Apocalypse: Inhuman Ascension-Chapter 89: Younglings

They didn't approach the village immediately, only waiting until nighttime. When it got slightly dark, they kept their weapons in Leon's storage ring, then began approaching the village.

"Remember… you're both witches with broken mana veins. Is that clear?"

The girls nodded solemnly, standing behind him uniformly. With a focused look, Leon parted his bangs to reveal his essence crystal, proudly displaying it.

The crystal shimmered blue, even though his strength was restricted to the second-level.

"What are you cosplaying?"

Rebecca asked, shocked by his actions. It was the first time Leon was openly displaying his crystal since they knew him.

"A vampire."

He answered, then began approaching the village. Upon closer look, the village was quite haggard, with mundane buildings and a fortified wall around it.

Stationed by the small gate were two guards in random clothing. Their skin was pale and sickly, with their bodies thin as if starving from hunger.

"Don't underestimate them."

As soon as they got into a close range, the guards turned to them with sharp expressions.

"Who are you?"

One of them asked, stepping forward to block their path. The fire torches burned brightly, revealing the yellow essence crystals of the guards.

"We are travellers seeking for a place to stay for the night."

Leon explained calmly, his voice neither too soft not too strong.

The guards glanced at each other, then turned to the girls behind him.

"What about them? You look like a vampire, but they're not."

As he spoke, the guard had a hint of hatred in his black eyes, and even his voice changed.

Seeing this, Leon grinned slyly. "Hehehehe, it is as you think, brother." He rubbed his hands sheepishly. "They are loathsome witches I captured while they were fleeing. Thankfully, they have broken mana veins and couldn't fight me." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

His sudden announcement shocked everyone present, and the guards had to reevaluate Leon.

"Oh? You caught them."

A hint of caution crept into their eyes as they stared at him. Being able to catch witches was astonishing.

"Wait! You said they have broken mana veins?"

One of them asked, staring lustfully at Aisha. The girl shivered, feeling uncomfortable by the proactive stare that felt like debauched hands. Still, she remained silent and still didn't say a word.

"Well, you're coveting? That's not good for you."

Leon continued to smile, but it was suddenly filled with a threatening intent.

"Ugh."

The guard grunted, but couldn't retort. Even if they fought against Leon together, they might not be able to survive. Also, even fighting only would make their reputation plummet!

"I'll be going, then."

Stretching his hands intentionally, he hooked his arms around the girls' waists, then proudly sauntered into the village. The girls remained quiet, not saying a word and only blushing with lowered heads.

Looking at the scene, the guards felt envious but could only grit their teeth in frustration.

Like that, Leon, Aisha and Rebecca were able to enter the village quite easily.

"That was… unexpected."

Rebecca remarked quietly, sizing up the village. Surprisingly, it was bustling despite the fact that it was night. Old lanterns were hung around, illuminating the streets.

Vampires, both old and young, roamed about, either playing or engaging themselves in business.

"Everything looks so human… but it's obviously not human."

Aisha muttered, her eyes watching with vigilance and wonder. The scene looked like ancient asian culture from the dystopian era.

"Focus. They're observing."

Leon warned quietly, though his expression didn't fluctuate. When they heard this, they instantly noticed that several people were covertly watching them.

"Keep your expressions stable. We'll be booking an inn soon."

The girls nodded, simply walking slightly behind him. Leon scanned the surroundings, then walked towards a modest inn nearby.

On the ground floor was a bar where burly vampires were busy drinking to themselves.

Leon ignored them all, walking straight to the receptionist.

"A room. On the middle floor."

The receptionist looked up at him, then nodded weakly. He had a look on his face as if he was tired of everything and wanted to quit his job.

"2 Second-level evolved crystals."

He replied in a monotone voice, hand outstretched to receive payment.

Leon procured the crystals easily, then exchanged them for a key.

"Room 13."

He confirmed the number on the keycard, then climbed upstairs with the two of them.

The three of them arrived at the room, then entered quietly.

The room was simple; a single large bed, a table, and a single chair.

"Wait, we're staying here?"

Aisha asked, her expression a bit weird.

Leon calmly raised a brow. "You seem more talkative recently. Is it because of Anna's absence?"

Immediately, the girl fell silent, her expression hardened. Anna was her superior and trainer. Knowing what kind of person she was, she always felt intimidated by the blonde girl.

Even more scary was Leon himself. Although he was always calm, he was the craziest and most inhuman in the camp.

'Boss's countenance makes me sometimes forget how dreadful he is…'

Rebecca gave her friend a brief glance, not saying a word. They had both been trained by Anna, and her name served as a deterrence to them both.

"Now then, we plan our next move."

Unreservedly, Leon pulled the chair, then sat with his legs crossed.

"The quests requested we kill vampires, werewolves, and witches, right?"

[Compulsory Quest: Kill a Vampire, a Werewolf, and a Witch within the given time limit]

[Time Limit: 3 Days]

[Failure: One evolution level loss]

[Reward: 10% of lost evolution recovered]

He brought up the system interface, allowing the two girls to see it too.

"Obviously, we all know there's a loophole. But there's only so much the loophole can do. We'd still have to kill them."

As he spoke, his eyes remained half-closed, as if the matter had already been concluded.

Rebecca gulped, her thoughts hidden in her mind. Based on what she had seen, these vampires looked nothing different from normal humans except for the essence crystals on their heads.

'But… there's no weak one among them. We can't hunt children, right?'

As if reading her mind, Leon glanced at her. "It's exactly as you think. We're going to kill their younglings."