Gabriel felt countless gazes piercing into him, filled with expectations. They all wanted to know what his judgment would be.
Most of the Martial Palace disciples had expected Liang to speak up, but for some reason he was eerily quiet, as if he was waiting for Gabriel’s judgment.
Naturally, most weren’t cool with this, but they couldn’t say anything and simply watched.
Gabriel’s gaze scanned through the crowd. He was looking at them, yet his gaze felt uneven, as if he wasn’t even staring at them. It drifted below—to the corpse.
All this while, he hadn’t said anything, and neither did anyone else. The air was thick with tension and slightly awkward, making those present feel uneasy.
’I trust he will make a good judgment,’ the Martial Palace elder thought with narrowed eyes.
Meanwhile, Cassie looked at Gabriel with a conflicted expression. She had been with him for some time, and even she wasn’t certain of what his decision would be.
He was ruthless and only did things that benefitted him. She had witnessed that more than once.
’The alliance with Liang would really be helpful to the guild in the long run,’ she thought, her heart tightening. ’He would definitely want to please him.’
At the side, Bunny made sure to capture this moment. This moment was even more intense than the fighting earlier. The fate of one of the major NPCs of the game was now in the hands of Sir Broken.
Doodle’s eyes were fixed on the screen, his heart beating wildly.
"Is Sir Broken really going to kill her? How did things even escalate to this point?" Doodle sighed, slumping back into his seat. He was one of the numerous fans shipping Gabriel and Sophie together, believing they would make a nice couple.
One was manic on the battlefield, the other elegant and strategic with plenty of ideas at her disposal. They truly complemented each other.
"It’s such a shame that it would end here."
On the forum, the chat was moving at a rapid pace—so fast that if you wanted to read anything, you’d have to pause the screen.
Chriscole: Was his face always this cold?! It’s so difficult to guess what he’s thinking.
BrokenHeavenHater: Knowing this jerk he’ll probably kill her to stay in Liang’s good side...
Tabitha_Oliver: If he wanted to save her he wouldn’t be taking this long to make a decision!
ReaderInTheWind: It’s just one potential love interest left now—Scarlet of the Adventurer Guild... this one is gone!
OmegaYellow: Let’s just not jump to conclusions.
Back in the game, after moments that felt like hours—or perhaps even longer—Gabriel’s lips slowly parted.
"I..."
Eyes lit up and hearts trembled in sync.
"I won’t kill anyone... she lives." He declared in a firm and cold voice that left no room for doubt.
A sigh of relief was audibly heard from the members of the Broken Dawn Guild, while the Martial Palace disciples cursed under their breath.
The elder ground his teeth, his fist clenched tight. Among those who had died was his personal apprentice, someone he had grown quite close to.
How could the culprit of the murder go scot-free?
"This is not right!" he said loudly, glaring at Gabriel, who slowly turned those electric blue eyes toward him. For a moment, the elder felt as if he died and came back—the intensity of that gaze was suffocating.
"My Broken Dawn guildmates were killed as well... If it was one of your own who did this, I would have been considerate too. So do the same," Gabriel said.
It wasn’t a request. It was closer to an order.
The elder looked as if he had swallowed a bitter pill. He took a step back, fists still clenched.
Right then, Liang—who had remained silent all this time, annoying some of his guildmates—finally spoke.
"Even if you’re going to keep her alive... how do you intend to keep her? Are you going to deprive her of blood?" he asked, curiosity brimming in his voice.
Not all vampires were like wild beasts... but the ones here were of low bloodlines, or newborns who were recently turned. They behaved like creatures driven only by the urge for blood.
It would be hard for Gabriel to train Sophie if that was his plan. Furthermore, she wouldn’t be compatible with sunlight. Unless she lived in the Vampire Kingdom on the Non-Human Continent, this was no less than a terrible curse.
"I don’t intend for her to remain a vampire," he said suddenly, stunning everyone—especially the Martial Palace disciples.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. Liang furrowed his brows and worked his jaw, wanting to say something else. However, Gabriel snapped his hand, and a small bottle with strange red liquid appeared in his grasp.
"What’s that?"
Murmurs quickly spread among those present. They all stared at the tiny bottle in his hand, curious about what it was and why he had brought it out in a situation like this.
"Is it a magic potion?" Evelyn mumbled, eyes fixed on it.
As for Anna, the moment she saw it, a knowing gleam flickered across her eyes. She was the only one who knew about her master’s talent.
Right away, she understood that this was yet another of his extracted items.
And she was right.
It was the Vampire Elixir.
[Vampire Elixir]
[Description: A crimson potion that neutralizes vampiric infection and restores corrupted blood.]
Gabriel crouched beside Sophie’s limp form. Her breaths were weak and ragged, her fangs slightly visible. Despite her berserk state, her veil was still securely covering her face. Was this a coincidence? Or had she secured it even while losing control?
Gabriel didn’t know.
And as he stared at the thin fabric covering her features, an intrusive thought flickered through his mind.
He had always been very curious about what Sophie looked like beneath the veil, and why she chose to hide her face.
’I could remove it right now.’
Now seemed like the perfect time to unveil the mystery surrounding her.
---
AN: The Vampire Elixir was extracted in Chapter 285.