207 Chapter 46.1 - Hunting the Hunter

"Wow."

The moment I left Sylvie's room, I couldn't help but mumble at myself.

"Did she just use {Blessing}?"

There was a reason why Sylvie was regarded as the Saintess in the future. Her abilities were that overpowered.

But, to think she would be using one of her strongest abilities right now...It made sense and no sense at the same time. After all, in the game, for her to be able to use this ability, the player would need to progress in her story quite a lot while also increasing her abilities.

Therefore, I was surprised when I felt the strength coursing through my veins. The increase in my strengths wasn't even comparable to how it felt when she was using buffs on me.

I was also surprised by how assertive she was, contrary to her personality. It also seemed like she understood what I was about to do.

'Well, I kind of expected it.'

Sylvie may be na?ve, but she is not dumb. So, it made sense that she understood what I was about to do the moment I requested her to enchant my weapon.

I knew for a fact that Sylvie liked when people praised her or when people depended on her. Her past trauma made her develop an inferiority complex towards other people, just like how the original Astron developed. Therefore, I didn't want her to suffocate like how Astron did.

She also has the talent and power to achieve that anyway. She just needs a little push and encouragement, which would normally come from the player or Ethan. However, right now, such a thing is not possible.

"Let's not think about it any longer."

Right now, my first priority was hunting the vampire, so I knew I didn't have the time to spend leisurely.

Returning to my room, I immediately set to work. The cooled anti-vampire mixture had reached the perfect consistency for application. I carefully dipped each weapon—my daggers, arrows, and the specially ordered bullets—ensuring the substance coated them evenly.

As the concoction adhered to the weapons, a faint, silvery sheen enveloped them. It was a reassuring sight, knowing that I had a countermeasure against the vampire's blood magic.

'Now, for the final touch.' I drew my mana a little and covered all of the weapons with it, but this time, rather than keeping it, I put the mana inside. This made the substance basically intertwine with every corner of the weapons.

I put everything I was going to need onto my belt and readied the potions as well.

'Everything is ready now.'

I checked the clock on my watch and saw it was still quite early noon.

'Good.'

It hadn't been that long since the vampire had captured Maya, and if my intuition was correct, she was still alive.

'Status.'

I called my stats.

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?Name: Astron Natusalune

?Occupation: Weapon Master (level 1)

?Talent Limit: 6

?Passives: The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l-B1n.

- Vengeful Bane

?Attributes:

Variable Attributes:

- Strength: 2.80 (3.90)

- Dexterity: 3.45 (52)

- Agility: 3.76 (5.6)

- Constitution: 2.75 (3.85)

- Intuition: 3.95 (6.0)

- Magical Power: 4.2 (6.6)

- Mana Capacity: 3.13 (4.9)

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Looking at the parameters, I couldn't help but marvel at Sylvie's power and how broken it was.

'This is insane.'

All my attributes almost increased % by 50, depending on how talented I was at that said attribute. This was something that would take at least a month for me to achieve, but now it was different.

Sylvie's {Blessing} ignored everything logically and gave me this increase. After all, it made sense since the Saintess didn't come from a logical mind but from something called 'faith.'

'Now, I shouldn't let her down, should I?'

And, now that she had shown such faith in me, there was no way I was going to let her down.

******

Entering the tunnels once more, a newfound strength coursed through my veins, courtesy of Sylvie's potent blessing. The enhanced attributes reflected a significant boost in my overall capabilities. On the way, I also made myself familiar with this strength as well, since it was going to be detrimental.

'She really did go all out with that {Blessing}.'

With each step, I moved with heightened agility, and my intuition seemed sharper and more attuned to the surroundings.

The combination of Sylvie's blessing and my increased mana capacity allowed me to conceal my presence more effectively, erasing any traces of my existence as I ventured deeper into the underground labyrinth.

'This should make a significant difference.'

The tunnels, dimly lit and seemingly endless, harbored a mysterious atmosphere. My senses, now heightened, detected faint traces of mana lingering in the air that I wasn't able to feel before.

And that mana was something I was pretty familiar with since that same mana had once entered me.

'This is Senior Maya's mana.'

While she was teaching me how to control mana, she put it inside me, and that was why I was that familiar with that specific feeling.

Following these traces, I navigated the intricate network of passages.

As I advanced through the dimly lit tunnels, the traces of Senior Maya's mana became more pronounced. The familiarity of that energy, once imparted to me during her tutelage on mana control, resonated within my heightened senses.

'I'm getting closer.'

The labyrinthine passages unveiled a disturbing tapestry of blood magic marks etched into the walls. But most of them were especially old. It is so old that it shows how strong the vampire was when it was at its peak for those traces to remain this long.

Twisted symbols and arcane patterns adorned the tunnels, signaling the vampire's presence. It seemed the creature had left its mark, creating a sinister network of enchantments.

'Blood magic.'

Each mark told a story of the vampire's malevolence, a dark tale etched in the very stone of the tunnels. As I followed these traces, my sharpened intuition allowed me to sense the presence of the supernatural wards and traps the vampire had cunningly laid.

'Not going to make it that easy, are you?'

However, when it came to such wards and escaping from them, I had already become quite proficient.

My parkour skills also increased with my parameters. My [Perceptive Insight] and increased [Intuition] enabled me to avoid them with utmost precision.

My journey became a dance, an intricate ballet with the blood magic-infused markings. With each step, I avoided triggering the malevolent enchantments that could have alerted the vampire to my presence.

'Bats.'

I noticed shadowy forms flitting through the air, bats acting as the vampire's eyes and ears. They were his familiar, probably.

The creatures sensed the intrusion, but my [Shadowborne] trait and the protective cloak of [Unknown's Armor] concealed me from their keen senses.

After a series of twists and turns, the claustrophobic tunnels finally opened up into a wide cavern.

THUMP!

The space was vast, the air heavy with a dense, suffocating aura that hinted at the vampire's presence. The demonic energy around me was so dense that my heart started beating so fast. Vengeful Bane was warning me, and I could feel it.

'This...'

Around me was a smell. The smell was so intense that it made me almost puke.

'Is this blood?'

Everything was dark, and not much light was inside, but even then, with my already evolved Night Vision, I was able to see the small silhouettes hanging from the ceiling.

'My heart slowed down, and I calmed myself down.'

As I approached, the scene that appeared before me was grotesque.

The silhouettes hanging from the cavern ceiling were once living beings, now reduced to lifeless husks. Their bodies dangled limply, the stench of death permeating the air, blending with the oppressive aura that hinted at the vampire's malevolence.

These were the missing victims, their faces frozen in expressions of agony, their once vibrant essence drained away by the insatiable thirst of the vampire.

One of them was a familiar face, frozen in an expression of terror—Olivia. The realization hit me like a cold gust of wind, sending shivers down my spine.

'The missing victims..'

The cavern served as a gruesome display of the vampire's heinous acts. It reveled in the macabre, transforming its victims into mere husks, drained of life, left to hang as a testament to its dark reign.

'No, it is not a testament.'

I immediately realized why these corpses hung from the ceiling.

'The vampire is keeping them as blood supplies.'

This was one of the common acts committed by the vampires. They always kept a bunch of blood to spare. I knew this trait of them from the game, after all.

'But, this is good.'

However, this vampire was making a crucial mistake. Most of the higher-ranking ones would keep the backup blood somewhere safe and hidden since this was one of their weaknesses.

'This will be an opportunity.'

Knowing the vampire's penchant for keeping a backup blood supply, I carefully retrieved the vial containing the anti-vampire oil mixture.

Silently, I approached the blood-filled containers, each holding the life essence of the victims.

Dipping my fingers into the concoction, I applied it to the rims of the containers, ensuring that the anti-vampire substance mingled with the stored blood.

The oil, designed to interfere with the vampire's abilities, would introduce a chaotic element to its carefully maintained reserve.

'Now, one thing.'

I immediately climbed to the ceiling, defying the rules of gravity, and started observing everything from there.

His lips curled into a sinister smile as he watched the intricate dance of magic and blood. The satisfaction in his eyes deepened, an ancient being reveling in the fulfillment of a long-awaited desire.

09:09

There, I saw Maya and the vampire.

********

"Ho? This is quite an interesting thing you have."

Sitting on a chair made from blood, the vampire observed Maya undergoing the transformation. His crimson eyes, tinged with amusement, occasionally flickered toward her as he lounged in a casual manner.

Intrigued by the unfamiliar device on her wrist, the vampire extended his claws, attempting to interact with the smartwatch. However, the technology was beyond his comprehension. The ancient being, accustomed to a world of magic and mysticism, found himself baffled by the intricate functions of this modern artifact.

"What curious trinket is this?" he mused, his claws tapping against the screen with an audible clink.

Frustration briefly creased his brow as he failed to decipher its purpose. The vampire, a relic from a bygone era, was faced with the mystifying wonders of the present age.

"I wonder what happened to the Empire? Is it still here?" The vampire pondered, his gaze shifting from the perplexing box to Maya.

However, no response came from Maya, lost in the tumultuous currents of her transformation. The vampire, momentarily forgotten by the modern world, rose from his blood-made seat. With slow and deliberate steps, he approached the girl undergoing the metamorphosis.

His eyes bore into her form, scrutinizing the arcane process. A sense of anticipation and satisfaction radiated from him. How can't it be? After all this time, he was now able to find a partner to be with.

His lips curled into a sinister smile as he watched the intricate dance of magic and blood. The satisfaction in his eyes deepened, an ancient being reveling in the fulfillment of a long-awaited desire.

"Count Charles is finally back," he proclaimed with a triumphant laugh that echoed through the dim chamber. The sound, a mix of elation and malice, resonated with the walls as if proclaiming the return of a force long absent from the world.

SWOOSH! STAB!

The triumphant laughter lingered in the air, but it was abruptly cut short by a sudden disturbance.

Here it is. My finals are soon; thus, I will be posting stocked chapters for a while. Darkness_Enjoyer