Inside the pitch-black cave, two figures walked forward at an unhurried pace.
"Hiding in a place like this. Just like rats."
A faint draft drifted through the tunnel, carrying with it a nauseating stench. Rotting flesh, stale sweat, spilled alcohol, all blended together into a suffocating odor.
There was even a faint hint of a floral scent mixed in.
Shalltear frowned and waved her hand in front of her nose in disgust.
Herohero had no reaction. The moment he stepped into the cave, he had already turned off [Scent Detection].
"Hey, you two…"
Splurt.
Several men in coarse clothing rushed out from ahead, shouting as they did.
A black tentacle flashed past.
Their heads exploded instantly.
"Shalltear, I'll leave it to you."
"As you command."
After receiving Herohero's instruction, Shalltear stepped forward slowly. She watched the blood spraying from the shattered corpses, then casually lifted a hand and made a small sweeping motion.
An eerie sight unfolded.
The blood did not spill onto the ground. Instead, it rose into the air, drifting upward as though drawn by an unseen force. Gradually, it gathered together, forming a crimson sphere suspended above them.
"M… monster!"
The bandits who arrived moments later froze in terror. Their hands trembled around their weapons. There were dozens of them, yet not one dared to step forward.
"You call me a monster?"
Herohero turned his slime-formed face toward the speaker. The dark mucus on his body rippled.
In the next instant, several tentacles shot out.
Before the man could react, he was completely bound.
The tentacles tightened.
With the sickening sound of flesh tearing, his head, arms, and legs were ripped free, his body reduced to scattered chunks of meat.
The entire process lasted no more than two seconds.
Before the others could even process what had happened, their companion was already dismembered.
Thick blood streamed through the air, merging into the crimson sphere above. Flesh scattered across the cave floor. The overwhelming stench of blood filled their lungs.
The bandits threw down their weapons and ran without looking back. As they fled, they even shoved their own companions aside, hoping to buy themselves a few more steps.
Whoever wanted to fight that monster could go ahead. They wanted no part of it.
"Run! Run! Go deeper and get Brain-san!"
Panic-stricken, they scrambled toward the depths of the cave, seeking out the strongest swordsman within.
But Herohero had no intention of letting them escape.
Countless tentacles burst from his slime-covered body. In the blink of an eye, they pierced through the fleeing men's heads.
Headless corpses collapsed one after another.
Screams and desperate cries echoed through the cave.
Shalltear closed her eyes and listened carefully to the wails of despair, a look of pleasure spreading across her face.
More and more blood flowed upward, feeding the crimson sphere and making it grow larger.
"Let's go."
Herohero cast a glance at the intoxicated Shalltear and spoke quietly before stepping over the corpses and continuing deeper into the cave.
After only a few steps, he stopped.
His faceless, slime-formed head tilted slightly as he looked ahead.
Standing before him was a well-built man with a confident smile on his face.
Blue hair framed his features.
Brain Unglaus had arrived.
"My name is Brain Unglaus."
Hearing the introduction, Herohero paused briefly before nodding.
"Herohero."
Since the other party had given his name, it would have been rude to attack without responding. At the very least, he had basic manners. He was not like Naohara-sama, shameless and relentless.
"I'll remember that name. Now prepare yourself."
Though slightly surprised that the monster had answered him, Brain did not dwell on it. His hand slowly moved toward the katana at his waist.
"Politeness is over. It's time to fight."
"What are you—"
Herohero muttered something under his breath.
Before Brain could react, a petite figure appeared at his side.
"Make sure you treasure my blood properly."
Crimson pupils filled his vision as Shalltear smiled sweetly.
She raised her right hand. Her slender fingers glowed faintly red as her nails rapidly extended into sharp points.
Her hand shot forward.
Brain's eyes widened. He tried to dodge, but the sharpened fingertip had already pierced his forehead.
It pressed deeper.
Amid his agonized scream, the entire finger drove into his skull without restraint. Vampiric blood surged through it, flooding into Brain's body.
"Urgh…"
His skin turned flushed red. Veins bulged violently across his body. He collapsed to his knees, face twisted in pain.
Clutching his head with both hands, his fingernails dug into his scalp, drawing blood.
The transformation had begun.
Unlike using a magic item for conversion, Shalltear had chosen the simplest and most direct method: blood infusion.
There was no real difference between the two approaches.
This one just hurt a bit more.
Herohero stood quietly nearby. Once the transformation was complete, he would remove Brain's heart immediately.
After some time, the pain subsided.
Shalltear withdrew her finger and calmly took out a handkerchief, wiping away the bits of brain matter from it.
She had pierced straight through Brain's skull and injected the blood directly into his brain. Was there some deeper meaning behind that?
No.
It was simply more entertaining.
Brain slumped to the ground as his body continued to change. His frame expanded slightly. His skin turned pale. From the neck down, intricate crimson lines spread across his body, forming a complex, almost ceremonial pattern.
"Interesting. This human adapts quite well to my blood."
Shalltear looked satisfied. Her blood had not been wasted.
"Cough… cough…"
Brain's consciousness slowly returned.
He opened blood-red eyes and instinctively tried to rise, only to be stopped by sudden agony.
A massive hole had opened in his chest.
A slime-covered black arm was embedded within it.
In the next moment, it withdrew, pulling out a still-beating heart.
"That's… my heart…"
Brain stared blankly at the organ suspended before him.
Before he could finish speaking, darkness took him again.
"Shalltear, heal him. I still need a few hundred more hearts."
Herohero consumed the heart while extracting its Talent, speaking calmly as he did.
"As you command, Herohero-sama."
Shalltear smiled faintly and waved her hand.
The crimson sphere hovering above trembled. Streams of blood poured down in a torrent, flowing into Brain's body.
As long as they did not suffer fatal damage, Vampires could regenerate rapidly by absorbing blood.
With the blood sphere's assistance, a new heart formed within seconds.
Before Brain could regain consciousness, the black slime-covered arm pierced his chest once more and tore out the freshly restored organ.
Deprived of his heart again, Brain inevitably lost consciousness.
This cycle continued for an hour.
"Send him back to Nazarick. I think Momonga will find him interesting."
Herohero looked inward at the several hundred extracted Talents and nodded in satisfaction. This particular Talent had given him a small surprise.
"As you command."