Chapter 86

"The Team 3 leader is a vampire?"

"Yeah."

It was hard to believe.

But—

'It’s Jae-hyun’s word.'

I couldn’t ignore it.

Still, the idea that the leader of a survivor group was a vampire felt too coincidental.

'Something’s off.'

As Kim Geon mulled over the situation with a serious expression, Park Sae-rom let out a dry laugh.

"Are you joking?"

"No."

Kim Geon’s firm response made Park Sae-rom hesitate before replying.

"Alright. I’ll trust you."

Even without full confidence, she made her stance clear.

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"You trust me after just one day?"

"I trust your abilities."

Park Sae-rom smirked and added,

"Besides, if things go wrong and I get kicked out, you’ll take care of me, right?"

"I promise."

Park Sae-rom squinted and asked,

"By the way, did you used to wear glasses?"

"…How did you know?"

"Because you keep pushing them up like they’re still there."

"…Oh."

Park Sae-rom grinned.

"So, why don’t you wear them anymore? Did you get LASIK?"

"No. My vision improved after I got my abilities."

At first, his eyesight had only improved slightly, but after merging with Crow and forming a contract with Kim Jae-hyun, his vision had become nearly perfect.

It wasn’t just his eyesight. His role within the group had solidified as a scout.

His decision to come to Ulsan was a way to prove his worth to Kim Jae-hyun.

"But seriously, what’s the plan? If Team 3’s leader is really a vampire, we have to do something."

Kim Geon repeated Jae-hyun’s instructions.

"For now, we don’t do anything. Just keep an eye on him."

"You mean we gather evidence first and then take him down? Got it."

That wasn’t quite it.@@novelbin@@

Jae-hyun had simply told them to wait.

'They’re arriving tomorrow.'

Jae-hyun’s party was set to leave early in the morning and arrive by the afternoon.

'That’s when it’ll start.'

From Kim Geon’s perspective, the survivors and vampires here seemed to be in a tense stalemate.

Once Ha Dong-geon’s team got involved, the balance would undoubtedly shift in favor of the survivors.

'With Jae-hyun’s power, uniting the survivor groups shouldn’t be hard.'

Being in Ulsan made Kim Geon realize again how extraordinary Jae-hyun’s abilities were.

Here, people risked their lives for scraps of food, even resorting to murder to steal supplies.

'Without Jae-hyun, we wouldn’t be much different.'

Limited resources would have forced people to fight, and survival might have meant killing others.

"I’m going to the bathroom."

Park Sae-rom asked,

"Number one or number two?"

"…Why do you care?"

"If it’s number two, you’ll have to go outside. I was going to show you a good spot."

"It’s number one."

"Got it. Go left and you’ll find a public restroom."

The bathroom reeked from the entrance.

Inside, the smell was even worse.

The lack of running water and electricity had left it filthy.

No overflowing sewage, at least, but the sight was revolting nonetheless.

Looking at the mess, Kim Geon felt another wave of gratitude toward Kim Jae-hyun.

'We’re able to live like humans thanks to him.'

Kim Geon muttered under his breath.

"Jae-hyun, are you there?"

[Yes, what’s the matter?]

"Can I tell her about you now? She seems trustworthy."

Park Sae-rom still believed Kim Geon’s powers came from his own abilities.

It felt good to be trusted but also burdensome.

'I need to clear this up eventually.'

[Do as you see fit.]

"Thank you."

Kim Geon’s sense of loyalty deepened as he compared the harsh reality here to their safe zone.

'I’ll do even better from now on.'

Holding his breath, he returned to the group.

"What do you think Jae-hyun will do about the Team 3 leader?"

Kim Geon wasn’t doubting Jae-hyun, but killing the leader, who had strong ties with the survivors, could lead to backlash.

'We need solid proof first.'

Revealing the vampire’s true identity wouldn’t be easy.

'Jae-hyun must already have a plan.'

The next afternoon.

Ha Dong-geon and the rest of the team arrived in Ulsan.

With Park Sae-rom’s help, they blended into her group.

Shortly after—

Bang!

A gunshot echoed through the base.

[You have slain Mid-Level Vampire (Lv. 33).]

[Gained a large amount of experience.]

[Deposited: ₩1,133,423,899.]

[Citizen Moon Byeong-ho has eliminated the leader of Ulsan Homeplus.]

[Outpost construction now available.]

'It’s done.'

As expected, killing the vampire cleared the requirements for building an outpost.

I had hesitated at first.

There was a chance the leader might be a “good vampire,” like something out of a movie.

But Moon Byeong-ho’s investigation erased any doubts.

He had used invisibility to check the vampire’s private quarters—and found a corpse.

A young girl’s lifeless body, pale with two puncture marks on her neck.

It was clear she had died from blood loss.

The sight left no room for hesitation.

I immediately ordered Moon Byeong-ho to take the shot.

Now, the vampire’s subordinates burst into the room.

Moon Byeong-ho, still invisible, watched from the shadows as they scrambled.

With the vampire’s body gone, they naturally turned to the corpse.

"Boss! Are you here?!"

They searched frantically until—

"H-Hey! Over here!"

"What? What is it?"

One of them, visibly shaken, pointed at the girl’s corpse.

"I-It looks like a vampire attack."

"The bite marks on the neck were undeniable proof that it was a vampire attack."

And then—

"Isn’t this the girl who went missing after being rescued a while ago?"

Their expressions turned grim.

The circumstantial evidence pointed to a shocking conclusion.

"Was the Team Leader really a vampire...?"

In the heavy silence, Moon Byeong-ho slipped away from the scene.

[Good work.]

I confirmed that Moon Byeong-ho had successfully exited and immediately activated Construction Mode.

From my vantage point, Seomyeon and Jagalchi Market appeared like miniature models.

Beyond the domain’s border stretched a vast expanse of darkness, broken only by the faint glow marking Ulsan’s Homeplus, where Ha Dong-geon’s party had settled.

'Outpost construction.'

[This facility requires 3 citizens with the title of ‘Knight’ or higher during the 7-day construction period.]

[Proceed with construction?]

[Yes/No]

'Yes.'

Then, an unexpected bonus popped up.

[6 citizens with the title of ‘Knight’ or higher detected.]

[Construction efficiency increased by 100%.]

[Time remaining until construction completion: 83 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]

Seeing the reduced time, I couldn’t help but smile.

'Saved some crystals there.'

I hadn’t planned to wait seven days anyway.

[Complete immediately? Requires 9 crystals.]

"Do it."

A hum resonated—

[Eligible citizens detected.]

[Grant citizenship?]

The entire Homeplus was now part of my domain.

'Bingo.'

Details of the thousand residents filled my vision as I scanned through the data.

"Seven awakened... and 19 vampires."

I swept my gaze over the newly acquired territory.

Many stood frozen, unsure of what had just happened.

I marked the locations of the 19 vampires.

'Summon vassals.'

I summoned my forces—Ha Dong-geon’s party, Lee Jun-hyuk’s team, and the newly recruited Moon Ji-hoon and Moon Sang-hoon—placing them near the vampires.

Then—

Flash!

I supplied electricity to the Homeplus, flooding the area with light.

Preparations were complete.

'Grant citizenship.'

The regular survivors, now forcibly granted citizenship, checked themselves in confusion. Some stared blankly at the suddenly illuminated ceiling.

And then—

"Aaaah!"

The vampires screamed.

-90% stat reduction.

Buffs canceled.

Continuous pain inflicted.

A red mark branded on their foreheads.

These were the effects of the [Vampire] title—automatically applied when a citizen turned into a vampire.

"W-What’s going on?!"

"What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!"

Their worried companions rushed to help them—

But—

"Kyaaaah!"

No longer in control, the vampires bared their fangs and lunged at the humans.

Weakened by the title’s effects, they created openings for my vassals to step in.

Thud! Slash—Stab!

Crash—Smash!

Vampires were subdued across the store using a variety of methods.

Confirming that no civilians were hurt, I turned to Seo Ye-jin, who had been waiting beside me.

"Let’s go."

"Okay."

Clack—

We stepped out to see Park Sae-rom staring at the brightly lit room with a dazed expression.

I addressed her.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jae-hyun."