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Chapter 78: First Vampire
🕑 Added 2025-07-12 14:58:02 +0000 UTC"Got the goods. I'm out," Russell said, pocketing the materials. Seeing that Misty had nothing else for him, he headed for the door.
"See ya," Misty replied without looking up from her spreadsheets. "I'll call if something comes up." The Society had only asked her to deliver the materials—nothing more, nothing less. In fact, given her cover, the less contact she had with him, the better. She didn't need the headache of explaining why she was sponsoring some random high school kid.
Russell didn't bother with small talk and left the clinic, heading straight back to his hotel.
Back in his room, he sat cross-legged on the bed, planning his next move. Since he wanted to create his first female card, Alucard was obviously out of the running. As for Arcueid, her power level was insane from the get-go—probably Master-rank or higher. Why give himself a migraine trying to nerf a walking apocalypse when he had better options?
"That leaves you," he muttered, examining his materials. "But something's still missing."
Russell pulled out his phone and browsed the trading website. He had 1.8 million credits burning a hole in his pocket—enough for a gold-quality bronze-level material. The question was whether he could find the right one.
Then he saw it. "Bingo."
Bronze-level [Succubus] (Gold).
He winced as he paid the 1.68 million credits. "There goes my vacation fund."
A Metro Express drone delivered the material within an hour. Russell sketched a stunning woman with porcelain skin and golden hair on a blank card, then gathered his materials and entered the mysterious space.
【Please start compiling your story.】
[Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom where Princess Acerola lived. She was so beautiful that people called her simply "the Beautiful Princess." But she felt like people only cared about her looks, not who she really was. So she found a witch and made a wish. The witch granted it—people could no longer see her physical appearance. Instead, they saw her inner heart, which was even more beautiful. Everyone who saw it was willing to die for her. The kingdom fell because of this.]
[Acerola found the witch to remove the curse, but the witch, after seeing Acerola's heart for the first time, had already offered up her own life. Just as the princess was about to end her own life, the witch's head miraculously revived for a moment and told her that those who had died for her might one day be saved. She hoped Acerola would travel the world.]
Russell wasn't starting from the weakened version of the character. He wanted the real deal.
[During her journey, Acerola came to another small country ruled by a vampire lord called Suicide-Master, who was doomed to eternal death. Her arrival destroyed this kingdom too. The vampire lord planned to kill Acerola for sustenance, but the moment he saw her, her beauty overwhelmed him with guilt. He fell into a state of constant suicide, living up to his name.]
[While staying with the vampire lord, Acerola said she didn't want any more humans dying pointlessly for her. She asked him to turn her into a vampire. That way, if someone sacrificed their life for her, she could turn them into sustenance, so their death wouldn't be wasted. Suicide-Master granted her wish and gave her a new name: Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade.]
The background was complete. Unfortunately, Russell's materials couldn't eliminate a vampire's greatest weakness: sunlight. But since he'd mainly use this card for nighttime Society missions, it wasn't a huge problem.
[The newly-turned Kiss-Shot wasn't familiar with her power. She was still used to walking in sunlight and got burned instantly. Fortunately, her incredible recovery ability prevented permanent damage. Thanks to this powerful healing factor, Kiss-Shot's blood—the source of a vampire's power—has much stronger healing properties than ordinary vampires. As long as you apply an opponent's blood to her wounds, she can quickly recover from injuries.]
This was a key reason Russell had chosen her. She could serve as a half-support card for his other fighters. He couldn't exactly waltz into a hospital after getting injured on a Society mission.
[Besides her super-strong recovery, Kiss-Shot gradually mastered her other powers: flight, shadow manipulation, enhanced senses, and of course, her monstrous strength.]
That was enough backstory. The later feats—like jumping from Antarctica to Japan in a single bound—were way beyond what a bronze-level card should handle.
Back in reality, the new card floated before him.
[First Vampire · Kiss-Shot Heart-Under-Blade]
Rank: Bronze
Quality: Red
Category: Creature
Skills:
[Super Strength]: Possesses strength that can demolish walls with a single blow.
[Shadow-Step]: Can hide in shadows and become invisible.
[Energy Drain]: Her gaze has devastating physical destructive power. Everything she looks at can be turned to dust.
[Instant Regeneration]: Unless her entire body and heart are destroyed simultaneously, her terrifying regeneration can instantly recover from any injury. (Note: This consumes the holder's mental energy.)
Characteristics:
[Demonic Charm]: Beings below Black Iron level cannot resist her charm and will voluntarily sacrifice their lives for her.
[Vampire Lord]: The blood bestowed by Suicide-Master makes her the pinnacle of vampires. When facing lower-level vampires, her abilities are enhanced.
Introduction: A strange one among strange ones, a vampire among vampires.
Advanced Route: Bronze [Newborn Vampire · Kiss-Shot] → Silver [Oddity Killer · Kiss-Shot] → Diamond [Iron-Blooded, Hot-Blooded, Cold-Blooded Vampire · Kiss-Shot].
Bond: When appearing with the [Suicide-Master] series, activates [Vampire Lord].
The result exceeded Russell's expectations. The golden material investment had definitely paid off. He wasn't surprised by the lack of anti-monster abilities—he hadn't invested in those materials. He absorbed the card and summoned her.
The Kiss-Shot who appeared had brilliant golden hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon. Her white classical dress revealed an generous amount of pale skin.
"Damn," Russell thought, genuinely impressed. Even by 2D standards, her figure was extraordinary. Her [Demonic Charm] had no effect on him—he was just genuinely amazed by her appearance.
Kiss-Shot seemed to sense his thoughts. She smiled, her long legs straddling him where he sat. "I never thought," she whispered sweetly in his ear, her breath sending shivers down his spine, "that I would have a master someday." Her soft hands, now without gloves, traced slow patterns on his chest. "And such a handsome one at that."
Russell's heart raced. The card was made with full favorability, and wasn't this part of why he wanted a female card in the first place? Her golden eyes held a predatory gleam that made his pulse quicken. "You're playing with fire, you know that?" he murmured.
"I'm a vampire," she purred, leaning closer until their faces were inches apart. "I am the fire."
Russell wasn't going to pretend to be a saint. Besides, compared to that female cardmaker at Keystone University who supposedly rode around on a muscular man, this was nothing. Without another thought, he swept her up and carried her to the bed. Thank God he'd booked a double room.
The night was long, filled with whispered words and gentle touches. Kiss-Shot's vampiric nature made her both incredibly alluring and surprisingly tender. Their connection went beyond just physical attraction—there was something deeper, almost spiritual about bonding with a card he'd created himself.
The next morning, Russell woke to find Kiss-Shot tracing lazy circles on his chest, her golden hair spilled across the pillow like liquid sunshine. "Good morning, master," she said with a satisfied smile.
"Morning, beautiful." He stretched, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite the late night. Vampires had incredible stamina, and even though it had been Kiss-Shot's "first time," she'd been an eager learner. His bronze-level mental power had definitely been put to the test. "You're going to be the death of me."
She laughed, a sound like silver bells. "That would be counterproductive. I rather like having you around."
His thoughts drifted to other potential "sisters" he could create. He shook his head, clearing the distracting thoughts. "Focus, Russell. You want to become a Palace-level cardmaker." Though he couldn't help wondering, "What would it be like with Kaguya Otsutsuki?" His face flushed. A woman like Misty couldn't even tempt him—she wasn't nearly as captivating as his own creations.
Fortunately, he still had his priorities straight. He could have fun, but he couldn't neglect his meditation. In this world, strength was the foundation of survival.
"So that doesn't work either," he mused, recalling last night's experiment. Since Kiss-Shot could transform others into vampires, he'd naturally been prepared to test it. Unfortunately, although her... attention... was very pleasant, she couldn't even pierce his skin. "Seems like gaining abilities through creature cards isn't possible anymore..." Though he wouldn't jump to conclusions. He'd need to make more cards and test them thoroughly.
Good times fly by. Before he knew it, the knockout rounds had begun.
"So? You confident?" Nancy asked from beside him in the stands. During the knockout stage, the exclusive seeded player areas were cancelled. He was back with the New Metro First High crowd. Although the other students' competitions had ended, Russell was still their school's only hope.
He recalled his opponent's information: Shane from Northgate University High, with a bronze-level [Hirsute Zombie]. Russell nodded immediately. "Easy money."
"Still as cocky as ever," Nancy said with a smile. She wasn't surprised by his confidence—they'd known each other for nearly half a year. Besides, Shane's card was just an upgraded version of Darren's [Green Zombie]. Darren's zombie had been easily sliced by Yoriichi; the hairy version wouldn't pose any threat to Russell now. Unless the other guy had hidden cards.
"You're up," Nancy said, giving him a gentle push as his name echoed over the loudspeaker. Russell nodded, stood up, and headed to the waiting area.
"Go get 'em, Russell!" his classmates cheered behind him. He just waved without looking back.
In the battle area, Shane stared at Russell with a serious expression. His last match ended too quickly—I couldn't see anything at all. But fortunately, I still have my trump card. He took a deep breath, and two cards instantly appeared before him. No more hiding. He'd bring out his strongest lineup from the start.
On the opposite side, Russell raised his eyebrows. "Of course there's a trump card. Can't underestimate anyone in the top thirty-two. And this should be a bond combination, right?"
His inference made sense. Shane's two cards were unmistakable. One was a zombie covered in long hair. The other was a figure in green robes holding a talisman—a corpse driver from western folklore. This was the first time Russell had seen a homemade card based on regional legends rather than major mythology.
In that case... Russell thought as Luffy and Yoriichi appeared before him instantly. He could probably handle both opponent cards with just Yoriichi and Luffy's Gear Third. But since Luffy's information was already exposed, there was no need to hide him anymore. Better to use both cards while concealing Yoriichi's Shikai and Luffy's Third Gear.
"Round of 32! New Metro First High's Russell versus Northgate University High's Shane!"
"START!"
With the referee's whistle, the battle began.
End of Chapter
