"For now, let's not rest here in this district," Noire said as she let out a long yawn. "If that woman—Raven, or whatever her name was—comes back in that ghost-like state and starts hunting us again, I really don't want to deal with that."
She rubbed her eyes and stretched lazily. "Still… I'm sleepy."
"Then wake up," Xavier replied calmly. "Follow me to the orge's state. I'll order them to begin the journey toward the west and have them settle far from the central district. We don't want to get involved with the government yet, especially after we just wiped out the soldiers they sent here."
With that decided, the two of them moved toward the orge base located in the far north. The sky was completely dark, with no sign of the moon. It was either hidden behind thick gray clouds or simply not present at all, leaving the area covered in shadows.
The orge's state was lively and loud. The place was filled with celebration. Corpses of various species—mostly goblins—hung from wooden poles or were being burned in a large bonfire at the center of the base. The orges were clearly celebrating, preparing themselves for the journey scheduled for the next day.
Xavier and Noire made their way to a secluded camp where three orge dark mages were stationed. The area was quiet compared to the rest of the base. The three were gathered around a map, discussing plans for tomorrow's journey. The map, showing the neighboring districts, had been provided earlier by Xavier.
Fortunately, the orge dark mages understood the basic language of the country, Zyntra. It was one of the major languages in this world, making communication much easier.
When the two humans appeared at the entrance of the camp, the three dark mages immediately stood up together and bowed their heads.
"Human leader," spoke the orge dark mage in the middle, the one wearing a silver eye patch over his right eye. He was the strategist Xavier had chosen among the three. "What brings you here at this hour?"
"Change of plans," Xavier said without wasting time. "Prepare the journey toward the west. Settle near the coast instead."
He didn't sit down or stay any longer. After giving the order, Xavier turned around, and Noire followed him. The two quickly left the camp and exited the orge base.
"Huh?"
"What was that about?"
The other two dark mages scratched their bald heads in confusion.
"The human leader said we're heading west instead of east," the strategist replied. "I don't know the reason."
…
The night passed slowly.
Throughout the rainy night, Xavier and Noire stayed alert, expecting an ambush from Ravencroft at any moment. They didn't know where she had gone, or even if she was still alive. Instead of standing guard all night, they spent their time packing their things, having already decided to leave District 10 by morning.
Xavier packed light. His bag mostly contained clothes, a few extra pairs, and a towel. Noire, on the other hand, stuffed her bag with books—books she hadn't read yet, most of which she had taken from a nearby library.
"Hey," Xavier said while pulling on a black top and black pants. "I'm not lending you my clothes. Especially not my underwear."
"I don't need them," Noire replied casually. She was wearing a vampiric gown she had received as a system reward. "This outfit is enough. It doesn't smell over time anyway. Not that I smell bad to begin with."
After breakfast, the two left the apartment building. There was still plenty of food stored there and the base of the walls in the district center. They didn't take much with them. Noire's main source of food was Xavier's blood, while Xavier relied mostly on red meat to keep himself going.
They headed toward the walls of the district center first.
For now, the skies were still covered in thick clouds, giving Noire the freedom to travel across the land without worry. This had been the case for the past few days ever since she became a true vampire, as the sunlight had yet to break through the overcast sky.
At the top of the massive walls, wyverns flew freely through the blue sky, moving wildly above them. Xavier and Noire stood there without fear, their eyes filled with interest—and a clear hunger for experience.
"They're at least level 15," Noire said, her tone sarcastic. "Maybe even higher. You sure about this?"
"Don't fuck with me," Xavier replied. "I'm not stopping until I reach level 25. Or maybe even the chapter's max level—30. So I don't care what or who we fight."
Noire smiled.
"I'm in."
"Though, they're flying right now," Xavier remarked as he raised his hand, measuring the distance between them and the wyverns in the sky.
"We just need one wyvern to kill," Noire replied calmly. "Then their blood will become our fuel."
She pointed toward the far end of the district center, inside the walls. In the park below, a small group of wyverns lay resting. Among them was the largest one—the alpha—marked by a red symbol on its body. It lay there quietly, surrounded by the others.
"I can copy your class now since the cooldown is over," Xavier said. "Let's get this started."
Without hesitation, Xavier and Noire jumped down from the tall walls. Neither of them feared the fall. Xavier immediately used blood manipulation to form grips against the wall, allowing him to slow his descent as he slid downward until his feet touched the ground.
Noire, however, didn't use blood. Instead, she relied on ice manipulation, a skill she had learned to control over the past week. Ice formed beneath her hands and feet, allowing her to descend safely. She could now conjure ice from thin air, though only in simple forms.
Bam!
The moment they landed, the red-marked alpha sensed their presence. It raised its head and let out a loud roar toward the sky, waking the wyverns resting nearby.
Rooargh!
The roar echoed across the park and nearly shattered the two's eardrums. The sound spread throughout the district center, alerting every wyvern—those in the air and those on the ground. All of them turned their attention toward the alpha, which was now scanning the area with its thick neck and massive head.
"That was close!" Noire whispered as she quickly hid behind a pile of rubble from the destroyed wall. Xavier crouched beside her, staying low.
They didn't stay hidden for long. When the alpha turned its head in the opposite direction, the two immediately dashed forward. Using the ice spears they had prepared earlier, they aimed for the nearest wyvern—one that looked weak and old, still slow to react to the alarm.
Xavier held several ice spears in his hands, conjured from a water puddle left behind by the rain from the previous night. He rushed toward the old wyvern, which had its back turned to them and hadn't noticed the danger yet.
Swoosh!
Xavier hurled the spear with all his strength. It flew faster than sound. Just as the old wyvern began to turn its head, the ice spear pierced straight through its temple. Blood spilled from the wound, flowing down the frozen shaft and dripping onto the ground below.
Thud!
Noire was a moment too late. Xavier received all the experience from the kill. Still, she didn't stop. She rushed to the corpse, which was still warm, and pressed her hands against its body.
Slowly, the blood inside the dead wyvern was drained. Noire absorbed it into herself, forming a blood reservoir that gathered behind her back. The blood shaped itself into large, spiked crimson wings, nearly two meters wide. They weren't meant for flight, but for storing blood in an efficient and almost elegant form.
She only took half of the blood. The remaining half was shared with Xavier, who had borrowed her class through his unique system. Instead of wings, Xavier stored the blood in the shape of a massive crimson halo that hovered behind his back.
The other wyverns—especially the alpha—noticed the sudden death of their kin. They roared in rage. Those on the ground, at least eight of them, charged straight toward the pair. At the same time, the wyverns in the sky spread their wings and dove downward, closing in fast on Xavier and Noire.
Noire stood still in place, her body tense but steady. A rush of excitement ran through her as she began shaping the blood stored within her crimson, spiked wings. One by one, the blood stretched, hardened, and formed into sword-shaped spears, each at least a meter long.
With every spear created, the blood reservoir behind her grew smaller. The massive wings slowly shrank as more blood was consumed. When enough had been used, a portion of the remaining blood rose and shaped itself into a small halo above her head—meant to serve as protection in case of an emergency.
Five… ten… no—there were at least twenty-five sword-shaped blood spears floating in the air around her. They hovered silently, perfectly still, as if waiting for her command.
The spears pointed in different directions, following her intent rather than her movement. Each one pulsed faintly, sharp and ready, filling the space around her with pressure and danger.
Noire's lips curved into a wide grin as her heart raced.
"This is the greatest high!"