Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

After leaving the library, Morse immediately returned to his lodging. He had been searching for clues outside for several hours, without rest from morning until now.

After a battle and a series of events, his condition had begun to decline, and now he needed rest. He immediately called a taxi to take him to the hotel arranged by Emilia, the accommodation fee being paid by her.

Whoosh!

The automatic door opened, and Morse walked into the hotel lobby.

"Ah... you're back."

The two girls waiting at the entrance greeted him warmly, sitting and drinking tea. Emilia and Sylvie looked up at him, their eyes filled with both worry and relief.

'They must have been anxious.'

"Morse!" Sylvie was the first to rush towards him, immediately looking him up and down, carefully checking his condition. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"..." Sylvie didn't respond, but clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

'It seems she hasn't completely calmed down.'

Morse felt this was normal. After all, no ordinary person could recover immediately after experiencing such a scene.

"Did you find any clues?" Emilia stood up from the sofa and asked.

"A little."

"I understand... Come, sit down first. You must be tired."

The lobby was quite deserted, with only the receptionist sitting at the computer, his attention not on these three young people.

"A bit," Morse replied, following Emilia's gesture to sit down.

"Do you want some tea?" Emilia asked, pointing to the small teapot nearby.

"Yes, please."

Sylvie immediately poured him a cup of tea, and also poured one for herself. After Morse relaxed slightly, Emilia began to ask questions.

"So, what did you find?" Her voice was filled with curiosity and unease. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, and dark circles had already appeared beneath them.

"I didn't find too much," Morse began, meeting Emilia's expectant gaze. "I re-examined the place where Sylvie and I clashed with the demon followers. This is the only clue so far, and I think we might have overlooked some details."

Morse certainly wouldn't mention having gone to the places where other victims had disappeared, as that would expose how he obtained information, so he could only reveal some of the clues he had found.

Although Emilia and Sylvie were not bad people, they were still human. As long as someone knew, the information could potentially spread.

When the battle was mentioned, Sylvie couldn't help but tremble slightly, but she still listened attentively, her eyes full of anticipation. Emilia nodded, signaling Morse to continue.

"The place was empty, with no signs of demon followers, nor anything unusual; they are very professional. But my focus isn't on them."

"Did you notice anything unusual?" Emilia asked.

"Yes."

Emilia was a little excited when she heard this. "What—!" She raised her voice, but stopped when she saw Morse raise his hand.

"Calm down."

"That's right, she flew away using wind magic."

"After confirming it was Senior Maya, I tracked her traces. She didn't leave too many marks after landing, but as I continued to track, I arrived at the place where we fought the demon followers."

"She went there?"

"That's right, I'm pretty sure our fight was the reason she flew away."

"And then..."

"I didn't encounter her. But the strange thing isn't that she went to that place, but that there were battle marks and claw marks everywhere around."

"Claw marks?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Those marks belong to some kind of monster or non-human creature."

Morse didn't mention the detail of his own blood being licked; this was enough for Emilia to understand.

"So, you're saying she was attacked after she got there?"

"That's right," Morse said firmly, his gaze resolute. "I sensed residual demon energy when I investigated; the creature that attacked her left a unique trace."

Emilia's brow furrowed, filled with worry. "But Maya is so strong, who could do this?"

Morse shook his head. "I can't be sure. Whatever it is, it left unnatural traces of power. Senior Maya may be strong, but this opponent isn't an ordinary enemy. I can feel it's beyond the enemies we usually see."

"I understand..." Emilia lowered her head. If this enemy was powerful enough to defeat Maya, then they would also have a hard time fighting it.

Although Emilia was an upperclassman, she knew the gap in combat power between her and Maya. Maya was much stronger than her peers; she could even fight third-year students alone.

Morse also noticed her low mood and decided to change the subject.

"So, have you found any clues related to the past?" Morse asked, shifting the focus away from the grim situation at hand.

Emilia raised her head, trying to shake off the worry clouding her face. "Sylvie, why don't you tell him."

Sylvie nodded, temporarily forgetting her fatigue, and began to speak: "We went around town asking the locals about the folk stories and legends of West Oukes. Most people were very enthusiastic after learning that we were students from the Arcadia Hunter Academy. Unexpectedly, we got quite a few responses."

Morse leaned forward, curious about their findings. "What did you find out?"

Sylvie took a deep breath. "This town has supernatural historical tales. Do you remember what Mr. Jones said?"

"About the possibility of magic existing here before the 'Nexus Convergence Day'?"

"That's right."

"What's the connection between the two?"

"Many locals have recounted a series of ritualistic stories from many years ago. It's said that a cult performed dark rituals, attempting to summon some kind of being."

"But what does that have to do with the 'Nexus Convergence'?"

"They say most of these records come from the ruins of this town, and the calendar used belongs to an ancient empire."

"The calendar belongs to an ancient empire?"

"Yes, even the writing is theirs."

"I see..."

Morse nodded, digesting the historical background Sylvie provided. As she continued, his interest grew.

"There's one particularly eerie story that caught our attention. It's about an old Earl who ruled this town centuries ago. Locals say that one day, this Earl underwent a drastic change."

Morse's interest was piqued. "Change?"

"Yes. Legend says that the Earl became a completely different person overnight, turning violent and bizarre. One day, for no apparent reason, he killed his servants and drank their blood in a frenzy."

Morse's expression shifted, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Drank their blood?"

Sylvie nodded solemnly. "That's the most unsettling part of the story. The Earl's behavior became so extreme that the entire town began to revolt against him. To escape the townspeople's wrath, the Earl fled into the city's underground tunnels. Legend has it that he sealed the entrance with his own blood, trapping himself there forever."

'Tunnels.'

Morse's eyes widened slightly at the mention of tunnels, but neither Sylvie nor Emilia noticed.

"After that, no one ever heard from the Earl again, as if he vanished. The townspeople also feared the Earl's transformation, so they avoided the tunnels, believing them to be cursed. As time passed, the story became a legend, passed down through generations."

Morse nodded, masking his inner thoughts. "That's certainly a dark history."

Sylvie nodded as well. "I know these are just stories, but it definitely feels more sinister than ordinary folklore."

"That's why we came to this city, isn't it?"

"That's right......"

As the conversation wound down, Morse yawned, rubbed his eyes, and decided it was time to rest. "Thank you for your hard work. Well done. I need to rest for a bit."

Though he said that, his eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly contradicting his stated fatigue.

Emilia smiled. "We should rest too. Sylvie must be tired as well."

"I… I am indeed tired."

"Then let's rest."

"...Okay."

And just like that, after Morse took the key from Emilia, everyone returned to their rooms.

......

As soon as he entered his room, Morse sat on the bed and began sorting through the information he had gathered. The terrifying legend of the old Earl, the city's underground tunnels, and the librarian's shared stories—each piece left a deep impression on his mind.

'She said the Earl drank the blood of his servants.'

The mention of blood-drinking triggered his memory, and he recalled the scene of his blood being licked. The second trigger was the underground tunnels.

'If that's really the case, then it explains how the demons are able to move freely in the city without being captured.'

After all, there's no clear place indicating that the demons have been captured yet.

'A demon sealed underground… If that's the case, maybe it's recovering its strength…'

At that moment, a sentence flashed through his memory: 【Those bastards calling themselves the 'Midnight Society,' all I saw there was blood and brutality. They use disgusting blood magic to capture other humans, like livestock, turning them into subordinates.】

Morse leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. The connection between Senior Maya's disappearance and the city's ominous past seemed to be more than just a coincidence. The demon he was chasing might be inextricably linked to the Earl.

'Moreover, the demons specifically target Awakeners.'

These clues began to connect in his mind. The demons deliberately chose Awakeners as prey and could travel through the city via hidden tunnels, preying silently.

'The Earl sealed the entrance with his own blood… with his own blood… with blood… That feels familiar.'

I started exploring my memories from the game, searching for something similar.

【Those fanged beasts, you are no different from them.】

Immediately, a short sentence reminded him of the source of this familiarity. This was a story that would only occur later in the game.

'Fanged beasts.'

【You are the same as them; you are also looking for my people. You also want our blood, hunting us like animals.】

As I recalled the words spoken by a certain villain, everything began to become clear.

【Those bastards calling themselves the 'Midnight Society,' all I saw there was blood and brutality. They use disgusting blood magic to capture other humans, like livestock, turning them into subordinates.】

As these words surfaced in my mind, I naturally thought of the enemy I was facing.

'A vampire.'