Chapter 42 : Yeouido – I

As usual, I was harvesting blood fruits and patrolling the entire Seoul Station.

While dealing with the occasional appearing Converged Beings, I activated my Evil Eye.

That’s when I noticed that Aurel’s level had changed.

[Aurel]

Level: 13

Race: Vampire

Health 100%

Mana 92%

Emotional State: Slight sexual arousal, pleasure

“Aurel…?”

“Yes?”

Aurel, who was stomping on the corpse of a Converged Being and turning her head at my call.

If my memory is correct, Aurel’s level had definitely increased.

Just in case, I asked Aurel a question.

“Hey, what was your level before?”

“Mine? It was 12… Huh?”

Aurel tilted her head as if puzzled while answering.

All users know what their level is.

Even without being able to check the status window.

“M-my level…!”

Aurel looked down at her hands and made a surprised expression.

It seems she just realized that her level had increased without her knowing.

“Gasp…! Ms. Charlotte! My level went up!”

Her level went up. I heard Aurel’s confirmation.

It means my memory wasn’t wrong.

“Yay! Yay!”

Aurel started punching the air with a bright smile.

The appearance of a new skill due to the increased level.

It was a skill she couldn’t use before.

Aurel, who started emitting red blood energy, tore apart all the remaining Converged Beings.

I thought as I watched that scene.

When did Aurel’s level increase?

Today? Or yesterday? No, that’s not important.

The fact that the level has increased means that existing users can become stronger. God would not have unlocked the level system without a reason. There must be a reason for the sudden increase in level.

“Harya!”

Aurel beat the Converged Beings even harder than before.

As if she wanted to raise her level even higher.

I looked down at the Converged Being lying on the floor, barely breathing.

Perhaps, now that I had defeated Fenrir, the game’s prologue was over.

“Bleep bleep.”

At my call, a small girl appeared from the shadows.

It was Bbibi, who had become a vampire from a normal human.

Because of that, her level was 1.

In Blood Carnival, a level 1 user can level up by just catching one Converged Being wandering outside the village.

If the level-up system was really unlocked, Bbibi’s level could also increase.

Bbibi, who appeared, approached me while trembling.

It seemed she was scared of the Converged Being lying on the floor.

I stroked Bbibi’s head and said.

“Kill it.”

“Gasp…! Yes!”

Bbibi nodded at my command.

She formed a small shadow blade and swung it at the Converged Being.

Swish-!

A precise strike aiming for the neck.

The Converged Being, which was already on the verge of death, couldn’t withstand Bbibi’s attack and died.

At that moment, Bbibi’s information was transmitted through the activated Evil Eye.

[Bbibi]

Level: 2

Race: Vampire (Charlotte’s Familiar)

Health 100%

Mana 100%

Emotional State: Joy, delight, pleasure, excitement

“Wow, waa…!”

Bbibi was happy about her increased level.

Her eyes started to twinkle.

My familiar’s level went up. That means I can make my power stronger than before.

I suddenly looked up at the sky.

The fact that we noticed the level-up system meant that others could also notice it. Perhaps, all users would start hunting Converged Beings for level-ups. No, it was certain. In this world, level was power and status.

“Aurel! Hwanggu!” “Yes!” “Yes!”

Two girls came running at my call. I said to Hwanggu. “Hwanggu, riding mode.” “Gasp….!”

Hwanggu immediately transformed into a large wolf form at my command. Hwanggu, who had finished the transformation in an instant, wagged its tail and rubbed its body against me. “Let’s go!”

Hwanggu, after confirming that Aurel and I had boarded, started running quickly. Our goal was to annihilate the Converged Beings scattered throughout Seoul. Normally, they would have been avoided to reduce unnecessary stamina consumption, but now that they knew they could gain experience, there was no reason to avoid them.

About half a day had passed since we patrolled the entire Seoul and raised the levels of Aurel and the familiars. Finally, we were able to encounter other users who were hunting Converged Beings. They were werewolves, and they were hunting Converged Beings very diligently. It seemed they had noticed the existence of level-ups.

I made eye contact from a distance with the person who seemed to be the leader of the group. Vampires and werewolves are in an alliance. There was no reason to clash, and no reason to get closer, so he and I just exchanged eye greetings.

“Ugh…!”

Aurel bit her lip while looking at the werewolves. It seemed that her desire for level-ups was very strong.

After that, I led Hwanggu and continued to patrol Seoul. Information about level-ups spread faster and faster as time passed.

The appearance of the Converged Beings began to decrease. Eventually, we were able to return to Seoul Station just before sunrise.

As we spent time leveling up, the date I had scheduled with each clan leader was approaching.

Of course, Aurel’s level-up couldn’t be stopped, so I sent her and Yeppi out hunting on Hwanggu’s back. In that situation where I was left alone, I headed to the place where I had scheduled a meeting with the clan leaders.

The place I arrived at alone was the logistics warehouse, which was Frix’s clan hideout. The inside of the clan warehouse was empty. The clan members who had been packed inside were nowhere to be seen. It seemed they had been sent out hunting for level-ups.

Frix greeted me alone. “It’s been a while.” “Where are the clan members?” “They went hunting.”

There were no other words after that. It was because the other clan leaders had not yet arrived.

We spent time alone with Frix for a long time like that. Finally, the other vampire clan leaders began to arrive. They, too, were alone, unlike before.

Everyone who had promised to come had gathered. I carefully brought up the topic. “Everyone did the investigation thoroughly, right?” “I looked into it as much as possible.” “Yeah.”

Everyone nodded at my question. What each vampire clan leader had been investigating was who had betrayed us. They collected information focusing on those who had suddenly changed the location of their clan hideout, those who had suddenly changed their attitude, or vampire clans that had close relationships with human users.

The same was true for me. I hadn’t just been wandering around harvesting blood fruits all this time. I used Aurel’s sparrows and my familiars to closely investigate the vampire clans in Seoul.

Of course, I didn’t find out much information.

“Everyone is the same. There’s nothing different from before.” It was Frix who spoke first. He shook his head and replied. It seemed he was frustrated that he couldn’t find the traitor, but his information network seemed to have limitations.

The other clan leaders were similar. They also shook their heads with unsure expressions, as if they hadn’t gained much.

There was also talk about Marie, who was living in the church. Since they were getting along well with humans, it was natural to suspect them. However, they had been getting along well with humans since before we planned the Fenrir subjugation. The human users they were getting along with were also those who were active individually without belonging to a clan.

In that situation where everyone was just sighing, one girl opened her mouth. “I found them. Suspicious people.”

It was Pirin who spoke. A girl vampire with long, flowing red hair. She looked like a gentle girl on the outside, but she was also a clan leader leading a clan.

“Who are they?” “Which side are they from?” “What’s the clan leader’s name?”

The clan leaders showed great interest in Pirin’s words. Pirin calmly opened her mouth.

“They were from Yeouido.”

“Yeouido…?”

Everyone makes a hesitant expression at Pirin’s words. Yeouido, a region not far from Seoul Station.

But I, too, didn’t examine Yeouido in detail. The reason was the Han River. A large river flows between Seoul Station and Yeouido.

Vampires feel a strong aversion to flowing water. It means that even just looking at the Han River makes them feel nauseous.

That instinctive aversion is deeply involved in the subconscious, erasing the option of approaching the Han River from their minds.

“The clan leader’s name is Aborix. The clan size is about 10 people.” “What did they do?” “They were exchanging bags with humans.

It seems they exchanged something.” “You don’t know what was in the bag?” “Yeah, all I saw was from a distance.”

Pirin closed her mouth after saying that. Judging by the fact that she’s covering her mouth with a palm-sized bear doll, it seems she has nothing more to say.

In the end, it was decided to look into the Aborix clan that Pirin mentioned and Mary’s cathedral.

Now it’s time to divide the personnel for the investigation. “Anyone going to Yeouido?” I asked while looking at the clan leaders, but no one readily raised their hand.

It seemed to be because of the Han River between Yeouido and Seoul Station. In the end, should I go? Just as I thought that, Pirin raised her hand.

“I’ll go.”

“You?”

“Yeah. Since I brought up the story…”

In the end, it was decided that I and Pirin would go to Yeouido. The rest seemed to be looking into the remaining suspicious clans and focusing on Mary’s cathedral at the same time.

After the purpose was decided. I came out of the logistics warehouse with Pirin. I looked at Pirin, who was walking beside me.

Her view is slightly lower than mine. That means she’s shorter. It was when I was observing Pirin like that. Pirin, who was walking beside me, subtly approached me.

As the distance got closer, her scent became stronger. Just as a faint peach scent brushed the tip of my nose, Pirin opened her mouth.

“Where are the kids?”

“Kids?”

“Your clan members.”

It seems she’s looking for Aurel or Hwanggu. I took a slight distance and replied.

“I sent them hunting.”

“Hmm…”

Pirin nodded regretfully at my answer.

Then, she came even closer to me, as much as I had distanced myself.

If we got just a little closer, our arms would touch.

An unusually close sense of distance.

All my nerves are focused on my arm.

At that moment, our arms lightly touched and then separated.

Lightly…

Touched…

Pirin’s arm was soft and warm.