LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 25 - Rank Assessment 1
Chapter 25: Rank Assessment 1
Getting drenched in blood wasn’t a common occurrence, but for those who made a living through battles and combat, it wasn’t entirely unheard of.
However, having the corners of one’s mouth soaked in blood was suspicious, to say the least.
What kind of lunatic sucks another person’s blood directly with their mouth?
While there are eccentric figures in the depths of Ark who engage in cannibalism as a bizarre hobby, that’s viewed from a gourmet perspective.
If you saw someone with blood saturating their mouth, dripping from the corners, unable to swallow it all in one gulp, that could only mean the appearance of a vampiric entity.
“Alice… is that you?”
“Ah, Oriana. Slurp.”
And right now, I looked exactly like that.
Kneeling in a massive pool of blood that shouldn’t exist in the virtual dungeon, my small figure resembled a young girl.
I was licking and sucking the blood smeared on my hands and mouth.
To anyone watching, I was the reincarnation of a vampiric entity.
“Alice, I just need to ask… did you become a servant?”
“A servant?”
“I mean, did you become an underling of a true ancestor?”
As I later learned, true ancestors, when weakened immediately after descending due to a virus, often propose servitude to the nearest human.
The deal is to lend strength and immortality in exchange for acting as a buffer until the true ancestor completes their full descent.
Typically, these servant vampires are mere pawns, but in rare cases, they survive long enough to acquire power on par with the true ancestor.
At first, I didn’t understand why Oriana was aiming her sword at me with such a desperate expression.
But looking at my current state, it made sense—I appeared identical to a human who had accepted a true ancestor’s offer and turned into a vampire.
To make matters worse, I was slurping blood from my lips and even licking the remnants off my hands.
It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding, and if it had been someone else, they might have attacked me without hesitation.
“Oriana, I’m a tin-can android.”
Saying that, I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly and bared my teeth.
Unlike a vampire, I didn’t have fangs.
All I had were metallic teeth that matched my tin-can exterior.
After all, whether it’s servitude or subjugation, such offers can only be extended to living humans.
Meanwhile, I’m an android made of gears, screws, metal, and artificial skin.
Although calling myself an android was questionable, it was clear Oriana had nothing to worry about.
“Then why were you drinking the blood?”
“Because it’s energy, I guess?”
In fact, this blood, whether it belonged to a true ancestor or a vampire, contained immense vitality and energy, unlike ordinary human blood.
Just a single drop of it was far more efficient than consuming synthetic meat cutlets for energy.
Although Oriana still seemed doubtful, she eventually extended her hand to me as I sat in the blood pool.
I naturally grabbed Oriana’s hand and got to my feet.
“That’s a relief. At least you didn’t attack me right away, so it seems like you really weren’t infected by the true ancestor virus or turned into a servant.”
“I told you, I wasn’t. Ow…”
However, as I tried to stand, a sharp pain shot through my leg, causing me to grimace.
“Damn it…”
“Are you okay?”
My leg and thigh were partially melted.
The artificial skin had already melted away, leaving the metallic frame and metal fibers inside tangled and warped.
It seemed I had been hit by the blood barrage fired by that true ancestor earlier.
Even when I took the Scrap Dragon’s breath head-on, it hadn’t hurt this much, but just a few drops of boiling blood had left me in this state.
There was a reason they were called true ancestors and vampiric entities, after all.
“Let’s head to the healing chamber for now.”
Oriana picked me up, as I couldn’t walk, and carried me to a healing chamber located right next to the virtual dungeon.
The healing chamber wasn’t some fantastical shrine with priests or healers waiting inside.
It was a spotless, white room like a mental ward, with only a cylindrical machine resembling a giant can in the center.
“Alice, lie down in there.”
“No, seriously, I’m fine. I’m not infected, not a vampire, not a servant, and my leg will fix itself soon enough.”
“Please, just do it. It’s necessary.”
I hesitated at the idea of entering a machine that looked like a giant can, but Oriana’s urgency and desperation left me no room to refuse.
“What does this machine do?”
“It’s a surgical machine and also performs species identification.”
It wasn’t that I had been trying to hide the fact that I wasn’t human, but the idea of a tin-can android crawling into another can wasn’t exactly appealing.
Still, the mention of species identification made me realize that Ark must have various species besides humans.
Considering there were dragons, orcs, and goblins, it wouldn’t be surprising if elves or similar races existed somewhere as well.
【Regardless, it was only a matter of time before you underwent species identification. From what I’ve seen, Ark’s system seems to collect and manage resident information. It’s a natural step to gather details about you to officially make you a part of Ark.】
‘That’s true… But Theresa, do you really have to call me “Human”?’
【Do you have a problem with that, Human?】
‘Ugh… Fine, do whatever you want.’
Theresa claimed to be an auxiliary personality for the Main System, but I was starting to think she wasn’t exactly a robot.
She had a peculiar talent for subtly irritating me and getting under my skin.
-Bzzzt!
The healing machine turned out to be surprisingly effective.
Apparently, Ark possessed the technology to craft prosthetics, robots, and drones, as the machine’s robotic arms efficiently removed the melted parts of my leg.
However, since I was the only one with my body’s blueprint, Theresa had to hack into the healing machine.
Thanks to her prior success hacking the virtual dungeon’s AI, transferring my body’s information to the healing machine wasn’t too difficult.
Theresa quickly took control of the machine’s internal system and began reconstructing my body.
‘It’s pretty fascinating to watch my melted and broken leg rebuild itself in real time.’
It didn’t hurt.
The blood barrage from the true ancestor had been excruciating, but I didn’t seem to feel pain under normal circumstances.
The true ancestor’s power probably bypassed physical damage and directly interfered with the soul or life force, which might explain why even an android like me could feel it.
“Alice, is your body okay? You drank the vampire’s blood, but you seem fine.”
From beyond the healing machine’s transparent barrier, Oriana looked at me with a mix of concern and anticipation.
“I’m fine. Like I said, I would’ve fixed myself eventually anyway.”
“So, the vampire… no, the true ancestor inside the dungeon, you really defeated it?”
“I thought it was just another fake monster like the others in the virtual dungeon, but as I fought it, I realized it was real. Somehow, I managed to win.”
“And drinking the blood was just for energy replenishment?”
“Yeah, I admit it looked bad enough to cause misunderstandings.”
“Ha, good heavens. You took down a true ancestor by yourself, even though you were just born…”
Although the virtual dungeon, meant to be peaceful and safe, suddenly spawned a true ancestor, Oriana seemed more shocked that I had managed to defeat it singlehandedly.
I couldn’t gauge how impressive this feat was, but judging by the faint smile Oriana, who appeared to be an upper-echelon figure in Ark, couldn’t hide, it seemed to be a pretty big deal.
“So, what happens to my Returnee rank assessment?”
“…I don’t think it’s something I can decide on my own. The Barrier Agency AI is also malfunctioning, but you don’t need to worry. It wouldn’t be strange if you got the highest rank.”
Well, it would be ideal to receive the highest rank.
In Ark, the higher one’s rank or status, the better they seemed to be treated.
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Shortly after the true ancestor virus alert sounded, the upper levels of the Barrier Agency were silent.
Normally, Oriana would have issued a situation report, but she was too stunned by the fact that Alice had defeated a fully descended true ancestor on her own.
Oriana had a deep grudge against vampires and true ancestors, which was why she had chosen Alice as her successor and proposed a deal for her to conquer unexplored dungeons—because of her past tied to true ancestors.
With Alice defeating a true ancestor alone, Oriana was practically losing her mind.
Because of this, she couldn’t issue a correction report, leaving the Barrier Agency AI and Executors to operate under emergency protocols.
A vampire.
Not just any vampire, but the manifestation of a true ancestor virus, wasn’t a matter to be handled by an ordinary disaster alert.
Typically, a disaster alert would trigger an evacuation notice for nearby residents, but in the case of humanoid calamities like vampires or true ancestors, which devour humans, the affected area would be placed under complete quarantine.
The agency and the surrounding area would be sealed off by a massive barrier, and if all resistance within the barrier was wiped out, the cause of the calamity would be transported somewhere else along with the area.
Because of this, the moment the emergency signal blared, several Hunters and Executors found themselves essentially trapped within the Barrier Agency.
“What on earth is going on here?”
At that moment, an elegant woman in an impressive red dress stepped through a teleportation portal.
She had been dispatched in response to the Barrier Agency AI’s emergency support request.
“A First-Class Overseer is here!”
“We’re saved…”
“Phew.”
The Executors and Hunters, who had been maintaining a vigilant stance near the elevator leading underground, let out sighs of relief.
The presence of a First-Class Overseer meant they might avoid total annihilation.
Fira Dunhill had originally been off-duty.
First-Class Overseers were tasked with long-term missions or managing specific zones and rarely had time off, but Fira had recently returned from an expedition with a pioneering team and was resting in a nearby area.
“Sigh, I was just thinking of heading to a hot spring to relax, but now there’s a vampire alert? What in the world is going on?”
Fira, covering her mouth with a fan, looked like a noble lady raised in luxury, but her demeanor was different from usual.
A vampire.
Not just any vampire, but the emergency signal from the Barrier Agency indicated its presence.
And if it had infiltrated the Barrier Agency, it wasn’t an ordinary vampire but most certainly a true ancestor-level entity.
“Executor, report.”
At Fira’s command, the highest-ranking Executor quickly stepped forward.
“Yes! At approximately 2:38 PM, the AI detected the manifestation of a true ancestor virus in the virtual dungeon zone located on the Barrier Agency’s third basement level!”
“A true ancestor…”
At those words, Fira narrowed her eyes.
A bad premonition always proves true.
Why did it have to be a true ancestor when she was resting?
“What about the zone lockdown?”
“The Barrier Agency has already erected the blockade. No one can leave this area without your permission, Overseer.”
“That was quick. Are you saying the AI initiated the lockdown on its own, anticipating that the vampire might escape?”
“Yes. If all Executors, Hunters, and even you, Overseer, are wiped out, the entire area containing the Barrier Agency will be forcibly transported to a random outer region.”
“Hah. Understood.”
Ah, my fate.
I had just finished a pioneering expedition and was starting to enjoy the return of a peaceful life, only to face a true ancestor-level vampire as soon as I arrived.
The only silver lining was that it wasn’t an experienced vampire hiding and scheming in secret but a newborn true ancestor in its infancy.
The strength of a true ancestor that grows by feeding on human blood and vitality is uncertain, but if dealt with early, a newborn true ancestor could still be eliminated.
“By the way, where is Oriana?”
The First-Class Overseer stationed here should have been Oriana.
First-Class Overseers were assigned to at least one per three-layer zone, and Oriana should have been overseeing this Barrier Agency.
“…Actually, Overseer Oriana descended to the lower levels right before the true ancestor virus manifested.”
Fira’s face turned pale at the Executor’s words.
“What…?”
The fan that had been covering her mouth slipped from her hand, and her dilated pupils trembled violently.
She had met Oriana yesterday.
They had talked, catching up as friends after a long time.
She had even promised to introduce Oriana to her successor soon.
They had made a pact not to die.
They lived too close to death as it was, so they had agreed to meet as often as they could while alive.
One day, they’d share tea again, and Fira had promised to bring a good successor to meet Oriana.
They had spoken like that.
And yet, less than a day later, this had happened?
“Oriana…?”
It was worse than a third-rate novel.
Fira hadn’t heard an official death declaration for Oriana, but the circumstances were clear.
Oriana had gone underground, and immediately afterward, the true ancestor virus had manifested.
If Oriana hadn’t returned to the upper levels before Fira was summoned to the agency, it could only mean two things.
Either the true ancestor had killed Oriana or turned her into a servant.
-Crack!
“To coda!”
Biting her lip, Fira gestured with authority.
A translucent barrier surged around her, spreading out to encompass all the Hunters and Executors in the agency.
“Whoa, power…!”
“Is this the forced blooming ability?!”
Her ability was forced blooming.
It forcibly unlocked and amplified the potential and abilities of others.
“Lady Fira has begun leading us!”
“All awakened individuals, prepare for battle!”
“Executors, take your positions!”
Her ability didn’t just apply to a few individuals but to everyone within her range.
It was particularly effective for large groups, making Fira a natural choice as the Overseer overseeing pioneering teams.
When her ability was active, individuals’ growth depended on their latent potential and physical prowess.
A C-rank awakened could leap to A-rank, while A or B-rank individuals could break into the elusive S-rank territory they might never reach otherwise.
“I’ll relay this to all Executors and Hunters here.”
Fira’s voice was cold.
Her tightly tied hair rose and fell with the intense flow of mana around her.
Overseers rarely had friends.
In fact, it wasn’t just friends—they had little in the way of human connections at all.
Separated from family, unable to form romantic relationships, always serving Ark and humanity, and living near death, they only regarded fellow Overseers as friends and colleagues.
“To the foolish mosquito that dared to make its nest in this Barrier…”
For Fira, losing a friend brought grief and rage greater than the destruction of her entire family.
“Show them hell.”
“Yes, ma’am!”