Blood Assimilation

Brawler Randy smiled and casually inquired: "Where were you trying to go by entering this dark alley by yourself? Isn't it a dead-end? And who are these people?"

The black-haired girl snapped out of her reverie, maintaining her cold demeanor, and retorted: "It's none of your business."

She flung the struggling man in her grasp, sending him crashing into the wall, rendering him unconscious. As she prepared to leave the dark alley, she reflected on the capabilities displayed by this person before her, who had both surprised and intimidated her with the way he took care of that vampire back then.

However, her diminished combat condition at the time had contributed to that fear, having previously battled a horde of magical beasts with her comrades beforehand, leaving them exhausted and nearly depleted of energy when they confronted the loathsome vampire man.

If she had been in peak condition during their encounter with the vampire, she believed she might not have needed the assistance she received from Randy who had appeared that day.

With these thoughts in mind, she decided to avoid any interaction with him, considering they were mere acquaintances who didn't truly know each other. Yet, before she could take a single step forward, Brawler Randy grabbed one of her slender arms, which held her hood, and attempted to adjust it on her head.

His action drew an expression of displeasure from her, but Brawler Randy ignored her reaction and continued speaking.

"Are you perhaps heading to the Mercenary Street? Are you a mercenary?" He asked, still holding onto her arm.

The black-haired girl forcefully broke free from Brawler Randy's grip, put her hood back on to conceal her face, and coldly replied: "And what if I am? Stop bothering me. I'm not in the mood to entertain anyone right now. If you keep getting in my way, you'll end up like those three lying over there."

She warned with annoyance and cast a menacing glance at the bloodied men she had beaten and incapacitated to give him a hint.

Despite her threatening words, Brawler Randy remained unfazed and maintained an excited expression. He continued speaking as if he didn't take her words too seriously.

"So, you like to fight? That's good. From your outfit and that hood, I'll take a guess and assume you're... an assassin, right?"

Whoosh!

Before Brawler Randy could utter another word, he witnessed the hooded girl vanish from his line of sight. Then, from behind, he felt a sudden, cold touch of a sharp blade pressed against his neck. He turned his head slowly to meet the fierce gaze of the girl, who propped a sharp dagger against his neck.

Her height, which was discernibly shorter before, was now elevated to match his height. Some kind of mystical power seemed to extend her shadow, allowing her to reach his height.

A palpable, murderous aura radiated from her, enough to overwhelm those with weaker wills. Their eyes locked, and she spoke coldly: "Who are you, and why are you approaching me?"

Despite the dagger pressed against his neck, Brawler Randy managed a wry smile and responded nonchalantly: "Easy with the knife there."

With surprising swiftness, he seized the blade of the dagger with his bare hand and yanked it from her grip, his eyes shimmering with a peculiar grayish-purple light. He effortlessly levitated the dagger with imperceptible energy and turned to face the alarmed black-haired girl, who had retreated as soon as he disarmed her.

"I mean no harm." Brawler Randy reassured her, and then he continued: "Since you seem to know the Mercenary Street, why don't you show me where to find combat-related missions?"

"…"

The black-haired girl, still recovering from the shock of his actions, eyed him cautiously but remained silent.

Undeterred by her silence, Brawler Randy twirled the dagger above his hand for a few rotations. He observed her briefly with a thoughtful expression and then launched the dagger gently in her direction. The dagger hung in the air about a meter away from the hooded girl.

"You can have your dagger back." He offered.

Using her shadow manipulation skill, she retrieved the weapon and concealed it. As she sensed the opening at the end of the dark alley behind her, she furtively glanced in that direction. It seemed she was not far from escaping the confines of the dark alley.

"Now, why don't you show me around?" Brawler Randy requested, but he received an abrupt response from her.

"I refuse! Find somebody else."

Perplexed by her rejection, he asked: "Why?"

Whoosh!

In a flash, she vanished from his view once again, her form shrouded in shadows as she swiftly left the dark alley without bothering to respond to his words. Before he could even attempt to convince her, depending on her answer, she disappeared.

She had run away.

"…"

Brawler Randy stood there, stunned by this turn of events.

This was not the outcome he had expected. He had hoped that returning her dagger might have smoothed things over, making his exploration of the city less challenging with her assistance.

After a moment of bewilderment, Brawler chased after her as she ran out of the dark alley, though he wasn't certain if he could catch up to her, especially since she seemed to be using her shadow manipulation to increase her speed.

…

In the Safe Room.

Within the confines of the Safe Room, Randy had already established a connection with his incarnations, gaining insights into their activities. He paid particular attention to the latest developments concerning Brawler Randy, who had acquired vital information about the procurement of elemental essence crystals.

The matters involving Holy Knight Randy were also of relevance. Randy found himself surprised as he pondered the implications of his latest incarnation's actions. Regardless, he understood that it was initially his responsibility to verify this information to eliminate any potential threats, and his incarnation's current actions saved him from that trouble.

One especially concerning aspect was the mysterious and terrifying woman who had recognized him and even launched a deadly attack on him. He pondered whether she might be the elusive Vampire Queen sought by Zolat Grant in the Meistic Forest under Cardinal Juke's instruction.

From the moment he arrived in Acruxia, Randy had sensed a persistent feeling of being watched, like he was under some sort of constant surveillance. Yet, he couldn't pinpoint the source. However, he felt this feeling less when he left the Meistic Forest.

Ultimately, he deduced that it might be linked to the mysterious dark region within the Meistic Forest, a place shrouded in secrecy, known to no one. Despite its existence being concealed from others, he could still perceive this dark region clearly when in the Meistic Forest.

With the impending Holy Church of Light expedition, Randy anticipated the opportunity to unveil the identity of the figure residing in that enigmatic dark region. Encounters with the vampire man within the Meistic Forest led him to speculate that the dark region might serve as the secret lair of the vampire race, an allied race of the demon race.

While Randy couldn't be entirely certain of this assumption, he considered it a possibility that warranted further investigation. His conviction grew stronger when he delved into the memory of Zolat Grant, who had undertaken an unofficial sacred mission under Cardinal Juke's orders to search for a Vampire Queen's lair within the Meistic Forest.

Setting aside these thoughts, Randy shifted his focus to the formation of another incarnation, the third since he acquired the Incarnation Technique. It would also be the last for the time being due to a shortage of elemental essence crystals.

His strategy revolved around deploying multiple incarnations within the current world to gather valuable information about Acruxia, which he could utilize effectively once his seclusion ended.

The primary objective behind this strategy was to avoid direct confrontations or conflicts with unknown individuals, such as the mysterious woman who had nearly taken his life before inexplicably vanishing. With just a little over two months remaining for his stay in Acruxia World, he intended to make the most of his time before returning to his home world.

Naturally, he planned to return before the Military Base expedition and training session in his home world concluded to ensure he didn't miss the opportunity to return home on time.

Though unlikely, he wanted to avoid getting entangled in any potential issues resulting from the space-time fluctuations mentioned by his system, as he was concerned about causing worry among his already unstable family.

To address the issue of the scarcity of elemental essence crystals, he devised a plan involving his latest incarnation visiting the location disclosed by Crown Prince Lukkas. Fortunately, he had also received the map from the Crown Prince, eliminating the need for further time-consuming searches.

Upon retrieving the comprehensive map from Brawler Randy's memories, he would swiftly set his plan into action.

At this juncture, he redirected his attention to monitor the formation of the incarnation, which was nearing completion.

After a brief passage of time, a fully formed human, identical in appearance to himself, appeared and stood before him, displaying a vacant expression. Gradually, the incarnation regained awareness and directed a lackluster gaze toward him.

"…"

After a brief contemplative pause, it slowly opened its mouth and spoke in a dispassionate, masculine voice.

"It appears I'm the chosen incarnation this time." The incarnation declared, its voice devoid of emotion.

Randy raised an eyebrow, briefly pondering if this detached tone of his incarnation indicated a potential failure.

However, he opted not to dwell on this and proceeded to confirm: "Yes, that's correct. You're aware of your mission, but let me reiterate it just to be certain. Your task is to follow the map within your memories and locate the Long-eared Tribe in the East.

See if you can secure permission to access one of their elemental beast dungeons, where elemental creatures presumably house unprocessed elemental essence crystals as their mana cores. If, by any chance, you encounter one of their settlements, explore ways to gain entry. Although it's improbable, as they rarely admit outsiders to their regular cities, let alone their capital."