In reality, I had encountered vampires a few times as Hans.
There was one just a while ago during the raid on the factory.
However, at that time, Heinz was in the middle of a deal, and the guy was just a servant level, so I didn't pay much attention to him.
Since I could extract the necessary information by reading minds, I didn't feel the need to bother keeping him alive.
So, when I suddenly came across another vampire from a different dimension, I was taken aback.
Moreover, this one seemed stronger than Heinz. I couldn't help but feel tense.
"Well, let me introduce myself first. I'm from Nokternia. It's been about 5 years since I returned to Earth. Call me Gamma for now."
He had a decent appearance, a friendly smile, and a sociable way of speaking.
He looked at me with beautiful black eyes sparkling.
"I'm Heinz. As you might have guessed, I've just returned to Earth, and my origin is..."
Since the situation had escalated to this point, pretending not to know anymore wouldn't be useful.
As I thought that and was about to casually respond, I realized something was off.
The sudden surge in my heightened mental abilities caused time to momentarily stretch, and space slowly came to a halt.
'Why am I answering so willingly? To someone I just met less than five minutes ago? I introduced myself first? Can I guarantee that all the information he mentioned is true?'
In the moment of doubt, an unfamiliar sensation was detected in the "Mind Hub."
The power of mental penetration.
It seeped into natural emotions, making it difficult to perceive immediately.
'Why am I willingly answering to a stranger with a pleasing appearance and demeanor, creating a situation where I don't feel anything strange?'
Even the "Enlightenment Index" could only detect discomfort at the level of being unable to completely defend against it.
It was evident that his abilities were quite advanced.
Whether he deliberately refrained from using them openly due to the limitations of his abilities or carefully timed their secretive activation for a concealed purpose was unclear.
'Mental manipulation ability. Is it his unique skill, or is it a vampire's ability?'
In my mind, I raised my guard against him.
What mattered was that this was happening while I was in the middle of responding.
The name was just a designation anyway, and the recent return was just part of the setup.
Without revealing my wariness, I decided to keep the origin dimension hidden for now.
".... From the Dottmire dimension. Whether I'm the first or not hasn't been revealed yet, but it seems there's no information about it on the internet."
"Hmm, as expected."
He casually responded in the normal flow of time that had returned.
Gamma seemed oblivious to any signs of suspicion, nodding with his shining black eyes fixed on me.
"I've met quite a few vampires over time, but your blood scent is unique. Isn't it fascinating? There are countless dimensions, and among them, there are many with vampires, each with different blood characteristics."
Well, that could be said for other species too.
Continuing his words, he observed me from top to bottom.
"A vampire from Dottmire, huh? By the way, where were you positioned there? It varies across dimensions. With your status, you must have received decent treatment."
His eyes sparkled, and again, I felt the peculiar force delving into my mind.
I didn't resist and played along reasonably.
"Well, I was a middle-ranking officer."
"Ho-ho, seems like it was quite a high-level dimension. But to reach that level of power, you must have done quite a bit of bloodsucking. It must have been tough."
"I didn't avoid it when necessary."
The conversation continued.
He, perhaps originally talkative, kept opening his mouth non-stop.
"I'm just curious, you know. Do vampires like you have any distinctive abilities? I've heard that some vampires have almost immortal regenerative abilities. It's truly envy-inducing."
Though the discussion seemed to be going in a direction where we exchanged information, he avoided talking about himself.
I smoothly steered away from conversation, using an excuse that wouldn't raise suspicion.
"I don't know much about that. I haven't seen other vampires, so I don't know what makes us different."
"Ah, I see. You mentioned you haven't been back for long."
Gamma, expressing regret, returned to the topic.
Seizing the opportunity, I asked the next question.
"But Gamma, you mentioned meeting many vampires earlier. How was that possible? Did you go around searching one by one like just now? We vampires are always treated with caution and have to hide, right?"
"Hmm..."
He glanced at me strangely at my question and soon nodded.
"Well, you're not wrong. But we're not criminals, and we can't hide forever, right?"
He didn't choose to become a vampire willingly, and he complained about the treatment, considering it unfair.
"To survive, we need to stick together. I'm part of a vampire organization, a clan. Level 6."
"A clan? Level 6?"
"It's not the best place to discuss this here. Follow me."
He suggested moving to another location, perhaps having already assessed me to some extent.
Maybe he believes he can overpower someone like me at any time.
The place we relocated to was a sports car parked on one side of the road.
He climbed into the driver's seat and gestured towards the passenger side.
Vroom—
Gamma smoothly started the engine and took off.
"Where are we going?"
"Isn't it better to see it for yourself rather than just hearing about it?"
"...Are we heading to the clan headquarters? How can you trust me?"
In response to my question, he chuckled.
"Not the headquarters, per se. It's more like a branch... Actually, there isn't a real headquarters. It's more like an affiliate, closer to a decentralized network."
Though not a perfect network, he added.
After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Think of it as like-minded individuals cooperating in different regions. It might be closer to a relay station than a full-fledged network. We refer to the gathered group as a 'crew.'"
Considering the constant need for secrecy among the beings with supernatural abilities, openly forming a group might not have been feasible.
"And how can I trust? We're all in the same situation. We need to help each other when times get tough."
Gamma spoke warmly, smiling.
It was a touching statement, especially if it weren't for the ongoing mental probing.
'Come to think of it, there was someone who said something similar before.'
Malcolm, now a reliable companion, briefly crossed my mind.
Helping each other in difficult times—indeed, a good sentiment.
"And there's one more thing to know. I mentioned I'm Level 6, right? On Earth, 'Level' is the standard for indicating a vampire's proficiency."
With each world having its own terminologies, there were difficulties in understanding each other on Earth despite everyone gathering there.
"There were places divided by the nobility hierarchy, and there were also those based on the Jinjoni and Sado systems. By the way, Nokternia used chess pieces for classification. I was a bishop."
So, the 'Level' system was an agreement established by powerful vampires representing various regions at that time.
"It was mainly in Europe, but there were many strong vampires there at the time. The system established there naturally got imported, and we ended up applying it."
While each dimension had its own unique characteristics, all vampires shared one common trait—the 'vampiric factor' contained in their blood, the foundation of their powers.
Measuring the concentration of this vampiric factor and categorizing it in detail was the Level system.
"We're here. It's small because each of us has our own separate living arrangements, and we use it when we occasionally gather."
The sleek sports car entered the parking lot of an impressive three-story residence.
It seemed like this guy's sense of wealth was quite different from mine.
"Let's go inside. There's a device that can measure the vampiric factor."
Gamma, with his black eyes gleaming, looked at me and chuckled.
It seemed like he had no intention of hiding anymore, as the invasive ability in my mind started to stir.
Now I realized that prolonged conversations might have been a condition for him to enhance his mental manipulation.
'No wonder he talked so much. Well, at least I gained a lot of useful information.'
"What are you waiting for? Move quickly."
If we've come this far, does it mean the situation is over?
I didn't resist the force that compelled my actions and obediently followed him into the building.
'Even with 'Blood Magic,' I can only sense the barrier after entering the building. The level of concealment is no joke.'
Casually observing, I followed Gamma.
However, as he led the way, he suddenly stopped.
Following his puzzled gaze, I saw six individuals facing off against three others inside.
The distinctive scent of vampires emanated from them, but one of them, like Gamma, had no scent at all.
"What's going on here?"
The arrival of Gamma prompted a reaction from the six on one side.
Simultaneously, the woman among the three facing them, the one without the scent of blood, turned to us.
"Now you've finally arrived, Dohan-soo. Took you long enough."
"Huh, call me 'Gamma.'"
"Sure, sure. Gamma, do you know why I'm here?"
She walked towards Gamma with an impatient stride.
Thanks to her approach, I could see her face directly...
'Considering she's a vampire, she's unbelievably beautiful. No, is it really the first time I've seen her? It feels like I've seen her somewhere before...'
A stunning beauty.
It was hard to forget a woman with such charm.
Amidst my contemplation of this strange feeling, the two began arguing.
"Sure, Jinsol. I don't know why you suddenly came, but isn't this a bit rude to just show up like this?"
"What? Suddenly? Rude? If you hadn't ignorantly ignored me, I wouldn't have bothered coming all the way here to see that disgusting face of yours!"
Watching the two quarrel, I furrowed my brow, sensing a feeling that was both familiar and elusive.
That face and that voice—haven't seen them outside, so it must be on the internet, right?
'Right! Orchid. She was an internet broadcaster. There were many capture photos circulating in the community because she was considered pretty. I saw her a few times back then.'
Though there was a slight difference, perhaps due to makeup.
As I managed to recall, the frustration vanished, replaced by a sense of mental satisfaction.
Content with my silent satisfaction, I eventually realized she had been looking at me for a while.
"It's my first time meeting you; who are you?"
A question about my identity, but I couldn't provide an answer.
I was in a state where Gamma's mental control had taken away my physical autonomy.
"He's my guest. You have no business with him, so don't bother."
Gamma smoothly blocked her path in front of me.
However, she didn't back down.
"I may be a stranger to you, but do you know why I'm here?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about. Could you explain?"
"Do you plan to keep pretending until the end?"
Jinsol glared at Gamma.
"Do you know why I'm here? You kidnapped vampires and did something! This time, you took a Crew member who was under our protection, right? Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
'So, he was the one who started capturing vampires from the beginning.'
Jinsol and her two companions pressed Gamma aggressively.
Gamma's associates, who seemed to be on his side, joined the confrontation.
The standoff resumed.
"By the way, we informed Crew that we were coming here. If we don't return, it will be reported to the higher-ups. Do you know what that means?"
She and her group, though few in number, displayed a force that didn't fall behind Gamma's gang.
After all, all three of them seemed to be on a similar level to Gamma.
Ironically, Jinsol appeared even stronger than Gamma.
Perhaps, they deliberately chose to confront them with elite fighters.
"Did you also kidnap the one on your side this time? What's your motive?"
"Hmm..."
Gamma squinted at her, then sighed.
Even if he gives me an order and makes me deny it, it will only create an unnatural appearance.
He didn't possess the ability to command me mentally.
"Tsk, the ignorant novice. Now revealing your true colors?"
"Ah~? Now, are you going to show your true self?"
As Jinsol assumed a fighting stance, her teammates behind her also prepared for battle, boosting their energy.
"Well, can't be helped. Catch her. We'll use her as material."
"Hah! Thought it would be easy, huh? Take this!"
Swish—Crack!
With a sudden ambush, she spat blood from her mouth and was sent flying.
And then, the muscular guy who had been guarding her from behind—no, her former comrade—slowly lowered his fist.