The Vampire Incident (2)

Blurred vision swam with the sight of pale, smooth skin. The perky swell of pure white mounds and the faint glimpse of pink beneath them. 'Ah.'

It wasn't the first time, but I still couldn't get used to it. If a day ever came when I did grow accustomed to this, it would probably be the day I turned into a eunuch.

The soft sensation near my lower body and the pleasant weight pressing down almost shattered my composure. A sleek leg had slipped out from beneath the blanket. Like a warm cushion, part of Cheon Hayeon's body was pinning me down. Thankfully, it wasn't touching any critical areas.

The sweet scent made waking up feel like an impossible task. It left me in a hazy, floating dreamlike state. We were definitely using the same shampoo and body wash, yet the unique fragrance of her skin blended with it to create something entirely different.

I don't know how she sensed I'd woken up, but Cheon Hayeon's eyelids slowly lifted. Through her flowing golden hair, her clear eyes gazed at me intently. From the outside, it looked exactly like two lovers facing each other.

Cheon Hayeon lightly pressed the back of her hand to my forehead, her red lips parting.

"Yeah, I'm up... but aren't we a little too close right now?"

I carefully created some distance. One wrong move and we'd be touching. Her sleepwear seemed to cover even less of her body than before. No, it was definitely less. Naturally, the stimulation was far more intense.

Cheon Hayeon suddenly pressed her lips shut, swallowing whatever she'd been about to say.

"Hm?"

I had no idea what she wanted to say, but my head was still fuzzy from sleep. If I stayed like this, I'd just want to fall back asleep, so I forced myself to rub my face and stretch.

Outside the window, the sky was still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dark—it was dawn. Her appearance might have been strange, but I could more or less understand how Cheon Hayeon felt. Martial artists were the type who'd risk their lives to raise their realm. And here was a chance to restore the greatest martial arts of all time? If Cheon Hayeon had been a villain, I'd have been kidnapped and turned into a lab rat long ago. As the Young Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, she certainly had the power to do it.

"Don't overthink it. I was just saying whatever."

Since we couldn't even hold hands in public like normal, this was really the only option we had. The two of us walking around holding hands while she was cross-dressing? The rumors would be horrific. That was the last thing I wanted.

Cheon Hayeon headed to the bathroom with perfect composure. As I watched her retreating figure, a sudden exclamation mark appeared in my vision. It definitely hadn't been there yesterday.

I called out the status window in my mind. When I realized I didn't even need to say "status window" out loud anymore, I felt a strange sense of emptiness.

The moment I opened it, a stream of notifications flooded in.

I sat there with my mouth hanging open. A small "File" section had appeared in the status window. The fact that they'd granted me a special privilege was surprising enough, but for it to be the file function of all things? So this was how I'd been able to learn about Hyeokri Ak's movements.

It contained background information that wasn't strictly necessary. Rather than strategy guides or tips, it was closer to bonus content for lore enthusiasts.

'Huh?'

Since it was newly unlocked, the file section should have been empty, yet a "NEW" tag was floating there. I tapped it without thinking.

The single file it contained was enough to leave me stunned.

An autopsy report. Not exactly a common file. A lot of information was redacted, and the most important part—the exact time—was missing. Most of the files were like this. They didn't give the player 100% of the information. The real purpose was to collect multiple files to deduce a single truth. That was the core of this function.

Galhyeon-dong, Jungwon-gu, Seongnam-si. I turned on my smartphone and searched for news articles, but nothing about a death in that area came up. That meant either the Murim Alliance had covered it up, or this event hadn't happened yet.

Death by head trauma wasn't particularly important. People died from blows to the head all the time. But the moment I read "abnormal decrease in blood volume," my breath caught in my throat.

A group obsessed with blood was almost certainly them.

The Blood Sect.

Galhyeon-dong was practically right next to the academy. If the Blood Sect had already infiltrated this close...

While I was lost in thought, the strong scent of shampoo hit my nose.

Cheon Hayeon, who had finished washing and emerged at some point, was looking at me with deep, thoughtful eyes. I slowly shook my head. There was no way I could tell her about this.

I entered the bathroom she'd just left. A pleasant fragrance filled the entire space. Shaaaa— I dumped cold water over my head and thought again.

If the Heavenly Demon Sect were noble sovereigns, the Blood Sect was closer to 'pure evil' among demonic practitioners. Contrary to common prejudice, the Heavenly Demon Sect's demonic arts were actually quite stable. Their methods were simply different. The Blood Sect was not. The number of people who went berserk while cultivating their arts was uncountable, and they frequently used wicked rituals and methods to forcibly raise their realms.

The most representative symptom of the Blood Sect's demonic arts was 'craving for blood.' They weren't called the Blood Sect for nothing. If they were merely insane, it would be one thing, but these beings traded their sanity for greater power. Of course there were clear limits, but for using them like terrorists, there was nothing better.

Thus, the Blood Sect deliberately nurtured and utilized those who had gone mad from learning the Blood Killing Demonic Art or the Crimson Blood Demonic Art. In the game, these were called Blood ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fiends or Crimson Blood Fiends.

The problem was that they were supposed to appear after the Blood Sect uprising. This was ten years earlier.

'They're already moving in the shadows?'

Or perhaps it was a different kind entirely. The information was too scarce. For now, I'd put it on hold. Even if I knew, there wasn't much I could actually do about it.

I washed up quickly and came out. Cheon Hayeon had already finished preparing to go out and was waiting. She was even wearing comfortable martial arts clothes that suited her cross-dressing. The reason we'd woken up so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠early at dawn was simple. We'd decided to start dawn training from today.

Cheon Hayeon suddenly spoke as she watched me change into my training clothes.

"Out of nowhere?"

"You'll probably have a hard time finding any obvious evidence."

That's why they hadn't properly noticed until the bastard Hyeokri Ak started causing chaos. Only then did the Murim world scramble to respond to the Blood Sect.

"Dirty businesses?"

Cheon Hayeon spoke with clear disgust in her voice. As expected, the Heavenly Demon Sect's intelligence network was no joke. The corporations under the Hyeokri family appeared to be 'model social enterprises' on the surface. I hadn't expected her to uncover that much in such a short time. Hearing it, they seemed far worse than even I'd imagined.

"You'll have to be careful. If they really are the Blood Sect, they'll disappear the moment they sense anything strange."

Cheon Hayeon sat on the sofa, crossing her legs, and spoke with absolute confidence. Well, the Heavenly Demon Sect could also be called 'the strongest single faction.' The reason players had been needed to defeat the Blood Sect was because they operated so secretly in the shadows. If they'd gathered in one place and fought head-on, the Blood Sect wouldn't have been their match.

"Uh... suddenly?"

"Does your side have some internal problems too?"

Cheon Hayeon frowned slightly and let out a sigh.

"There's one thing I want to ask for."

There was something I needed most right now.

"Do you have any money?"

Cheon Hayeon tilted her head, staring at me with her mouth slightly open.

"Yeah, money."

"The more, the better."

Even Cheon Hayeon, who stood at the peak of the world, seemed flustered at being so bluntly asked for money. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded.

"I'm borrowing it. I'll pay you back double."

"It's fine. I'm going to hit it big anyway. I know some good stuff."

Cheon Hayeon gave me a look full of suspicion. Just from the way I phrased it, I definitely sounded like a typical scammer or gambler. I simply smiled faintly. I had confidence I could pay it back. Just buying stocks in the guilds and corporations that skyrocketed in the short term within the game would easily double the money. It wasn't even a challenge. I couldn't remember everything, but I definitely remembered a few.

"I'll send you the account number on your phone. Let's go train."

The early morning air was still refreshingly cool as I breathed it deep into my lungs. Inside the academy, there were 24-hour training facilities for martial artists scattered everywhere. We passed under the softly glowing streetlights and arrived at a wide area that resembled a sparring ground.

A woman with long, slender limbs was staring intently at the ground. When she saw us coming, her head snapped up.

"You're late...!"

Han Yeoreum grumbled, tapping the ground with her toes.

"Sorry. I was talking with her."

I gestured with my chin toward Cheon Hayeon, who was preparing for training.

"What were you talking about?"

"Secret stuff?"

"Tsk...."

Han Yeoreum shot me a glare full of dissatisfaction. It wasn't something I particularly needed to hide, so I stopped teasing and told her straight.

"It is a secret. It's related to the Blood Sect."

"What? The Blood Sect already?"

"There's no harm in preparing in advance, right? Having a good friend comes in handy sometimes."

"...How on earth did you two get so close? Close enough that she'd even help with training."

"Knowing would only hurt you."

Me, not you. We'd become close after becoming roommates and sleeping in the same bed. Saying that would definitely cause misunderstandings. I absolutely couldn't say it. There was no telling how Cheon Hayeon would react if I did.

Cheon Hayeon pulled out two gauntlets from somewhere and handed them to us.

"What are these?"

"Thanks, but why the sudden gauntlets?"

I asked the question that suddenly came to mind. Cheon Hayeon smiled softly and spoke.

"What exactly are you trying to make us do?"

At the sudden suggestion, my brain momentarily froze. In contrast, Han Yeoreum immediately put on the gauntlets and created distance between us.

Wham! Wham!

Han Yeoreum seemed to like the gauntlets, repeatedly smashing her fists together. The sound of air bursting was loud.

"You look pretty excited?"

I took a deep breath and widened the distance from Han Yeoreum.

"You said to wait and see. Looks like we won't have to wait until the weekend?"

Han Yeoreum covered her mouth with the gauntlet and grinned. Looking at those crescent-moon eyes...

...It strangely pissed me off. That was clearly a mocking smile.

"Don't regret this."

"Yeah, I won't."

Han Yeoreum wiggled the gauntlets.

"You've never beaten me once, so where's all this confidence coming from?"

"The game and reality are different, that's what I'm saying."

"Isn't it about time you stopped using that line?"

"Shut up and come at me. Come on."

...As always. That way of talking, though.