บท 32: Suspicions.

"Damn, that was one long exposition." Mark plopped down on the bed while Lara took the chair right beside him. The room he was given didn't look much different from the one he woke up in, but the hospital-like feeling was gone, and the door didn't suddenly disappear behind a wall. He was also given back his phone, earbud case, wallet, and keys.

The talk with Natalie and Ramsay went on for hours. He learned quite a few things about the current situation of the world and his place in it, as well as the multiverse in general and what he should expect going forward. In summary, things weren't looking too good for his own world and he would probably be moved to a new one soon enough.

"What do you think, Lara?"

The maid had her head lowered. Mark was under the impression that she was a lot more knowledgeable about everything that was happening, but she seemed as shocked as he was with most of the stuff they learned.

After a few seconds, she heaved a sigh and shook her head.

"This might be the most bizarre Lower Realm I have ever heard of." She heaved a soft sigh.

"Really?" Mark raised an eyebrow.

"Normally when a Fallen World causes a Dimensional Collapse, the only way to stop Madness from spreading to the new world is to secure those with the potential to Awaken and kill all those who get infected. The idea that the majority of the survivors can safely Awaken should have been nothing but a distant dream."

Saying nothing in response, Mark lay down and stared at the ceiling. According to Natalie, as the time for the Complete Dimensional Collapse approaches, more and more people will experience the Awakening process and gain their own LRGS. At the same time, the world would be crawling with Fallen and other abominations. It will be an apocalypse that makes the Great World War look like a children's fight, and though some countermeasures are being implemented to save as many lives as possible, there is no avoiding the coming tragedy.

'But seriously…' As he recalled the things Natalie revealed to him, Mark's expression slowly twisted into a frown. 'They really think I'm an idiot, don't day?'

The conversation had its ups and downs but went smoothly nonetheless. It was for that exact reason that Mark felt like something was off about the whole thing. Not once did the System interrupt them, meaning everything the Head General said was within her authority to reveal, or at the very least he met the requirements to hear them. That made him suspect a few things.

'Either what she said is common knowledge…' He thought. 'Or she only told me the bare minimum…'

One thing he noticed was that the muscular woman never went into detail about the Dimensional Collapse. All she told him was that some group opened a door to the Underworld during the Great World War, but that was twenty years ago. If that was supposed to cause such a wide-scale catastrophe, shouldn't it have happened long ago?

'Were they able to prevent it back then?' He thought. 'If that's true, what changed the second time?'

Mark began to suspect that the so-called Peace Keepers were themselves responsible for what was happening to his world. They were aliens themselves, after all. If a gate to the Underworld could cause the Dimensional Border of a world to collapse, wouldn't the same happen when one is opened to the so-called Overworld from which the Peace Keepers originate?

Whatever the case, there was no doubt that a lot was being kept a secret from him. It bothered him quite a bit, sure, but he also understood the reason why they would do it. After all, he was a newcomer who had yet to agree to join the organization.

'Not that they would actually let me go…'

Mark pressed the Start button on his imaginary controller and summoned his Player Menu. He opened the Status Window and stared at it for a while, going through each stat one by one. The numbers were apparently a close approximation of his current capabilities, since getting exact measurements was impossible even for a sophisticated psychic program.

'A Level 05 System, huh…'

Just as he began to go through what Ramsay taught him about the five types of LRGS, Mark felt a rustle beside him and his eyes were drawn to the left. What he saw almost gave him a heart attack.

"Master…"

Lara had her hands on the bed as she slowly climbed on top. A brilliant red taint spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and her eyes looked a little teary as she gave him a sultry look. She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him down when he tried to raise himself. Before he could say a word of protest she straddled his abdomen. She stared at him for a second then slowly leaned toward him.

"Master…" Her cherry-colored lips moved, their glossiness causing his heart to flutter. "I… I cannot wait any longer…"

Mark's whole body shivered. The soft fabric of their simple clothes was barely there, allowing him to feel the softness of her figure as it touched him in several places. He felt like a volcano that was about to erupt, but even with every part of him demanding he go on the offense, he couldn't move an inch.

Lara continued to bring her face closer to his, and by reflex, Mark closed his eyes. The next moment he felt a sharp pain from a prick to his neck.

His eyes snapping open, Mark's first reaction was to push the girl away from him, but then the arousal returned stronger than ever clouding his thoughts with the overwhelming desire to mate. Sadly, whatever strength he had left his body in a matter of seconds, leaving him incapable of satisfying the urge that sprang up on him out of nowhere.

'Ah, that's right…' He thought, noticing that the room was getting a little darker. 'Lara is… a dhampir…'

~[ ]~

A couple of minutes later, Lara finally seemed to have had her fill. She slowly rose up, her eyes still glazed over as if she had just experienced the most intense pleasure in her life. She licked her red lips, letting out a sensual sigh, and wondered if it would be fine if she sank her fangs into the young man just one more time.

"... Mas-" Her mind cleared in an instant when she saw the state her master was in. "Master!"