VAMPIRE (5)
[Early Part Revision]
When a specific achievement is accomplished, it is possible to grant a title with an arbitrary effect.
The explanation was simple, but I immediately understood how to use it.
'Set Achievement'
[Please set the achievement details.]
'If a person with citizenship is killed!'
[Achievement details have been set.]
[Please set the name and effect of the title awarded upon achieving this accomplishment.]
'The title will be "Murderer." The effect will be…'
Murder is undoubtedly a grave crime.
Death can only be repaid with death, but I needed to consider the circumstances behind it.
'Reduce all stats by 80%. Seal both hands. Imprint the murderer's brand on the forehead!'
The reason for sealing both hands was to prevent a murderer from wielding firearms or other weapons, which could lead to a disaster.
As I imagined a red diamond-shaped brand, the system reacted.
[The cost for setting this achievement is 40,000,000 won, and the cost for granting the title upon achievement is 4,000,000 won.]
[Would you like to proceed with this setting?]
'Can I remove the title at my discretion?'
[Yes, you can.]
That was a relief.
This way, if an unfair situation arose, I could personally assess the situation and resolve it.
'Confirm settings.'
Ding!
[Achievement settings have been completed.]
One major concern was completely resolved.
'Just like murder, it should be possible to punish most serious crimes using the achievement system.'
It meant that criminals who committed severe crimes like murder, assault, or sexual violence could be marked with a "title" as a stigma.
And that wasn't all.
'On the other hand, I could also grant positive achievements for monster hunting, right?'
For example, defeating 100 goblins could grant a boost in physical abilities.
'Hmm, how far can I go with this?'
Although it was a great feature, it certainly wasn't omnipotent.
'Set Achievement'
[Please set the achievement details.]
'If 100 goblins are hunted'
[Achievement details have been set.]
[Please set the name and effect of the title awarded upon achieving this accomplishment.]
'The title will be "Goblin Slayer." The effect will be…'
I started by testing an absurd effect.
'Acquire an awakening ability.'
[This effect cannot be set for this achievement.]
As expected, a restriction message appeared.
'Then, increase level by 10.'
[This effect cannot be set for this achievement.]
'In that case…'
After several trials, the finalized effect for "Goblin Slayer" was as follows:
{Goblin Slayer}
Goblins will feel fear.
Earn an additional 10% in base rewards when hunting goblins.
I could have chosen to increase strength or stamina, but this setup was much more economical.
'Next is…'
At that moment, I made eye contact with Seo Ye-jin, who had been watching me closely from the side.
Because of our close proximity, I could catch the pleasant scent of shampoo from her long, flowing hair.
She was wearing a black tracksuit—the exact same one I was wearing.
I recalled personally registering that item in the shop.
'It suits her well.'
I spoke to Seo Ye-jin.
"Is there something on my face?"
After staring blankly at me for a while, she covered her mouth with both hands and spoke.
"Ah, sorry! Am I disturbing you?"
"Not at all."
At first glance, her sharp eyes gave her the impression of a cold, cat-like personality, but after talking to her, she felt more like a round, friendly puppy.
After a brief moment of awkward silence, Seo Ye-jin spoke first.
"So… I've been thinking, if your goal is to find non-human beings, why not issue a quest? Like, 'If you're a vampire, come to this location!' Something like that."
"That wouldn't work."
To issue a quest, I needed to have a definite recognition of the target.
The moment I assigned a quest, it would mean that I already knew whether the person was a vampire or not.
"Oh, I see… then, hmm…"
As Seo Ye-jin pondered deeply, I reassured her.
"You don't need to worry about that anymore. I've already found a solution."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
A bright smile spread across Seo Ye-jin's face.
"As expected, Jae-hyun, you're amazing."
Just then—
A bit late, Yoo Hye-rin arrived.
Click.
After I unlocked the door, she entered on her own.
"Sorry for being late."
"It's fine."
"Shall we begin right away?"
Yoo Hye-rin immediately started preparing to create poison gas.
"Wait a moment."
Before beginning the large-scale vampire extermination, I planned to create the "Vampire Slayer" achievement first.
A Meeting Room in the Apartment Community Facility
The mid-level vampire, Ahn Sang-hyuk, gathered his subordinates who had gone out hunting.
The vampires, who had been spread out in the area continuing their hunt for humans, returned to their base in response to Ahn Sang-hyuk's summons.
Once all the executive-level vampires of their organization had gathered, Ahn Sang-hyuk spoke.
"Shin Sae-rom is dead."
The executives' eyes widened in shock, and murmurs erupted.
"Is it because of the scorch marks we saw earlier on the first floor?"
"What exactly happened?"
"Sae-rom is dead…?"
Ahn Sang-hyuk waited for the commotion to settle before speaking again.
"After the sound of gunfire, the entire first-floor hallway exploded. Judging by the bullet wounds found on the corpses of the low-ranking vampires nearby, it seems to be their doing."
At his words, one of the male vampires spoke angrily.
"Those damn cops?"
"That's right."
Other vampires became agitated, each voicing their own frustrations.
"Those bastards! We left them alone, and now they think they can challenge us!"
"Just because they have guns, they think they're untouchable."
"To think they would dare attack first."
The first vampire to get angry, Shim Hyung-sik, voiced his thoughts aggressively.
"We should kill them immediately and take their weapons!"
"They deserve worse!"
"Let's go!"
Some vampires agreed with him, but others were more cautious.
"This isn't something to take lightly. They do have guns, after all."
"We must be careful."
"A war with them would be too risky."
Some vampires also questioned the sudden attack.
"But why did they suddenly come after us?"
"It's strange. Our existence was known before, but for them to launch an all-out assault like this…"
"And how did they find out this was our main base?"
More vampires leaned towards opposing a war rather than supporting it. It was inevitable.
They all understood too well the terror of guns.
Ordinary humans were just weak prey, but humans armed with guns were a real threat.
However, vampire society was not a democracy where the majority's opinion prevailed.
It was a dictatorship where a single ruler made all decisions.
And their dictator, Ahn Sang-hyuk, declared:
"We attack them."
The room split into joy and silence.
"Yes!"
"Let's kill them all!"
The radicals who had supported war were thrilled.
"Ahem."
"Hmm…"
"I see."
The more cautious vampires sighed in silence.
"There's no need to worry. We're not going for an all-out war."
Ahn Sang-hyuk reassured his anxious subordinates and laid out his strategy.
"First, we infiltrate their group, pretending to be an ordinary band of survivors. Then, at the critical moment, we bring them down from the inside."
One of the cautious vampires hesitantly asked a question.
"But we've already confirmed that they don't accept new people into their group."
"Like any other survivor group, they must be suffering from a severe shortage of supplies by now. We'll use that as bait to infiltrate them."
"Oh!"
Vampires, when not using their powers, looked indistinguishable from regular humans.
That made this kind of infiltration operation possible.
"The members who will carry out this mission are…"
Ahn Sang-hyuk scanned his subordinates.
It was obvious—the ones performing this infiltration mission would be lower-ranking vampires.
The lowest-tier vampires couldn't even pretend to be human.
"I'll do it! Give me this opportunity!"
Shim Hyung-sik, who had been advocating war from the start, stepped forward.
But Ahn Sang-hyuk shook his head.
"Son Ki-hwan, Yoon Hye-ji, Lee Han-gyeol, Kim Bom."
He deliberately selected only those who had supported the cautious approach.
"You four will go."
The chosen vampires bowed their heads and responded.
"Understood."
"We will live up to your expectations."
"We will do our best."
They felt nervous but accepted their roles as natural.
The hotheaded radicals, who only thought about fighting and bloodshed, could never succeed in an infiltration mission.
Even though they were stronger in combat, the selected vampires prided themselves on being far more intelligent.
"Ugh. What can those cowards even do…?"
"Mr. Sanghyuk, are you sure about this? With such a weak combination…"
Even the radical vampires looked down on the cautious faction.
They were neither proactive nor as successful as their counterparts.
At that moment, Son Kihwan, the de facto leader of the cautious faction, spoke up.
"Are you saying you have a problem with Mr. Sanghyuk's decision?"
"What?"
Shim Hyungshik, the leader of the radical faction, and Son Kihwan locked eyes, tension crackling between them.
Aside from Ahn Sanghyuk, they were the only two mid-level vampires, which had naturally led to the formation of two opposing factions.
Just then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Someone pounded on the conference room door.
Shim Hyungshik responded irritably.
"Who is it?"
Creak.
The door swung open, and a low-level vampire entered.
It was one of Shim Hyungshik's radicals.
Son Kihwan scoffed.
"The radicals really have no sense of manners."
"What was that, you bastard—"
Ignoring him, the low-level vampire who had entered gasped out in panic.
"Haah… haah… Y-you have to run…!"
Before he could even finish speaking—
Squeak! Squeak!
A rat scurried into the conference room.
Then—
Fwoosh—!
A thick purple gas billowed from behind the rat, rapidly filling the room.
"What… what the hell?!"
"Hold your breath!"
"Escape through the window!"
Crash! Clang—!
The sound of shattering glass rang through the chaotic conference room.
[You have hunted a Low-Rank Vampire (Lv. 18).]
[You have hunted a Low-Rank Vampire (Lv. 22).]
[You have hunted a Low-Rank Vampire (Lv. 23).]
There were far more vampires in the apartment complex than expected.
It seemed they had devoured all the residents here and grown stronger.
'Even just the number of low-rank vampires is in the dozens.'
Thinking back on it, how on earth did Jegal Seonggyu have the guts to storm into this place alone?
Armed with nothing but a rifle.
'That guy was seriously crazy.'
Seo Yejin's rat scurried around, releasing toxic gas in all directions.
In the midst of the chaos, a vampire suddenly threw itself into the gas, seemingly risking its life.
[Yejin, follow that one quietly.]
The gas emission was halted momentarily as they observed the vampire.
As expected, the creature slipped into a room where several important-looking vampires were gathered.
The vampires in this room were on a different level.
[Low-Rank Vampire (Lv. 28)]
[Low-Rank Vampire (Lv. 29)]
[Low-Rank Vampire (Lv. 28)]
They were all at least low-rank vampires in their late 20s level-wise, and there were even three mid-rank vampires among them.
It was obvious at a glance who their leader was.
'That must be Ahn Sanghyuk.'
[Mid-Rank Vampire (Lv. 38)]
He was the highest-level vampire present.
[Now's the time. Move in.]
The moment Seo Yejin's rat entered the conference room, it unleashed a fresh wave of toxic gas.
"Run!"
Crash!
Some of them reacted swiftly, hurling themselves through the windows in an attempt to escape.
Then—
Grab!
Someone snatched Seo Yejin's rat with a single hand.
It was the mid-rank vampire, Ahn Sanghyuk.
Crunch!
The rat's body was crushed, severing the connection instantly.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]