Meteor Fall and Nosferatu's Revival

A black hole appeared in the sunset sky.

Starlight and the Milky Way. Hazy clusters of light. Unknown planets, and beyond them.

Something was flying toward them.

It passed through the hole at ferocious speed and revealed itself in Nosferatu's sky.

A jagged surface. A house-sized meteor.

"Grruk?" "Grrruk!" "Gwooo!"

The monsters, who had been tilting their heads at first, realized what it was and began to flee.

But it was a meaningless action.

KABOOOOM────!

The meteor struck the surface in the blink of an eye.

A deafening roar that tore at the ears. A shockwave and heat sweeping the area.

The monsters fleeing in terror melted away on the spot, vanishing without a trace.

"Kyaaah! It's flying awaaay──! Master! Hold on tiiiight──!"

Carmina flapped her bat wings furiously against the raging wind.

But I was lost in the flood of messages pouring in.

Unknown energy was being collected with the deaths of the monsters.

Whipped by the wind, we finally arrived at the top of a nearby tower.

Thud!

"Ugh! Vampires are dying...! The beautiful vampire is dying...!"

Carmina, who had safely landed me, collapsed and gasped for breath.

I had no time to check on her condition.

Because in the distance, a mushroom cloud was still billowing up.

Ruuuuumble────!

'That level of power...?'

I'd estimated the damage radius, but seeing it with my own eyes was a different shock.

Didn't it say there was system adjustment? Or was this considered weakened?

Goosebumps rose all over my skin.

Carmina seemed the same, coming over speechless.

"Master! Amazing...! The power of a single skill...!" "...I can't believe it either."

How much time passed. The dust cleared, revealing the view.

"Whoa...!" "Wow."

Nothing existed within several kilometers around the massive crater at the center.

'This is almost like a small hydrogen bomb.'

My current vision marked the land and monsters in different colors by tower influence.

Where I dropped the meteor? The narrowest blue zone.

It was fully within the meteor's damage radius, wiping out all monsters.

Looking closely, quite a few from adjacent zones at the edge were gone too.

"Anyway, looks like where I dropped the meteor was Zone 2."

"That's the original zone name! Nosferatu divided areas by numbers! The planet's small, so that was enough."

"But it says we can purify the tower."

"Master! There! Look!"

Excited Carmina pointed to the Zone 2 tower standing solidly in the crater's center.

Its intact state wasn't surprising. Towers were infamous for being indestructible.

But.

"Those are letters, right? Glowing on the tower's surface?"

"Yes! Must be related to purification! Let's go, Master!"

The black tower usually glowed faintly, going dark during rampages. I'd never seen this before.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

"Not heavy?" "Hmph. Piece of cake. Among vampires, I'm famous for my strength!"

With winged Carmina's help, we reached the Zone 2 tower.

Land! Touchdown. Bat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wings poofed back to mist.

The unknown letters on the tower glowed white, intensifying as I approached.

And not just that.

Hummm──!

Light began emanating from my hand too.

'It said I acquired large amounts of restoration energy killing monsters with the meteor.'

Just touch it?

Whew. Kinda tense. Deep breath, then pressed my palm against it.

A feeling of something draining from my body, and the tower's light intensified.

"Master! The whole tower's glowing! It's blinding!"

"Th-this isn't gonna explode, is it?"

It said restoration in progress, but with something massive happening, I couldn't help worrying.

Then, at some point.

Fwaaaah!

Light burst from the tower's top.

It split into branches, descending across Zone 2.

Shaaaa──

A circular wave spread softly. Then, an astonishing sight unfolded.

"My god...!" "Wow, this is..."

Wherever the wave touched, the barren terrain began healing.

Cracked earth turned to fields. Dry valleys filled with flowing water. Barren trees sprouted leaves.

Carmina and I could only stare, dumbfounded.

But it didn't end there.

"Wh-where's this?" "What happened to me...?" "I was definitely fighting monsters..."

Vampires appeared here and there, looking around in confusion.

As the light wave faded over the now pristine, beautiful landscape.

The reward barrage left me dazed. But something even more mind-blowing happened.

"Carmina...?" "Our daughter!" "Dad! Mom!"

Carmina ran toward the middle-aged vampire couple, tears streaming.

At that moment, I clearly understood.

Why she was called an ally, not a familiar or summon.

Ally. One who helps. We were each other's allies.

The gathered vampires numbered 262 in total.

Confused by their sudden revival, they'd come to the glowing tower to grasp the situation.

"Master! The tower's light won't go out! Not as blinding as before, but it's pure white now!"

"Yeah."

Not a black tower anymore—a white one. Probably the effect of 'purification.'

Carmina stepped forward before the murmuring vampires and explained about me.

"Ahem, this person here─."

Resident of planet Earth. EX-rank Awakener. Dropped a meteor and purified the tower.

"Purified the tower? That's possible?"

"Seems like their unique ability."

"Even our Razesh, an EX-rank, couldn't do that."

"Do EX-ranks have grades too?"

Awe, gratitude, confusion, shock. Emotions swirled.

Summoning a meteor seemed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠absurd, but the massive crater made it undeniable.

Then a man approached for a handshake.

"Awakener of Earth, truly grateful. I know not how to repay this grace."

Carmina's father. Dapper middle-aged Kasabla.

Tuxedo and cape. Archaic speech.

The textbook vampire look instantly put me at ease.

"Forgive the rudeness on first meeting, but do you drink blood?"

"Ah, I do enjoy it. Though that was before Nosferatu's fall."

Perfect. This is a proper vampire. Glanced at Carmina.

Pfft.

Doesn't even drink blood. And she's a vampire?

─Master, what was that laugh just now...!

As Carmina bristled, I turned back to Kasabla.

"Just did what needed doing. We're comrades facing the towers together."

"Such humility...!"

Handing out more like this...?

The conversation continued warmly. I got a brief explanation.

Nosferatu was a clan society. Like family clans.

Clans warred fiercely, but the towers united them.

Kasabla's clan, in a 'king'-like position, played a big role.

'That's why Carmina's gear all says princess.'

"Despite efforts, we lost all territory to monsters. At the end, a great catastrophe... hmm, my memory..."

Kasabla frowned. Likely system restrictions.

The talk continued.

"From what you've said, these are the ones who died in Zone 2, right? Just these 262?"

He shook his head.

"Nay. At least tens of thousands. I suspect only those with strong grudges revived. A fallen planet's residents wouldn't revive so easily."

Made sense.

No message about insufficient energy when touching the tower.

Probably fixed number per zone.

"But 'tis fine. With the environment restored, these numbers can rebuild civilization. Of course, with your aid, it would be far swifter..."

Kasabla glanced hesitantly.

Why hesitate? Of course.

Restoration boosts stats, and fully restoring Nosferatu is key for next ally.

"I'll help!"

"Oh! Grateful! Truly grateful!"

Kasabla rejoiced intensely, shaking my hand.

"Then, may I expect tomorrow? If skill limit is once daily..."

"No. Let's go now."

Pulled an item from inventory. Extra reward from floor 10.

Why save it? Use it hard, snowball.

"Such a precious item...! You must have set insane records in the tower."

"Master's pretty amazing!"

Proud Carmina. Wasn't it basically your record?

Anyway, ripped the reset scroll decisively.

Riiip──!

This time, with Kasabla's much stronger lift, I soared into the sky. Planet restoration vision. On again.

'Like a safety measure. Makes sense, adjacent zones still swarm with monsters.'

And this means.

Restored Zone 2 safe from meteor hits.

To speed civilization rebuild? Prioritize adjacent lands.

'Zone 4.'

Red-marked land in vision. Right next to Zone 2.

Good shape and size.

Adjusted meteor size in mind, matched circular damage radius.

'Meteor Fall.'

The vampires gathered before the white Zone 2 tower couldn't hide their shock.

The sight in the distance. It was a catastrophe.

Earth-shaking roar. Wind tearing the air. Shockwave and heat sweeping around.

Legs went weak just watching.

"A single Awakener's skill? What am I seeing?"

"Monsters we struggled to kill, gone in one shot..."

"C-Carmina said Earth's towers are easier? Doesn't look it."

Gulp.

Tension stiffened bodies. Overwhelming pressure.

What if he turned on vampires on a whim?

Reading the mood, Carmina shouted.

"Don't worry, everyone! Master's definitely on our side!"

"Ah, what fortune."

"With his help, reclaiming Nosferatu won't take long."

Then the two who flew to Zone 4 returned.

One human. One vampire.

Kasabla, landing Choi Yuseong safely, was awestruck too.

"I scarce believe what I've witnessed. Galaxy Traveler. Truly immense power."

Overwhelming praise. I laughed it off casually.

"Aw, just lucky to awaken. I'm the epitome of average otherwise."

"Haha, you don't seem average to me. Even if so, I believe all have potential. It just awaits the right moment."

Ugh, like a mentor...? H-halo...!

Impressive rhetoric. Felt like consoling pre-awakening me.

As we chatted briefly. Meteor impact aftershocks faded.

The expected alert appeared.

Straight to Zone 4 tower. Touched palm, purified.

Zone 4 same. Environment restored, vampires revived.

"I'm alive...?" "Wh-what happened?"

As Zone 2 residents explained to the gathering crowd.

I checked my watch. Earth time, 8 minutes to midnight.

'Timing's tight but perfect.'

What timing?

Daily Item Transfer. Today's use unused.

Saved to max rare search rate.

Efficiency? Max. Classic Korean mindset.

'Use Item Transfer. Search for new item.'

Designated planet: Nosferatu.

Kasabla and Carmina, watching, gasped in shock.

"My god...! That legend...!"

"I-I've seen that in history books!"