Chapter 11: Hunting Alone

Lucian stepped through the garden gates, the weight of the day lifting from his shoulders as he beheld the familiar sight of Marina hanging the laundry with her threads, her spider form weaving a dance of control and grace.

In the distance, Alice and Chuchu lounged in the sprawling yard, a vignette of leisure and indulgence.

With her arrogant demeanour, Alice was met with a coconut flung by the cultured rabbit Chuchu, reminding her of the proper respect due to her master.

Marina turned to greet Lucian with a fluid bow, her human half curtsying elegantly while her spider half swayed to the rhythm of her web. "Welcome back, master," she said, her voice a melody of devotion.

Chuchu, ever the proper lady, hopped from her lounger to give Lucian a warm welcome. "Meep! (Welcome back, dear husband!)." she trilled, pressing her paw to Alice's head until she, too, offered a bow.

Lucian was surrounded by the beauty and devotion of three gorgeous women, and as he basked in their adoration, Emura stepped forward, introducing herself as Lucian's slave and future bride.

"Greetings, everyone," she said with a bow. "I am Emura, the slave and future bride of Lucian Von Silver. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

But as she spoke, the other women exchanged sceptical glances, their expressions speaking volumes. "Again?" one murmured. "Another?" the other added.

Lucian merely chuckled, relishing in the decadence of his dark fantasy life.

"Meep?" (More minions?)

He hastened to his chambers, feeling like an intruder in the hushed conversation of the women. It was time for him to focus on increasing his strength. The System had been silent for too long, and he was determined to level up twice today.

With renewed purpose, he gathered his attire for battle - a black tunic, lightweight leather armour, and black pants that flowed freely. His knee-length combat boots were adorned with iron plating, ready for the rigours of combat.

He was prepared to embark on his quest for power and hot women.

-

As Lucian left the garden, the three women watched him depart with faint smiles, each sizing up the others' power levels. Emura, a cursed member of the red dragon clan, felt a sense of pride as she stood her ground against her rivals.

"Meep!" (I am the empress, bow before me, puny lizard!) taunted Chuchu, a princess among the monster rabbit folk.

"Hehe, little rabbit, do you want a carrot? Keep dreaming," Emura sneered, her emotionless face making her seem all the more aggressive.

Marina and Alice exchanged a look, marvelling that Emura could understand Chuchu's speech.

Content with her place, Marina only wanted to remain by Lucian's side, while Alice plotted to seduce him away from her sister to prove he was just a lustful male, then defeat the rabbit.

"Meep! Meep!" (I am the princess of Monster rabbits! You lizards must follow my commands. Rude commoner!) Chuchu declared, her form growing more human-like with each passing day.

"So you're just a mutated monster! I am a proud member of the red-scaled lizardfolk, a descendant of a true red dragon!" Emura boasted, puffing out her chest in a show of strength.

As Lucian's footsteps approached, the women ceased their bickering, coming to a silent understanding. He passed by them, about to leave the garden when his boisterous voice filled the air.

"I'll be back later tonight. If you see Carmilla, tell her I'll visit in a few days. Try not to destroy the mansion with your fighting for dominance, Chuchu. Take care, Marina, Alice, and Emura. Don't hold back if Chuchu tries to bully you."

The three women stood together in harmony, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

****

Lucian walked with a proud face, his two swords swaying on his belt, not like before, now fully focused as he entered the forest with a concentrated mind.

'I will become stronger, dominate all those from the game and mate with my favourite monster girls!'

Lucian strode confidently into the forest, his twin swords at the ready. He was a man who didn't make the same mistakes twice, and he was prepared for any danger that lay ahead. The forest was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the usual buzz of life that filled its trees and underbrush.

Lucian scanned the area with a keen eye and heightened vampiric senses for any signs of life. But all he could find was a haunting emptiness as if some catastrophic event had wiped out the entire forest.

'Strange, where the fuck are all the monsters!?'

He pressed on, determined to uncover the truth. As he approached the centre of the forest, he could feel the rumbling of powerful demons locked in battle.

Lucian sensed their opponents were human, but he was no fool and wouldn't recklessly charge into a dangerous situation.

Instead, Lucian chose to head in the opposite direction, towards the southwest, where the monsters were G grade or F grade at most.

'I wonder what my current strength is anyway? What kind of power are these attributes?'

He was a vampire, with his former martial art skills and the confidence to handle anything that lay ahead, so he wouldn't hesitate to strike down any monster that dared to cross his path.

Lucian had been searching for prey for over two hours and was starting to grow impatient.

'Damn, taking too long... Who is killing all the monsters?'

His location was near the second layer entrance, where he should have no trouble hunting, given his status. The problem was that Lucian lacked combat experience and didn't have Chuchu to bail him out if things went south.

However, just as he was starting to lose hope, his blood senses picked up the presence of three stray wolves. A smirk spread across his face upon sensing his new prey.

"Bingo!"

Something was nagging at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite focus on what it was.

[Would you like to activate the combat module?]

"Ah? I had almost forgotten you existed."

[System -10 Affection]

[System exists only to support the host. If you wish to uninstall, please confirm]

"No, where would I be without the perfect existence like you? Sylvia!"

[System +15 Affection]

"Ding Main Task added."

"Make Lucian Fall in love with you."

"Reward: +10 Lucian points."

"Punishment: Become a toaster."

[…]

[You're an idiot.]

A moment later, the System ceased to respond as if to punish him; no matter how hard he tried to contact her, only the basic functions remained.

Lucian looked into the distance, putting his enter force into his rear leg, bending it slightly, before watching the wolves from a high vantage point.

'Four in total... Eating a poor dead rabbit, this could have been Chuchu...' Before slowly drawing his swords, he crossed them across his chest to look cool.

Since they were distracted, his muscles swelled, snapping the branch with force pushing his body into the air and leaping towards the wolves.

Lucian's body shot through the air like a catapulted stone, the wind pelting his body as he began to rotate, the silver blades spinning along with him like a blender.

The two swords sliced through two wolves' bodies like melted butter, ripping their chests and faces apart into a mangled mess, dropping their corpses onto the ground with a loud thud.

Bang! He impacted the ground, causing his entire body to ache, with a small crater forming and dirt and mud shooting into the air.

'The sensation of those wolves being ripped apart, god, it felt so damn good!'

Lucian took a few steps to regain his posture as the wolves began to howl, baring their teeth towards him as he held a sword towards them both, one to the right and another to his left.

'Let's give it a try!'

His body began to swirl with a light wind as both blades hung beside him, taking slight hops, loosening his body. A moment before the wolves pounced towards him, he shot forward, graceful steps like a swan dancing in a lake.

Lucian's blades swiftly moved with seamless arcs, chopping, slashing and piercing the two wolves that jumped toward him. At the same time, his body swayed to avoid them with a fierce but elegant counter with a flash of silver, cutting off its left paw.

Its partner tried to leap onto his back, aiming to tear his neck apart, however with an elegant flick of his hips, Lucian spun around, thrusting both swords up through the bottom of the wolf's jaw, piercing into its brain, killing it instantly as blood splattered around him.

The slight wind around Lucian's body prevented the dirty blood from staining him.

Thud! both wolves fell to the ground as the fantastical moment ended, with Lucian panting heavily and time seeming to return to normal.

Lucian felt his body filled with slight pain, but it faded moments after feeling satisfied in his mind.

'I can do this! There is nothing that can stop me if I keep trying!'

He could take the first step to change himself to survive in this new world. A moment after this thought, Sylvia's voice sounded in his mind.

[Good work on your first solo battle, Lucian.]

-Killed 4 Grade F wolves

Levelled up!

All stats increased by 1.

Charm gained 1 bonus point!

-Status

Lucian Von Silver [SP: 200]

Vampire Lord | Lv 3

Grade: F

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Stamina: 15

Wisdom: 10

Intellect: 10

Charisma: 19

Talents: Blade Mastery Basic, Ambidextrous, Vampiric Charm, Sunlight Resistance, Cursed(Permanent),

Skills: Blade Mastery, Seduction, Bed Skills(Max), Mana Conduit, Enhanced Stamina, Blade Dance

Spells: Firebolt, Earth Spike

Filled with an enthusiasm for battle and bloodlust, Lucian began to hunt more wolves, his body filled with lust and delight.

"Wuuu!"

Suddenly, while hunting, a strange animal began to yelp and bark for help; Lucian believed it to be a peculiar ferret with long blonde fur and tails.

'Why is it so cute? It reminds me of Chuchu! Let's save her!'

"Wuu!"

[…]