Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood-Chapter 78 - Kill Them

(Verc’s POV)

"How do you feel under the sun?"

I asked that while looking back over my shoulder. Behind me and Bong, the seven kids were trailing along at a steady pace. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on the dirt path we were following.

"Well, we do feel like we can’t use our full power, just as you said. It feels like a heavy blanket is draped over our shoulders. But even so, we’re still much stronger than we were before the change. I would say— we’re still pretty much at the same level as second-class knights."

Tatum answered firmly. The others nodded their heads behind him, confirming his assessment.

They were all following me diligently. It was almost strange how well they listened to every word I said. Ever since I told them that we were headed to the [Cursed Forest] to set up a permanent base, they had looked really excited. Even Tatum and Jed, who usually tried to keep a straight and serious face, were fidgeting from time to time like they couldn’t wait to get there.

Losing their homes and everyone they knew had hurt them a lot. It was a tragedy that changed their lives for the worst. Seeing them like this, I could understand why they were so desperate to have a place they could finally call their own again.

’Though, I originally thought to have the base I was going to set up all for myself.’

I thought to myself.

But well, whatever. Having some people with me didn’t sound that bad after all. These kids were well-behaved and good-hearted, despite everything they had been through.

"..."

But thinking about it just made me frown again. It was angrying that all of this happened to them just because of the race they were born with.

"Haaaa~" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

I let out a small sigh to release some of the frustration building up inside me. I looked back at the kids again. Despite the heat and the long walk, they all just looked at me with clear, trusting eyes.

’They’re strong.’

I thought to myself.

Not just physically, but mentally too. To go through a massacre and then a painful transformation without losing their minds was really impressive.

*****

The nine of us continued traveling for a few more days.

Every night, I would pick a spot for us to rest. I usually looked for somewhere hidden, like a thicket of trees or a small cave, just to stay out of sight of any late-traveling merchants or patrols. The seven of them always volunteered to set up our camps on their own. They wouldn’t even let me lift a finger to help with the heavy lifting.

We didn’t stop in any villages or cities along the way. It was too risky. It had been only a bit over a week since the incident back at the city of the Zore. The last thing I wanted was for some high-ranking priest or knight to recognize me and start a fight while I was babysitting seven fledglings.

That was why I was the only one with a tent and proper clothes. The kids were still wearing the tattered, blood-stained rags they had on when I found them. I offered to share what I had, but they didn’t mind the situation at all. They kept saying they didn’t need to rest or worry about comforts right now.

They sounded genuine when they said that, so I just let them do as they pleased.

Every night, I followed a strict routine. After practicing my swordsmanship until my muscles burned, I would sit down and use [Mana Circulation]. I made the kids guard the camp every time. Knowing they were out there watching the perimeter allowed me to focus to the fullest and achieve better results with my mana control.

They always told me they were happy to help. They decided to do rotations by pair, guarding our camp in shifts. While two were on watch, the other five took care of Bong and Onyx. They also went out to hunt wild animals and monsters, drinking their blood to stay strong and bringing back meat for the ONyx. They used the extra time to train among themselves, trying to get used to the explosive speed and power of their new bodies.

The days passed calmly just like that.

... ... ...

... ... ...

However, things didn’t stay peaceful forever. On the fifth day of our travel, a band of bandits decided to stop us.

They tried to set up a classic ambush, jumping out from the bushes to surround our group. There were about fifteen of them, all looking dirty and smelling worse than they looked. They demanded that we hand over everything we had, including Bong.

And they didn’t stop there. The leader, a greasy guy with a jagged scar across his nose, pointed a finger at the group.

"Leave the items and the horse. And give us those two girls as well. They’ll fetch a fine price, or maybe we’ll just keep ’em for ourselves for a bit."

The look on their faces was disgusting as they said that. They were looking at Ashley and Maya like they were objects.

I felt a cold surge of anger, but I didn’t even need to move. I looked at the seven kids. I could see their expressions darkening. Their red eyes were glowing with a predatory light, and their fangs were beginning to show. They were just waiting for the word.

"Kill them."

I gave the simple order.

And the seven moved immediately.

They didn’t hesitate for a single second. It was a one-sided slaughter. The bandits, who thought they were picking on a group of weak travelers and kids, didn’t even have time to scream before Jed and Neit were on them.

The kids were pretty brutal with them. I guess they were letting out all the anger they had been holding back since their village was destroyed. Neit was tearing through them with his bare hands, while Tatum used a rusted sword he had picked up earlier to finish anyone who tried to run.

Once the dust settled, the fifteen bandits were nothing more than messy piles of meat on the ground.

"Take everything you want from them."

I told them.

We weren’t going to leave useful supplies behind. I watched as they stripped the corpses of anything valuable—mostly coins, some basic traveling gear, and a few sets of clothes that weren’t too bloodied. By the time we left, the corpses were lying around in a way that made it look like wild monsters had attacked them. Well, technically, that wasn’t wrong.

With that, Tatum, Jed, Neit, Jai, Moro, Ashley, and Maya finally had some basic essentials for our travel. They looked a lot more like a traveling party and less like refugees now.