Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood-Chapter 93 - Expansion [2]

After receiving Verc’s orders, Groo and Mamon moved immediately.

They did not waste a single second in deliberation. The orc culture was built on a foundation of strength and hierarchy, and now that they had a leader who could summon fortresses from the very earth, they were desperate to prove their worth. They don’t want to be seen as a burden.

To execute the command, they cut their population exactly in half. It was a clean, efficient split. Groo took twenty-eight of the strongest, most battle-hardened warriors, including the two heads of the main families who were known for their tracking skills and ferocity. They checked their heavy stone weapons, adjusted their hide armor, and set out into the treeline to hunt monsters.

The other half of the tribe was left under the supervision of Mamon and the two remaining family heads. With their leader’s instructions ringing in their ears, they stayed in the clearing. Their task was less glorious but equally vital—they had to chop down more of the towering trees to expand the living space around the castle.

"They move fast, huh."

Verc mumbled to himself.

He was standing by the narrow, barred window of his fifth-floor room, watching the green-skinned figures disappear into the dense shadows of the [Cursed Forest]. The dust kicked up by their departure was still settling in the newly cleared space. From this height, the orcs looked like busy ants, organized and relentless. It was still afternoon, and the sun cast long, orange shadows across the dirt.

Now that the orders were being carried out and the machinery of his new "kingdom" was in motion—

"Erm... now what am I going to do?"

Verc was a bit taken aback. He stood in the center of his empty stone room, his hands hovering awkwardly at his sides. It was... so easy.

He had spent so much of his life struggling just to survive, even back in his original world. Having a literal army handle his chores felt surreal.

He didn’t even need to worry about his next meal. He just gave orders, and now, he didn’t need to do anything.

"..."

He looked down at the corner of the room. Onyx was there, curled up into a small, fluffy ball. The little puppy was sleeping peacefully again, his tiny paws twitching as if he were chasing something in his dreams. He was completely unbothered by the weight of leadership that was currently pressing down on Verc’s shoulders.

Verc scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit restless. He wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed sitting around and waiting for results. The silence of the fifth floor was starting to feel heavy.

And so--

"I guess I’ll train then."

FWIP~

He just said that and took out his sword from its scabbard. The blade was already strapped to his waist, a constant weight he had grown used to. He stepped into the center of the room, finding a spot where the ceiling was high enough for full vertical swings.

SLASH!

Then he started swinging his sword.

Downward slash. Horizontal parry. High guard.

He repeated the motions again and again, his muscles remembering the weight and balance of the steel perfectly. He wasn’t just moving his arms; he was training his already honed swordsmanship, still trying to find a way to make it better, faster, and more lethal. Every movement was a search for a flaw he could fix.

"..."

Verc’s focus was amazing.

When he put his mind to something, the rest of the world tended to fade away. In a matter of a short amount of time—he was able to enter a trance. His breathing slowed, becoming deep and rhythmic.

And unconsciously—

SWOOSH—!

Mana started circulating inside his body. It wasn’t just physical training anymore. The energy answered to his deep-seated desire to be stronger. The mana flowed from his core, through his shoulders, and into the blade itself, syncing with the arc of every swing.

... ... ...

He didn’t even notice the passage of time.

*****

Verc trained without worrying about the time, his mind locked in a cycle of steel and energy. And as he was stuck in his room, everyone else in the castle continued moving, keeping the newfound settlement alive.

The kids took care of the castle’s interior. They swept the stone floors, organized the few supplies they had, and made sure the lower levels were functional for the orcs who were staying there. They even checked on Bong in the barn, making sure the horse was fed and groomed.

Ashley even quietly entered Verc’s room at one point. She moved like a shadow, her footsteps making no sound on the stone floor. She saw Verc in the center of the room, his sword moving in a blur of silver. The air around him felt heavy and cold, thick with the mana he was projecting.

With her deep connection to Verc, she could feel that he was very focused and training at the moment. She knew better than to interrupt that kind of intensity.

So, she took the initiative to not trouble him with anything. She quietly fed Onyx, then picked up the puppy and his sleeping bag to bring him downstairs so he wouldn’t get in the way of a stray sword swing.

Meanwhile...

Outside, the orcs continued doing exactly what they were told. Mamon was a strict overseer, and the orcs were eager to prove they were helpful. But of course, with all the heavy lifting and tree-felling they did—they soon got hungry.

They had been hungry since the morning, actually. Orcs have massive appetites, and their bodies require a huge amount of meat to maintain their strength. However, they were scared to appear lazy in Verc’s eyes. They thought if they stopped to eat, the "Demon King" might look down from his window and decide they were useless.

So, they kept moving until their stomachs were audibly growling.

Luckily, they were able to retrieve their food stock from their old village last night. They had brought back large quantities of dried meat and smoked monster haunches. They all sat in the clearing, enjoying a good meal to replenish their energy.

They ate with a silent, desperate intensity. And after they were done, just like a robot—or a slave, to be honest—they got right back to working. They didn’t wait for a second command.

... ... ...

... ... ...

... ... ...

*****

Night came before anyone noticed.

The orange sky turned to a deep, bruised purple, and then the moon came up, casting a silver glow over the expanded clearing. The sounds of the forest changed, the chirping of harpies replaced by the low, dangerous hum of nocturnal predators.

And just then—

TAP!!!

The other half of the orc tribe that went hunting finally came back. And they didn’t come back empty-handed.

TOK— TOK— TOK—

Verc heard a knock on his door.

"Hmm?"

The sound snapped him out of his trance immediately. He stopped mid-swing, his chest heaving as he took in a deep, shaky breath. He had actually just trained until now like an idiot, completely losing track of the hours.

"What is it?"

Verc asked, his voice a bit raspy.

He sheathed his sword with a sharp click. He was sweating all over, his shirt sticking to his back. It was naturally not like this during normal practice, but because he had been constantly circulating mana while swinging his sword, he was exhausted more than usual. His muscles felt like they were vibrating.

"Groo, and the group of orcs that went to hunting in the forest came back, my lord."

Just then, he heard a voice outside his room. It was Jed. Hearing how he addressed him, Verc frowned.

’Did Tatum tell him to call me that?’

He asked in his head, feeling a bit of a headache forming. He didn’t want a castle full of people calling him "my lord."

Verc shook his head to remove such unnecessary thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on the report. He grabbed a cloth and wiped the sweat from his face and neck, then tugged at his worn shirt to straighten it out.

"I’m coming down now."

Verc answered without much thought.

He didn’t bother changing. He just dried himself off as best as he could, then he opened the door.

CREAK—

Jed was standing there, and as soon as he saw Verc, he greeted him with a deep bow.

Verc just told him to ease up, but he knew it probably wouldn’t stick. Then after that—the two of them started walking down to the first floor.

"Let’s go."

Tap-

... ... ...

When Verc and Jed got to the first floor, they found the main hall bustling with activity. Groo was standing near the entrance, looking absolutely triumphant. His green skin was splattered with dark blood, and he was leaning on his massive stone axe.

"My lord! We’re back, and I’m happy to tell you that we were successful with our expedition."

Groo declared with a huge grin on his face. He looked like he had just won a war single-handedly. His lower fangs were showing proudly, gleaming in the torchlight that the kids had set up.

Verc frowned, but he didn’t even bother thinking about it this time—the way the orc addressed him was a battle he was clearly losing. He was getting used to it now, whether he liked it or not.

"Any casualties?"

Verc asked, his eyes scanning Groo for any serious wounds.

"None! We moved as one, and the monsters of this forest were no match for the tribe of the Great One!"

Groo proudly answered, puffing out his chest.

Verc nodded his head hearing that. Despite his awkwardness with the situation, he was relieved.

"Good job."

He just said that, his voice flat.

Groo looked genuinely happy hearing such praise from Verc. His posture became even straighter, and he looked ready to go back out and kill ten more monsters right then and there.

Verc just ignored him though.

Then without expecting much, he stepped past Groo.

TAP—

He stepped out of the castle entrance and onto the dirt of the clearing.

And there—

"Huh...?"

He was greeted by a literal mountain of corpses.

The orcs hadn’t just hunted a few harpies and weird monkeys... They had brought back a pile of monster carcasses that was as tall as the second floor of the castle!

There were giant, multi-legged spiders, massive horned boars, strange scaled lizards, and things Verc didn’t even recognize. The pile was so large it cast a massive shadow over the huts!

The scent of iron and musk was overwhelming. The blood from the mountain was soaking into the ground, turning the dirt near the castle entrance into a dark, muddy red.

’W-What the hell? I didn’t expect this much.’

Verc thought to himself, completely bewildered by the sight in front of him.

He had told them to hunt, but he hadn’t realized that twenty-eight orcs could depopulate an entire section of the forest in a single afternoon!

The orcs who had stayed behind were standing around the pile, looking at it with awe. The hunters were standing tall, their chests out, waiting for Verc’s reaction.

Verc stared at the mountain of meat. This wasn’t just food; this was a massive amount of energy. If he consumed the blood from all of these creatures, his [Dungeon Genesis] skill would have enough fuel to turn this entire clearing into a fortress.

He looked at Groo, then back at the pile.

"You really... went all out."

Verc muttered, his voice barely audible over the crackling of the nearby fires.

The "Demon King" had asked for a hunt, and the orcs had brought him a massacre. Verc realized then that he had drastically underestimated the capabilities of his new underlings—and the sheer scale of the task he had now taken on.