[Selene is added as Companion]
After adding her, Luke opened the companion menu and stared at Selene's stats on the screen.
[Name: Selene]
[Race: Pseudo-Vampire]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 900 / 900]
[MP: 0]
[Stamina: 350 / 350]
[Strength: 45]
[Agility: 60]
[Endurance: 46]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Wisdom: 7]
[Luck: 25]
[Traits: Minor Regeneration, Pseudo Immortality, Sun Weakness]
[Skills: Gun Mastery, Close Combat Mastery]
Luke stared at the numbers for a few seconds, completely dumbfounded.
"Holy… her physical stats are four times mine! Is this the so-called 'main heroine privilege' everyone keeps joking about?" Luke muttered under his breath, a mix of frustration and disbelief twisting in his chest.
It wasn't just strength or endurance — even her Luck stat was off the charts compared to his. Luck was supposed to be one of those rare, untouchable stats, yet hers seemed absurdly inflated, like she was born under a lucky star.
But then, something caught his eye that made him pause. It wasn't just her raw stats — it was her race listed clearly on the screen.
Pseudo-Vampire.
Luke's brow furrowed. Pseudo? That prefix was odd, unfamiliar. He'd seen it before too — when sacrificing Marcus and Viktor, that same word appeared alongside their names. What did it mean exactly?
Curious now, he tapped the race description, hoping for some clarity.
The text appeared plainly
[Pseudo-Vampire: A race of weaker vampires who retain the weakness to sunlight.]
Luke blinked, processing the information. "…So that's why," he whispered to himself. The system didn't count her as a 'true' vampire because she still suffered the classic vampire vulnerability to sunlight. That explains a lot. So, all the vampires in this world were actually Pseudo-Vampires.
It felt strange. Sure, he'd designed the game from scratch, but in his version there had never been any vampire companions—only vampire enemies. The playable or recruitable races were Elves, beastmen, dwarves, and a handful of others.
Vampires had never been meant to be allies, let alone have their own complex classifications. The system's labeling of Selene's race was something he hadn't coded himself, something new, unexpected.
'Either the system is making its own rules… or it's messing with me,' Luke thought, shaking his head with a small, incredulous smile.
Selene, who had been watching Luke closely, was more than a little confused. For the last couple of minutes, he'd been staring into the air, touching nothing visible, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning as if lost in some private conversation with invisible thoughts.
With centuries of experience behind her, Selene could confidently say one thing: Luke was the strangest man she'd ever met. But, somehow, that only made him more interesting.
Luke, who had no idea what Selene thought about him, took one last look at her stats and let out a low sigh. As expected of the Vampire Race—the numbers were insane—every physical attribute was stacked sky-high, and the traits alone made her an absolute powerhouse in close combat. The numbers were off the charts.
Compared to a human at level one, a vampire wasn't just stronger—they were in a completely different league. It was like comparing a street brawler to a highly trained assassin; the difference was glaring, and there was no contest.
But with all that power comes a hefty price. Vampires had a glaring weakness—the sun. Step outside during daylight, and they'd turn into crispy ashes in seconds. That vulnerability was a massive handicap, especially in any situation where light was unavoidable.
Luke rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He knew that it wasn't just vampires who carried such drawbacks. Every race in the system had its own set of weaknesses. Elves might be graceful and skilled, but their bodies were delicate and prone to injury.
Beastmen had fierce strength but burned stamina like wildfire, never lasting long in prolonged battles. Dwarves had endurance and resilience, sure—but they weren't exactly swift or able to cover long distances quickly.
And humans? Well, humans didn't shine in any one area, but the lack of a crippling weakness made them steady, adaptable, and, importantly, balanced.
That was exactly why the game's starting race was set to human. It gave players the chance to grow and adapt without being weighed down by any severe disadvantages early on.
--
Just then, a figure appeared in the doorway—a male vampire, judging by the pale skin, sharp eyes, and the way his steps made no sound at all. He seemed to be one of Selene's colleagues, maybe another Death Dealer. His gaze swept across the chamber… and then froze.
Both of the coffins—the ones meant for the vampire elders—stood wide open. Completely empty.
His eyes flicked from the vacant coffins to Selene… and then to the human standing beside her.
Selene's mind worked fast. There was no way she could explain this. What was she supposed to say? That Luke somehow made both elders disappear into thin air? Or that she, Selene, the loyal Death Dealer, had just killed Viktor herself?
Either way, it would make her a traitor—a sinner.
"Time to slip away," she muttered under her breath, her tone low but urgent.
She reached for Luke without another word.
Luke, meanwhile, was busy swiping at invisible panels in the air, eyes focused on the translucent system screens only he could see. His fingers flicked like he was adjusting settings or checking some hidden menu.
Before he could finish, Selene grabbed his arm with surprising force and yanked him along.
"H-hey—!" He stumbled forward, completely caught off guard. He didn't resist, though; her grip was iron, and something in her sharp, silent movements told him this was not the time to argue.
They tore down the corridor, Selene leading the way with deadly precision, her boots pounding against the marble floor.
Then the alarms started—sharp, metallic wails echoing through every corner of the coven. Red warning lights blinked along the walls, bathing the hallway in an urgent glow.
The entire coven went on high alert—because who wouldn't? Their leaders' bodies were missing. If anyone wasn't alarmed, they'd either be an idiot… or just a Kraven.
Luke, still being dragged like a sack of potatoes, glanced ahead and realized exactly where they were headed. His eyes widened.
"Selene, that's not the exit!" Luke shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "We're on the second floor! You'll be fine, but I'm definitely gonna break—some of my bones."
He couldn't help but think about his human endurance—still fragile compared to hers. There was no way he could survive a jump from this height without seriously hurting himself. Wait… maybe he could use Stone Skin in this situation? It will land him safely.
Selene didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, she drew one of her pistols mid-run and fired three sharp, precise shots. The bullets smashed through the tall window ahead, sending shards of glass cascading down like sparkling rain.
Before Luke could even react or activate his Stone Skin, Selene spun around swiftly—
—and suddenly, the world tilted.
In the blink of an eye, Luke found himself cradled in Selene's arms, not in the normal, heroic way he might have imagined… but in a reverse princess carry, his head dangling slightly lower than hers as she leapt through the open window.
Cold night air whipped past his face.
Selene landed with barely a thud, crouching to absorb the impact before straightening, still holding him effortlessly—this time in the proper princess carry.
Luke's expression went completely blank, the kind of dumb, wide-eyed disbelief you only get when reality suddenly takes a hard left turn and leaves you standing in the dust.
His brain just… stopped for a second. No witty comment, no quick plan—just the realization that he was in her arms, feet dangling slightly, the cold air brushing against the back of his neck.
This… was not how it was supposed to go.
In his head, the scene had always been so different: him standing tall, maybe a little scratched up but still looking cool, sweeping a woman off her feet with a confident grin. Now? He was the one being scooped up like a wayward grocery bag someone didn't trust to carry itself.
'Why did the style suddenly change?' he thought, as if there was some invisible director behind all this making last-minute rewrites just to mess with him.
He'd always pictured himself giving the princess carry, not… receiving one.
***
Notice : I know some of you have been asking about the next world after the Underworld arc. Just so you know, I'm a writer who loves taking my readers' ideas into consideration, so your input really matters to me!
The Underworld story will wrap up in about 10 more chapters, then the MC will return to the MCU arc for around 15 chapters. After that, I'll be introducing a brand new world.
The next world after the MCU arc is still undecided—I haven't picked it yet, so I'm open to all kinds of ideas! If there's a movie universe or world you want to see featured, let me know. Just keep in mind, whatever world we go to next has to be special—something unique or exciting that stands out from the rest.
So, drop your favorite movie worlds in the comments, and I'll consider all of them carefully before making the final call!
I can't wait to see what you come up with!