"Guild Master Akira?"Confusion and worry flickered through Xu Feiyan's eyes.
"G–Guild Master…"Vilora called out softly as she moved to Akira's side, her four bare deer legs shifting uneasily.
She bent down, extended her tongue, and gently licked Akira's cheek, trying to soothe him in her own way.
"I'm fine…"
Kurose Akira shook his head slightly, signaling that he was all right. He lifted his gaze toward the demon lair battlefield.
Lucia and the others were performing exceptionally well, which eased his mind somewhat.
However, the bloodthirst state had dyed his vision crimson, as though a veil of blood-red gauze had been draped over his eyes, blurring everything before him.
He rubbed his eyes—but the condition did not improve in the slightest. The bloody haze still clung stubbornly to his sight.
"Is it because of the Vampire Progenitor's curse?" Xu Feiyan asked at once, connecting the dots. Her voice was filled with concern."She's still influencing you… isn't she?"
She had believed that Petico's method would suppress the curse.
But now, it seemed the situation was far more severe than they had anticipated.
That left Xu Feiyan deeply puzzled.
According to Petico's inherited bloodline memories, the method she used should have been effective against the Vampire Progenitor's curse.
So why was it useless on Akira?
"It's fine. I can endure it."Akira shook his head, his voice low."It's uncomfortable, but my consciousness is still clear. You don't need to worry."
He forced a faint smile, trying to reassure those around him.
But at that very moment, the Vampire Progenitor's voice echoed once more inside his mind—mocking, taunting.
"Fine? Are you really fine, little brat?"
The voice clung to his thoughts like a specter, gnawing at his will.
"Our power is something you cannot resist.""Obey your desires!""Offer their blood to us!"
With that vile command, a violent tremor surged from Akira's hands and swept through his entire body.
His veins bulged grotesquely.
Blood seeped from the corners of his eyes, trickling slowly down his cheeks.
"G–Guild Master… are you okay~?"Vilora rushed to his side in panic.
Shluurp, shluurp~
She extended her tongue and gently licked the blood from Akira's cheek.
The wet sensation tickled slightly—but it was also strangely soothing.
And the instant Vilora licked away the blood, the branch in her hand changed.
A crimson fruit sprouted from it.
It looked somewhat similar to the fruit she had previously gifted to the Daughter of the Goddess of Nature—but upon closer inspection, there was a subtle difference in the magical aura contained within.
Akira glanced over, and a prompt appeared before his eyes:
[Scarlet Rainbow Fruit (?)Effect: Restores blood loss and abnormal agitation, while enhancing blood energy.]
"Guild Master, please eat this,"Vilora said gently, offering him the fruit.
Akira nodded, accepted it, and took a bite.
Instantly, a vast surge of blood energy exploded across his palate, like a warm current flooding into his body.
As the fruit's power merged with his system, Akira felt his abnormal condition begin to ease.
The restless, rampaging blood within him gradually calmed.
"I feel much better now."
He smiled gratefully and gently rubbed Vilora's head.
"Thank goodness… I'm so glad you're okay, Guild Master~"
Vilora happily rubbed her antlers lightly against his chest, then tapped the back of his hand with her branch—almost as if performing some kind of mysterious blessing ritual.
"That fruit…"
Xu Feiyan had been watching the branch grow fruits of different colors. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
She hadn't known much about this new member who had joined Akira's guild—but now she was beginning to see her differently.
"So she's a support-type adventurer… that's rare."
"As long as you're fine, rest for now,"Xu Feiyan said to Akira."I'll handle the demon lair battle. You don't need to worry."
Her voice carried calm confidence, as though everything was firmly under control.
And indeed, the battlefield situation was overwhelmingly favorable.
Petico's blood magic condensed into devastating blood weapons. Every step she took claimed the lives of multiple demons.
In just over ten minutes, she had already harvested hundreds of contribution points.
At this rate, surpassing the current top-ranked adventurer guild was only a matter of time.
Moreover, although Xu Feiyan didn't know Akira's exact gains, judging from the battle performance of Marley Laine and Lucia, she was confident that Akira's rewards would not be inferior to her own.
She had also taken note of Loserine and Ivsha.
Their strength was no weaker than that of the Fairy Concubine Guild's members.
This led Xu Feiyan to unconsciously reassess Akira's guild as a whole.
She even began to suspect—if only faintly—that every single member of Akira's guild might be no weaker than Petico and the others.
But the moment the thought surfaced, Xu Feiyan hurriedly shook her head.
Impossible.How could my guild be inferior to other players?
An illusion.Definitely an illusion.
"Thank you very much,"Akira said with a smile, then turned his attention back to the perspective screen.
He saw Lucia and the others relentlessly cutting down demons—over a thousand contribution points harvested in just over ten minutes.
The sight lifted his mood considerably.
Even the Vampire Progenitor's negative influence seemed to fade for a moment.
However—
Just as Akira and Xu Feiyan believed everything was improving…
The curse descended once more.
"THUMP!"
A dull, thunderous impact echoed violently within Akira's body—like a massive engine roaring to life.
"What was that?!"
Akira's pupils shrank sharply.
That sound just now—
It was his own heartbeat?!
How could a heartbeat sound so explosive, so thunderous?
In an instant, Akira frowned deeply, unease creeping into his chest.
Then—
The Vampire Progenitor's crazed laughter detonated inside his mind.
"Hahahahaha! Yes! That's the power! The vast power born of blood!""Your blood makes me crave you more and more!""I want to ride you and drain every single drop from your body!"
"Damn it!"
Before Akira could react—
His vision was swallowed whole by a chaotic sea of crimson.
Blood vessels burst across his eyes.
His canines elongated violently, gleaming with a lethal chill.
"G–Guild Master…"Vilora hugged her branch tightly as she approached him with trembling steps.
She wanted to help her guild master—
But before she could finish speaking, Akira lunged like a feral beast.
"Guild Master!"
Vilora had no chance to resist.
She was slammed to the ground beneath him.
Akira opened his mouth wide, sharp fangs closing in on her snow-white neck.
"Mm~"
Vilora's body trembled in terror, her four deer legs kicking restlessly.
Yet—
She did not resist.
Instead, she shut her eyes tightly, as if already prepared to be devoured.
The instant Akira's fangs pierced her blood vessels, Vilora let out a faint moan, biting down hard on her lower lip.
"Guild Master Akira!"
Xu Feiyan sprang to her feet and rushed behind him.
She grabbed one of Akira's arms, trying to pull him off Vilora—
Only to be horrified by what she felt.
At this moment, Akira possessed terrifying strength.
Like an immovable mountain.
He could not be shaken.
"So strong…!"
Xu Feiyan clenched her teeth and exerted all her strength—but in front of Akira, her power felt utterly insignificant.
Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
"Chirp, chirp!"
The Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly fluttered to Akira's back, beating its wings desperately, trying to help pull him away.
But even combined, their strength was nowhere near enough.
Vilora kept her eyes tightly shut, silently awaiting the fate of being consumed.
Which only made it harder to pull Akira off her.
"…Then I have no choice."
Xu Feiyan retrieved a pair of exquisitely crafted gloves from her inventory.
They were set with dazzling red and blue gemstones.
[Red/Blue Empress Gloves (Epic)Strength / Agility +100]
Once she equipped the gloves, Xu Feiyan seized Akira's arm again and pulled with everything she had.
"So heavy…"
Even with the massive boost, Akira still would not budge.
At best, she managed to move him the slightest bit.
Suddenly—
SMACK!
Akira's left hand shot out and clamped tightly around Xu Feiyan's ankle.
He turned his head slowly.
Blood-red eyes locked onto Xu Feiyan behind him, radiating a dangerous, eerie aura.
"…Oh no."
Xu Feiyan's heart lurched.
She immediately realized what that movement meant.
He was switching targets.
"Guild Master Akira, you—"
Before she could finish—
Akira yanked her up by the ankle, lifting her completely upside down.
Shockingly, her cheongsam did not slide down at all despite gravity, remaining snugly wrapped around her graceful, jade-like figure.
"Guild Master, is something wrong?"
Petico and the others called out in alarm, the commotion making them uneasy.
"I'm fine. I can handle it,"Xu Feiyan replied, trying to calm them."Focus on the demons."
"Alright. Call us if you need anything,"Petico said while cutting down demons.
"Mm."
Xu Feiyan muted the voice channel.
Her gaze returned to Akira, who was still holding her upside down.
"Guild Master Akira, please regain your reason!"
She flicked her folding fan gently.
A wisp of magic drifted toward Akira's nose—an attempt to subdue him with illusion magic.
[You are affected by illusion magic!]
A system message popped up—
Yet Akira could not suppress his body's desire.
The craving for blood was like an untamed beast.
His mind remained partially clear—
But his body refused to obey.
The Vampire Progenitor's voice slithered through his thoughts once more:
"Those long, pale legs~ they're filled with blood vessels.""One bite, and you'll taste exquisite blood immediately~""But her neck~ it holds even more."
"Or~ you could pierce her heart directly.""That blood is the freshest. The most delicious."
Each word dragged at his reason and desire like a spell.
His heart raced violently, pounding against his chest.
Xu Feiyan—hanging upside down before him—
Her fair thighs, her slender neck—
Everything looked unbearably tempting.
"Little human~ stop resisting.""How could you let such exquisite blood slip away~"
The Vampire Progenitor's laughter drilled into his ears.
The crimson in Akira's eyes deepened, almost dripping.
Above Xu Feiyan's head, a conspicuous 100% value floated—
The [Bloodthirst] tag screamed that she was a feast.
Yet—
After taking a sip of Vilora's blood, Akira had regained some control.
He should have been able to restrain himself—
No.
He couldn't.
Damn it.
This is bad.
Why would my bloodlust erupt inside Xu Feiyan's guild?
Damn it!
Petico's help was supposed to suppress the curse—
So why had the bloodthirst intensified instead?
Which part went wrong?
Wait—
Akira frowned deeply.
What if the so-called method to suppress the Vampire Progenitor's curse…
Was false?
After all, the curse originated from the Vampire Progenitor herself.
From what Xu Feiyan had said of vampire history, the two Vampire Progenitors had never left the Abyss.
And in the history of all races—
There had never been a recorded method to解除 the Vampire Progenitor's curse.
So was suppressing it even possible?
That question had always been a mystery.
As for whether Petico truly knew a way to lift the curse—
Akira was no longer certain.
Vampires inherited power through bloodlines.
And all vampire power ultimately traced back to the Vampire Progenitor.
Was everything he had been told… a lie?
At that moment, Akira felt as though he had fallen into a carefully laid trap.
And just as he sank into thought—
Xu Feiyan flicked her fan again.
Pink mist curled around Akira's face.
But it was utterly ineffective.
"Does it… not work?"Xu Feiyan's eyes widened in disbelief.
She couldn't understand why Akira was immune to her illusion magic.
Her folding fan was an Epic-tier weapon capable of inducing hallucinations.
Even someone like Honglian—a level 50+ adventurer—would be affected if caught off guard.
Yet to Akira, it was as if it didn't exist.
As Xu Feiyan struggled with confusion—
Akira effortlessly slipped off her high heels.
Her black stockings remained, tightly wrapping her elegant feet.
"…What is going on?"Xu Feiyan frowned deeply.
If he wanted blood—
Why remove her shoes?
Before she could figure it out—
Akira bit down.