"Five minutes late. Dracula."
She emerged from the darkness.
She had the appearance of a human, but attached to the sides of her head was something utterly alien that no human could possibly have.
In other words, those. Animal ears.
Seeing them in person left me overwhelmed with emotion, unable to contain myself.
"Dracula...?"
What is this? So cute.
It was the ideal fantasy that any otaku who loved subculture had dreamed of at least once, unfolding right before my eyes.
"Why are you looking at me with such a creepy stare?"
As an illustrator, I just wanted to touch them once to capture that perfect texture and feel.
If I could touch those ears, maybe I could become as famous as LeX or ParkX.
I had come to this place just to make excuses to the 21st Century Secret Society, so why had I ended up witnessing this ideal vision?
Maybe I had possessed Baek Do-hyun just to see these ears.
"Dracula!"
"!"
I shook my head a couple of times and cleared my throat.
I had lost my reason for a moment.
This wasn't the time to be marveling at animal ears or anything.
What mattered now was safely wrapping up the conversation with the animal-eared girl in front of me.
Now, another problem arose here.
I had possessed Baek Do-hyun, the villainous extra.
He belonged to the evil organization known as the 21st Century Secret Society and was the tragic extra fated to be killed by the heroine Yubyeol-ha and the protagonist Kim Si-hu in the prologue.
Just moments ago, by safely sending Han Cheong-ah home, I had twisted Baek Do-hyun's story in a direction different from the original.
However, problems still remained.
The organization's orders to me were to capture a Psyker alive.
I hadn't carried out those orders, so I needed to provide a valid reason for the failure.
Moreover, I couldn't let her sense any discrepancy in my behavior.
In a world where brainwashing and mind control powers ran rampant, the 21st Century Secret Society was a secret organization that hadn't yet revealed itself to the world.
If she detected anything off or unusual about 'Baek Do-hyun,' the girl in front of me would try to kill me.
Fortunately, she wasn't 'Shin' or 'Zero One,' but as Aria Blood von Direwolf, a werebeast, she was exactly the type who would act that way.
In short, if she discovered I wasn't Baek Do-hyun, it was game over, so the key was to convey a valid excuse for the failure.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much information on Baek Do-hyun.
My friend, the scenario writer, hadn't put much effort into a villain who died early in the prologue.
So, what kind of attitude and gestures would Baek Do-hyun have shown toward this girl?
Polite speech or casual? Formal or sly?
Were he and Aria in front of him close, or sworn enemies?
I began piecing together the scant info on Baek Do-hyun like a puzzle, and soon, I arrived at my answer...
"Sorry. I had something to think about."
I met Aria's eyes.
Her red eyes stared back at me.
A moment later, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
"Haa... So, where's the Psyker we agreed on?"
My answer had been correct.
There was no suspicion in Aria's tone.
I clenched my fist and inwardly sighed in relief.
I didn't know much about Baek Do-hyun.
But I knew a great deal about Aria Blood von Direwolf standing before me.
Aria was a major villain with not just standing CGs but scene illustrations too.
She was one of the characters from Red Ark that had come from my own hands.
Her golden hair, radiant like the sun, sparkled brilliantly even under the sunless night sky.
Her seductive ruby-red eyes glowed faintly, strongly asserting that she was no mere human.
A voluptuous chest and a bewitching black dress that didn't suit Academy City.
And the wolf ears that were the definitive proof of her werebeast nature—they made for a strikingly impressive girl.
'We need at least one pitiful enemy in the 'tragic backstory villain' position. Honestly, that role works better for female characters than males... Ah, what about an animal-eared girl?'
I recalled my conversation with my friend.
As he had explained, Aria was the quintessential 'villain with a backstory.'
A wolf born in vast plains, she was cursed by a witch and turned into a werewolf.
Neither wolf nor human, Aria wandered the world until she fell under the mage Zero One's control, forced to obey the organization's orders—a pitiful wolf.
Her ending was sad too: compelled to follow Zero One's commands until the protagonist killed her, granting her true freedom at last.
Red Ark had many pitiful characters amid its grim story, but her memorable final moments stuck with me especially.
'Live as you will.'
'Better to starve and run free across the vast plains than live leashed like livestock in comfort...'
Her last words to the protagonist before vanishing from the world had made the tip of my nose tingle.
Anyway, to sum up: Aria was an executive of the 21st Century Secret Society and Zero One's direct subordinate, a villain who despised the very organization binding her.
In the story, she maintained one of two attitudes toward organization members: dislike or indifference.
I had bet on her being 'indifferent' toward me—Baek Do-hyun—and won.
I was just a lowly grunt, after all.
"About the promised Psyker... I have something to say."
"Hm?"
As the conversation took a strange turn, Aria narrowed her eyes.
I took a deep breath and continued.
"The atmosphere in the streets lately has been off. More surveillance, I'd say. It's not the Federal Guidance Bureau moving, but..."
"Keep going."
"Especially in my area of activity and around this dock, I've felt unknown gazes."
For the record, the information I was sharing was true.
Yubyeol-ha had been patrolling the area, killing the 'monsters' hidden in Academy City.
Baek Do-hyun was fated to die by her hand today too, but my possession had let him survive.
Aria closed her eyes and pondered deeply upon hearing this.
For reference, Baek Do-hyun wasn't the first monster killed by Yubyeol-ha.
By the end of the prologue, she had slain a total of five monsters, including him.
As a monster operating in Academy City herself, Aria would know my story wasn't baseless fabrication.
A moment later, she spoke.
"...No wonder. Lately, we've had several organization members go incommunicado. Might be related."
Aria sighed and muttered softly.
"Maybe it's for the best..."
I pretended not to hear her soliloquy.
"So, what should I do from here?"
"Wait for now. No solo actions until my orders come."
"Understood."
It was fortunate the executive here was Aria.
If it had been Zero One or Shin, I'd be dead on the spot.
I had insurance just in case, but it was a last resort I really didn't want to use.
Anyway, the talk wrapped up smoothly.
Aria turned to leave once business was done.
Before she departed, I voiced what I'd kept buried in my chest.
"Hey."
"You still have business with me?"
"It's not that, but..."
I put on a serious face.
A line I mustered the resolve to stake my life on.
"Can I touch your ears once?"
I'm the type to stay true to my desires.
Honestly, I'm curious.
Of course, I'm also true to my survival instincts, so her icy glare made me back down quick.
I was left alone at the docks and leaned against a container box.
"Haa..."
It felt like all my energy was drained.
Like submitting my entry right before the contest deadline, having burned everything in that final hour.
I gazed at the sea with the vampire's red eyes.
The salty, fishy sea scent filled my nose.
The sea reflecting the starry night sky like a magic mirror was beautiful, reminiscent of a fairy tale scene.
A guy like me, who'd never even traveled abroad, standing on an uninhabited island in the Pacific within a game world—such a twisted fate.
Like it or not, I'd have to live in this body for a while.
To shake off the gloom, I pulled out my smartphone to snap a photo of the lovely night sea.
Then, a message from an unknown source appeared on the screen.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Congratulations. You have twisted fate and survived the prologue. Traits are now unlocked.🧛 Level.1 - Vampire 🧛Clan of the dark night. A monster that feeds mainly on human blood. Beautiful and alluring in form. Physical abilities surpass humans, but extremely vulnerable to the sun. Evolution Conditions: Evolution Points 100, Build sufficient favor with Han Cheong-ah.👁️ Level.1 - Hypnotic Eyes 👁️Eyes that induce hallucinations. Can show illusions to targets who meet your gaze. Evolution Conditions: Evolution Points 100, Establish alliance with Yubyeol-ha.🔥 Level.1 - Heat Generation (Psi Ability) 🔥Psi ability to generate heat. C-Rank output, equivalent to a standard Psyker. Barrier Field for body protection is also part of this ability. Evolution Conditions: Evolution Points 100, [■■] Aria Blood von Direwolf.❓ Level.1 - ??????? ❓??????????????????? ??????????????????? ??????????????????? ??????????????????? Unlock Conditions: Evolution Points 200, Encounter ???????????.⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙As an initial reward, 50 Evolution Points have been granted. Evolution Points are awarded based on survival days or fate alterations you cause. That concludes the explanation. We look forward to the story you will unfold in 'Red Ark' from here on.
"Ha..."
What the hell is this?
I stared at my smartphone with blank eyes.