After a couple of minutes, Selene gently pulled away from Luke's hug and stepped back, folding her arms as her mind started racing.
"So… what should I do now?" she muttered to herself, her voice quiet but heavy with uncertainty. Her face clouded with confusion and worry—there was no clear path ahead, just that gnawing feeling of being lost.
She knew she couldn't stay in the Coven any longer. Killing a vampire Elder wasn't just a crime—it was the ultimate unforgivable sin in their world. Once the truth came out, the entire coven would turn against her. The hunt would be merciless, and she would be the prime target.
But deep down, part of her also didn't want to stay. The life she'd lived up to now was built on lies. Everything she'd believed in, everything she'd fought for, was a fragile illusion. She craved something real, something new—far away from this dark, shadowed world she'd been trapped in.
Her eyes drifted to Luke, who was studying Viktor's lifeless form with careful attention, a thoughtful expression on his face.
That quiet moment made her pause. A small smile flickered at the corner of her lips as she looked back at him, the hint of hope stirring quietly inside.
---
On Luke's side,
Luke was kneeling beside Viktor's lifeless form—head missing, the brutal result of Selene's gunfire. He really died a dog's death, barely able to put up with any kind of fight. How could he? He had just woken up, still weak and dehydrated, with not nearly enough blood consumed to recover his strength.
He was as frail as an old man, barely more than a shadow of the powerful Vampire Elder he once was. That was exactly Luke's plan—who would want to fight a full-level boss only to get killed before leveling up?
"Hmmm," Luke mused silently, eyes narrowing as he carefully inspected the corpse. "This thing should be sacrificable too."
He knew from experience—after all,he had designed the game system himself —that living beings couldn't be sacrificed. But corpses, especially unique or powerful ones, were fair game.
Normal dead bodies wouldn't register, and wouldn't yield any real benefit. This was different. This was the corpse of a Vampire Elder, ancient and potent in its own right.
That was exactly why having Selene by his side was crucial—without her knowledge and presence, none of this would have been possible.
His status screen flickered in his mind's eye:
[Corpse of Pseudo-Vampire Elder]
[Do you wish to sacrifice?]
"Yeah, why not?" Luke thought firmly.
The corpse shimmered and vanished.
[You have received 30,000 EXP]
[Level Up]
[You have reached Level 9]
Luke blinked, a bit surprised. Only 30,000? He'd expected at least 40,000 or 50,000.
Then he remembered—this body wasn't in its prime. It was weak, mummified, far from its peak power. That explained the lower experience reward.
The sacrifice system took the condition of the sacrificed body into account. It didn't matter if it was a powerful being—if the sacrificed body wasn't in prime condition, the rewards would reflect that. Just like how he'd only gotten 10,000 EXP for the Unawakened Corvinus Strain.
Without awakening, it was no different from normal blood—no immortality, no special powers, nothing that boosted its value.
Whatever, Luke shrugged . He still had another body to check on. After all, this was exactly why he had come with Selene to the Coven in the first place—to sacrifice Viktor and Marcus and get a serious level up.
His gaze shifted toward another circular device set into the cold stone floor—a coffin-like mechanism waiting silently to be opened.
Following Selene's lead, Luke moved over to the circular plate. This one controlled the chamber of Marcus—the legendary Progenitor of the vampires, the ancient ancestor of their entire bloodline.
A low grinding sound echoed through the chamber like distant thunder as the metal plate slowly rotated. Ancient gears and mechanisms, worn by centuries of use, began to stir beneath the stone.
The coffin lid creaked upward, revealing another mummified corpse sealed inside.
Luke stared down at Marcus's withered form. The twisted, pale skin was stretched tight over his bones, frozen in time. Yet despite the corpse-like appearance, there was still a faint, eerie spark of life clinging to the vampire elder's remains.
The eternal sleep these elders fell into left them vulnerable—a foolish weakness.
These vampire elders really are dumb, Luke thought with a smirk. Going into deep sleep like this, leaving themselves so weak and exposed.
Even the most paranoid vampire wouldn't have expected an enemy to infiltrate the heart of the Coven. And yet here they were—a mere human, messing up centuries of vampire culture and power.
Selene's voice cut through his thoughts. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyes sharp and wary. Now she wasn't sure what was allowed or forbidden anymore—and frankly, she didn't care.
Luke grinned, no longer bothering to hide his intent. "This guy's gonna cause problems later. So I'm taking care of him now."
Just like before, a prompt appeared before Luke's vision:
[Corpse of Pseudo-Vampire Progenitor]
[Do you wish to sacrifice?]
Without hesitation, Luke thought: Yes.
The screen confirmed instantly
[You have gained 70,000 EXP]
[Monster was eliminated]
[You have gained 60,000 EXP]
[Level up]
[Level up]
[You have reached Level 11]
"Huh? Two Exp notifications at once?" Luke muttered, blinking in surprise as the experience stacked up faster than he expected.
And the 'Monster eliminated' notification was new too—he hadn't actually killed anyone this time, so why the EXP?
Then it hit him. Marcus, though deep in his eternal slumber and looking lifeless, was technically still alive. His heart had long since stopped, but his vampire body held a faint spark of life.
Had Marcus drunk blood, he might have woken up at any moment. But Luke had sacrificed him while trapped in that vulnerable state—indirectly ending him.
Whoa, what a gain, Luke thought with a wide grin, feeling the surge of power course through him. Two birds, one stone.
Suddenly, another message popped up in his vision
[Tutorial completed]