Chapter 138: The City Lord’s Revenge

"Going once, going twice... SOLD!"

With the final item sold, the auction officially came to an end.

I collected my bidding card and made my way over to the female Orc. After completing the payment, I received the two items I had purchased and stored them in my inventory.

"Mister, you seem like a decent person, so I’ll give you a little hint."

The female Orc glanced around before leaning toward me. She moved a little too close, pressing herself against my side as she whispered into my ear.

"You’ve offended the city lord’s son, Krugal. He’s a powerful man, and he’ll probably try to rob you out of revenge. He might even kill you. After all, his father always helps him cover up his crimes."

She paused, then slipped a small, round object into my hand.

"Take this smoke bomb. You might need it."

As she handed it over, her fingers deliberately brushed against mine.

Damn, this bitch is flirting with me.

"Thank you for the information. I really appreciate it. Since you’ve gone out of your way to warn me and even given me a smoke bomb, I’d like to compensate you for your kindness. Please, don’t refuse."

I reached into my inventory and brought out five gold coins, holding them out to her.

The moment she saw the money, her eyes widened. She snatched the coins almost immediately and tucked them into her cleavage.

"T-Thank you, young master! Hehe." Her expression brightened as she leaned closer again. "I could also give you my contact information. That way, you can reach out to me whenever you need anything."

She ran a hand along her body, giving me a suggestive look.

"No, thank you. I’m fine."

I quickly stepped back before turning around and leaving.

’Hell no. There’s no way I’m sleeping with her.’

I could practically smell the trouble coming off this woman from a mile away. Hell, even some prostitutes probably had lower body counts than her.

Who knew how many men she entertained every auction day? For all I knew, she had a different customer waiting behind every corner.

Nope. Not getting involved.

Once I stepped outside the auction house, I immediately picked up my pace, weaving through the bustling streets.

I hadn’t even been walking for a full minute when I noticed something strange.

Several people were following me.

Most of them wore hoodies that concealed their faces, and they seemed far too interested in my movements to be ordinary pedestrians.

What the fuck?

I quickened my pace.

They did the same.

Worse, their numbers seemed to be increasing by the second.

The teleportation station was still about a mile away. Escaping them wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t entirely impossible either.

Damn it. I knew I should’ve been more careful and used one of the VIP rooms.

I’d spent the entire auction trying to keep a low profile, yet somehow, I’d still managed to offend someone powerful enough to send people after me.

Sucks to be a small fry.

The next moment, I spotted a residential district filled with buildings packed closely together. Hoping to lose my pursuers in the maze of narrow streets, I quickly turned into one of the side roads.

Unfortunately, they followed without hesitation.

Fuck! If anything, I’ve made things worse.

I considered turning around and heading straight for the teleportation station, but before I could act, several hooded figures emerged from the surrounding alleys.

Within seconds, I was surrounded.

Every exit was blocked.

One of the men stepped forward. He was a towering beastkin with a bushy tail protruding from behind him and an unsheathed sword gripped in his hand.

Judging by his features and scent, he was a wolf beastkin.

"You’ve pissed off the young master," he announced arrogantly, pointing his sword at me. "And nobody who pisses off the young master gets away with it. Hand over everything you bought at the auction, and I might give you a quick death."

If I weren’t standing on the brink of death, I might have burst out laughing.

What kind of third-rate villain dialogue is that?

This scene was straight out of one of those cliché webnovels where the protagonist offended some arrogant young master, only to have a bunch of brainless lackeys show up and demand his valuables.

The only difference was that I wasn’t some overpowered protagonist who could slap these idiots to death with a single finger.

I was the unfortunate bastard about to get beaten to a pulp.

"So, let me get this straight," I said, forcing myself to sound calm. "You want me to hand over my belongings so you can kill me afterward?"

"Obviously," the wolf beastkin replied without the slightest hesitation.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

"Really?"

"I always keep my word." He grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "You should also hand over whatever money you’re carrying. We’ll make sure it doesn’t go to waste. Hehehe!"

The other beastkins burst into laughter.

What a bunch of fucking idiots.

"Fine. Just give me a moment to bring out the items."

I lowered my head and slipped my right hand inside my hoodie, gripping the smoke bomb tightly.

My fingers wrapped around its surface as I searched for the trigger.

I can’t believe I’m actually staring death in the face.

The wolf beastkin was a C-Rank fighter, while his lackeys were at least D-Rank. Even if I fought with everything I had, I’d probably be defeated within a few moves.

My only chance was to create an opening and run.

My heart pounded against my chest as I pressed my finger against the smoke bomb’s trigger.

"Hey! Hurry up!" the wolf beastkin barked impatiently. "What the hell are you waiting for?"

I took a deep breath.

Fuck it. Here goes nothing.

I pulled out the smoke bomb and squeezed the trigger.

*POOF!*

A deafening pop erupted from the device, followed by a thick cloud of smoke that swallowed the surrounding area.

The sudden burst sent a sharp jolt through my hand, nearly numbing it, but I gritted my teeth and charged forward.

Two beastkins stood directly in my path. I slipped between them, pushing through the gap before they could react.

For a split second, I thought I’d made it.

Then—

*SHING!*

"AAARGH!"

A searing pain exploded through my body.

I froze as something sharp pierced my back and burst through my abdomen.

A sword.

Fuck...

My mind went blank.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow down. I could feel the blade lodged inside me, the warm blood trickling down my stomach, and my legs threatening to give way beneath me.

Am I... going to die here?

My life flashed before my eyes, and a wave of despair washed over me.

I hadn’t accomplished anything.

I hadn’t even come close to achieving my goals.

But then I noticed something.

The blade hadn’t pierced my heart.

’I’m still alive!’

I had no idea how the attacker had managed to strike me so accurately through the smoke. Perhaps one of the beastkins had a special ability that allowed him to see through it.

Whatever the case, standing around and wondering about it wasn’t going to save my life.

Ignoring the agonizing pain, I threw myself forward, pulling away from the blade as I stumbled into the narrow alley ahead.

I could hear shouting behind me.

"After him!"

"Don’t let the bastard escape!"

Their footsteps pounded against the ground as they resumed the chase.

I ran past several startled residents, barely registering their faces as I struggled to put as much distance between myself and my pursuers as possible.

My wound was getting worse by the second.

I tried to heal myself, channeling my energy toward the injured area, but the more I attempted to repair the damage, the weaker I became.

My vision began to blur.

My legs grew heavy, and each breath felt like dragging air through a pair of broken lungs.

Why the hell isn’t my healing working?

Then it hit me.

Blood!

I hadn’t fed on blood recently.

As a vampire, my ability to recover from serious injuries depended heavily on my blood reserves. Without enough blood, even my healing ability would struggle to keep up with the damage.

Shit. Of all the times to run out of blood...

My vision darkened at the edges.

The buildings around me began to sway, and the sounds of the city grew distant, as though I were sinking underwater.

I couldn’t keep running.

At this rate, I’d collapse before I even found somewhere to hide.

Just as my consciousness began to slip away, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

A door.

It belonged to a shabby residential building, and it was slightly open.

I didn’t hesitate.

Summoning whatever strength I had left, I staggered toward it and threw myself inside.

*BANG!*

My body crashed into the living room before I hit the floor with a heavy thud.

Pain shot through me as blood splattered across the ground.

For several seconds, I could barely move.

Then, with great effort, I lifted my head.

A human couple stood frozen in front of me.

The woman was clutching a baby in her arms, her face drained of color. Her eyes were wide with terror as she stared at the blood-soaked stranger who had just burst into her home.

Beside her, the man gripped a wooden club with both hands. His knuckles were white, and his entire body trembled as he tried to summon the courage to approach me.

Fuck...

Is this really how I’m going to die?

I hadn’t even achieved anything yet.

I hadn’t become powerful, made a name for myself, or accomplished even half of what I’d planned.

And now, I was about to die in some random family’s living room.

What a fucking joke.

The man cautiously approached me, raising his club as though he expected me to attack at any moment.

I could hardly blame him. With my pale skin, fangs, and blood-soaked clothes, I probably looked like a monster straight out of a nightmare.

And being a vampire certainly wasn’t helping my case.

Still, judging by his trembling hands, he didn’t seem particularly strong. If he decided to swing that club at me, I doubted he’d be able to do much damage.

Not that I was in any condition to fight back.

I slowly raised one hand, trying to show him that I meant no harm.

"I’m sorry for barging in," I rasped. "I don’t mean you any harm. Some men were chasing me, trying to rob me. When I tried to escape, one of them stabbed me."

My vision swam, and I struggled to keep my eyes open.

"Please... help me. I’m begging you."

The words came out weaker than I intended.

I had no idea whether the couple would believe me, let alone agree to help. For all I knew, they might throw me back outside the moment they snap out of their shock.

But I had no other choice.

I certainly wasn’t going to tell them that I’d offended the city lord’s son. That would only drag them into a mess they had no business being involved in.

And asking them for blood was out of the question. I had no idea how they’d react to such a request, especially being humans.

For now, all I could do was hope they’d at least hide me until my pursuers were gone.

Please... just let me survive this.

My outstretched hand slowly fell to the floor.

The couple’s terrified faces blurred before my eyes, and the strength holding me together finally gave out.

Darkness swallowed everything.

That was the last thing I remembered before losing consciousness.