-Thwack!
A sharp, violent impact struck my shoulder blade. A searing pain erupted from my shoulder, radiating through my entire body, yet I bit back any scream that threatened to escape my throat. I had been meticulously careful to never utter a sound while in my combat form, striving to ensure that no one would discern my true identity.
“…”
Amidst the chaotic frenzy, I struggled to comprehend the unfolding events, yet one truth remained undeniably clear.
This is dangerous.
Someone was targeting me. And that someone was incredibly powerful.
I flung myself toward a massive utility pole, seeking immediate cover behind its sturdy frame.
-Tat-tat-tat-tat!
A devastating barrage of bullets then rained down precisely where I had stood moments before, reducing the spot to a riddled, splintered mess.
That’s no ordinary gun.
Had it been, the bullets would never have pierced the asphalt pavement. It must be either a magic-engineered firearm or a unique ability. Regardless of which, it posed a grave threat to me.
My expression hardened as I drew a deep breath, simultaneously spreading my magical energy outwards. The blood seeping from my shoulder, mingling with the villain’s gore strewn across the asphalt, coalesced and then reformed into the shape of a sword, which I gripped firmly in my hand.
-Tap.
Just then, a figure alighted softly a short distance from the utility pole where I was concealed.
Appearing as a blue-haired woman cloaked by a mask, this being exuded an immense, palpable magical power. It was an overwhelming aura, far surpassing anyone else I had encountered on Earth thus far. A rough estimation of her power placed her at the very pinnacle of A-rank. Such a formidable individual was a rarity, even within Veilia itself.
She was a powerhouse far beyond my current capabilities to contend with. Should we clash, regardless of the struggle’s intensity, I was certain to face inevitable defeat.
Why?
Why, of all times, did such a powerful being appear before me now? Was it a mere coincidence, or was there some underlying reason?
As I extracted the bullet lodged deep in my shoulder blade, my gaze remained vigilantly fixed on the woman’s movements. Just then, a voice reached my ears.
“…I thought I had dealt with all the vermin in this area, but it seems a small fry remained. You trashy bloodsucking bastards.”
Uttering these words in a voice laced with a subtle yet agitated fury, the woman began her slow, deliberate approach. Her anger was clearly directed at vampires. Furthermore, she knew I was a vampire.
Had she just witnessed me feeding, then?
And bloodsuckers?
A torrent of questions arose from her tone, which suggested she had been hunting vampires for a considerable time. Could it be that there were other vampires on Earth besides me?
A flood of conflicting information overwhelmed me, plunging me into a state of profound confusion. Yet, there was one element that confused me more than anything else.
…Choi Seon-hee’s voice?
Upon hearing the woman’s voice, the image of Choi Seon-hee flashed through my mind with startling clarity. The pitch, the intonation, the very aura emanating from this woman—none of it truly resembled Choi Seon-hee, yet inexplicably, her voice kept echoing in my thoughts.
Though her facial features were obscured by a mask, her long, flowing blue hair bore a striking resemblance to Choi Seon-hee’s. Subtly, the unnerving thought that this woman and Choi Seon-hee were one and the same began to insidiously creep into my consciousness.
Choi Seon-hee only possessed C-rank magical power at best.
Could it be that she had been hiding her magical power all along, just like me? If so, that would explain the enormous discrepancy in magical energy between Choi Seon-hee and this woman.
The bright and kind Choi Seon-hee. The cold, merciless woman who was now tightening her grip on my throat.
The stark contrast in their auras was so immense that I found myself paralyzed, unable to make an easy judgment.
Just then, the woman suddenly extended her hand toward me. Her magical power then surged out from her body, splitting into multiple discrete parts, each instantly taking the form of a firearm.
There were easily ten of them.
These magical firearms, conjured by her power, floated suspended in the air, their muzzles collectively aiming at a single, ominous point. Their muzzles were directed precisely at where I stood.
Is this a unique ability to manifest and fire guns made of magic?
It was a far more troublesome ability than I had anticipated. Could I truly survive this? Against such a monstrous foe, whose magical power was at the pinnacle of A-rank, and who wielded ten guns that floated in the air as if they possessed a malevolent will of their own?
…Of course, I must survive.
No matter what, I had to survive. I couldn’t die before returning to my family.
Desperately, I racked my brain, meticulously formulating a plan for my very survival. First, I hardened the flowing blood on my shoulder, sealing the wound. This pre-emptive measure ensured the wound wouldn’t hinder me when I eventually employed Environmental Assimilation to escape.
Following that, I sharpened my senses, focusing intently on discerning the woman’s movements and the magical activity within her conjured firearms.
Just before the woman’s finger pulled the trigger. Just before the guns floating beside her spat out their magical bullets—
“…Die.”
The instant before countless muzzles unleashed their torrent of projectiles, I pivoted and fled without a backward glance.
-Tat-tat-tat-tat!!!
Immediately, a torrent of bullets surged toward me. Yet, most merely grazed past my body, failing to embed themselves within my flesh. This was because I could precisely read where each muzzle was aimed and the exact moment each bullet would fire. By simply shifting my body at the opportune moment within the bullets’ predicted trajectories, evasion itself proved to be not overly difficult.
Of course, with ten trajectories to account for, perfectly avoiding every single bullet was impossible, even for me.
In the fleeting moment a bullet I couldn’t entirely evade hurtled toward my body—
-Clang!
I swung my blood-sword without even looking back. The incoming bullets struck the blade, deflecting away one after another. It was a technique unique to me, born from the singular physical abilities of a vampire, an acute magical sensitivity, and swordsmanship honed to its absolute peak.
-Tat-tat-tat-tat!
My eyes fixed forward, I continued my frantic flight, using my magical senses to meticulously read the situation behind me. I meticulously read the trajectories and timings, twisting my body as much as possible to avoid the onslaught of bullets, and deflecting the few I couldn’t evade with my blood-sword.
“…!”
Perhaps she hadn’t even imagined I could evade such a torrent of bullets. The woman flinched for an instant, as if utterly dumbfounded by shock. However, she quickly composed herself, pushing off the ground with renewed force and relentlessly pursuing me, unleashing a continuous volley of fire.
Fortunately, her combat style leaned more towards that of a mage than a warrior. Even with her top-tier A-rank power, her raw speed proved merely comparable to mine. Had she been a close-combatant, particularly one of the assassin archetype, I would have been torn to shreds long ago.
For a considerable while, the one-sided chase continued relentlessly. It was a relentless cycle of fleeing from her, deftly evading bullets, and parrying them away.
Repeating this process ceaselessly, I gradually lured the woman toward a predetermined ‘battleground’ of my choosing.
I had no intention of turning back to fight her. There was a chasm of difference in difficulty between confronting her head-on and merely escaping her. I certainly wasn’t keen on losing my life by foolishly provoking such a formidable opponent.
And before long, I finally arrived.
There it is.
A treacherous crossroads, splitting into no less than five distinct paths. At this critical juncture, I intended to bring this perilous chase to a decisive end.
The reason the woman had initially been able to pinpoint my exact location was likely because she had read the magical energy waves I emitted upon assuming my combat form. In short, she was currently tracking me by exploiting the very magical signature I inadvertently radiated.
While this was an optimal tracking method, allowing her to pursue an enemy regardless of the surrounding environment, today, that very method would become her ultimate undoing.
The crossroads drew nearer and nearer. Upon reaching it, I immediately employed Environmental Assimilation to render my body translucent, almost ethereal. In this dark, winding night alley, it would be nigh impossible to track my semi-transparent form with the naked eye.
Leveraging a vampire’s superior magical sensitivity, I precisely divided the magical energy within my body into five distinct, equal parts. I then launched four of these magical fragments into four of the five paths, while I myself plunged into the remaining one.
From her perspective, tracking me via magical signatures, it would appear as though I had suddenly multiplied into five distinct entities, each escaping down a different path.
Sure enough, the woman hesitated for a crucial moment, then chose one of the five paths and continued forward with renewed determination.
It was a misstep.
…What a relief.
I had been on edge, wondering if she might, by chance, come my way, but it seemed fate had not entirely abandoned me.
Letting out a deep, shuddering sigh of relief, I continued down the path, putting as much distance as possible between myself and the woman. Only when I reached a point where her potent magical energy could no longer be detected was I able to safely release my combat form.
“…Ugh, that was a close call.”
Leaning against a suitable spot, I panted for breath, striving to calm my frantically pounding heart. Simultaneously, I began to meticulously analyze the dire predicament I now faced.
First and foremost, the situation was dire. A madwoman had appeared, intent on killing me simply for the ‘crime’ of being a vampire. It was highly probable that she would continue to manifest before me, attempting to end my life every time I ventured out to hunt villains.
From now on, I’ll have to assume my combat form only when absolutely necessary.
If I were to carelessly transform, I might find myself embroiled in another deadly game of cat and mouse with that woman, a game that would only conclude with one of us dead.
At this moment, she was nothing short of a force of nature, a veritable natural disaster, to me. Therefore, it was only logical for me to exercise extreme caution and meticulously avoid her.
And yet, something still bothered me.
…Was that woman earlier truly Choi Seon-hee?
The voice that brought Choi Seon-hee to mind. The same striking blue hair as Choi Seon-hee.
Of course, these two points alone weren’t enough to definitively conclude that Choi Seon-hee was the woman. But the deeply unsettling thought refused to relinquish its hold on my mind.
If Choi Seon-hee were indeed the formidable woman from moments ago, then continuing to live in her building as I was now would be exceedingly dangerous. My very life might even be at stake.
However, even if Choi Seon-hee were that woman, there were several reasons why I couldn’t easily move out of my current home. Living in this particular neighborhood, where Gates and Surge phenomena were alarmingly frequent, rapidly accelerated my growth.
For me, who needed to grow quickly and return to Veilia with utmost urgency, I couldn’t easily abandon life here.
Moreover, a sudden, unexplained move might only arouse Choi Seon-hee’s keen suspicion. What if, after she had been actively chasing a male vampire last night and subsequently lost him, the man from upstairs suddenly attempted to ‘run’ less than two weeks after moving in?
If I were in her shoes, I would certainly view such a person with immediate suspicion.
While it might be an option later, making a run for it now would be dangerous.
Could the woman who had tried to kill me just now truly be Choi Seon-hee?
Whether it was Choi Seon-hee or that formidable woman, I would have to observe her with meticulous care from now on.
After concluding the harrowing chase, I returned home and collapsed onto my bed.
Then, the next morning, still groggy, I rubbed my eyes and glanced at my smartphone, only to freeze solid on the spot.
It was because of a single message that had arrived from Choi Seon-hee a mere two hours earlier.
—Sihyeon. I have something to tell you in person. Are you free today?
“…”
Pondering that message over and over, dissecting its every implication, I eventually arrived at a single, grim conclusion.
Well.
I’m screwed, aren’t I?
