Blood and Shadow

The Sun Ruby Blade. The vampires screamed in agony at the radiance pouring from that very blade. Never mind that they didn’t seem to care about the actual sun blazing directly overhead.

Whoa. That works ridiculously well.

Was this what they meant by hotel membership service? In more ways than one, it was mind-blowing.

“You son of a bitch…!”

Even as they writhed in pain, unable to open their eyes properly, the vampire pack moved. Five of them scattered at once. Solomon coldly tracked their movements. It was strange.

More clearly than ever before, he could feel their motions.

Don’t tell me it’s the Blood Mage class effect…

A job trait didn’t have to be visible. It wasn’t strange for a blood-wielding mage to possess a higher level of perception toward the blood-kin than others.

“Hup!”

Right then, the Blood Moon Tribe orcs began to move in front of the vampires charging from every direction. The tattoos etched into their bodies flared, and they prepared to fight wrapped in blood magic, just like the orc Solomon had battled before.

The difference was that they weren’t his enemies—they were his allies.

“Temporary alliance, huh.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Beside him, a Blood Moon orc in a tattooed suit spoke up.

“Kieek! You pathetic mortals!”

One vampire scrambled up the wall and shrieked. Any trace of the dignity befitting his fine suit was gone; he bared his fangs and let out a metallic screech thick with open malice.

“!”

It wasn’t just sound. A spell infused with magical power followed.

Wait, why is my spell coming out of him?

Come to think of it, it wasn’t that strange for a dark race like vampires to use shadow magic.

The entire area was swallowed by darkness. But it wasn’t Solomon’s veil. Instead, it was a spell plastered with all kinds of debuffs meant to hinder him, just like he had once used on his own enemies.

This is getting annoying.

He drew the Sun Ruby Blade once more. The blade’s light was noticeably dimmer than before. It seemed unable to shine fully within this darkness.

Even though it was broad daylight, the pitch-black shadow had settled over everything. And within it, they charged.

“Gaaah!”

Crunch!

A scream rang out. It was the sound of orcs being slaughtered one-sidedly inside the veil.

Within this domain, the enemy’s attacks are all treated as low-grade ambushes.

Now Solomon was the one being targeted by those ambushes.

Crunch!

Right then, the ground beneath his feet rippled. A familiar sight. It was the Blood Orcs’ shamanic art, raising pillars of blood scattered across the floor.

The surging pillars of blood tore apart the veil of darkness that had covered the area.

“…We’ll fight together.”

The Blood Moon orcs in tattooed suits raised blood pillars to shatter the veil in the same way as before and took up positions beside Solomon.

“No. We’ll hold them here.”

“What?”

“You go beyond the guild hideout and meet the elder.”

The suited Blood Moon orcs stepped in front of him.

“Your request was to return the holy relic to where it belongs, wasn’t it?”

“…I see.”

Solomon glanced at the vampire pack. How long could they hold out against them? Probably not very long.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Even so, he couldn’t ignore their resolve. Solomon strode past the Blood Moon orcs guarding the entrance to the guild hideout.

“Where do you think you’re—!”

“Your opponents are us.”

Boom!

At the same time, the tattoos on the Blood Moon orcs blazed as they began unleashing their blood magic against the vampires. At the very least, they should be able to slow them down. Solomon headed straight past the hideout.

The Blood Moon Tribe’s guild hideout. Despite the grandiose name, it was closer to a shabby medieval shamanic structure. It wasn’t even that deep. After crossing a few decorative shamanic cords, he entered a single room filled with an unknown incense.

“…So you’ve come. Stranger from the hotel.”

There stood a Blood Moon orc with the usual tattoos. Compared to the others, he looked old and frail—clearly the elder.

“I’ve brought your holy relic. The heart.”

Solomon said.

“On the request of your dead tribesman.”

“How very kind of you…”

The elder turned his head as he spoke. The room was thick with the incense of a memorial rite. It seemed they were honoring quite a few deaths.

“So many young ones from the tribe have died for that single heart. Even now.”

“…The chairman of Walachia Corporation was after it.”

“Yes. Unfortunately, we have no power to resist.”

The old orc elder spoke with sorrow.

“Tribal honor, whatever it may be, is truly meaningless in the face of power.”

“Knowing that, why are you still trying so hard to take it back?”

Solomon sneered. Even if they got it, they wouldn’t be able to protect it.

“It was the spirit of our young tribesman.”

“…”

At those words, Solomon let out a hollow laugh.

“He said he would protect it even if it cost every life in the tribe, even if he had to throw himself into death. No matter how much we tried to stop him, he wouldn’t listen.”

The old elder smiled weakly.

“It really is a meaningless act.”

“Meaningless?”

“Resisting an evil you cannot overcome.”

“…”

Solomon silently pulled out the glass vial from his coat.

At the same time, screams echoed from outside. They were the orcs’ screams. The sound of burning, breaking, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of someone dying in the ruins. The sound of blood spraying, flesh scattering, and the sparks of life being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠extinguished.

“My request was only to return the holy relic to its proper place.”

And this was exactly where it belonged. Whether they could protect it or not was a separate matter. It wasn’t Solomon’s concern.

“Would you… not take that heart with you?”

The next words were different.

“What?”

“The place where that heart belongs is by your side.”

“Why the hell should I?”

Solomon asked coldly.

“Resisting an evil you cannot overcome is meaningless. However… you are different.”

The elder said.

“You have the power to resist.”

The power to resist an irresistible evil. Solomon burst into hollow laughter.

“Besides, even in the middle of all this, you willingly fought for us.”

“I’m not some apostle of justice. I just move toward whatever benefits me.”

“I believe in you. More precisely, I believe in the ‘benefit’ that will move you.”

“…What the hell does that mean?”

“The Baptism of Blood you received is not the end.”

At the orc elder’s words, Solomon swallowed silently.

“It will open an endless path according to your potential.”

“Right. So why are you handing over a treasure you should be cherishing to someone else?”

“…There’s only one reason.”

The elder said. For the first time, he revealed an unmistakable rage, even grinding his teeth audibly.

“Because it’s better than letting that disgusting vampire, Chairman Tepes, swallow it!”

“…”

“He forced the city council to approve the redevelopment of this district, pressured us, and drove us to the edge of a cliff. We cannot let him have his way any longer.”

The orc elder continued.

“The old crumbles, and the new wins. But the new, too, will soon become old. I believe in the new wind you will bring.”

“The old crumbles, and the new wins, huh.”

Right then, a mocking vampire voice rang out.

“!”

Boom!

It seemed the resistance of the orc tribe guarding the entrance had finally reached its limit. A group of suited vampires strode boldly into the hideout.

“Your nonsense is getting old, geezer.”

“We, the proud blood-kin… are forever renewed within eternal life.”

“Usually the ones who don’t realize they’re old say shit like that.”

Solomon said. The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it. That damn rough tongue had slipped his control again.

“Well, I guess it’s nice to live the same way you did in your youth even after getting old. Keep that pride going.”

“…”

He tried to salvage the situation, but it was clearly too late. As the atmosphere grew even more hostile, Solomon silently steeled himself. There were no allies left to help him. Even so, he didn’t care.

I’ll pour out every last card I have.

He began chanting the spell that strengthened his body for the first time. But that wasn’t all.

He layered two weapon enhancement spells—one at 1st level, the other at 3rd—onto a single weapon. The Sun Ruby Blade in his hand.

A blade of blood and shadow.

It wasn’t simply one plus one. He knew from the rulebook. When two attributes created synergy, the result could transform into a third spell.

Blood and shadow. A black-red blade that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flickered with dark crimson.

Spell combination.

According to the rulebook, among such combinations, blood and shadow boasted particularly strong synergy—fitting for something so chuuni.

That meant, in theory, ambushing a bleeding enemy with this spell could deal up to quadruple damage. Literal damage inflation.

Of course, it was only an ideal scenario where every puzzle piece fit perfectly.

Ultimately, Solomon’s role was to make those pieces fit.

Numbers swirled inside Solomon’s head. Dice, probabilities, rolls—every calculation pointed to one answer.

The optimal efficiency he could draw from the current situation. What remained wasn’t an experiment. It was proof.

As his entire nervous system accelerated faster than ever under the effects of Haste, Solomon chanted another spell.

“Veil of Darkness.”

It was different from the half-assed versions used by amateurs. This was a special spell enhanced by the Veil family’s unique bloodline trait, Shadow Tuning.

And though Solomon himself didn’t realize it, the difference from the ‘Mental Power 3’ he had gained upon leveling up as a Blood Mage was by no means small. In a TRPG world where a single ability point could decide strength, the weight of three points in Mental Power—which directly affected spells—was immense.

With his bloodstream accelerating throughout his body, Solomon readjusted his grip on the hilt. Facing the vampires within the veil.

Not as the hunted, but as the hunter.