Heinz spoke, admitting that his statements were mere speculations, but Diana couldn't help but turn pale at what she heard.
"They, they are part of an organization called 'Barkolrak' that manages this area. But why... I even paid the protection fee on time."
While she said that, Diana couldn't shake the feeling that what he said was true.
Having grown up in this city, she had come to know a certain truth.
"This city is... ruled by vampires."
"Vampires?"
It was a fact not everyone knew, of course.
Most citizens, and even the members of the organizations controlling the streets, remained oblivious.
Knowing would only make things more dangerous, so Diana had kept it to herself until now.
"Most organizations, including Barkolrak, are under the control of the vampires. They move as directed by them, managing the citizens."
Diana had discovered this for a simple reason: she had an exceptionally keen sense of smell, particularly in the realm of the supernatural.
'I've been careful to avoid places with a strong scent of blood!'
It wasn't just physical scents, but she could also detect the smell emanating from dangerous places or people's souls.
With this ability, she had been cautious, moving around with Aaron.
Yet it seemed they had fallen into their trap this time.
"In that case, the situation seems rather precarious now. Has this happened before?"
"A few times before. I could smell the scent of people who suddenly disappeared for not paying the protection fee, coming from those emitting the scent of blood."
Initially, when she didn't fully understand her own abilities, she had merely considered them as frightening individuals.
Even the men from the organization were always skittish.
But as she grew older and wiser, observing and hearing various things, Diana came to understand.
"This city is their farm. Their own form of order is maintained to ensure their food supply remains intact."
If you paid the protection fee on time, there was no trouble.
Despite being in the back alleys, there was no drug trafficking.
If you could afford the price, even treatment for illnesses was possible.
"Have you ever thought of leaving for another city, somehow?"
"At first, I also tried to leave the city, even if it was against my better judgment. But..."
Some people had managed to leave this city before, but Diana knew that very few of them had actually arrived in another city.
"When they left, I saw the things they took being carried by the organization's members the next day. You might think they were just ordinary items, but I could tell."
Knowing who the belongings belonged to through the scent.
There was no need to explain what had happened to them.
From then on, Diana gave up leaving the city and moved her residence to alleys less frequented by the vampires, carefully avoiding dangerous places.
"As long as they're within the city, they can do as they please. But if they try to escape, they'll be slaughtered on the spot."
Heinz frowned as he organized his thoughts.
"Let's move for now. I don't know why they targeted Aaron despite paying the protection fee, but if it's true, time is of the essence. Do you know where their headquarters are?"
"Yes, I do. But... are you going to help us?" Diana looked up at Heinz, biting her lip.
She understood the gravity of the situation now that she knew everything about this place.
He wasn't a resident of the city, so there shouldn't be any problem with him leaving the city immediately.
But Heinz chuckled and tousled Diana's hair.
There was nothing in this world that scared him.
"Didn't I say? Once you know, you can't pretend you don't. Trust this 'big brother' when it comes to giving those bastards a hard time," he emphasized the term 'big brother.'
For him, at the age of twenty, it was a sensitive issue.
***
A small village remained in ruins.
Not a single intact thing was left in a place filled with rubble.
"Hmmm, the smell of dark magic lingers, but what in the world happened here?"
The man with a pale complexion prevented the swirling ashes from coming near and scoured the village, finding only a few remnants.
Traces of battles that faintly remained on the ground, as well as places that seemed to have been buildings.
"These are... corpses? Were they gathered here for a funeral?"
He also discovered a place that seemed to be where the corpses were prepared for burial.
Most of them had already turned to ash and left no traces, but it wasn't much of an issue for the man.
"Not sure what happened here. In any case, it's a shame."
He had been preparing to take away the fragment of the Immortal King that seemed to have matured just right, but it had already disappeared without a trace.
"I don't know who threw the first punch, but we'll catch them soon. It's not something that can be easily hidden," the man remarked, shifting his gaze to where the final traces led.
The movements of the undead heading into the forest to the east.
'The direction seems convenient. Is luck on our side?'
With that, the man's entire body transformed into bats and dispersed, disappearing into the eastern woods.
***
I headed to Barkolrak's headquarters with Diana.
We had to retrieve Aaron before he fell into the hands of the vampires.
It would have been a stretch for anyone to confront the vampires, except maybe Hans.
'Regular members should be manageable somehow.'
With an awakened and strengthened physique, continuous training, and the power of 'Rapid Recovery,' I could probably handle ordinary members of the organization.
To synchronize the physical enhancements from the Karma Shop with the avatar, a resummoning process was necessary.
'I don't have the luxury for that now. Especially in the current situation, where I can't even rely on Hans's help.'
There were three days left before the use of the teleportation would be possible.
I had to manage somehow with Heinz's strength alone.
I looked at Diana, leading the way.
She was gripping her trembling hands tightly, hastening her steps.
Using her sense of smell, we moved only to places without people.
We couldn't afford to expose our whereabouts, not knowing what might unfold.
'She's desperately trying to protect her family at such a young age. I can't just bail out on her now.'
Diana must have lived her life with that sense of responsibility as her driving force, holding on to the small hope of life, even under the weight of reality.
But now, that hope seemed to be crumbling.
'Yeah, I don't have much to lose, so let's do whatever we can. 'Mission: Help the Unfortunate Girl and Find Her Brother.' That sounds about right. The reward... is random.'
This was a kind of quest for me.
And a gamer in Korea never abandons a quest midway.
As I was composing myself, Diana suddenly stopped in her tracks and began sniffing the air.
"Ah! I can start to smell Aaron. It seems like he's at Barkolrak's headquarters after all."
"That confirms it. It's regrettable if our bad hunches turn out to be true, but the fact that he hasn't fallen into the vampires' hands is good news."
I prepared for battle, following Diana as she began running again.
"Uncle... Do you really think we can rescue Aaron?"
Diana whispered in an uneasy tone, though only the back of her head was visible, so it was hard to discern her expression.
"Yeah, I'll get him back soon, so just trust me."
In truth, rescuing him there wouldn't solve all the problems.
In fact, that would mark the real beginning.
This city was under the dominion of vampires, and the kidnapped individuals were nothing but their pawns.
'I'll think about that later. Let's put out the urgent fire first!'
As it began to grow darker, we could soon reach Barkolrak's headquarters.
It was a small two-story building tucked away in an alley.
"It seems there are no guards."
Well, the organizations in the back alleys were all under the vampires' rule, so there was no need for them to be on guard against each other.
"Do you have any idea how many are inside?" I asked.
"Sniff, roughly fifteen? It's kind of like their office, so they usually scatter throughout the streets," Diana replied with her eyes closed, sniffing the air.
Nodding at her response, fifteen should be manageable.
"I'll go in and bring Aaron out. You stay back a bit and wait," I instructed.
"...I know it's shameless, but please, Uncle," Diana, realizing she would only get in the way, bit her lip and bowed her head before stepping back.
'Now, let's go in.'
I had a rough scenario in mind, and I had prepared the necessary items to some extent.
What remained was a demonstration of skill and a bit of luck afterward.
'And my luck has been at its peak recently!'
I cautiously opened the door and entered.
The first floor resembled a bar, but unlike the headquarters of the back alley organization, it was surprisingly tidy.
'I had imagined the inside to be a mess, filled with cigarette smoke, and members gambling and drinking everywhere.'
Well, there were occasional visits from the vampires, so it was somewhat well-maintained.
Nevertheless, my expectations weren't entirely off, as there were groups gathered on one side, engaging in drinking and gambling.
"Who's there?"
"Hey, bro, come in peacefully."
As soon as they spotted me, they started whispering among themselves, then gestured towards me.
I approached them calmly.
"Oh? Isn't this the gentleman we saw earlier?"
"Hey, do you know this guy?"
Among them was a bulky guy whom I had encountered on the street earlier, to whom I had donated some funds to.
"Bro, what brings you here? Is it because the earlier donation seemed insufficient?"
They chuckled among themselves, then rose from their seats and approached me.
I smiled softly at the bulky guy coming towards me.
"Huh? Smiling? What's this guy doing..."
And just like that, I swiftly drew my dagger and thrust it into his neck, withdrawing it immediately, then lunged at the others who hadn't reacted yet.
"What, what the heck!"
"Who do you think you are here! Kill him!"
My body moved quickly, but through my "Mind Hub," I calmly anticipated the movements of the enemies.
With one hand, I thrust the dagger into the neck of a guy trying to get up, and with the other hand, I drew the sword from my hip.
It was a sword used by the dark wizards' minions, and I wasn't accustomed to using it, but there was no choice in the current situation.
'I can't aim for vital spots all at once, so I'll aim for the wounds that restrict movement the most!'
I swung the sword and sliced the opponent's leg.
Instead, he cut my arm, but thanks to "Sturdiness," the wound wasn't deep.
Additionally, it quickly healed with "Rapid Recovery."
"Argh, the darn thing won't go in!"
Although I was stabbed in the abdomen, I was wearing an Earth-made bulletproof vest underneath his clothes.
Ignoring the pain with "Mind Hub," I slashed the throat of the guy who had stopped his attack to stab me.
Thud!
The bottles and utensils shattered, turning the place into a mess.
I calmly maneuvered my body, neutralizing each of them one by one.
Thwack!
Meanwhile, a guy with a club aimed for my back, but the magical barrier protected my vital spot, lessening the impact.
"Argh, what's this guy? Using magic too..."
However, the effect of the magic barrier was not infinite, so I protected only the vital spots as I fought.
I knocked down one guy and sliced his leg.
I stabbed another and was stabbed in the back, but I disregarded it and continued my attack.
Thud!
I stabbed, but the knife wouldn't come out.
I immediately snatched the axe from the guy I had just taken down and swung it to the side.
Seizing the moment, I used one arm to block the flying knife.
My limbs were now in shambles.
Soon, the effect of the magic barrier ended, and blood streaming from my torn forehead obscured my vision.
Then, the gaze of the person in front of me turned toward my back.
A movement as if making eye contact with someone.
Another person seemed to be aiming for my back.
I immediately stooped, picked up the fallen weapon from the ground, and swung it behind me.
"Ah!"
The person behind me grabbed my ankle and fell, but the fight was far from over.
Without "Sturdiness" and "Rapid Recovery," I wouldn't have been able to move a long time ago, let alone fight.
Mechanically calculating the exchanges of blows without the fear of death or the excitement of the fight, I knocked down the enemies one by one.
One, two, three......and the last one.
"Ugh..."
"Argh, what are you..."
As I continued to fight, the area around me was filled only with sprawled bodies, including those who had come down from the second floor due to the commotion.
"Phew... are there any of those who escaped?"
As the fight continued and I appeared to be on the verge of collapsing covered in blood, it must have seemed that a little more push would have been enough to capture me.
When the momentum was completely broken, some of them tried to escape, but by then it was already too late.
Most of the people who were attacked primarily on their legs had their mobility compromised, and I managed to bring down those who showed signs of trying to escape, ultimately putting an end to them.
In the end, despite the limited number of uses, I had to use even the protective magical equipment that I had saved until the very end...
But it couldn't be helped. If I hadn't done that, I might have let some of them slip away.
"Phew, phew."
After the battle, I stood in place for a moment, catching my breath.
The blood had stopped flowing, and the wounds were slowly healing, but I was so drenched in blood that it wasn't noticeable.
"Hey, where's the boy you took today?"
"What's this all of a sudden? Aaaah!"
Without a second thought, I dug into the wound of the guy who tried to talk nonsense.
"Basement! He's in the basement!"
"I knew that already. Where's the key?"
"It's hanging at the door!!"
After asking a few more questions, I got up from my spot and looked around.
The interior was a mess, with fallen and writhing members and bodies that had already stopped moving.
Then, I picked up the weapon again.
To follow the scenario I had in mind, there couldn't be anyone alive here.
"Wait, wait! Spare me! Plea... Agh!"
I started confirming the kills one by one.
Using "Mind Hub" felt dirty, but considering that these people, even if alive, would only cause harm, I mechanically moved my body.
"At this rate, the kid will be shocked and pass out..."
While looking around, I headed towards a side where bottles of alcohol and a water container were placed.
I grabbed the bottles first and poured the alcohol all over my head, starting from the top, to wash off the blood.
"Better the smell of alcohol than the smell of blood."
After a considerable amount of blood had been washed off, I grabbed the bucket and poured it over my head again.
"This should do for now."
My clothes were soaked, and there were still bloodstains, but it was much better compared to before.
Then, I moved towards the door leading to the basement.