Chapter 9 : Gear Items V

Bang-!

With a loud gunshot, red blood splattered into the sky.

My vision blurred from the impact.

Aurel, walking beside me, looked at me in horror.

“Charlotte…!”

Aurel’s scream came out late.

I steadied my staggering body, glaring in the direction the bullet had come from.

In the center of the city, shrouded in darkness.

Through the collapsed building’s outer walls, something shiny caught my eye in the moonlight.

Once more.

Flash-

Bang-!

A small flash followed by a delayed sound. Even from a distance, the sniper had aimed at me accurately. I took a deep breath and moved in the shadows.

I quickly summoned a shadow barrier, blocking the projectile mid-air.

I looked at my pierced shoulder. Blood gushed out, but the wound started healing immediately. There was no pain, indicating it wasn’t life-threatening.

“Aurel.”

“Yes!”

“Hide somewhere safe.”

Aurel nodded silently, aware she wouldn’t be helpful in this fight.

The sniper’s attack could injure a level 20 vampire, and they used a long-range sniping skill. This meant they were at least a level 15 human player. Aurel, at level 12, wouldn’t stand a chance.

I leaped towards the city, shadows wrapping around me as I scaled the buildings effortlessly.

While jumping between buildings, I thought about the sniper. They were likely from the same faction as the person we dealt with yesterday. They must have come to investigate their missing comrade.

It was fortunate they appeared.

This group knew about shop NPCs and possibly other shop locations. I spent the day farming credits in the city just to encounter them.

Tap!

I pushed off a building’s wall, soaring into the sky.

Finding a person relying on faint moonlight would be extremely difficult, but a vampire’s senses far exceeded such common sense.

The faint scent of human blood.

Although it was masked by the strong smell of gunpowder and oil, a vampire’s sense of smell could detect even the faintest scent of blood.

I heard a faint sound in my ears.

It was the sound of blood flowing through veins just beneath the skin.

Bang!!!

A white flash shot towards me as I leaped into the air.

I pinpointed the attack’s location, and the shadows spread to shield my body.

Swoosh…!!!!

The more I used my skills, the closer I felt to becoming a vampire. I instinctively and naturally began using Charlotte’s vampire powers.

Needing to change direction mid-air, shadows wrapped around my body and unfolded into large wings behind me.

Flap-!

I didn’t need to think about how to use the wings. They moved as soon as they formed.

Moving the shadows felt as natural as moving my hands and feet.

Flap!!!!

The powerful flap of the wings pushed air away, propelling me forward rapidly.

Having wings didn’t mean I could fly freely like a bird. It merely allowed for brief moments of gliding.

The gun barrel glittering inside the abandoned hospital quickly changed direction.

The sniper inside was clearly trying to escape.

I drew my katana from the shadows and swung it forcefully.

My flight speed didn’t decrease.

As I flew forward, I slashed through the hospital’s wall, entering the building.

Crash!!!

The hospital’s outer wall crumbled behind me.

I squinted and scanned the surroundings, spotting the human player running at the end of the hallway.

I could hear their pounding heart and heavy breathing.

Their emotions were transmitted to me in real-time—excitement and fear.

The scent of their blood changed.

I tightened my grip on the katana and dashed towards the end of the hallway.

Slash!

I thought I had won this fight easily.

But then,

Boom!!!

A loud explosion sent me rolling across the floor.

Through my blurred vision, I saw black smoke rising.

I spat out dark red blood and bit my lip.

I struggled to stand, gasping for breath.

My condition was dire.

My clothes were mostly torn, and my left arm, caught in the explosion, was charred black.

“Still alive?”

A slightly surprised voice came from beyond the black smoke.

A cold breeze from the window cleared the smoke.

The figure that emerged was a tall man.

He was crouched, aiming a gun at my heart.

His dull gray hair and a sharp scar running across his cheek were striking.

In his black eyes, a blue flame flickered slowly.

The scent of blood changed instantly.

It meant his emotions had shifted.

Anger, calmness, excitement, curiosity.

Fear had completely vanished.

The rapid change in his emotions was unsettling.

I recalled a skill humans possessed in Blood Carnival.

[Emotion Control]

Only level 20 human players could use it, allowing them to manipulate their emotions at will.

Emotions greatly influenced a character’s stats.

Being able to control emotion buffs meant offsetting penalties from the emotion system to maximize benefits.

This man was a level 20 player like me.

I gauged his strength while waiting for my body to heal.

He had used long-range sniping skills and reaction bombs that exploded upon approach.

Neither were close-combat skills.

No matter his level, I’d win in close combat, provided there weren’t additional bombs.

I glanced at my left hand.

Despite some time passing, fresh white skin was emerging amidst the charred black.

I tightened my grip on the katana and glared at him.

Although his build favored maintaining distance, he remained silent and stationary.

Could he be hiding something? Or was it merely a bluff?

The frustration of not being able to read his thoughts, thanks to Emotion Control, was aggravating.

“What’s your level?”

His question broke the tense silence.

His expression was unchanged as he asked, calculating his chances of defeating me, just as I had evaluated his strength.

He needed one last confirmation.

“20,” I replied.

The opponent frowned at my answer.

After a brief hesitation, he spoke again.

“How about a proposal…”

“A proposal?”

“Let’s pretend we didn’t see each other and walk away.”

I frowned at the unexpected suggestion.

Pretend we didn’t see each other?

He wanted to stop the fight?

Of course, if that were possible, I’d want that too.

But it was an impossible proposal.

He was a sniper.

The farther the distance, the higher his chances of winning.

I had to kill him no matter what.

“That’s not going to happen…”

I trailed off, observing him.

At that moment, I sensed a strange shift.

An instinctive realization.

I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Trusting Charlotte’s instincts, I lunged forward.

Tap…. tap….!!!!

My legs propelled me forward as I swung the katana in my hand.

The shadows spread like blades, and the opponent reacted.

He rolled quickly and fired his gun.

Bang!!!  The surroundings lit up.

I was prepared for the attack and blocked it without issue.

The shadows around me deflected the bullet, but then an explosion sounded.

Boom!!!

My body shook violently.

The sudden impact threw me off balance, and I was airborne.

Though the shadows protected me, I couldn’t completely escape the blast’s force.

The opponent seized the opportunity to widen the distance.

I bit my lip, sensing him retreating.

I couldn’t let him escape.

I spread my wings and cleared the black smoke obscuring my vision.

Flap!

The smoke filling the hospital corridor dispersed, restoring my sight.

I spotted the human player.

He was at the end of the hallway, one foot on the stairs, aiming his gun at me.

Bang!!!

Another gunshot rang out.

The bullet, swiftly flying towards me, was blocked by the shadows and fell to the floor. He then threw himself out the window.

I couldn’t let him escape.

I flapped my wings and leaped through the window beside me.

The opponent, outside the hospital, squeezed through gaps in collapsed buildings or ran along walls, moving with inhuman agility to escape the city quickly.

A desperate chase under the faint moonlight ensued until his mana was completely exhausted.

Swoosh!!!

I caught up with him, flapping my wings and pinning him down forcefully.

“Ugh!”

With a short scream, he slid across the road.

Immediately, the shadows moved, piercing his arms and legs, pinning him to the ground.

Crack!

There were no more bomb attacks like before.

I licked the blood trickling from my mouth and plunged the katana into his waist.

Squelch!

Crunch~!

“Aaaargh!”

The solid blade tore through his body, slicing the bones inside.

He writhed in agony, screaming, but his struggles were futile.

I swung the katana, completely severing his upper body from his lower body.

Slash!

NOTE :

This is getting interesting . Let’s see where the story take our two vampires in their adventure.