Chapter 18

According to the original work, when all sorts of non-human races came over to Earth… Most of them were baffled by Earth’s environment. And the reason wasn’t anything else. Unlike other worlds, Earth’s atmosphere had an extremely thin concentration of mana. Just like how altitude sickness hits you with oxygen deprivation in high places, those who came from places where mana was a given found it hard to adapt. But not every non-human race faced the same difficulties. Some didn’t rely heavily on atmospheric mana. Take beastmen, orcs, and goblins who were clumsy with mana to begin with. Dwarves and halflings, who didn’t depend much on magic even if mana was helpful. Or dragons—walking power generators that emanated mana straight from their hearts. For some, mana wasn’t even necessary for survival. Those capable of solving problems on their own adapted quickly to Earth’s environment. Among them, vampires overcame these challenges in the most unique way. These creatures used blood as a medium for magic. The less mana available, the more blood they could use to solve the problem. So while the powers of most non-human races dwindled evenly on Earth, vampires maintained their formidable strength. Two out of the so-called Seven Great Evils, global-level criminals, were vampires! Their danger and power were unmatched among non-humans. Of course, Drakel wasn’t one of those world-class vampires. Rather, he was an ancient vampire, far past his prime, unable to sustain his youth through blood alone anymore. Considering how prideful noble vampires usually were, hiding in the shadows and plotting schemes showed just how far his strength had fallen from its peak. “…Ugh! As expected, the firepower difference is insane. If I get hit properly, there’s no way I’d survive.” Blood-red awls flew at speeds too fast to follow. Their impact was so overwhelming that I had no choice but to roll across the floor, practically throwing myself out of the way. Even though he’s past his prime, this guy’s still on another level. What felt like light jabs to him were fatal strikes I had to dodge. The gap in our levels left me mentally drained. ‘Well, I already knew it would be like this.’ But honestly, I wasn’t feeling particularly despairing about it. After all, I already knew there were mountains of people stronger than me in this city. If everything in life was decided purely by size, the rulers of Earth wouldn’t be humans but African elephants! ‘Thanks for smashing the walls and floors—it’s bringing tears to my eyes!’ Drakel’s blood-red awls were undoubtedly powerful attacks. They tore through concrete walls and floors just by grazing them. But ironically, this worked in my favor. Since I couldn’t afford to crush thick concrete walls with telekinesis right now, his indiscriminate assault was practically handing me weapons! Holding my breath and sharpening my focus, I grabbed fragments with telekinesis and fired them at Drakel like shotgun pellets. “Hmph, such pathetic tricks…!” Naturally, vampires had durability far beyond humans. Drakel swatted away my attack as easily as shooing a fly. Sensing something off about my telekinesis, he glared at me sharply, muttering in clear displeasure: “Is this silent casting magic? No, I don’t sense any mana movement. I’ve never seen magic operate this way before.” “…” “You wretch! Using some incomprehensible power!” It seemed his knowledge of magic allowed him to immediately notice the fundamental difference between telekinesis and magic. I reaffirmed how wise it was to keep my power hidden until now. At the same time, I steeled myself with resolve—I had to finish Drakel here. If I let him escape, the consequences later would be unbearable. ‘…I should change locations.’ Firing concrete shards like bullets to hold Drakel back, I dodged his relentless barrage of blood-red awls and leaped high into the air. Seeing me floating helplessly mid-air, Drakel must have thought it was his chance. He conjured massive, unavoidable blood-red blades to strike my landing spot. But thanks to telekinesis keeping me airborne with continuous jumps, I merely hopped around above him, mocking him while firing more fragments. “Annoying… You little pest!” Perhaps irritated by my constant harassment, Drakel’s face twisted ferociously. Using thick streams of blood as stepping stones, he rapidly closed the distance between us. His speed was unreal, as if time itself had been fast-forwarded. Ignoring the narrowing gap, I continued luring him upward. Finally reaching the rooftop, I spread my telekinesis wide to quickly dominate the space the moment my feet touched the ground. Then, as an enraged Drakel arrived on the rooftop, I activated my trap, tightly binding his body with telekinesis. *Crack!* It was as if an invisible giant hand gripped Drakel’s entire body firmly. “You fool, thinking such tricks can hold me! Do you really believe this will stop me?” But soon, my fears came true. As he exerted tremendous force throughout his body, my control over the telekinesis began slipping. So telekinesis could be overcome with sheer strength, huh? Realizing I couldn’t hold on much longer, I hesitated no further and fired concrete shards at the defenseless Drakel. “This… trash!” *Crash! Smash!* Sharp concrete fragments, capable of crushing a car, mercilessly pummeled Drakel’s body. Unable to defend himself due to being tightly bound by telekinesis, Drakel instantly became riddled with holes, blood spurting everywhere. For an ordinary person, this would’ve been instant death. Even beastmen with resilient lifeforces would consider these near-fatal wounds. “Kuh, kheheh… KHAHAHAT!” Yet, despite his grotesque state, Drakel burst into laughter without a hint of anxiety. To a noble vampire like him, having dozens of holes in his body apparently meant nothing. “…How long has it been since I last felt pain? Was it when that accursed betrayer of my kin stabbed me in the back? Truly… it’s been a while.” “…” “Fine, Ghost. I admit I underestimated you! Making this body bleed is quite the honor. From now on, I won’t hold back like before!” On the contrary, Drakel seemed invigorated. Gone was the disdainful gaze he once gave me, replaced with genuine murderous intent as he made his declaration. “I’ll turn you into a ghoul for sure! Make sure your corpse stays intact, Ghost!” ‘What… power!’ *Piiing!* A sharp ringing filled my ears as the telekinesis forcibly unraveled. Then nausea surged up, making me feel like my insides were flipping. But I had no choice but to bite my tongue and steady my mind. Drakel, freed from my telekinesis, splattered endless streams of blood flowing from his body all around. “Play, Armarium!” The scattered blood transformed into thorns, blades, axes—all manner of sharp instruments imaginable, filling the sky. This was blood magic on a scale and level far beyond the arm-thick awls I’d seen earlier. Moving faster than thought, I hastily retreated to the next rooftop. *BOOOOM!* The rooftop struck by bloody weapons crumbled horrifically, as if gnawed apart by a giant wolf. The shockwave alone was enough to lift my body off the ground. Drakel’s full-powered assault exceeded imagination. Is this the strength of a named villain from the original work? My telekinesis, which I once prided myself on, now felt utterly pitiful. ‘Ugh, I can’t dodge… all of them.’ Struggling to maintain my fading concentration, I desperately evaded waves of attacks and building debris crashing down from all sides. There was no helping it. My body was small and fragile—if hit by even a tiny piece of rubble, it could mean instant death. But amidst the rain of fierce attacks, dodging everything was impossible. With no other choice, I shielded myself with telekinesis against unavoidable blows while moving my body as much as possible to evade what I could. In moments, my entire body throbbed painfully, as if pounded evenly with a hammer. The cloth covering me shredded into tatters like a worn-out rag. ‘It hurts…! I’m already dizzy enough to die…!’ My condition was absolutely terrible. My concentration, pushed to its limits by repeated telekinesis usage, finally reached its breaking point; my head spun wildly. Pain screamed from various parts of my body, as if I’d tumbled down stairs. Unbeknownst to me, cuts had appeared here and there, trickling blood from my pale skin. Thankfully, nothing was broken or deeply slashed… yet. Unfortunately, at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before that changed. “Boring, boring! Show me again what you just did!” An overly excited Drakel laughed maniacally, endlessly producing bloody weapons. Once again, weapons of all shapes converged on me from every direction. Amidst my faltering consciousness, a path revealed itself. ‘The first condition to defeating Drakel: make him go all out.’ Using telekinesis, I punched a hole in the weakened rooftop flooring beneath Drakel’s assault and hid inside the building. Immediately, my field of vision sank downward, accompanied by shaking above me as if an earthquake had struck. Hiding in the floor must’ve been unexpected. But this was only a temporary measure, buying me mere seconds. ‘A few seconds are enough.’ Gritting my teeth, I forced my screaming body forward. Meanwhile, Drakel, likely assuming I’d flee outside, hammered the building’s exterior walls with bloody weapons. Thanks to that, I reached directly below him without interference. ‘Ghost Punch!’ *BOOM!* Telekinetic force shattered the floor under Drakel’s feet. Did he not expect me, who hadn’t tried closing the distance until now, to suddenly appear right beneath him? Drakel wore an expression of utter surprise, clearly unprepared for this situation. But by the time he realized, it was already too late. I was already surging upward from below! “Ghost!” *Swish.* Extending my hand outside the cloth, I formed a gesture resembling a flick to the forehead. Perhaps sensing strong intent behind the motion, Drakel naturally raised both arms to guard his face. But, well, wrong spot. *SMACK!* “Guh!” A telekinetic flick—a move I hadn’t used in ages—struck Drakel’s head like lightning. Caught off guard, his body tilted forward. My showmanship with the cloth turned out to be a perfect fake-out. How naive. ‘That’s it…!’ With a cute palm thrust, I aimed squarely at Drakel’s exposed chest. Simultaneously, a gigantic hand made of crimson blood struck me from the side. Though I managed to block it half a beat too late with telekinesis, the impact felt like being hit by a truck, sending me flying far away. It was a devastating exchange—a cruel cross-counter leaving me feeling utterly cheated.