so much for your generosity! Four days toplete is just the amount of time I was looking for. I''m truly in your debt sir Lisvern. You and all the hollow yers" Alucard lowered his head. "Just call me Lisvern okay? No need for honorifics. And besides, you''re not in my debt! If anything, we''re all still in yours until we get this mission finished with!" Lisvern leaned in closer, and he watched as Alucard slowly lifted his masked visage up to face him. "Anyways!" He smirked, suddenly bursting out of his seat, smacking his hands on the table as he grabbed the request paper with his right. "I''m gonna go to the front desk to confirm the request! You guys go out and get ready! Alucard, me and my team will see you at the southern gate of the city in two hours. Then we''ll set off! We have 6 hours of walking ahead of us so we can discuss much on the way! How does that sound?" "It sounds good to me!" Alucard sighed upon re-entering his room, one that bore much weight to it as his expression turned into a bright smile, forcing his sun-aching body to rest upon his rock-hard bed. ''That went a lot better than I expected!'' He thought to himself, staring up at the ceiling before he suddenly felt a rumbling down in his pockets as Luck emerged to greet him. "M-my lord! How is your wound? Do you want me to heal it for you now?" Luck asked in a jittery voice, his body sweating all over. "Don''t worry Luck, the wound should be going away now. See?" He lifted his mask up slightly to reveal his chin. "It didn''t really hurt that much anyway." "Okay If you say so" Luck nodded. "But, was that really necessary my lord? Did you really have to do all of that?" "In my eyes, yes I had to gain their trust no matter what, and I need to make a foundation for why I keep my face masked anyways, now is a good start " Prior to going to their group, Alucard had visited the restroom. Of course, there was no way he would be able to injure himself with his own magic, so he had to improvise. Thus, he took a cup of water and heated it up with a fireball to boiling temperature before thering his chin with no hesitation despite his weakness, all for the burn marks. And as for the rot, he had just asked Luck to cast a light spell against him which invoked a debuff onto him, one that would cause rot to fester upon his undead skin. Indeed, despite his words and silence at the time, the pain was immense, yet worth it in his eyes. For now, this was the only way to justify his mask and the only way to sell his lie, at least until he gained the illusionist ss or another spell that allowed him to temporarily change his face. "My lord Are you sure you can trust that group?" "No, not really Even though there are very clear advantages to joining them, I can''t say I trust anyone actually But, do I really have any other choice?" He rxed on his bed even more as he closed one of his eyes. "I suppose not" Luck replied, looking down as Alucard responded. "Looking at things objectively, they do seem pretty trustworthy. The chances of them turning on me are pretty low, that''s why I''m so willing to go with them. They seem to have a reputation and an honour to uphold. They could have killed mest night and imed I was one of the bandits who attacked them, yet they didn''t and even offered me their help whenever I needed it. I don''t see or understand any ulterior motives they could have, they seem like nice people. But like all things in life, things aren''t always as they seem I can''t get too careless" "Don''t worry my lord! I have your back all the way!! I''ll kill them all if I have to!" Luck shook his head and puffed his tiny chest wide in a manner that Alucard could not help but chuckle at. "I''m certain you will, Luck I''ll be counting on you" Chapter 48: Departure Chapter 48: Departure 2 hours had passed, and it was finally time for departure. With a deep breath, Alucard dropped the book within his hands, stuffing it with him as he grabbed his bag from his side. As he went to leave through the front door, Luck flew and buried himself within Alucard''s cloak, and with that, they left the room and walked towards the still packed area below. Through the thick crowd of adventurers discussing in tables amongst themselves, he could not help but notice several nces in his direction, far more than usual in fact. However, he did not let them slow him down as he walked out through the swinging doors. ''Seems like the news spreads fast, I guess it''s not toomon for a copper ranked adventurer to so suddenly be so buddy buddy with golds,'' He smiled under his mask, yet as he fully left the door, the smile was immediately wiped away from his face due to the harsh sun thatpletely struck his body. This was the first time in many weeks that he had allowed the full, afternoon sun to strike him, and the feeling was beyond agonizing. His body felt like it weighed tons, and the heavy armour he wore increased in weight and instantly sapped any strength from his system. Had he not trained himself to not rely on his breath as a vampire should, he was more than certain he would have been a pancake t on the ground just as what happened before. He furrowed his eyebrows and forced his body up. There were many eyes on him right now and he could not allow himself to show any sign of weakness lest they discover who he truly was. He steeled himself and straightened his back, channelling all the energy he could as he walked out, hunting for the shadow of a building as quickly as his body allowed, breathing a sigh of relief once all was over. As he travelled around the city heading southbound, he made sure to keep himself in the shadows, only exposing himself when absolutely necessary which was no big deal in his eyes and not at all suspicious. This was the first time he ever witnessed the city at work during the middle of the day. He had thought that at sunset it was crowded, yet it paled inparison to what he saw now. He simply lost himself inspecting everything around him. It made for great cover through the crowds, yet it made the problems and corruption in the city more apparent. Seeing them did disgust Alucard somewhere deep within, yet he knew it was not his ce to butt in nor his problem right now, so he left them be and pretended that he saw nothing. Despite the city''s size, Alucard felt like he had reached the south gate in little to no time. The gates were opened, yet everyone had to wait their turn for their chance to leave, whether it was for work or travel. However, luckily for him, Alucard did not have to bother with such an arduous process, all thanks to the adventurers guild. Adventurers such as himself were provided a special exit allowed for only them, overseen by both the military and the guild to allow them benefits and so they could do their jobs more smoothly. And that was where Alucard went. He entered through the smaller gate and had his copper te verified before sessfully leaving. Luckily for him, not many adventurers were there at the south exit, so he was not forced to wait long. And as he left, there in the distance near the path and along the walls he noticed four figures resting near each other. They stood in the shade of the city walls, and near them was a wooden wagon of modest craftsmen ship and size, clearly showing its age. The beige-stained tent at its back had an opening revealing the emptiness of creaking wood, and the horse at its front seemed capable yet not particrly well-fed and strong. "Oh! Alucard! We''re d you can make it!" Through the boisterous noise of the city ambiance around him, he heard a familiar sound enter his earsing from the same direction he was gazing at. Before he even approached them, they had already greeted him and recognized his figure, and thus, he quickly made his way towards them with a sense of relief in his heart that they were travelling in a carriage rather than on foot under the harsh summer sun. "Greetings, I hope I was not toote," He waved approaching them. "Don''t worry! You''re right on time! We just finished preparing all we needed!" Lisvern beamed as he picked up a heavy brown sack, throwing it in the back. "Lisvern! Was that thest of them?" The voice of the archer rang from the front. "Yeah! I''m all done here! Alucard just came too so we''re just about ready to leave!" He yelled back, wiping the sweat off his face. When Alucard looked inside, he noticed several bags simr to the one he saw Lisvern pick up all tightly packed out of the way, and he could not help but ask. "What exactly is that?" Alucard pointed and raised an eyebrow. "Oh these?" Lisvern Mused, smacking the sack with passion. "These are sacks of food of course! What else would they be!" "Hmm?" Alucard could not help but blurt, as his initial instinct was that these were rations for the journey, but upon seeing how many bags there were he immediately unconsidered that. "Did you buy these bags with your own money to give to the vigers?" "Well, yes! Uhh... Kinda," He chuckled, rubbing his hands on the back of his head. "What''s with the long face?" "Oh, forgive me I just find it odd. From what I''ve seen, I would have never imagined adventurers doing this" "Hahaha!" Lisvern broke outughing, and Alucard grew concerned that he had said something idiotic due to hisck of knowledge. "Damn right you are! But there are many good adventurers out there! I mean, I don''t wanna sound narcissistic or anything but I think we''re pretty good! Right Adam?" He looked over to his side where the man with a bow strapped to his back organizing the sacks in better positions to allow for more area for footrest. "Lisvern, you''ve always been narcissistic butpared to a lot of people out there you''re like a saint..." He chuckled. "How much did you spend on all of these? If I might ask?" Alucard continued. "From me? It was all nothing. Most of this came out of Vernon''s pockets. 10 silver coins in fact!" He smirked, pointing with his thumb towards his small blonde teammate feeding the horse at the front. "Him!?" Alucard could not help but blurt with shot-out eyes before inwardly cursing his big mouth. 10 silver coins were more money than Alucard ever had yet, it was not cause for such an overreaction. "HAHAHAHHAHA!" Lisvern smacked his knees and held his stomach, almost as though he was in pain, catching Alucard extremely off guard. "Many people think the same thing when they first see him! It never gets old. Vernon might seem really pissy getting to know him but he''s honestly not that bad when you get to know him!" "Huh? Did I hear my name? Lisvern! You talking shit!?" Vernon''s voice came crashing in from in front. "Oh, it''s nothing!" He tried his best for damage control, yet hisughter still leaked, and a slight scoff was heard from the front. "Ah okay, I''ll keep that in mind" Alucard nodded. "But you said most of the food came from him. What about the rest?" "Oh! That! Well... A lot of this was also from the person we escorted yesterday. She heard about this so as to extra payment she gifted us with this food." "Oh, I see. Whoever that person is they seem like a very nice person" "Yes, she is a saint even amongst her kind" Taylor the wizard interrupted from further behind, his gentle face slightly red to the point that Alucard almost saw him as cute before inwardly shaking his head. "This might not be my business, but who exactly was she? I couldn''t meet her, but I felt a strong presence from her." "Sadly, we can''t tell you It''s top-secret And if all goes well, you wouldn''t have to know" He sighed, his tone bing rmingly sombre to the point it made Alucard reflect. "Lisvern! What''s the hold-up! You done talking! If we wanna make it there before sunset we better get going now!" Vernon yelled from the front, and Lisvern''s face immediately shifted into how it was before. "Yeah! We''re done! You can go in!" He yelled back as he held onto the handle of the cart, jumping into the back tent, Taylor following suit while Adam the archer who was the second tallest of the group behind Lisvern went towards the front. "Come on! Jump in! We''ve got a long way ahead of us and a lot to talk about and pass the time!" Lisvern smiled brightly, holding out his hands to Alucard below. Alucard looked up at Lisvern''s hand and act of kindness with a beyond open gaze and with much brewing in his mind. It was like his mind was torn on how he should feel. But in the end, he inwardly shook his head and grabbed Lisvern''s palm who pulled him up into the back seat. "Thanks for that," He thanked as he took his seat close to the back opening, Lisvern sat beside him with his greatsword underneath his feet, Vernon and Taylor directly in front of him on the other side and Adam sat up through the gap ahead in the sunlight with a rope in hand, ready to drive the carriage. "You all ready? Nothing is left behind right?" Adam turned around and asked. "Yes! Everything''s here! I made sure that Lisvern didn''t mess it up this time" Vernon replied. "Hey!" Lisvern interjected in a hurt voice. "I''m sorry leader, but it''s true," Taylor chuckled, and Adam who looked at them from the front had his serious expression turn into a subtle smile as he sighed and spoke, turning around and swinging the rope on his hands to make the horse move forward along the grass towards the stone-paved road. "Alright then! Let''s get moving!" Chapter 49: Hollow Slayers Chapter 49: Hollow yers Alucard sat near the edge of the wooden bench of the carriage, beside the opening as he stared up at the rather calming blue sky thatcked any clouds. But, when they left the shade of the city walls, the sun struck him once again, making him slightly grunt. Yet, luckily for him it was not nearly as bad as before, he could more than handle it. "Hey, are you okay?" Taylor asked with clear concern on his face. "Oh, yeah I''m fine! I think I just had a bug fly under my mask and down my throat," He coughed once again, making everyone around himugh. "So! How do you like it?" Lisvern spoke, looking around himself. "The carriage?" Alucard questioned, leading to Lisvern''s nod. "Yep! We rented it for a bit of money, don''t worry, it wasn''t much! Adam over there knows how to drive rather well, so we didn''t really have to hire someone," He nced towards the man at the front. "Well It''s nice, certainly morefortable then the living arrangements provided at the guild" "Oh! Don''t worry about that! They''ll give you a better room once you reach gold! And with your talent it should be no problem!" Ever since they had set off, it was only Alucard and Lisvern conversing, and the atmosphere grew slightly awkward. So, Lisvern tried his best to break the tension. "Okay! It''s funny how here we are all together, yet we know very little about each other! I think other than us saying our names, we haven''t really introduced ourselves have we?" Lisvern pped his hands and smirked. "Well, it is your fault setting this up so quickly. But, I guess we weren''t in a rush and had a lot of time to burn on the carriage, so I guess it''s not bad" Vernon sighed, his hands and legs crossed as he leaned back onto his seat. "I''ve already introduced myself in the guild, but I''d be d to do it again. We worked very well togetherst time we fought, but it''d be nice to know each other''s specialties. I am Alucard, a simple viger from an obscure town who left to set out on his own path. I specialize in both magic and closebat, call me a battle mage per se." "Battlemage huh? Those are pretty rare amongst the lower ranks! It takes a lot of time and dedication to discipline yourself in both magic and sword fighting! Who taught you all that?" Lisvern asked with a child-like curiosity. "My father was a swordsman, he beat the skills in me every day And my mother was a mage," "Oh really? A female mage! That''s pretty rare! She must be really awesome!" As Alucard spoke, Taylor leaned in and interrupted, his eyes like brilliant stars and his hands grasped together in excitement. "Yeah, she was one of a kind indeed And she was also the reason for these scars that haunt me where ever I go and would not leave me to this day" Alucard''s tone was casual, yet his words set the carriage towards a downward spiral. ''I guess I really can''t keep a conversation going long huh?'' He sighed at his own ineptitude. "I-I''m sorry" Taylor mumbled back. "Don''t be. None of that is your fault. I spoke too much, I didn''t mean to rap you up in my own troubles. Anyways So, is it your guys'' turn now?" Alucard spoke, yet no one replied. But that was when Lisvern broke the silence. "Well, I really hope you''re doing well, but I won''t pry any further And as the team leader, I''ll be introducing everyone if they don''t mind" He took a small pause to look at everyone around him for approval before he spoke. "I am Lisvern, I specialize in Ki arts and swordy with a greatsword. Vernon is the sharpest in both mind and skill, and by far quickest of all of us when using his rapier. Taylor is our resident magic caster, he''s a little shy but he packs a punch when he goes all out! He specializes in spells of the druid variety such as controlling nts and working with the essence of life. Andst but not least is Adam, he''s a bowman with unparalleled skills and the oldest of all of us and the voice of reason in many cases, he''s for sure the most rxed too. We all hale from the capital of Crory where we met, and we came here on an escort mission where things have led us here Do you have any questions?" He chuckled and redirected his gaze towards the mask ahead of him. ''None of them havest names So it''s as I thought Commoners don''t havest names, andst names are only reserved for nobles. I guess I got pretty lucky choosing a name for myself when I first arrived.'' "Hollow yers is your name correct? Is there a meaning behind that?" He asked. Arge smile appeared on Lisvern''s face as Alucard asked that question. "Well, why don''t you tell him about the name that you chose?" He leaned over towards Vernon, nudging him with a smug expression. "Why should I! It''s none of his business anyways!" He turned around and scoffed, only for a chuckle to be heard from towards the front with the naying horse. "I''ll do it instead. In our own ways, all of us were pretty poor and hopeless, we had no motivation in life and just lived for the sake of living We were all like hollows. But that was when we all met and from then on started living with each other, and we found new meaning, and our inner hollows were in. That''s how our adventurer names came about. We''re kinda like family more than adventuring friends..." Although none of them could see Adam''s face, they could all assume his expression. "Interesting" Alucard inwardly nodded and thought rather deeply before shaking his head and speaking once more "But out of all professions, why adventuring?" He wondered. "Oh, isn''t it obvious? It''s because we''re useless otherwise! Does it look like I''m good at anything other than fighting and would function in a normal society?" Heughed at himself before his tone shifted into something more sombre. "But The real reason is that we didn''t want to see others end up like the old us Sounds kinda stupid or delusional right? But it''s true Just like we slew the hollows within us, we wish to y the hollows within others. That''s our motivation and that''s what we strive for!" The sound of wheels rolling along rocks filled the air, and silence overcame them. "What about you?" Vernon asked. "Why did you be an adventurer?" "Well I unlike you, it''s not at all for a noble cause. It''s simply the only way I can afford to have a roof over my head and food on the table. I do this for my own survival. If I could work elsewhere I would, but like you guys, my skills aren''t suited for it. For me, it''s either this or joining the army, and this gives me far more freedom" "That''s debatable," Vernon interjected. "Adventurers are pretty limited Underw, if we see human on human fighting, we are not to interject. We are not to interfere with any politics since the guild is ran through many countries and is meant to be absolutely neutral. We are simple monster hunters and that''s all, but that still lends to many ways of help for the people. And we''re kinda dependant on the guild for not only pay but also finding the requests themselves, the guild pretty much has a monopoly on everything. He took a small pause before he continued. "If we went without the guild, not only would we lose out on many benefits, but we would have to just roam around looking for trouble only toe in to fix and ask pay, which doesn''t seem too morally sound. And chances are, these people would already have adventurers from the guilding on their way, so it never ends too well" "But at least we don''t get bossed around. And, we gain strength faster than soldiers right?" Taylor spoke in a nervous voice. "Not in recent times I''m afraid," Adam sighed. "The army has been doing a lot of monster hunting expeditionstely, and there are manypanies used to help them out in power boosting, but that honour is only reserved for high ranking members." The more they spoke, the more Alucard''s confusion grew it was as though watching people discuss serious politics that concerned him yet that he could not understand. He was rather interested in the information, yet he could not allow himself to ask directly lest the information they spoke about bemon sense thus exposing his social ineptitude. So, he instead asked a vague question. "Whatpany exactly?" "Well, soul farmingpanies you know? More specifically thepany own by the Erena household They breed and farm strong beasts and even train them. Then they send them off to people willing to pay so they could be killed They''re usually bought by nobles so they can feed the beasts'' soul to their children and give them more strength. That''s why nobles are always stronger than themoners, even if we are all born equal But now it seems like even the military has been investing into their very own soul farms and buying from otherpanies" Lisvern responded. ''Souls?'' Alucard inwardly thought yet did not blurt out loud. ''Is that what they call XP in this world? Wait So I''m not the only one who levels up!?'' Alucard could onlye to one conclusion in his mind, and his eyes shot out wide underneath his mask. "Are there soul farms that house human products?" He asked a question that seemed out of nowhere, yet the hollow yers did not think much of it as it was indeed a real concern. "Sadly yes As you know, kindred souls are almost worthless. In other words, killing people from the same race as you would you little to no souls. That''s how the murder rate isn''t insane but that''s also why thesepanies don''t sell human subjects, even if they were prisoners to be executed, it just wouldn''t be worth it. However, there are of course other sentient races out there And just like we have their kind as ves, they do the same with us For them, our souls are more than fit for the taking" Adam exined, solemnly steering the horse. ''That''s just like in Rebirth No wonder humans aren''t just going around and killing each other for XP Wait...'' He inwardly thought to himself. At first, he had assumed this world to be a normal fantasy world where training and practice was used to increase power rather than levels, and he was simply a special case. But with this new information, he began to reconsider. ''What these nobles are doing is pretty much the equivalent of bringing a powerful enemy at one HP only to allow a friend to get the final hit to receive all the XP. Does everyone have a secret level? How do they assign stats and job points? Does everyone have a game system of their own!?'' Alucard had so many questions that he felt like his brain was ready to explode, yet he could not allow himself to ask any of it. For now, he had to hold it in and wait, solely assuming that what he knew to be true in the game to be the exact same in this reality and waiting for his return home where he could read all about it That, or he could find out for himself... Chapter 50: Beneath The Setting Sun Chapter 50: Beneath The Setting Sun It had been a few hours since they had first set off, and the sky had turned into a warm, bright gradient of orange with peace emitting through the air around therge, setting sun. The sound of chirping birds along with the blowing wind tugged upon the surrounding tall grass and leaked into the carriage for an ambient breeze, adding to the all too calming atmosphere. For Alucard, what was a ride that took several hours felt like minutes. For indeed, he managed to extract a hefty amount of information from them and immensely broadened his knowledge of the world. However, there was something beyond that. The ride itself was not as bad as he expected, especially for the Alucard that absolutely resented human interactions. The hollow yer''s hospitality was more than adequate. Their teamwork and absolute love and trust for each other were very clear with everything they did. Even if at times they yelled andined to each other, it was mostly done in a jesting or friendly manner, and the few times that it wasn''t, it never escted beyond that. It was an odd sight to just quietly coexist amongst them, in fact, it had been years since he was ever in a simr environment, and from memory, it waspletely unlike this, especially at work He could not help but smile, one that was hidden under his mask, butpletely sincere nheless. "Hey, Alucard! you wanna eat with us? There''s a lot of food to go around!" Lisven smirked towards Alucard who was looking out in the distance, slightly startling him. "Oh, don''t worry, I''m quite alright," He kindly declined. "Ohe on! You haven''t eaten since we left! Why not have a little snack before we reach the vige?" He threw an apple in his direction, and the still startled Alucard caught it out of reflex. He took a quick nce at the apple in his hands before inwardly chuckling at himself and throwing it back towards its sender. "Keep it, I really don''t need it. I''d rather you donate it to a hungry child in the vige instead. Really" Heid back in his seat and casually looked away. "Oh Okay Suit yourself," His face turned immediately from confusion to astonishment as he beamed bright, storing the apple in a pouch. Alucard sighed under his mask, one so faint that it could not even be heard. It was not like he didn''t want to eat the apple, or that he was so selfless to the point he would go hungry for homeless and poor children, but more like he couldn''t. It was a lesson that he quickly learned upon entering this new world He had not tasted any real food so good since that first apple he ate upon his arrival. Forever since he first tasted the vour of human blood, his tongue had been tainted, and everything else slowly began to taste worse and worse to the point that in his current state, he would have most certainly threw up from that apple. It was yet another sacrifice that had to be made by choosing to be a vampire one that he was always reminded of yet had already epted as part of his new reality. "Hey! Vernon!" Lisvern called out, looking at the ceiling of the carriage. "You still sleeping?" "Yeah! I was, until you just woke me up with your yelling! What do you want!?" He yawned, scratching his eyes and stretching his limbs in the breeze, looking up towards the orange sky from where he slept on top of the carriage, his rapier at arm''s reach. "Sorry bout that! We''re almost there! You wanna join us for a little snack?" "Come on Lisvern! We haven''t seen you for so long now!" Taylor added in a cheering voice. "Hmph," He shrugged while yawning. "If Taylor is asking me then I really don''t have a choice now do I?" "Nope! You don''t! Nowe here and eat with us!" He asserted. "Stop nagging! I''ming, I''ming!" Vernon stretched once more and grabbed his rapier before he hopped back on his two feet with fatigue written all over his face as he prepared to drop down into the main tent. And drop he most certainly did, although it was not at all where he intended *CEEERRRRKK* "W What was that!?" All of a sudden, a crunching sound filled their ears, and the entire carriage shook heavily, now rocking back and forth frantically as it veered off-road. Vernon lost his footing and nearly slipped off towards the hard, rocky ground, looking over with eyes wide-awake at Adam trying his best to steer the panicked, naying horse as it went out of control. "Adam! What''s going on!!" "We''ve been attacked from the tall grass! I''m not sure where!" He responded as he struggled to control the horse, only for it to break loose out of its leash and gallop away, leaving the carriage tumbling and skitting into the dirt, wooden shrapnel exploding through the cracks and grain bags erupting and pouring down like rain before the carriage finally settled with no movements. "HEY!! Are you guys alright!! Answer me!" Vernon shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes quiveringly staring upon the remnants of the broken carriage from above, and the relief on his face when he saw movement spoke volumes. "Yeah! We''re all fine!" Lisvern spoke with his sword in hand, clearing away all the rubble until he and Taylor broke free into the open, while Adam came from ahead, perched upon the rubble next to Vernon with a bow in hand, looking out. Alucard seemed nowhere to be found, but that was until they realized that he was walking behind thempletely unscathed, yet heavily panting from his mask as though he was in deep pain. He must have jumped out through the opening before impact. They all seemed to be safe, but now was most certainly not time to celebrate or grow careless. "Damn! You guys ar " Suddenly, a barrage of arrows emerged from the shaky tall grass, aimed directly towards them breaking the silence of the whistling wind. It was all unexpected, and it would have hit them all had it not been for Taylor''s foresight, creating a barrier of green light around them. The shield cracked upon the arrows'' impact, to the point of shattering, it was clearly not going to hold out for long, yet it gave them ample time to react and dodge the attack. "Don''t grow careless!" Adam shouted, loading several arrows into his bow, trained towards where that volley arrived. "Show yourselves, coward!" He shouted, yet his provocations were only met byughter "Kukukukukukuku" It was child-like and raspy One Sinister and inhumane in nature. A sound etched into the mind of every adventurer and bore an unmistakable wretchedness. One by one, they stuck their wicked, arched noses out of the camouging grass, theirughter growing ever more What emerged were tiny, monstrous creatures Their attire was minimal, shambled, and mismatched; their pimple-ridden green skin oozed of dirt, grime and rot. Their ears were pointy and bat-like in nature, several piercings through each one filled with rust. Their open mouths were disgusting and had their own miasma of rot, revealing crooked, sharp, spaced-out teeth as yellow as sand. And a matching colour was the yellow, slit-like pupils sat upon their wide, gaping eye sockets, trained directly on them as though they were prey ready to be eaten "Goblins!" Lisvern cried, pulling out his massive greatsword from his back, tightly grasping it ahead of him with both hands, his eyes trained viciously on his beastly,ughing foes. There were seven of them, each with either a sword, spear, or bow in hand. "Kukukukkkaaaakkuuuukukuuukkua!!" "Don''t get careless! They have human equipment! They''re no ordinary goblins! They''re small in number, but they seem well-armed! Everyone stay calm, and" As Lisvern spoke and gave his orders, the hollow yers prepared for battle, yet Alucard''s breathing grew far heavier and more drastic as the clouds began to clear from the setting sun And all of a sudden, seemingly unprovoked, he ran off to their right at top speed in an abnormal, almost frantic manner, heading towards the nearby, thick forest, leaving them all speechless, absolutely stunned with many thoughts going through their minds, but Vernon was the only one able to voice his own out in the open. "WHERE ARE YOU RUNNING OFF TO YOU TRAITOROUS COWAAARRRDDD!!" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!