“Take good care of it. This… is a keepsake from your mother.”
“…What do you mean by that? A keepsake……”
To the man’s immediate question, I just chuckled and shook my head.
“Trying to get everything out of me on our first meeting?”
“……”
“Well, that’s not a bad idea, but it looks like it’ll be difficult for me to spare any more time today.”
“…I see.”
“……”
“Then I shall hear the story next time.”
The man nodded, accepting my words.
“Like I said before, this isn't the complete version. It’s just a crude imitation, forcibly mimicking the Magic Formula engraved on the earring. A much weaker version compared to the original.”
“……”
“It doesn't have the Vassalization Formula that forms a master-servant relationship, and its unique regenerative power is far inferior to the original.”
“……”
“However, if you can fully manifest the Magic Formula in this earring… reviving the original form probably won’t be just a delusion.”
“…Is that so.”
“It is.”
The man’s gaze drifted into the air as if recalling something.
I had a rough idea of what he was thinking.
Perhaps the word ‘revive’ made him think of the original and ultimate form of the Blood Demon Art, that of Count Dracula.
『…I must carry on his will.』
…Of his Vampire Brigade, which once served the man called the ‘Immortal Count’ who commanded countless vassals.
The man’s eyes, which had been lost in thought for a moment, returned to me.
And he asked.
“Partner.”
“……”
“…is what you said.”
“I did.”
“…What are your conditions?”
At his question, which was essentially an acceptance, I lightly listed the things to be done.
“It’s simple. First, we need to continue the work of restoring the Blood Demon Art. We also need to keep the expedition team searching for traces of Black Magic running.”
“…And.”
“Continue running the casino. And we also need to analyze the Magic Formula engraved on that earring. Well… I’m sure you’d do that on your own even if I didn’t tell you to.”
“…Is there nothing else?”
“There is.”
Grin—
“You just have to do what I tell you to do sometimes. If I ask for money, you give me money. If I tell you to go somewhere, you go.”
“……?”
The man tilted his head.
“…I believe I heard you say you needed a partner, not a subordinate.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“…Giving orders without any explanation and calling someone over to do work seems no different from a subordinate.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“…Is it my imagination?”
“It’s your imagination.”
“……”
A moment of silence passed. The man, stroking his eyebrow, retorted again.
“…No matter how I think about it, this is treatment closer to a ‘subordinate’ than a partner—.”
It was then.
Kuuung—
With a loud roar from somewhere, the inside of the passenger car shook.
The tremor was a bit too heavy to be a stone on the tracks.
It wasn't just one car that was affected; the car ahead, visible through the window, was also tilting at the same angle.
“……!”
From afar, from the cars behind, the murmuring of people could be heard, along with.
Kung—
An ominous atmosphere that I could feel on my skin.
“……”
It was clear.
This was a kind of prelude signaling that the next phase was imminent.
“Looks like our time is up.”
“…Do you know something about that impact just now?”
“If only we had more time, I’d like to explain more, but……”
“……”
“…I don’t think that’ll be possible. For now, I’ll give you your first order. Partner.”
I stretched my still-stiff muscles here and there and said to the man.
“Run. Right now. To the very front car of the train.”
“What is that supposed to……”
Shrug—
“I’m not saying it twice. There’s no time to talk. The train’s going to stop for a moment. You won’t die if you get caught up in it, but… it’s dangerous, isn't it?”
“……”
Even without explicitly saying, ‘It’ll be a problem if you catch the Constellations’ eyes,’ the man could fully understand my words.
“Okay?”
“…For now. I shall do as you say.”
Tap, tap—
As soon as the man left the car with his characteristic elegant steps.
The crack on the medal that represented Loxy disappeared, and messages from the Constellations popped up.
[Satellite Magic, Starlink System, is reactivated.]
[The name of Hero candidate, ‘Seo U-jin’, is linked to the Starlink System.]
[The Constellation, ‘Olympus’s Ruffian’, frowns and asks about the conclusion of the incident(?).]
[The Constellation, ‘Dog-headed Judge’, asks why this channel isn’t being revealed even after 60 seconds.]
Scratch, scratch—
“Uh, so……”
Most of the Constellations’ messages were asking what had happened while the satellite magic was down due to an error.
I had a good idea of what kind of answer they wanted, but unfortunately(?), nothing of the sort had happened, so I averted their attention by pointing out the train window.
“Sorry. I drew aggro to show you that……”
And outside that window.
[A number of Constellations groan at the unexpected situation.]
A horde of red-skinned Oni was flashing past.
* * *
‘The Demon King’s Army cannot invade The Order’s territory.’
This was an absolute fact.
Throughout the continent, which was the territory of the Church Alliance forces, cathedrals and smaller chapels built by the Order were lined up.
This was because the most crucial role of these religious buildings was to maintain the protective wards that could immediately detect an invasion by the Demon King’s Army.
Therefore, the moment the Demon King’s Army invaded The Order’s territory, The Order’s headquarters could confirm it.
And immediately, Alliance forces would be deployed to the area and a battle would ensue.
Thus, it was virtually impossible for the Demon King’s Army to suddenly appear in the territory of the Church Alliance, let alone in the middle of it.
…That is.
If the invading magical beasts were the ‘Demon King’s Army’.
Drrrk—
“Oh my, there you are, Master.”
“…I told you to fix that title.”
Shrug—
“I’ll think about it. It’s been about 20 minutes, so I came looking for you… and it seems like something’s happened?”
“Looks like it.”
“The shock from a moment ago was probably from an Oni failing to get on the train… Things are getting interesting. Did you know?”
“Well… more or less?”
To get straight to the point.
The ‘Oni’ were not a race belonging to the Demon King’s Army.
…To be more precise, they once belonged to it, but were now a race that had been expelled from the Demon King’s Army and roamed the continent.
The circumstances were no different from those of Jerry’s race, the ‘Vampire Clan’.
When the leader of the belligerent warrior race, the Oni, ‘Baron Shuten’, suddenly disappeared from the Demon King’s Army, the Oni clan fell out of the control of the Demon King’s Army command.
The Oni, who caused trouble here and there, were officially expelled from the Demon King’s Army.
Of course, it was called an expulsion, but in reality, from that point on, they were reduced to prey for other magical beast races, and a storm of Oni slaughter blew within the Demon King’s Army.
The Oni who fled to escape this began to plunder various parts of the continent, each fending for themselves. This was the current fate of the Oni race.
So, the Oni attacking this train now.
Were a ‘Band of Magical Beast Bandits’ who had been hiding somewhere in the Murim region and had gathered to target the supplies of the Guardian Train.
…Of course, there was a separate inside story to this as well, but.
Kuuung—
[The Constellation, ‘Olympus’s Ruffian’, feels intrigued by the rapid development of the situation.]
With another impact, the train tilted with a lurch.
Screeeech—!
The metallic screech of the wheels grinding against the rails uncomfortably pierced my ears.
Fortunately, it didn't completely topple over, but instead, the voice of a more ferocious creature could be heard from beyond the passenger car.
—Kuwaaaak!
The Oni’s characteristic throat-scraping cry rang out, and as full-blown screams erupted, people from the rear cars began to flood into our car.
“What are you going to do? Are you going to fight? Or……”
Loxy’s gaze turned towards the cars behind us.
It was an unspoken message to detach the rear cars.
The blatant look in her eyes seemed to support the latter option.
Pfft—
…Of course, her opinion had no bearing on my choice.
“…I have to fight.”
“……”
“Because it’s something I have to do.”
Lightly rejecting Loxy’s request, I turned my body.
And I moved towards the back of the train where the Oni were.
Pushing against the tide of people, I moved towards the car where the ferocious cries were coming from.
From behind, I heard Loxy’s dissatisfied voice, let out with a sigh.
—…I said I’d be good… but I didn’t think I’d be doing such a stupidly good deed so soon.
…In fact, if we only considered the rational aspects, her suggestion to abandon the rear cars as bait was the right move.
We hadn't yet confirmed how many Oni had boarded the train, and if the train were to overturn, we would have to fight all the Oni waiting outside.
Of course, the Oni weren't a particularly strong type of magical beast, as evidenced by their easy disposal by the Demon King's Army.
Still, it was a fact that they were a handful for two ordinary Hero candidates to deal with.
Loxy’s support for the latter option was probably influenced by such calculations.
However.
Tiring—!
[The opinions of numerous Constellations have aligned, and an Instant Quest is registered.]
+
[QUEST: Oni Eradication]
Classification: Instant
Difficulty: ☆☆☆☆☆
Client: -
Details: Hunt 10 or more Oni that have illegally boarded The Order's train.
Reward: 100 Guardian Coins
+
On the contrary, this was a good opportunity for me.
A good chance to test the performance of the Trait I had just obtained from Jerry and to sharpen my body's senses, which I hadn't fully recovered yet.
—Kwak!
After pushing through the flood of people and moving about three cars back, a familiar-looking monster, covered in blood, stood on the opposite side of the car.
A single horn in the center of its head.
Red skin.
Leather wrapped crudely only around its lower body.
A massive build similar to an Orc.
And even an iron club held in its right hand.
It was undoubtedly a No-Star (☆) magical beast. An ‘Oni’.
“Check basic information.”
Tiring—!
[<Trait: The Chosen One (★☆☆)> is activated.]
[Do you want to check the basic information of <Magical Beast: Oni>? Y/N]
[Target selected.]
[Checking the basic information of <Magical Beast: Oni>.]
+
[Code: #339]
Name: [Oni]
Classification: [Magical Beast (Humanoid)]
Grade: [☆☆☆☆☆]
Temperament: [Belligerent] [Solitary] [Tough Body]…….
Trait: -
+
Munch, munch—
Perhaps it had already devoured several people.
The creature’s face was covered in a liquid redder than its own skin.
Glance—
Peeking past the creature, I looked at the car behind it, and the situation there was even more gruesome.
—Kyaaak!
—Sa, sa, sa, save… ugh—.
It seemed a feast for the Oni was taking place in real-time over there.
“……”
It was an utterly gruesome scene.
…And an utterly familiar scene.
[The Constellation, ‘Dog-headed Judge’, flares its nostrils at the metallic smell of blood.]
[The Constellation, ‘Olympus’s Ruffian’, anticipates your performance this time as well.]
Paaat—
The Oni was the one to attack first.
Raising its iron club over its shoulder, the Oni charged and confidently swung its club diagonally downwards.
Kwaduk—!
I raised my left arm to block the club.
It didn't even last a second before the bone broke.
My forearm twisted and bent in a grotesque direction.
Grin—
Perhaps thinking its attack was successful upon seeing that scene.
The Oni bastard lifted the corners of its mouth and licked its lips.
“…Don’t smile. It makes me want to puke.”
Unable to stand the utterly disgusting sight, I muttered.
Plunge—
I pulled a dagger from my waist and accurately stabbed it into the creature’s right carotid artery.
—Krrruh…?
As I pulled the blade out along with its questioning cry, the Oni grabbed its neck, from which blood was gushing, and swung its club.
But in contrast to the first attack that had broken my arm, the swinging club seemed somewhat dazed.
There was no need to do anything more.
It wasn't an entity with strange regenerative powers like a Cyclops, and as a regular mob, not a named one, it was a low-level magical beast with no special traits.
…To be honest, I didn't even need to take that first hit that broke my arm.
The reason I deliberately took its attack, letting my arm break, was for something else.
Ssk—
As I placed my hand in the pool of the Oni’s blood on the ground, a system notification popped up.
Tiring!
[<Trait: Half-Vampire (★☆☆)> is activated.]
[Absorbing a large amount of the prey’s blood. Regeneration speed increases dramatically.]
The change that appeared with the message was astonishing.
In the time it took to clench and unclench my fist, the bone set itself, and the stretched ligaments contracted.
It took some time for the severed nerves to recover, leaving a somewhat numb feeling, but its external appearance was completely restored.
…Ten seconds.
That was all the time it took.
My left arm returned to its original state in an instant, or perhaps to an even more perfect one.
[Numerous Constellations doubt their eyes at your strange regenerative power.]
[The Constellation, ‘Olympus’s Ruffian’, frowns and asks you the source of your new Trait.]
[The Constellation, ‘Dog-headed Judge’, detects the scent of a love triangle(?) it has smelled somewhere before.]
Grin—
I was satisfied.
How should I put it?
It felt like finding a custom-tailored suit after being forced to wear ill-fitting clothes.
I could now, albeit imperfectly, use the fighting style I originally employed.
Drrrk—
I opened the door to the next car and entered.
Along with a variety of cries like Kwak!, Urak!, and Hingyak?!, the gazes of the Oni who had boarded the train turned towards me.
『…Woojin, you bastard. Are you really not going to change that fighting style?』
『Why? What’s wrong with my fighting style?』
A memory from the past suddenly surfaced.
『…In all my life, I’ve never seen someone fight like you. What kind of fighting style has no ‘evasion’?』
『Hey, you know that four-character idiom you like, gramps? It's called 'Luk-chaeng-gol-dan' (meat-cut-bone-break). It's about cutting flesh and breaking bones.』
『…You start with at least breaking a bone. You crazy bastard.』
There was no special reason for sticking to such a fighting style.
…If I had to give one.
It was because, with my lacking skills in the early days of my first playthrough when I couldn't even properly use my Innate Ability, a balanced fighting style that appropriately used ‘attack, evasion, and defense’ was virtually impossible.
That was why I gave up on evasion, which could be somewhat compensated for by the <Vampire> Trait, and chose an attack-focused fighting style.
『Well… as long as my heart doesn't explode or my head doesn't get smashed, it's fine.』
『…….』
『And even if I look thoughtless, I do dodge attacks that feel like they’ll kill me.』
*…Fine. Do whatever the hell you want.』
For the me of back then.
It was, in its own way, the best choice.
『…Hey, if you don’t reattach that arm, will a new one grow?』
『…I don’t know. I’ve never tried.』
『Should we try it once? I heard that Dracula guy’s head grew back even after it was cut off.』
『…Has this old man gone senile? You want to go to the police station? Whose body are you trying to experiment on?』
Vwoong—
“…I didn’t know back then.”
The club of the Oni at the very front flew towards my right forearm.
“That I would fight like this for the rest of my life.”
I don't bother blocking it.
Puddeuk—
My right arm, unable to withstand it, breaks without fail.
Before the sensation in my right arm disappears completely, I drop the dagger as if losing my grip and catch it with my left hand.
Before the Oni can retract its club, I dig into its guard and stab at its heart.
Chwaak—!
As I wrench the knife out, a fountain of sticky blood covers my face.
My right arm begins to heal again.
—Krrrk.
Before the Oni in the lead can even fall, another iron club flies at me.
I turn my body towards it.
My right arm, not yet fully healed, breaks again.
It doesn't matter.
This time, I even toss the dagger aside and thrust my bladed hand into the creature’s heart.
Pasak—
At the pulpy sensation at my fingertips, I clench my fist, and sticky gore bursts through the gaps between my fingers.
Again, I get hit.
Again, I kill.
“……”
Except for the senses needed for combat, the other functions of my brain switch to an Off state.
No stray thoughts arise.
Only the instinct to kill and the instinct to live intersect vertically, weaving a stage of ‘slaughter’.
I surrendered my body to that flow and entered a state of selflessness.