CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 9.13 : THE TASTE OF BLOOD

Fani stood in a ready stance, facing Al, who looked surprisingly relaxed with drowsy eyes.

She was ready to fight.

And it seemed... a serious battle was about to begin.

But...

"Hufft..." Al let out a lazy sigh, shaking his head slowly.

"I’m not in the mood to fight right now. My mood’s already bad. My room just got destroyed, you know."

Fani didn’t respond to the half-joking remark and kept her combat stance firm.

"Tell me, how did you know I’m from the vampire race?"

Al looked at her calmly.

"Hmmm... that’s a bit hard to explain. Let’s just say I have really good eyesight."

Fani fell silent, seemingly deep in thought, unsure whether she should attack or not. Al appeared weak, but what he had just done to her was more than enough to reveal the gap in their strength. She hesitated, uncertain of her next move.

"Relax," Al said casually. "I have no problem with demi-humans, especially vampires. Are you from the Achillios family? Or Luigino?"

Fani’s sharp gaze stayed the same, and she didn’t answer.

"Ah... or maybe you’re from the Kore vampire family?"

Her expression instantly changed—eyes widening—but still, she stayed silent. That was all Al needed to know his guess was correct.

"Ah, I thought so. You’re from the Kore family. A rather... troublesome bunch," he said with a faintly irritated expression. "So, what generation are you? And what’s your code name? Hmmm... Do demi-humans also count as part of a bloodline? Or is it only for pureblood descendants?"

Fani was stunned by how much Al knew about the vampire world.

How does he know all this? she thought.

But with that question, she decided there was no point in staying quiet any longer—he clearly knew too much already.

"I-I’m from the Kore family, 42nd generation, secret name Bloodline 8402," Fani replied with a stammer.

Al nodded.

"At least you’re still accepted by your family." His tone carried a faint irony—he himself was a blood-related son who wasn’t even considered an official member of his own family.

His gaze then sharpened.

"How long has it been?"

Fani frowned. "What do you mean?"

"How long has it been since you last extracted human blood?"

Al’s voice was calm, but there was a subtle pressure behind it.

Fani flinched. "How... do you know?"

"You’re still asking? I’ve already shown you I know quite a lot about vampires."

She glared suspiciously at him.

"That’s classified information. How could you possibly know? Common knowledge only says vampires drink blood."

Al sighed lazily again and, without further words, offered his arm toward her.

"Doesn’t matter if it’s extracting or drinking—you still need blood. Here."

"W-What do you mean?"

"You need blood, right? Extract it from me."

"Huh?!"

"You were so eager to drink my blood earlier, but now that I’m offering, you’re refusing? Inconsistent much?"

"T-That’s not what I meant..."

Al stepped forward quickly. In an instant, he was right in front of her. Fani froze, unable to dodge. His arm was already close to her face.

"Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it earlier—no need for all this chit-chat."

Fani stayed silent.

"I know your condition isn’t stable. If this continues, you might lose control, hurt—or even kill—people in this house. And if that happens... well, you know what your fate will be, whether in my hands or that old man’s."

His gaze bore deep into her eyes as he pushed his arm closer.

"Calm your withdrawal with this."

Fani froze. She knew he was right. Her body trembled, her thirst almost unbearable—but fear kept her from moving.

Growing impatient with her hesitation, Al pulled out a magic knife and made a shallow cut on his arm. A drop of blood fell to the ground. Its scent—sweet, warm, and brimming with energy—instantly flooded Fani’s senses.

That blood...

Her pupils dilated. Her consciousness slipped as instinct took over, and her body moved on its own. Without realizing it, she bit into Al’s arm.

More precisely, she extracted the essence of his blood—not just the red liquid, but the life force she craved.

And then—

Slurp! Slurp!

She drank slowly, savoring it like fine wine to be enjoyed sip by sip.

The sensation was different.

The energy from the blood was extracted, while the residue was stored in a special organ within her body, to be used as material for performing blood magic in battle.

"Mnn... so... slurpp... delishhh..." she murmured unconsciously, still drinking.

The energy was refined yet dense, warm yet not burning. It was intoxicating bliss mixed with heavenly calm, but also carried explosive power—like a treasure she had been searching for all her life.

She drank for a while... until her awareness returned.

She looked and saw Al’s arm pressed against her lips.

No—she was biting his hand.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Realizing what she had just done, she quickly jumped back. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes conflicted.

"Y-You... did something to me! You tricked me!"

Al looked at her lazily.

"Me? I didn’t even force you. You were the one who moved on your own and sucked my blood. Shouldn’t I be the victim here in this situation? And if we’re talking about tricks—do you think I don’t know your little scheme with David?"

Fani’s face flushed with both embarrassment and anger.

"Whether you’re pretending or actually flirting with that kid, then finding a way to drink his blood later—that’s so cliché."

"Tchh... Don’t remind me," Fani grumbled.

"For blood, I almost... sold myself to that cheap flirt."

Al raised an eyebrow.

"So you don’t like David?"

"Of course not."

"Then why go that route? Wouldn’t it be easier to target a weaker human?"

"It’s not like that. As you know, I’m a demi-human. I can live like a human, so drinking blood isn’t a necessity for me. In fact, I haven’t drunk blood in twenty years, and I’ve never been tempted. But... there’s something strange about that boy—his blood. It tempts me in a way I can’t resist."

"What do you mean?"

"All this time, I’ve been able to control my urge to extract human blood. But... ever since I became his tutor, something in his blood keeps calling to me. The pull is different—it’s not because he’s handsome. It’s the energy in his blood. I can’t explain it, but it’s like it’s mixed with many scents—especially the Virellano bloodline scent... and a darkness that doesn’t belong in this dimension."

Al crossed his arms, murmuring,

"Virellano blood? But you should already know David isn’t a Virellano by blood."

Fani held her head, suddenly realizing,

"You’re right... Why didn’t I think of that?! Then how does David have the scent of Virellano blood? Is he also a blood child?"

She shook her head. "Impossible—you’re the same age, and you’re not twins. Or... could your father have had an affair?" Her eyes widened at her own theory.

"This would be a huge scandal."

Al shook his head too. It was natural for her to think that way, but he knew better.

It might be related to David absorbing the aura of a Virellano... but how?

he thought.

He refocused the conversation.

"Forget that wild theory. Hmm... as a demi-human, are you familiar with Helos energy?"

"Helos? Of course. But... he’s just a human, isn’t he?"

"Yeah, but you said his blood is different—and has dark energy. For descendants of djinn, Helos is incredibly attractive. Even as a demi-human, your body can still react to it. David seems to have been exposed to it, but for some reason, my eyes can’t see it."

Fani stayed silent, her eyes turning serious.

"Why do you know all this? Who exactly are you?"

Al only smiled, giving a ridiculous answer.

"Let’s just say I’m a fortune teller."

He turned, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"We can’t stay here too long. Oh yeah—you’re still tutoring David for the next few days, right? That must be tough for you. If his blood makes you crave again, just come to me."

He began walking away.

"And... leave that place soon. I’m sleepy. I’m heading off. Bye bye."

Fani gaped, watching him walk away.

"Oiii! At least take me back!"

"You can get home on your own, right? And be careful of that old man. He’s a hassle."

His voice echoed from the shadows.

Fani looked up at the sky.

"Hikss... you’re cruel."

But as she recalled the taste of his blood, a faint smile tugged at her lips.

"His blood... is extraordinary."

With a soft sigh, she transformed.

Skill: Innate Transform

The area fell silent as the wind stirred sharply. Her body dissolved from her feet upward, turning into black-red aura dust that formed the abstract silhouette of a bat before shooting into the sky—toward the Virellano residence.

Moments later, from the dense forest—

A figure emerged from the darkness.

An old man in traditional attire—batik shirt, cloth trousers, and a black-and-white cap.

Uncle Acok appeared.

"Damn... I’m late. That creature’s already gone," he muttered, having rushed here after sensing strange energy earlier.

He stepped to where Al and Fani had stood, touched the ground, and lifted his fingers to the air.

"Let’s hope this isn’t a bad omen," he whispered.

But his mind was still elsewhere. The humiliation still lingered in his chest after having to bow and apologize to that mysterious boy.

And thus, the exhausting day finally ended for Al—giving him just enough time to fall into a deep sleep.

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