Chapter 2: Blood Tower (1)

It was pure chance that I ended up in this world.

Who would believe me if I said this world was actually a game?

Brave Soul.

If you think about it, it’s a simple game.

Create a character, recruit passing NPCs as party members… or go solo… either way, all you need to do is defeat the Demon King.

If you want, you can take the main NPCs recommended by the developers, or just grab random villagers as your companions.

As long as you defeat the Demon King, it’s all good.

That’s what Brave Soul was.

The reason it became such a popular replayable game was huge.

It was the ability to apply all sorts of mods.

The main storyline with the key NPCs didn’t matter—you could follow the stories of random NPCs, each generated by AI to create unique quests, offering an enhanced experience or whatever…

Basically, since the game’s only goal was to kill the Demon King without a fixed storyline, it was perfect for modding.

So, everyone and their dog started making mods, and I found one with an interesting job that caught my eye, so I applied it to start a new run.

The job was Vampire.

Yeah, that vampire, also called a bloodsucker.

It’s a fantasy world, so how does it make sense to not have vampires? But the developers apparently hated the idea and refused to include them.

Since the game’s world didn’t have vampires and the developers swore they’d never add them, some rebellious users made a mod out of spite.

When the mod started getting popular, the developers got pissed and declared they’d ban anyone using it… but come on, I was curious.

Gamers get the biggest thrill doing what developers hate.

So, I downloaded the mod, applied it, and started the game—only to end up in this world right away.

How mad must the developers have been to throw me into the game’s world?

If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have touched the damn mod…

I made a name for myself adventuring in this world, eventually defeating the Demon King alongside the Hero.

Since I was a vampire, I figured I shouldn’t act too normal, so I took a famous name from a game in my past life—Vladimir—and slapped “Count” in front of it to sound cool.

When it was time to get rewarded by the Emperor after defeating the Demon King, he was baffled, saying there was no “Count Vladimir” in the Empire.

The Hero had the “Light” attribute, the polar opposite of the Demon King, so I funneled every special item and opportunity I knew about to him, and he took care of the Demon King like it was nothing. I basically hitched a ride on his coattails.

Thanks to the mod, my status window was glitched and useless, but who cares?

I beat the Demon King, and that’s what mattered.

The real kicker was realizing I couldn’t go home even after defeating the Demon King, so I fell into despair, locked myself in a coffin, and just slept.

But something’s weird as hell.

“How strange…”

Why did I wake up in this tiny body?

“And you agree, don’t you?”

Where’s the mansion the Emperor granted me? Why is it a damn cemetery now?

“Explain yourself properly.”

“Y-Yes…?”

“Start with what year it is.”

“It’s, uh, 541 in the Magical Calendar.”

“…Magical Calendar?”

What the fck is that nonsense?

“Isn’t it the Imperial Calendar?”

When I frowned, the man looked confused, his eyes widening.

“What? That’s ancient history… I mean, no, it’s not. The era switched from the Imperial Calendar to the Magical Calendar ages ago.”

“Switched…?”

What, did the Empire collapse or something?

I tilted my head and asked.

“Did the Empire fall?”

“No, it’s still around… but it lost its glory from a thousand years ago. Right now, it’s…”

He seemed unsure how to address me.

After a moment’s thought, I tossed out a name.

“Hm… call me Tepes.”

It’s vaguely vampire-related, so it works as a surname.

“Y-Yes… Lord Tepes, the land you’re standing on is still the Empire’s.”

“…I see.”

So the Empire didn’t vanish.

Then it makes sense that while I was sleeping in my coffin, they tore down my mansion and built a cemetery over it.

A thousand years is a long time, so it’s not that weird they’d demolish it.

The Empire probably thought I was dead since I didn’t leave an heir.

If I disappeared and my mansion was left empty, tearing it down makes sense… yeah, I get it.

I get it, but…

Crunch

“Eek!”

Fck, my house!

If I’d known it’d be gone in a thousand years, I would’ve told the Emperor not to touch it.

Not only is my house gone, but I’ve been forgotten, buried in the ground, and they built a damn cemetery over me…

Isn’t that basically being buried alive?

This is no way to treat a member of the Hero’s party who saved the world.

Fcking infuriating.

As I lowered my head, trying to calm my anger, I suddenly felt something off and opened my eyes.

…Wait a second.

A thousand years?

Did he just say a thousand years?

“Hey, do you remember the year 1557 in the Imperial Calendar?”

“Uh… isn’t that when the Demon King was defeated?”

“Yeah, exactly. Do you know how many years have passed since then?”

“Uh… about a thousand, I think.”

“Exactly 984 years,” the other guy chimed in.

Huh?

984 years?

For real?

“You’re serious? A thousand years have passed?”

“Y-Yes… is something wrong?”

“…”

I slapped my forehead.

This is insane.

Has that much time really gone by?

‘That guy’s probably the only one still alive…’

I scratched my head, thinking of that annoying little elf mage.

Young but insanely talented, the elves hyped her up like crazy.

Anyway, looks like my house vanished overnight, nobody remembers me, and…

I’ve lost everything I had.

I’m no better than a street beggar now.

‘No hope left.’

I’m already dreading how I’ll survive from here.

While I was sighing, worrying about what to do, the man kneeling in front of me nervously called out.

“Why are you calling me?”

“Don’t you have anywhere to go…?”

“I don’t, but…”

“Then how about coming with us?!”

What the hell, out of nowhere?

I gave him a skeptical look.

“Why should I trust you and follow you?”

Sure, if these guys had bad intentions, I could kill them with a snap of my fingers and escape any trap.

As part of the Hero’s party, I’ve had to kill before, and since I’ve been a vampire for so long, I don’t feel much about killing humans.

It’s just awkward because I used to be human.

But…

“That blood magic you just showed… it’s a level we could never dream of reaching…”

“You… you could save us!”

What the fck are they babbling about?

“Where are you trying to take me?”

“Uh, have you heard of the Crimson Tower…?”

“…What’s that?”

The man hurriedly explained.

Apparently, in this magical golden age, there are several towers representing different attributes.

Under the central Aether Tower, there’s a tower for blood mages, a glorious place called the Crimson Tower.

‘Blood mages…?’

What’s that supposed to mean? But something else caught my attention.

“Did you say Green Tower earlier?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right… it’s mostly filled with elves who control nature.”

“Hm…”

Elves, huh.

If that little elf is still alive, she might be the master of that tower.

“Do you know Seria Woodrin?”

“…Isn’t that the master of the Green Tower?”

“No… we can barely keep track of our own tower’s mages, let alone another tower’s master.”

“You’re the one asking!”

“I don’t know, probably right…”

They don’t seem sure.

But if it’s the same tower, it might be worth visiting the Green Tower.

That alone makes it worth going.

“Fine. I’ll go with you.”

“Yahoo!”

“We’re going home!”

For some reason, the two guys cheered like idiots when I agreed.

Man, they’re f*cking loud.