Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood-Chapter 66 - A New Destination

(Verc’s POV)

"Bong!"

I exclaimed, my voice full of genuine surprise as I saw the familiar coat of the horse Hans and his wife had given me as a parting gift when I left their small village.

I arrived beside him in a few quick strides and reached out to pat his thick mane. Bong neighed softly, leaning his head into my touch as if he were truly happy to see me again.

I turned my head to the side, and there— I looked at Edgar, who was standing quietly with the reins in his hand.

"How did you know I was coming here?"

I asked him, curious as to how he had timed this so perfectly.

"I knew that after the incident at my inn, you had fled into the labyrinth. So earlier, when that strange darkness appeared at the entrance— I just assumed it was you making your move to escape."

Edgar answered with a calm, knowing smile on his face. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I was waiting here for you. Bong was waiting too."

He added, patting the horse’s flank.

I didn’t really know what to say to that... but I was incredibly glad that I didn’t have to leave Bong behind after all. Having him back made me smile.

"Thank you, Edgar. Really."

I said to him, the words coming from a genuine place. It was the right decision to entrust Bong to his care before I went into the dungeon.

FWIP—

I reached down to the spatial pouch tied to my waist, and from the depths of it, I pulled out a large handful of gold coins I had scavenged from the dungeon.

I grabbed Edgar’s hand, and without any hesitation... I placed every single coin I had grabbed into his palm.

"Huh...?"

His eyes widened in shock when he saw that. He turned to me, his mouth opening as if he were about to protest or say something about the amount. But before he could even get a word out—

"Leave this trash city, Edgar. Use this money and bring whoever you want with you. Consider it as payment for taking care of Bong."

I spoke first and told him that, my voice firm.

"This is... this is way too much for just a few days of boarding."

He whispered under his breath, staring at the small fortune in his hand.

But I just gave him a casual shrug of my shoulders as I pulled myself up onto Bong’s back, getting into the saddle.

"I have way more where that came from. Just consider the extras as a tip for the good service."

I replied with a smug smile, enjoying his confusion for a second.

I was about to kick Bong into a gallop to get as far away from this city as possible, but just as I turned away—

"Go south-west from here. Find the [Cursed Forest]...!"

Edgar exclaimed that.

"That place is completely underdeveloped and was abandoned by both the empire and this kingdom a long time ago."

He told me that, his voice carrying over the sound of the wind.

I turned my head back to look at him. His face was serious; it was clear he genuinely wanted to help me find a safe place to hide.

I slightly bowed my head in respect—

"Thanks. I’ll do that."

I responded.

And after that—

"Let’s go, Bong!"

TAK- TAK- TAK—!

With a sharp kick, I left the City of Zore behind us, the gates disappearing into the distance as we rode into the open world.

... ... ...

*****

Verc traveled non-stop for hours, the rhythmic sound of Bong’s hooves hitting the dirt the only thing filling the silence. He followed Edgar’s advice to the letter, heading south-west away from the gates of Zore.

Right now— the sun had already dipped below the horizon, and the group was standing in the middle of a massive meadow that seemed to stretch on forever.

’I think we’re already far enough away for now.’

Verc thought to himself as he pulled on the reins, bringing Bong to a slow stop.

He slid down from the saddle, his boots hitting the soft grass, and then carefully placed Onyx on the ground. Verc had been holding the little dog in his left arm since they had burst out of the city gates.

It would have been difficult for a normal person to ride a horse at high speeds with only one hand, but with [Predatory Posture] helping him maintain a perfect sense of balance, it hadn’t really been a problem at all.

"We’re going to rest here for a while before we start traveling again."

Verc said, patting Bong on the neck and looking down at Onyx, who was sniffing the grass.

Then, he suddenly realized that today, Onyx hadn’t eaten anything yet. Verc had already run out of the last of the jerky to feed him while they were still deep in the dungeon.

Verc frowned as he realized his mistake. He hadn’t been able to gather any new resources because he was in such a hurry to leave, and the chaotic situation wouldn’t have allowed him to go shopping for supplies anyway.

But just then—

"Hm?"

His eyes landed on a pair of leather bags strapped tightly to Bong’s sides, tucked just behind the saddle.

He didn’t remember those being there before, and he had only just noticed them now because he had been so focused on putting distance between himself and Zore.

Verc reached out to the bags, and opening the first one— he saw his spare outfits and other personal items he had left at the inn.

Then opening the bag on the other side, he found a bundle of fresh hay and a large stash of dried meats.

They were supplies for Onyx and Bong...

"..."

Verc was momentarily speechless. A small, warm smile appeared on his face as he realized Edgar had thought of everything.

Then, as he took some of the hay for Bong and some meat for Onyx and began to feed the two—

’I really hope Edgar manages to live a happy life outside of that city.’

He thought to himself.

... ... ...

After letting the two eat their fill and rest their legs, Verc decided to go out and hunt for a bit.

The dried meat he had found would only last for a day or two even if he didn’t eat any of it himself. The hay for Bong would last for at least a week, but they needed a more sustainable source of food.

The point was, these supplies wouldn’t last forever.

"I need to find some fruits or wild vegetables to feed Bong, and then some fresh meat for Onyx."

He told himself, looking out over the meadow.

He was also starting to feel a familiar hunger— or thirst, to be more specific.

And so, with the help of his [Vibration Awareness] skill— Verc started hunting for wild animals.

He managed to catch a few wild bunnies and several snakes hidden in the tall meadow grass after about an hour of searching. Verc drank the blood of all the snakes he caught, while only taking a small amount from a few of the bunnies to quench his immediate thirst.

He noticed that his [Vibration Awareness] seemed to get even sharper and stronger from the snake blood.

Then, Verc realized that this was actually his first time ever drinking a bunny’s blood.

He didn’t gain any specific new skills from them, but he felt his leg strength improve drastically almost instantly after consuming it.

’Before, I only get skills from blood, but now it looks like the benefits aren’t limited to just that... is this because my [Blood Is Power] skill has become stronger?’

Verc asked that in his head, considering his growing power.

Anyway, he carefully skinned the remaining bodies of the bunnies and preserved the meat for Onyx to eat later.

And after he was done with that... he spent some time foraging for wild berries and greens for Bong.

... ... ...

In total, Verc stopped for about two hours to gather food and let Onyx and Bong recover their energy.

Then after that—

"Let’s continue moving."

They left the meadow and went on their journey again. It was already late at night, and the moon was at its brightest, casting a silver glow over the landscape.

But they didn’t really travel that much further. Verc just searched the horizon for a nearby forest, and after finding one a few kilometers away from where they had initially stopped—

They decided to camp there for the rest of the night.

This was mostly because Bong and Onyx were clearly exhausted and needed to sleep properly.

Verc figured that once they were inside a forest, it would be much harder for any pursuit team to find them, even if someone had been sent after them from the city.

Yes, there was always the threat of monsters or dangerous wild animals in a place like this—

’But those things are nothing for me to worry about.’

Verc thought confidently.

He spread his [Vibration Awareness] in a wide circle around their campsite, and he was actively watching out for the slightest sign of anything getting too near them.

Verc looked around him... Onyx and Bong were already sleeping peacefully near the small campfire he had made.

"..."

He sat down near the fire and closed his eyes. He planned on staying awake all night again to keep guard, and he would spend all of that time—

SWOOSH~

Meditating deeply and practicing his [Mana Circulation] to strengthen his new mana heart.