When the man blocked my path in the alleyway for the first time, the first thought that popped into my head was: I’m in trouble.
The man, who I initially thought was a drug addict, turned out to be a vampire.
Or perhaps a ghoul, the kind rarely seen even in this underworld, appeared in droves.
But such details hardly mattered.
What truly mattered was this:
How on earth did he manage to find me, someone who usually left no trace, jumping across rooftops?
“As far as I know, there shouldn’t be any working CCTVs around here… Magic? Or some other method I didn’t consider?”
If my psychic ability had been exposed, it would’ve been the worst-case scenario.
A lone kid wandering its streets using psychic powers?
It would immediately attract waves of attention from battle-hardened veterans, pestering me to reveal my secrets.
With a desperate hope that wasn’t the case, I scanned my surroundings, my eyes rolling beneath the cloth that concealed me.
Then, I noticed it:
A grotesque dog with exposed muscles and organs, panting heavily next to the furious man.
“That’s… definitely a Corpse Hound from the original story. Blood-scent hunting dogs that can track their prey’s scent from dozens of kilometers away. Which means…”
It must have been because of the ugly ring I took from the vampire’s possession.
Greg had said it was an item crafted from some creature’s innards.
If that ring carried a distinctive blood scent, and I ended up reeking of it after sleeping on the rooftop last night…
“It makes sense. Not that I avoided bathing because I wanted to, of course!”
At least it was a relief.
The terrifying thought of someone secretly observing my every move was just that—a thought.
If they had merely pinpointed my location through the scent of blood, there was a good chance my psychic ability hadn’t been discovered.
Whew, got worked up for nothing.
Lowering my guard slightly, I turned to look at the vampire in front of me more calmly.
Now that I focused, his appearance was a mess.
All I had done yesterday was give him a sharp telekinetic flick to the forehead.
Yet his face was now swollen all over, and even some teeth were missing.
Did he tumble down a flight of stairs or something?
Honestly, he seemed more suited for a hospital bed than skulking in an alley.
“Damn it! Because of you… I lost the ring! I lost my father’s trust! I lost my men! It’s all your fault! My life is ruined because of youuuu!”
The man screamed as if his throat were being scraped raw, his rage boiling over.
So much so that blood dripped from his eyes.
Hmm. I didn’t know the exact details, but it seemed like he’d been severely reprimanded by someone he referred to as his father after I beat him up and looted his possessions.
That ring must’ve been pretty important.
It looked like junk to me, but I guess it had its own significance to them.
Even so, his sob story didn’t resonate with me.
Serves him right for not living a decent life.
If you shoot someone, you should be prepared to be shot.
Likewise, if you engage in crime, you can’t complain when worse criminals mess you up.
Who told him to live like that?
“Well, that aside… I was on my way to eat, and now look at this.”
I had been heading to grab a steak sandwich.
But here he was, dragging a pack of ghouls along and ruining my appetite.
I couldn’t find a single thing to like about this guy.
So, with a bit more personal satisfaction than usual, I focused my telekinesis on the air right in front of the screaming vampire’s forehead.
“This is getting tedious. Let’s finish this quickly. The sandwich shop is offering extra cheese today.”
Let me ask you something.
Do you know why a flick to the forehead hurts?
Even if you slap your palm with your fingers as hard as you can, it doesn’t really hurt.
That’s because a flick concentrates force in one small point by pulling the thumb back and releasing it.
Now imagine using telekinesis to grab two spots in the air, pulling them tightly apart, then releasing one.
A telekinetic flick delivers a shock far beyond what simple telekinesis can achieve.
Snap!
“Gwahhhk!”
The vampire let out a strangled cry, like a chicken being choked.
The concentrated force slammed into the already bruised spot on his forehead like a thunderbolt.
Thankfully, vampires are known to be much sturdier than regular humans, so this shouldn’t be life-threatening.
…Probably?
The ghouls and the Corpse Hound tilted their heads, confused.
Their master had collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Without their controller, the mindless undead were clearly at a loss.
If the man didn’t wake up soon, they’d instinctively roam around in search of blood and flesh.
While they weren’t particularly strong, their numbers would undoubtedly cause chaos, leading to countless victims.
“That won’t do. I’ve grown to like this area over the past month.”
After confirming that no one was around, I threw off the cloth covering my body.
Even the faint sunlight filtering into the alley stung my eyes for a moment.
“Grrr?”
“Snarl!”
The ghouls and the hound immediately turned their attention to me.
Among living humans, women and children were their favorite prey.
And as an unguarded young girl, I must have seemed like an irresistible feast to them.
They turned back into the alley, drooling eagerly.
A foolish choice.
If they’d fled instead, they might’ve had a slim chance of tasting fresh flesh before dying.
“Well, since they’re undead… no need to hold back.”
Taking a deep breath, I unleashed my telekinesis, seizing control of the entire alley.
This was my psychic power at maximum output—far stronger and more refined than when I first reincarnated a month ago.
The ghouls, bewildered by their sudden immobility, flailed helplessly.
But once caught in my grasp, there was no escape.
One by one, the closest ghouls had their heads turned clockwise.
Of course, bodies aren’t made of LEGO bricks.
Their necks snapped, and heads began to tumble to the ground.
Thud. Thud-thud-thud.
When the last ghoul and hound were headless, I retracted my telekinesis, surveying the aftermath.
After making sure there were no witnesses, I covered myself again and left.
The vampire, now bound and tossed aside, would surely draw attention.
Satisfied, I leapt back to the rooftops and headed for my sandwich.
After all, my cheese steak sandwich was waiting for me.
The underworld of Nighthaven was vast, its size unmatched by anything before it.
Those who tried to take too much, too greedily, would eventually falter.
Thus, the various organizations that ruled the underworld had no choice but to divide its outer zones among themselves.
The western outskirts bore the remnants of a time when Nighthaven pursued aggressive expansion.
Buildings and structures were constructed haphazardly, with no regard for planning.
Structures leaned so close together they nearly touched, and the chaos extended to roads, which were barely functional.
This area of the western outskirts was also known as the Western Labyrinth, a veritable prison of concrete walls and tangled pathways.
“So, what happened? I heard vampires and ghouls showed up. I was so shocked I ditched my meeting and came straight here!”
“Miss Wang Qian, the situation is…”
The Western Labyrinth was firmly under the control of the Heukju Association, a beastfolk syndicate that had migrated from China.
Two key figures of the association—a rabbit-eared beauty and a lizard beastfolk—hurried into an alleyway.
“What is… this?”
“This is how we found it when we arrived.”
Wang Qian’s gaze fell upon the gruesome scene of ghouls’ corpses strewn across the alley.
There was no sign of a struggle on the walls or ground.
The ghouls’ heads had been cleanly severed, their corpses lying in unnervingly pristine condition.
“W-Wait a minute. I don’t get it. You’re saying someone just dumped these ghoul corpses here? It doesn’t look like there was much of a fight.”
“No, there’s a witness who saw a group of living ghouls moving in this direction.”
“Then is this the work of some group we don’t know about? A fixer? Mercenaries? No, this alley is too narrow for a large group…”
Wang Qian pressed her fingers against the walls and floor, her brows furrowing deeply.
The alley was narrow—so narrow that even the ghouls would’ve barely fit through.
At most, two or three people could’ve squeezed into the space, and that was being generous.
As her thoughts remained muddled, the lizard beastfolk cut in.
“I believe it was the work of a single individual. If a large group had been here, it would’ve drawn too much attention.”
“That’s ridiculous! Are you saying someone managed to pluck the heads off all these ghouls by themselves without resistance? What are they, some kind of mercenary king?!”
The Mercenary King, a legend of someone so swift they could cleave with lightning and only notice the wound moments later.
This kind of scene could only have been caused by someone of comparable power.
Wang Qian’s long ears twitched as she shouted, overwhelmed.
Despite her outburst, the lizard beastfolk remained unfazed. His steady voice carried a hint of amusement as he addressed her.
“Miss, there’s an old saying: Once you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”
“Sigh… Even so, this is…”
This is too much…
Wang Qian buried her face in her hands.
Ghouls, while seemingly weak, were relentless creatures that didn’t feel pain and wouldn’t stop unless decapitated.
Even a skilled enforcer would struggle to take one down alone.
The mere fact that dozens of ghouls had suddenly appeared was enough to induce a headache.
But now, there was talk of a monster beyond comprehension wandering around?
Her frustration was no longer just a headache—it made her want to cry.
Perhaps sensing her distress, the lizard beastfolk offered a bitter smile and spoke in a comforting tone.
“At least there’s a vampire tied up next to the ghoul corpses. We can ask him for answers once he regains consciousness.”
“Oh, great! So not only did they kill all these ghouls, but they also captured a vampire? Thanks! That really calms my nerves!”
“…Haha…”
Clearly, his words weren’t comforting in the slightest.
Tears glistened at the corners of Wang Qian’s eyes as she muttered in despair.
If ghouls were considered on par with elite enforcers, vampires, even the weakest ones, were akin to lieutenants.
Yet someone had not only bested the vampire but restrained and left them alive?
How strong is this person?! And why did they show up here of all places?!
Her elongated ears twitched in agitation as she let out a groan of despair.
“I’ve heard an interesting rumor. Lately, something unusual has been roaming the Labyrinth.”
“Unusual, you say?”
“Yes… People have started calling it… a ghost.”
The lizard beastfolk’s tone was laced with intrigue as he revealed this tidbit.
For the first time, the idea of a ghost became etched into the fabric of Nighthaven’s Western Labyrinth.