As the window of the room slid open, I looked down outside.
People were bustling about in the morning, going about their everyday lives.
Perhaps it was due to frequent contact with the outside world through an avatar, but at some point, I no longer felt fear of the outside.
While I still felt some psychological burden about going out directly, opening the window to feel the outside breeze had become something I could do without any discomfort.
I stood there, gazing out aimlessly and organizing my thoughts.
<Entity Information>
- Entity Name: Heinz II
- Race: Vampire (Noble Blood)
- Common Traits: "Mind Hub," "Persona," "Mirror of the Mind"
- Individual Traits: "Blood of the Clan (Noble Blood )," "Hybrid Evolution," "Mystery of Blood," "Refined Blood Essence," "Acceleration," "Regeneration," "Perception," "Concealment," "Invisibility"
- Notable Facts: Evolved repeatedly by collecting vampiric factors from various dimensions. As a predator, he ignores some of the hostile abilities of other vampires and exerts an instinctive intimidation. Recently, excessive energy that flowed in was stored in the blood essence formed inside his body.
After the battle at the villa, Heinz suffered from overfeeding for a while.
'I sucked the blood of not only the officers but also the vampires on guard duty, so it's somewhat inevitable.'
Even though they were of low quality, they were helpful in collecting new vampiric factors, and too valuable to waste, so he reluctantly consumed them.
However, there's a limit to everything, despite less physical restriction.
When his body could no longer contain it and reached saturation, he used his enhanced blood control to gather and compress the overflowing vampiric factors into a single essence.
'Most of it was from low-grade vampires, taking up space uselessly.'
Although the evolution occurred under the influence of "Hybrid Evolution" once inside his body, the quality was too low for direct use.
For Heinz, who had already reached a far higher level, they were not very helpful, yet too precious to discard - a dilemma.
What enabled their use was the newly acquired special skill, "Refined Blood Essence."
'The problem, in the end, is the thoughts contained in the blood, right? Then the solution is simple. At least for me.'
I had already done it once before.
When I received the baptismal ceremony through Heinrich.
I extracted the thought-free vampiric factors from the blood essence of 'Heinz II' by linking his skills and blood control.
The skill and result I obtained at the end of this attempt was precisely, "Refined Blood Essence."
A vampiric essence of evolution, devoid of any thoughts or intentions.
This newly created "Refined Blood Essence," once it enters the body of another vampire, will act as a catalyst to evolve their vampiric factors.
Only a small amount is needed for a definite effect since it's a catalyst.
Of course, the more is administered, the greater the extent and speed of the transformation.
'There are side effects, though.'
But strictly speaking, these weren't side effects.
After all, it was a process of 'bestowing' and 'inheriting' blood, with the minor issue of the inheritor becoming subordinate to the bestower.
For vampires, this was hardly an issue!
'It's a familiar process for vampires. It's just a change in whom they're loyal to.'
They gain definite power in exchange for loyalty.
It was a favorable proposition for the remnants of the hardliner faction, disoriented due to vacancies in their leadership.
These were the ones who craved power enough to consider preying on their kind.
Those who accepted this would be embraced, and those who resisted, insisting on the old order, would become materials for the consumed blood essence.
It was an ideal structure.
'...Wait? Isnt this similar to what the hardliner faction wanted to do? Hmm, no. I'm eliminating those who cause chaos in society.'
It was just a slight benefit on the side.
A perfectly legitimate plan, no different from that of a bounty hunter.
I, who had been grinning foolishly, closed the window and sat back down in front of the computer.
On the screen was an internet search result about a certain incident.
- The Seoul Station Terrorist Incident of 20XX.
The place where I lost my family.
My smile faded, my lips tightening and corners dropping.
My heart sank coldly.
It was a chaotic time. Superhumans who had gained power from another world were teeming in one place, but there were no monsters or demon lords on Earth worthy of their power.
The only ones in similar situations were other superhumans.
However, sharing circumstances didn't mean sharing values, so conflicts arose everywhere.
In such places, the only thing that could prove oneself was sheer power.
Stronger power was the justice that could assert one's claims, the order, the everything of this world.
In the process, countless innocents were sacrificed, but those without power could only endure and accept it.
It was just an accident, an unavoidable event.
I couldn't do anything.
I was the same.
Bang!
That was, until now.
My fist lightly struck the desk, causing a crack.
I had awakened my "Avatar" and had been blindly pursuing power.
I never wanted to feel that helpless moment of powerlessness again.
"Persona" only helped to keep me from being consumed by my emotions, not to eliminate them entirely.
Those emotions remained deep within my heart.
So, I poured the power I had accumulated, my directionless anger and resentment, into punishing 'villains'.
The incident back then was a random act of terrorism by an awakened being, and the terrorist had exploded right in front of them just after the incident.
Even after gaining power, there was no outlet for his anger and desire for revenge.
I thought the only thing I could do at the moment was to strike down any visible villains.
"I thought that way. But then... there was someone? The perpetrator?"
My stiff expression relaxed, and the corners of my mouth gently curled upwards again.
A meaningless smile returned to my face.
Laughter kept escaping me without my control.
'Ah, I see.'
And then I realized.
'I've been broken for a long time.'
Otherwise, why would I be laughing in such a situation?
"Kuk... Kuhuhu... Keukkeuk... Huh..."
The laughter kept leaking out.
I laughed so much that not only saliva but also tears and snot ran down my face, yet I couldn't stop laughing.
"Haah... Haah..."
It felt exhilarating.
After a good laugh, my mind was clearer than ever.
The emergence of a goal brought forth an enthusiasm I had never felt before.
"Wow~ This is how it turns out? They say doing good brings rewards, right? By constantly striking down the bad guys, look how the mastermind has emerged so clearly."
I wiped away my tears, pondering.
How I could get back at them.
I had done it a few times already.
Now with some experience under my belt, I felt I could do it even better.
'If they were the type to back down easily, they wouldn't have caused such chaos for so long. They've gone into hiding this time, but they'll surely resurface.'
I needed to be ready to seize them by the neck when that happened.
Prepared to uproot any possible masterminds behind them.
'They seem to operate globally. Im not sure how big an impact it made to halt their activities in Korea.'
Tap, tap, tap.
I crossed my legs and tapped my fingers on the desk, organizing my thoughts.
When things escalated to this level, there were limits to what one person could do.
To confront those who had already formed a huge force, I too needed the support of a power.
'Continuously track them, gather information, and have a force ready to strike at the right moment.'
And the blood alliance could fulfill that role to some extent.
Supporting and expanding the alliance, subjugating other organizations under its control, would certainly be beneficial.
I had an abundance of funds from the other world and criminal organizations.
'They are an underworld organization, so they should manage money laundering on their own. Now that I think about it, controlling those gold traders indirectly through the blood alliance isnt a bad idea. They're not impressive enough to be directly under me, but they seem competent enough for a subordinate organization.'
My eyes briefly glanced at the lottery tickets still stored in one corner of the room.
There was no rush to use them, so they could wait for later.
However, as in this fight, what ultimately mattered was the presence of a mighty force.
'Hans and Heinz... and Heinrich is also growing steadily. But...'
It's not enough.
This time, the enemies retreated after suffering significant losses in an unprepared clash, but next time could be different.
They were already aware of Hans and Heinz, and with the information gathered so far, it was clear that the Abyssal Conclave was not a simple organization.
To handle their scope of activity and deal with them decisively, I needed more powerful allies.
Beings unpredictable and beyond their calculations.
Even ten bodies would not be enough.
But am I not someone who can have as many bodies as needed?
If short on bodies, just increase them.
'To do that, I need karma. There's no time to leisurely grow unique skills. I need influence in other worlds to accumulate karma.'
Then, how about creating a major event that could influence other worlds?
For example...
"War, perhaps?"
After uttering those words, I furrowed my brows for a moment.
Should I really cross that line?
Am I prepared to lose my humanity, blinded by my desires, and pursue power by sacrificing the innocent?
I still wasn't sure.
I knew it was strange, but my feelings of anger and vengeance weren't particularly strong.
Instead, I felt more excitement and anticipation.
'Huh... I guess I'm not in my right mind either.'
A foe against whom all my justifications and malice seemed valid and who wouldn't easily crumble but would necessitate my full force to combat had appeared.
But with my current mindset, war didnt seem like the most appealing option.
'So, let's put that on hold. A way to influence the world on the scale of a war, without innocent casualties.'
There couldn't possibly be such a convenient method...
"...Maybe there is?"
Coincidentally, I had just the right topic in my grasp.
"Demons and Heroes."
An evil demon king leading the forces of evil, threatening the continent.
A righteous hero, supported by humanity, standing against him.
It was the classic clich of all classics.
I couldn't help but let out a few chuckles.
'Lets set the framework like that. I'll need to think about the scenario. Ill need detailed information, and it seems crucial to maintain a balance. Can I pull it off?'
The plan that immediately came to mind wasn't particularly grand.
Hans leads an evil organization and strikes down corrupt nobles, while Heinrich eliminates them, becoming a hero.
Repeat this process.
And in the climax, gather all the evil organizations and annihilate them. Wouldnt that be a good thing from the continent's perspective?
The main concern was that, given the large scale, casualties could skyrocket if things were handled carelessly.
There would be countless uncontrollable variables.
But perhaps because it was a more civilized approach than war, I didnt feel as much resistance as before.
The outcome could vary greatly depending on my efforts.
'The moment I rationalize unavoidable sacrifices, I become no different from them. I guess I have no choice but to try my best.'
Theres always a way to be found.
It wasnt an immediate concern.
It was a long-term plan that required extensive preparation, and it wasnt something I could implement right away.
Hans was still far from being ready to take on the continent.
The first step would be to find the last remaining 'Fragment of the Immortal King.'
'There's plenty of time. The Abyssal Conclave, having suffered significant losses, will likely be quiet for a few years. With the time difference between this world and the other being 10 to 1, there's no rush to proceed.'
It was unrealistic to try to stop their activities overseas immediately.
It would be better to focus on strengthening our power during this time.
"Huh..."
A laugh escaped me again, unexpectedly.
For some reason, I felt cheerful again.
"Alright... Whatever your purpose or desires, I'll hinder you with all my might."
Let them come and find me if they have a problem.
It would take a while to focus on Outerica in the meantime.
Hans needed to find the Fragment of the Immortal King while avoiding the scrutiny of the Order, and Heinrich had to gain recognition within the Order and climb to a higher position.
'Heinz should establish an intelligence organization to gather information about the continent.'
And just then, the perfect candidates for that organization came to mind.
'I'll need to cultivate 'Halli' in the meantime. Find the quickest way for him to become stronger. Maybe there's a way using "Adaptation"?'
There was no rush.
I just had to proceed step by step, methodically.
Like preparing for a play.
"The stage is Outerica, the lead role is mine. And the audience is the entire continent. It's a bit of a large scale."
The release date is yet to be determined...
Well, it probably wont take too long.