The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 176: Don’t bite your tongue

Slowly, Lucian’s crimson eyes narrowed.

His heightened hearing picked up faint sounds coming from far away.

Distant animalistic growls. Heavy footsteps.

And if that wasn’t enough...

Those sounds were growing closer with every passing second.

It seemed the monsters had already noticed them.

"Kanna."

He shifted his attention toward the emotionless maid.

"Do you know where the nearest inhabited city is? Somewhere people are still living?"

Kanna quietly shook her head.

Whenever she came to Earth, Selthia would use her portal to send her directly to an inhabited area.

She had never expected that troublesome woman would deliberately send them into this abandoned dead zone.

Lucian let out a faint sigh, his frustration rising once again.

Without another word, he firmly planted his feet against the ground.

Then—

With a single leap, his body shot several meters into the sky.

Seraphina’s eyes widened in surprise before she instinctively lifted her head to follow his figure.

But...

Even after a few seconds had passed—

Instead of falling back down, Lucian remained suspended in midair, completely motionless.

The sight sent another wave of shock through both women.

Especially Kanna.

’When... did he learn that...?’

Her thoughts momentarily stalled as her mind struggled to comprehend the scene.

The skill Lucian was currently using was [Levitation]—

A racial skill possessed by vampires that allowed them to float freely through the air.

It wasn’t considered particularly useful in combat, since movement while levitating was relatively slow. Anyone with a decent Wind Affinity could easily surpass it in terms of mobility.

But...

That wasn’t what shocked her.

Very few vampires actually bothered learning [Levitation], and even among those who did...

Mastering it required months of constant practice, even for the most talented individuals.

Even Vivienne—the junior redhead herself—had never bothered learning the ability, considering it useless for her fighting style.

Meanwhile...

Completely unaware of the shock he had caused Kanna—

Lucian slowly turned in midair, sweeping his gaze across the vast ruined city.

His crimson pupils contracted, and his vision rapidly sharpened.

The distant landscape became clearer, allowing him to see several kilometres away with remarkable clarity.

Less than a minute later, his eyes finally lit up.

He found it.

Far in the distance stood massive defensive walls, and beyond them...

He ascended a little higher, allowing him to make out countless buildings within those walls.

Compared to the area they were currently in, that place looked relatively intact.

Then—

His gaze shifted elsewhere.

A thick cloud of dust was rapidly advancing across the ground from multiple directions. Beneath it, countless figures—most likely monsters—were charging through the shattered streets.

Toward them.

Lucian squinted his eyes, silently memorising both directions.

Then—

His floating body began descending toward the ground, his black suit and shirt fluttering violently in the rushing wind.

Seraphina instinctively tensed, watching him fall from that height at such speed that her heart skipped a beat.

But just before reaching the ground—

His descent abruptly slowed.

His body floated a few inches above the earth before gently lowering itself.

His shoes touched the cracked road without producing even the slightest impact—

Completely opposite to what Seraphina had expected, who had been bracing herself for a violent landing.

"Found where the survivors are..."

He paused before looking toward Seraphina.

"But it seems the monsters have already started heading this way."

His brows furrowed into a deep, thoughtful frown.

"...How did they notice us?"

The question escaped his lips almost unconsciously.

’...Is it because of me?’

Kanna’s earlier words resurfaced in his mind.

If what she had said was true... then he might truly be the reason those monsters had begun rampaging.

"Um... Lucian."

Seraphina’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

He turned toward her, only to find her looking at him with an unusually deadpan expression.

"You caused an explosion just now." She stated it matter-of-factly.

Even Kanna silently agreed, inwardly nodding to herself.

For a brief second, genuine confusion flashed across his face.

But then, realisation struck him.

"..."

He had literally blasted apart the basement entrance with a fireball, and the explosion had naturally echoed throughout the entire neighbourhood.

Of course it would attract monsters.

Realising such an unbelievably foolish mistake, Lucian couldn’t help but inwardly groan.

After seeing the destroyed state of his home, it seemed his mind had stopped functioning properly for a while.

’Focus.’

He firmly reminded himself, his gaze briefly lingering on the ruined remains of the house beneath his feet before slowly exhaling.

There was no point dwelling on it any longer.

Letting out one final sigh...

Lucian turned back toward his mother.

Although her expression remained as calm as always, he could still see the faint concern hidden within her eyes.

’Status.’

The word echoed through his mind, and in the very next instant—

A large blue-and-gold screen materialised before his eyes, its borders adorned with golden inscriptions branching like veins, softly illuminating the translucent panel before him.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name – Lucian Foster/Scarlett

Race – Vampire(Progenitor)

Rank – C

Titles – Loved by ######, Killed by his sister, Progenitor of Vampires

Main Bloodlines – Devourer’s Bloodline + Sanguis Noctus Bloodline

Sub Bloodline – Scarlett Bloodline

Affinity – Blood, Fire, Soul

Talent – SSS

[Attributes]

Strength – 120➝165

Agility – 150➝190

Constitution – 160➝200

Intelligence – 130➝145

Will – 180➝215

Perception – 200➝220

Charm – 190➝291

Stamina – 210➝460

Mana – 105➝299

Attribute Points (AP) – 280➝0

Despite the significant increase in his overall stats...

Rather than feeling excited, Lucian felt disappointed.

Because he still hadn’t even crossed the halfway point toward reaching B Rank.

Considering he was a Progenitor—which had made him expect an overwhelming increase in strength—it seemed his growth was still comparatively slow.

Even Valentina had noticed the same thing during their training, though she hadn’t complained even once.

Because although the growth of his physical attributes was slower than expected...

His overall growth was unimaginably fast, especially his sword mastery, which had improved at an almost monstrous pace.

His control over his racial vampire abilities advanced even faster.

With another thought—

The screen quietly dissolved from his vision.

Seeing him standing silently, Seraphina instinctively glanced around the ruined surroundings. Unlike Lucian and Kanna, she couldn’t hear the sounds of the approaching monsters.

"Let’s get out of here."

Hearing Lucian’s words, Seraphina turned toward him.

But before she could even respond—

Lucian suddenly closed the distance between them.

Before Seraphina could even understand what was happening—

He slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back before effortlessly lifting her into a princess carry.

"Lucian...?"

Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Seraphina quietly called out, a faint hint of confusion in her voice, accompanied by an involuntary wave of embarrassment she tried her best to hide.

Lucian merely glanced down at her.

Mana rapidly gathered beneath his feet.

A brilliant blue glow spread across the soles of his shoes, illuminating the cracked road beneath them.

After firmly planting one foot forward—

"Don’t bite your tongue."

Before Seraphina could even ask what he meant—

Lucian’s body exploded forward, leaving behind a fractured crater where he had been standing only a moment earlier.

The ruined streets blurred around them as the wind roared violently past.

Kanna, left standing alone amidst the ruins of the collapsed house...

She let out a quiet sigh, wondering why she had even come along with him—though, in truth, she had never possessed the right to refuse the Duchess’s orders in the first place.

Without wasting another second, darkness spread beneath her feet.

Her body dissolved into the shadows before sinking into the ground, swiftly following after him.

Within mere seconds, she silently slipped back into Lucian’s blurring shadow.

***

Meanwhile...

Within Bloodveil...

Inside the Sinclair Marquess’ Castle...

A man with brownish-red hair quietly walked through the dimly lit corridors.

Silas—

The very same noble who had recently visited the Scarlett Castle and spoken with Valentina, Vivienne, and Lucian.

The very same man who had unknowingly fallen under the effects of Lucian’s Charm ability.

His footsteps eventually came to a halt before an ornate wooden door.

The entrance to Grace Sinclair’s private bedchambers.

Silas briefly swept his gaze across the silent corridor. Finding no guards nearby, he slowly pushed the door open before slipping inside.

The room remained dimly lit, though that did nothing to hinder his vampire vision.

After quietly closing the door behind him, he took only a few steps before suddenly freezing.

His eyes had landed upon the figure of a woman.

She lay asleep upon the bed, completely naked, with only a blanket draped over the lower half of her body, leaving the graceful curves of her figure clearly outlined beneath the soft fabric.

Silas unconsciously swallowed.

"What happened?"

Her voice suddenly echoed through the room, causing him to almost flinch before he quickly composed himself.

Grace slowly turned over before sitting upright.

The blanket slipped lower, leaving her pale figure—and her bare breasts—fully exposed to his gaze.

Noticing his eyes linger on her body for the briefest moment, a faint smile tugged at her lips before she repeated herself.

"Silas.

Answer me.

What happened in the Scarlett Castle?"

Silas blinked before quickly nodding.

"...She accepted," he answered honestly.

But before he could continue—

Grace suddenly leaned forward and pulled him onto the bed beside her, startling him with the sudden motion.

"And?"

She urged him, unable to hide the curiosity in her voice.

Though...

With her face suddenly so close to his, he found it unexpectedly difficult to speak.

Nevertheless, he continued his report.

As Silas spoke, Grace listened in silence while leisurely removing his suit before slipping his shirt from his shoulders, her unhurried movements causing him to stumble over his words again and again.

Yet...

A single cold glance from her was enough to force him to continue speaking without interruption.

Several moments later...

"But... there was one problem."

"What?"

Silas glanced toward his mother, who was now straddling him as he lay on the bed.

"T-The Duchess... she didn’t seem very interested in her sister’s safety."

Grace let out a mocking chuckle.

"That woman slaughtered her own family without a hint of remorse.

It would be a miracle if she cared even a little about her sister."

She leaned in further as she spoke, and before he could say anything else—

She suddenly bit down on his neck, drawing a loud groan from him.

"T-There w-was also a man there...!" His voice came out louder than intended.

Hearing that, Grace immediately lifted her head, a trace of confusion flashing across her face.

"Who?"

Silas let out a frustrated sigh—frustrated by the fact that he couldn’t push her beneath him.

Still...

He answered.

And after hearing his response, Grace couldn’t help but slowly raise an amused brow.