Chapter 145 | From Galgame Nobody to Eternal Sovereign

Had she poked a vampire nest or something? Ever since Elizabeth, she kept running into vampires.

Was there nothing left but vampires among monsters these days?

Sophie pondered this as she tried to wake Nega.

The First Embrace was the core ritual for vampires to turn humans into vampires, and the only way to propagate their lineage and extend their bloodline.

By draining a normal person's blood and replacing it with their own, a vampire could spawn a loyal descendant one or two generations below them.

Generally, vampires did not perform the First Embrace lightly. Unlike the blood servants they created, those who received the First Embrace became true vampires. They could increase their blood purity by devouring the souls of elders, and in extreme cases, even turn on their creators. To a vampire, descendants were both a continuation and a liability—they could be the clan's claws, heirs, and pawns, but they could also become traitors who knew their creator's weaknesses best after many long years.

Because of this, the First Embrace was often strictly regulated. Many vampire clans, princely domains, and ancient cabals decreed that any vampire must obtain permission from a superior before performing the ritual on a newcomer. If someone went ahead without permission, not only might the newborn descendant be executed, but the sire would also be held accountable. Every new vampire meant another predator, a new variable in the power balance, and a disruption to the vampires' hidden order.

Newborn descendants who had just undergone the First Embrace were usually unstable. They experienced rebirth after death, drastic sensory changes, an intense craving for blood, and an instinctive dread of sunlight, holy relics, running water, and other taboos. A sire would typically watch over and teach their fledglings for the first few nights, instructing them in hunting, disguise, concealment, vampire etiquette, and clan taboos. Without guidance, a fledgling could easily lose control to hunger, exposing the existence of vampires and bringing unwanted trouble.

More importantly, the First Embrace did not equal absolute control. The blood infused during the ritual established a natural connection between the creator and the descendant, making the newborn more likely to rely on, fear, or obey their master in the short term. However, this connection was not an eternal shackle. As time passed, descendants would develop their own will, influence, and desires. If the master was too oppressive, if the descendant's ambition swelled, or if both were dragged into clan infighting, this blood bond could easily turn from loyalty into hatred.

Therefore, in vampire society, the First Embrace was never a simple gift. It was only performed once the sire was absolutely certain the target was a carefully selected subordinate.

Of course, none of that mattered.

Because the effect of Sophie's First Embrace was...

【Born of Death (Reversed) Lv.Max: You can turn monsters into humans through the First Embrace.】

According to the skill description, as long as she replaced the monster's blood with her own, it would turn into a human.

There was no doubt that the primary ingredient in the supplement Sophie made through the alchemy ritual was her own blood.

Thus, what she had just done was her very first attempt at testing her own ability.

The vampire brew, which possessed extraordinary healing properties for humans, acted like holy water when poured onto monsters.

Then again, Nega was clearly a human who had been converted.

But if she encountered monsters like slimes, skeletons, or animated objects in the future...

How would this skill take effect then?

“You're awake? The surgery was a success. You're the most promising one among this batch of newcomers.”

Sophie said casually as she watched Nega slowly regain consciousness.

She glanced at the quest sheet in Nega's hand and compared it with her own.

Though the wording differed slightly, it was undeniably the exact same quest.

What a coincidence.

A classic development.

“So, what exactly happened in the border town?” Sophie asked.

Nega lay on the ground, not answering immediately.

He had only just awakened to the sound of his own heartbeat.

He was mesmerized by the return of a life force that had long since departed. His heart was finally beating again.

Thump, thump, thump.

It was very weak, sounding as if it might stop at any moment, yet it stubbornly persisted.

He lay prone in the dirt, his face smeared with blood and tears, his fingers instinctively clutching the gravel on the ground.

As the sharp gravel dug into his palms, the pain actually brought him a bizarre sense of relief.

It hurt.

How wonderful it was to feel pain.

Feeling pain meant that at least a part of this body finally belonged to him again.

“Speak up if you're awake.” Sophie didn't rush him. She simply ate her cake while waiting for the adventurer at her feet to adjust. “What exactly is going on with your town?”

Nega raised his head with great difficulty.

The white-haired girl's face was still plain and unremarkable, but the look in her eyes was entirely casual. She stared down at him as if she had just rescued a stray dog run over by a carriage.

Yet, it was this very girl, who looked like a Rank 1 Adventurer at best, who had dragged him out of Eno's blood contract.

Using a potion the drivers used to restore their stamina for pulling carriages.

Nega's throat twitched.

“Don't... go in...”

Sophie blinked.

“Yeah, I already figured that much out.”

Nega's fingers suddenly tensed as he struggled to push himself up, only to collapse weakly back onto the ground.

“N-No... it's not the town.”

His teeth chattered, and his pupils suddenly dilated as a certain name neared his lips, as if those two syllables alone could summon the blood threads back to him.

“Eno... there's a vampire! A titled vampire! A terrifying monster!”

Buck and Gru were huddling near the carriage shafts. The two burly men had been drinking their supplement while enjoying the show, but hearing the terror in Nega's voice and the news of a monster, they gasped and nearly choked.

A... monster? Within the borders of Solitude?

?! And a strong one?!

Gru was about to discuss this with Buck when he noticed Buck chugging his supplement like water.

“What are you doing?”

“Didn't you see the effect of this potion just now? It's basically holy water,” Buck said. “If a monster shows up, we'll spray them in the face, or just piss right on their heads.”

“Oh, right! You're so smart!”

Gru's eyes lit up, and he also began to chug the supplement.

Drink more. When they ran into monsters, they would spray them right in the face.

Miaoyue, who was nibbling on her second slice of cake, tilted her head upon hearing this.

A terrifying monster? Just how terrifying could it be?

But seeing the two bandits pulling the carriage so frightened, she couldn't afford to seem too out of place.

She thought about it.

Before long, Miaoyue fetched a third slice of cake from the carriage, putting on a frightened expression to calm her nerves.

Nega, still sprawled on the ground: “...”

Could these people show a little respect to that terrifying vampire?

Eating and drinking the whole time was incredibly rude.

It was actually starting to make him a bit hungry.

“A titled vampire?” Sophie asked. “How high is his title?”

“I-I don't know, but he's incredibly strong anyway.”

Nega scrambled on all fours, trying to make these insanely bold people realize the terror of Eno.

Eno was by no means some ordinary low-tier monster wandering the outskirts of the Chaos Wasteland.

He had stolen the Refraction Transposition from Philthali and utterly crushed their party in a direct confrontation.

“Don't let him touch you!” Nega said urgently. “He'll steal... he can take other people's abilities... Philthali's spell was...”

Before he could finish, he suddenly froze.

Because from behind him came the faint sound of a page turning.

The color instantly drained from Nega's face.

A second sound.

Rustle.

It sounded like someone checking a guest list in a reception hall.

A third sound.

Rustle.

The sound was slow and deliberate, yet it plunged Nega's newly restored heartbeat straight into ice water.

Dusk was rapidly falling, and mist from the direction of Black Gallows crept along the ground.

The shadow of the abandoned gallows tower in the distance was stretched long by the twilight, resembling black nails driven into the earth at an angle.

Flutter, flutter.

A flock of bats flew past.

They did not screech or swoop down, merely circling in silence.

The low growls of wolves, the fluttering wings of bats, and the mist that had enveloped them without anyone noticing.

Then, a young man wearing a long black coat stepped out from behind a thick bank of fog.

Nega turned his head, his face instantly turning pale as cold sweat drenched his body.

His body instinctively collapsed flat onto the ground.

The fear lingering in his bones still remembered how to submit.

But just as his forehead was about to touch the dirt, the mana threads at Sophie's fingertips twitched slightly, catching his shoulder.

“Stand up. No kneeling.”

Sophie said casually.

Manipulating the mana threads in her hand, she forcefully pulled Nega up from the ground, forcing him to hold his head high.

The young healer did not bow to Eno.

Eno witnessed this.

A fake smile spread across his face.

Eno had already been there when Nega was luring the guests off the carriage. He had been looking forward to fresh blood food to make up for his losses.

But when he discovered that the one stepping down was a Twelfth Generation Vampire, a generation younger than himself, Eno was instantly disappointed.

The blood consumed by vampires was essentially life energy, and it was impossible to extract the life energy of a living human from another vampire.

Besides, Eno had no reason to go and fight her. Leaving aside whether she belonged to the Council like him, even if she were a wild vampire, a simple truth remained—all vampires were converted through the First Embrace, meaning there would always be elders of a higher generation behind them.

He had no desire to look for trouble and make enemies.

In the spirit of minding his own business unless provoked, Eno was just about to recall his blood servant when that rude Count actually started splashing holy water on his servant.

No, it was probably holy blood, as the scent drifting from the potion was clearly that of blood.

Were the local vampires really this ill-mannered?

Damn ruffians, how dare they kill my horse?!

His connection with his blood servant had been severed, and the servant had even reverted from an undead creature back into a living being.

How on earth did she do that?

Regardless of how.

“Nega, I instructed you to welcome the guests, yet you kept them outside the town. Strictly speaking, this does not align with Black Gallows' hospitality etiquette,” Eno said softly.

Nega's lips trembled.

“However, considering you have just undergone a rather crude treatment, I shall excuse your temporary lapse in manners.”

Eno's gaze fell upon Nega.

He looked him over as if examining a tool that had been disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled incorrectly.

“Truly astonishing,” he said. “Your blood vessels burned away, your blood contract stripped... how exactly did you turn back into a human? Once I capture you again, I must study you thoroughly.”

Nega shuddered.

Eno's gaze then shifted to the two burly men wearing harnesses, and then to the row of empty bottles and the supplements that hadn't been packed away on the edge of the carriage.

In his mild eyes...

They were drinking the same thing, and there was plenty left over.

“Refining high-tier vampire blood into a stable, portable recovery potion just to sustain two Trainee-level carriage pullers.”

“To think you have come from afar and used such potions right at the entrance of the town.” Eno bowed slightly, his etiquette flawless. “Please allow me, on behalf of Black Gallows, to apologize for our previous lack of hospitality.”

“I wonder if you would do us the honor of visiting Black Gallows as guests?” He finally directed his gaze onto Sophie's face.

Sophie complained, “Is everyone in your town this eloquent?”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“It wasn't a compliment,” Sophie said, shrugging. “But it's just as well. We were heading there anyway.”

Eno's smile deepened.

Miaoyue sat by the carriage door, taking a small bite of her cake.

This...

Was this the terrifying monster the adventurer was talking about?

Oh, how terrifying.

Miaoyue began eating her fourth slice of cake.

Eno's gaze paused briefly on Miaoyue.

An ordinary person, yet unlike the two drivers who were already shaking like leaves, there wasn't a trace of fear on her face.

She's probably blood food kept by this white-haired girl, right?

She looks decent enough. Quite suitable to become one of his collectibles.

After making his assessment, Eno turned his attention back to Sophie.

The strongest one here was still this white-haired vampire.

But this white-haired girl was different.

The aura she exuded was highly contradictory.

A Twelfth Generation Vampire, yet in her human form, her breathing, body temperature, and hunger rhythm were so clean that she didn't seem like one of their kind at all.

Moreover, the blood in that potion clearly possessed an extremely pure vampire quality, to the point of burning his blood contract tubes to the point of necrosis.

And the blood in that bottle seemed to be this vampire's own? He could smell the same scent on her.

Eno's smile grew even gentler.

A talent magic!

Just like his own skill-stealing ability.

Subarashii!

He could think of a hundred uses for a talent magic that could counter one's own kind.

She wouldn't be leaving today.

Handing a vampire like her over to His Grace the Duke would certainly be a great achievement.

And keeping a portion of her for himself first wouldn't be an issue either.

Eno licked his lips.

“My dear lady, you seem to have misunderstood something,” he said. “While Black Gallows welcomes guests, it only welcomes... common guests.”

Sophie's brow furrowed. “Who are you calling rare?”

Eno: “?”

“I said, who are you calling rare?”

Eno thought, What on earth is this vampire babbling about?

He steadied himself and continued at his own pace.

“Take Mr. Nega, for instance. He was once a commendable healer, and later a registered greeter of Black Gallows. Now, you have dismantled his contract without permission, causing him to lose basic manners toward his master. You are indeed an insolent one.”

Eno looked up, his voice carrying a hint of chilliness.

“As the Steward, it is my duty to reclaim damaged property.”

Nega's pupils contracted sharply.

“Watch out—”

Blood threads erupted from the mist.

Dozens of supersonic blood arrows shot forth with a whistling screech, rising simultaneously from the shadows on both sides of the road, behind fallen logs, and out of the cracks in the gravel, aiming straight for Nega's neck, wrists, and spine.

Nega knew he couldn't dodge them.

He was too weak.

He could only stand with the support of the threads.

His body had only just regained its heartbeat, his wounds were still burning, and his fingers couldn't even grip a light crossbow tightly.

He watched the blood threads close in, with only one thought left in his mind.

It was over.

Just after escaping, he was about to be dragged right back.

In the next instant.

Sophie raised her hand.

The nearly invisible mana threads snapped taut first, pulling Nega behind her.

Then, the white-haired girl opened her umbrella.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

The blood arrows that had broken the sound barrier in midair slammed violently against the thin Oil-paper Umbrella.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

The Oil-paper Umbrella spun gently, and the spent blood arrows slid harmlessly down its surface.

It didn't pierce through?

How was that possible?

Even ordinary magical items shouldn't be able to block his blood arrows.

Eno's smile froze for a split second.

Nega's eyes widened.

He knew better than anyone how troublesome those blood arrows were.

His captain had fallen victim to them.

Selena had fallen victim to them.

Philthali had fallen victim to them.

They could turn into blood threads, growing out of cellars, wall cracks, and the bodies of the townspeople, carrying the malice of the entire Black Gallows blood nest to drag back any rebel.

Yet now, Sophie barely moved.

She merely held up an umbrella that looked like it would crumble at a touch, as if she were simply shielding herself from a rainy day.

Eno looked down at the blood pooling on the ground.

A moment later, he chuckled softly.

“My apologies. I originally thought your only talent lay in brewing potions. It seems your refinement of blood is far more precise than I imagined.”

He raised his hand.

Between his fingers, a thin glass shard had appeared at some point.

A Refraction Anchor.

Nega's breath hitched.

The light within the surrounding mist began to distort, and Eno's figure split into three, smiling simultaneously from three different positions.

“Since Nega is temporarily inconvenient to reclaim, I can only pay my respects to you first.”

Eno vanished.

His figure glided away from his original spot, and in the next breath, he was already behind Sophie, reaching out a gentle hand toward her shoulder.

He was too fast.

Nega didn't even have time to shout a warning.

That was Philthali's magic.

That was the escape route they had once been so proud of.

After Eno stole it in the cellars of Black Gallows, he used it far more ruthlessly and fluidly than Philthali herself ever could.

It was the same this time.

Eno used his finger as a sword, a massive amount of blood energy condensing at the tip.

If it touched her...

...she would be blown to pieces, leaving not even ashes behind.

Even if blocked by some medium, it wouldn't matter. This was a blood magic spell called Blood Burst, a curse specifically designed to deal with shield-bearers.

Nega's heart nearly stopped.

Buck and Gru stared with wide eyes.

Miaoyue stuffed the rest of her cake into her mouth.

She had been enjoying the show.

Though this terrifying monster wasn't actually that scary, her own Saintess wasn't as strong as him yet.

Hmm, once Sophie calls out to me for help, how should I, as her teacher, make a grand entrance to save the day?

Sophie was great at turning situations into a farce, but a farce didn't guarantee safety.

Miaoyue chewed her cake, her fingertips already rolling a tiny stone.

Forbidden Spell: Meteor Burst.

It would be best if, at the very moment Eno thought he had won, a meteor streaked down from the sky, elegantly pinning this annoying Steward into the dirt. That way, she could rescue her Saintess from the brink of disaster while showing off the poise a teacher ought to have.

Just as Eno's finger jabbed down, Sophie moved as well.

She simply gripped her Oil-paper Umbrella and began to spin in place like a whirlwind.

It doesn't matter if I can't see where the attack is coming from.

As long as I attack...

As if caught in a siphon, Eno's finger—which was condensing the Blood Burst—was pulled toward Sophie's Oil-paper Umbrella.

In the next instant.

Bang!

A massive explosion rang out. Sophie floated up lightly, holding her umbrella as she drifted back down.

The spell that was supposed to bypass defenses and target shield-bearers had done nothing more than slightly singe the hem of the white-haired girl's clothes.

Everywhere else, she was completely unharmed.

What kind of magic was this?

She hadn't even hit him, yet his own attack had been drawn right into her path.

Eno took a wary step back, the blood-red threads beneath his sleeves hanging down in coils.

“It seems a common probe was indeed an offense to you.”

His gaze swept across Sophie's white hair, her breathing, and her body temperature, before settling on the faint trace of vampire aura hovering at her fingertips.

“In that case, I shall switch to a method more fitting of vampire etiquette.”

The mist suddenly darkened.

From the edge of the road came the distant throbbing of a giant heart underground.

Thump.

In the direction of Black Gallows, several bats exploded into blood mist.

The blood mist did not disperse. Instead, it condensed behind Eno into a thin, constantly churning crimson curtain.

“The order of vampires has never been maintained by swords or spells,” Eno proclaimed.

“It is maintained by blood.”

He looked at Sophie, his eyes carrying the scrutiny of a high-tier predator.

“Only a select few can master a talent magic. I believe you and I are alike in this—”

“Your cutscene is way too long,” Sophie grumbled. “Do you seriously have to deliver a monologue every single time you attack?”

Her plan was to yawn when Eno attacked, and then beat him into the mysterious farmhouse with her umbrella.

The problem was that this mini-boss really did speak a line for every strike.

Seriously, who wants to watch your cutscenes?

Eno: Endure. Endure. Do not let her get under your skin.

Seeing the blood mist condensing behind Eno, Nega's expression changed drastically.

“Oh no! He's stealing your ability!”

Sophie: “?”

Me...?

Stealing my ability?

Seriously?

“Too late! Too late!”

Eno burst into laughter.

“Even though my blood servant risked his life to tell you about my Life Theft ability—desperately cramming like a student trying to solve a final exam question before the bell rings...”

“...you were still foolish enough to engage me in close combat.”

He opened his palm.

The Refraction Anchor had already vanished, replaced by a brand-new power.

Indeed, his talent magic, Life Theft, allowed him to steal his opponent's strongest ability.

The stronger the opponent deemed the ability, the more they feared losing it, and the more they relied on it...

...the higher the probability it would be stolen.

This was precisely why he had let Nega ramble on for so long.

Now, let me steal the power you are most proud of.

Eno made a grasping motion, and a very fine blood-red mark emerged in his palm.

Eno couldn't see the name of this ability, nor did he know its general function.

This was normal. After all, he could only vaguely grasp the usage of the stolen ability.

But this was more than enough.

Without a doubt, he would steal her talent magic—the magic that turned her own blood into holy water, a deadly poison to vampires!

Nega felt a chill run through his entire body.

This was exactly what Philthali had gone through.

Watching helplessly as the thing she was best at, trusted most, and relied on to save her life was held in the enemy's hands in a more beautiful and cruel fashion.

“Impressive.”

Eno stared at the mark in his palm, an irrepressible note of delight finally slipping into his tone.

“It is neither a cleric's holy water nor an alchemist's purification agent. You have rewritten the blood of vampires into something capable of burning away blood contracts. To use such an ability merely to save a damaged decoy is far too wasteful.”