Reincarnated as a Vampire Who Acquires Skills Through Blood

The next day, as the sun rises—Verc prepared to go back to the village.

Along him were Diyael and his centaur warriors, and the other half of his army.

Tatum, Jed, Neit, Moro, and Jai will be staying here with the other half of the army; their task is to take care and look after the prisoners.

Also, to establish friendly relationship with the other tribes and the centaurs; they’re all under one banner now, after all.

Anyway, even thought his army just arrived yesterday and was fighting for days before—Verc’s army raised no discontent about his sudden order to depart again back to their village.

Not only they want to return home, for them; accompanying their lord was a huge honor as well.

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”Depart!”

Verc’s voice echoed throughout the gates of the centaur’s settlement. Behind him were a huge army of her own and Diyael’s.

They just finished preparing everything, given that they had some people prepare most of the stuff last night so they could depart early today.

And at his words—TAP!

The huge wave of monster races started marching. Their destination; the village founded by Verc.

By the way, Verc decided to bring the higher-ups, including the chiefs of the other tribes Tatum and the others caught with them. They will be under him as well, and he wants them to merge with his people naturally.

Letting them know the situation their main base will help with that, and some of them might even prove useful.

—BRRRR~

Anyway, Bong neighed happily as Verc was riding on top of him. He was happy to be with his master.

Verc left Bong on loose outside the centaur tribe before he went and attacked them; and after everything was handled on his side—he called for the horse. Bong immediately came at his call, he could’ve ran away and gained freedom; but he wants to stick with Verc, the master he recognizes.

”I’m counting on you again, little guy.”

Verc said as he patted the side of Bong’s long neck, a small smile rested on his face as the two of them lead a long line of monster races.

And as he was doing that, another smaller creatures entered his mind—

’I wonder how Onyx and Nara are doing.’

Verc wondered. He was excited to see the two of them again, so without further ado—TAK!

He started raising the pace a bit, the people behind him followed him without a word.

Oh, and also—Scally and Skul, along with the other members of the scout team were also with them. Verc isn’t really confident in leading such a large group back in their village, it’s not like he knows the part of the [Cursed Forest] like the back of his hands; so he have these guys, the professionals, leading them all.

The dense trees of the western region slowly began to shift behind them as the massive column of soldiers and tribesmen moved forward.

Tak- Tak- TAK—

Walking right beside Verc’s horse, Diyael looked around at the marching crowd, keeping a sharp eye on the captured tribal leaders who were walking in the center of the formation.

”My lord, the chiefs from the other tribes seem a bit tense. They are still unsure of what awaits them.”

Diyael stated, adjusting his pace to match Bong’s steady walking speed.

Verc looked down from his saddle, glancing back at the group of tribal leaders who were looking around the forest with wide, nervous eyes.

”They’ll get over it once they see the place. I have no intention of executing them as long as they follow the rules. If they show compliance, they’ll find that life under my banner is much better than struggling out here alone in the wilderness.”

Verc answered simply.

”I see. Showing them the scale of your main base will definitely make them realize that resistance is completely pointless.”

Diyael murmured, nodding his head in understanding.

As the journey continued, the dense canopy of the [Cursed Forest] grew thicker, blocking out the morning sunlight. The deeper they went into the unmapped territory, the more dangerous the environment became.

Then, all of a suuden—GROOOOAR!

A loud, guttural roar echoed through the thickets.

”...?!!”

”!!!”

From the bushes, several wild monsters lunged out. They were massive, corrupted beasts with jagged horns and bloodshot eyes.

These creatures possessed extremely low intelligence, driven purely by basic instincts and an insatiable hunger. Even though they were completely outnumbered by a massive army of heavily armed soldiers, they did not have the capacity to feel fear. They simply attacked on sight!

BOOM!

”Enemy attack! Form a perimeter!”

One of the centaur captains shouted, raising his spear.

But before the soldiers could even panic, Verc didn’t even bother to dismount from Bong.

”Don’t let them slow us down. Clear them out quickly.”

Verc ordered casually.

”Leave the left flank to me, Lord Verc!”

TAK!

Diyael bellowed. With incredible speed, the centaur chief charged forward, his hooves kicking up dirt as he thrust his heavy weapon straight through the chest of the leading beast.

PHUCK—!!!

The sheer power of his strike killed the monster instantly.

At the same time, Scally and Skul moved like shadows from the trees. Scally dropped down from a high branch--SLASH!

His daggers flashing in the dim light as he cleanly sliced the tendons of another monster--BOOM! While Skul finished it off with a heavy, precise blow to the skull.

The two brothers were using daggers and clubs as their weapons, they learned how to fight from the orcs and Pwyll.

Anyway--

”KILL THEM ALL!”

SWISH!

”DON’T STOP ADVANCING!”

SLASH!

The rest of the army handled the remaining wild beasts with absolute ease. The coordinated effort between Verc’s vanguard and the centaur warriors made the entire skirmish look like a minor inconvenience rather than a real battle. Within just a few minutes, the wild monsters were completely wiped out, their bodies left behind in the dirt as the army continued its march.

THUD.

Verc watched the quick cleanup, feeling completely satisfied with how smoothly his forces were working together.

’At this rate, unless a Demon King or something gets in our way, then they will have no problem.’

Verc thought to himself, shrugging his shoulders as Bong continued to walk forward over the debris.

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*****

The journey continued and fell into a steady, peaceful rhythm.

Scally and Skul, along with the other professional members of the scout team, stayed far ahead of the main column. They navigated the dense terrain, actively picking out the easiest and safest paths through the treacherous forest to ensure that the massive group wouldn’t get stuck in any natural traps or swampy areas.

However, because of the scout team’s careful planning, they also had to take a lot of rest stops along the way.

”Lord Verc, we need to halt the march for an hour.”

Scally reported, jogging back from the front of the line to stand near Bong.

”The pathways ahead are a bit steep, and some of the people with us, especially the ones from the tribes attacked by Tatum and the others... they are not in fully good condition. Their injuries are slowing them down, and they won’t survive a forced march through the next valley without a proper break.”

Verc pulled back on Bong’s reins, bringing the horse to a stop. He looked back at the long line of weary prisoners and fatigued soldiers.

”Alright. Let everyone rest here for a bit. Tell the ones handling the supplies to distribute some basic rations and water to the wounded ones. We’re not in a hurry.”

Verc replied. He really didn’t mind the delays. At most, it would take them around two weeks to reach the village with the slow pace they were currently going, but since the western sector was already secured, there was absolutely no rush to get back.

Diyael walked over.

”You are surprisingly lenient with the conquered peoples, my lord. Most rulers would have forced them to march until they collapsed.”

”Dead workers and broken leaders are useless to me, Diyael. If I want them to merge with my people naturally, I have to treat them like actual citizens eventually. Keeping them healthy now saves me a lot of trouble later.”

Verc explained, leaning forward against Bong’s neck.

Diyael looked at him with a newfound sense of respect.

”Your foresight is admirable, Lord Verc. My people will gladly follow a leader who values efficiency over senseless cruelty.”

And just like that, peacefully—the days blurred together as they navigated the deep, green expanses of the forest.

The atmosphere among the different factions slowly began to ease, with the centaurs and Verc’s original soldiers sharing guarding duties and conversing during the long night camps.

*****

A week and a half of traveling passed by without any major incidents...

The familiar landscape of Verc’s home territory finally began to appear through the thinning treeline.

Tap.

Bong’s hoof struck a familiar stone path, and the outer structures of the village finally entered their sight.

”...”

A huge smile was on Verc’s face, genuinely happy to finally be back at his main base after such a long and exhausting campaign. He was looking forward to seeing the fruits of his labor and resting in his own space.

”We’re finally here, Diyael. Welcome to my—”

Verc started to speak, but his voice trailed off.

”Hmm...?”

The huge smile on his face slowly vanished, turning into a deep, troubled frown as he got closer to the main gates.

The area around the entrance was completely desolate.

Verc scanned the wooden walls and the path ahead, but he hadn’t seen anyone moving around. Not only that—no guards were outside to greet him, nor were there even any sentries guarding the watchtowers or the main gate itself. The entire front perimeter of the settlement was completely abandoned.

Diyael noticed the sudden change in Verc’s demeanor and immediately raised his hand, signaling his centaur warriors to halt and draw their weapons.

”My lord? Something is wrong. Where are the lookouts?”

Diyael asked, his voice dropping to a low, tense whisper.

Scally and Skul immediately dropped down from the trees, their weapons already drawn as they looked at the empty gates with pale faces.

”This isn’t right, Lord Verc... Even during the quietest hours of the day, there are always at least four guards stationed at the front doors.”

Scally said, his eyes darting across the empty battlements.

”There are no signs of a struggle from here, but the silence is too heavy.”

Verc gripped Bong’s reins tightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the tightly shut wooden gates that remained completely unguarded. The cheerful excitement he felt just moments ago completely evaporated, replaced by a cold, suffocating weight in his chest.

And immediately... a bad feeling permeated inside Verc.