Then they arrived at the station, which was surprisingly quiet and almost empty. Luke found it odd—how could vampires have booked the entire train station just for Amelia's arrival? But whatever the reason, it was a lucky break for him.
Fewer people meant fewer complications, and in his line of work, that was always welcome.
Luke stepped onto the train while Selene stayed outside, her eyes scanning the empty platform like a hawk. She promised to keep watch and make sure no unwanted visitors showed up.
He gave a small nod and moved inside.
As he walked through the dimly lit carriages, his eyes landed on dozens of vampire corpses—fallen elder, lower-ranked vampires, all lifeless and sprawled across the seats and floor. For Luke, they were no more than potential sacrifices, each one a stepping stone to leveling up.
"Truly, Selene is my luck," he muttered, a sly grin creeping onto his face. With her around, even situations that should have gone sideways somehow ran smoothly.
A luck stat three times his own practically guaranteed that things would bend in their favor, though a few minor hiccups still made him tense at times.
He looked over the rows of bodies with a dark gleam in his eyes. "All of you are going to be sacrificed," he said, his voice low, like a streetwise thug savoring the spoils. His fingers twitched slightly as if already envisioning the energy he would gain.
Luke's gaze then fell on Amelia's corpse. He knelt down, studying her for a moment. "It's a pity she died," he said softly, a trace of genuine regret flickering in his voice.
Then, setting aside sentiments, he got to work.
[Pesudo-Vampire Elder Corpse]
[Pesudo-Vampire Corpse]
[Pesudo-Vampire Corpse]
[Do you wish to sacrifice?]
He confirmed each sacrifice with a swift 'Yes.'
Luke moved through the train car, his fingers brushing against the cold bodies, making them vanish one by one in an eerie display.
If anyone had been watching, they would have found the sight disturbingly surreal—a grown man gliding lightly between compartments full of dead vampires, grinning like he had just won the lottery.
The contrast was so bizarre it almost looked like a twisted dance party in a morgue. Imagine a green-eyed guy doing a little victory jig amid a faint, lingering scent of old blood and dust, while the 'guests'—the corpses—remained completely unresponsive, utterly silent in their eternal sleep.
[You have received 70,000 EXP]
[You have reached Level 12]
"Oh, I leveled up! That's great," Luke muttered with a bright grin, but then his attention shifted to something unexpected.
"And guns—until now, I hadn't even gotten my own gun," he said, picking up a rifle and giving it a quick, almost affectionate kiss, like it was a long-lost lover.
As for taking guns from Selene, no thanks—he wasn't about to accept weapons from a beautiful woman. That just wasn't his style.
"Hehe, now come to papa!" Luke laughed, hoarding every firearm he could find and tossing them into his inventory. Who says a Combat Mage can't handle guns?
Cradling two guns in his arms, Luke leaned back slightly, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. "Time for freedom!" he declared, as if the very act of holding the weapons was a small, personal rebellion.
For him, it was a nod to the classics—guns and freedom, practically inseparable.
Then Luke stepped off the train, chest puffed out slightly, feeling that familiar tingle of self-satisfaction. He had just leveled up, hoarded guns, and sacrificed half a vampire train—yeah, he was kind of proud of himself.
But that little bubble of triumph immediately popped when he caught Selene's sharp, annoyed glare. It wasn't subtle. It was the kind of look that could slice through steel.
"Ahh, Selene… don't tell me you heard that?" Luke asked, forcing a weak smile. Please don't tell me she heard all my weird, maniacal laughing, he thought nervously, scratching the back of his head.
Selene didn't say a word. One raised eyebrow and the way her eyes drilled into him said everything: Are you kidding me? Of course I heard that obnoxious laughter.
"Selene, it's not that I'm some weirdo who laughs at corpses," Luke hurried to explain, holding his hands up defensively like some guilty kid caught red-handed in the cookie jar.
Wait… now that he thought about it—oh no—he had smiled when Marcus and Viktor's corpses disappeared after he leveled up. And maybe he had laughed a little too hard when the EXP notifications popped up.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
If Selene now thought he was some creepy, corpse-obsessed guy who got excited over dead bodies… well, that carefully laid plan of his—to "pack Selene up and bring her home as a wife"—might be completely and utterly doomed before it even started.
"So, did you finish what you came to do?" Selene asked, folding her arms as they leaned against the empty train platform.
"Yeah, mission accomplished. Got what I needed… and then some," Luke said with a smug grin, glancing at his inventory. Guns, ammo, and a few odd trinkets—the spoils of chaos. He couldn't help the small thrill that ran through him.
Selene raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And what now? What are your plans?"
Luke shrugged off, feeling a bit lost. "Honestly, I have nothing to do now. I didn't expect to be found out in the Coven so soon and have to run like this."
He paused, thinking back. His original plan had been simple: stay put, let Kraven run off to alert Lucian, and wait for the inevitable clash at the Coven.
He knew how much Lucian despised Viktor. If Lucian learned from Kraven that Viktor was awakening, he'd strike immediately—eliminate Viktor while he was still weak. And honestly, Luke had been counting on that chaos.
A massive battle between vampires and Lycans meant one thing: more fighting, more opportunities, more EXP.
But now, with their discovery and the alarms blaring, that plan was completely blown. Staying put was no longer an option; it would be suicide. He had to abandon the strategy or risk losing everything he'd worked for.
So now, a new objective formed in his mind: to find the first immortal of this world—the original Corvinus. He couldn't even recall the full name yet, but he knew the blood of the first Corvinus was legendary—powerful, rare, and invaluable.
If he could get it, it would serve two purposes: a perfect sacrifice for his system, and a gift for Selene. That blood could let her walk freely in the sunlight again, finally lifting the curse that had chained her for centuries.
Luke smirked to himself. He wasn't about to be stingy with his future wives.