World of Vampire Detective [16]

[Seong Eugene]

[Level: 18]

[Stats]

[Strength: 14]

[Stamina: 12]

[Agility: 12]

[Intelligence: 2]

[Libido: 15]

[Available Points: 4]

This was my current point and stat information.

I had increased my stats solely through exercise, without using points.

"My strength has gone up a bit, but it's not much considering I've been working out consistently for almost a month."

At first, I was thrilled to find out that my stats could go up even without using points. However, as time went on, I realized that increasing stats with points was exponentially easier.

"But I've been prioritizing something else over stats."

In the world of vampire detectives, these stats were more than enough.

What I focused on was the skill Yeongcheon Style.

[Yeongcheon Style Lv.5]

[You can use Yeongcheon Style.]

My proficiency in the Yeongcheon style had increased. I could confidently say that as long as I wasn't careless, I wouldn't lose in close combat to any hunter below E-rank.

"I wish I could level it up more."

[Would you like to use 80 points to increase Yeongcheon Style Lv.5?]

[Insufficient points]

It took 30 points to reach level 5, and now it requires more than double that.

"I'd have to spend at least a month in the Play World to gather enough points."

Points are awarded based on my actions in the play world. If I do nothing, the points are minimal. Conversely, the more active I am, the more points I earn.

"But just running wild doesn't necessarily mean a large payout… I still don't fully understand the mechanism. It's frustrating."

In the end, what I had to do was be active in the Play World—or rather, enjoy it as its name suggests.

"4 points… This calls for a random draw. Let's go!"

Red socks. An additional inventory slot. A clown mask. A water balloon.

I was satisfied extra inventory is always welcome.

"This is a pretty good haul. Expanding my inventory is always beneficial."

[Inventory]

[Human corpse]

[Human corpse]

[Human corpse]

–

I clicked my tongue while looking at the inventory.

Three gangsters' corpses. Nearly two months had passed in the Play World, and I had forgotten to dispose of them. I was too busy having fun swinging my dick at the ladies to remember.

"I didn't have a proper place to dump them… I'll have to find an opportunity to get rid of them."

***

Entering the world of "Vampire Detective," I first checked my surroundings. It was the motel where I had rolled around with Hera during the day.

Nothing had changed. I took out my smartphone and checked the news articles.

[Secret talks between a congressman and a Japanese senator four months ago! What was the topic?!]

[Congressman Kim Pil-jung: 'It's true I met with a Japanese senator, but the topic was the upcoming Olympics, not the economy.']

[Treacherous act by a member of National Assembly. In this political climate?!]

[Prosecutor Congressman Kim Pil-jung and the collaborating companies. Profits of at least 70 billion won.]

[Prosecutors: 'We are investigating. We will disclose the details once there is significant progress.']

[Are they conducting a proper investigation?]

[Protests for the resignation of the traitor Congressman Kim Pil-jung! Gwanghwamun protests for Korea!]

"They finally dropped it."

Journalist Han Sung-woon has this information. He probably squeezed out all the benefits before releasing it.

It's not surprising. I knew this would come out eventually. The media would chew on this issue for at least three days.

What I focused on were the articles buried under the treason news.

[Turbulent Seoul. Over 30 murder cases occurred this month alone.]

[Stabbing incident in a park at dawn.]

[Gunshots were heard at night. What's the truth?]

"Seoul has been a mess lately. Even Madam is frustrated, saying the number of vampire hunters had increased."

Madam Kim Mi-ok and I are quite close. We meet often enough to fuck, so it's natural we're close.

Being close, she feeds me various pieces of information, mostly warnings to be careful.

"Maybe crashing the main gate with the express bus was a bit too much? It seems like that incident brought vampire hunters from all over the country to Seoul."

As the articles suggest, public order in Seoul is deteriorating. If ordinary people can sense it, the underworld must be much worse.

"Three bars have closed down temporarily because of this mess."

Due to the chaotic situation, they closed their businesses temporarily. Fortunately, they were places I had visited once.

"Let's see. I've been to most of the tenpro bars in Gangnam. Maybe I should try the rooms in Incheon this time."

While Gangnam is the best in this industry, I heard Incheon is quite decent too.

"But before that, I need to make money."

About 3 billion won.

That's how much I've spent on entertainment in Play World.

When I ran out of money, I either sold information or blackmailed people for money, but even that was reaching its limit. The usable data I had on hand was dwindling.

Bzzz!

My smartphone vibrated. A message came through on the Taker-exclusive messenger.

"Huh? It's Moon Ji-hyuk. I gave him information about a marriage scammer two weeks ago, and he's already contacting me."

Unexpected. I thought he wouldn't reach out until at least next month.

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Taker.]

[Taker: What's up?]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Did you know vampires actually exist?]

"Haha!"

I laughed.

At this point in time, Moon Ji-hyuk is struggling to gather information on vampires while performing outstandingly as a detective with his superior physique.

"Later, he chases a hit-and-run suspect to the countryside and discovers a hiding vampire. From that vampire, he learns about vampires, and the drama's story starts in earnest."

In other words, we haven't reached that point yet. If Moon Ji-hyuk knew about vampires, he wouldn't be messaging me like this.

[Taker: Are you trying to fish for information? Everyone knows about vampires.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Are vampires well-known in the underworld?]

[Taker: Not that well-known. Smart vampires move cautiously.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: I want to buy information about vampires.]

[Taker: You mean vampire organizations? I know a few hideouts.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: There are vampire organizations?]

[Taker: In South America and Africa, it's almost all vampires. In Europe, vampire hunters have the upper hand. In North America, it's mostly vampire hunter territory.]

[Taker: But why do you want this information?]

[Taker: Did you become a vampire or something?]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: No. I encountered a vampire while working.]

I chuckled. Moon Ji-hyuk's reply was five seconds late.

"Knowing the original work is quite something. It feels like Moon Ji-hyuk is right in my palm."

[Taker: What kind of information do you want about vampires?]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Their characteristics, weaknesses, information on vampires in Korea, and detailed information about vampire hunters.]

"Hmm…"

I pondered.

Moon Ji-hyuk wanted information I already knew. What I was contemplating was how much to tell him.

"Since there are many vampire hunters in Seoul, I should teach him enough to avoid getting caught foolishly."

[Taker: 1.5 million won. Transfer the money, and I'll tell you what I know.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Transferred.]

[Taker: The biggest characteristic of vampires is that they are weaker during the day and stronger at night. Even during the day, if they are in a place completely shielded from sunlight, they can be as lively as at night. Conversely, even at night, artificial sunlight weakens them, though not as much as daylight.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: What are their weaknesses?]

[Taker: Silver is extremely harmful to them. Silver weapons are a big weakness, even for pure-blood vampires. If hit by a silver bullet in the arm, they might have to amputate it.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: What's a pure-blood vampire?]

[Taker: Vampires, who can use special abilities and can turn humans into vampires. Information on pure-bloods is scarce, so I don't know much.]

[Taker: Oh, and vampires don't reflect in mercury mirrors. With a mercury mirror, you can easily distinguish between humans and vampires.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: What about vampires active in Korea?]

[Taker: I'm not sure of the exact number. They say over 3,000. Most live in hiding.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: That's disappointing for the price. What about vampire hunters?]

I chuckled at Moon Ji-hyuk's complaint.

1.5 million won is expensive. I'm selling this information with a huge protagonist discount.

"Well, detective salaries are said to be pretty low."

[Taker: The price is high because of the information about vampire hunters. It's hard to come by unless you're someone like me.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Fine. Tell me.]

[Taker: The vampire hunter organization is called the Black Cross Society, and their headquarters are in Apgujeong.]

[Taker: You know about the recent ghost bus accident, right? The building it crashed into is the Korean Black Cross Society headquarters. Rumor has it that it was a vampire terror attack.]

[Taker: Because of that, vampire hunters from all over the country have gathered in Seoul. They are hunting vampires thoroughly.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: How dangerous are vampire hunters?]

[Taker: They don't touch ordinary people. But they are relentless in killing vampires.]

[Taker: They're armed with silver weapons and undergo training more rigorous than special forces.]

[Taker: Moreover, vampire hunters collaborate with the Korean government. They're probably allied with the National Intelligence Service.]

[Taker: After all, from a human perspective, vampires are monsters. They cooperate to kill them.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Is that all?]

[Taker: That's all for Korea. Do you want to know about other countries?]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: No. That's enough.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Have you heard of rumors about vampires turning human?]

[Taker: Oh, that? I've heard of it. But I don't know the details. Maybe pure-bloods would know.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Got it. Let's trade again sometime.]

[Taker: Sure. It is always a pleasure.]

"Phew~"

I turned off my smartphone. With this, Moon Ji-hyuk got information about vampire hunters earlier than in the original timeline. By informing him about the mercury mirrors, he would act more cautiously.

"Moon Ji-hyuk needs to stay alive, at least until the life orb appears. That way, I can comfortably snatch it."

I got up from my seat.

"Time to make some money."

If selling information is no longer viable, I'll just use my knowledge from the original work to earn some cash.

Leaving the motel, I approached the black sedan parked in the lot. I had stolen it from the long-term parking at the airport. Of course, I covered my face with a neck warmer mask during the theft.

I was careful to avoid being caught on other cars' dashcams, and even if I was recorded, there would be no identifiable clues.

[Hacking successful.]

[You can hack the K19 car for 3 minutes.]

The car was a K19, a domestic model, but I liked it.

In a previous experiment, I discovered that if I leave the power on after hacking, it remains on even after the hacking time expires.

The same applies to the car. If the engine is running, it stays on even after the hacking time ends. The car simply needs to be tricked into thinking the key is inserted.

"It feels just like playing a game."

Sitting in the driver's seat, I moved the car with hacking alone, not even touching the steering wheel. Hacking is incredibly convenient; the car moves just by my thoughts, without any complicated procedures.

However, I took the wheel when exiting the parking lot.

"I don't have a license, but driving isn't that hard."

As long as I was careful of the front, back, and sides and followed traffic lights, it wasn't too difficult.

Occasionally, the car behind or beside me would act up, but in those cases, I'd just flip them off and ignore them.

"I should get a license soon. Driving is surprisingly fun."

Thud!

Turning into an alley, I lightly hit a utility pole that I hadn't noticed.

"Well, it's not my car anyway."

I decided to stay positive.

"I'll head to the airport again tomorrow."