Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: 038. Vampire Detective
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“Damn it! Just kill him! He’s not the type you can take alive! Shoot!”
Lim Bu-jeon’s judgment was swift and precise.
However, no matter how rigorously they trained, they were still just ordinary humans. They couldn’t land a hit on me while I was accelerating. To make matters worse, gym equipment and corpses were scattered everywhere—perfect shields.
Bang! Bang bang!Bang bang!
I wasn’t worried about getting shot. I already knew the exact positions of every gunman. To hit me, they’d have to fire from outside my line of sight.
“...”
I swung my sword in an almost trance-like state.
Maybe it was the effect of Yeongcheon-ryu trait at level 5. Without even thinking about it, I naturally executed Yeongcheon-ryu’s battle techniques.
It wasn’t a matter of thinking with my head and swinging the blade. I simply swung it as my eyes saw and as Yeongcheon-ryu guided me.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The assault rifle roared to life. Dodging the bullets, I dashed along the wall and severed the neck of the guy holding it. Blood gushed out.
The red blade didn’t stop. With every red arc traced in the air, crimson liquid trailed behind.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
“...”
When I snapped out of it, no one was left standing around me but me. Blood and guts littered the floor.
“Y-You... crazy monster freak...!”
Lim Bu-jeon, his legs hacked off, grimaced and spat curses at me from in front. His body shuddered with terror.
He hurled the hand axe clutched in his grip at me. I batted it away with my sword.
“Ah.”
An experience every D-rank hunter or higher has had at least once.
It’s a different flavor of ecstasy from sex. There’s a reason hunters say people push too hard in battle just to feel combat awakening again—and end up dead.
“...No time to stick around.”
With my faintly trembling sword, I pierced Lim Bu-jeon’s heart. My mind stayed cool, but my body thrummed with excitement.
Twenty-eight people dead by my hand today. Muttering the tally, I headed upstairs.
The upper floor was the armory. The iron door hung wide open—they must’ve grabbed weapons in a panic.
“Oh.”
Stepping inside, I let out a quiet whistle of admiration before smashing the ceiling camera.
Just like in the movies—from blades to guns, every kind of weapon was stocked. I grinned at the firearms.
“Guns are tough even for real hunters to get their hands on.”
Hunters in Korea can’t own standard guns. Only cold weapons are allowed.
Hunter firearms are custom-made for monster hunts and require guild approval to possess.
Korea’s gun laws are obsessively strict.
“The cold weapons are all junk.”
Real hunter blades are forged from monster parts, granting special effects and durability beyond steel. These didn’t cut it for me.
I pulled a box from reality, loaded it with guns, and zipped back.
Ammo galore! Tens of thousands of rounds at least.
I crammed whole ammo crates into the box.
“Sniper rifle? This really Korea?”
Took the sniper, of course.
Vampire hunters’ go-to for vamps is long-range sniping.
At night, vampire physical prowess skyrockets beyond human limits—so they snipe from safety.
Vampires know it too. They steer clear of sniper-friendly spots.
“Saw this in a game... M24?”
I suck at games but love snipers. Tricky to handle, sure, but that hit confirmation rush? Irresistible.
Come to think of it, I always favored assassin characters.
“Goooo!”
Guns secured, I bellowed and leaped from the third-floor window. For my physique, three stories was a joke.
Crash!
Landed on a parked truck.
“Kyaaaaah!”
Onlookers screamed and bolted in terror.
I was drenched in blood. White shirt turned scarlet, black suit sopping wet. Swords in both hands didn’t help.
Look like a total psycho killer.
I shrugged and sprinted to my car, stowing the sword in my inventory—just in case.
“Speed demon time.”
Cranked the latest girl group banger and floored it. Signals? Ignored. Drifts? Effortless. Speed limits? Unlicensed me wouldn’t know.
Post-rush hour—roads are clear.
Honk honk honk!
Police cars soon on my tail. Sirens blaring, so I cranked the music louder.
I wanna see you~
Flashback to kid days playing cops and robbers. Hated it. Thief? Caught quick. Cop? Endless misery, zero catches. Hide-and-seek was more my jam.
“Whoops.”
Police barricade ahead—cars and buses blocking the road. They’d predicted my route.
“My ride laughs at barricades~ Police ♂”
The bus lurched forward, shoving nearby cop cars aside to clear a path. Officers panicked and scattered from it.
I cruised through the gap like it was nothing.
Quick glance in the mirror—cops scrambling to pursue.
“Target alleys coming up... shake ’em off.”
...
I blew through the streets, hacking over ten signals. Flipping every red to green plunged the roads into chaos. The intersections I passed were utter mayhem.
No driver, no matter how skilled, could chase me through that pandemonium.
I ditched the car at my spot and bolted into CCTV-sparse alleys. Ducked into a random shop, wiped down with a wet cloth from reality, and swapped to jeans and a hoodie. Instant average college kid. Hands in pockets, I strolled out.
Blending into the crowd as cops dashed by.
Moments later, three officers blocked my path.
“Hold up. Routine check.”
“Check?”
“Yeah. Belongings and ID, please.”
“...Out of nowhere? Why?”
“Clown killer fled this way. Appreciate the cooperation.”
“...Guess I have no choice.”
I pulled out my wallet—only thing on me.
“Thanks for helping. Killer’s loose—head home quick for safety.”
“Killer...? Scary stuff. Better bounce. Stay safe.”
I headed not to Kang Yu-jin’s place, but Hera’s officetel.
Body still buzzing from butchering over twenty. Won’t cool without sex.
I desperately hoped Hera would hurry home.
“...”
The Black Cross Society headquarters conference room was frozen solid.
No one dared speak. Eyes cold and sunken.
Director Lee Mun-hyeon and the executives stared at the massive screen mounted on one wall.
Footage from just an hour ago: the slaughter at “Sunset Fitness Club,” one of the vampire hunters’ training grounds.
A red-haired clown in a suit swung a glowing red sword, massacring vampire hunters.
Massacre.
Literally soloing twenty-three vampire hunters. The red trails from his dancing blade were so fluid they seemed alive.
Silver rounds—vampire kryptonite—didn’t even graze his suit.
The blood-soaked clown’s rampage ended with a stab through Lim Bu-jeon’s chest as the man lay legless.
Before heading upstairs, the clown smirked at the camera and looted the armory.
Ditched the cold weapons, took every gun. How? Theories abounded, but the consensus pointed to a hidden accomplice. Smashing the armory camera hid them.
Problem: no witnesses around Sunset Fitness saw any accomplice. The Black Cross suspected the clown and ally were ancient vampires using superpowers.
“...What’s the clown’s power?”
After over ten minutes of silence, Lee Mun-hyeon finally spoke. Investigator Chief Baek Ji-uk replied immediately.
“We’re inferring machine manipulation. Confirmed him moving a stalled police bus and tampering with traffic lights—fried their circuits.”
Controllers fine, but lights needed parts.
“The recent bus terror was that clown bastard too. Damn him... Constraints on his power?”
“Can’t spam it. Short durations, range-limited. Bus footage clocks it at about 30 meters.”
“...Right. Must have limits. Still cheat-level. Countermeasures?”
“Simple. Don’t carry machines against him. Keep 50 meters if you must—they won’t touch. But...”
“Not precise. He might fake limits to mislead us.”
“Exactly.”
Tap tap.
Lee Mun-hyeon’s fingers drummed the table rhythmically. Rage surged at the clown’s thought, but now was for cold analysis.
“...Can we catch him?”
“Yes.”
Combat Chief Ki Han-jun answered firmly, eyes blazing.
He was the dead hunters’ superior. Training and managing them was his job. Their faces and voices still haunted him vividly.
“If we prepare right... know his location, we’ll nab him for sure!”
“...”
Lee Mun-hyeon pondered.
He wasn’t dismissing Korean vampire hunters. But Korea’s peace meant their live combat experience lagged—that was undeniable.
He planned to request aid from the UK and US branches. Pride be damned; stopping the clown came first.
“...Think you can pull it off?”
“We will.”
“Fail, and we call UK and US immediately. Don’t fail.”
“...Yes, sir!”
Bzzz.
Lee’s smartphone vibrated. In the hushed room, everyone heard it.
He checked the screen and sighed.
“Blue House.”
Brief pause, then he connected.
“Yes, Chief of Staff. ...What’s that mean? Goes against our rules... ...Understood. We’ll head over soon.”
Phone down, Lee closed his eyes and exhaled heavily.
“...”
In the uneasy silence, he stood.
“Support Chief. Police cooperation possible. Be aware.”
“...Pardon? That violates our code.”
Black Cross avoided military or police ties unless absolutely necessary. Ancient rule.
“Ah, info-sharing cooperation?”
That made sense—plenty of groups did that, National Intelligence included.
“No. Full collaboration.”
“What...?”
“Clown made such a mess, police got shut out. They’re furious now. Plus, he’s exposed to civilians. Police can’t sit idle.”
To Black Cross, ancient vampire. To the public, deranged killer. Cops had to step up.
“Clown broke the taboo.”
Unspoken rule between vampires and hunters: stay hidden from normals.
Vamps didn’t want humanity united against them; hunters didn’t want mass panic.
“Find him and kill him before he pulls more stunts.”