Chapter 14

Chapter 14
## Chapter 14

Ajantu (2)

Heinz confessed that his words were nothing more than guesses, but the revelation still caused Diana’s face to lose all its color.

“They… they belong to a syndicate called ‘Barkolrak’ that rules over this district. But for what reason? I have always handed over the protection dues on schedule.”

Even as the words left her mouth, Diana was struck by the sickening realization that his hypothesis was correct.

Spending her entire life within these city walls had taught her an undeniable reality.

“This entire city is… governed by vampires.”

“Vampires?”

Naturally, this was not common knowledge.

The vast majority of the population, and even the street-level thugs running the local syndicates, remained completely in the dark.

Possessing such information only invited extreme peril, which was why Diana had never spoken of it until this moment.

“The bulk of the syndicates, Barkolrak included, are mere puppets for the vampires. They carry out their orders and keep the population under control.”

Diana had uncovered this secret due to a unique gift: she possessed an incredibly sharp sense of smell, particularly when it came to perceiving supernatural anomalies.

‘I have always been so careful to steer clear of areas drenched in the scent of blood!’

It went beyond simple physical odors; she could detect the invisible stench radiating from perilous locations or the very essence of a person’s soul.

Relying on this talent, she had navigated the city with extreme caution alongside Aaron.

Yet, it appeared they had walked straight into a trap anyway.

“If that is the case, the current predicament is exceptionally dangerous. Has an incident like this occurred in the past?”

“On a few occasions. I managed to catch the scent of residents who vanished overnight for failing to pay their protection fees, and that same scent was lingering on the individuals who reeked of blood.”

Back when she was young and did not fully grasp the nature of her talent, she had simply viewed them as terrifying people.

Even the syndicate thugs always seemed incredibly tense around them.

But as the years passed and she gathered more knowledge by watching and listening to the world around her, Diana finally understood the grand scheme.

“The city is nothing more than a livestock pasture to them. They maintain a strict internal order solely to guarantee that their food supply is never disrupted.”

As long as the protection money was delivered on time, residents were left in peace.

Despite being a lawless slum, the trade of illicit drugs was entirely banned.

And if someone possessed the coins to pay for it, they could even receive medical treatment for their ailments.

“Did the thought of escaping to a different settlement ever cross your mind?”

“In the beginning, I desperately wanted to flee this place, even if it meant taking a massive gamble. But…”

A few residents had attempted to flee the city over the years, but Diana was well aware that almost none of them ever made it to another destination.

“Shortly after they departed, I would spot the exact belongings they took with them being carried by the syndicate’s enforcers the very next day. A casual observer might think they were just similar everyday items, but I knew the truth.”

She could identify exactly who those items belonged to simply by their lingering scent.

There was no need to ask what grim fate had befallen their owners.

Following those realizations, Diana abandoned all plans of flight, relocating their home to isolated alleys rarely visited by the vampires, always keeping her distance from hazardous areas.

“Within the boundaries of the city, they allow people a semblance of freedom. But the moment someone attempts to cross the border, they are butchered without hesitation.”

Heinz creased his brow as he processed the information.

“We need to get moving immediately. I am uncertain why Aaron was taken despite your payments being up to date, but if your theory holds, every second counts. Do you know the location of their base?”

“I do. But… do you truly intend to assist us?” Diana questioned, lifting her gaze to Heinz while gnawing nervously on her lip.

She fully grasped the terrifying reality of their situation now that she understood the forces at play.

He was a foreigner to this city, meaning he could easily walk away and escape the danger right this second.

Instead, Heinz let out a soft laugh and reached out to ruffle Diana’s hair.

There was absolutely nothing in existence that struck terror into his heart.

“What did I tell you before? Once you are aware of a problem, you cannot simply turn a blind eye. Leave it to your ‘big brother’ to show those monsters a miserable time,” he said, putting a deliberate emphasis on the title ‘big brother.’

To a young man of twenty years old, age hierarchy was a matter of pride.

—

A tiny settlement sat completely devastated.

Nothing remained standing amidst a landscape choked with shattered debris and wreckage.

“Hmm, the unmistakable residue of dark sorcery is present, but what could have possibly transpired in this place?”

A man with a ghostly white complexion gestured to keep the swirling flurries of ash at bay while he investigated the ruins, uncovering only a handful of clues.

Faint markings of a violent struggle were etched into the dirt, alongside patches of earth where structures had once stood.

“Are these… human remains? Were they collected here for some sort of burial rite?”

He eventually stumbled upon an area that appeared to be a makeshift morgue where bodies had been prepared for interment.

The vast majority had already crumbled into featureless ash, leaving no clues behind, though this mattered little to the investigator.

“It is difficult to piece together the exact events. Regardless, it is quite a disappointment.”

He had been making arrangements to harvest a shard of the Immortal King that seemed to have ripened to perfection, but it had already vanished completely.

“I am oblivious as to who initiated this assault, but tracking them down will not take long. An event of this magnitude cannot be easily concealed,” the pale man muttered, redirecting his attention to the path where the final footprints departed.

The trail indicated a legion of the undead moving directly into the eastern woodland.

‘The path aligns perfectly with my journey. Perhaps fortune is smiling upon me.’

With that final thought, the man’s physical form dissolved into a swirling cloud of bats, scattering and vanishing into the darkness of the eastern trees.

—

I made my way toward Barkolrak’s base of operations with Diana guiding me.

Our priority was to rescue Aaron before the vampires laid their hands on him.

Engaging actual vampires would be an impossible task for almost anyone, with the sole exception of Hans.

‘However, dealing with ordinary gang members should be within my capabilities.’

Thanks to a reawakened and enhanced physical form, relentless conditioning, and the passive trait of ‘Rapid Recovery,’ I stood a good chance against standard syndicate thugs.

In order to properly align the physical upgrades purchased from the Karma Shop with my current vessel, a full resummoning protocol was mandatory.

‘I am completely starved for time right now. Especially given the circumstances, where calling upon Hans for assistance is out of the question.’

A full three days remained before the spatial teleportation mechanism would become operational once more.

I had to resolve this crisis relying strictly on the capabilities of Heinz.

My gaze shifted to Diana, who was navigating the path ahead of us.

She was squeezing her hands together to halt their visible shaking, pressing forward at a rapid pace.

Relying entirely on her sensory gifts, she guided us through completely deserted pathways.

We absolutely could not risk revealing our presence, considering how unpredictable the situation was.

‘She is pushing herself to the absolute limit to keep her brother safe at such a tender age. There is no way I can walk away from her now.’

Diana had undoubtedly survived by leaning on that profound sense of duty, clinging tightly to a fragile desire to live even when crushed by the grim reality of her environment.

But at this moment, that fragile hope was on the verge of shattering completely.

‘Well, it is not as if I have a great deal to lose, so I might as well give this everything I have. ‘Quest: Protect the Helpless Maiden and Rescue Her Sibling.’ That has a nice ring to it. As for the compensation… let’s call it a surprise.’

To my mind, this was equivalent to an in-game objective.

And a dedicated player from Korea would never abandon an uncompleted quest.

Just as I finished mentally preparing myself, Diana halted abruptly and began drawing short breaths through her nose.

“Ah! I can detect Aaron’s specific scent. He is definitely being held inside Barkolrak’s base.”

“That settles it then. It is unfortunate when our worst suspicions are validated, but learning that he has not yet been delivered to the vampires is a massive relief.”

I steeled myself for an imminent clash, picking up the pace alongside Diana as she broke into a sprint.

“Mister… Do you truly believe we can get Aaron out of there alive?”

Diana questioned in a hushed, anxious murmur, though since I could only see the back of her head, reading her facial expression was impossible.

“Don’t worry, I will have him back in our company in no time, so place your faith in me.”

In all honesty, simply extracting him from the building would not magically fix our problems.

If anything, that act would serve as the opening act of a much larger conflict.

The entire metropolis was the personal playground of vampires, and the captured citizens were merely property to them.

‘I will cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, let us focus entirely on resolving the immediate crisis!’

As the ambient light began to fade into twilight, we finally arrived outside the Barkolrak headquarters.

The structure was a modest, two-story brick building nestled deep within a secluded alleyway.

“There appear to be no lookouts posted.”

It made sense; every single syndicate operating in the slums answered to the exact same vampiric masters, meaning they had no reason to fear aggression from rival gangs.

“Can you estimate the number of individuals breathing inside?” I inquired.

“Let’s see… roughly fifteen? This place functions primarily as their administrative hub, so the rest of their forces are usually out patrolling the territory,” Diana answered, keeping her eyelids shut as she filtered the air.

I gave her a firm nod; managing fifteen targets was a reasonable threshold.

“I will infiltrate the building and extract Aaron myself. Fall back a safe distance and keep watch,” I commanded.

“…I realize I am being incredibly selfish, but I am counting on you, Mister,” Diana murmured, well aware that her presence inside would only serve as a liability. She bit her lip, offered a low bow, and retreated into the shadows.

‘Alright, time to make my entrance.’

I had formulated a rudimentary strategy for this encounter and had stocked up on essential supplies beforehand.

The outcome would now hinge on my execution of martial skills and a healthy dose of fortune.

‘And luckily for me, my luck attribute has been incredibly high as of late!’

I gently turned the handle and stepped through the threshold.

The ground floor was laid out like a common tavern, though it was remarkably clean compared to what one would expect from a low-level gang hideout.

‘I fully expected the interior to be a chaotic disaster zone, choked with thick smoke, with thugs loudly gambling and carousing in every corner.’

Evidently, because the vampires made periodic inspections, the occupants kept the environment relatively presentable.

Still, my initial assumptions were not entirely off the mark, as a cluster of men was gathered around a table on one side of the room, consuming spirits and playing games of chance.

“Who goes there?”

“Hey buddy, state your business or get out.”

The moment their eyes landed on me, they began muttering to one another before waving me over.

I maintained a steady, unhurried pace as I drew nearer to their table.

“Well, well. Isn’t this the wealthy traveler from earlier today?”

“Hold on, you recognize this fellow?”

Seated among the group was a heavily built thug whom I had crossed paths with on the streets hours prior—the very same individual to whom I had voluntarily surrendered some coin.

“Friend, what brings you to our establishment? Did you feel the donation you provided earlier was not generous enough?”

They shared a collective laugh, pushing themselves out of their chairs to surround me.

I offered a gentle, unassuming grin to the massive thug leading the advance.

“What’s this? A smile? What is this lunatic playing at…”

Before he could finish his thought, I whipped out my blade with blinding speed and buried it deep into his throat, ripping it free in a single motion before diving toward the remaining men before they could register what was happening.

“What in the world!”

“Do you have a death wish, moving against us in our own home? Tear him apart!”

My physical form lunged forward with explosive velocity, while my active “Mind Hub” trait allowed me to decipher and predict the incoming strikes of my adversaries with total serenity.

With one hand, I drove my dagger cleanly into the neck of a thug attempting to stand, while my opposite hand reached down to draw the blade resting at my waist.

The weapon had originally belonged to the foot soldiers of the dark sorcerers; while I lacked formal mastery with it, it was the best tool available given the circumstances.

‘I cannot guarantee instant lethal strikes against every target simultaneously, so my priority will be disabling their mobility by severing muscle and sinew!’

I brought the blade down in a sweeping arc, cutting deeply into an opponent’s thigh.

In retaliation, his weapon grazed my arm, but thanks to my “Sturdiness” attribute, the laceration was superficial.

Furthermore, the flesh immediately began knitting itself back together courtesy of “Rapid Recovery.”

“Dammit, my blade won’t pierce him!”

An enemy managed to drive a weapon directly into my stomach, but he was unaware that I was wearing a modern, Earth-manufactured tactical vest beneath my outer garments.

Using “Mind Hub” to completely suppress the sensation of impact, I executed a counter-slash across the throat of the attacker who had paused to check his blade.

Crash!

Glass containers and metal utensils were sent flying, shattering across the floor and turning the room into an absolute disaster zone.

I smoothly shifted my weight, methodically taking down each combatant one after another.

Smack!

During the chaos, a thug wielding a heavy blunt weapon managed to strike my back, but my active defensive barrier absorbed the brunt of the kinetic force, protecting my spine.

“What kind of monster is this? He’s deploying magic on top of everything else…”

Understanding that the protective barrier possessed a finite threshold, I focused strictly on shielding my vital organs as the melee continued.

I swept the legs out from under one opponent and delivered a disabling cut to his lower limbs.

I ran my blade through another foe, enduring a simultaneous stab to my back in the process, which I completely paid no mind to as I maintained my offensive momentum.

Thud!

I plunged my knife deep into a target, but the blade became firmly wedged in bone.

Without skipping a beat, I ripped a hand axe away from a combatant I had just neutralized and swung it in a wide lateral motion.

Capitalizing on the opening, I raised a single forearm to deflect an incoming throwing blade.

By this point, my limbs were battered and covered in lacerations.

The defensive sorcery finally depleted entirely, and a fresh stream of blood pouring from a gash on my forehead began to compromise my vision.

Right then, the individual directly in front of me shifted his focus past my shoulder.

It was the distinct glance of someone coordinating with an ally behind me.

An unseen attacker was attempting to blindside my rear.

I instantly dropped my center of gravity, scooped up a discarded weapon from the floorboards, and executed a blind backward strike.

“Argh!”

The hidden attacker managed to clamp a hand around my ankle as he collapsed to the floor, but the skirmish was far from finished.

Had it not been for the combined passive benefits of “Sturdiness” and “Rapid Recovery,” my body would have ceased functioning long ago, rendering me incapable of standing, let alone executing combat maneuvers.

Mechanically calculating every exchange of violence without experiencing a shred of mortal terror or adrenaline-fueled excitement, I brought down the remaining hostile forces one by one.

First, second, third… until only the final adversary remained.

“Ugh…”

“Mercy, what manner of creature are you…”

As the dust began to settle, the floor around me was littered with groaning, incapacitated bodies, a tally that included several enforcers who had rushed down from the upper level after hearing the loud commotion.

“Whew… did anyone manage to break for the exit?”

Because I had sustained so many injuries and appeared to be on the verge of collapsing from blood loss throughout the fight, the enforcers had erroneously believed that just a little more effort would allow them to overpower me.

By the time their collective morale broke entirely, fleeing was no longer a viable option.

The vast majority of the thugs had already sustained crippling injuries to their legs, destroying their mobility, and I easily intercepted and neutralized the few who made a desperate dash for the entrance.

When all was said and done, I was forced to expend the charges on my auxiliary protective magical items, which I had intended to preserve for an absolute emergency…

However, it was an unavoidable necessity. Had I abstained from using them, a few of the syndicate members might have successfully slipped past me into the night.

“Haa… haa.”

With the engagement concluded, I stood perfectly still for a brief interval to stabilize my breathing.

The hemorrhaging had ceased, and the various lacerations were already undergoing the restoration process, but my garments were so utterly saturated with gore that the physical transformation was completely invisible.

“Speak. Where is the youth your men abducted earlier today?”

“What are you talking about? Aaargh!”

Without wasting a breath on dialogue, I intentionally drove my fingers directly into an open wound on the thug who attempted to feign ignorance.

“The lower level! He is locked away in the basement!”

“I was already certain of that much. Where have you hidden the key?”

“It is pinned to the frame of the door!!”

After extracting a few additional logistical details, I pushed myself back up to my feet and surveyed the perimeter.

The tavern interior was completely destroyed, populated only by dying enforcers writhing in agony and corpses that had already grown still.

I reached down and gripped my weapon once more.

To ensure the success of the narrative I intended to leave behind, there could be absolutely no survivors remaining within these walls.

“Hold on, please! Spare my life! I beg—Agh!”

I moved through the room, methodically delivering coup de grâce strikes to every fallen figure.

Operating under the cold efficiency of “Mind Hub” felt deeply unsettling, but reminding myself that these individuals would only perpetrate further atrocities if permitted to live allowed me to mechanically execute the task.

“If I go down there looking like this, the boy will be terrified out of his wits and lose consciousness…”

Scanning the wreckage, I made my way over to a counter where various containers of spirits and a reservoir of fresh water were situated.

I grabbed the alcohol containers first, upending them directly over my head to dissolve and clear away the thick coating of blood.

“The pungent aroma of cheap liquor is vastly preferable to the stench of slaughter.”

Once the worst of the crimson stains had been cleared from my face, I lifted the water container and thoroughly rinsed my hair and skin once more.

“This ought to be sufficient for the moment.”

While my attire remained completely drenched and heavily stained, my physical appearance was vastly improved compared to my state moments ago.

With my presentation managed, I turned and strode toward the heavy door that secured the descent to the lower level.