The Dungeon's Aftermath,
The single hour of real-world time had felt like an eternity. Vicky and his team, now battered, healed, and fundamentally stronger, stood in the main chamber of The Vault. The adrenaline from the dungeon still pulsed through them, but it was now overlaid with the cold, satisfying surge of new, permanent power.
"Heal and debrief," Vicky commanded. The team, operating with the new efficiency of a veteran unit, immediately began tending to their minor wounds, the Tier 2 healing factor already knitting flesh and mending cracked ribs.
Vicky, however, focused on the system notifications. He had three new stat points to allocate.
VICKY THORNE: STAT ALLOCATION (Lvl 9)
New Stat Points: 3
1 Point -> Strength (STR) (Total: 15)
1 Point -> Speed (SPD) (Total: 13)
1 Point -> Endurance (END) (Total: 13)
XP: 0 / 5,000 (To Lvl 10)
The power settled into him like a comfortable weight. His new STR (15) made him eligible for the - Titan's Strength skill book, a fact that did not go unnoticed. He was now, even in his base form, a superhuman threat far beyond any mortal.
His followers were doing the same, their faces tight with concentration as they allocated their own points.
Marcus & Elias (Lvl 7): Both allocated their 3 points, with Elias's new base STR of 21 making him a terrifying physical powerhouse.
Alpha Squad (Lvl 6): The seven elite vampires, now all Lvl 6, were a small, formidable strike team, their - "Pack Tactics" , skill humming between them.
"The dungeon was a success," Vicky announced, his voice echoing in the vast chamber. "It has accelerated our timeline. But it has also confirmed our weakness."
He turned to Marcus. "Marcus. Your new role is Intelligence. We are blind. The 'Silent Dragon School' exists in our city, and we only learned of them by accident. This is unacceptable. Use your corporate network, your financial leverage, and your new supernatural speed. I want an information network that spiders through this entire city. I want to know every time a 'Chi' user breaks a sweat. I want to know where they sleep. Find me their weaknesses."
Marcus Keller, his Lvl 7 power making him seem more predator than politician, gave a sharp nod. "It will be done, Master. Their secrecy will be their undoing."
Vicky then faced Elias. "Elias. You and Alpha Squad are the Fist of the Pact. You are my Royal Guard. Your performance was... acceptable. But you were slow to adapt, and you relied on brute force. From now on, you will train with Marcus. He will teach you tactics and precision. You will teach his new recruits how to fight."
He looked at the Alpha Squad. "Your loyalty is proven. Your strength is now sufficient. You will be the new leaders. Elias, I want you to recruit fifty new followers by the end of the week. Find the desperate, the loyal, the strong. The swarm we fought in the sewer? We will build our own. A swarm loyal to me."
"Yes, Master!" Elias boomed, his new strength making the floor vibrate.
The Slow Burn
Miles away, in her small, cluttered cubicle at the VCPD, Detective Mila Torres stared at a cold cup of coffee. Her world was a frustrating maze of dead ends.
Her official investigation into Vicky Thorne was functionally dead.
Financials: Nightwatch Holdings was a legal fortress. Her requests for warrants were laughed out of the D.A.'s office.
Politicals: Her inquiry into Senator Hayes's miraculous recovery was met with a formal, chilling letter from the Senator's office, warning her against "political harassment." Captain Hayes had personally ordered her to drop it.
The Anomaly: The "Red Flash" at the Foundry had been dismissed as a gas explosion.
She was alone. She was a brilliant detective with a perfect gut instinct, and every piece of evidence told her Vicky Thorne was at the center of it all. But the proof was contradictory. He wasn't a night-stalker; he was a philanthropist. He wasn't a monster; he was, as she'd seen at the cafe, kind to his friends.
He's a paradox, she thought, rubbing her temples. And I can't beat him with police work. The system is protecting him.
She looked at her personal cell phone, at the contact she'd saved: Vicky Thorne. Her cover as a "financial analyst" was a one-time trick. He would never fall for it again. If she was going to get close to him, she couldn't come at him as a cop or an analyst.
She had to come at him as Mila.
She remembered his eyes at the cafe—the intense, unnerving calm, but also... the flicker of amused interest. He was a 21-year-old man, and she was an attractive, intelligent woman. It was a card she hadn't wanted to play, a line she'd never crossed. But he'd left her no other move.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, her professional ethics warring with her desperate need for the truth. The truth won.
(Mila): Hey Vicky, Mila here (the analyst who ambushed you at the cafe). I know you're probably busy conquering the financial world, but I'm still intrigued by your story. Any chance you'd be free for a simple coffee, completely off the record? I'm fascinated by your 'Midas touch'.
She sent it, her heart hammering. It was a long shot, a desperate, unprofessional gamble.
The Tenth Level
Vicky was in his penthouse, reviewing the preliminary data Keller had already gathered on the Silent Dragon School. They were reclusive, based in an old monastery in the mountains outside Veros, and only sent Disciples into the city for "recruitment" and "resource gathering."
His phone buzzed. He read Mila's text, and a slow, cold smile touched his lips. Fascinated. He wasn't fooled by her "off the record" comment for a second. She was a hunter, and she had just realized her rifle was useless, so she was trying to build a trap.
It was... amusing. And it was a perfect opportunity.
He texted back.
(Vicky): 'Midas touch' implies luck. I don't believe in luck. But I can make time for a coffee. Tomorrow, 10 AM. The Grand Veros Hotel lobby.
She replied almost instantly.
(Mila): It's a date.
Vicky tossed the phone onto the marble table. "A date," he mused. She was a "Level 1" human with no power, trying to investigate a "Level 9" Vampire Progenitor. It was like a mouse inviting a leopard for a chat.
He respected her courage. But he would not be walking in blind.
He looked at his stats. XP: 0 / 5,000 (To Lvl 10). Grinding that much XP by hunting street-level monsters would take days. He needed to prepare for the Silent Dragon School, and he needed a new tool to deal with this detective.
He opened his system inventory and looked at the reward from the dungeon.
Item:
One-Time Level Up Card (Low Rank)
Description:
Instantly grants one (1) full level. Can only be used by a being below Level 12.
"I have no time to waste hunting rabble," Vicky said to the empty room. "The war is here. And I need to be ready."
He crushed the card in his fist. It dissolved into a torrent of pure, golden energy that flooded his body, a sensation a thousand times more potent than a simple level-up grind.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
One-Time Level Up Card (Low Rank)
consumed.
LEVEL UP! Level 10 achieved!
XP: 0 / 6,000 (To Lvl 11)
New Stat Points: +3
LEVEL 10 THRESHOLD REACHED. NEW SKILL UNLOCKED.
Skill Acquired:
Blood Sense (Lvl 1)
Vicky closed his eyes, feeling the new skill integrate.
Skill:
Blood Sense (Lvl 1)
Type:
Active / Passive
Cost:
Minimal Stamina
Description :
You are the Progenitor, and all blood calls to you. (Active): Sense the flow of blood, fear, and life force within a 50-meter radius. Allows you to detect hidden mortals, supernatural creatures, and Chi-users. (Passive): When focused on a single target, you can "hear" their heartbeat/ pulse, allowing for perfect lie detection.
A predatory grin spread across Vicky's face. This was perfect.
He allocated his new points, a clear strategy in mind.
VICKY THORNE: STAT ALLOCATION (Lvl 10)
New Stat Points: 3
1 Point -> Strength (STR) (Total: 16)
1 Point -> Speed (SPD) (Total: 14)
1 Point -> Endurance (END) (Total: 14)
He stood up and walked to the penthouse window, looking down at the city lights. He "activated"
Blood Sense.
Instantly, his perception of the world shifted. He didn't just see the lights; he could feel the thousands of tiny, warm, thrumming life-forces in the buildings below. He could feel the fear from a mugging three blocks away, the calm of the people sleeping, the anxiety of a driver in traffic.
He was a god listening to the prayers of his new city.
"Tomorrow, 10 AM, Mila," Vicky whispered, letting his new sense wash over him. "Let's see just how fast your heart beats when you lie."