"It had been a long time since I ran into a vampire, so I was looking forward to it. But it seems I was excited for nothing. You're not even stronger than an intermediate monster."
The knight scoffed while holding onto the figure's hair. He desperately stretched out his hands towards the knight, but it was in vain. Eugene bathed in anger, despair, and regret in the pouring rain. He continued waving his amputated arms in the air to no avail.
"You killed quite a few, didn't you, you dirty beast."
"Kyareuk! Kyarreuk!"
He could not even speak properly any longer, most of his blood having drained already. The only reason he could still hold on was due to the fact that he had sucked dozens of people's blood in the past six months, during his days of escape.
If he had been caught on the first day of his escape, he would have been killed immediately.
"You can die proud, knowing that you bestowed the honorable title of Vampire Slayer to Lord Dircht. Do you want to know a secret?"
The templar, the holy knight, the one who always cried out for noble faith – finally grinned while revealing his desires.
"The fact I joined the trackers after a few months, and the fact I've been letting you roam around. I did it on purpose. Since you are a relatively new vampire, it was better for me to hunt you down slowly to make the church and myself known. It also served as a warning for the unbelievers."
"Keughh!"
"This is where your role ends. God will not tolerate any more than this. Then burn in purgatory forever, monster."
Crunch!
The silver-plated long sword sliced through Eugene's neck. Crimson red blood spilled from the cut and was greedily engulfed by the pouring rain.
"The evil, vicious vampire is dead! God has given us victory! We won!"
"Woaaahh!"
The voices of the mercenaries accompanying the templar violently resonated in Eugene's head. Light was slowly fading from his eyes, and his vitality disappeared. Eugene's past days swept past his mind like a flash.
If only he had not spent all that time in the mountains like a poor, helpless beast.
If only he had learned and practiced earlier what he learned during the past half-year.
If only he realized earlier that sucking blood was not just a simple act of fulfilling one's hunger.
If only he had overcome his fears and somehow challenged stronger beings to win and devour their blood.
If only…
If only…
If only…
The last thoughts of life approached him like pouring rain and scattered into vain reminiscence. After realizing that he was not a regular human being, he had lived hidden away in the mountains for 12 years. The Vampire Eugene finally breathed his last.
***
"Huegh!"
Eugene woke up in a dark room without a speck of light. Breathing heavily, he ran his hands over his entire body.
"W, was it a dream?"
It could not have been.
Half a year on the run.
Just a moment ago, he had been captured and killed in a miserable fashion by Jung Dircht. The templar captured him after persistently tracking him in his final month of escape.
The pain and humiliation were still vivid in Eugene's memories as if it were a slave's brand.
"What is going on…"
Eugene mumbled blankly, then quickly looked around.
"Is this… my house?"
He was currently in the cabin that he had built as a child – the same cabin he repaired repeatedly when it wore and broke down. Eugene hurriedly approached the door.
Vampires possessed superior senses compared to humans, and as such, this level of darkness posed no problems for Eugene. He glanced at a calendar he personally produced.
"12 years and 192 days."
Knowing that there were 365 days in a year, he marked a blank space with an X mark before sunrise every morning. Thus, according to the signs on the calendar,
"Almost half a year ago. Before everything happened. Did I really come back to the past?"
Eugene muttered dazedly in the darkness.
"I… am not dead."
Thick, hot tears started flowing from Eugene's eyes. He was overcome with complex and violent emotions as a vampire who was subjected to a violent death. Bloodied tears continued flowing as he convinced himself of the miracle.
After a while, Eugene wiped the tears that soaked his rough cheeks.
Now was not the time to be relieved.
"192 days right now. So five days from now."
An event would completely transform his fate five days from now. Of course, at that time, he never imagined it would have such an effect on his life. It had simply been someone else's business.
"Five days. Five days…"
Eugene whispered softly, then bit his lips.
"I will never die like that again. If I really am back in the past, then by all means…"
Eugene made up his mind. He learned and realized many things during his half a year of escape. A vampire like himself could never live quietly. Even if he lived in hiding without consuming human blood, he would one day be caught and prosecuted as a miserable fugitive.
He learned the hard way in his previous life.
So he would not hide anymore.
He would grow stronger – strong enough to fight confidently even if his identity was revealed.
"I will never regret anything again."
Eugene's eyes glowed even redder in the dark. Five days. It was short, but enough.
***
Kieeeek.
Eugene carefully opened the door after making all the preparations. Heavy clouds colored the sky in the rainy season, so fortunately, he was not exposed to direct sunlight.
But even this level of sunlight restricted the activities of vampires.
Eugene once again confirmed his outfit. A dark mask that completely covered his face and a black leather robe that covered even his ankles. He was dressed in a thick, black shirt and pants inside the robe as well.
Vampires could be active during the day as long as they weren't exposed to direct sunlight, and it was much easier for them on a cloudy day such as this. Although they could not express their unique strength, their physical abilities were still superior to that of ordinary humans.
Eugene carefully left through the door with his coverings. He was in good shape. He felt so comfortable that it felt almost luxurious, considering the past when he was being tracked and chased by the enemies.
Eugene locked the door tightly and inspected the cabin, though he knew no one would stumble upon it. Then he started moving towards the mountain.
In the distant past, he consumed human blood on a single occasion when he was driven by instinct. Less than two days later, mercenaries were out to find him. Eugene had been small enough to hide in the sewers during the day to avoid their search. On the fifth day of hiding, knights armed with torches and terrifying weapons roamed the village at night. Their weapons emitted a divine power so immense that he felt weak just by looking at them.
It wasn't until he ran into Jung Dircht that he learned their identities. They were templars, natural enemies of vampires.
He was stricken with fear and escaped. He crossed mountains and fields every night before eventually arriving in this place, and after that incident, he sustained himself by consuming the blood of the animals he hunted in the forest.
For 12 long years.
"I will not do such stupid things anymore."
The red glow of his eyes could be seen within the mask.
Twice, he became prey and ran. Then, he realized…
The law of the jungle – the strong would survive and the weak would die.
"It starts today."
He would no longer be chased around as a monster but would become the predator himself. The first offering needed to be 'the one,' who provided him with unparalleled power in the past even with just a few sips.
***
Eugene crossed the mountain and entered the forest after a couple of hours. The forest had served as his hunting ground for a long time, and it felt like his front yard. The forest was dark and damp, and usually devoid of much sunlight. It provided a more comfortable state for Eugene than an open field.
Anyone else would get lost and wander for several days in the dark, deep forest. But Eugene recognized the surroundings with his vampire senses and quickly crossed the forest. After another few hours, he finally arrived at the end of the forest.
What spread out in front of him was a wetland surrounded by a dense forest. This was his destination – a dirty wetland littered with dangerous swamps. But he did not immediately enter the wetlands.
He reached for a piece of leather hanging from his bag and perched it at an angle using a branch. After setting up a simple tent where one or two people could avoid the rain and the wind, Eugene placed his bag in the establishment before entering the forest with a dagger.
Within ten to twenty minutes, he returned with a large mouse and a few rabbits. He weaved the animals together with branches and tossed them inside the tent. Disregarding the frightened cries of the animals, he gazed at the wetlands.
"Two or three more hours."
The day was long in the current season, but the sun would completely set by then.
And the night was the dominion of vampires.
***
The dying sun dyed the looming dark clouds over the western sky with white, then finally disappeared completely.
Pitter-patter!
The drizzling rain began to pour in earnest after the sun went down. Eugene's five senses became more sensitive, and strength poured over his body as he listened to the sound of rain pouring over the makeshift tent. In his current state, he could easily deal with two or three mercenaries.
But he knew this wasn't enough.
Eugene took off his mask.
His burning red eyes were normal, but the same could not be said for the rest of him. Only a few strands of hair remained on his head, and his haggard eyes, nose, and mouth made like appear like a horrible, rotting corpse.
Eugene stretched out his hand without hesitation.
The big mouse and rabbits had been unmoving since a while ago. As his hand neared, they struggled helplessly.
Eugene slit their throats and drank their blood in turn.
Hot blood gushed down his esophagus.
The heat provided by fresh blood quickly transformed into vitality and permeated Eugene's body as heat. His eyes glowed crimson, and his fangs and nails grew longer in an instant.
"Krrr…"
Eugene slowly walked towards the wetland. The rain showed no signs of abating. He moved along the waterfront with his body lowered, and his red gaze swept through the surface of the water, which was constantly disturbed by the rain and the wind.
Eugene continued along the waterfront, sometimes kicking or throwing stones at the waters. His vision was several times better than usual, and he did not miss even the tiniest movement on the surface of the water. One leg was deliberately placed inside the water, which he was using to sense movement inside the water. Suddenly, he stopped.
The surface of the water, which had been swept along the direction of the wind and the heavy rain, suddenly soared upwards like an explosion.
Simultaneously, Eugene's body rose into the air.
Kwaaah!
A monster appeared from the midst of the soaring water. Its body was covered in dark brown and green. Although its entire figure wasn't revealed, what could be seen was even larger than a bull. The monster opened its jaw with a glimmer in its eyes.
Kuwaaap!
Its gigantic jaw snapped in the air. Its giant, sharp teeth were reminiscent of dozens of stinging daggers.
The creature missed Eugene by a tiny margin.
Crack!
After avoiding the creature's gaping jaw by jumping high into the air, Eugene plunged his dagger into the creature's eye while coming back down.
Kuwaaaahh!
The monster roared and struggled, which caused huge waves to break through the surface of the water. However, it was a vampire who was holding a dagger that penetrated its eye. Moreover, the sun had set completely.
Although he avoided drinking human blood for a long time, he had been rejuvenated by the blood of the animals a short while ago. His strength far exceeded that of an adult man during the night.
"Krrreuk!"
Eugene held on by wrapping his other arm around the creature's large head.
Kuwaagh!
The creature rose high into the air and turned its body. Eugene would have been crushed to pieces if the creature hit the ground at its current angle. However, he quickly realized the monster's intentions with a vampire's maximized senses, and Eugene changed his position like an acrobat with his arms wrapped around the creature. Simultaneously, he stabbed the monster's other eye with the dagger.
Phuwak!
As the monster's eyeball burst, its body collided with the water's surface. The vampire and the monster sank below surface. The short, fierce battle could no longer be found, and only the sound of rain hitting the water could be heard in the wetland.
A little later.
"Kuwuuuugh!"
Eugene's upper body burst through the surface of the water.
"Kuegh! Kureeuk!"
His eyes were still emitting a red glow, and he growled like a wild animal while struggling to climb out of the water. His left arm was already broken, but his right hand was holding onto the monster's large tail. Eugene slowly dragged the monster out of the water with all his might.
He observed the monster's body like a hungry beast, then dug his dagger into the monster's eyeball without hesitation. As he dug out the eyeball, blood welled up in the empty socket of the monster, and the vicious vampire hurriedly gulped it down.
For a long while, Eugene savored the blood of the monster in the cold rain.
His body transformed during his long-awaited meal. Firstly, the various injuries he acquired during the battle were quickly recovered. Luscious hair quickly covered the various patches on his scalp, and his chapped, wrinkled skin regained its vitality, reflecting the pale glow of the moon in the cold rain.
That was not the end.
He had been smaller than a regular adult. As he relished in blood, his body grew in size, his limbs became much longer, and his body became toned and gained some muscle.
"Phuah!"
Eugene finally raised his face, sweeping back his long, black hair. The red blood staining his nose and mouth quickly washed away in the heavy rain. His transformed face was completely revealed.
His red eyes shone like two flawless rubies, emitting a perfect harmony of madness and killing intent under his straight forehead. His straight nose and bright red lips stroke a perfect balance with the slim lines of his face. The two protruding fangs betrayed his identity.
"Kuwughhhh!"
The vampire roared in the pouring rain after regaining his true identity as a member of the "Tribe of the Night."