A Bloody Reunion
The stench of blood.
"..."
The air felt wrong.
Of course, there had been the smell of blood earlier.
The blood spilled by the vampire I had killed in the cave.
But this was different.
This was...
The smell of human blood...
Indeed.
Human blood.
It smelled different from a vampire's.
It was... cleaner, in a way.
It's a bit weird to call the stench of blood "clean," but still...
It definitely wasn't vampire blood.
Having just killed one, I could easily tell the difference.
Don't tell me...
A dark premonition crept over me.
The moment I stepped through the winding cavern—
"...!"
My premonition became reality.
Torn limbs.
Entrails scattered across the floor.
Eom Gyeongseok.
Kim Sanghyeop.
Lee Baekjung.
The corpses of the three men lay strewn about as if on display.
Roll, roll...
Eom Gyeongseok's head rolled across the floor, shriveled and completely drained of blood.
Which meant...
...They didn't listen to me.
I told them to make sure the head didn't rejoin the body. That was the only thing they needed to watch out for.
I glanced down.
Two puncture wounds, clearly bite marks, pierced his neck.
He had been completely drained.
He gorged himself on three whole people...
I held my breath and quietly scanned the surroundings.
The hacked-up body and head of the vampire I had left behind were gone.
...Did he run?
If he knew I was coming back, fleeing would be the smart move.
Hehehe...
Just then, a low chuckle echoed from the depths of the cave.
"...!"
I looked up toward the sound.
Hanging upside down from the cavern ceiling was the vampire.
Having gorged on three men, his face looked much smoother and healthier than before.
No, more importantly...
What is that?
Because he was hanging upside down, I could see something glittering around his neck.
Is that the Necklace of Vampirism?
The red gem embedded in the pendant looked exactly like the ones on the Ring of Vampirism and the Bracelet of Vampirism.
Which meant...
...That guy is Count Knight?
But when we first crossed paths, he was such a weakling that I tore him apart instantly.
Whoosh!
The vampire lightly dropped to the ground.
"To think you would walk back in so calmly..."
"..."
"...after tearing my kin to shreds."
Count Knight bared his fangs and smiled.
"Should I thank you for providing me with such a hearty meal?"
"Yeah. You got a full-course meal out of it, so a thank-you is the least you could do."
"Hehehe... I really like you, human."
Count Knight licked his lips and slowly drew closer.
"I would love to drain every last drop of your blood right this instant..."
"..."
"...but my belly is already full."
"..."
"And since it seems all my kin have perished by your hand..."
"..."
"I shall turn you into my new kin."
Count Knight's fangs gleamed.
"Will you become stronger by my side?"
Seriously, what is this bastard talking about? I already killed him once.
"There's a limit to how shameless you can be..."
I didn't even feel like giving him a proper response.
"Bring it on, you pig."
Mr. Eom... Mr. Kim... Mr. Lee...
I forgot their names, but whatever.
I'll avenge you guys.
I gripped Jeoldanchamgeuk in both hands.
Just then—
"Come!"
Count Knight glared at me with blood-red eyes and commanded, "O prey, submit to me."
A powerful force vibrated in his voice.
Was it some kind of hypnosis?
"Come to..."
But what should I do?
"Wh-what...?"
It wasn't working.
Whoosh...
The sound of the wind whispering from the Quiet Eira Forest's Earring dangling from my ear completely deflected Count Knight's voice.
As I stared at him with a blank expression and took step after step forward—
"...?!"
Count Knight began to stumble backward in panic.
"N-no...!"
Perhaps recalling the nightmare of our first encounter, he screamed toward the ceiling of the cave.
"Kill him!!!"
Instantly, dozens of bats swarmed toward me.
Screeech!
Flap, flap, flap!
A chaotic din of flapping wings and shrieks filled the air.
And then—
Whoosh!
Sharp claws lunged directly at my throat.
Clang!
I barely managed to block them with my sword.
Swish!
This time, his fangs snapped toward my neck.
Whoosh!
I quickly ducked.
Snap!
His teeth clashed in empty air.
Before he could pivot again—
Thrust!
I stabbed him straight through the heart.
"Hehehe... You should know that a mere stab to the heart won't kill me."
Of course I knew.
I didn't stab him to kill him in the first place.
I did it to ruin his overwhelming vampiric regeneration with Shortened Lifespan.
However, since he had already gorged on three people, he would probably hold out for a while.
So I had to finish this before then, right?
Slash!
My sharp dagger sliced cleanly through Count Knight's neck.
It followed the exact same trajectory as the first time I decapitated him.
Thud!
Roll, roll...
Count Knight's head rolled across the floor.
However—
Grab!
His body didn't collapse. Instead, his two arms reached out and clamped around my neck.
"The same trick! I expected as much!" the rolling head shrieked.
Count Knight's hands squeezed tighter and tighter around my throat.
"Hehehe..."
This was it.
This was exactly what I wanted.
"Just wait, I will sink my teeth into your neck soon..."
Count Knight's head babbled as it rolled desperately back toward his body.
Regardless of his chatter, I reached my hand toward Count Knight's neck.
"Hahaha! Are you trying to choke me? It's useless! I can never die—!"
Rip!
I tore the Necklace of Vampirism right off his neck.
"...?!"
Just as the panicked Count Knight tried to grope at his neck—
Bam!
I kicked his abdomen with all my might.
Thud!
His grip on my neck broke, and his body fell backward.
"N-noooooo!" the rolling head shrieked in horror.
Click.
I immediately equipped the necklace.
◈ Applies Bleeding status to all attacks.
You have completed the Vampirism Set.
Set Effect: Bleeding Detonation
Bleeding Detonation?
The moment the thought crossed my mind, Count Knight's body lunged at me.
Instantaneously, I stabbed him in the solar plexus.
Then—
Boom!
With a horrific explosion, Count Knight's body literally blew apart.
Amidst the mist of blood that erupted, chunks of flesh rained down like popcorn.
"Whoa..."
Was this Bleeding Detonation?
Talk about a literal name.
It wasn't bad, but... it was a bit much.
Actually, a lot.
"N-no...!"
Watching his own body blow up in real-time completely shattered Count Knight's mind.
Tsk, tsk.
Clicking my tongue, I walked toward his head.
"D-don't come near me! Stay away!" the head shrieked, squirming on the ground.
"I said stay away from meeee!"
It was gross to watch.
Crunch!
I stomped on the crown of his head.
Pop!
Count Knight's head exploded instantly.
This time, brain fragments splattered everywhere like popcorn.
Since it's smaller than the body, the sound was a bit quieter...
He really was a pushover.
I wiped my face clean, then gulped down a potion.
"Whew..."
A heavier sigh than usual escaped my lips.
I had wiped out all the vampires and completed the Vampirism item set, but my chest felt tight.
I glanced over.
It was because of the three men's mangled corpses strewn across the cave floor.
Damn it...
They seemed suspicious at first, but they turned out to be decent guys.
They let me take all the kills, followed me obediently, and waited quietly in hiding.
But... they all died because of this crazy vampire bastard!
Crunch! Crunch!
I ground Count Knight's shattered brain fragments under my heel.
"Sigh..."
Even so, my anger didn't subside.
It wasn't like doing this would bring the dead back.
I shouldn't have left them behind...
But regret was useless. They were already dead.
Steeling my heart, I began to gather the pieces of the three men's bodies.
Heads, arms, legs, torsos.
It took quite some time to gather the scattered body parts.
They're not in one piece, but can I carry them back properly?
I could put them in my inventory, but...
"Sigh..."
If I brought them back, maybe the Association could do something.
Yeah, let's put them in the inventory and take them back...
These people must have families and friends.
I had to recover their remains and bring them home somehow.
One by one, I began placing the remains into my inventory.
"...?"
But then...
"What the hell is this?"
An unexpected item appeared in my inventory.
◈ Absorbs Public Values. Can be retrieved and used at any time. Public Values stored in the jar are bound to the owner.
◈ Owner: Park Kangsu
◈ Stored Public Values: 2,864,371 Points
A Public Value Absorption Jar?
Park Kangsu?
2,864,371 points?
"..."
The puzzle pieces clicked together in my head.
The gate clerk who had suddenly been replaced.
The party members who had randomly appeared.
Chuckled.
Oh, come on...
No wonder.
There was a reason they had three damage dealers.
These bastards.
They didn't come here to hunt.
They came to commit murder.
And their target was me?
"...Has that bastard Park Kangsu lost his mind?"
Just because I laughed at him for being bald?
He tries to have me killed?
You're dead meat.
Growl...
Shriek...!
Just then, noises echoed from outside the cave.
Ah, right. This was a Race War, wasn't it?
"..."
Actually, this worked out perfectly.
I was pissed off anyway.
Since it had come to this, I'd turn this into a solo annihilation match.
I'll just slaughter everything and leave.
Whoosh!
The moment the return chime rang, the gate clerk rushed over.
"D-did everyone make it back safely? Did you kill Lee Taepyeong—"
Opening the door with an anxious voice, he—
Thud!
Confronted with a sight he had never in his wildest dreams imagined, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.
Drip...
Drip, drip...
The one who had returned was not the three Gakseonghoe believers.
"...You're in on this too, right?"
It was Lee Taepyeong, drenched in blood from head to toe.
Grinning with white teeth against his blood-stained face, he looked like a literal demon.
"W-w-what...!"
"That's my line."
"W-w-what do you mean...!"
"Park Kangsu."
"...!"
"He sent you too, didn't he?"
Shiver, shiver...
It was just a single question.
Pssss...
The gate clerk wet his pants on the spot.
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Lee Taepyeong casually drew his blade.
"Why would a Gakseonghoe believer be here?"
"I-I don't know...!"
Whoosh!
The dagger grazed past the clerk's ear, missing it by a hair.
"You're in on this, so don't play dumb."
"H-heck...!"
"Why is a Gakseonghoe believer here?"
"P-please spare m—"
"I told you, I'll spare you if you answer."
Lee Taepyeong grinned and pulled out another dagger.
At that, the man screamed, his face covered in tears and snot.
"Park Kangsu!!!"
"Park Kangsu ordered all of it!!!"