With a gentle stroke, Jeokgwang drew the knife across the man's forearm.
A thin line of blood appeared, beads of crimson welling up. He had truly cut lightly.
- He actually cut him ??
- I have a phobia of blood.
- What a maniac.
"Now, please focus on this wound."
The chat window was flooded with criticism of Jeokgwang. But after a minute passed, the atmosphere in the chat abruptly shifted.
- Is the wound already starting to heal?
- ???
- Is this some kind of magic?
"This isn't magic. It's this creature's regenerative ability. He's not human he's a vampire."
- Come on, what nonsense. Vampires don't exist.
- Probably just CGI.
- Wait, what about Jeokgwang?
"Everyone, I am a psychic. Like this."
From behind the man, Jeokgwang activated the Illusionist device concealed on his wrist. As the cloaking effect activated, Jeokgwang's body vanished.
"I can even turn invisible. If there are psychics in this world, why wouldn't there be vampires? They've only remained hidden because the government and the United Nations have been covering them up."
Wow.
As expected, Jeokgwang-nim is a psychic.
How can I become a psychic like Jeokgwang-nim?
There's been a strange rumor going around the women's locker room lately.
...So there really are vampires and psychics?
Jeokgwang deactivated his concealment. His transparent body returned to its original form.
"You're all aware that Seoul's public safety has deteriorated rapidly recently. The cause of this is these bastards right here the vampires. The purpose of this broadcast is to inform people worldwide about vampires."
Jeokgwang tossed the knife to the floor and pulled a hand mirror from his suit jacket pocket.
"This is a Mercury Mirror. Now, watch vampires don't reflect in Mercury Mirrors."
The Mercury Mirror shifted from side to side. Only Jeokgwang's reflection appeared; the man remained invisible. The chair and chains, however, were visible in the mirror, making it seem as though an invisible person were seated there.
"Mercury Mirrors are the simplest way to identify vampires."
The chat window fell silent. Though a few viewers still posted skeptical comments, calling it nonsense, they were now a minority.
Most had come to accept the existence of vampires.
This was a live broadcast unfolding in real time. Moreover, Jeokgwang himself was a psychic with supernatural powers.
Jeokgwang revealed all his knowledge about vampires, including the supernatural abilities of True Ancestors, how vampires become True Ancestors, and how humans are turned into vampires by them. He also naturally mentioned Cantra, the vampire organization operating in Europe.
"Vampires have weaknesses: sunlight and silver. During the day, when the sun is up, their physical abilities are weaker than those of ordinary humans. Silver, however, is their natural enemy. Let me demonstrate."
Jeokgwang pulled a knife from his smartphone.
"This is a silver-plated knife. If I stab myself in the shoulder like this..."
The man began to convulse violently. The area where the knife pierced his shoulder turned black.
"If you shoot a vampire in the head or torso with a silver bullet, they're guaranteed to die. If you hit their arm, you'll have to amputate it. Of course, stabbing them in the torso with a silver-plated knife will also kill them."
Jeokgwang tilted the camera toward the ceiling.
Viewers instinctively knew: the vampire man bound in the frame was about to die.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph!"
"Stay still."
The man's violent struggles and Jeokgwang's calm voice filled the air.
"Everyone, if someone has pale, cold skin or fangs that look unmistakably inhuman, they're almost certainly a vampire. You can confirm it by looking at them through a Mercury Mirror."
"Mmmph!"
Thud! A sharp sound echoed as something was forcefully driven into something else. At the same moment, the man's voice vanished, and silence descended.
"Be careful. Vampires may be right beside you."
The broadcast cut off.
That day, the world turned upside down.
- United Nations! Emergency Announcement Regarding Vampires!
- Murder in Seoul: The Culprit is a Vampire.
- 3 AM: True Ancestor Vampire Rampages in Incheon Using Supernatural Powers...
- Mercury Mirrors Selling Like Hotcakes! Is Your Coworker Actually a Vampire?!
- Government Declares Vampire Extermination Order!
- Police and Military Collaborate to Eliminate Vampires.
- Vampire Reporting Period: Until the 20th of Next Month!
- Special Residential Zones for Wrongfully Turned Vampires.
"What a mess. It's a complete disaster."
That was my impression after browsing the internet.
The Republic of Korea was relatively stable. Gun ownership was strictly prohibited, and the vampires' influence remained weak. With police and military cooperation, the situation could be resolved within a month.
The West was even worse. In Europe, especially vampire-infested regions, gunfire echoed incessantly through city streets even in broad daylight.
"Those Cantra morons wouldn't dare touch me. Now, no one in this world can stand in my way! Hahaha!"
I rose from my seat, preparing to go out. As I fastened the Illusionist to my wrist, I stroked it affectionately.
Tomorrow's the day I'm going to Younghyejeong... the day after that, I'm fucking Hera. And the day after that, I have outdoor sex scheduled with Choi Seon-mi. Ugh, so busy.
[Sung Yujin]
[Level: 29]
[Strength: 21 Stamina: 21 Agility: 17 Intelligence: 10 Vitality: 24]
[Available Points: 117]
I'd been patiently saving up points all this time. Now that there were no longer any threats to me in the Vampire Detective world, I could finally accumulate them.
"The catch is, I haven't saved up as many as I thought. Did I rely too much on auto-progress?"
I'd boldly chosen to manually play through the fun parts myself, while using my avatar to auto-progress through the boring sections.
As a result, I hadn't accumulated as many points in Vampire Detective as the time spent would suggest.
"Still, I'm satisfied. I've become Sung Yujin, with eternal youth. Heh heh heh."
I had achieved the feat. Of course, I never touched minors. That would invalidate the achievement and it's not my taste anyway.
"The Japanese University entrance ceremony was epic. Heh heh heh."
Lost in memories, I checked the Pleasure World App to browse for my next creative work to enjoy. But nothing caught my eye. I could do pretty much anything within the world of Vampire Detective.
No matter how many times I look, nothing appeals to me. Wait, what's this?
My eyes widened at a newly listed creative work at the very bottom:
- Earth Warrior Crashman (Tokusatsu)
This was a tokusatsu series I watched on VHS when I was very young.
Ah! My childhood memories are flooding back! Pink and Yellow!
But I couldn't choose it.
The world of Earth Warrior Crashman was surprisingly brutal. Around middle school, I stumbled upon detailed lore about Crashman's universe: aliens from another dimension, capable of summoning monsters, invade Earth, destroying cities and slaughtering people.
When I watched it on VHS as a kid, I never noticed the cruelty... but that's because it was a show for children. If this world became reality... ugh.
Monsters never simply die; they always grow gigantic first. Then the Crashmen defeat them with giant robots. Just imagining the cities being destroyed in the process... makes me sigh.
Even an S-Class Hunter would struggle to survive here.
I decided to postpone Crashman for later. This creation would remain sealed until I could at least ensure my own survival.