Chapter 303
Chapter 303
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Doctor (1)
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👤 Entity Information 👤 📛 Entity Name: Heinz 2nd
🧬 Species: Vampire (Sacred Blood)
🔗 Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Persona」, 「Clear Mirror Still Water」, 「Herculean Strength」, 「Xenoglossy」
🩸 Entity Traits: 「Lord of Blood」, 「Hybrid Evolution」, 「Blood Mystery」, 「Refined Blood Essence」, 「Existence Negation」, 「Return to Origins」, 「Rapid Acceleration」, 「Insight」, 「Bewitchment」
📝 Special Notes: After collecting various vampire factors, it has grown closer to the progenitor of vampirism. However, the origin has not yet fully taken root, leaving it in an incomplete state. All blood-based techniques receive additional bonuses. It exerts strong influence over all vampires.
Heinz 2nd gazed down at his own hands, slowly clenching and unclenching his fists over and over.
'Impressive.'
A heavy energy boiled up from the depths of his body, naturally unleashing a tremendous power through him.
On top of that, something in his mind seemed to have unlocked, flooding him with unfamiliar sensations as if he'd finally opened eyes that had long been covered.
It felt just like entirely new sensory organs had sprouted.
'...This is going to take a while to get used to.'
If he had to put a name to it, it went beyond mere qi sense—it was a spiritual sense.
Thankfully, his experience handling everything from undead to dragons had familiarized him with various senses. Otherwise, he might not even be able to move his body properly right now.
'And...'
He frowned slightly as he gauged the strain transmitting through Mind Hub and Soul Firewall.
The cause was his Persona, which had ballooned to an incomparable size after repeated advancements in rank.
'And even this is still incomplete?'
He figured he'd need to reinforce his mental defenses with Other Skill Enhancement just in case.
Better to prepare ahead than risk his sense of self getting corrupted due to carelessness.
It was around then, after roughly checking his condition, that he received the target's location from Pascal, Harris's spirit.
'I'll check the rest later.'
Heinz immediately prepared to move.
The target still seemed to be sticking around here, but who knew when he might try to leave Romania.
There was no telling when he'd get another chance like this to face him.
'The distance to here...'
His location was a natural reserve between the capital Bucharest and its northern satellite city.
About fifteen kilometers from the target site to the south of the city.
And for him now, fifteen kilometers was—
'Close.'
Truly negligible.
Ssssh—
The moment he activated Existence Negation, his form vanished into the forest.
The already precarious barrier shattered into pieces and collapsed.
And mere seconds later, Heinz stood in an entirely different place.
The exact spot the wind spirit had indicated.
'Let's make sure.'
Fsssh—
As he lightly scanned the surroundings, a pale blood mist poured from his body, enveloping everything in an instant.
Then Blood Mystery activated.
That alone turned the entire area into a space isolated from the outside world.
"Now, let's see that famous face of yours."
A place hosting someone like Doctor surely had no shortage of traps inside, but of course, he paid them no mind.
Heinz's figure vanished from the spot once more...
Boom—!
The security barrier enveloping the mansion exploded in an instant.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ When the vampire phantom vanished from the hologram illuminating the forest, Doctor merely tilted his head for a moment.
But when the barrier broke right after, one of his eyebrows sharply arched upward.
He trusted the barrier he'd set up himself and was certain no one trapped inside could sneak out.
If they forced their way, it would shatter instead.
'Just like that.'
And if the target had escaped the forest, the next destination was obvious.
Beep— Beep— Beep—
His thoughts reached that point just as an emergency alarm blared loudly throughout his hideout.
"Well now, what's this?"
Separate from the surveillance barrier over all of Bucharest, this was the alert device he'd spread around the base.
Its meaning was clear.
"Came straight here without tripping the city barrier."
Doctor's eyebrow twitched.
The enemy had vanished from the forest less than ten seconds ago.
Arriving here immediately... unless he'd known something from the start, it was impossible.
"Hmm hmm, come to think of it, you had those timely allies show up, didn't you? Unless they knew about the traps from the beginning, there's no way... This is no small matter!"
He hadn't thought of it right away, mesmerized by their uniqueness, but powerhouses like that didn't just drop from the sky.
One of them was even a fairy from another world!
'A shadowy organization backing the phantom. With intel to uncover traps here in advance and the strength to dispatch that level of support!'
These traps were ones he'd personally designed with extra care, so spies wouldn't easily uncover them.
Perhaps they had future sight or clairvoyant personnel.
They must have figured out his plans and prepared in advance...
Boom—!
But Doctor's racing thoughts halted midway from the sudden explosion and resulting tremors.
And as the master of this place, he realized it immediately.
An intruder had breached the hideout.
The monster that had devoured even Europe's strongest duke and grown even more powerful was right upon him.
To rip out his throat—no one else!
"A level 10 vampire..."
Just thinking of sharing space with that unprecedented existence he'd only seen on video made Doctor shudder.
But his expression wasn't that of someone gripped by fear.
"This is exciting! I can't wait to see what that one-of-a-kind being shows me...!"
His face flushed with the thrill of a fan meeting their idol superstar, or encountering their dream partner.
Even with death looming, he prioritized his curiosity.
He had his reasons for confidence, after all.
Rumble— Boom!
Amid it all, the deafening roars and vibrations continued.
Considering the building site was just a slightly larger mansion, it shouldn't have been possible, but in a world full of mysteries, it wasn't so strange.
-1st Floor Breached -2nd Floor Breached -3rd Floor Breached -4th Floor in Progress Now that safety was assured, he could focus solely on research, but naturally, he hadn't started out that way.
To survive in an otherworld teeming with dangers, one first needed the skills to match.
The field Doctor had focused on back then was 'Dungeon Master.'
-4th Floor Breached -5th Floor in Progress He'd even designed an impregnable dungeon in his home world, dubbed the 'Demon King's Castle.'
Later reports said it remained unconquered even after his return, allowing the Demon King who used it as a base to conquer the continent and seal the world away.
-6th Floor in Progress Of course, for Doctor—who'd received the Demon King's patronage and laid the foundation for his research life—it was irrelevant.
"...Huh, but this is getting a bit... Way faster than I expected?"
Even he couldn't help but grow flustered at the real-time changes.
Earth's environment differed from the otherworld, and resources were sorely lacking, limiting the floors.
So this dungeon was capped at nine floors.
Still, he'd prided himself on its quality through synergistic rituals...
-7th Floor in Progress How many minutes since the breach began?
Even against other transcendents, this dungeon could hold for hours, yet a level 10 vampire cleared it this easily?
"Looks like this is it! What a shame!"
A awkward smile on his lips, Doctor began backing away.
He sensed that testing the waters as planned would end with his neck bitten before he knew it.
"Huh? Space severance?"
But attempting immediate escape, he realized the area was already isolated, panicking once more.
'How in that short time?'
Impossible.
'Space' was one of magic's most complex fields, alongside time.
No technique to deploy without preparation.
A grand magus transcendent might manage, but the phantom wasn't one?
Unaware of Blood Mystery's rapid ritual construction via mystery comprehension, causal time shortcuts, and indirect aid from Immortal King Hans and Dragon Horus's myriad magic traits, he couldn't comprehend it.
-8th Floor in Progress Meanwhile, the reaper closed in relentlessly.
A bit more time, and he could break the isolation, but calculations showed the enemy's pace faster.
Just one floor left.
If breached, he'd face the monster head-on.
The world's sole—perhaps dimension's only—level 10 vampire!
"...Hmm? That might not be so bad..."
A momentary temptation, but nonsense, of course.
He judged objectively.
What could he do facing the phantom?
"Nothing! I'd die without noticing! Pfft hahaha!"
Or become its slave and switch banners, but his investigations into Heinz's personality made that unappealing.
No way he'd allow 'free research.'
"Hyahyahya—!"
Truly, no helping it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bang!
Shattering the 'Indestructible Wall,' Heinz barreled straight through the maze.
He focused solely on speed, dismantling monsters, golems, magic circles, chimeras, and devices lunging from all sides without pause.
Creak— Clank!
"Graaaah!"
Boom—!
The difficulty ramped up toward the rear; now on the ninth after breaching eight spaces, yet the path showed no end.
How could such a space exist on Earth? Astonishing.
'Earth's laws don't apply here. Separate rules, practically another sub-dimension. How is this possible?'
He knew Doctor roughly.
Source of Hunter Association tech, master of most spells in this world.
Facing it firsthand proved his reputation well-earned.
His past self would've taken at least thirty minutes to reach here.
Achieved now by ignoring the dungeon law 'Indestructible Wall' as Sacred Blood.
'With this ability, my barrier's nothing. Before he escapes, as fast as possible...!'
Several minutes of adapting to his changed body and blasting through.
Just as this space felt near its end...
[Ah! Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Phantom!]
The voice echoed through the entire space.
[Ah, this is troubling! Truly unexpected! I didn't think your helpers would be that strong. Pffthaha!]
A flippant tone devoid of gravity.
Heinz grimaced even as he folded space to advance.
Sign his escape prep was complete?
[And I just can't hold back my curiosity. Before the end, there's something I must ask you!]
Heinz didn't reply.
Just concentrated mental power to push faster.
'Faster!'
Then, as focus peaked and perception expanded, dormant inspiration wriggled awake.
His awareness range swelled accordingly.
'...This?'
Not just current and passed floors, but Doctor's location and the real mansion grounds.
All sharpened into his cognition.
Even a blood droplet beneath Doctor's feet.
His newly awakened senses bloomed perfectly timed, though he couldn't wield them yet.
[...So, could you tell me your name? Your organization! Out of respect—!]
By then, Heinz was certain.
The enemy still attempted barrier breach; this was the final floor, nearly done.
A bluff.
[In this world, no one handling info knew of such a force? Utterly useless! They all need brain surgery. Uhyahet!]
The end neared.
Doctor's ploys had poked a hole in the mansion barrier, but too small to flee through.
'Stalling for time.'
Suddenly, a word from memory surfaced.
One he'd dismissed as 'later if chance arises.'
Heinz smirked and took his final step.
Crackle— Crash!
Something shattered explosively.
Stepping onto the mansion living room's marble floor, he tossed a light remark at the middle-aged man ahead.
"Masquerade."
Truly meaningless, casual words.