"He's in the tower! Quick! Inside the church!"
I peeked through the window and saw soldiers already flooding the street in front of the church. They would reach me soon. It was midday, and too many eyes had seen my flight.
But I didn't plan to stay for long. I only landed there to rest and compose myself. I couldn't hold the bat form for long—after a minute or so, I had to change back.
I leapt out of the window and, halfway down, transformed again into a swarm of bats. A few silver bolts streaked toward me and missed. I couldn't even begin to describe how ridiculous it felt. I was just a regular human not too long ago, and now I was flying and shapeshifting like it was second nature.
Even stranger was the feeling of sunlight against my skin—warm but not burning. For both me and Frans, it was almost magical. To be cloaked in that golden light and feel none of its cruelty, only its warmth. It was the first time I'd ever been out in the day, and I was doing it while flying.
Many would kill just to feel what I felt at that moment.
I had to land several times, usually on rooftops, before finally flying beyond the city. A giant ballista nearly got me as I cleared the walls.
I continued toward the blue mountains. The principality wasn't just the castle; it held dozens of scattered villages throughout the woodlands. I could start somewhere remote—somewhere beyond the reach of my treacherous kin.
But before that, I needed to prepare. I was already formidable with vampiric powers and the solar beam—or at least, in theory. Though I seemed to have inherited Frans's instincts and temperament, I wasn't sure if his combat prowess came with them.
After getting far enough from the city, I landed in a forest clearing and opened my status panel again.
[Required Solar Essence for Next Level Up: 615/1000 SE]
[Required Solar Essence for Next Level Up: 616/1000 SE]
[Required Solar Essence for Next Level Up: 617/1000 SE]
I didn't need to fight or complete quests to level up. All I needed was sunlight. By simply traveling from the city to here, I was already more than halfway there. Overpowered was an understatement.
Since every minute had sixty seconds, and each second gave me one SE, I only had to wait a little over five minutes. I lay down on the grass, letting the quiet sink in. It gave my thoughts room to settle.
My parents would be heartbroken, but at least now they were free from my burden. I hoped they'd move on quickly. The thought of enjoying this second life while they were still grieving was unbearable.
If I didn't think about the betrayal, it felt like paradise. The sunlight, the open air—I could almost cry.
Part of me wondered if I even needed to avenge Frans. I could live peacefully now.
But where would I go? I could hide among humans, but I'd always be looking over my shoulder. And the system itself—it was built for battle. Maybe I was meant to fight. After a sedentary life on Earth, I didn't mind the change.
[You have gained 1000 Solar Essence]
[You have levelled up]
[Maximum Solar Essence Set At 10,000]
[You have gained passive skill: Photosurge]
[Description: The body burns stored solar essence for nutrition and energy. The burn rate fluctuates with intense activity or to speed up healing.
Cost: 0.2 Solar Essence per minute (Regular Rate)]
[You have obtained active skill: Solar Guard]
[Description: Activate a shield which deflects any incoming damage.
Cost: 0.5 Solar Essence per second]
Solar Guard—perfect. An overpowered defense skill to pair with my [Solar Beam]. If "any incoming damage" truly meant any, then it was broken. And with a cost that low, I could keep it active indefinitely while still absorbing solar essence.
Even so, it paled beside the other skill. I had dreaded needing blood to survive, but [Photosurge] made food and water obsolete. Vampires could live forever, but without blood, they slept most of eternity. With this, I could live forever awake.
I stopped myself before getting carried away.
I considered waiting another three hours for the next level-up. Ten thousand solar essence wasn't far off, and it was the smart move—but I was too excited. Too eager to explore this new world and my new powers.
I took off from the clearing, heading toward the Crimson Woods. Like before, I stopped often—no roofs this time, so I landed on the branches of tall trees.
It was from a great oak that I first saw the castle. Even from afar, it was magnificent—a fortress that had endured for millennia. The spires of its many towers gave it a silhouette of dread. It sat on the northern face of a tall mountain, shielded from sunlight all day long—a feat of engineering made possible only through dwarven slavery.
Frans inherited it from his father, whom he murdered in his sleep. The more I remembered of him, the more his downfall felt deserved.
Frans longed for that place. Just seeing it made my chest ache faintly. But through his memories, I didn't share the sentiment. It might have felt like home once, but now, like my room back on Earth—it was only a dark, lonely space.
I veered away from the castle and searched for a village near the edge of the principality. I went east—opposite of the main road—where no one would think to look.
The search was never dull. I saw creatures I'd only read about in fiction.
A tribe of goblins hunted a boar until they suddenly sensed my presence. They froze, glanced toward me, then scattered into the trees.
Further on, I found beast-men cutting wood—towering bodies with the heads of goats. Their senses were duller; they never noticed me watching.
Then came an orc town—hundreds of huts sprawling across the forest, home to nearly a thousand orcs. For a moment, I considered stopping there. They would make excellent soldiers. But orcs were hard to intimidate. To rule them, I'd have to kill half before they'd submit—and even then, one survivor could bring ruin by spreading word of me.
I moved on, passing more settlements. The human village was too small, the beast-men too unpleasant to look at.
Eventually, I reached the easternmost border of the principality. A river marked the divide between the Crimson Woods and the Dark Forest—a wild, untamed stretch of land.
When I'd run out of options, a thought struck me.
Why bother reclaiming the principality... when I could simply carve out another?