Chapter 6 : Gear Items II

While the shadow gnawed on the human player’s corpse, my heightened senses detected a strange movement.

The heat of the battle hadn’t yet cooled.

The small vampire girl’s body reacted sensitively.

I raised the blade of the Matte Katana in my hand and aimed it behind me.

The shadow responded to my movement.

A shadow rose from the ground, enveloping my body and naturally forming a barrier, then extended straight along the blade of the katana.

“Gasp…”

In the dim darkness,

a red mist swirled, forming the shape of a girl.

The strange movement I had sensed was Aurel.

I wondered where she had gone, but it seemed she had been circling around me using the transformation skill.

There was no hostility.

I sighed and lowered the blade of the katana.

Swoosh-

As I lowered the katana, the shadow dissipated. It felt like watching a loyal dog.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

I frowned at Aurel’s question.

If she was so worried, shouldn’t she have shown up and helped me when the battle started?

Of course, how much help could a level 12 vampire be…

“I told you not to follow me, didn’t I?”

My voice was sharp due to my heightened state of alertness.

Aurel awkwardly laughed and took a step back.

I could sense Aurel’s movement because she had come too close.

If she had kept a certain distance, as before, I wouldn’t have noticed her continuing to follow me.

My regret for not taking the transformation skill grew.

“Oh, is that a Matte Katana?”

Aurel’s gaze shifted to the katana in my hand.

As a player of Blood Carnival, she recognized the katana.

A natural attempt to change the subject.

But it was pointless.

I hid the katana behind my back and spoke.

“How long do you plan to follow me?”

“Well, of course…”

Aurel trailed off and smiled cutely.

It seemed she intended to follow me to the end.

I looked at the Matte Katana and fell into thought.

A shop-grade equipment item that hadn’t appeared for years had emerged.

There was a reason for everything.

There must be a reason for this item’s appearance.

I frowned and spoke.

“You can follow me.”

But this was an unavoidable choice for survival, not because I was swayed by Aurel’s appearance.

There was another reason for allowing Aurel to accompany me.

Since waking up in this world, Aurel was the only one to look at me with friendly eyes.

Although there were still things to watch out for…

At least Aurel didn’t seem like she would stab me in the back.

“What…?”

Aurel’s eyes widened in surprise at my response.

Her soft-looking cheeks turned red.

Why was she so happy when I only allowed her to accompany me?

I quickly stepped back and added a condition.

“But. Don’t come too close to me.”

“Oh…”

Aurel’s expression turned glum.

With that, Aurel’s issue was resolved.

I looked at the Matte Katana and fell into thought.

A shop-grade Matte Katana.

An item that could only be purchased from a shop.

It never dropped in the general field.

A bad sign.

I looked up the stairs with a grim expression.

“We need to get out of here.”

I started climbing the stairs with Aurel, passing through the turnstile.

Blood Carnival was a game where reaching max level was easy.

Character growth mainly came from equipment.

In other words, it was a game heavily reliant on gear.

A cheap shop item.

In the game, I wouldn’t have given it a second glance.

But now, I couldn’t ignore it.

There was a significant stat difference between a bare character and one equipped with even cheap shop items.

To survive in this dangerous world, I needed to quickly get my hands on this newly appeared equipment.

If there was a god who created this world, I wanted to ask them.

What happened to the gear Charlotte was wearing?

I let out a hollow laugh at my foolish thought.

“Um, Charlotte…?”

“What?”

“The sun is up outside…”

I raised my head at Aurel’s words.

The end of the stairs.

Bright light shone through the exit.

As Aurel said, the sun was up.

Maybe it was because I became Charlotte.

My gaze towards the sunlight was naturally filled with disgust.

I instinctively took a step back.

“Charlotte, aren’t you okay with sunlight?”

“Me? Are you crazy?”

I was a vampire too.

Exposing myself to sunlight would naturally turn me into a pile of ashes.

But Aurel tilted her head as if she truly didn’t understand.

“What? But a level 20 vampire can take the [Day Walker] skill, right?”

I closed my mouth at Aurel’s question.

[Day Walker – This skill allows the vampire to walk in the bright sunny day too].

A skill only available to level 20 vampires, allowing them to operate in daylight.

Of course, I didn’t take it.

No vampire player generally took that skill.

Sun resistance could be easily managed through equipment.

Taking Day Walker was a waste of skill points.

“I didn’t take it…”

“Oh…”

There was no other way.

I frowned deeply and cautiously climbed the stairs.

“Charlotte…?”

“Be quiet.”

Maybe, just maybe…

If I was a level 20 vampire…

I might be able to withstand this sunlight.

I took a deep breath and extended my pinky finger towards the sunlight.

In that moment,

Sizzle!

“Ahhh!”

Pain more intense than being pierced through the neck spread throughout my body from my pinky.

It felt like tiny bugs were biting all over my body.

I panicked and rolled down the stairs.

“Charlotte!!!”

Gasping for breath, I checked the condition of my pinky finger.

The blackened skin was bubbling.

The vampire’s power allowed my body to regenerate, but damage from sunlight wasn’t easily healed.

I bit my lip and sat at the top of the stairs.

“Gasp…! Your finger…!”

“Don’t come any closer…”

I frowned and pushed Aurel away.

I could see she was pretending to worry, trying to place her hand on my shoulder.

Aurel laughed awkwardly and stepped back at my reprimand.

Just in case, I took out the small glass bottle I had picked up earlier.

The sight of the red liquid inside came into view.

It was a [Low-Grade Healing Potion], the most basic consumable in Blood Carnival.

Usable by any race, it restored 50 health points when used.

I opened the bottle and poured the potion over my pinky finger.

“Phew…”

Thankfully, the healing potion worked on my pinky finger.

The blackened skin quickly healed.

I frowned at the sunlight streaming through the exit.

If exposing just my pinky finger had this effect, exposing my whole body to sunlight would surely turn me into ashes.

There’s nothing else to do but wait for the sun to set.

Thankfully, the sun is only up for six hours each day.

[Imagine the sun was up for six hours in the real world too….]

I looked around the station.

“What are you looking for?”

“A suitable place to rest.”

But there was no such place.

Most of the facilities here were destroyed as well.

“If you don’t mind, you could sit on my lap…?”

That question wasn’t worth answering.

I glanced at Aurel’s thigh and turned away.

There was no comfortable place to rest.

So Aurel and I leaned against a relatively clean wall, passing the time.

We could have sat on the stairs near the exit, but the sunlight kept us away.

“Um…”

“What?”

“Do you like chicken…?”

Aurel sometimes asked light questions like this.

It didn’t feel at all burdensome.

And I was no different.

“I do.”

“Really…!”

“But not you, the food.”

“Aw…”

Since becoming a vampire, or rather, adopting a game character’s persona, I felt like something in my head was broken.

Aurel’s questions continued until the sun set.

Light, meaningless questions.

And meaningless answers.

“What’s your favorite color?”

Just as I was about to answer lightly,

Aurel’s blonde hair caught my eye.

A subconscious response slipped out.

“Gold.”

“Gasp…!”

That was a mistake.

I quickly crumpled my things and headed towards the exit.

“The sun has set.”

“Ah, wait, Charlotte! I’m coming with you!”

I cautiously stepped outside and surveyed the surroundings.

Abandoned vehicles and overturned roads.

Vines had grown over everything, covering the whole area.

“Hmm…”

The first thing I checked after leaving the station was the mental map imprinted in my mind.

In Blood Carnival, NPCs for shops or storage were usually marked on the map.

I hoped to see something, but there were no such markers in this area.

“Are you looking for a shop NPC?”

I nodded in response to Aurel’s question.

I couldn’t just ignore the Matte Katana I’d found.

Aurel and I headed towards a nearby city.

Walking along a quiet road devoid of any signs of life, we carefully observed our surroundings.

Aurel, keeping a certain distance, was also diligently scanning the area.

“Charlotte…!”

At that moment, I heard Aurel’s voice.

I turned my head slightly and saw Aurel pointing to a spot a little distance away.

A can of food lay on the ground.

Though its contents were already consumed, faint traces of broth left a small mark on the road.

It hadn’t been long since someone ate and discarded it.

I gripped the Matte Katana tightly.

We weren’t the only ones who had found this city.

“Aurel.”

“Yes…!”

“If you notice anything unusual, let me know immediately.”

“Understood!”