"Hmm?"
Verc was just resting in his room after training non-stop when he suddenly felt something.
The heavy exhaustion in his muscles seemed to vanish in an instant as a strange, distinct sensation pulsed through his mind. It wasn’t a physical sound or a sight, but a connection deep inside him approaching.
And to his surprise—he can tell that the connection was from outside the forest, at the entrance!
He can feel it even though it was far away.
The sheer distance between the castle in the center of the woods and the outer boundaries of the territory was massive, yet the bond cut through the magical density of the trees without any effort at all.
’Tatum?’
Verc immediately thought of him when he felt that. The signature of the mana was unmistakable.
Tatum is one of the five individuals that drank his blood, and from those who drank his blood—Verc can feel a connection from them.
He can talk to them telepathically at a certain distance, he can feel where they are and vice-versa, but being the master of the relationship—he can hide his connection with the others if he just think of doing so.
With a simple thought, he could completely block out his presence, becoming an absolute ghost to their senses, but right now, he left the link wide open, allowing the distant signal to guide his awareness.
Anyway, in short—the connection that Verc was feeling outside the forest was Tatum. He was moving slowly, nearing the forest entance.
"I guess they’re back as scheduled."
Verc muttered to himself.
Then, after looking around and feeling bored—
"I’m on a break anyway. Might as well get them at the time being."
He decided on that.
Verc had been immersing himself in training all the time to ignore his boredom, especially in a place and world like this where there are close to none entertainment.
No internet. No technology.
He would be lying if he said that he didn’t miss the simple comforts of his past life.
And now, even training is starting to become dull for him with how repetitive he’s been doing it.
Swinging the blade and circulating his mana had become a mechanical routine that barely challenged his mind anymore.
It’s even one of the reason why he decided to conquer the whole forest... he was just bored.
The upcoming campaign against the wolf-kin tribe was more of a project to keep himself occupied than a desperate struggle for survival, a grand game to pass the infinite time he now possessed as an immortal entity.
... ... ...
Moving on—
Verc went out the castle all the way to the gate of the village, he stood outside.
The guards at the entrance bowed low as he passed, but he didn’t spare them a glance, stepping past the defensive trenches and into the dark, tangled brush of the inner forest.
FWOOOSH~
Violent, and compressed mana enveloped his legs—Verc crouched down.
The sheer volume of the energy he was pulling into his lower limbs was staggering.
CRACK—
The sheer pressure coming from him cracked the ground below him, wild gust winds surrounding him.
Verc looked in front of him, then with a casual look on his face—He targeted a straight line through the ancient woods, mapping out the general direction of the entrance in his mind.
’Let’s see how strong of mana I can output now.’
He thought of that, and tensing the muscles on his legs—
B O O O O M—!!!
He kicked off and made all the compressed mana on his legs explode!
The sound was like a thunderclap striking the earth, a massive shockwave that flattened the surrounding bushes and sent a cloud of dirt flying backward for dozens of yards!
F W I S H—!
He vanished where he was, he was so fast that even a blur of him wasn’t seen!
It took him half a day before to get out of the forest riding a horse—but with how fast he’s going now; it’ll only need a few minutes this time!
*****
"?!!"
Verc himself was surprised with how fast he was going.
The scenery was changing at a rate that his brain could barely process, the sheer momentum of his leap carrying him much further and faster than he had originally calculated.
BOOM!
He was going so fast that he just straight in rushed into trees and destroyed them!
A massive, centuries-old tree shattered into thousands of splinters as his shoulder clipped the trunk, the heavy wood offering absolutely zero resistance against his charge.
It doesn’t really hurt him now at this point, but he still covered himself with mana and [Black Scales] to brace for impact.
"Urgh!"
He focused mana in his eyes and just then did he was able to see where he was going.
His vision shifted, the blurred world suddenly slowing down just enough for him to register individual obstacles ahead of his path.
Verc started avoiding the trees and terrain.
He twisted his body mid-air, his movements incredibly fluid as he danced around the thicker trunks and vaulted over massive boulders without losing an ounce of his speed.
And everytime his foot touched the ground—BOOM!
Mana explodes and propells himself forward, faster!
And after just a few minutes, he was near the entrance of the forest already!
’How do I stop?!’
Verc asked in his head.
He hadn’t thought about the deceleration process when he started, and the sheer momentum behind his massive frame was currently carrying him forward like a runaway boulder.
Then to stop his momentum—he used [Adhesive Grip], and covered his whole arms with mana.
He extended his fingers, the dark scales on his skin growing thick and jagged as he prepared to force his body to a halt.
And after that—BAM!
He slammed his hands covered in [Black Scales] onto the ground and grabbed it!
SHHHHHHHHHHKKKKKKKK—!!!
His momentum was so strong that he barely slowed down!
His fingers dug deep into the solid earth, ripping up rocks, roots, and massive chunks of soil as he slid forward, a long, deep trench forming behind his dragging boots.
He was skidding in a terrifying pace, leaving a trail of destruction behind him!
Verc collided with some wild monsters—BOOM!
And they just exploded upon impact!
They were turned into nothing more than mist and loose fur, their remains scattered instantly across the brush as Verc continued his desperate slide.
"GRRRGGH!!!"
SWOOOOOOOSH!!!
Verc’s presence flared up and covered a wide area. He used a lot of mana on his arms to stop himself!
He pushed his weight backward, channeling every ounce of his remaining energy into his heels, forcing his boots to bite into the stubborn stone beneath the dirt.
And fortunately—SHIIIK!
He stopped just a few meters before he flew out of the forest, saving himself from the embarrassment if ever the group saw him like that!
The dust cloud he had created rolled past him, spilling out into the open plain where the carriages were parked, while he remained standing within the dark safety of the tree line.
"Fuuuhhh..."
Verc let out a sigh of relief, and he noted to himself to control his strength properly from now on.
He patted the dust off his shoulders, checking his clothes to ensure nothing was torn from the chaotic trip through the woods.
He stood straight up and fixed himself like nothing happened.
He smoothed down the front of his coat, exhaling one last time to settle his breathing before stepping out into the light.
And after doing that—TAP.
’Let’s see the others.’
He walked toward where Tatum and the others are as if nothing happened.
His footsteps were completely casual now, his posture relaxed as he cleared the final bushes and entered the open road where the group was waiting.
"Huh?"
But when he came out of the forest... He saw all of them bowing their heads to him!
Pwyll, Bernia, Tatum, Jed, and even little Nara were all looking down.
And as if that wasn’t enough—the slaves are even doing a dogeza on the ground!
"...?"
Verc was very confused, and unconsciously—
"What are you all doing?"
That question came out of his mouth.
*****
"We felt your approach, My Lord. Your presence was unmistakable, and we prepared to receive you properly."
Tatum and Jed explained.
Verc just ignored the two of them, he already knows what’s going on in their heads by this point.
They were bound by his blood, and their instinctual desire to show absolute loyalty to their master was something he had long since accepted as normal behavior.
What confused him was why Pwyll, Bernia, and Nara were doing it too.
He looked at them with questioning eyes, and Bernia just said that it’s just a normal greeting for someone his title.
"You are the ruler of this territory, Lord Verc. It is only fitting that we show the proper respect when you receive us at the border."
Bernia stated, her voice perfectly smooth and respectful.
Pwyll gave a short, rough chuckle from his position, though he didn’t raise his head fully.
"I did it because I respect you, boss. You’re the leader of this whole outfit, the king and the lord of the valley."
Pwyll said with a shrug of his shoulders.
And Verc didn’t even have to hear anything from Nara, the little girl just looks like she wants to copy the others.
She was peeking up through her fingers, her small face completely bright with amusement as she copied Bernia’s exact posture, treating the entire situation like a fun game she had finally learned how to play.
Verc was getting used to this kind of treatment anyway, so instead of asking more question about their actions, he pointed at the slaves and asked if they taught them to do that as well.
He gestured toward the long line of captives who were still on the ground.
But the group just shook their heads and told him the slaves did that on their own.
"We didn’t say a word to them, My Lord. They dropped to the earth without a single command."
Jed murmured quietly.
And hearing that--Verc looked at the slaves like they were weird, but shaking his head—he told them to raise their heads.
"Stand up. All of you. There’s no need to glue your faces to the dirt out here."
Verc commanded, his voice carrying a calm authority that easily reached the back of the line.
Rick and the others obeyed him without question.
They scrambled back to their feet, their knees trembling as they wiped the mud from their clothes, their eyes remaining wide with a profound, lingering fear as they stared at the young man standing before the dark woods.
Then looking at them—
"My name is Verc. I am a vampire lord that runs a village in the middle of the [Cursed Forest]."
Verc casually introduced himself.
The revelation caused a sharp, collective intake of breath from the slaves. Doubt didn’t enter their minds at the slightest... It actually even made sense to them that someone with an overwhelming presence is of a legendary demonic race!
"In the village, a lot of races are living peacefully—coexisting."
Anyway, Verc continued, his tone conversational.
"Orcs, gnolls, dark elves, and dwarfs work alongside one another under my rule. It is a place of order, not a slaughterhouse."
He added.
Tatum and Jed removed their covers in their head and waist to reveal their animal features.
With a smooth motion, the two warriors pulled back their heavy traveling hoods and let their cloaks shift, allowing their sharp, pointed ears and long tails to show clearly in the dim evening light.
"?!!"
All the non-human slaves were surprised seeing them and recognizing them as beastmen.
A low murmur ran through the ten demi-humans at the back, their expressions shifting from absolute terror to a deep, stunned disbelief as they realized that the powerful warriors who had guarded them all week were actually similar to them.
Rick was the most surprised by this all.
Verc looked at the slaves again, then opening his mouth—
He scanned their thin faces, noting the exhaustion from the long journey and the lingering traces of their time in Ripah’s dark cells.
He told them that if they have nowhere to go and they’re fine with it—they can come with him under his protection. Back in the village.
"The choice is entirely yours. If you want a place where you can work, eat, and live without the fear of a master’s whip, our territory is open to you."
Verc said, his voice steady.
"But if you’re reluctant to—you’re all free to go and leave. I will even give you gold coins to start a new life."
He followed up, his expression remaining completely indifferent to their ultimate decision.
"I have no interest in keeping people who do not wish to be here. If you want to take your chances back in the human kingdoms, Bernia will hand you enough gold to buy passage to the nearest town."
He finished.
After hearing this, Rick muster his courage and asked a question, he asked why Verc was doing all this, why he was being generous.
The mercenary took a step forward, his voice shaking slightly but his eyes staring directly into Verc’s gaze.
"Why would you waste your wealth to buy slaves just to give us freedom? What do you gain from being this generous to people who have nothing to offer you?"
Rick demanded, his old cynicism fighting against the sheer absurdity of the situation.
And Verc, with a shrug of his shoulders—
"Just a whim."
He declared that.