Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Hidden Gate: Blood Nest
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The Hidden Gate Blood Nest is divided into a total of three stages.
First Monster Room, Second Monster Room.
And finally, the Third Boss Room.
The first stage pits you against the Vampire Bat legion, and the second against the Blood Slimes.
Of course, none of it was particularly difficult for Suho.
Even in the second monster room, Suho's intimidation shone brightly.
Thanks to that, Suho leveled up three times once more, reaching level 46 as he stood before the final boss room.
There was nothing to fear.
Suho knew exactly what lay beyond.
Pushing open the massive stone slab door, he entered to reveal not a rugged cave background like before, but a grand hall neatly paved with marble.
At its far end sat a massive bed draped in lace, and at the bed's center lay the silhouette of someone resting peacefully.
That was when it happened.
[You have entered the Boss Room.]
[The Boss Monster awakens.]
Rumble...
With the alert came a vibration through the surroundings.
At the same time, the Vampire Bats hidden in the ceiling fluttered into view, while Blood Slimes lurking in various spots crawled out like zombies.
They revealed themselves not to attack Suho, but to heighten the dramatic entrance of the boss monster.
Simultaneously, the figure lying on the bed slowly raised its upper body without so much as a creak.
"How dare you invade this place without fear... Foolish intruder, do you even realize what you've done?"
The being on the bed never raised its voice.
Yet its words reverberated through the entire hall with a thunderous boom, exuding immense pressure on their own.
[The Cursed Prince emits intimidation.]
[Boss Monster-level Fear activates.]
Fear was infused directly into the voice itself, making its effect equivalent to standard Fear.
However.
[Dragon Blood activates.]
[The Dragon's Spirit effect of Dragon Blood nullifies the Fear.]
Suho felt nothing.
It was thanks to the first power of Dragon Blood, one of the two authorities granted by Dragon Blood: 'Dragon's Spirit.'
Suho recalled the effect of Dragon's Spirit.
[Dragon's Spirit]
- Rank: S
# A choice and innate authority granted only to those born with the dragon's bloodline.
# Grants immunity to all mental debuff effects used by beings below dragon rank.
This was why bloodlines mattered.
Simply being born with superior blood allowed him to ignore even a boss monster's Fear.
Instead of replying, Suho pulled a spear from his inventory.
Unlike the one he'd thrown at the Tower Dragon, this spear gleamed faintly with blue light.
Suho activated a skill on the newly prepared spear.
[Holy Power activates.]
The skill used was 'Holy Power.'
It was the basic healer-exclusive skill acquired at level 30, which enchanted weapons with holy light attributes.
Once the attribute enchantment was complete, Suho hurled it at the figure shrouded in silhouette without a moment's hesitation.
[Spear Throw activates.]
Boosted strength and penetration.
The skill-enhanced spear flew like a ballistic missile and embedded itself in the figure's body.
Crack!
The attack hit true.
And then.
[The Cursed Prince, denied conversation, flies into a great rage.]
[The Cursed Prince uses Blood Scream.]
Kieeeeeek—!
A scream of blood.
At the same time, the silhouette and bed exploded outward, splattering everywhere, finally revealing the Cursed Prince.
He had purple skin, long grayish-white hair, and pupil-less white eyes that endlessly wept blood tears.
Suho checked the info above the guy's head.
- Cursed Prince Lv.76
A whopping level 76.
Compared to Suho, who had just hit level 46 after clearing the first and second monster rooms, that was a 30-level gap.
At that moment, the Cursed Prince—spear lodged in his left forearm—let out a howl.
"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! You filthy intruder, you dare ignore my words as well!!"
[The Cursed Prince uses Blood Scream.]
Another alert.
With it, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the hall, and blood needles sprayed in all directions from the Cursed Prince.
Clang!
Suho drew his sword from his inventory to block it.
The sword trembled.
Just parrying a mere area-of-effect ranged attack made the sword shake, giving Suho a sense of the guy's overwhelming power.
But it wasn't unblockable.
The Tower Dragon had been the same at first.
Suho thought with a grin.
'As expected, pure silver spear with Holy Power—devastating effect.'
Suho had prepared special equipment for this Hidden Gate.
Namely, gear made of 100% pure silver.
And for good reason: the master of this place, the 'Blood Nest,' the 'Cursed Prince,' was none other than a 'Vampire.'
'On top of that, a true royal with the title of prince.'
The first to discover this place was a notorious player once called the 'Blood Emperor.'
He was a rare heteromorphic race player who had been bitten by the Cursed Prince here, transforming his very species from human to vampire.
'Technically a half-vampire, though.'
He had been a healer-class employee working at the central blood bank.
By chance, he got caught up in this place, managed to reach the boss room barely, but tragically failed to defeat the Cursed Prince and got bitten, turning into a vampire.
Normally, that would mean certain death.
Once bitten by a vampire and turned, the system classifies the player as a monster and seals the Gate.
But the Blood Emperor didn't accept his fate lying down.
As a healer, he successfully neutralized the ongoing vampirization with his skills.
Then, something astonishing happened.
'Not only did he gain vampire-specific skills, but his entire stat window was overhauled.'
His class didn't change.
It simply added a new trait.
Reborn this way, the Blood Emperor used his newfound power to defeat the Cursed Prince and conquer the Gate.
And that marked the beginning of the worst villain who once terrorized the world, the 'Blood Emperor.'
'Well, I caught him in the end.'
Suho drew another pure silver spear from his inventory, gripped it in his left hand, and aimed it at the Cursed Prince.
The Cursed Prince leaped into the air and began emanating the demonic energy unique to vampires.
"Rise, my soldiers!"
Ssssh.
The moment the vampire's demonic energy became a command.
The Blood Slimes scattered throughout the hall converged in one spot, stacking into a tower, then sprouting arms and legs to form a massive golem.
[Blood Slimes fuse.]
[Blood Golem is summoned.]
System confirmed.
Proof was the name boldly displayed above its head.
- Blood Golem Lv.72
Nearly level 72, no less.
Intimidation wouldn't work.
The Blood Golem was a named monster summoned by the boss.
But Suho welcomed it all the same.
After all, his level hadn't even reached 50 yet.
"Thanks, mosquito!"
Mosquito.
A derogatory nickname players used for vampires.
Suho switched targets and enchanted the pure silver spear before hurling it at the Blood Golem.
The spear struck dead center, and the Blood Golem staggered from the core hit.
- ……!
The Cursed Prince's eyes widened at the sight.
He hadn't expected a mere spear throw to damage his Blood Golem this much.
Panicking, he hurriedly summoned more troops.
"Assemble, my soldiers!"
Another burst of demonic energy.
This time, it targeted the Vampire Bats.
Infused with demonic energy, the Vampire Bats clustered in midair just like the Blood Slimes, soon reborn as a massive bat.
[Vampire Bats fuse.]
[Century Bat is summoned.]
Following the Blood Golem came the Century Bat.
Level 72, same as the Blood Golem.
So what?
Suho pulled out a third pure silver spear and imbued it with Holy Power.
Then threw it.
Crack!
The spear pierced the Century Bat's abdomen, sending it flying into the wall, unable to withstand the force.
[Spear Throw activates.]
Suho didn't miss the opening, following up with Shadow Spears into its shadow.
[Shadow Bind activates.]
[Shadow Bleed activates.]
Without flight skills in this situation, flying enemies were the most annoying.
That's why he'd held back Shadow Spears on the Cursed Prince, waiting for this moment.
With the Century Bat's movements sealed, Suho finally drew his sword.
Naturally, it was a pure silver sword.
Imbuing the pure silver sword with Holy Power, Suho charged straight at the Blood Golem.
[Sword Draw activates.]
[Severing Slash activates.]
Sticking close to the Blood Golem, Suho chained sword skills, steadily chipping away at its health.
He deliberately avoided the reverse scale core.
Because this thing was a golem formed from fused Blood Slimes.
In other words, its body was made of Blood Slimes everywhere—attacking the body instead of the core killed off the slimes with each hit, reducing health that way.
To put it another way, every time Suho attacked this thing.
[You have defeated a Blood Slime.]
[You have defeated a Blood Slime.]
[You have defeated a Blood Slime.]
...
[Level up.]
[All stats increase by 1.]
[Acquired 1 Bonus Stat.]
Real-time Blood Slime EXP pouring in.
And finally, after slicing away more than half its body.
[You have defeated the Blood Golem.]
[Level up.]
[All stats increase by 1.]
[Acquired 1 Bonus Stat.]
Suho achieved another level up.
"This is absurd...!"
"Why not?"
The Cursed Prince recoiled in shock at Suho's overwhelming power.
But shock was fleeting; realizing the gravity, he hurriedly prepared his next attack.
In that instant, Suho appeared right before his eyes.
"Your turn's not yet."
"No, how—!"
[Severing Slash activates.]
Slash!
Suho, closing the distance to point-blank, swung his sword.
The Cursed Prince's head flew off, hitting the floor, and Suho kicked it far away.
Then.
"Shadow Spear summon."
[Shadow Shade activates.]
Crack!
Suho resummoned a Shadow Spear and stabbed it into the headless body's shadow.
[Shadow Bind activates.]
[Shadow Bleed activates.]
The Shadow Spear's special options triggered simultaneously.
Only after pinning the body firmly did Suho draw his sword again.
"Wait just a bit—you're after the Century Bat."
"Wh-what?!"
For the first time tasting such humiliating treatment, the Cursed Prince wailed nonstop.
But a lone head could do nothing but screech noisily.
Suho, sword redrawn, approached the Century Bat, whose health had drained significantly from Shadow Bleed.
He swung again, slaughtering it.
[You have defeated the Century Bat.]
[Level up.]
[All stats increase by 1.]
[Acquired 1 Bonus Stat.]
Finally reaching level 50.