Once Genji made a full recovery, he climbed back up the cliff and snuck into the castle again. Then he unleashed another round of assassinations, unbothered about staying hidden. Now that the main target was dead, he didn't need to worry about him escaping.
After a while, the vampires realized they were no match for this intruder despite their numbers. It was impossible to fully engage in this enclosed space and Genji would always retreat if they overwhelmed him. In any case, time was on his side as he whittled away at their numbers.
A few clever vampires realized this situation and capitalized on this chaos to sneak away. When the rest noticed, a third of the vampires had disappeared from their formation, causing their deaths to accelerate. Panicking at the massacre, everyone ran, trying to preserve their own lives.
With this, the resistance ended and the castle entered a pin-drop silence. Genji then returned to the trapdoor, ready to free the victims.
At his entrance, most of the women remained indifferent. Rather, they didn't even register him as they tried to escape their despair in a daze and ignored their surroundings. That was the only way they could keep themselves together in this situation.
The only person who reacted was the girl who was almost raped. Unlike the others, she was a recent addition to this dungeon so she hasn't become numb. Hearing his footsteps, the girl tried to push herself as deep into the corner as possible, still traumatized from the previous experience.
"Don't worry. I'm here to help," Genji comforted her as he gently cut away at the shackles tying her to the wall.
"There. You're all free now. Can you be a brave girl and stand aside while I free the others?"
Once Genji got a soft nod as a response, he started working on the other collars. The difference was that this time, Genji stopped holding himself back, unleashing multiple fast slices. He has hundreds of shackles to cut so doing it at his previous speed would take forever.
Hearing the loud clangs of metal on the floor, light returned to these women's eyes as they registered their new situation. Yet the numb looks on their faces remained, still skeptical of their chances of survival.
"Line up. While I got rid of the vampires, I can't guarantee your safety if you run out."
The women quietly obliged as Genji finished the last cuts. Then he led them up to a wide dining room to temporarily hold them. After settling them, Genji headed down the hill to call Bruce.
Hearing his sharp whistle, Bruce soon galloped next to Genji, ready to leave this place. After feeding the nightbane some vampire blood, he wrapped his silver chain around the saddle.
"I'll leave everything to you now. Run back to town and bring the hunter back," Genji said, tucking a letter in a secure location.
Bruce looked at him in confusion but soon understood when Genji removed the restraints around his mouth. His owner was setting him free so he needed to find a new place to live. Now what other option was there than the nearby town?
Trying to travel through the lands would be dangerous considering how many vampires they encountered on their trip. Nightbanes aren't exactly friendly with vampires considering they compete for blood.
Bruce gave him one last look before galloping back to town, leaving Genji with a wry smile. What's with that last look? Did the horse misunderstand something?
"Oh well. As long as he makes it back, they will figure it out."
Genji shook his head and headed back to comfort the uneasy women. While he said the vampires were gone, he knew they didn't believe him after everything they'd been through. Trauma doesn't simply go away because one person did one good thing.
Hours later, the scarce hunters came over with vigilance. Although they got the message, they were still wary about vampire attacks. Genji walked out to greet them and handed them the task of settling the aftermath.
Wagons filled up with shivering women as coarse blankets draped over them. With the current temperatures, they had to huddle together for any signs of warmth, but they didn't mind. It's been so long since they breathed fresh air like this. Glints of hope formed in their eyes as they nibbled on the coarse bread the hunters provided. The hard times were behind them and a normal life was awaiting them.
After Genji returned to town, he found a place to rest and enter a meditative state. Since he reached his carrying capacity, it's time to drop his stats again. Energy circulated along the specified trajectory and gathered in his heart again. The same heart-wrenching condensation process repeated itself and increased his shadow core by a negligible amount.
[Maximum energy has decreased by 260]
[Shadow Core has been upgraded]
[Shadow Core]
Effect: Increase the effects of your energy by 55% (up 5%)
Genji converted only half of the stats he obtained from [Shroud of Terror] since he didn't like having such a low pool. It was a compromise between power and efficiency that allowed him to maintain his peak state.
After confirming the changes in his energy, Genji got up and set off for the core town where he had first accepted the mission. With his newly emptied energy pool, he had room for further growth. In this world, was there a better way than hunting vampires?
"So everything went well?" the attendant asked as he got back.
"Yeah. I solved most of the problems in the vicinity. They shouldn't have any more disappearing cases for a while."
"Then I looked forward to their report."
In this era, hunters didn't have any way of sending information like in modern society. The only way was by horses and letters, meaning the report fell behind the superior speed of nightbanes. They can only confirm a mission completion after they receive the letter from the branch manager.
"Register this mission for me," Genji said, handing another coven extermination mission over.
"How hardworking," he commented.
"I have my reasons."
----------------------------------------
"Hey, have you heard about Night Stalker?" A tipsy hunter asked his friend as he chugged down another glass of beer.
"You mean the guy who's been on multiple back-to-back exterminations? How could I not?"
"I know right? HQ even gave him a title for how he kills strong vampires before others could notice. They say his stealth is something else."
The two friends were about to continue gossiping when someone jumped into their conversation.
"Pshhhhh. Please. That's only part of the story. While that might be true, there's a different reason for his title," the hunter said as if he knew something the two didn't.
"That's the first time I heard of this."
"Really? What is it, Parker?" Multiple friends of this interjector gathered around, eager to hear his story. Seeing how everyone's attention was gathered on him, the hunter smiled and raised his empty mug.
People got the memo, and they brought him another drink. Nodding with satisfaction, the hunter began his tale.
"Yes, Enigma, the Night Stalker isn't known for his stealth but his tracking skills. The reason HQ gave him the title of stalker was because no one could escape his pursuit. Just as the Barrons thought they were safe, this guy pops out of nowhere to end them."
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Wait a moment. How do you know about this if the vampires escaped?" One sharp-minded fellow caught onto this detail and stopped him.
"That's simple. Because I was there when it happened. Night Stalker would always bring back the heads to demoralize the remaining vampires. By the end of everything, he made a whole mountain of heads with all the barons he killed."
"For real? Just how many vampires did he kill in this past month?"
"Too many to count. I swear he has a vendetta against vampires or something. If I didn't know better, I would think his family got massacred by them or something."
At the hunter's specific comment, his entire tavern fell silent.
"Eh? What is it? Why did everyone stop talking?"
As if answering his question, everyone's eyes wandered to a certain blue-haired figure in the back of the bar. The teenager tried to appear unbothered, but the experienced hunters knew better. The person telling the story also knew he had said something he shouldn't have. It was moments like these that he cursed his big mouth.
"I'm sorry Connor. I didn't mean to bring it up," he apologized to the teen with a tragic past.
This was Connor, the person who experienced vampire blood corrosion during Genji's initiation hunt. Having survived the encounter, his powers grew enough to become an iron-ranked hunter. Yet contrary to the norms, he never experienced the unstable mood swings common in these mutations.
In fact, other than a higher bloodthirst, Connor didn't take on any of the side effects that came with the transformation. Plus, he considered the bloodthirst a huge benefit to his fighting powers. What kind of experienced hunter doesn't have an intense blood thirst when killing vampires? It was fair to say he was lucky enough to have experienced a miracle.
"It's okay. You can continue your story," Connor replied with his head down.
"Uhhhh," the man scratched his man, unable to continue as if nothing had happened. Plus, no one's in the mood for it after the awkward statement.
"I'll take on this mission," a hunter said, cutting his downtime short to leave the awkward situation.
"Me too," a friend tacitly said, following the previous example.
Soon the entire tavern emptied of its patrons as the hunters transitioned from relaxed, drunk men to seasoned killers. The storyteller found an excuse to leave, leaving the tavern mostly empty. Now only a few hooded figures around the corners of the establishment remained.
"Enigma? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while," a figure with a red bandana tied around his arm muttered to himself. "It's time I find out the truth for myself."
As the figure stood up, a glint of gold twinkled in the dim light before fading away under his collar.
----------------------------------------
Genji exited his meditative state and examined his body. In the past month of vampire hunting, he had upgraded his core multiple times, bringing the percentage boost to 70%. With each upgrade, the amount of energy required increased as the percentage grew, resulting in diminishing returns.
That's why it took him so long to reach this point despite how many vampires he hunted. Genji, however, wasn't bothered by this slow pace. With each session, he grew stronger, making the process easier. Plus, he knew his shadow core still had a lot of potential to grow, making this a long-term goal.
"I think enough time has passed. Let's see if any fish swallowed the bait," Genji said, pulling out his fox badge.
Then he activated the tracking effect, setting the target for the tracking potions he laid out the month prior. While he did remove the vampires there, it doesn't change the fact that anyone who entered the Weeping Hills was suspicious. A platitude of dots appeared in his view, telling him the targets weren't too powerful.
If they were, there was no way the effect would have tracked so many of them. Seeing how most of them were clustered around a single area, Genji knew he found his targets.
Hopping on Bruce, the two of them headed for the indicated position, adjusting their path along the way. After two days of travel, Genji arrived near an open plain. He checked the tracking map and confirmed the targets were further ahead. Leaving Bruce behind, Genji entered stealth and approached the dots.
He continued walking until they came to the side of a mountain. Circling around this blockage, Genji soon came across an opening that led deep inside. From the many abandoned pickaxes around the cave, Genji knew this was previously a mining spot. It wasn't hard to determine what happened to these miners considering the amount of dried blood on the walls.
Trudging deeper, he sensed an energy disturbance in the distance. It was a thick, murky feeling that suffocated his sinuses. This heavy feeling reminded him of the blood energy of the vampires, only more condensed.
After walking some more, he found a group of people gathered around a maroon magic circle. From the side, these people slit the throats of unconscious villagers before throwing the limp bodies into the middle. Then the circle deepened in color as it drained the blood from the victims, giving the feeling of a sacrificial ritual.
A series of murmuring came from the group as they continued their killings. Once all the villagers were killed, the cultists raised both arms into the air as if making an offering to a higher entity. The air above the circle ripped, condensing the already thick smell of blood. Sanguine liquid seeped out of the rune lines and floated up, gravitating around a single point.
"Oh yug dee don don dee. Ui nis copa ku qin, da noku so zab," they chanted in practiced synchronization.
Once they finished the last syllable, an intense force acted on the orb of blood, condensing it in a process that resembled Genji's core formation. At the end of this metamorphosis, a rough crystal the size of a fist appeared above the faded magic circle. As it slowly floated down, a hooded figure stepped out, catching it before it fell to the ground.
"It's a success," the person said in a deep voice that made it difficult to distinguish the gender of the speaker.
[Member of OmegaRealm. Insight does not work on a member of the realms.]
[Member of ManaRealm. Insight does not work on a member of the realms.]
[Member of EverRealm. Insight does not work on a member of the realms.]
[Member of LuminalRealm. Insight does not work on a member of the realms.]
These notifications gave Genji a weird feeling as he tried to inspect everyone. He could understand the first three since they were participating in this world exploration, but what was LuminalRealm doing here? It was just like his encounter with Sinclair. This realm seems to always be poking their noses in places they shouldn't be.
Genji had no idea how they were doing this, but it was very shady. As if agreeing with his thoughts, EverRealm gave him a follow-up prompt.
[Violators detected. Hunting mission has opened.]
Description: Kill as many violators as possible.
Reward: Rewards are doubled when killing violators from other realms. (This includes scarlet cards and privilege tokens rewarded when killing people)
'Violators?'
[Violators are people who abuse the loopholes in the rules for their personal gain at the expense of the realm.]
This explanation told Genji a lot about the situation. As for what loopholes EverRealm was talking about, it was obvious to Genji. These members killed a lot of humans as sacrifices to conduct that suspicious blood ritual from before. While the realms were indifferent to such actions, their implications meant something else.
Why would these realm members conduct such a ritual? And where did the sacrifices come from? How did they escape the notice of the hunters with how many sacrifices were required to conduct that ritual?
In a world where humans were facing external threats, no one could tolerate such treachery. If they found out, the hunters would mobilize immediately to hunt them down. Since that's not the case, then it can only mean the hunters weren't aware that humans were behind it.
But that was only possible if they knew about these disappearances but they couldn't do anything about it. Something like the disappearances Genji solved near the castle where everything was attributed to vampires.
At the time, Genji didn't think much about it, but looking back, the numbers don't add up. How could so much of the town disappear when the vampires don't need so much blood?
They had a whole dungeon filled with slaves to satisfy their thirst, so why would they attack so much and draw such unwanted attention? That never made sense considering how their plan was to subtly take over instead of conquering it and inciting a fierce counterattack from the hunters.
But if those disappearances were linked to these rituals, then everything would make sense. With the vampires covering them, these members could do as they pleased. If that were true, that would mean this plan had been going on for at least five years! There's no way this was just a fluke. A mastermind must be behind this, orchestrating it.
'Members siding with vampires? Aren't they supposed to kill them? Is the vampire population really big enough to allow internal conflicts to satisfy the members' mission requirements? Just what is going on?'
"A few more of these, and we will be one step closer to finishing our plan," the leader said, trying to uplift everyone's tired mood.
The experienced way the person said that confirmed Genji's suspicions. There was no way this ritual was a one-time occurrence. If Genji had to guess, these people were skirting the rules as he had done in the Spatial Battlefield. The only difference was that EverRealm gained from it while these violators hurt the interests of their own realm.
Because EverRealm gained from it, he wasn't considered a violator and was marked with a bounty. This comparison really shows how important it was to have a good relationship with their own realms.
'Oh well. That's their problem if they can survive.'
Genji snuck behind the leader and instantly finished the unsuspecting person. Many of the members became dumbfounded when they saw this, which Genji capitalized on to tear through them like a wolf in a sheep's pen. Honestly, they were weaker than Genji expected for a group that dared to skirt the rules like that. At best, they were cannon fodder in this whole scheme.
"Run!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, scattering to the various escape routes carved into this cave by their predecessors. Genji finished what he could before letting the rest go. Since they were marked by him, it was only a matter of time until he found them again. Plus, maybe they could lead him to other violators, making this a decent harvest.
Double rewards for killing other realm members were nothing to scoff at when there could be hundreds of them in this world. As for why EverRealm provides double rewards, it has to do with the nature of how violators' bounties work.
Because of how big of a nuisance they were to their respective realms, a bounty was put on them to encourage other realm members to hunt them down. Yet what happens when a member of another realm takes the bounty? Then, the full bounty gets paid to the realm that kills the violator.
Plus, after a scarlet card was used, the unselected rewards were also taken by the realm. All those items in a storage space need to go somewhere, right? By combining these two aspects, the realm receives a decent sum for the amount of effort it took. That's why the EverRealm doesn't mind doubling the rewards for Genji.
EverRealm's basically getting paid by the other realms after robbing them, which forms an ironic situation, but there's nothing they can do when all the reams have to follow certain rules.
After confirming that the baits had escaped, Genji walked back to the leader's corpse and picked up the blood crystal.
[Blood Diamond]
Rating: Epic
Effect: Unknown
Note: An atrocious crystal condensed using bloody methods.