Why Are Giant Monsters Strong?
Why are giant monsters strong? One might point to their health, defense, or attack power. But what about their size? Size was a double-edged sword. A larger size meant higher attack power, but it also made them a massive target, forcing them to take hits they could have otherwise avoided. So, what if there was a monster that was tiny yet incredibly powerful?
"That is exactly what Count Knema's ancient vampire rabbit army is! He was a genius. He took the agility, intelligence, and breeding speed of rabbits!"
Count Andalto truly believed that rabbits had the potential to become the ultimate giant monsters. They were fast, smart, and small. If they attacked under the cover of darkness, they would be practically invisible. On top of that, they multiplied at an alarming rate. Count Knema hadn't chosen rabbits for no reason!
However, not all the vampires present had lost their minds like Count Andalto. A few who still clung to their sanity raised their hands.
"But, Count. If we were going to create a beast that inherits the blood of ancient vampires, wouldn't another monster have been better?"
"Indeed. Like a wyvern that can fly... or perhaps a wolf..."
"Hmph. You speak out of ignorance. If a wolf and a rabbit fought, who do you think would win?"
"The wolf, obviously...?"
"Wrong! It might seem that way at first glance. But if a wolf fights a well-trained rabbit, it's a completely different story. The rabbit can weave left and right to dodge the attacks, slip right under the wolf, and strike its underbelly to bring it down!"
"...What?"
"Rabbits are just that powerful."
What kind of logic was this? It sounded like someone claiming, 'A dragon? Just choke it from behind. Its claws can't reach you there, so it's an easy kill.'
"Rabbits! Ah, how terrifying they are!"
No matter how I look at it, Count Knema just chose rabbits because he liked them...
The vampires kept their thoughts to themselves. Count Andalto was notoriously violent right before a battle. There was no point in provoking him by disagreeing.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! We march to the Vampire Castle!"
One clueless vampire raised his hand, refusing to let it go.
"Then, if a rabbit and a wyvern fought, who would win—"
"Hey. Stop it."
"Why do you keep asking?"
"An excellent question! At first glance, one might think the wyvern would win, but if the rabbit aims for the wyvern's eyes..."
The other subordinates glared at their comrade. Why did he have to ask such a useless question and force them to listen to this tedious nonsense?
Tae-hyun sat on the throne of the Vampire Castle, stroking Towang-i. Though the rabbit had growled at first, it seemed to find his lap surprisingly comfortable and was now purring softly.
"Hmm. So your abilities are intimidating opponents... and multiplying your numbers, right?"
Towang-i's abilities were simple. Various status ailment skills derived from its bloodline, and the multiplying breeding ability that Count Knema had poured his heart and soul into creating!
"Wait. You're alone, though."
How could it multiply by itself?
Carbanog explains that Towang... no, Towang-i can reproduce all on its own.
Just call yourself Towang-i too.
Carbanog shakes its head, refusing the name.
It was just too tacky!
Whether it liked it or not, Tae-hyun decided to keep calling it Towang-i.
Multiplying all on its own. How fascinating.
Did it split like a slime? Or did it release spores like a mushroom?
In truth, the exact mechanism didn't matter. What mattered was that Towang-i could multiply its numbers.
The undead rabbits were quite useful, so I wonder if these ancient vampire rabbits will be good too...
He didn't know how powerful they would be, but wouldn't they make a decent scout army?
Since he had already acquired them, it would be a waste not to use them. Tae-hyun decided to give them a try.
"So, how do you multiply?"
Carbanog explains that you just need to feed it until it's full.
"Well, that's easy... Wait, don't tell me..."
Tae-hyun flinched as he recalled the description window of the breeding pen from earlier. The feed required there was definitely out of the ordinary...
-Karreung.
It says it refuses to eat anything that doesn't match its noble status.
"...R-Right."
-Karreung?
It asks when you are going to feed it...
"Later!"
Tae-hyun quickly dodged the question. How on earth was he supposed to get those materials right now?
"Kim Tae-hyun!"
He heard the voices of his party arriving in front of the castle. Tae-hyun climbed up to the top of the ramparts.
"Cain!"
"Kim Tae-hyun!"
"...But who are those people behind you?"
There was a massive crowd of unfamiliar players!
"My fans!"
Cain declared proudly and confidently. At that, a player standing behind him spoke up hesitantly.
"Excuse me."
"...?"
"I'm actually a fan of Tae-hyun, not Cain. So you should have said 'your' fans..."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."
"Please watch your pronunciation."
"......."
Cain felt a surge of anger. These jerks had been begging him to let them tag along just a moment ago...!
"Cain! Please let us join the quest too!"
"Any quest is fine! We'll even do chores!"
"It's my lifelong wish to play with you guys just once!"
The players who had swarmed the shore fell to their knees and begged. Cain was flustered. Among the vampires, there were several who looked like quite high-level players.
Wait, why would players of that level want to do chores...?
At their level, it was far more beneficial to just do their own quests rather than trying to squeeze into Tae-hyun's party without even knowing what the quest was.
This was pure, unadulterated fandom, free of any calculation or self-interest!
— I want to do something with Tae-hyun!
— Honestly, if we miss this chance, we'll probably never see Kim Tae-hyun in the Blood Archipelago again!!
— Why would Kim Tae-hyun ever come back to a dark, gloomy, smelly place like this unless he had to...
— Hey, cut it out. You're making me sad.
In any case, having these vampire players join the quest for free was a great boon. After consulting with the others, Cain shouted:
"Alright! I grant you permission! Let us do this quest together!"
"Whoaaaa! Cain! Cain! Cain!"
"Who am I?!"
"Cain! Cain! Cain!"
"Chant my name louder!"
"Cain! Cain! Cain!"
"Louder!"
"Cut it out! Cut it out!"
Come to think of it, I feel like their gazes turned cold starting from that moment...
It was an act so embarrassing that even the few Cain fans who existed quickly switched sides, muttering, 'Wait, I'm not a Cain fan. I'm a Jeong Su-hyeok fan!'
"So, who are they?"
"...Your fans!"
He corrected himself. The party looked at Cain with pitying eyes.
"Ah. Then please, come on in."
Tae-hyun readily granted them entry. The players poured into the Vampire Castle. Thanks to Tae-hyun becoming the lord of the territory, there were no annoying curses to deal with.
"Wow. Is this really Count Knema's Vampire Castle?"
"Wasn't this place completely inaccessible? How did Kim Tae-hyun get in?"
"It's Kim Tae-hyun."
"True."
A conversation that ended with 'It's Kim Tae-hyun,' requiring no further explanation or speculation!
"...??"
Choi Sang-yun listened to the vampire players' conversation, feeling bewildered. Wasn't there something incredibly off about that dialogue?
The vampire players buzzed with excitement, marveling at Count Knema's Vampire Castle, which they were seeing for the first time.
"Tae-hyun!"
"?"
"I heard from a friend on the way here that Count Scabio is leading an army toward this place!"
"Oh. Is it really okay for you to tell me that?"
"Of course it is!"
The sheer coolness of selling out a friend without a second thought! Sorry, buddy, but my quest is way more important than yours!
"Tae-hyun! Count Andalto is also..."
"The warriors Count Andalto is bringing are..."
"Count Scabio's forces are currently positioned at..."
Without needing to be prompted, the vampire players eagerly poured out information. Since the Blood Archipelago was relatively small, news of what others were doing naturally reached everyone's ears!
Are they targeting the Giant Heart after all? Tae-hyun thought as he stroked Towang-i. No matter how he looked at it, that was the only logical answer.
A massive heart located at the center of the Vampire Castle. It is the source of power that keeps this castle alive and functioning.
It was an item so powerful that it prevented anyone from entering the castle even when it was completely abandoned! It was only natural for vampires to covet it.
I shouldn't just consume it beforehand, right?
Carbanog stares at you as if you've completely lost your mind.
Hmm. True. I'm not even a vampire, so eating the heart might cause some troublesome side effects... Maybe I should feed a bite of it to Heuk-heuk...
Shiver! Heuk-heuk trembled. He wondered if the castle was drafty, as a sudden, strange chill ran down his spine.
"Oh! Tae-hyun, what is that rabbit?!"
"Ah, this? I just picked it up inside the castle."
Lee Da-bi approached and tried to pet Towang-i, cooing at how cute it was. Towang-i bared its teeth, attempting to threaten her.
-Karreung...
"Hey. What do you think you're doing?"
Tae-hyun grabbed Towang-i by the scruff of its neck and glared. Who did this thing think it was throwing a tantrum at?
Carbanog advises you to threaten to 'Archisus' it.
-Karreung...
Towang-i instantly became docile, looking thoroughly cowed. It had realized just how terrifyingly strong Tae-hyun was.
"It's... it's so cute...!"
Lee Da-bi said, petting Towang-i vigorously.
-Karreung! Karreung!
"Do you like rabbits? Why don't you raise one at home?"
"Ah... no."
"Why? Is it too much trouble?"
"Unless it's an animal I can raise to eat, I don't really see the point..."
"......."
-Karreung!!
"Ah, no! I didn't mean I'm going to eat you...!"
But trust had already flown out the window! Towang-i quickly scrambled up Tae-hyun's back to hide from Lee Da-bi.
"I really have no intention of eating you...!"
Lee Da-bi's eyes welled with tears, but Towang-i steadfastly refused to come out.
"I'll let you pet it later. For now, we need to deploy the players."
How Tae-hyun would use Towang-i could be decided after checking its details later. The priority right now was to defend against the incoming attack!
It would be incredibly embarrassing if they lost the Vampire Castle right after capturing it because of poor defense.
You can currently use the power of the Giant Heart to cast magic across the entire Vampire Castle.
The power of the Giant Heart is currently at 62%.
Consuming too much power before it fully recovers may overload the heart.
Why is the heart in this state?
Carbanog guesses it might be due to repairing the castle gates you destroyed earlier.
Ah...
Tae-hyun understood. If that was the case, there was nothing he could do!
"Everyone, to the ramparts! Prepare for battle!"
The moment Tae-hyun shouted, the noisy players fell dead silent. It was the kind of charisma that could command a crowd with a single word!
No one asked obvious questions like, 'What will you give us if we fight?' or 'What kind of quest is this?'
If Kim Tae-hyun said to do it, they did it! If Kim Tae-hyun ordered it, they obeyed! It was absolute, flawless discipline.
The defensive facilities are a bit lacking, but we can make up for it with the players' attacks and the Archisus Artillery.
The Vampire Castle's strength lay in the magical barrier surrounding it, not its physical structures. Having been neglected for so long, defensive installations like the watchtowers were either broken or had extremely low durability.
Defending this massive castle with just Tae-hyun's party would have been a nightmare, but fortunately, he now had free labor.
"Whoaaaa!"
Following Tae-hyun's instructions, the players quickly positioned themselves along the ramparts, filling every gap. With this kind of manpower, they could easily hold out without relying on the castle's magical defenses while the heart recovered!
At the same time, Tae-hyun summoned the guards and knights he had brought along.
"Your Majesty! Where should we stand guard? Shall we wait behind the castle gates?"
The knights asked, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. Waiting behind the gates and charging the moment they breached—this was a classic defensive strategy favored by knights. It allowed them to completely trample the enemies who managed to squeeze through the gates.
"No. You must guard the Giant Heart. I believe there will be those who try to infiltrate and target that place."
"Ah...! As expected of Your Majesty! You have completely read the enemy's moves!"
-Karreung!