Ch.33Expanding the Clan

Yeppi nervously paced around MoonRabbitVv, clearly anxious about what might happen to her crayons.

“I-I’m done…”

“My crayons!”

The moment MoonRabbitVv finished her work, Yeppi stretched out her hands toward her. MoonRabbitVv seemed to hesitate briefly before handing over the crayons she was holding.

“Phew…”

Yeppi sighed with relief.

I watched her and thought to myself.

Why make such a fuss over just a crayon?

After securing her crayons, Yeppi quickly left to search for items.

I unfolded the map MoonRabbitVv had given me.

Across the large map were new markings she had drawn.

Judging by the happy human figures drawn inside circles, humans must be in those areas.

However, the locations were very strange.

While most of the humans Yeppi had marked were inside the city, most of those marked by MoonRabbitVv were not in the city but in the mountains.

“Rabbit.”

“Yesss…”

“Is this accurate?”

“Y-yes, it’s accurate. I didn’t lie.”

Well, since MoonRabbitVv had become my subordinate, she couldn’t disobey my orders.

I told her to mark without lying, so these markings must be true.

“Why are humans in these places?”

I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

The human groups in Ravina’s memories had also settled near cities where farming items was easier.

Living isolated in the mountains would make it extremely difficult to obtain necessary items.

“T-to avoid the eyes of werewolves and vampires…”

“I see? Did it work?”

“Yes… After moving the clan to the mountains, the vampires who demanded blood every day stopped coming…”

“Are the numbers drawn below the circles the number of people?”

“Yesss…”

MoonRabbitVv had included quite detailed information.

Below the circles were the number of people, and next to that, even the number of max-level users.

This kind of meticulousness is something you wouldn’t find in men.

I patted MoonRabbitVv’s head as she watched me nervously.

Swish, swish-

Her silky hair scattered through my fingers.

It was quite some time later when all the subordinates who had gone out to farm items returned.

Thanks to them coming and going, pushing items into the shadow, the shadow’s belly had become quite full.

While checking if any of my subordinates were injured, I noticed Yeppi hiding something inside her clothes.

The rectangular shape was visible through her clothes.

What could that object be that she was hiding over her soft belly?

When I gave her a knowing look, Yeppi carefully averted her gaze.

She seemed to be pretending not to notice, but she couldn’t escape my hand.

Swoosh-

My hand quickly reached into Yeppi’s clothes.

I briefly felt her soft belly, but that wasn’t my goal.

Above that.

It was something solid.

“N-no, don’t!”

What emerged from under Yeppi’s clothes was a 48-color crayon set.

And it was brand new, still in its packaging.

“Gasp…”

“Gasp…!”

The children began to get excited at the appearance of the crayons.

Even VermouthSs seemed interested.

“I-it’s mine!”

I told her to get items, and she brought back crayons.

Not really a problem, but…

“Ngh…!”

Being my subordinate, Yeppi couldn’t harm me.

All she could do was circle around me with a tearful expression.

She looked like she was about to cry.

I sighed and handed the crayon set back to Yeppi.

“If you wanted something, you could have just told me.”

“I-if I tell you, will you let me have it?”

“Depends on what it is?”

“Mmm… I’ll tell you next time…”

Yeppi nodded with a small smile at my words.

Then she slipped into the shadow.

I hadn’t even told her to go in yet, but she moved on her own.

Of course, I was planning to put all my subordinates into the shadow since we were about to leave this place.

“Everyone, get into the shadow.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

My subordinates answered energetically to my command.

Then they jumped into the shadow just like Yeppi had done.

Like girls diving into a swimming pool, they plopped into the shadow one after another.

“Wow…”

Aurel seemed fascinated by this and repeatedly slid her hand in and out of my shadow.

I immediately got on the motorcycle.

Aurel and Hwang-gu, quick to catch on, clung to my legs.

They’re such perceptive children.

“Let’s go.”

Finding other vampire clans would come after increasing my subordinates.

I started the motorcycle and set off.

Vrooom-!

The motorcycle began to speed forward.

According to MoonRabbitVv’s markings, humans were gathered in mountains somewhat far from here.

I raced toward that location.

The speed was incomparable to riding a bicycle.

My silver-white hair fluttered behind me.

Thanks to the motorcycle’s speed, we arrived at our destination quickly.

Screech-!

“Ugh…”

“Eek…”

The children slumped down as the motorcycle came to a stop.

It must have been difficult to cling to my legs at such high speeds.

I got off the motorcycle, rubbing my slightly damp legs.

“Hmm…”

The mountain’s distinctive earthy and grassy smells, mixed with subtle traces of gunpowder and human blood, wafted faintly through the air.

The faintness of the smell meant that humans were deliberately concealing their scent.

“Sniff, sniff…!”

Hwang-gu also seemed to have detected the humans’ smell, as she began sniffing with her nose twitching.

“Rabbit.”

Swoosh-

MoonRabbitVv emerged from the shadow at my call.

She looked around and then seemed to realize where we were, her expression turning to surprise.

“Th-this place…”

“Guide us to where the humans are hiding.”

“Y-yesss…”

With MoonRabbitVv’s guidance, we could avoid any traps.

Human traps are powerful. Of course, I could pass through them unharmed using my shadow, but I didn’t want to alert the human users to my presence.

“This way…”

MoonRabbitVv led us to a spot quite far from the mountain entrance.

As I tilted my head wondering why, MoonRabbitVv explained.

“Th-there will be sentries… If we go that way, we’ll be easily spotted…”

MoonRabbitVv said this while watching my reaction.

She seemed to be expecting something.

I reached out and patted her head.

A foolish smile spread across her face.

“Hehe…”

MoonRabbitVv rubbed her head against my hand, delighted.

She was betraying the humans she had lived with.

Didn’t MoonRabbitVv feel anything about this?

I knew that the mental state of children who became my subordinates gradually changed to match that of vampires, but wasn’t this too fast?

It seems the speed of transformation varies from person to person.

MoonRabbitVv began climbing deeper into the mountain.

She pushed through the undergrowth, moving forward diligently.

Her small bottom swaying in front of me was somewhat distracting.

Suddenly, MoonRabbitVv lowered her body and pointed ahead.

“It’s over there…!”

I shifted my gaze slightly.

A place where rotted leaves, soil, and fallen trees were strangely entangled.

At first glance, it looked like a natural part of the mountain, but upon closer inspection, artificial traces became apparent.

It was as if something had been covered with soil and then poorly camouflaged.

“Sniff, sniff…! Human smell!”

Hwang-gu had also definitely detected the humans’ scent.

Her ears perked up and her tail wagged.

Her bright red tongue peeked out slightly, licking her lips.

“Mmm…!”

Aurel also seemed excited, wiggling her bottom vigorously.

I activated my Mystic Eye to get more definitive information.

Immediately, a flood of information poured in.

I discovered something unusual.

On top of a high mound of soil.

From the pile of grass and fallen leaves placed on top, information about a human user appeared.

[FollowingTheFlowingStar]

Level: 16

Race: Human

Health 95%

Mana 100%

Emotional state: Boredom, Calm, Tedium

FollowingTheFlowingStar…?

A subtly poetic feeling, a username rarely seen these days.

This person was definitely “old-school.”

But that’s not what’s important.

I shook my head and focused intensely on where the target’s information had appeared.

Activating a vampire’s concentration.

Then I could see the pile of fallen leaves and foliage moving slightly.

I never expected they would even be wearing a ghillie suit.

“Rabbit.”

“Yes?”

“Is there only one sentry?”

“Usually they take turns, one at a time…”

“Good…”

I reached toward my shadow.

A black katana emerged from below.

I had long given up on the idea of talking with humans.

Humans are a race that swings guns or knives at me on sight.

In that case, I should respond in kind.

She said there was only one sentry, so if I killed the human in that ghillie suit, we could easily enter.

“Ha…!”

With a short battle cry, I threw the katana with all my strength.

Whoosh-!

The black katana flew in a straight line and lodged precisely in the human user’s head.

Thud-!

A perfect strike that didn’t even allow a scream to escape.

“Let’s go…!”

Now that the sentry was dealt with, it was time to move.

I crawled toward the mound of soil.

Behind me followed Hwang-gu, Aurel, and MoonRabbitVv.

Rustle, rustle-

I carefully observed the three girls’ movements.

There’s one skill that every Korean man who has served in the military unconsciously acquires.

That is the low crawl position.

But Aurel, Hwang-gu, and MoonRabbitVv were just wriggling on the ground in very awkward postures, not maintaining a proper low crawl position.

These kids, they really aren’t men.

I sighed with relief and reached toward the bleeding corpse.

Black shadow extended smoothly.

After disposing of the sentry’s body, I examined behind the hill and discovered multiple containers.

These too were camouflaged with soil, grass, and fallen leaves.

The number of humans living here was 34.

I just killed one, so 33 remained.

“Let’s go…!”

I surrendered myself to the darkness and crawled toward the nearest container.

Rustle, rustle-