Jin Soran (3)
Around the time the sun began to set.
After exchanging proper greetings once more with the clan members here, he caught sight of Jin Soran talking to someone while searching for her.
“So, there’s nothing we can do at this point?”
“Yes. Given the nature of the situation, the higher-ups seem to be treading carefully as well.”
“Sigh… It can’t be helped. I understand.”
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
Once her conversation partner disappeared, Jin Soran was left alone, staring at the ground with a furrowed brow, lost in thought.
Heinz watched her for a moment before approaching.
“Something’s not working out, is it?”
“Ah! Mr. Heinz. You’re here?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong? You look terrible.”
She smiled awkwardly and averted her gaze, but soon let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth.
“It’s not exactly classified, and since you’re also involved, Mr. Heinz, you should know. Remember what I reported to my superiors?”
“You mean about Gamma’s group practicing kin-devouring?”
“Yes, that. An investigative team was dispatched because of it, but they couldn’t find any evidence since the Hahoe Tal burned everything after the raid. They said it’s too sensitive an issue to act on without proof…”
She trailed off with a gloomy expression.
Having gone through all that trouble with nothing to show for it, she seemed quite upset.
‘I did go a bit overboard covering up Heinz’s tracks.’
Since this was a world where all sorts of sorcery existed, he had responded thoroughly to hide Heinz’s kin-devouring.
He had burned the inside of the building entirely with hellfire imbued with Hans’s black magic.
‘Only the exterior was left intact while the interior had completely melted. To the point where it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed at any moment. Moreover, the black magic’s influence made any kind of detection impossible.’
It was regrettable for her, but there had been little chance of things working out her way anyway, so this was for the best.
Rather, other information was more important right now.
“Yes? You’re asking where the hardliners’ stronghold is?”
Perhaps because it was an unexpected question, Jin Soran asked back, looking flustered.
“Um, if you don’t mind me asking why…?”
She looked anxious, wondering if he had changed his mind.
By nature, the moderates were short on military force, and hadn’t two powerful individuals betrayed and deserted them just yesterday?
That was why she had welcomed Heinz joining them more than anyone.
“After what happened yesterday, they seem more dangerous than I thought. Since that’s how things are, I need to at least know where they are so I can avoid them, right?”
“Ah! You’re right! We need to be careful until everything is completely resolved. I should warn our crew members again, too.”
Jin Soran nodded in agreement at the hastily cobbled-together excuse.
She gladly told him everything she knew about the hardliners’ strongholds.
“Ah… my phone got smashed to pieces. Could you open the map app? I’ll mark down everything I know.”
With an almost excessive amount of enthusiasm.
The Blood Alliance was made up of various factions, so there wasn’t detailed information about one another.
But through periodic exchanges, they knew to some extent about those located nearby.
“There. That’s everything I know for now. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for the trouble.”
He could find out the rest by rummaging through those guys’ brains.
He just needed to roughly sort out those who had already acquired vampire factors and hand them over to Hans.
While looking at Jin Soran’s brightly smiling face in front of him, he suddenly remembered the information he had looked up that morning.
“Are you planning to stream now?”
“…Nyep?!”
She must have bit her tongue in surprise, producing a bizarre sound.
“Uh… h-how did you know…?”
Embarrassed, the tips of her ears slowly turned red, but a gentleman ought to pretend not to notice.
“I knew from the start. You’re Orchid, aren’t you?”
“Uuu… I must look quite different from when I’m streaming, yet you still recognized me. It’s the first time I’ve heard it to my face, so it’s a bit embarrassing…”
Jin Soran twirled her hair around her finger, trying hard to maintain her composure.
Though her flush spread from the tips of her ears to the nape of her neck, he decided not to mention it.
“H-have you watched my streams? Don’t tell me you’re a follower? You haven’t subscribed, have you?!”
Her voice, which had been embarrassed, gradually rose, and by the end she was speaking excitedly, almost shooting questions at him.
She seemed far too nervous at suddenly meeting a viewer.
“No, I just remembered seeing something about it online and looked it up briefly. That’s all.”
“I-is that so~ W-what a relief.”
It was a subtle expression that seemed relieved yet disappointed.
“But it certainly is a good method. Being able to engage with society without meeting people in person. How did you get started?”
“Um… I used to be an idol trainee. Before going to the other world. Something bad happened and I quit, but after finally making it back, I really regretted it.”
So she had started streaming to pursue the public’s attention.
She added that when she streamed, she did her makeup to look similar to how she had before becoming a vampire.
“Didn’t the Paranormal Management Bureau catch you after you came back? You must have been gone for a good few months.”
“That system didn’t exist when I awakened. I think it was created shortly after I returned…”
She answered with an awkward smile.
But there was one thing he was curious about.
“If you went to another world when you quit being a trainee… how old are you now?”
“Ah, I awakened when I was eighteen. I had quit school to become an idol, so people around me didn’t find out. I’m twenty-two now.”
She was his senior.
He made a deliberately solemn expression and subtly averted his gaze.
It would be undignified to start treating her like an elder now.
“Wait, didn’t you spend several years in the other world?”
“Right?”
“Then your real age, counting that period…”
“I’m twenty-two.”
She cut him off, still smiling brightly.
“Mm…”
“I’m twenty-two. Want me to show you my ID?”
“No, it’s fine. Age is counted by birth year, after all.”
He pushed her away as she leaned in, smiling with sparkling eyes, and forced himself to nod.
Right, age was important. He had been too careless.
“Then take care. I’ll be going now. Contact me if anything comes up.”
Crew members didn’t all live gathered in one place.
Of course it was recommended for safety, but those who had separate homes found it sufficient to gather when necessary.
‘So, where should I visit first?’
He looked at the map app and subtly licked his lips.
It felt like worrying about what to pick first at a buffet.
***
Late at night.
“Kk… kkeuk, you… you think you can get away with this…?”
Crunch—!
There was quite a commotion in a home inside a luxury apartment complex, but no one caught on.
‘Concealment sure is useful in many ways.’
Ambush an unsuspecting vampire to deal fatal damage, and construct a concealment barrier around the area to erase all traces of combat.
It was the primary skill that enabled Heinz to hunt vampires solo.
‘I have nothing but gratitude for Gamma. To think he’d provide so lavishly.’
Not only Concealment, but Heinz’s new beloved sports car, anything worth money, and all manner of sorcerous tools and research equipment had been stashed in Hans’s subspace. He was a giving tree in every sense of the word.
‘Thanks to him, I could operate this smoothly.’
Heinz drained the blood of the subdued vampire as he planned out the next target.
Based on the information from Jin Soran, Hans and Heinz had raided the hardliner crew’s strongholds.
The suppression of personnel inside ended in an instant, and Hans rummaged through the minds of some of the sharper ones.
That was how they acquired new intel.
‘Those who belong to the crew but don’t live at the stronghold. Since news of the raids hasn’t reached them yet, it’s a perfect opportunity to pick off the careless ones.’
Thus separated, the two were taking out their targets one by one.
《New vampire factor collected. Under the influence of the special skill Mixed Blood Evolution, the individual’s blood control ability is enhanced.》
It was lacking compared to Hans, but by now Heinz was by no means weak.
Though he still remained a Pure Blood due to insufficient vampire factor, considering the power of the evolved factor, his combat power alone should rival that of a True Blood.
‘And there’s not much left now either. The next one is probably the last.’
Feeling the cells throughout his body evolve yet another layer, he observed his internals.
He could feel the vampire factors that seemed to be reaching some limit, and the surging inner power.
“I should clean up here and move on for now.”
Heinz drew up the newly obtained power.
Both palms tore open, wounds forming, and through them blood mist sprayed out.
Fwoosh!
Blood scattered in all directions.
And.
From the places stained with blood, beautiful red flowers bloomed.
Whoosh—
A field of blood-colored flowers blazing fiercely, spreading to the surroundings.
It was Blood Flower, a skill obtained from raiding the hardliners’ stronghold before coming here.
The burning blood flowers released no smoke or heat, incinerated only the interior of the house, and vanished quickly.
They were destructive flames that would not extinguish unless the caster willed it, burning only their target.
‘Though it’s useless if there’s a vast gap in power.’
The previous user’s Blood Flower had been extinguished like a candle by Hans’s overwhelming black magic.
‘Physical traces are burned away with Blood Flower, and magical traces are hidden behind Concealment. This is enough.’
The night was still long, and there was plenty of prey.
***
‘Finally, the goal is achieved.’
As they say, joy follows hardship. He had finally reached his goal.
《New vampire factor collected. Under the influence of the special skill Mixed Blood Evolution, enlightenment is obtained. Skill Blood Flow Amplification is acquired.》
《The individual has met the conditions for growth. The special skill Clan of Blood (Pure Blood) evolves into Clan of Blood (True Blood).》
《The individual’s regenerative power has transcended its limit. Skill Regeneration evolves into skill Super Regeneration.》
All senses underwent repeated expansion.
The world became vividly clear, and things once outside his range of perception began to be detected.
He became able to see heat and taste sound.
He felt scents through his skin and heard the surrounding fluctuations.
“Hoo…”
Synesthesia had awakened.
The senses that had felt dizzying immediately after the evolution quickly stabilized.
‘If I hadn’t been used to experiencing multiple senses through my Avatar, I would have had a rough time for a while.’
The fact that he was still somewhat confused said it all.
It must be a side effect of such rapid growth.
Ordinary True Bloods would have slowly grown over a long period, adapting to their power.
“Sss~ haa…”
The moment he was adapting to the new senses with deep breaths, Heinz’s reflection in the room’s mirror caught his eye.
‘…I suppose my original appearance is nowhere to be found now.’
A coldly handsome, statue-like beauty with pale skin and sharp eyes.
With the fatal aura subtly emanating from him, he was utterly captivating.
In part because he had refined his features using a technique acquired through Mixed Blood Evolution recently, it would be difficult to find any connection between him and his original body even if they stood side by side.
After briefly admiring the handsome reflection in the mirror, he turned his gaze.
And moving his body to adapt to the senses, he checked his new abilities.
Blood Flow Amplification, acquired from this hunt, was a buff skill that enhanced physical and regenerative abilities.
His physical abilities had already skyrocketed through repeated evolution; with this skill, he could probably tear most opponents apart with his bare hands.
‘But my Regeneration evolved again too. At this point, it’d be hard to die even if I just stood there and took hits, wouldn’t it?’
Heinz quietly raised his right index finger.
Red blood seeped from around the fingernail, stretching out and hardening into a sharp, sturdy claw.
‘Blood control has risen. I’m also more receptive to blood demonic power.’
He raked his left arm with that sharp claw.
Spurt—!
Blood gushing out in an instant.
The red liquid adorned the air for a brief moment.
The scattered blood stopped in mid-air, then was sucked back into the wound on the forearm as if reversing time.
And in an instant, not a trace remained on the healed left arm.
‘The synergy between True Blood blood control and Super Regeneration is terrifying, isn’t it?’
A small amount of power was consumed in the regeneration process, but it was trivial compared to the effect.
‘And if I can absorb surrounding blood during battle to recover?’
He could use not only the blood scattered across the battlefield, but also the blood flowing from the opponent’s wounds.
Blood inside another’s body was imbued with its owner’s mana and will, so it could not be controlled, but…
‘No, if I reach Holy Blood, perhaps even that might be possible.’
Holy Blood was an object of faith for the Auterica vampires, so to speak.
Reaching it would not be easy.
‘When has anything ever been easy.’
Of course, he had no intention of giving up just because it was difficult.
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