Chapter 153
“How dare a mere mortal covet this body’s blood? Truly, what insolence!”
Even after closing the system window, my irritation did not easily subside.
I had no idea why I was so angry.
Thinking it over carefully, I figured it was probably because blood felt like experience points to me.
Asking for blood was as rude as a jungler asking whether they could use Smite on a cannon minion!
“Nom nom.”
Still, after emptying two bowls of Korean beef blood pudding, I felt a little better.
I lay down on my bed and opened the climber community again.
The message board was still blazing hot from the aftermath of my post.
One post, in particular, had a title that stood out.
[Title: So is it rude to call them vampires now, True Ancestor?]
[Author: Anonymous]
Looking at True Ancestor’s post, it seems like True Ancestor is really upset….
Are we not supposed to call them vampires anymore?
- Right, we should call them mongrel vampires ㅇㅇ
ㄴ Author) Then I guess I’ll call them mongrel vampires in real life from now on too
'Good!'
I nodded contentedly.
It was a very commendable attitude.
Such exemplary True Ancestor followers deserved praise.
I normally just lurked and hardly ever wrote comments, but this time, I decided to step forward myself.
ㄴ True Ancestor) What a commendable mortal.
When I posted that comment.
ㄴ ??????????????
ㄴ No fucking way, True Ancestor showed up in person ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
ㄴ Author) Wow, True Ancestor, I’m honored ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ Wow, I want soft vampy head pats from True Ancestor too….
ㄴ I’ll call them mongrel vampires too!!!!!
ㄴ Me too!! Mongrel vampires, absolutely!!
ㄴ Aaaah, True Ancestor, please look at my comment too ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
……
An enormous number of replies poured in.
And the impact was far greater than I had expected.
[The True Ancestor followers should make sure to use the terminology correctly from now on, right?]
[Proof) I’m a major guild master, and I just revised the entire monster manual]
[Finished spreading the word through the guild announcement to use mongrel vampire instead of vampire]
[LOL, now we can identify True Ancestor followers in real life by the terms they use]
……
‘Huh?’
Those True Ancestor followers who were forever posting things like ‘True Ancestor is insanely fucking noble…’ and ‘Wow, kya, gasp, vamp lol’ in the community.
In real life, they were all A- and S-rank hunters, guild masters, or guild executives at major guilds!
With them taking action, the term ‘mongrel vampire’ was spreading in the real world too.
“Hmm…. Insolent as they are, humans can be quite commendable at times like this.”
True Ancestor followers.
Their loyalty alone was so extraordinary that they could be called honorary servants.
Just then, a new private message arrived along with a system notification.
The sender was Kim Taeseong, president of the Korean Hunter Association.
[True Ancestor. I have read your thoughtful post in the community. I fully understand your intention to clearly distance yourself from those entities. Our Association will likewise make sure to clearly distinguish True Ancestor and your servants from the existing vampire population.]
‘Wow. As expected of the Association president.’
He always handled things brilliantly.
However, the following message contained something unexpected.
[Furthermore, as part of a tribute to True Ancestor, I would like to convey a piece of information.
The Association’s Intelligence Bureau has recently pinpointed the location of a high-grade vampire hiding somewhere in Seoul.
Ordinary vampires tend to seem out of place even when they imitate humans, but this individual had perfectly blended into human society and concealed their identity for a long time, so tracking them down required considerable effort.
If True Ancestor permits, we would like to capture the individual and offer them directly to you, but with the Association’s forces, there is a risk that the individual might die or escape. Therefore, we wish to present the location coordinates first.]
‘……Oh?!’
A high-grade vampire?
Then maybe its blood would receive a high-quality rating?
That would be wonderful.
‘Come to think of it, had the Association president noticed long ago that I was hunting bad vampires?’
His perceptiveness was remarkable, judging by how he had brought me such prime prey as a tribute.
As expected, the intelligence-gathering abilities of a government agency were nothing to scoff at.
His judgment was also extremely wise.
If the Association’s hunters carelessly tried to capture it and it escaped, or if they killed it during the struggle, the precious blood might be ruined.
Freshness was the key to blood, after all.
It was only right for me to send my servants to subjugate it myself.
I sent back a reply with a satisfied smile.
[Your loyalty is commendable. Hand over the mongrel vampire’s location. This body shall deal with it personally.]
***
Republic of Korea Hunter Association.
The president’s office on the top floor.
Kim Taeseong silently stared at the replies True Ancestor had sent.
[How commendable. I recognize you as my honorary servant.]
[Your loyalty is commendable. Hand over the mongrel vampire’s location. This body shall deal with it personally.]
“……An honorary servant.”
A faint smile spread across Kim Taeseong’s lips.
He thought of the incident in the Association lobby, when True Ancestor had won a battle of wills against the world’s second-ranked climber, the Heavenly Demon, without even batting an eye.
The reassuring sight of True Ancestor he had witnessed then was still vivid in Kim Taeseong’s mind.
Judging by her appearance alone, she looked about the same age as his youngest daughter, who was in elementary school, yet he could not understand how she could be so noble.
The gothic-style dress suited her perfectly, and the elegant parasol in her small hand had been the perfect finishing touch.
‘……No, what am I thinking right now?’
Kim Taeseong suddenly came to his senses and shook his head.
In any case.
It was incredibly fortunate that such a mighty being viewed Korea favorably.
She had even clearly drawn a line between herself and the existing vampires this time.
‘I told True Ancestor because it seemed True Ancestor was hunting vampires like those… It’s a relief that True Ancestor seems pleased.’
True Ancestor was happy because she could hunt them.
The Association was happy because it could deal with a monster without fighting.
It was a mutually beneficial tribute.
***
I slowly skimmed through the detailed document the Association president had sent me.
The location was Pyeongchang-dong, one of Seoul’s most famous traditional wealthy districts.
Amazingly, the target was someone who had personally founded and was running a respectable hunter guild.
The person in the attached photograph was a man in his thirties wearing a neat suit and half-rimmed glasses that gave him an intellectual air.
He did not even have the red eyes characteristic of vampires, just ordinary black eyes.
‘Wait. A vampire was actually the head of a guild?’
The special notes made for some rather interesting reading.
He had originally been active in public even during the day, but several months ago, he had stopped working during daylight hours altogether and shifted all his work and appointments to nighttime.
At first, it had been dismissed as simple overwork or declining health, but when he repeatedly behaved suspiciously—never answering calls during the day and going to extreme lengths to avoid going out—an employee within the guild had reported him to the Association.
And after the Association’s Intelligence Bureau conducted a discreet investigation, they confirmed that he was a vampire, not a human.
‘Well, well. He had quite a brain on him.’
If he had blended into human society well enough to run an entire guild, he was clearly in a different league from the ones I had encountered so far.
‘I need to verify this myself.’
I immediately sent my scouting mosquito servants flying toward the mansion in Pyeongchang-dong.
A luxurious two-story mansion stood on a quiet hillside road.
Despite it being broad daylight, blackout curtains covered every window of the mansion.
It looked much like me before I strengthened my territory.
‘Hmm. Suspicious indeed.’
I waited for nightfall.
And finally, when the sun had completely set and darkness had fallen.
Click.
The mansion’s front door opened, and a man stepped outside.
His appearance—a neat suit, half-rimmed glasses, and a briefcase in one hand—perfectly matched the photograph the Association president had sent me.
I immediately activated [Appraisal Eye].
[Race: Vampire]
‘As expected!’
He really was a vampire.
He had been posing as a guild head and going somewhere every night.
If so, it was about time for the harvest.
‘Who should I send?’
Since it was a high-grade vampire, I would have to send a powerful servant.
In particular, this would let the new servant gain some practical combat experience while I was at it….
The target had already been decided.
‘Good, Carmilla. I’ve chosen you!’
I sent Carmilla a telepathic message.
‘Carmilla, this is your first sortie. Go and bring back the mongrel vampire.’
- This girl shall obey her master’s command!
I summoned a [Dark Portal] behind the man without hesitation.
Wooooong—
As the man crossed the yard, the portal yawned wide.
“……?!”
The man sensed something strange and flinched. As he turned around, Carmilla gracefully stepped out of the portal.
- Since he is Master’s prey, I shall deliver him unharmed.
Pitch-black shadow hands shot up in an instant.
Without giving the man even a moment to react, the shadow hands wrapped around his limbs and torso and lifted him high into the air.
“Guh……?! W-what is this absurd strength……!”
The man’s glasses slipped off, and his eyes filled with shock.
But just as Carmilla was tightening the shadows to secure his restraints,
The man shouted desperately.
“C-could you be… True Ancestor?!”
“……?”
Carmilla’s hand paused midair.
Still bound, the man desperately blurted out,
“I-I think there’s been some misunderstanding…! We’re on the same side…!”
Watching the scene through a mosquito servant’s eyes, I tilted my head.
‘……Huh?’