Serum: C183 + Notice (Patreon)

AN: Hello all! If you didn't know already, I'm planning on kickstarting Serum once more. It is no longer on Hiatus! While the updates might not be as regular as with my American Isekai series, I'm still going to be putting new chapters out.

Just a little heads up, I made some updates on all previously written chapters from C158 to here. The biggest updates start around 175 if you don't want to reread all 20+ chapters, though that is what I would recommend if you care about any details that might slip through and give you questions later.

Either way, we're back. To all my Serum fans still here, your patience was not for nothing. Now that I've started it again, I plan to finish Serum. If it goes anything like Origin Seeker, that'll probably happen within the next 150-200 chapters.

So buckle up. You guys will be getting advance chapters at the same numbers as with American Isekai. It'll take some release pacing on my part but for my American Isekai fans, these chapters are just more content for you to consume if it's to your taste.

Hope you all enjoy!

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Within the Wasp, Dirk trailed the convoy of slaves. 

Even with a 1300 pound Heart Core in the back seat, the Wasp was able to keep up. Dirk had to give it a lot of juice, but he didn’t mind that. It had a power guage and even after half a day of flying, it was barely halfway used. 

Granted, he wasn’t flying fast. Wagons didn’t roll fast and so Dirk was basically hovering still in the sky watching them for the entire day. 

And at night, they all stopped to camp out and sleep. That’s when Dirk landed nearby and took a break as well. 

Then the next day, the same thing repeated. While he was waiting in the sky, he was keeping an eye out, observing the surroundings and biting his tongue in anticipation. 

This was the perfect time for the resistance to show themselves. A convoy full of slaves was on the move by wagon. What better time to raid it?

But even after the second day, they didn’t show. So he waited some more, hoping that they really did show up. Otherwise, he wouldn’t track this slave group any longer and find Pandora. 

This new camp they were going to likely had more people and more powerful individuals guarding it. Dirk wasn’t interested in acting any more than he had, especially now that he was heavily injured and carrying the heaviest paper weight in the world right in his back seat. 

If this didn’t work out, then he could only bid these slaves goodbye. He thought about bringing them onto the Sky King, but that would be a rather significant disruption to their plans. The Sky King was being used for war. It wasn’t a place for refugees that would only eat into their supplies and force them to adjust their strategies when they had just gotten here. 

It was heartless, but Dirk understood what was necessary in war. The situation in the Otherworld was much bigger than they anticipated, and so as soon as they arrived, he changed his mindset. They needed to operate effectively, ridding any variables that might hamper them. 

So he hoped for the sake of these slaves that the resistance wasn’t incopetent. 

Thankfully, they didn’t let him down. 

On the fourth day, they came. 

Dirk saw the ambush as it happened. A few individuals launched themselves out of a nearby treeline, attacking the drivers of the convoy and entering battle. When that happened, Dirk brought the Wasp down a small distance away within that nearby forest. 

Having had four days to do nothing but recover, Dirk’s body had fully healed. He was now back up to peak strength. 

If he had lost his entire arm and wasn’t able to reattach it, things would’ve been different. But he had taken it with him and Spyte was able to reattach it using the nanites within, so all was good. 

So after landing and putting away the aircraft, Dirk slipped the Heart Core into a bag made of leather he had created. Then he hoisted it on his back with some chain, making his way over to the battle. He had no issue handling the weight with his anima. 

When he arrived though and saw the battle ongoing, he decided to drop the Heart Core nearby and jump in the fray. 

Using nothing but his hands, he started pummeling the elven guards. Any that were still alive had their skulls caved in when he showed up behind them as they were distracted by their battles. 

And so he drifted through the wagons, easily dispatching them and ending the battle quickly. 

Once finished, Dirk went to meet these resistance fighters. 

“Who are you?”

Some of them were wary. Dirk had showed up unannounced and from out of nowhere. And since they were the resistance, he couldn’t be. 

He waved to the few people who came and surrounded him. 

“My name is Eight. I’m one of the survivors from Tallico City.”

“Tallico? You survived that?”

“I did my best. Still, I was taken as a slave. Thankfully I was able to escape during the recent chaos at our camp. I’ve been following them since.”

“Hm. Stand down.”

The leader ordered, the others dispersing to go help the slaves. 

The leader approached Dirk, putting out his hand. 

“Thanks for the help. My name is Jegren.”

“Eight. Nice to meet you.”

“Mm. Once we round up all the survivors we’ll wait for our transport. Hang around for a bit and we’ll bring you back to our headquarters.”

“Thank you. I’ll help with the others.”

Dirk went and made himself useful, bringing the humans and vampires, now liberated slaves, out of the wagons. Some were crying, some were cheering and giving thanks to the fighters. 

Gianna, who found Dirk, went running to him. 

“Eight! Where have you been?!”

“I was working a bit. Seems like the resistance showed up just like you said they would.”

“Yeah, thankfully. I was worried there for a while. 

She let out a long breath, the recent days taking their toll on her. 

Dirk looked at her neck, seeing the collar inhibiting her mana. He reached over and grabbed it, incinerating its enchantments with potent dark mana and ripping it off. 

She froze up for a second as mana flooded back into her body, shivering in blissful relief. As the light mana entered her body, she used it on herself to heal her wounds and rejuvenate herself. Her body became healthier at a visible rate. 

Dirk nodded with a smile. Then, she looked behind him, seeing the big sphere covered in leather. 

“What’s that on your back?”

“Eh, just a heavy chunk of metal. I got it out of the mine.”

“...That collapse wasn’t caused by you, was it?”

“Heavens no. In fact I nearly died in that collapse. I only got this nice chunk of geode out of it.”

He shrugged his shoulders, adjusting the backpack and chains. Gianna hummed, letting the subject go. 

It wasn’t long after that when everyone was rounded up. Then Jergen made his call. 

Some seconds after that, Dirk snapped around as massive spatial fluctuations tore a hole and formed a portal nearby. Then, Jergen waved, shouting. 

“All those who wish to join us at Sanctuary, follow us through the portal!

“Line up and step through!”

The resistance soldiers began to herd everyone who rushed forward, ushering them through the portal. 

Dirk waited with Jegren, letting Gianna go ahead. She waved to him and stepped through. Not long later, Dirk and Jergen, along with the other resistance fighters, stepped through, the portal closing down. 

Normally, going through portals would induce some disorientation, even sickness. And many of those who were weaker ended up on their knees after moving through. Some even vomited. 

But Dirk didn’t feel the slightest discomfort. His Mana Body made him the perfect vessel to move through portals and the like. 

In fact, what Dirk was most interested in was the level of fluctuations he felt from the portal channel. 

Normally, going through portals was relatively instantaneous, but that was only from the traveler’s perspective. Depending on the distance, it could take a few seconds or even up to a minute if you were traveling between empires. 

Going through this portal, Dirk was able to maintain his lucidity for the entire duration of travel, which amounted to about 11 seconds. 

Not only that, but because this portal was obviously made by someone instead of by a dedicated teleporter, he could see runic formations across the spatial channel. They were unbelievably complex. He could barely catch glimpses since most seemed like a blur. 

And because of that, he could tell the level of the person who made the portal. 

“Tier 8…”

He muttered while exiting, taking a look around. 

The Sanctuary could be considered just that. It was a huge forested area with tall trees and structures built across their branches. Dirk could see hundreds of bridges built between these structures and even more people passing across them. 

It was a small city of treehouses, making Dirk smile in fascination. 

He turned to Jegren. 

“Where are we?”

“We’re in the Gargantuan Forest of Zelezard. This Sanctuary was created when the World Tree suddenly declared all humans, vampires, dwarves and hybrids their enemies. Her Majesty Tianna Yumia keeps us all safe here. She’s a Tier 8 Dark Mage. I was going to take you to her since you’re another fighter who can add to our numbers.”

“Oh, how reassuring.”

Dirk nodded as he walked with Jergen. 

As they talked, all the former slaves were led away by soldiers and caretakers, ascending into the treehouses. As for Dirk, he didn’t need any special attention since he was completely recovered, looking healthy as can be. 

He was also dressed in some more comfortable garb instead of the bloody rags he had when at the camp, so he felt completely normal. 

Which was odd to Jergen, who questioned him about it. 

“You seem to be in good condition, Eight. How was your experience at the camp?”

“It was alright. I happen to be very good at sneaking around. I’m a dark mage myself, you see. So I was able to keep myself in good shape by hunting in the woods.”

“And that thing on your back?”

“The camp made us mine. This is a big chunk of Geode I extracted. I thought it would be valuable.”

“Hm.”

He nodded, but it was apparent that he didn’t completely believe Dirk. Still, he continued along. 

Dirk asked at some point. 

“How’s the situation with saving slaves? Being honest, you guys took longer than I expected.”

“Unfortunately, our forces are stretched thin. Her Majesty can’t act with impunity due to the presence of the elven leaders who outnumber her, so she stays here and simply provides us with invaluable transportation while we rescue as many as we can. Still, we are not large since anybody above Tier or Rank 5 was killed without mercy during the outbreak of the war. Very few are lucky to escape, let alone join us.”

“I understand.”

Dirk listened quietly. At the city he first went to, they were indeed killing anybody above Tier 5. That meant that, so long as a labor camp stationed a fewRank 6’s and the slaves were bound, there would be nobody to fight them. Anybody who could escape the coordinated attacks was lucky, especially if they were Tier 6. That was the worst level to be simply because most armies would hold a Tier or Rank 7 at the helm who could kill those people. 

At the very least, Tier 7’s could escape rather easily since the appearance of a Tier 8 was extremely rare. 

It was no wonder the resistance’s forces were stretched thin. Jergen was likely one of very few Rank 6’s in the entire base, and Tier 5’s simply weren’t enough for many situations. 

Now though, Dirk was here, someone capable of killing Rank 6’s from the shadows. 

Despite only getting a glimpse of what he was capable of, Jergen already had a deep impression of Dirk. Not everyone could slip under their noses completely undetected. Such a thing required skilled magic, and to kill Rank 6’s so quickly required a strong body and Aura. 

Dirk had both, so if he fought on their side, he would be invaluable. 

“We’re almost to the capitol building.”

“We’re going to Her Majesty now?”

“Indeed.”

Dirk went a bit on guard when Jergen nodded. Meeting a Tier 8 in person, especially a dark mage, may put him in a difficult position. After all, she would be able to detect his Mana Body from up close, and he wasn’t a refugee from the Otherworld. 

He simply had too many secrets to keep and didn’t like the idea of being exposed. 

But at the same time, he needed to collect intelligence. While he technically already had enough, he still wanted to get information on the state of affairs at large. The only person who could get access to information from across the Otherworld was a Tier 8. 

After a few seconds, Dirk decided to follow along. Although he would be putting himself in a somewhat dangerous position, it wasn’t like he came with hostile intentions. Nothing would happen to him and, knowing that he was capable, he would be put at the forefront of several plans regarding the resistance’s military movements. 

Pandora would surely want that knowledge. Besides, he could call her anytime and relay the information if he needed to. 

All this time, Dirk didn’t care to make the call to her. He simply didn’t feel like it, and after some thinking, that was for good reason. 

As soon as he gave her the location and means to get in contact with the resistance, she would bring a dozen more variables that he would have to work around. So instead of complicating things, he decided he would just work in the dark for a while and gather what he could. Besides, he knew that she would be working on something. He didn’t want to interrupt her. 

Dirk knew that, like how she could affect how he worked, he also affected how she worked. His mere presence would change how extreme she would be with her plans. 

Well, Dirk putting distance between them was basically letting her off the leash. And he knew that when he wasn’t holding her back, she was amazingly good at sowing chaos and sliding her fingers around her enemy’s neck, taking control and making them dance in the palm of her hand. 

Of course, she was enabled even further when he was working with her, but sometimes going their separate ways was more efficient. 

“Let’s go then.”

Dirk spoke to Jergen, making him smile and wave. 

The two went up into the trees, taking many bridges through the forest before happening upon a large capitol building. 

The capitol wasn’t like the other buildings built on the branches of trees, but instead a tower rooted in the ground that rose up similar to the trees around it. 

It was there that Dirk could feel an unfathomable presence. In fact, there were several other dominating auras that he could sense in a single room, likely Tier 7’s. 

They entered the tower from an upper entrance. Jergen then led him to a hall with its gilded doors already open. 

They could hear chatter as they entered. 

“We should send a small squad to clear these camps out rather than devoting a large chunk of our forces to a single camp we won't be able to destroy in a short amount of time.”

“But that camp is the only one with high value prisoners. If we take it and retrieve the Rank 7s there, we’ll expand our combat capabilities greatly.”

“We also can’t ignore the fact that it may be a trap.”

“Your Majesty.”

Jergen announced his entrance, interrupting the discussions within the hall. 

Everyone looked over as he and Dirk walked in. All eyes ended up falling on Dirk, and he likewise observed all of them. 

The most eye catching was naturally Her Majesty. 

She was a short girl standing an entire foot lower than Dirk at 5 foot 5 inches. She was also a Vampire, indicated by her slightly pointed ears and two bloodsucking teeth slightly revealed by indents in her lips. 

The most fascinating part about her though was her hair. It was like every strand was made of obsidian, all of it seemingly conglomerating into a single crystalline mass that drifted down her back and shoulders. 

And her eyes were dark red, almost like Pandora’s, giving her a particularly menacing look. 

But she was stunningly cute, dampening the threat behind those menacing eyes. 

She also didn’t seem particularly mature in how she carried herself. Currently she sat cross legged on top of the table which held the map, looking down with her chin propped up on her hand. 

As for those around her, there were 2 Tier 7’s, 1 Rank 7, 10 Tier 6’s, and 4 Rank 6’s. 

The mages outnumbered the knights significantly. Perhaps they had an easier time escaping or hiding with their versatile powers. But there weren’t many of them regardless. 

Upon his entrance, Her Majesty stared straight at Dirk. It was like she could see through him, and she immediately brightened up in interest. 

Dirk couldn’t even react as she flickered and appeared in front of him. It happened so fast that even his instincts didn’t pick up on it. She simply manifested in front of him, like she was everywhere all at once. 

“Hey, who cursed your eyes like that?”

“...Asura.”

Dirk directly answered. He didn’t feel like he was capable of lying to this girl. 

And she nodded in response while circling around him. 

“Makes sense. Then you’re quite the extraordinary one, huh? The fact you’re even here either means you’re a Harbinger of his, or you escaped. I’d be more inclined to believe the former if not for the fact that our Royal Seal is branded on your neck.”

“Hm.”

Dirk stood still as she pulled his shirt down, exposing the Blood Pact on his neck. 

“Oh? Her? What’s your relationship with my niece?”

Her blood red eyes looked into Dirk’s. He immediately realized that this was Pandora’s aunt, sister to the Queen herself.

He spoke truthfully.

“We’re close, more than friends.”

“Interesting. She was a cold blooded killer last time I saw her, and that was when she was 15. I can’t imagine she’s changed that much, but you’re proving me wrong. So? Who are you? And don’t worry, they can’t hear a word. I like to keep secrets too.”

Her Majesty glanced back at all the others, and indeed, it didn’t seem to Dirk like any of them could hear their conversation. 

So he cleanly exposed himself. 

“Dirk Strider, from the Horizon Empire.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard about the Strider Household. Your father is the most devastating war mage below Tier 8. He killed over 200 thousand vampires single handedly during the Bloody War, even though he didn’t kill a single person at his level.”

“Oh…”

Dirk was surprised by this information. He knew his father specialized in wide area spells since he sported both fire and air affinities, but he didn’t realize he had been such a devastating character. 

No wonder he so easily earned his noble title. Normally it would take more than simply being a Tier 7 and participating in a war to be granted a Marquess title, but it seemed Ryker Strider was particularly amazing at what he did. 

200 thousand kills was no small number. He had wiped out entire battlefields by himself, entire armies being incinerated alive. 

No wonder the vampires held a grudge. When they had gone to the Dark Kingdom as envoys, they weren’t treated particularly well. Something like that may be a given, but Dirk had yet to experience a full fledged war between empires in this world. The dynamics were different, and a single person could earn the ire of an entire empire through their feats of strength. Ryker was definitely one of those people.

Dirk was also worried that perhaps this girl wasn’t fond of him out of a grudge against his father, but it didn’t seem like that was the case as she gave him a small smile. 

“Don’t worry so much. That has nothing to do with me, and even if it did, I don’t get angry over wars I don’t control. It was a stupid war anyway. Now though, we have a small crisis on our hands. And if my niece is here, that means things are about to get interesting. Still, I could use your help. An assassin such as yourself is too good to pass up for all the missions I need completing. So? Mind lending your future aunt-in-law a hand?”

“...Sure.”

Dirk could only agree with a weird grin. 

Was his marriage already set in stone? Seems you couldn’t mess with royalty without people doing things for you. 

Not to mention the weird twist of events. Dirk didn’t expect Pandora’s aunt to be here heading the resistance in the Otherworld. She hadn’t even told him she was here in the first place. 

With a smile, Her Majesty gave her name. 

“Call me Yumia, not Her Majesty. I don’t carry the Vanadis name here.”

“Alright, Yumia.”

“Mm. Oh, and that’s a nice Mana Body you have there. Also, I see that you’re an Heir, so if you need to, I can have our Rank 7 train you a bit. What’s your weapon?”

“...I don’t have just one.”

Dirk gave his answer, but he was still baffled by how easily she learned everything about him. What was really the point of keeping secrets if she could just see right through them all with a glance?

Tier 8’s really were something else.