Chapter 35

Chapter 35
## Chapter 35

Earth’s Vampire (2)

‘Well, isn’t this fascinating?’

A betrayal that completely caught me off guard.

I wondered briefly if he was acting under Gamma’s psychological manipulation, but there were no telltale indications of mental tampering.

“…Dammit, Minyoung! Why…? Why would you do this now!”

Jinsol lay collapsed on the floor, her backbone completely shattered.

Under normal circumstances, vampires possessed the regenerative traits necessary to mend such a wound given time, but currently, that was out of the question.

In the meantime, the lackeys under Gamma’s command moved in, clutching elongated stakes.

“Ugh, [Back off!]”

Her screech unleashed a violent pressure wave, blasting the closing vampires backward through the air.

Even so, her defiance was short-lived.

“Ughhh— You… you bastards…”

Stakes impaled her form from multiple angles, her lacerations froze over, and heavy, dark iron links bound her supernatural traits.

No matter how formidable she normally was, facing a coordinated assault in this state—especially after a devastating backstab—was simply too much to handle.

“Heh, so you’re the much-discussed newcomer.”

Gamma stepped into the light, wearing a mocking grin.

Minyoung, the one responsible for the initial treachery, stood by silently with tightly squeezed fists, while another comrade simply shut their eyes and averted their gaze.

She glanced at her shivering companions before fixing a harsh glare on the approaching Gamma.

“Peace? Sure, that sounds wonderful. But maintaining peace requires the power to defend it.”

He looked down at her restrained, agonizing figure, delivering his words like a sermonizing lecturer.

“We possess true power. We are vastly superior to the humans surrounding us, who are nothing more than livestock. Yet we are forced to skulk in the shadows because of those lesser hypocrites.”

“You have completely lost your mind. Are you denying the era when you walked as a human? Just because you are a vampire now?”

“Well… there was indeed a period like that.”

Gamma flashed a malicious smirk.

He remained entirely unmoved by her protests.

“But we were the chosen ones. We survived life-or-death conflicts and pushed through endless tribulations to attain this position. Isn’t that true for everyone here?”

He raised his voice as if addressing an audience, sweeping his gaze across the chamber.

His loyal followers, along with the individuals who had arrived alongside Jinsol, gave nods of agreement.

“Why must we submit to this degradation? For how much longer? We are forbidden from walking openly in the daylight, and we cannot vindicate our names. A existence spent entirely in hiding and scraping by—does that sort of survival possess any true value?”

“Utter garbage! The only reason we are in this position is because the radicals trigger crises at every turn. If we had focused on mutual concessions and open dialogue from the start, we could have integrated perfectly!”

“Well, that is merely your perspective. Perhaps it might have unfolded that way.”

To her frustration, Gamma remained entirely unbothered by her arguments.

“But what about the sentiments of those who have stood by the moderate faction all this time?”

Shifting her focus to match his gaze, Jinsol looked toward her own companions.

Some still kept their eyes shut, refusing to face the reality of the betrayal, while Minyoung stared back at her with a clenched fist.

In the heavy silence, Minyoung finally spoke up while maintaining eye contact.

“We genuinely attempted to support the moderate faction’s ideology through various means, but absolutely nothing changed. It became suffocating. How long were we expected to exist this way? For the rest of our lives? After barely crawling our way out of that living hell?”

“The past cannot be rewritten. This path represents our best available route forward.”

The individuals who had remained silent with closed eyes finally muttered their agreement.

Jinsol watched their expressions for a beat before letting her head fall forward.

Gamma, who had clearly relished the entire drama, took another step closer.

“By our very nature, we are apex predators. Why should we bow our heads? Granted, our primary obstacle is likely our lack of population. Pure numbers dictate actual leverage.”

While Jinsol kept her gaze fixed downward and Gamma continued his self-satisfied monologue, I calmly categorized the incoming data while observing this localized theater production.

Discovering the underlying intent behind the plot was highly valuable data.

“To rectify that deficit, we require strength. Indomitable power, right now!”

Yet, this environment is not a foreign realm.

In the alternate world, I could scale my capabilities rapidly due to specific development advantages, but returning to Earth meant abandoning those fast tracks.

“In this realm, we cannot accumulate karma, nor can we accelerate our advancement like we used to! We must build our capabilities incrementally by consuming blood consistently, precisely like the vampires of the old world. And yet even that baseline is restricted? Ha! Relying on blood packs?”

The physical act of drawing blood directly from a living source held an esoteric significance.

It functioned as an occult rite to siphon the target’s life essence and accumulate mystic credit, rather than serving as a mere meal to boost physical metrics.

Using processed blood packs would satisfy basic starvation, but it offered zero progression in terms of raw power.

‘So, it functions essentially like a starvation diet?’

A vampire could certainly subsist on preserved blood packs.

However, it was closer to merely clinging to existence, and without meticulous management, one’s baseline capabilities would slowly degrade over time.

“Consequently, we pursued a methodology to rapidly elevate our strength, and we ultimately uncovered that pathway.”

Anyone with basic intuition could predict his next statement.

Jinsol was certainly smart enough to piece it together.

“Are you implying… this child, perhaps? Did you actually dare to violate the supreme taboo?”

Where could all those vampires who had supposedly vanished via abductions have gone?

Feeding upon their own kind.

The most direct and infallible route for a vampire to scale their power.

However, the psychological fallout was devastating, completely overshadowing the benefits.

It carried immense notoriety back in Outerica, but its reputation on Earth was far more severe.

“The taboo exists for a reason! Do you truly intend to trigger a replication of the disaster from back then?!”

During the initial phase of the returnee phenomenon, global stability shattered entirely, with a significant portion of the devastation driven by rogue vampires.

Consuming one’s own species was strictly outlawed, yet certain vampires bypassed the restriction and crossed back over to Earth after significantly elevating their power.

Already mentally degraded, they hunted down domestic vampires on Earth to further amplify their strength, and the subsequent fallout…

“Are you aiming to unleash psychotic bloodsuckers upon the world once more?!”

When integrating the blood of vampires originating from alternate realms, distinct genetic traits merge and transmute.

Inferior traits are purged while dominant characteristics manifest, resulting in an astronomical spike in combat efficacy.

‘The real complication lies in the profound psychological rot that accompanies the transformation.’

Because it triggers structural mutations at a fundamental genetic level, mental instability is an unavoidable byproduct…

Ultimately, deranged predators ran rampant, causing the systemic threat level of vampires to skyrocket globally.

In truth, the chaos of that specific era was the primary reason vampires faced such intense subjugation today.

“The authorities will never overlook this! No matter what shadow patrons you are relying on, you will be utterly abandoned!”

Following those historical events, cannibalism among earthly vampires was strictly outlawed, and corrupted bloodsuckers were marked for termination by their own species.

To willingly accept such a massive liability…

“That is quite enough talking. Naturally, we implemented cannibalism.”

Gamma carried on, his face twisted into a smug, arrogant grin.

“However, through extensive experimentation and collaborative research, we developed a technique to dilute the psychic imprint bound within the blood, allowing us to siphon power safely. The overall yield is lower, but it is a compromise we can easily accept.”

These milestones were achieved by merging esoteric doctrines from distinct dimensions, incorporating blood magic, dark magic, sorcery, hexes, alchemy, and more.

Though external entities provided substantial backing throughout development, the finer details mattered little as long as the end goal was functional.

‘…Why does this fellow sound exactly like a persistent marketer? Is he putting on a performance for his audience?’

Stepping back to analyze the scene, the psychological impact of his speech on the gathering became glaringly obvious.

The weaker individuals sank deeper into mindless devotion, while even the more formidable figures showed signs of being swayed.

The lingering traces of remorse felt by those who had perpetrated the betrayal dissolved completely.

“Has your thirst for answers been quenched? You need not worry excessively about the remaining survivors. I have no intention of waging war against my own bloodline.”

Seeming ready to conclude the matter, Gamma closed the distance, gripped her hair tightly, and yanked her face upward.

“Given that these two have agreed to align with us, crafting an alibi will be trivial. We will simply make it appear as though you perished alongside the guardians during your return journey.”

“See to it that you honor your end of the deal. We accepted an immense liability by escorting her to this location.”

“Naturally. You have provided us with a magnificent specimen, so I will ensure you receive the neutralizing agent first.”

Answering smoothly, he gazed down at the broken, defiant form of Jinsol.

They had locked horns over conflicting ideologies since their days in Noktunia, and realizing this might be their final encounter left a lingering, complex sentiment.

“Well, seeing as this is the concluding act, rest easy. A brief slumber will ensure it passes without pain.”

“You monstrous…!”

Before she could finish her sentence, her consciousness failed, and she went limp under the concentrated pressure of Gamma’s projected energy.

He straightened up and signaled his underlings to transfer her to the inner chambers.

“My apologies for making you wait through that sudden interruption. Well, you comprehend the current circumstances, correct? Does this arrangement pose a problem for you?”

Gamma shifted his gaze toward me, his expression radiating confidence.

He was finally paying attention to my presence.

“Not at all, it was highly entertaining. Don’t give it a second thought.”

Pulling down the disguise covering my face, I offered a relaxed response, causing his features to momentarily lose their composure.

He immediately barked an order to the subordinate standing nearest to him.

“…Rank 5. Their restorative traits are somewhat pronounced, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Oh, is that the case?”

Gamma regained his calm demeanor and sauntered over to my position.

It appeared his underling possessed an analytical trait capable of measuring an individual’s comparative rank.

The aristocratic purebloods back in Outerica generally hovered around rank 5 or 6.

“Are you attempting to bluff? I am uncertain how you dissolved my binding array, but you are a mere rank 5 acting entirely alone. Do you honestly believe you can navigate your way out of this room?”

It was a logical assumption.

Though I lacked precise metrics for everyone present, there were four individuals here matching pureblood rank, while the remainder fell below the median threshold.

Had my objective been a tactical retreat, executing it while Jinsol was actively fighting back would have been the logical choice.

‘At this point, such measures are completely unnecessary.’

Fleeing was never part of the plan anyway.

Since I managed to extract highly actionable intelligence from this encounter, I might as well utilize it fully.

“Let me count… nine targets in total? If the methodology is truly that potent, I wonder how much my own capabilities will expand once I consume all nine of you.”

“…What kind of delusion are you spouting?”

Gamma’s unease resurfaced slightly at my detached, calm behavior.

“Weren’t you delivering a passionate lecture just moments ago? Explaining how the historical vampire purge manifested due to those exact parameters. Today is turning out to be highly educational in several respects.”

“The fool has simply lost his mind…”

Dismissing any further dialogue, he gave a sharp hand signal to his forces.

The operatives began advancing slowly at Gamma’s command.

Yet, their advance was cut short almost immediately.

Saaaa—

An abrupt, piercing drop in temperature swept through the chamber.

The atmosphere grew incredibly dense.

The individuals gathered inside involuntarily choked back their breath, plunging the room into a sudden, absolute stillness.

Belatedly recovering their wits, the occupants began scanning the surroundings with heightened alertness…

Without warning, a pitch-black shroud engulfed the internal structural walls of the facility.

[Your defensive concealment attributes were passable, but your overall perimeter security is remarkably flawed.]

Emerging directly from the expanding shadow, Hans materialized step by step.

While penetrating the perimeter array, he had received minor coordination from Heinz stationed inside, though at this juncture, that detail was entirely irrelevant.

“…A Hahoe mask? How did you manage to breach this location?!”

Gamma vociferated in utter shock.

He maintained absolute faith in his stealth measures, yet the intricate barrier network he had painstakingly deployed had been completely compromised.

As his panicked eyes scanned the room, Heinz, who had maintained an eerie, unflinching stillness from the very beginning, stepped into view.

“You… you bastard…! You orchestrated his arrival…!”

Though he couldn’t deduce the exact mechanism I had employed, he clearly inferred that I was the catalyst.

Otherwise, my unbothered demeanor made zero sense.

Just as Gamma, entirely convinced of this reality, was on the verge of completely losing his temper, another individual in the room was experiencing an equal level of profound shock…

“Th-that… Master Gamma…!”

The individual who had originally identified Heinz’s rank was an analytical trait user.

Noticing that Hans showed no immediate inclination to strike, Gamma shifted his gaze rapidly, glaring intently at the analyst.

“I—I have never encountered an energy signature of this magnitude before, so I cannot properly quantify it!”

“Useless fool, pull yourself together! If you have data to report, spit it out immediately!”

Stuttering wildly under Gamma’s aggressive outburst, the subordinate strained his eyes and screamed out the reading.

“Rank 8…! He is at minimum a Rank 8!”

Once again, absolute silence gripped the room.