Chapter 2

───Crackling.

The memories from a year ago that had been stimulating my brain so far were coming back to life again upon seeing the perfectly drawn round mark of the Association.

It was enough to furrow my brows.

After landing on the ground and coming to a stop, the currents following me quickly subsided and came to a halt.

In that very moment, a thin wound appeared on the neck of the girl who had just passed me.

“Ohhh.”

“……”

A Hunter from the Association, right.

The Association.

They were the persistent little bastards who had tormented me relentlessly until a year ago.

“Huh, huh.”

“Are you okay?”

Three people a day, they said.

If I killed you, it would be four people, so I made sure to cut your neck without touching the carotid artery.

Watching her gray hair scattered all around as she sat down, blood spewing from her mouth made me feel a sense of loss.

The red waterfall gushing from countless blade marks all over her body looked far too tempting.

[If we stay any longer, we’ll hear the commotion and they will come. Let’s wrap it up.]

I tightly gripped the knife in my hand.

[Orli.]

– Thud, thud, thud.

Get a grip.

I’ve killed three people and released my urges.

I must endure.

I can do this, right?

[Good job.]

I hurriedly turned my steps and approached the man slumped against the wall.

I pulled out the knife that had pierced his heart cleanly and flicked it to shake off the blood.

Seeing them with no scent of life anymore made me twist a lock of my hair.

I hardly put any strength into my hand because I wanted to save the blood, but I didn’t expect them to die so quickly.

After finishing my small task, I gathered the blood scattered on the floor and wall and compressed it into a small cube.

I took out the glass bottle I had tucked in my bosom, opened the cap, and added it.

As a fresh sound echoed, my urges quieted and I felt better.

“Pretty.”

Two orbs and one cube.

A good harvest.

Leaving behind the muffled groans, I moved on.

As I passed by the man slumped against the wall, I spotted a faint glimmer on the ground.

An artifact.

[It’s a machine that amplifies magic power.]

Was this person an Awakened One too?

Ah, so that’s why there were three of them.

Even those with weak power capable of using artifacts were considered Awakened Ones.

“…….”

Me too.

I’m weak too.

If only my body could die from having my limbs torn apart or my heart bursting.

[Orli. Let’s go home.]

You’re quite consistent, aren’t you?

I know.

I shouldn’t be having these thoughts.

Negative thoughts chain together.

They constantly erode me.

Gradually, they become needles gnawing at my mind, my body, my heart, and everything.

Dyeing it all a bright red.

So, let’s talk about something more constructive.

Things that can help the world.

Something like that.

[That’s unnecessary. A small talk would be nice.]

For example?

[It’s also okay to think about dinner tonight. Isn’t it already getting dark outside?]

Glancing over the entrance, I saw some lights flickering in the darkness.

“Should we escape from here?”

[A good idea. Orli. Just take your time and step away.]

Before stepping out of the store, maybe due to the habits ingrained in me, I looked up and scanned the wall connecting to the ceiling.

I met the gaze of a black surveillance camera precariously maintaining its position on the cracked wall.

“…….”

Before long, I think I will fight you all again.

Six months, one month, this week.

I know.

At most it will only be a few days.

You’ve been doing that until now.

Every time I’ve acted, you’ve been desperate to narrow the search and try to kill me.

The Association.

I’ll look forward to it again.

Unconsciously licking my lips while staring at the fallen Hunter, I hastily turned my steps and exited the store.

The outskirts of the urban area were indeed unnervingly quiet due to their characteristic tranquility.

Because of that, my moans and panting breaths were audibly clearer.

“Hah… Hah…”

It’s been a little while since I last drank blood.

A little?

How long has it been?

A day? Three days? A week?

I don’t know.

I know that my vision is all red now and I can’t see properly ahead.

I can feel my heart racing like it’s about to burst and my mouth drying up.

If I don’t get a grip.

If I can’t hold onto my sanity.

I might fall into a beast who does nothing but kill without a second thought.

No, before that, I’m not even human.

A Dhampir.

Half-human, half-vampire.

“Ugh, Puhh!”

[Orli. We’re almost there. Hold on just a bit longer.]

It’s hard.

It hurts.

It hurts.

I need blood.

I feel like I’m not myself.

What’s collected in my mouth right now?

Saliva? Blood? Or something else?

– Squelch, thud! Thud.

I don’t know.

Let’s just keep walking. Not thinking about anything, just walk.

Overcoming the urge to kill someone and drink their blood, let’s reach home safely.

And prove to myself. That I am still human.

At least in heart, I am human.

Knife.

A blood-stained knife caught my eye.

The scent of flesh rose thickly.

“No…”

[Orli.]

My heart was throbbing and my body was trembling.

“No, no, no.”

There’s no way I could have killed. No, I can’t have killed.

Three a day.

Three a day. Three a day.

Killing someone would mean four a day.

No, I can’t. I can’t allow that.

That will make me not human anymore.

Does that mean I can only be human until three?

Does that mean it’s okay to kill as long as it’s three?

Are you really human?

“Ah, ah, aaah!!”

I had no choice.

If I don’t kill someone, my body won’t hold up.

What should I do with this body that craves blood every night?

It’s not like I can just kill myself. If I can’t control myself, I’ll revert back to my past self.

I would end up laughing like a madman in front of those who oppose me.

[Orli. We’ve arrived. Breathe in.]

A family home.

Limping and drooling, I pounded on the elevator buttons as if they would break.

– Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

Come up. Come up. Come up.

It’s okay.

I’ve arrived now.

I’m here.

I’ve protected.

Three.

I must have protected.

[Don’t worry.]

Thank you.

While the door opened and I descended underground.

Enduring the pain in my chest, digesting the sensations in my whole body.

I leaned against the wall and tightly closed my eyes.

The door opened, and my body filled the narrow, very narrow living room.

Lying down on the sofa tucked against the wall.

Not even able to think about dinner.

Not even able to bid goodnight to Bloody.

I inserted the device filled with red liquid near my chest.

In a state of complete exhaustion, I waited helplessly for nightmare-like time to descend upon me.

With the sound of the clock hands, my consciousness cut off.

#

“I thought it necessary to inform you, so I came to see you during your busy time.”

“What on earth is this about?”

“It’s about the murder case that occurred in Gyeonggi Province.”

Following his secretary through the long corridor leading to the conference room, the head of the Association – Lindergh wore a puzzled expression.

“Gyeonggi Province?”

“Yes. Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province.”

With the city’s public security dramatically worsening after the incident, it was expected that the borders would tighten in the densely populated metropolitan area.

Because of that, the rising crime rate in the outskirts was also a topic of discussion.

With the amount of work piled up due to the metropolis, Lindergh had long since passed most of the governance of the outskirts of Busan and Gyeonggi Province to the executives.

Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province, isn’t that the outskirts of the metropolitan area?

Setting aside the directors and executives, this was a direct report to him.

Was this a unilateral decision made by his secretary?

As the conference room door opened and he turned his gaze, he saw a girl sitting at the table.

With beautiful golden bobbed hair, a dark yet refreshing black uniform, and a fleeting powerful aura.

“It’s been a while, Chairman.”

“Erica, it’s been a while. How are things at work?”

“Just about okay.”

Her face responded calmly, showing no sign of change from her usual blank expression.

She was still an emotionless girl.

Lindergh sat next to Erica and replied.

“Even so, I know you’ve been crushing every incident that comes your way.”

“You flatter me.”

“Heh.”

A ranker from the Game Era, work and justice, a rising star of the Association.

That was how one could describe Erica.

Ever since Erica entered the Association, it had been a known fact among senior executives that she had her eyes solely on work and worked tirelessly in the field.

Her handling skills and judgment were on par with rankers, along with her ability to command those around her.

Since she was appointed to a ‘special’ department that handles dangerous tasks not everyone can manage, she had only been increasing her reputation by successfully resolving every case.

“I’ve heard there’s been a special incident. I came to check it out, having heard a little about it.”

As if waiting for Erica’s words, the secretary projected something with a beam projector. Several image files stored on his laptop appeared on the projected beam.

The shop was in chaos, with items shattered all around. Two corpses, barely recognizably, and one corpse leaning against the wall, dying with its heart pierced.

And in one corner of such a crime scene, a being that didn’t fit the environment was visible. A girl with silver hair, long wavy hair, and blue eyes.

It was a familiar appearance to him. Lindergh thought that but quickly shook his head.

“The CCTV footage at the scene suffered a major shock, and most of the memory was lost. That’s all. Just one video.”

After saying that, the secretary displayed a video and played it.

The blurry shop was filled with several men and that girl.

In the distorted screen, a man lunged at the girl. There was no time to concentrate. As the girl raised a knife, the man’s arm was cut off cleanly, as if measured with a protractor.

– Crackling, crackling –

The screen broke and a commotion ensued. A red offensive build that showcased itself, and the flashes of light dominating the screen.

As he gazed, captivated, countless scenes had already passed in mere seconds, and something sped across the screen, only to be discerned by the reshaped image as a monstrous figure emerging from the girl’s arm.

It was devouring a person.

Amidst the screams and red blood that filled the space, only the girl’s laughter sounded starkly.

“……”

The interior grew quiet.

Lindergh clutched his throbbing head.

Haven’t I seen a boy who utilized such a build before?

The horrific memories from a year ago began to resurface.

“A total of four victims, two Awakened Ones who were criminals, and one Regular Awakened One, deceased. Additionally, a Hunter from the Gyeonggi Province office was injured.”

The secretary adjusted the screen to show the photos again.

“The girl currently suspected as the perpetrator. As you can see, she utilizes a rare beast-like build that can’t be easily executed, along with an entangled set of area stats. While there’s almost no evidence to salvage, it’s certain that she is at least a High-Rank Layer Awakened One. She might be even stronger.”

Lindergh again stared at the screen.

The store soaked in bright red liquid.

The girl, with snow-white silver hair and azure eyes. A red magic build.

And just like the scene from his painful memory, a twisted smile while immersed solely in madness and ecstasy.

Only then did he realize why his secretary had called him.

There was just one thing different from that boy.

‘No way.’

Let’s stop thinking about that.

It can’t be.

No matter how much the game has become reality and the world has gone mad, a gender conversion would be an unprecedented, nonsensical event.

Moreover, it has already been a year since that boy had disappeared.

That he would cause such an incident now?

It was far too small compared to the scale of the events he had committed thus far.

It couldn’t be, no. It had to be impossible.

Absolutely not.

“The most significant feature is, when the investigation team arrived after the incident, it was strange to find that there were almost no traces of blood detected in the shop.”

Lindergh’s hand twitched.

“Since then, she hasn’t been seen on any CCTV in other areas. She must be quite capable at escaping.”

“How intriguing.”

Erica spoke while examining the screen.

In that moment, Lindergh flinched at her expression.

“Don’t worry, Chairman.”

The girl in the video, whose actions felt merely as a form of entertainment, was viewed by Erica with a level of disconnect entirely different from her usual cold demeanor.

Bright red emotions were overflowing. Her trembling fists were tightly clenched.

“I’ll head down to the Gyeonggi Province office.”

Countless thoughts burrowed into Lindergh’s mind.

As much as he believed in her skills, there hadn’t been a case that Erica hadn’t resolved.

She was a noble girl who, once she started pursuing something, never missed it.

That was why he felt a mix of trust and anxiety.

“To capture that psychopathic, heinous criminal.”

Reassuring himself in his mind, Lindergh could only gaze at Erica, whose eyes reflected a shift in resolve.

“I will definitely behead her on the spot.”