Chapter 35
'Hey, isn't this interesting?'
A betrayal I never expected.
I wondered if he, too, was under Gamma's mental control, but there was no apparent sign of that.
"...Argh, Minyoung! Why...? Why now!"
Jinsol, sprawled on the ground with a broken spine.
Given enough time, vampires could recover with their regenerative abilities, but it was currently impossible.
Meanwhile, Gamma's subordinates approached with long stakes in hand.
"Ugh, [Get lost!]"
With her scream, a shockwave erupted, sending the approaching vampires flying.
However, her rebellion didn't last long.
"Ughhh— You, you guys..."
Her entire body pierced by stakes, wounds frozen, and pitch-black iron chains sealed her abilities.
As strong as she was, facing everyone in this condition, especially after the surprise attack, was too much.
"Heh, so you're the rookie they talk about."
Gamma, smirking, stepped forward.
Minyoung, who had initiated the surprise attack, watched silently with clenched fists, while another colleague closed their eyes and turned away.
She looked at her trembling comrades and then glared at Gamma approaching her.
"Peace? Sure, that's good. But even that requires strength to protect."
He looked down at her, subdued and struggling, and spoke like preaching.
"We are strong. Much stronger than humans, like cattle, all around us. But we have to hide and live because of those inferior hypocrites."
"You're completely insane. Denying the time when you were human? Now you're a vampire?"
"Well... there was a time like that."
Gamma smiled wickedly.
He paid no attention to whatever she argued.
"But we were chosen. We overcame battles with our lives at stake and countless struggles to stand here now. Aren't we all like that?"
He shouted like giving a speech, looking around.
His colleagues, as well as those who came with Jinsol, nodded in agreement.
"Why should we endure this treatment? Until when? We can't proudly step forward, nor can we clear our names. Just a life of hiding and surviving, does that kind of life have any meaning?"
"Nonsense! It's because the hardliners keep causing incidents every time. If we had started by compromising and having a conversation, we could have coexisted just fine!"
"Well, that's just your opinion. Maybe it could have been that way."
Unexpectedly, Gamma remained nonchalant despite her protest.
"What about the thoughts of those who have been with us in the moderate faction all along?"
Following his gaze, Jinsol turned her head to her colleagues.
Still, there were those who closed their eyes and turned away from the situation, and Minyoung, clenching his fist, stared at her.
Quietly, Minyoung, who had been locking eyes with her, spoke.
"We've been trying in various ways to follow the moderate faction's policy, but nothing has changed. So I started feeling frustrated. How long do we have to live like this? For a lifetime? After barely coming back to life from that hell?"
"The past is already irreversible. This is the best option now."
The group that had kept their eyes closed so far quietly uttered a word.
Jinsol, who watched their reaction for a moment, lowered her head.
Gamma, who had been enjoying the spectacle, stepped forward again.
"From the beginning, we are predators. But why should we bow down? Yeah, the biggest problem is probably the shortage of numbers. The number of heads is the measure of influence."
Jinsol lowered her head, and Gamma rambled to himself with a self-satisfied expression.
I leisurely organized information while enjoying this village play.
The motive for the crime was also excellent information.
"To overcome that, we need strength. Overwhelming strength now!"
But this is not another world.
In another world, I quickly became stronger with corrections for growth, but returning to Earth meant giving up on that.
"Now we can't accumulate karma, and we can't get stronger
quickly like before! We have to steadily increase our strength by consistently feeding on blood, just like the vampires in the original world. But even that is restricted? Ha! Blood packs?"
The act of directly drinking blood itself had a mystical meaning.
It was closer to a ritual that gained power by accumulating merits and stealing the life force of the victim, rather than just drinking blood to increase strength.
Blood packs without any intention would satisfy hunger, but they wouldn't increase strength.
'So, is it like a diet plan?'
You can survive with just blood packs.
However, it's closer to clinging to life, and even that, if not managed properly, will gradually decrease the power you have.
"So we searched for a way to quickly become stronger and finally found that method."
Anyone with a sense would already know what he was going to say.
Jinsol was no exception.
"Are you... this kid, perhaps? Did you dare to touch the forbidden?"
Where could all the vampires who claimed to have been kidnapped have gone?
Cannibalism among their own kind.
The most effective and certain way for a vampire to become stronger.
But the side effects are severe, even beyond its effects.
It was the same in Outerica, but its notoriety on Earth was on a different level.
"The forbidden is not forbidden for no reason! Are you going to repeat the tragedy of that time again?!"
The early stages of the returnee crisis.
There was widespread chaos worldwide, and among them,
there were many incidents caused by vampires.
Cannibalism among their own kind was a taboo, but some vampires overcame it and returned to Earth after becoming stronger.
Already somewhat tainted, they attacked other vampires on Earth to become even stronger, and the result...
"Are you going to create mad bloodsuckers again?!"
When absorbing the blood of vampires from other dimensions, different vampire factors combine and evolve.
The recessive factors are eliminated, and only the dominant factors are expressed, making them overwhelmingly stronger.
'The problem is that severe mental contamination occurs beyond that.'
Since it leads to evolutionary changes at the genetic level, it's a natural consequence...
As a result, crazed bloodsuckers rampaged, and the global danger of vampires was raised.
In fact, the events of that time had a significant impact on why vampires are persecuted to this extent.
"Even the higher-ups won't stand idly by! Regardless of what strings you're pulling, you're going to be thrown away entirely!"
Afterward, cannibalism among vampires on Earth became forbidden, and mad bloodsuckers became targets for elimination even among their own kind.
To bear such a risk...
"Enough with the talk. Of course, we utilized cannibalism."
Gamma continued, smiling smugly with a self-satisfied expression.
"But through numerous studies and collaboration, we found a way to minimize the ideology embedded in the blood and become stronger safely. The effectiveness decreased, but it's something we can tolerate."
Achievements made by combining knowledge from various dimensions, including blood magic, dark magic, sorcery, curses, alchemy, etc.
While external help played a significant role in the process, as long as it was possible, other things didn't matter much.
'...Why is that kid talking so much like a nagging salesman? Was he pulling off another cheap act?'
Taking a step back and observing, the influence of his actions on the crowd became apparent.
The weak ones became more blindly loyal to him, and even the strong ones were influenced to some extent.
The faint guilt that remained in those who betrayed the chaos disappeared.
"Is your curiosity satisfied now? And don't worry too much about the remaining ones. I have no desire to fight against members of the same clan."
Gamma, seeming to bring things to a close, approached her and grabbed her hair, pulling her close.
"Since those two have agreed to cooperate, don't worry about an alibi. Just make it look like you died on the way back, on good terms with the guardians."
"Keep your promise. We took the risk of following her when she came here."
"Of course. Thanks to you, we have excellent material, so I'll prioritize giving you the antidote."
Coolly responding, he looked down at the pitiful state of the rebellious Jinsol.
They had clashed on values since their time in Noktunia, and thinking this might be the end left a bittersweet feeling.
"Well, since it's the final stretch, enjoy your time. It'll be over quickly if you take a little nap."
"You...!"
Before she could say anything, she lost consciousness and collapsed under Gamma's infused vampiric power.
He stood up and instructed to move her to the inner room.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting due to unexpected events. Well, you get the gist, right? Is this inconvenient?"
Gamma turned his head towards me, smiling smugly.
Finally looking my way.
"No, it was quite entertaining. No need to worry about it."
Lowering the mask I was wearing, I replied casually, and for a moment, his expression stiffened.
Then he gestured to his subordinate by his side.
"...Level 5. The regenerative ability is somewhat strong, but nothing out of the ordinary."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Gamma returned to a composed face and walked over to me.
Seems like he has the ability to assess the level of others from his subordinate...?
The purebloods in Outerica were roughly around level 5-6.
"Are you showing off? I don't know how you released my suppression, but barely level 5, alone, do you think you can escape this situation?"
Certainly.
Although I'm not sure about the exact level, there are only four here of pureblood level, and the rest are below average.
If I planned to escape, it would have been wiser to act when Jinsol was actively rebelling.
'Now, there's really no need for that.'
There was no intention from the beginning.
Since I gained useful information this time, I might as well put it to use.
"Let's see... Nine of them? If it's that effective, I wonder how much stronger I'll get by consuming all nine."
"...What nonsense are you talking about?"
Gamma still looked uneasy at my nonchalant demeanor.
"Weren't you enthusiastically explaining just a moment ago? About how the vampire crisis unfolded for that reason. It seems like today is an enlightening day in many ways."
"He was just insane..."
As if he didn't want to mix words anymore, he gestured to his subordinates.
Guys slowly approaching at Gamma's signal.
But their steps didn't last long.
Saaaa—
A sudden chill spread.
The air became heavy.
Those gathered in the room unconsciously held their breath, and for a moment, silence echoed in the space.
Those who belatedly regained their senses looked around warily...
Suddenly, darkness covered the entire inner wall of the building.
[Concealment ability was decent, but security is quite lacking.]
From within the darkness, Hans gradually revealed himself.
When grasping the barrier, he received a bit of assistance from Heinz inside, but now it doesn't seem to matter.
"...Hahoe mask? How are you here?!"
Gamma shouted in surprise.
He had confidence in his concealment ability, but the barrier he meticulously installed had been exposed.
In his bewildered gaze, Heinz, who had been unusually calm from the beginning, appeared.
"You, you...! You dragged him in...!"
He didn't know what trick I used, but must have guessed I had done something.
Or else, my attitude couldn't be explained.
As Gamma, who was convinced of this, was about to lose his composure, there was someone equally surprised as him...
"Th-that... Gamma-nim...!"
The one who revealed Heinz's level was a discerning ability user.
Seeing that Hans showed no signs of moving immediately, Gamma rolled his eyes and stared at him.
"I, I haven't seen this level of energy before, so I'm not sure!"
"Frustrating, what are you doing! If you have something to say, say it quickly!"
Fumbling, he squinted his eyes at Gamma's outburst and yelled.
"Level 8...! At least Level 8!"
Once again, the room froze.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om