The terms "vampire" and "perfect being" were clearly difficult to associate with each other.
Whether in the films and shows from his previous life or the Church books in this lifetime, both explicitly stated that vampires were merely unclean creatures transformed from dead bodies.
Even because of their nature as neither living nor dead, vampires were particularly difficult to associate with the term "living being."
At the very least, Norton felt he no longer qualified as a living being.
"Drip... drip..."
Drops of mountain water fell from the cave entrance, where the constant dripping had formed stalactite structures over many years.
If geologists came to examine this cave, it would undoubtedly become a nationally protected site.
However, this era had no such protections, so Norton could boldly venture inside without concern.
Outside, daylight had fully arrived, while the cave interior remained pitch black.
But with his night vision capability, Norton paid no mind to the darkness within the cave; he cared more about its hiding potential.After discovering the dead Church Knights, the Church would certainly deduce that he had become a vampire.
So the Church would definitely send people to capture him.
Norton had been running all night, clutching the clay pot he stole last night while desperately fleeing.
But because he didn't know the area, he had no idea where he had ended up.
He consistently monitored his escape distance, trying not to go too far from the city.
According to that book describing monsters he had read, the forests and lakes in this region were extremely dangerous.
Various hybrid monsters populated the wilderness almost everywhere, with all sorts of creatures he'd never heard of in his previous life having their own specific habitats. Like the strange plants and animals in the forests, or the various water monsters and sea creatures in rivers and oceans.
In short, even though he had become a vampire, Norton felt he was still living quite miserably.
Currently, the most suitable hiding places for him were around major cities.
These areas didn't delve deep into dense forests. Being near large cities, most monsters had already been cleared out by the Church for urban security, yet being outside city limits meant no entanglement with the Church—making them ideal for fugitives.
Among these options, caves were undoubtedly the premier choice.
Many large caves had extremely complex branching pathways where even modern professional equipment might struggle to locate someone in intricate cavern systems. Without question, these were the perfect hiding spots.
If not for the Church Knights' strict control, Norton would have considered wearing armor to impersonate a Church Knight and hide within the Church itself.
After all, the darkest place is right under the lamp!
Of course, there was also the possibility that he had run so far that they wouldn't even search the cave where he was hiding.
Norton advanced through the pitch-black cave.
This place, called a cave, actually resembled more of a mountain crevice—the entrance wasn't large, but the interior was absurdly spacious.
Moreover, the path inward was strangely long, even increasing in height, with the sound of flowing water coming from deeper inside.
"An underground river?" Norton's gaze focused ahead where water already covered the ground slightly further forward. Combined with the sound of flowing water, there was clearly some kind of water channel inside.
Only years of erosion from an underground river could carve out such a large opening.
Norton felt somewhat cautious.
This area teemed with various monsters; he hoped this underground river didn't contain any terrifying giant snakes or some Cthulhu-like squid.
He really had a bit of thalassophobia.
He particularly feared monsters emerging from underground rivers in caves like this.
Fortunately, when Norton finally reached the deepest part, no strange creatures had appeared around him yet.
A dark pool occupied a small portion of the deepest chamber's floor, but judging by the water marks on the area where Norton stood, this place had previously been completely filled with water.
Whether due to a dry period or channel diversion, the water level had dropped, revealing extensive dry ground.
The small pool appeared clear and calm, seemingly not too deep, with even the water surface completely still—though undercurrents likely existed beneath.
Norton's vision carefully scanned throughout the small pool.
The water was clear to the bottom, containing nothing except some small white or transparent fish and shrimp—not even any water plants.
This finally allowed Norton to relax.
There didn't appear to be any other openings around either. Honestly, this place wasn't particularly secure.
But since water could flow in, that proved there must be gaps below.
"Becoming a vampire does have benefits—at least I don't need to breathe and won't drown in water!"
This meant he could explore underwater, even live beneath the water to conceal himself.
"Plunk." Norton placed the blood jar he had carried all this way on the dry ground nearby, then removed the heavy armor from his body.
He planned to bathe and carefully examine his current changes.
From yesterday until now, he had been running through the wilderness for nearly a full day and night, his body already covered in dust and plant debris.
As for bloodstains, his body seemed capable of automatically absorbing splattered blood, so he didn't need to worry about blood evidence.
Since the water contained small fish and shrimp, it definitely wasn't toxic, and he didn't need to concern himself about whether his body could withstand any potent poisons.
"Splash!" Norton, now naked like a peeled egg, jumped from the bank into the water.
The cold underground river water didn't produce any stimulating sensation on Norton. While he could perceive temperature, he apparently was no longer a warm-blooded creature.
Whatever temperature his environment was, his body temperature matched it. Now soaked in this icy water, even his body temperature had dropped accordingly.
Norton quietly soaked in the water, his night vision goggles perfectly keeping water out while allowing him to see exceptionally clearly underwater.
If he could return to his original world, wouldn't he make the best fisherman?
"Whoosh!" Norton surfaced and tried blowing air through his mouth.
He discovered he could still exhale. And his lungs still showed no sense of suffocation. But where did this air in his lungs come from?
Norton found vampires increasingly marvelous.
"Splash!" Norton submerged again, his eyes wide open as he surveyed his underwater surroundings.
He wanted to see if there were any hiding places beneath the water.
This way, if Church Knights came to block the entrance, he could still escape through the water.
If there was no second exit here, he would have to choose a different hiding place.
Norton always preferred caution—otherwise he wouldn't have endured twenty years of captivity without ever considering early escape.
The water was exceptionally clear, with everything visible around him.
Norton sensed the water current direction around his body, then followed it with his gaze.
At the innermost upper section of the small pool, there actually was a small diagonal opening, conveniently blocked by what appeared to be a stalactite that had fallen from the cave ceiling, leaving only slight gaps for water flow.
Norton felt delighted and quickly swam toward the small opening.
The stalactite wasn't large, and the opening was small too. Norton's enhanced body could easily push the stalactite aside.
As the stalactite moved away, possibly due to connected water flow, Norton didn't feel any sudden current acceleration.
This phenomenon could only mean one thing: on the other side of this opening, there must be another small pool at the same water level, preventing siphon effects at this passage.
Norton felt somewhat smug—who would have thought that after twenty years, knowledge from his previous life would still prove useful.
Norton peered into the depths beyond the opening.
The passage was long, pitch black inside. While his vampire night vision could see the nearby areas clearly, he couldn't discern anything further away.
He couldn't determine whether the pool on the other side might contain terrifying piranhas or giant snakes, so he decided he needed to be even more cautious.
"Splash!"
Norton swam back to shore, then brought over the clay jar containing blood.
After a night, the blood had long coagulated. Norton reached in and scooped out a soft blood clot, then tossed it into the water pool.
The blood slowly dissolved in the water, its bloody scent enough to attract any carnivorous creatures in the other pool.