Chapter 153
Translator: penny
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: Bindelom's Fury
"Hmph! I showed you mercy out of pity for your impending death, and yet... As expected, lowly humans can't be helped."
"That was a reaction to my grumbling just now, right?"
[Seems like it.]
[Whoa, this must really be an important quest. It's rare to see an NPC react that much.]
Most NPCs just silently attack players once combat starts.
"And it doesn't react to your chatter at all."
[Lol Selective Reactions For Real]
[Utopia's AI is something else]
'Utopia's AI, huh...'
Seibya suddenly came to mind.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Yuseong raised his Feather Wind Gun and opened fire on Vindelom. The first few shots hit their mark. But then Vindelom suddenly slashed at the side of his own neck.
Shwaaa!
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, as if he'd nicked an artery. The airborne droplets suddenly moved on their own, forming a thin membrane in front of Vindelom.
Puk! Puk!
The follow-up shots slammed into the blood membrane. It rippled violently. The bullets couldn't pierce through.
"It's definitely using the power of blood far better than Vindelom's bloodkin."
Those guys could only fling blood like projectiles or stretch it into blades and swing them around.
"But it looks like it can't maintain that while moving."
Vindelom still hadn't budged from his throne. But he could apparently attack from there.
Gloop!
A sharp, blood-formed spike protruded from the membrane. Its purpose was obvious without needing to guess.
Whoosh!
The spikes launched. They zeroed in precisely on Yuseong.
Boom! Boom!
They smashed into the floor and walls, leaving deep gouges. The power was clear—if one hit your body, it wouldn't end well.
But Yuseong had already slipped out of their trajectory.
Bang! Bang!
Even as he dodged, Yuseong kept firing nonstop. Having used up all its blood to form the spikes, the membrane vanished after they launched. Yuseong's shots hammered Vindelom's heart unhindered.
Pwoof!
Vindelom's form dispersed.
'Mist Form.'
The thick fog charged straight at Yuseong.
'No need for Storm Rounds.'
They wouldn't deal damage to a vampire in that state anyway. They'd just slow it down.
Yuseong slung the Feather Wind Gun over his shoulder and drew the Blue Ghost Sword.
Swish!
Vindelom closed in on Yuseong and released Mist Form. Blood gushed from the wound on his neck, soon morphing into a massive scythe.
Whoosh!
He swung the blood scythe.
Kwaaang!
The floor shattered. A massive crack formed, complete with a small crater. The damage would vanish soon, restoring the floor, but the impact demonstrated the scythe's devastating power.
[Whoa, chills!]
[Doesn't look like any fancy technique, but it's strong.]
[As expected of a boss.]
Vindelom swung the blood scythe at blinding speed. Even Yuseong, dodging for his life, was pushed to his limits. Yet he kept pouring gunfire into the vampire all the while.
Click!
He even swapped magazines mid-chaos.
[lmao Yuseong's insane]
[How is that even possible?]
Yuseong's acrobatic combat always left viewers in awe, no matter how many times they saw it.
Dodging those dizzying attacks was impressive enough, but pulling off shots and reloads in the thick of it? It was the kind of thing that made you doubt your eyes even watching live.
Pwoof!
Vindelom apparently couldn't sustain the blood scythe forever—it burst apart into the air. He fell back. Only then could Yuseong catch his breath.
He gulped down a potion and tossed the empty vial aside. Even for Yuseong, he couldn't dodge every single ferocious swing; the scythe had grazed him here and there. Just that much shaved off a huge chunk of his HP.
But that wasn't the real problem.
"This probably drained me, right?"
[The effect sure looked like it.]
[Vampire classic.]
The moment the scythe sliced Yuseong, red energy trailed from the wound like his very blood being siphoned away along the blade. It screamed "something was stolen."
Considering the enemy's nature and that this was Arc, the most logical guess was stolen HP.
Of course, while he tossed the half-certain question to the viewers, Yuseong had already gotten the explanation from his strategy guide.
"I've never been drained before, but this guy's the first. Even if I land damage, one slip-up and it'll all be for nothing."
[Monsters with self-heal are the most annoying.]
The chat filled with similar gripes—everyone felt the same.
Fwoosh!
Vindelom thrust his hand upward, summoning a fireball. Far larger than any the other vampires had made. It rocketed toward Yuseong at high speed.
Bang! Bang!
A powerful spell—it took two Reinforced Rounds to detonate it. But at least it could be intercepted.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He kept pounding the heart. Vindelom deployed the blood membrane again. Seeing it, Yuseong swapped magazines.
This one was loaded with Freezing Rounds.
Crack! Crack!
The blood membrane froze solid where the Freezing Rounds hit. He double-tapped multiple spots in short order.
Once the magazine was empty, he downed a mana potion and reloaded with Reinforced Rounds. Then he targeted the frozen sections.
Crack!
Chunks of red ice exploded outward. The rippling membrane, which had absorbed the shots, went still. Unfrozen parts remained liquid, but the ripples from impacts were gone.
Those ripples weren't just visual flair—they dispersed damage across the whole membrane for defense. But the frozen parts couldn't ripple anymore.
Pwoof!
Yuseong's relentless focus fire finally shattered a section. Through the hole, Vindelom's chest was visible.
Bang!
Yuseong threaded a bullet right through the gap.
[He broke through!]
[Yes!]
The viewers, clearly annoyed by the membrane themselves, cheered as Yuseong cracked it. He kept firing steadily the whole time.
He switched fully to the Feather Wind Gun instead of the Blue Ghost Sword. Its damage was much higher.
Swish!
Spikes emerged from the membrane again. But far fewer than before. Probably because so much blood was frozen and unusable.
Pwoof!
The spikes fired, but in much smaller numbers. No way Yuseong would get hit.
"Hmm. I've got the distance down."
Even in the heat of battle, Yuseong had been closing and widening the gap repeatedly.
"At least for this phase, the same strategy as the other vampires should work."
With that, he charged at Vindelom, who was prepping another spell.
Bang! Bang!
Kwaaaang!
"Graaaah!"
Before the vampire could unleash it, Yuseong shot the fireball, engulfing him in his own explosion. Vindelom screamed.
"It's bigger, so the cast time is a bit longer. Means I can intercept before it launches."
[That long?]
[Is there a difference...?]
"There is."
A razor-thin margin, but enough for Yuseong to clock it.
[Oh, okay.]
[If Yuseong says so.]
[Anyone doubting Yuseong?]
The familiar Yuseong flavor.
Yuseong had nullified Vindelom's magic with ease, but he didn't stop closing in. The vampire's ranged attacks weren't just fire spells. He could use other types too.
The noble vampires and Vindelom's bloodkin had wielded a variety of magic, after all.
Plus, the blood powers were dangerous.
As Yuseong rushed forward, Vindelom drew the blood scythe again. Mist Form was impossible at this range.
But just like with the previous vampires, Yuseong abruptly halted, leaped back, and started creating distance.
His gun barrel never stopped spitting fire, of course.
Their clash intensified.
Yuseong clearly held the edge. His well-honed tactics against countless vampires were steadily cornering Vindelom.
The constant HP drain was irritating, but the vampire's health bar kept dropping regardless.
After some time...
"Youuuu wormmm!"
Vindelom bellowed.
"To dare! To DARE mock me, a mere lowly insect like youuuu!"
His rage echoed through the chamber.
Rumble!
The ceiling collapsed. Yuseong dodged every falling chunk.
Soon, instead of the grayish ceiling above him, a gloomy sky stretched out.
"So this is it."
Yuseong looked around. They were at the top of the tallest tower in the castle's central keep.
The island sprawled below, along with the churning waters and the massive fog bank encircling it.
[Whoa, check out the view.]
[Insane!]
Arc was famous for its stunning vistas, but the ones that truly defined it were these impossible, pure fantasy scenes you could never see in reality.
Even fresh from the brutal fight, the surroundings were so captivating they stole your gaze. The gloomy mood that had dampened spirits now felt like seasoning that made it all the more special.
But Yuseong tore his eyes from the scenery.
This wasn't the time to admire the view.
"Phase two's probably coming."
As always, he shared the info like a prediction. But anyone could've guessed that much.
"When the ceiling caved, a ton of blood rained down from above Vindelom's head. Looks like he had some kind of blood reservoir up there."
[Yeah, I kinda saw that too.]
[Quest cutscene is top-tier.]
Viewers were hyped from the fresh quest, new enemy, and epic battle.
Kwaang!
Something burst from the rubble of the collapsed ceiling.
It resembled a bat wing, strikingly similar to the bats the vampires transformed into.
But there was a key difference.
It was huge, and made entirely of blood.
Kwaang!
The other wing emerged. Slowly, it tore through the debris, revealing its full form.
The overall shape matched what the first arm had suggested.
A massive blood-constructed monster in the form of a bat—a vampire's transformation. Vindelom's body protruded from the monster's head.
"To dare inflict such humiliation on the loyal servant of the Great One, I, Isratu Vindelom! You will not die easily! I'll drain every drop of your blood and flay your skin to hang at the gates—as a warning to all foolish enough to defy me!"
Still mid-event, the arms didn't move. Yuseong muttered.
"Talks a lot even after transforming."
The arms gained freedom. Yuseong's gun snapped up in a flash.
Bang!
Anyone could see the weak point: Vindelom's main body atop the monster's head. Yuseong's shot nailed it dead-on.
"With the weak spot that high up, other classes are gonna struggle with this one."
[No matter how much they struggle, not as bad as Gunner, right?]
[Gunner's just a hard-knock life class anyway.]
[Yuseong's playing Arc's worst class.]
"It's great, but why do you all think that?"
Yuseong clicked his tongue at Arc's widespread prejudice(?) against his class.