Ch.2Crimson Magic Tower (1)

My arrival in this world was purely by chance.

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

Brave Soul.

It’s a simple game, if anything.

Create a character, recruit passing NPCs as party members… or go solo… either way, it’s a straightforward game where you just need to defeat the Demon King.

If you want, you can take the main NPCs recommended by the developers, or you can take random NPCs wandering around town.

No matter how you approach it, as long as you defeat the Demon King, it’s OK.

That was Brave Soul.

And there was a huge reason why this game became a popular replay game.

It was because various mods could be applied.

The main stories of the lead NPCs, and even if you don’t follow them, the game creates quests using AI technology to hastily generate individual stories for each random NPC the protagonist meets, providing an enhanced experience and so on…

Anyway, since it was a game without a main storyline that just told you to defeat the Demon King, it was perfect for applying mods.

That’s why everyone was creating mods, and I found an interesting job class, so I applied the mod and was about to start a new playthrough.

The job was Vampire.

Yes, that bloodsucker also known as a vampire.

It’s a fantasy setting, so how could there not be vampires? It’s simple… the developers said they disliked vampires and refused to include them, but what could users do about that?

Anyway, since they didn’t exist in the game world and the developers explicitly stated they had no intention of adding them, rebellious users created this mod.

As the mod gained popularity, the furious developers declared they would ban anyone using it… but honestly, I was curious.

Gamers feel most thrilled when doing what developers hate.

So I downloaded it, applied the mod, and started right away, and as soon as I started the game, I entered this world.

The developers must have been incredibly angry to send me into the game world.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have downloaded the mod…

Anyway, I made a name for myself in this world while adventuring and eventually defeated the Demon King alongside the Hero.

Since I was a vampire, I thought I shouldn’t act ordinary, so I took the name “Count Vladimir” from a famous character in a game I played in my previous life to make myself sound impressive.

When I received my reward from the Emperor after defeating the Demon King, he was bewildered because there was no Count Vladimir registered in the Empire.

Since the Hero had the “light” attribute, which was most effective against the Demon King… I fed him all the special equipment and rare items I knew about, and he defeated the Demon King on his own, so I basically got a free ride.

There was a minor issue where the status window was broken due to the mod, making the game system completely useless, but what does it matter?

Defeating the Demon King was all that mattered.

Though I despaired when I realized I couldn’t return home even after defeating the Demon King, so I shut myself in a coffin and just slept.

But something strange happened.

“How curious indeed…”

Why, when I woke up, had my body become like this?

“Don’t you think?”

And where was my mansion given by the Emperor, replaced by a cemetery…?

“Come now, explain yourself properly.”

“Huh? What?”

“First, tell me what year it is.”

“It’s, it’s the year 541 in the Magical Power Year calendar.”

“…Magical Power Year?”

What nonsense is this suddenly?

“Isn’t it the Imperial Year?”

When I frowned and asked, the man instead widened his eyes as if I’d said something strange.

“What? That outdated… Ah, no, no. It’s been a long time since the calendar changed from Imperial Year to Magical Power Year.”

“Changed…?”

Well, did the Empire fall or something?

I tilted my head and asked.

“Did the Empire fall?”

“No, it still exists… but its former glory from a thousand years ago has long disappeared. Right now…”

He seems confused about what to call me.

After thinking for a moment, I used a term that came to mind.

“Hmm… call me Tepes.”

It’s related to vampires… I used it as a surname.

“Yes… Mr. Tepes, the land you’re standing on is still Empire territory.”

“…I see.”

So the Empire didn’t disappear.

Then the Empire still exists, but… while I was sleeping in my coffin, they demolished my mansion and built a cemetery on top of it.

After a thousand years, it’s not so strange that they demolished the mansion.

From the Empire’s perspective, they probably thought I had died since I didn’t create any heirs.

It makes sense that they would demolish my empty mansion after I disappeared… yes, I can understand that.

I understand, but…

*Crack*

“Hii, hiik…”

Oh shit, my house!!

If I had known I’d sleep for a thousand years, I would have at least told the Emperor not to demolish it.

Not only is my house gone, but I’ve been forgotten, buried in the ground, and they even built a cemetery on top…

Isn’t that basically being buried alive?

Is this how they treat a member of the Hero’s party who saved the world?

This is really annoying.

As I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and tried to calm down, I suddenly felt something strange and opened my eyes again.

…Wait a minute.

A thousand years?

Did he just say a thousand years?

“Hey, do you remember Imperial Year 1557?”

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

“Yes, that’s right. Do you know how many years have passed since then?”

“Um… probably about a thousand years.”

“To be exact, 984 years.”

What?

984 years?

Really?

“Is, is that true? Has it really been a thousand years?!”

“Huh? Yes… is there a problem?”

“…”

I smacked my forehead.

This is unbelievable.

Has that much time really passed?

‘Only that kid must have survived…’

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

Though young, I remember the Elf Nation boasting about his incredible talent.

Anyway, it seems my house disappeared overnight, and everyone who remembered me is gone…

I’ve lost everything I had.

This makes me no different from a homeless person.

‘There’s no solution.’

I’m already feeling overwhelmed about how to live from now on.

“Um…”

While I was sighing deeply, wondering what to do next, the man kneeling in front of me cautiously called out to me.

“Why do you call me?”

“Do you perhaps have nowhere to go…?”

“I don’t have anywhere to go, but…”

“Th-then how about coming with us?!”

Suddenly…?

I frowned, clearly displeased.

“Why should I trust you and follow you?”

Of course, if these guys had ill intentions, I could kill them with just a flick of my finger if I fell into a trap along the way.

As a member of the Hero’s party, I’ve had to kill many people, and since I’ve been a vampire for a long time, I don’t feel much emotion about killing humans.

It’s just uncomfortable because I used to be human once.

However…

“That Blood Magic you just showed us… it was Blood Magic of such a profound level that we couldn’t even dream of reaching…”

“Y-you could… you could save us!”

What nonsense are they suddenly spouting?

“Tell me where you’re trying to take me.”

“W-well… have you heard of the Crimson Blood Magic Tower?”

“…What is that?”

The man hurriedly explained about the Magic Tower.

From what I heard, in the Magical Kingdom, which is experiencing an unprecedented golden age of magic, there are several Magic Towers representing different attributes.

Under the central Aether Tower, there exists a tower that serves as a home for Blood Mages who manipulate blood—a glorious tower blessed with crimson color.

That is the Crimson Blood Magic Tower.

‘Blood Mage…?’

I wondered what that meant, but there was something more important right now.

“Did you just say there’s a Green Tower?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right… it’s a Magic Tower mainly occupied by elves who deal with nature.”

“Hmm…”

Elves…

If that short elf kid was still alive, there was a high possibility he had become the Tower Master.

“Do you know Seria Woodrin?”

“…Isn’t that the Green Tower Master?”

“No… it’s hard enough remembering the names of mages in our tower, let alone the Tower Masters of other towers.”

“You’re the one asking!”

“I don’t know, probably…”

He doesn’t seem certain.

If they’re in the same tower system, I might be able to visit the Green Tower.

That alone made it worth following them.

“Very well. I’ll go with you.”

“Yahoo!”

“We’re going home!”

When I readily agreed, the two men who had been looking confused suddenly cheered.

I don’t know why.

Damn, they’re so noisy.