MAEPG: Episode 37

Episode 37 Jin So-ran (1)

Gamma’s thoughts of frustration, anger, and resentment flooded in as I sucked his blood, but…

Well, it didn’t matter now.

‘So Concealment was a bloodline ability. Then is mind control a unique skill?’

The reason I couldn’t detect Gamma’s presence, the reason why the barrier’s concealment was so good, must have been because of this “Concealment”.

‘Nice. It’s the best in this situation.’

First of all, I could hide my energy better now.

Now that I could more effectively conceal the fact that I was a vampire, even those stronger than me wouldn’t easily notice my true identity.

It would also be helpful for stealth, so it would be useful for an assassin role.

‘Above all, the fact that I can now hide the traces of cannibalism is huge.’

Vampires were sensitive to blood.

Even Gamma approached me after smelling Heinz’s blood.

But what if I had traces of various vampires from cannibalism? I would be attacked before I could even have a conversation.

-Individual Name: Heinz the Second

-Race: Vampire (Pureblood)

-Common Traits: “Mind Hub”, “Persona”, “Clear Mind”

-Individual Traits: “Blood Kin (Pureblood)”, “Hybrid Evolution”, “Acceleration”, “Regeneration”, “Blood Magic”, “Insight”, “Concealment”

-Special Notes: The bloodsucking factor in the body has repeatedly evolved through the blood of vampires from other dimensions. All physical abilities and magic manipulation skills have grown significantly. “Mind Hub” prevented mental contamination.

Unfortunately, I didn’t become a True Blood right away.

Perhaps it was because I had grown significantly in quality, but the absolute amount of bloodsucking factor was lacking.

Still, my current combat power wouldn’t be significantly inferior even if I fought a True Blood.

While Heinz was organizing the things he had gained, Hans was attempting necromancy on the vampires who had died.

Dark magic that summoned the souls of the dead.

It was to obtain information, even if it was just a last resort.

[Hooo… what… nonsense… cannibalism… power, my ambition…]

[I don’t want to die like this… how long… hide… power.]

This was the reason why Hans hadn’t used necromancy often.

Wraiths could only think in fragments, like strong memories or their last regrets.

The greater the negative emotions in the remaining thoughts, the stronger the soul’s attachment, and it would become an evil spirit.

So it wasn’t easy to obtain information from wraiths.

It was easier and more certain to directly search their brains and read their memories.

[Ugh, gah! He… power, to gain power. Research, research!]

Of course, it wasn’t impossible, just difficult.

Hans used dark magic to inflict appropriate pain on Gamma’s wraith and guide the direction of his thoughts to extract the information he wanted.

[Gah… research, cooperation. Support… Heaven’s Turn Society’s technology! Promise… Beta…]

I interrogated all the wraiths I summoned, but it seemed that Gamma was the mastermind of this incident, as the rest didn’t know much.

They just followed his will, lured by power.

There must have also been the influence of the mind control he subtly used.

[It’s Heaven’s Turn Society again. What are they trying to gain by supporting the Blood Alliance hardliners with technology?]

I interrogated Gamma further, but nothing more came out about it.

He had only promised to cooperate in exchange for support, and it seemed like there hadn’t been any detailed conversations yet.

[‘Beta’… is he his superior? It seems like they’re connected to that level. Well, it was too big of an operation for someone of his level to pull off alone.]

He must be one of the leaders of the Blood Alliance hardliners.

If there was a ‘Beta’, there might also be an ‘Alpha’, based on logical reasoning.

‘I’ll find out from now on.’

Heinz entered the room in a corner where the unconscious Jin So-ran had been moved.

She was still unconscious, having been defeated by Gamma.

“But this room…”

Heinz looked around with a puzzled expression.

It was a room where various occult elements were mixed together haphazardly.

A magic circle drawn in blood all over the room, a skull with gold leaf patterns, all sorts of colorful ornaments…

The limit of Heinz’s understanding was that it included some blood magic.

[Oh, this is a new discovery.]

Of course, that didn’t apply to Hans.

Hans, who entered the room, looked around and expressed his admiration.

The remnants of dark magic used throughout the room were dissected by “Wicked Wisdom” and analyzed by “Forbidden Knowledge”.

But there were more than just dark magic-related spells here.

[Shamanism, curses, is this Kabbalah’s ‘Ein Sof Aur’? And even a Qimen Dunjia formation. There are quite a few systems I don’t know. To think they combined so many spells…]

Hans was a dark magic specialist, but because he had reached the pinnacle of one field, his perspective on magic itself was different.

Hans, who had encountered various spells from different worlds through his vigilante activities, had enough insight to recognize where and how they were used.

‘I never imagined this was possible.’

Earth was currently full of people who had returned from countless worlds, having learned all sorts of technologies and mysteries.

There were those who learned technology from more advanced civilizations, and those who delved deep into magic engineering.

It had been about 20 years since such returnees appeared.

But magic tools were still rare, and technological advancements hadn’t been dramatic.

How was that possible?

‘It’s because the laws governing each dimension are different.’

From the elements that made up the world to the laws of physics that governed the microscopic world.

Everything operated according to its own laws.

‘And the most extreme case of that was supernatural abilities.’

At least the laws of physics had some outward similarities, but the laws of supernatural abilities were completely arbitrary.

And since it was energy from another world, it was impossible to pass it on to others or study it scientifically.

It was a power that didn’t exist on Earth and couldn’t be used.

‘Except for magic tools, where the laws of another world were fixed in a stable state, there was only one exception. When a returnee used their ability directly.’

The returnee themselves were a medium that was separated from the laws of the world.

That was the reason why Hans could use dark magic on Earth.

‘Even when activating the barrier I set up, a returnee was needed as a medium at the center. It’s difficult for magic engineering to advance.’

Even if you were a master craftsman in another world, you needed materials from your original world, governed by its laws, to create magic tools that operated independently of you.

Most of the items on Earth now were brought back directly by returnees from other worlds, so it was natural for magic tools to be rare.

The scene in this room was like someone had taken programs operating under different laws, disassembled them one by one, and combined them into a single system, adjusting them to Earth’s environment.

[They have every right to be confident.]

Hans looked around in admiration.

It was still incomplete, and it had the limitation of needing a returnee to activate it, just like a barrier, but…

Even this much was amazing.

It was something that even Hans could barely do with the help of “Wicked Wisdom” and “Forbidden Knowledge”.

And even that was only limited to the category of ‘dark magic’.

[Hmm… but something seems lacking. Is this really it?]

It was definitely impressive, but something felt lacking.

It looked well-structured, but the spell formula was still unstable, and it couldn’t safely remove the thoughts from the bloodsucking factor in such a flimsy state.

[Even if they added more processes here… even considering that, the spell formula itself is too unstable.]

I could tell even without trying it myself.

Hans’s “Wicked Wisdom”, which had reached the pinnacle of dark magic, could see through its flaws.

It seemed effective for now, but it was a time bomb waiting to explode.

‘I think I could make it go haywire with just a little trigger… Don’t tell me?’

It was Heaven’s Turn Society that supported this research.

They must have contributed significantly to gathering and improving the spells from various dimensions and combining them into one.

It was as if they were holding the trigger to this time bomb.

[Huh! Those guys, they’re a nuisance in many places.]

And their capabilities were beyond imagination.

Gathering the necessary spells, improving them, and combining them wasn’t something just anyone could do.

‘I wish I had more information…’

I immediately had the undead search the entire building, hoping to find any other clues.

And I also took some of their research results.

It’s a world where we live together, so we should share the good stuff, right?

While Hans was examining the inside of the building, collecting useful things, and focusing on gathering information…

Heinz approached Jin So-ran, who was lying in the middle of the room.

The wounds all over her body, sustained from the fierce battle with the vampires, had already healed, and there were no traces of blood.

‘Did she recover her blood and start self-healing while unconscious?’

I couldn’t see her fighting properly because she was ambushed by her ally, but she seemed to be a stronger vampire than I thought.

Heinz immediately used the newly acquired “Insight” on her.

“Hmm, this… I think it’ll take some time to get used to.”

I had expected neatly organized information like a status window, but…

What I felt was closer to an abstract distribution of energy.

The blood-red energy actively moving within her body and…

‘But it’s strangely blurry. Like something is obscuring it… Ah! This is “Concealment”!’

It was weakened because she was currently unconscious, but it was the energy of “Concealment” that I had stolen from Gamma.

The opaque energy that covered her entire body obscured even her blood-red energy, making it look blurry.

‘Does this woman also have the same bloodline ability as Gamma? Are they from the same dimension?’

No wonder they seemed strangely familiar.

Of course, most of that familiarity was closer to hostility.

Anyway, this woman was essential for approaching the Blood Alliance.

She seemed to have some influence, so it would be perfect if I could make her move according to my will.

Crash!

Clatter— Clatter

The sound of undead rummaging through the interior, following Hans’s orders, could be heard from outside the room.

‘Hmm, it’s not a good idea to wake her up here, is it?’

Heinz looked down at her with his arms crossed.

Long, black hair tied in a ponytail, scattered on the floor, pale and translucent skin contrasting with her red lips and long eyelashes, harmonious features.

All the elements combined with the inhuman charm of a vampire, creating an overwhelmingly beautiful appearance.

‘Alright, let’s go with the concept of a knight rescuing a sleeping princess.’

Heinz lifted her up.

He had never lifted an adult woman before, so he didn’t know if she was light or heavy, but she felt incredibly light to his overwhelming strength.

“But where should the stage be…”

Of course, writing the scenario was the top priority right now.
__________________

“…Ugh!”

Jin So-ran opened her eyes wide with a strange groan.

Heinz, who knew she was about to wake up through “Insight”, looked at the passenger seat nonchalantly, wearing his mask.

“You’re finally awake.”

Vroom—

A sports car smoothly speeding down the road.

It was Heinz’s new ride, generously donated by Gamma.

“Uh… uh? What, what’s going on…”

Jin So-ran looked around the car, at Heinz driving in the driver’s seat, and then at herself with a confused expression.

She was fine except for some holes in her clothes from the battle and a slight loss of energy.

“I thought I was dead… Um, you’re the one who was there earlier, right? Can you tell me what happened?”

Her attitude was much more polite than when she was talking to Gamma.

Well, this was how a civilized person talked.

“I was lucky. I got a chance and quickly escaped. Seeing the situation, you seemed like a victim too, so I took you with me.”

“Lucky…? In that situation? …Can I hear more about it?”

Jin So-ran asked cautiously, slightly frowning.

Well, she was the one who experienced the situation firsthand, so she couldn’t be convinced with just that explanation.

“Do you know Hahoe Mask?”

“Hahoe Mask… I’ve heard of him. They say he attacks criminals and even their organizations. Don’t tell me…?”

“Yes, Hahoe Mask appeared.”

Heinz calmly continued, fabricating the story.

The headquarters was thrown into chaos by the sudden appearance of Hahoe Mask.

He waited for an opportunity amidst their fierce clash and secured the unconscious Jin So-ran, then escaped.

He was currently making a grand escape, using Gamma’s car keys that he luckily snatched in the process.

“Th-that was really lucky.”

She muttered in a dubious voice.

Despite her reaction, Heinz nodded confidently and agreed.

“Um, but who are you… No! That’s not it. Thank you for saving me! It must have been difficult to escape alone in that chaos, but you even saved me.”

Her mind, which had been confused after waking up, seemed to have calmed down somewhat, and she bowed her head and expressed her gratitude.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself yet because I was out of it. I’m Jin So-ran from the Blood Alliance. I’m a Level 6 from Nocturnia, and we went there because we found evidence that Do Han-soo’s group had kidnapped a member of our Crew…”

She suddenly stopped while explaining enthusiastically.

And after hesitating for a moment, she continued, stammering.

“…So, my companions, who I thought were friends, said they would help me confront them… We were in different Crews, but we were both part of the moderates. And then, yeah… that’s how it happened.”

Jin So-ran lowered her head, finishing her explanation in a trembling voice.

It seemed that she was deeply shocked by the betrayal of those she thought were her companions.

I didn’t know what to say to comfort her, so I just kept silent, staring ahead.

“That’s how it happened! But I’m glad I got out safely! We found out who the traitor is and his scheme, so this is what they call a blessing in disguise, right?”

She spoke in a bright voice, as if trying to lighten the mood.

She then expressed her hopeful views, saying that if she reported it to the higher-ups, the traitor and those connected to him would be finished, and that she could finally live in peace.

‘Well… will it be resolved that easily?’

Judging by the scale of the incident, it seemed like even the upper echelons of the hardliners were involved.

Even if she raised the issue, it would only lead to an internal conflict, not peace.

‘Of course, I’m not going to let that happen.’

It was an organization I was going to take over, so it was better for it to be as intact as possible.

‘Eliminate the leaders of the hardliners and take over the Blood Alliance led by the moderates.’

The first step to that happy ending was Jin So-ran.

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