Vampires of Earth (3)
Hans’s reading of the magic was not flawless.
As a vampire’s bloodline ability, it functioned better against weaker opponents, but was almost useless against stronger ones.
It merely guessed and made judgments about some massive entity.
Besides, since Hans wasn’t even a vampire, there would be discrepancies even if one attempted to fit into their level system.
Usually, one would measure the blood factor to categorize levels.
But all these details weren’t crucial for them.
Right before their eyes loomed an overwhelming force.
[Hoo… You’ve mastered black magic.]
Hans expressed admiration as he looked at Gamma.
He hadn’t felt this energy when he faced Heinz.
It felt ambiguous, as if concealed by some method, but there was no way to evade the gaze of someone like Hans, who was already at the peak of expertise in black magic.
“Cough, how do you see through my concealment…?!”
Gamma, unable to comprehend it, could only grind his teeth.
His secret weapon—bloodline ability “Concealment” and the black magic hidden by it—had been read all at once…
[Interesting. A new type of black magic. I’m quite lucky today.]
He had encountered black magic users sporadically while maintaining order, and most of them were crazed from the influence of black magic. Hans happily absorbed their knowledge.
‘Thanks to that, I attained quite a bit. But to discover a new system here…’
Just as he pondered that, he suddenly hesitated.
These vampires were all intended to be a training ground for Heinz’s growth, weren’t they?
‘If I expose myself to black magic while rifling through their minds, their blood would spoil… In a state of being drained of blood, I wouldn’t be able to read memories, and there’s a limit to necromancy. What should I do?’
As Hans hesitated in this sudden dilemma, Gamma and his crew seemed to see an opportunity as they scattered and started to escape.
Poor things.
[You’re making a futile struggle. This is already my domain. No one can leave without my permission.]
Kuwung—
With a light tap of his staff against the ground, a wave of black magic radiated from Hans.
And then…
[Kihihihit]
“Ugh! What are these things!”
Parts of the undead, stained black, erupted from the walls, ceiling, and floor shrouded in darkness, attacking those trying to flee.
While Heinz was gathering information by watching the scene unfold, Hans was not merely lurking inside the barrier.
During his wait, he secretly completed the work of overlaying his territory within the barrier.
It was proof that Hans’s black magic was growing day by day.
“Cough…”
“Gather! If we spread out, we’ll be individually assaulted!”
He had seen it when he fought Jin So-Ran earlier; they had various abilities, just like other returnees.
In addition to natural abilities like fire and ice, they had telekinesis and instant acceleration, and…
“Hmm!”
Kuwung—!
Even the ability to enhance the body, swinging fists right before Hans’s eyes.
‘That must be one of Jin So-Ran’s allies. Was it Min-Young?’
Now in combat position, he had shed his human form.
Violently inflated muscles all over his body, a grotesquely contorted face, and rows of sharp teeth resembling those of a shark.
“Kaaaar!
Bang! Bang! Kwang—!
His explosive punches were causing Hans’s barrier to ripple constantly.
With his characteristic speed, he dodged the undead and stomped on the hands bursting forth from the ground, maintaining his offensive.
“Hmm, is that a trait of their vampire? It seems they evolved toward physical enhancement… Oh, intriguing.”
Heinz, being a vampire himself, could tell that it wasn’t merely a power transformed by abilities.
That form was likely a shared characteristic of those vampires from that dimension, resembling Auterica’s “Slave.”
Adding in what seemed to be a unique skill for physical enhancement, the synergy was substantial.
Puhp—!
“Cough! Ugh!”
Of course, there were limits to it.
Black spikes extending from all directions pierced his body.
He initially thought to capture the vampires as intact as possible, but this one was so lively that he’d likely have to suffer a bit of loss.
[It’s not easy to deal with while trying to hold back.]
If he had just intended to keep them alive, it would have already been over, but every single one of them was a growth enhancer for Heinz, thus there were constraints in dealing with them.
It was like the difficulties of organic farming.
In that moment, Heinz used “Acceleration” and rolled on the ground.
Swish—!
A red blade passed through the space where Heinz’s neck used to be.
It was another man who had come with Jin So-Ran.
‘This won’t be easy.’
If it hadn’t been for Hans’s control of the abyssal space, he likely wouldn’t have sensed the ambush and would have almost had his head sliced off.
Hans, who controlled this space, had detected the attacker’s concealment, and Heinz was able to dodge thanks to their shared thoughts.
“Tsk.”
When the ambush ended up being nullified, the assassin disappeared instantly.
Heinz felt nothing in his senses.
‘Was he trying to create an opening?’
Finding no way to escape, he likely planned to attack Heinz, appearing as an ally, in order to destabilize Hans.
Possibly intending to incapacitate him and take him hostage.
‘But getting beheaded doesn’t mean immediate death.’
Well, they were veterans of battle, having navigated various war zones, so they might have been overly naive.
[Even if I endure a bit of loss, I’ll need to prepare them nicely to eat.]
Hans’s embodied black magic surged forth.
A chill spread all around, and an aura of fear engulfed the space.
“Cough!”
“Those bastards suddenly got stronger… Ugh!”
Vampires who had been fighting off valiantly to find an escape route began to drop one by one.
Even those claiming to be level 6 were struggling against the black magic erupting from the shadows around them.
The assassin who had previously ambushed Heinz was no exception.
Although he avoided curses capable of tainting blood, he used all black magic that could destroy the body without reservation.
Since they weren’t likely to die easily, he should’ve done this much earlier…
“There are plenty of those I can still feed on. Now that I have some leeway, should I take one down first?”
Heinz approached Min-Young, who was restrained, with spikes piercing his entire body, still resisting fiercely.
“Kuaaaak! You think you can catch me with this—!”
Though he was bleeding profusely, his struggles were causing one black spike after another to break.
If left alone, he might break free by his own efforts.
Shwah———
Of course, Hans had no intention of letting that happen as he wrapped his entire body in black chains.
“Grrgh!”
His grotesque face reddened as he struggled to escape the constriction coming from all sides.
Heinz climbed on his back, grabbing his shoulder.
‘He’s so big that it’s tough to find the right angle to bite him.’
A massive beast nearing 2.5 meters in height.
He brought his mouth down near the nape of his neck and sharpened his fangs.
Kwaak—
Tough skin and iron-like muscles blocked his fangs.
But Heinz poured blood magic into his jaw and fangs, ultimately succeeding in piercing through the nape.
“Cough! You crazy bastard! Trying to devour your own kind, have you lost your mind?!”
Ignoring him, Heinz began to draw his blood.
Siphoning his life force along with the source of his strength, the blood factor.
[To feast on one’s kind without going through the purification process is insane… How have I lived until now? I can’t die like this. …What was my intention when I betrayed… her… for greater power… stronger power…]
And the sentiments that accompanied the blood invaded Hans’s mind, tainting it.
Resentment, hatred, pain, and despair.
Every kind of emotion surged in like a tidal wave.
‘It’s definitely much worse than when I fed on my kin in Auterica. This level of intensity would be crazy not to drive me mad.’
It didn’t bother him as he could neatly filter it using the “Mind Hub.”
At long last, the blood-sucking came to an end.
As all the blood was extracted, Min-Young stood there, gradually turning to ash.
“Hoo—.”
His heart began to thrum violently. Blood flow accelerated, and his whole body felt as if it were ablaze. His skin flushed red.
He felt the different blood factors within him merging, causing mutation… no, evolution.
“Haaah…”
Steam puffed out of his mouth.
…Upon closer inspection, steam was also rising from the pores across his entire body.
Crackling!
With sounds of bones twisting, muscles pulsed and relaxed repeatedly, and bruises that formed from burst veins appeared and disappeared.
How long had it been?
《The blood factors possessed by the individual are evolving, awakening new possibilities. Acquiring special skill “Hybrid Evolution.”》
《Collecting new blood factors. Due to the influence of special skill “Hybrid Evolution,” the individual’s physical abilities are explosively increasing.》
Heinz felt his body become lighter.
His skeleton grew, increasing his height and size, and he felt a different strength in his fist due to the rise in muscle quality and density.
“…Nice!”
The acquired “Hybrid Evolution” was a skill that continuously evolved every time he obtained a different blood factor.
With this, it became clear why the feral bloodsuckers had posed such a problem.
If beings with this kind of power went berserk from bloodlust…
“That power now belongs to me. Moreover, there are still eight left.”
[If the effectiveness is this good, I have no choice. I can’t miss the chance for black magic; there’ll be plenty of opportunities later. I’m already getting decent gains now. Hehe…*]
With all his subordinates down, Gamma was left alone with the assassin, resisting fiercely while using the black magic he had hidden.
Hans was steadily pressuring him while devouring the foundation with “Evil Wisdom.”
“First, there are the eight that remain here. After that…”
He had decided.
The bloodline was going to be his to consume.
He had been feeling the need for a useful organization to command.
If he could chase off the hardliners trying to instigate chaos and harvest just the moderates, it would be perfect.
‘Those who resist in the process will become my nourishment. A flawless plan…!’
Heinz approached the suppressed vampires, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
*
《Due to the influence of special skill “Hybrid Evolution”…》
《Collecting a new blood factor. Due to the influence of special skill “Hybrid Evolution,” enlightenment has been attained. Acquiring skill “Insight.”》
He felt his strength growing with each passing moment.
Every time he finished draining blood, the cells in his entire body evolved, becoming stronger.
Although there were instances he couldn’t acquire a new blood factor due to overlapping dimensions, even with that considered, the enhancement effect of feeding on one’s kind was still remarkable.
And he realized that with a low probability, he could also acquire the “bloodline abilities” that the opponent possessed.
‘”Insight” … That’s a useful ability. It seems it wasn’t a unique skill gained through awakening but a bloodline ability?’
Some vampires from certain dimensions were granted special abilities according to their lineage.
That was the bloodline ability.
Through “Hybrid Evolution,” Heinz could now even steal their abilities.
‘The stronger they are, the higher the likelihood of acquiring their blood factors. Well, I was lucky this time.’
The one who measured their levels with “Insight” wasn’t that strong of an opponent.
By their standards, he could barely be considered a level 5?
‘There will be many more opportunities in the future. But wow, there were so many of them, and now there are only two left.’
Actually, was it now just one?
The assassin that had ambushed Heinz was left to scatter like ash.
Unfortunately, he acquired no new skill, but he did grasp blood magic control techniques that could help in concealment.
Of course, enhancements in physical capabilities and blood magic were basic perks.
“You! You…! What trick have you used? How can you still be fine after devouring your kin?! How?!”
Gamma, neatly wrapped up and subdued, glared daggers at Heinz while frothing at the mouth.
Seeing someone casually carry out what he had pursued with all his might made it seem like he was losing his mind.
‘Still, he told me many things; maybe fulfilling his curiosity as he departs wouldn’t hurt.’
Regardless of his intentions, he had greatly contributed to Heinz’s growth.
“Alright. I’ll tell you.”
Soft-hearted as ever, I decided to grant his last wish.
As I approached from behind to press my fangs against his nape, Gamma awaited my answer in despair.
To meet his expectations, I said sincerely.
“When you suck blood, block the invading sentiments to prevent mental contamination.”
“…What?! What kind of nonsense…?”
Puh—!
I’m not lying!
I genuinely told him the right way.*
《Due to the influence of special skill “Hybrid Evolution,” enlightenment has been attained. Acquiring skill “Concealment.”》
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