Chapter 133: Hounds of the Decasus Family (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: Hounds of the Decasus Family (2)
A foreign mana dominated the space.
"W-what is this?"
"Gasp!"
The pupils of the two vampires shook violently.
Goosebumps broke out all over their bodies at an energy completely different from anything they had felt before.
How was this possible...
"How can a mere human possess such power?"
"...Was he hiding his true strength?"
They couldn't believe it.
They had thought he was just a human used as a stepping stone to escape the Corridor—nothing more than Alice's puppet.
That assumption was completely wrong.
For this was by no means a level of mana one should feel on the lower floors of the Tower.
Of course, no matter how much a human struggled, they would be no match for the Nobles of the Night.
But they must not let their guard down. That was the shared thought of the two vampires.
And while Bertion and Ophelia were caught off guard, Jinhyuk spoke to the players behind him.
"Player Kwak, take your companions and get out of here right now."
"What?"
Kwak Dae-ho asked back, his face filled with surprise.
"As you heard, the Dangun Guild is likely under attack by demonic humans as well."
In this forest blanketed by a raging blizzard, there was no way Jang Eun-seok had paid close attention to the possibility of an ambush by demonic humans.
He was probably too busy running forward blindly.
Simply put, they would be completely cornered.
"Once you escape the forest, immediately request support from other guilds. The demonic humans have likely set up something inside the forest to block external communications."
"B-but what about you, Player Kang Jinhyuk? What are you going to do alone?"
"Surely you don't mean to face all of them by yourself?"
"That's impossible! It's better... it's better if we run away together. If we draw their attention with magic, we might be able to make it to the outskirts somehow."
Everyone tried to stop him, saying it was impossible.
Because their levels were low, they didn't seem to realize who actually held the upper hand.
'Well, they're already terrified, so they wouldn't be able to sense it anyway.'
Even the vampires hadn't fully grasped the situation yet, which was why they weren't running away. How could players with much lower levels make a proper judgment?
Jinhyuk chuckled and firmly gripped 'Fang'.
It was about time to drop the first line.
"I'll be fine. I promised my friends we'd grab a drink together once this battle is over. So go on ahead. I'll definitely catch up."
He uttered words he didn't mean at all.
Even as he said it, he felt the aura of death creeping all over his body.
And at that very moment,
[The first line of the copy condition 'Death Flag Dialogue' has been counted.]
[One of your unique abilities or skills will be randomly sealed.]
[Unique Ability 'Thousand Poisons' has been sealed.]
As expected...
Promises about the future were always classic death flags.
The ability sealed upon the count was 'Thousand Poisons'.
Fortunately, it wasn't an ability he used often.
"Now! Run!"
Jinhyuk shouted.
"What is everyone doing? Didn't you hear Player Kang Jinhyuk? Run! Just run!"
"Ugh."
"I-I'm sorry."
"...We leave the rest to you."
Kwak Dae-ho and the rest of the players began to run back the way they came.
At the same time,
"Who do you think you are, trying to escape right in front of us!"
"There is a limit to how much you can look down on us."
Hummmmm!
Red droplets of blood materialized around Bertion and Ophelia's bodies.
Spheres about one meter in size spun at high speed.
Their targets, of course, were the five players running away with their backs completely exposed.
However,
"You guys should be playing with me. Why are you paying attention to them?"
Just before the magic could activate, Jinhyuk intervened.
The distance closed in an instant.
A dagger imbued with a green light slashed horizontally.
Screeech!
Bertion quickly deployed a shield, but it couldn't withstand the dagger unleashed with sword qi.
The shield shattered like a glass window.
Because he had quickly retreated, his hand wasn't completely severed, but the dagger left a deep gash on Bertion's palm.
Drip, drip...
Red spots appeared on the pure white snow.
Bertion's face contorted more viciously than ever before.
"How dare a mere insect like you point a blade at my noble self!"
Wow...
"How is it that you guys have the word 'noble' attached to the end of every single sentence?"
Do they give you rote education at vampire kindergarten or something?
At this point, I almost want to publish a thesis on the greatness of early childhood education and ideological indoctrination.
If I gathered all the vampires, including Alice, for the presentation, the Vampire Nobel Prize in Literature would be a done deal, wouldn't it? Absolutely.
"Indeed, what that old man said was true. He said you had a smart mouth and would be incredibly annoying. I almost forgot we need to suck your blood and killed you instead."
"I agree."
Bertion agreed with Ophelia's words.
He had almost forgotten their objective because of how slyly the human provoked them.
The most important matter for the two vampires was finding Alice's whereabouts.
Teresa, who had emerged from the Corridor, and Cheon Yu-seong, the prime suspect known as Unknown. And Jinhyuk, who had connections to both of them, was now on the chopping block.
'We couldn't sense the unique scent of a vampire from Teresa or Cheon Yu-seong.'
If they were with Alice, that distinct trace should have remained.
In the end, the last candidate was Jinhyuk.
'Since he admitted to meeting a vampire himself, we don't really need any more evidence, but...'
The real problem was where on earth this human had hidden Alice.
If Alice was outside the Tower, things would get incredibly troublesome.
Therefore,
exactly where she was—that information—
they had to extract it now.
"Keep in mind, Ophelia. We must capture him alive."
"I know that."
Shring!
Shring!
A pair of long, thin rapiers unleashed a dazzling flash of light.
Due to 'Dark Aura', the blades turned a dark crimson in the blink of an eye.
The atmosphere shifted.
Even their stances changed.
"Hooh..."
An exclamation of admiration escaped Jinhyuk's lips.
"Your form is quite polished. More stable than Bellus's, I'd say? I guess those fangs of yours aren't just for show."
Their mana control and the way they channeled their aura were practically flawless.
At this rate, he could give them about 82.5 out of 100.
Without any bias. It was a truly cold and objective evaluation.
"I admit you are quite strong for a human. But do not speak so arrogantly. We are beings who have lived for ages far beyond your wildest imagination."
"How dare a mere human, who won't even live a hundred years, try to evaluate us! And of all things, comparing us to that insect of the Ataraxia family!"
Did that bruise their pride?
Their voices grew sharp.
"You seem dissatisfied with my evaluation. I measured it quite objectively and without any bias, though."
"There is nothing to be dissatisfied about. I am simply displeased by the fact that a mere human is speaking in my presence."
"Is that so? Then stop flapping your gums and bring it on. I'll show you firsthand just how accurate my evaluation is."
Jinhyuk beckoned with a finger.
It was an open secret that the finger he used was his middle finger.
"You... stay out of this, Ophelia."
"Don't kill him. You know that, right?"
"I know. But he doesn't need both arms to be interrogated."
Bertion's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
He wouldn't kill him.
Instead, there was a clear determination to sever at least one of his limbs.
* * *
Bertion took a step forward.
Swoooosh...
A wind whipped up over the accumulated snow.
Snowflakes scattered thickly in the air.
"I look forward to seeing how long you can last in this."
Along with those chilling words,
[Bertion activates Lv16 'Blood Prison'!]
His vision was dyed red.
As if blood were dripping down a camera lens,
everything in sight turned a monochromatic crimson.
"...It's like a third-rate horror movie."
Jinhyuk looked around in fascination.
An ability that directly interfered with one's vision like this was a fairly rare skill.
"You finally look a little surprised. But the real shock starts now."
Those words were no empty boast.
Indeed, the blade of the rapier Bertion held was completely invisible.
This was likely one of the effects of 'Blood Prison'.
"So you can hide your range."
"Indeed. In battle, grasping the opponent's 'distance' is key. However, all of that is rendered meaningless here."
Red snowflakes and an invisible sword.
Everything combined to create the worst possible conditions, obstructing his vision. Furthermore, Bertion's skill was equally absurd.
It was only natural.
How could a vampire noble with a three-digit level possibly be weak?
However,
even so,
Jinhyuk was smiling.
"Not bad for a handicap. I can enjoy this a bit."
"What... did you say?"
"I'm saying I won't have time to be bored since I get to teach a talented student."
He had promised earlier to show him firsthand just how objective his evaluation was.
Jinhyuk intended to keep that promise.
"I'm tired of listening to your nonsense. Watch closely with those eyes of yours as wind holes are carved into your body."
In an instant, the sword thrust forward like an explosion.
A speed that was difficult to even perceive.
However,
Clang!
Bertion's thrust was neutralized.
With a small spark, the tip of the blade was deflected to the side.
"The thrust wasn't bad. But your timing on the feint was too fast. Since your center of gravity wasn't properly set, it got deflected easily like this."
"Arrogant bastard!"
Stung by the critique, Bertion moved his sword at a speed far greater than before.
The beauty of a rapier lay in thrusting, not slashing.
The ability to exploit the smallest gap was the very reason to use this weapon.
Clang! Clang! Cl-cl-clang!
A storm of sword strikes ensued.
It was the exact same attack that had annihilated the demonic humans guarding the cathedral.
"Uh-uh. Low. Aim low, low. Your feet are resting right now. Keep stepping. You're fast, but you get too swept up in your own speed."
"...Ugh!"
For Bertion, who was moving at high speed, these comments were incredibly draining.
However, because Jinhyuk parried every single surprise attack, Bertion didn't even have the luxury to swear.
* * *
'This... makes no sense...'
Ophelia, who was watching, could not believe the situation unfolding before her eyes.
She had realized he possessed some level of skill when his mana was first released.
But they, too, had been hiding their true strength.
In particular, the fact that Bertion, who specialized in close-quarters combat, had even used 'Blood Prison' meant he was going all out.
The outcome of the battle should have been painfully obvious.
And yet.
Why on earth?
Why was such a one-sided battle taking place?
'No, it's true that the battle should be one-sided.'
The problem was that the roles of the oppressor and the oppressed had been reversed.
Jinhyuk was completely playing with Bertion, kindly giving him customized, eye-level tutoring.
And Bertion, who couldn't even graze the opponent's clothes no matter how desperately he struggled.
That unbalanced sight was far too detached from reality.
Ophelia swallowed hard.
She couldn't believe that such a strong human was subordinate to someone else.
Even if that person was the head of the Ataraxia family.
'What if Alice didn't use this human as a puppet...'
'But rather... what if this human imprisoned Alice...?'
Such an absurd delusion even crossed Ophelia's mind.
But it was at that very moment.
From the forest a short distance away,
Ruuuuuumble!
a massive pillar of light descended from the sky.
Mixed emotions crossed everyone's faces. For that pillar of light could only mean one thing.