A Fatal Miscalculation
'They're actually not half bad.'
Come on.
All that talk about bad vibes?
It must have been my imagination.
They haven't complained once.
They're just quietly following along.
'They seem like good people.'
They aren't trying to play power games,
and they aren't whining about me hogging all the kills.
In fact...
'They're practically letting me have every single kill.'
Of course, they have zero skill.
They can't even be compared to my actual teammates.
It makes me wonder if they're really in their thirties, level-wise.
But anyway!
Their hearts are in the right place, and that's what matters.
That's good enough for me.
'Still, I'd feel bad if I kept everything for myself...'
I should probably share some of the mana crystals with them later.
It's not like I'm running low on them anyway.
Heh.
To think a random party could be this nice.
I really am lucky.
"Screeech!"
Feeling generous,
Thwack!
Shlick!
I took care of the vampires lunging at me with bared fangs in a single strike.
Squish!
As I pulled the dagger from its heart, the vampire's signature dark, crimson blood gushed out.
Normally, to kill a vampire, you have to keep something driven through its heart.
Whether it's a sword or a wooden stake.
You have to leave it there until they bleed dry, or they won't die.
Otherwise, they'll just regenerate.
"A mere human..."
Just like that.
"I will drain every last drop of your blood...!"
Two vampires staggered back to their feet, ready to pounce once more.
Oh, how terrifying.
Clang!
The vampires' fangs and claws grew longer and sharper.
"Are you guys going to be okay?"
"Silence! How dare you defy Count Knight's..."
"Do you have any idea who we are...!"
Stumble!
The vampires wobbled, unable to even finish their sentences.
They looked like a pair of absolute buffoons.
"Count Knight what?"
"Huh...?"
"If you start a sentence, you should finish it."
"...?!?!!"
The vampires groped at their chests, staring at the gaping holes where their hearts used to be.
Their faces were masks of pure bewilderment.
"Ah, you're wondering why you aren't healing even though nothing is blocking your hearts?"
"...!!"
One vampire nodded reflexively,
while the other looked like he was on the verge of passing out.
I kindly held up Jeoldanchamgeuk for them to see.
Shortened Life.
It was a passive skill of Jeoldanchamgeuk that prevented targets from recovering health.
It was the absolute worst matchup for vampires.
If I landed a critical hit on their heart and backed off,
they would die on their own without me having to lift another finger.
It was perfect for dealing with creatures with high regeneration rates, like vampires.
Thud!
The vampire collapsed straight onto the floor.
His face turned twice as pale as before.
Honestly, they should have just stayed down from the start.
Why try to fight back?
Moving around only made them bleed faster, which meant they'd die even sooner.
"Tsk, tsk."
Anyway.
The first one I caught.
Then these two.
Does that mean there's only one left?
Screeech!
Just as the thought crossed my mind...
Three or four small bats lunged straight at me.
Slash!
Slice!
I swung Jeoldanchamgeuk on reflex.
The bats rained down to the floor,
falling in a heap.
Poof!
A thick black mist erupted from the spot,
"Hehehe..."
And with a sinister chuckle,
a man with a half-bat face materialized.
"To dispose of my kin so easily..."
"..."
"You are quite a capable human."
The bat-man grinned, showing off his fangs.
It was a pretty creepy sight, but...
'Wait, that's...'
Something else entirely caught my eye.
Glint!
Something was glittering on his wrist.
It was a bracelet set with a brilliant red gem that looked like coagulated blood.
'That... looks exactly like the Ring of Vampirism.'
The Ring of Vampirism.
It was an item that restored health upon killing a target,
which I had been lucky enough to obtain during my early days in the Babel Tower.
'So it was part of a set...!'
Of course! If there was a ring, there had to be a bracelet and a necklace too!
Why hadn't I thought of that before?
If I gathered the whole set, there would definitely be a set effect!
Blah...
...blah...
The bat-man was droning on about something,
but his words went in one ear and out the other.
My gaze was locked entirely on his bracelet.
"...So, what do you say?"
"Huh...?"
What did he say?
I hadn't heard a single word.
I stared blankly at the bat-man.
The bat-man bared his sharp fangs in response.
"I just offered you the glorious honor of joining our kin!"
Ah.
So that was it.
No wonder I tuned it out.
It was just nonsense.
"This is not an offer we extend to just anyone—"
"Skip that."
"...!!!"
"I'm interested in something else."
I smiled and pointed at the bat-man's wrist.
"Give me that, and I'll let you live."
It wasn't an annihilation match anyway.
The race with the most survivors won.
As long as he handed over the item, I didn't mind letting one guy go.
Of course, killing him would be much more fun.
But if he willingly surrendered the item...
I could spare him...
"You arrogant bastard!!!"
Sigh.
Never mind.
I'll just kill him.
Shhhk! Shhhk!
I scraped the blood-slicked blades of Jeoldanchamgeuk against each other,
and grinned at the bat-man.
"Don't go begging for your life later, okay?"
"I will kill you!!!"
Ah.
That classic "I will kill you!" line.
I've heard it so many times I'm sick of it.
Tick.
Perfect.
Right on cue.
One of the vampires I had beaten up earlier finally died.
Which meant...
Tick...
It was time to trigger Killing Time.
Killing Time
Whoosh!
I lunged forward at the bat-man.
So this is what a high-ranking vampire looks like?
A human body with a bat's head.
I wonder if their weaknesses are the same as regular vampires.
Stab!
Whatever.
Thrust!
Let's just stab him first.
Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Crown of the head, throat, solar plexus, heart.
I stabbed him wherever I could reach.
Slice!
Right before Killing Time ended, I severed the wrist wearing the bracelet.
Plop!
The moment the hand hit the ground,
Tick...
Killing Time ended.
"Whew."
I looked up to see the bat-man.
"Aaaaargh!!!"
He was flailing his stump of an arm, spraying blood from every single stab wound.
Clutch!
Grasp!
He tried to block the hole in his chest,
Spurt!
But how could he block it when his hand was gone?
It just looked like he was beating his chest with a stump.
While the bat-man writhed in agony,
I walked over and picked up the severed hand.
"Oh, it really is the same!"
The bracelet was set with the exact same red gem as the Ring of Vampirism.
I slid the bracelet off the wrist.
After tossing the hand aside,
I slipped the bracelet onto my own wrist.
◈ Effect: Restores mana upon killing a living creature.
"Oh!"
The ring restored health, but the bracelet restored mana. That's perfect.
This is great.
Should I test it out right away?
"Aaaaargh!"
I approached the bat-man, who was still thrashing on the ground.
I was about to drain him dry and kill—
'Oh, right.'
I stopped myself from driving the sword into his heart,
and slapped the bat-man across the face instead.
Slap!
He was already drifting out of consciousness from the blood loss.
"Hey, I have a question."
"Ugh..."
"Ring, bracelet... is the next one a necklace?"
"Gurgle..."
The bat-man couldn't answer properly.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
So I just slapped him a few more times.
"Answer me clearly, and I'll give you a quick death."
The bat-man looked up at me with a swollen face.
"Is there a necklace?"
He nodded.
"Is there a set effect?"
He nodded again.
"Does that Count Knight guy have the necklace?"
Another nod.
Nice.
Thrust!
I plunged my sword straight into his heart.
Squish.
I twisted it clockwise once, draining the rest of his blood.
A promise is a promise.
I had to give him a peaceful send-off.
"Whew..."
But how do I find this Count Knight?
I've already dealt with four vampires,
so there shouldn't be any more left around here.
I guess completing the vampirism set will have to wait.
Tsk.
What a waste.
'Well, nothing I can do about it now...'
For now, I'll be satisfied with getting the bracelet.
Time to head back to the cave where the other three are waiting.
'I should tell them to move to a different spot and hunt other monsters.'
I hurried back to the cave.
Without having the slightest clue...
...of what was waiting for me there.
"Brother, shouldn't we just kill this thing?"
Kim Sangyeop muttered, staring at the severed head of the vampire whose eyes were closed.
"...Lee Taepyeong told us not to kill it."
"Still, I'd feel a lot safer if we just finished it off..."
He had a point.
Even though the head had been severed,
the vampire's body was still twitching.
"He said we just need to stab the heart to kill it, right?"
"Yeah, the heart."
"Should I do it, then?"
"Hold on."
Killing this vampire would grant contribution points.
If so...
"I'll kill it. Wait."
Eom Gyeongseok, who was holding the vampire's head, walked toward the headless body lying on the ground.
'He wants all the contribution points for himself...'
'Selfish bastard...'
Kim Sangyeop and Lee Baekjung realized that Eom Gyeongseok was hogging the kill to offer the contribution points to their cult leader,
but they could only watch in silence.
No matter how they sliced it, Eom Gyeongseok was the strongest among them.
Schwing.
Eom Gyeongseok raised the hand axe at his waist with his free hand.
All he had to do was crush the heart.
'It shouldn't be hard.'
Lee Taepyeong had sliced through the vampires as if they were made of tofu.
Besides, this vampire was already decapitated.
He wanted to kill it quickly and claim the contribution points before the other two could get greedy.
With that thought,
Eom Gyeongseok swung his axe.
But at that exact moment...
Spring!
The vampire's body, which had been completely still a second ago, sprang up and lunged at Eom Gyeongseok with unbelievable speed.
"C-Ack...!!"
A pale hand clamped tightly around Eom Gyeongseok's throat.
And simultaneously...
Chomp!
"Aaaaargh!"
The vampire's head bit down hard on the nape of Eom Gyeongseok's neck.
Gulp!
Gulp!
Gulp!
Eom Gyeongseok's blood was rapidly drained.
His face and body shriveled up in an instant.
And then...
Squish!
The vampire pressed his severed head back onto his neck.
Squelch!
"What a disgusting taste..."
The vampire smacked his lips and glared at the remaining two humans.
"But I cannot afford to be picky..."
Crunch!
Rip! Tear!
"Aaaaargh!"
The cultists' screams echoed through the cave.