World of Vampire Detective [15]
Back in the world of vampire detectives, I first opened the box I brought from the real world and changed into my suit. Using a box is the most effective way to store items. By placing a box in the inventory, all the items inside the box go in with it.
"This is the suit I wore just once at the entrance ceremony."
It was the same plain black suit and shoes I had on before. I put the blood-stained clothes and sashimi knife in the box, retrieved the crowbar and baseball bat, and took them back to the real world.
Then I put the three gangster corpses into the inventory.
[Item List]
[Human corpse]
[Human corpse]
[Human corpse]
"Ugh! The smell of blood.'
I shook my head and slung the backpack over my shoulders. Thankfully, I took it off during the fight, so there was no blood on it.
If I wanted to commit the perfect crime, I would have to clean up the blood on the floor and walls. But that was too bothersome, and I didn't have the time. Plus, I wasn't confident I could clean it properly.
"The bodies haven't been found yet, so there's a low chance of a proper investigation."
If the police came, I could just deny everything. Without bodies or weapons, how could they pin the crime on me?
"In Korea, with CCTV everywhere, if I went to the Han River or the sea right now, they'd track me. I'll have to dispose of the bodies later when I get the chance."
I went back to a nearby motel, washed up, and slept.
***
"What the hell? There's a lot of blood, but no bodies or weapons."
Moon Ji-hyuk muttered to himself as he looked around the alley, frowning.
The annoying part was the lingering smell of blood that excited his body. It was the vampire instinct.
Detective team leader Oh Jungjin looked around the alley and spoke to Ji-hyuk.
"This is a gang fight. Handle it roughly."
"Roughly, sir?"
"Yeah, roughly. There are no bodies or weapons. We're already swamped; do you really want to stir up the gangsters?"
Ji-hyuk bit his lip. He knew what kind of person Jungjin was. Still, his attitude always irritated him.
Sure, this looked like a gang fight. With no bodies or weapons, it was almost certain.
"But we should still investigate, shouldn't we?"
"Investigate? Fine. Find the bodies and weapons… Just thinking about it makes me sick. Look at the blood. No signs of the bodies being moved; no footprints. We can't even tell where they went. The bodies are probably in the sea by now. And there aren't many CCTVs around here. How do you plan to investigate?"
"We can still identify them with DNA testing, can't we?"
"Do you think we have time for forensic science on something like this? We're busy. DNA tests can only reveal so much. Besides, this is clearly a gang fight. As long as there are no civilian victims, we'll gloss over it. The higher-ups will say the same. You know how many cases we have these days. If you really want to investigate, do it later or do it alone."
"Can I investigate alone?"
Jungjin glanced at Ji-hyuk. With his strong sense of justice, might actually try to investigate on his own.
"Stop talking nonsense and handle it roughly. We have other work piling up."
"..."
Ji-hyuk kept his mouth shut.
"Ji-hyuk."
Jungjin sighed deeply as he looked at Ji-hyuk. He placed both hands on Ji-hyuk's shoulders.
"Let's be flexible. And this morning, another bloodless, mummified body turned up in Yeoksam-dong. Damn it. That's the eleventh body already. You're interested in that case, right? You want to handle this instead? Huh?"
"…Sorry. I'll handle this roughly."
Ji-hyuk had no choice but to answer that way. Mummified bodies. The culprit was definitely a vampire. If he could catch the vampire, he might learn how to become human again. He couldn't let go of that case.
"Good. Do that. I'll head out first."
Jungjin left.
Ji-hyuk looked at the bloody alley again. The bloodstains indicated a fight, but there were no signs of the bodies being moved. With this much blood, at least two or three bodies should be here. There were many odd things if he looked closely, but he forced himself to ignore them.
"The vampire. That bastard is more urgent. He's already drained and discarded eleven bodies."
***
When I had 100 million won left, I returned to reality.
"Time to become a real hunter."
The gangsters' attack had made me realize my weaknesses.
For the past three days, I have gone to bars non-stop, shaking my cock to relieve frustration and sexual desire.
"Time to say goodbye to fun for a while."
What if it had been three vampires instead of three gangsters who attacked me? That thought kept me from focusing on my sex life.
"My plan is... To become a hunter and learn proper combat skills."
I hadn't properly learned hunter-combat skills. Gukcheon University's Hunter Department mainly focused on theory and only taught basic combat skills.
And according to hunter laws, you need to become a hunter to learn hunter combat skills.
"But I can't reveal my ability."
If the [Play Life] ability became known, the world would be in an uproar. In the worst case, I might not be able to use my abilities freely. Since it's such an unorthodox ability, the government might intervene. So I must keep it hidden.
"To become a hunter, I need to reveal one of my skills."
Full recovery is my trump card. Even if I revealed it, people would laugh because it can only be used once every 24 hours and only on myself.
Hacking is a dangerous skill. Using it could destabilize the nation. If this skill became known, the government would surely react somehow.
"Unless I have a powerful backer, I have none. So I need to get a suitable skill to be recognized as a hunter."
Without the ability, I won't be acknowledged as a hunter.
I made up my mind.
[Seong Eugene]
[Level: 14]
[Stats]
[Strength: 10]
[Stamina: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Intelligence: 2]
[Libido: 15]
[Available Points: 23]
I would use all 23 points on random draws. The goal was to get a skill suitable for being recognized as a hunter.
The chances of failure were high, but this was the best plan I could think of.
"Let's gooo!"
I tapped the random draw repeatedly, and a bunch of miscellaneous items like an alarm clock, 100 grams of pork belly, and a yellow spray piled up in front of me.
But on the ninth draw, I finally got the skill I wanted.
"It's here!"
[Acceleration Lv.1]
[Accelerates the body for 1 minute]
[Cooldown: 1 hour]
Though the duration was short and the cooldown long, it was a suitable ability to be recognized as a hunter, achieving my goal.
"Fuck yeah! I'm finally a real hunter!"
I felt extremely elated.
I wanted to dance for joy.
So I did a little jig in my room.
"Hahahaha!"
I rushed to the Hunter Association to get my hunter license.
From now on, I was a F-rank hunter.
***
"Oh! As expected of Seong Eugene! I always believed you'd become a hunter."
Oh Joon-hyuk slapped my shoulder in congratulations when we met in the classroom.
Starting with him, my classmates approached to congratulate me. Hearing Joon-hyuk's voice, they all came over. Even if it was just words, it was still quite heartwarming.
The news spread quickly within the department.
Even the professors came over to congratulate me. They knew, at least vaguely, how much I had suffered.
"You've become a formal hunter, I hear? Congratulations."
"You always had potential. Acceleration is a common ability, but what's important is how you use it."
"So you finally awakened? Now you should be more diligent."
Professor Park congratulated me while also scolding me. I could only smile wryly and listen since I knew I was guilty.
"A hunter! Seong Eugene! You've finally joined the ranks. Shall we hit the club tonight? Hunters get a 50% discount, you know."
"I went there last time."
About two months ago, I went to a club in Gangnam with Joon-hyuk. The crowd was good. The problem was, at that time, I had no money, wasn't good-looking, and wasn't a hunter.
Women didn't even glance my way.
While Joon-hyuk chatted and laughed with women, I sat at the table, nibbling on snacks. Occasionally, I pretended to enjoy dancing.
And when Joon-hyuk left for a motel with a woman, I went back to my room alone.
But that was in the past. Now, I was a hunter. Thanks to Full Recovery, my skin had improved, and I had become somewhat handsome. I had no money, but as a hunter, I had a bright future ahead of me.
"Clubs are nice, but how about going to a bar?"
Clubs had pretty girls, but they weren't my type. Picking up a club girl required lots of effort, and even then, you often struck out.
Joon-hyuk, in front of me, also had a one-night stand success rate of less than 20%.
So he would often spend a long time wooing a girl he met at a club before finally bedding her. I didn't have the patience for that.
"Wow..."
Oh Joon-hyuk marveled at the women, his eyes brimming with envy.
"They all look like celebrities, and they're letting you touch their breasts."
He swallowed hard.
"Where did you go? I mean, how could you afford to go to a night bar? How much was it?"
"The night bar was in Gangnam. But it's closed now; the cops busted it. As for the money, do you think I spend it all at clubs like yours? I saved up and spent it to celebrate becoming a hunter."
"You disloyal bastard… You should've called me too."
"You told me not to call you at night because you'd be with a girl."
"That was a while ago. If something this good happens, you have to call me."
"I'll call you next time. But I don't have money or know any good places right now, so no promises."
"But did you do it?"
"…"
I just grinned silently.
"Ah, damn it. I'm so jealous. Which one out of the five did you do it with? The one whose breasts you were touching?"
"Yeah, her."
In reality, I did it with all five of them, but he wouldn't believe that, so I just agreed.
"Was it good? Was it really good?!"
"Of course. Look at her tits. The way it jiggled was no joke. Even thinking about it now gets me hard."
"Damn. I need to go to a bar too."
"Prostitution is illegal, so it's hard to find girls willing to do it. Finding a good place is key. And you need a lot of money."
"How much money are we talking about?"
"Well, around 5 million won should get you a second round."
I was just making this up. I had no idea about the actual prices since I spent money like water in my play world. It might be possible for less than 1 million won.
"That's insane. 5 million won isn't something I have lying around. It's better to just go to a club with that money."
Yeah, this was the usual reaction.
Blowing a few million won at a night bars like I do is what's strange.
"Hey, do you know any good academies?"
I asked Oh Joon-hyuk. He's been a hunter for over a year, more experienced than me.
"Academies? Ah, Hunter academies."
"Yeah, I'm thinking of joining one. Since I awakened late, I should at least go to a good academy."
Hunter academies.
These academies teach combat skills specifically for hunters. They're also known as hunter martial arts schools or hunter gyms.
The good thing about these academies is that even low-rank hunters like me can receive professional combat training. The downside is that they're several times or even dozens of times more expensive than regular gym personal training.
"Good thinking. I know a place I go to. Want to join me? There are pretty female hunters too."
"Oh, really? What's the name of the academy?"
"Gangnam Tank Academy."
"...Tank Academy?"
"It's a tank-focused academy."
Tank.
A position that stands at the forefront of a party, taking on the monster's attacks. It's dangerous and tough. At the same time, it's a position that's essential for any party.
"…I'm not a tank."
My physical abilities are weaker compared to those of other hunters. Plus, my publicly known skill is acceleration, which is far from what a tank needs to endure monster attacks.
"Oh, right. Your ability is acceleration, huh? Then you're a melee dealer?"
"Yeah, I use a sword, so I'm a melee dealer."
"There are plenty of hunter academies that teach swordsmanship. What are your specific requirements?"
"A place that can make full use of my acceleration ability, is not too expensive, and… has pretty women?"
"Heh, you bastard."
Oh Joon-hyuk laughed at my words but didn't take it as a joke. He knew I liked women just as much as he did.
"Acceleration, huh. Then you need a speed-focused combat style. Yeongcheon Sword Academy. That place would be good."
"Yeongcheon Sword Academy?"
"Yeah. They teach a swordsmanship called Yeongcheon style. The assistant instructor there is super hot. She's a B-rank hunter with an amazing body. I thought she was a celebrity."
[T/L: Yeongcheon can be interpreted as Yeong: 'Eternal' or 'Divine' and Cheon: 'Heaven' or 'Sky' or can signify 'Stream'.
It can be Literally interpreted as "Heavenly Stream".
Tell me in the comments should I just use Yeongcheon from now on or something else.]
"Oh~... But why don't you go there and instead go to the Tank Academy?"
"It's really intense there. I quit after two days. When I joined, there were about three male hunters, but I heard none of them lasted a week."
So intense that even hunters can't last a week?
My face hardened slightly. I know myself well, and I'm not the type to intentionally choose a tough path.
"Is there anywhere else?"
"There are, but they're all taught by old men."
"I'll check out this Yeongcheon Sword Academy first."
If I had to suffer, I'd rather do it under a beautiful woman than under a smelly old man.
"Relax. It is intense place, but the instructor is really beautiful and hot. But just remember, after half a day, she might look like the devil to you."
He laughed, seeming convinced I wouldn't last and would end up running away.