Chapter 54

The central hub of the underground sewer system had a gaping hole in the middle, swallowing the streams of water flowing in from multiple directions. Above it, a mess of rusted steel structures stretched across the space. It was a half-assed attempt at building something functional for maintenance workers.

This wasn’t a proper bridge, but a flimsy, makeshift set of steel beams slapped together because whoever was in charge had been too cheap to do the job right. With a width so narrow that standing with both feet side by side barely left any room to spare, it was debatable whether it even qualified as a bridge at all. But to Do-Jin, the fact that it looked like it could collapse if someone sneezed too hard was certainly a blessing.

I was worried it might be a pain to bring down, but this thing’s practically begging to kill someone.

While his pursuer wasted time wandering in the wrong direction, Do-Jin used the opportunity to set up his battlefield. Climbing up and down the slick, moss-covered ladders, he rigged the central hub and every possible enemy entry point with an obscene number of mana bombs.

It was the kind of setup that screamed “waste of money” in the worst way possible, but he couldn’t care less. He dumped everything in his inventory to turn the entire place into his domain. This fight wasn’t just another obstacle. It was the biggest crisis he’d faced since returning to his past self, so he was going to throw literally everything he had at it.

“Ooooh! I’ve never seen a structure like this before! This is a naturally formed sinkhole with man-made scaffolding built over it, repurposed in such a way! Central Continent folks really are creative!”

While Do-Jin was laser-focused on his preparations, the Elder was commenting with the attention span of a squirrel on caffeine, as usual. She was leaning out over the edge of the pit, completely absorbed in watching the black void of water swallowing everything in sight. Even though the vampire still wasn’t in great shape, she’d somehow managed to crawl her way over using just her chin and was now wiggling around like a curious child.

“For fuck’s sake, can you sit still for once?”

“I am sitting still! Oh, wait... look at this! I can move my neck this much now!”

She swung her head side to side as if she’d just made the greatest discovery of her life.

From the neck down, she was still completely limp and sprawled out like a corpse, but her head was flailing around with enough energy to make up for it. Do-Jin took one look at the ridiculous sight and gave up.

Yeah, I’m the idiot for expecting a runaway from the Floating Continent to know how to stay put.

This was the same dumb vampire who, in an even dumber past, had nearly gotten herself killed sunbathing on the Floating Continent’s surface because she wanted to see the sky. Compared to that, scooting around on her chin probably was her version of sitting still.

I better wrap this up and send her back home.

The sooner that happened, the sooner he could get back to his peaceful, Elder-free VR life. Just as Do-Jin resigned himself to that goal, the Elder suddenly perked up.

“Ah!” Her ears twitched and her head jerked toward the tunnel. “The creepy laughing guy finally figured out the right path. He’ll be here soon.”

“Shit, how much time do we have left?”

“Maybe... a minute? Something like that!”

Do-Jin didn’t hesitate. He stepped onto the steel beams, crossed the “bridge,” and climbed the ladder. The enemy’s entry point had already been identified thanks to the Elder, and every possible preparation had been made.

“Oh, uh, be careful! I mean, I’ll be fine if I fall down there, but regular humans like you would be in serious danger!”

“Don’t worry about it. Even if we end up getting separated, just keep your shit together for an hour. Your stupid ‘sunlight poisoning’ or whatever should heal up by then, and you’ll be able to go home.”

At his words, the Elder’s expression froze. For the first time, her big, bright eyes filled with genuine panic.

***

When had it all started, that quiet slide from wanting to live to just craving an end to it all? Karin couldn’t even remember. She’d been longing for it so long that the beginning had blurred into nothing, like a dream she’d forgotten the moment she woke up.

The novels of the Central Continent described vampires with a simple phrase: “A vampire is an immortal monster.”

If she ever met the author, she would’ve liked to correct them and point out that there was a slight mistake. It was true that vampires didn’t age, but that only applied to the body. The mind, crushed under the weight of endless time, aged in a way no human could understand.

The Principality was a place where death had become a distant concept, where emotions and the heart itself gradually faded into nothing. After living for over a thousand years in such a place, there was rarely a reason to feel anything at all.

A heart left untouched and forgotten gathered dust with time. The longer it was left that way, the deeper it sank beneath the layers until, one day, it was buried so completely that finding it again felt impossible.

Karin’s heart had suffered the same fate, and she hated it. Even if she had become one of the so-called immortal monsters, she had wanted to remain human, at least in spirit. That was why she had gone through the trouble of getting her hands on books from the Central Continent. She wanted to understand people, to learn how they thought, to feel the things they felt.

Still, it hadn’t been enough. Maybe she had lived too long in barren soil, because no matter how much she read, she couldn’t grasp the emotions of the characters, nor could she understand or relate to what they felt.

That was when she came to the conclusion that she had never truly possessed a human heart to begin with. The realization had left her hollow, so she went to the surface and stared at the sky. She stared at the sun until her vision burned.

Maybe I’m human after all. If I really am, then no matter how long I look at the sun, it won’t kill me

.

It was a foolish thought, a hollow hope laced with a quiet, desolate acceptance that if this life ended in nothingness, so be it. That same mindset was why she had followed the priest when she first arrived on the Central Continent.

A priest, of all people, should have seen a vampire as an enemy. However, he had smiled and offered to help. If, by some miracle, he had been telling the truth, then good. If not, it would have simply meant the end of her existence. It didn’t matter either way. So she had followed him with a bright, thoughtless smile.

A journey to break the curse of vampirism? What a joke. I just needed a reason to keep going. A reason to exist, until I could find something I had never once possessed

.

Wanting to disappear while desperately searching for a reason to keep going was a contradiction she had lived with for over a thousand years. The question had twisted and tangled itself so thoroughly over time that even Karin could no longer make sense of it. But now, for the first time, she felt like she had finally grasped the edge of the answer she had been chasing for so long.

“Don’t worry about it. Even if we end up getting separated, just keep your shit together for an hour. Your stupid ”sunlight poisoning“ or whatever should heal up by then, and you’ll be able to go home.”

It was just one simple sentence. But it felt like a goodbye, like they’d never meet again. Karin couldn’t help but feel a surge of panic at the thought of him leaving so suddenly. It wasn’t an act she was putting up. She was genuinely shaken.

“W-what do you mean? You’re not... planning on leaving me behind, are you? N-not that I’d blame you if you decided to put your own safety first! I’d totally understand!”

As she spoke, Karin suddenly realized how she sounded. It was almost like she was giving him permission to ditch her.

She hurriedly added, “If you leave me behind, I won’t even get the chance to properly thank you!”

She struggled to make sense of why she was so flustered and why he made her feel this way in the first place.

Is it because he helped me, even knowing I’m a vampire?

Yeah. That had to be it. But then, what about that priest who confronted her the moment she reached the Central Continent?

That guy deceived me. It was obvious, too. The difference is... this person never tried to use me. He didn’t even ask my name or demand anything in return for saving me.

It was true that he wasn’t particularly kind. He gave her a hard time now and then. But in the end, he still saved her, even when it meant risking his own safety to protect hers. There were too many reasons to list.

He’s the first human who treated me like I wasn’t some monster. Who knows if I’ll ever meet someone like him again?

How could she have been so blind to something so simple? She’d been relying on him this whole time, but it only hit her now, when he might just disappear from her life.

“Are you...

thanking

me?” Do-Jin’s voice cut through her tangled thoughts like a knife.

“Y-yes! I never got the chance to properly thank you!”

He grinned with an amused look in his eyes. “I can tell you’re really grateful right now.”

“Of course! You saved me, after all!”

“Good. Well, you just said it. And that’s enough.”

Karin’s eyes widened, like they were about to pop out of her head. “No! I take it back then! I’m not grateful at all! Not one damn bit!”

Desperate to retract her gratitude, she threw a fit, but it was a wasted effort. Do-Jin’s gaze had already shifted toward the depths of the tunnel ahead. In that instant, a spine-chilling, sinister laugh reached Karin’s ears, making her skin crawl.

“Was it you?” The cultist’s voice echoed from the other side of the tunnel.

Do-Jin let out a sigh. “That’s disappointing. Was it you? That’s the best you’ve got? How cliché.”

The priest burst out in laughter. His chuckle soon grew into full-blown hysterics, before finally tapering off into a snort.

“You really are insane. I was wondering what kind of lunatic would dare interrupt my great and holy ritual, but it turns out you’re just a goddamn nutcase. How dare you disrespect my question like that? You’ve clearly lost your mind.” Despite his words, the priest seemed surprisingly composed.

Do-Jin flexed his fingers, watching the faint golden glow flicker between them.

One shot. One chance. I only get one window to make this work. I need to keep him talking.

To do that, he had to play along.

“You. Just to be sure, are you here because you actually know who we are?” The priest’s tone was mocking, filled with contempt. “If you answer right now, I might make your journey to death a little shorter. Choose wisely.”

Do-Jin shrugged. “How the fuck would I know? I was busting a damn slave ring when I found something nastier, so I dragged it out here. What the hell’s a priest doing with that thing anyway?”

Do-Jin purposely feigned ignorance about the priest’s identity. If the Cult of Ruin found out their secret was exposed, there was no telling what they’d pull next. Ideally, he wanted to kill this bastard right here, but if he failed, it was better to make them think he just stumbled in by accident rather than knowing about the cult. It seemed to work because Hexley seemed relaxed.

“

Hmph

. Of course. A worm like you couldn’t possibly grasp the grand workings of this world. That was a foolish question on my part. I apologize.”

Hexley looked down on him so much that he didn’t even question his story. He didn’t suspect a thing. He had already written Do-Jin off as insignificant as an insect who was barely worth his attention. That was exactly the kind of opponent Do-Jin liked best.

“Unfortunately for you, there’s no reason to keep you around anymore. Die slowly, and reflect on your own stupidity, you pathetic worm.”

With a dismissive flick of his fingers, Hexley shook a bell and the monsters surrounding him moved in unison. At almost the exact moment, Do-Jin snapped his fingers.

A chain of violent explosions tore through the air, crackling with bright blue electricity. The mana stone bombs Do-Jin had set up in advance went off one after another, sending shockwaves and scorching lightning bolts everywhere. Fifteen of the grotesque monsters were obliterated on the spot, turning into nothing more than burnt husks and splattered guts on the tunnel walls.

Hexley’s mouth hung open in disbelief, his face twisted in barely suppressed rage. “W-what the...!”

He couldn’t believe it. One or two monsters dying, sure, but wiping out fifteen all at once was something he had never imagined. To think a cockroach like Do-Jin could have pulled off something so destructive.

Then it hit him, quite literally. He glanced down and saw his pristine white priest robes splattered with gore and muck from the fried remains of his minions. The rancid stench hit his nose, making his lips curl in disgust.

“You miserable parasite! You’re not even worth being called a cockroach!”

“A cockroach, huh? That’s pretty fucking rude, don’t you think?” Do-Jin shot back casually, like he couldn’t care less.

He lowered himself to the ground, maintaining an easy stance while his hands moved deftly, gathering mana as he prepared his next spell.

[Flash Lance]

Light exploded through the dark tunnel and a spear of pure energy shot straight at Hexley, only to disintegrate on impact. Although it had shattered like glass against an iron wall, Hexley didn’t even flinch. He just stood there looking incredibly bored.

Do-Jin showed no reaction. He knew it wouldn’t work, of course, but that was never his plan. That glowing spear was just a flashy decoy. It was nothing but a glorified firework meant to draw Hexley’s attention while Do-Jin moved in closer.

[Fireball]

Without missing a beat, he lunged forward with a massive fireball forming in his right hand. He swung it like he was about to knock Hexley’s head clean off. His target raised an eyebrow, barely bothering to move as he swatted it away as if it were a mosquito.

“How pathetic.” Hexley scoffed.

The sheer force of Hexley’s hand sent Do-Jin flying backward like a ragdoll, crashing against the rough stone floor. He bit back a scream, his body trembling from the impact and his mind racing to regain control.

“

Ugh

!”

Hexley sneered at him, stepping closer as if he was about to put down a sick dog.

“

Tch

. Look at you, flailing around like a mosquito. Calling you a cockroach was an insult to cockroaches. You’re even more worthless than I thought.”

In one swift motion, he grabbed Do-Jin by the throat, fingers digging in hard enough to cut off his air. Do-Jin choked and gasped, his vision going hazy as Hexley squeezed harder, glaring down at him like he was nothing but a stain on his boot.

“God, you’re pitiful. Those little whimpers aren’t even worth listening to. You think that level of pain even scratches the surface of what you deserve? Nah... I’ve got something way nastier in mind for your sorry ass.”

Hexley’s fingers glowed with a sinister, twisted light as he chanted some kind of curse, one that promised pure, unrelenting agony. It was the kind that would make a grown man beg to die just to make it stop.

Suddenly, Do-Jin’s hand moved in a flash.

Stab

.

“Huh?”

Hexley froze, his whole body tensing as a sudden, sharp pain shot through his side. He looked down in confusion and saw the dagger buried in his ribs, blood already staining his once-immaculate robes.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

How can a mage swing a knife like some cornered rat? How fucking pathetic can you get? Trash like that oughta at least die with some dignity...

Just as Hexley was thinking that, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Do-Jin was smiling, or rather, he was grinning stupidly like he’d just pulled off the heist of the century. He was acting like he’d already won. Then, it hit him like a punch to the gut. His instincts screamed that something was very, very wrong, but it was far too late.

“You dumb motherfucker.” Do-Jin rasped, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “If you’re gonna trap someone, at least have the balls to kill them on the spot.”

[Fangs of the Black Dragon]

Do-Jin had just activated the S-rank weapon’s spell.