The Contractor of the Blood Witch
I reviewed the investigation records up to this point.
A large-scale disappearance case that occurred around Suwon and Hwaseong.
Around this time, the bastard’s hideout should be…….
-My partner, are you all right?
“Ah. There’s nothing to be all right or not about.”
-How am I supposed to believe that when you say it with a face full of murderous intent?
Ah.
The face reflected in the mirror was truly that of a vicious demon.
That’s why Nyx had asked in a worried voice.
“……Sorry.”
I offered a brief apology.
-Though I have not watched over you for long, this is the first time I have seen you this angry.
“This guy’s the kind of bastard you just want to chew up and swallow whole.”
-I sense the aura of a constellation from the red fragment. Is this matter related to him?
“Yeah. This stone fragment is a trace of Bathory Ersebet.”
C-rank constellation.
Bathory Ersebet.
A vicious constellation belonging to the evil faction, fitting for a witch who bathed in blood.
Players who made Bathory their guardian constellation had to periodically offer or drink blood.
If they didn’t, their physical abilities would suffer penalties as a matter of course.
After a long time, their minds would even collapse.
-How could a constellation force someone to do something so vulgar!
Nyx was indignant.
“Because it’s an evil-aligned constellation.”
Twisting rules and finding pleasure in chaos and fear.
That was the characteristic of constellations classified as evil-aligned.
Baal, Loki, and Set.
You could tell just by looking at the gods who represented the evil-aligned constellations, right?
-Even so, offering sacrifices is too low-class.
“His rank is low.”
Bathory had become a constellation thanks to her bizarre acts that were hard to find in world history.
However, her original power as a constellation was on the weaker side.
That was why the power she could grant to players who formed guardian contracts with her wasn’t great either.
“If you offer blood, she’ll probably increase the player’s mana or something.”
Before my regression, that was the reason Jeong Sinho committed his crimes.
-How truly horrifying and base.
Nyx expressed her disgust.
I felt the same.
Bathory’s blessing, granted through offering sacrifices.
That method would, in turn, become a blade that stabbed the constellation Bathory herself.
Jeong Sinho, who had gathered power and ‘rank’ through blood offerings.
He would devour his guardian constellation, Bathory, through the sacrifice offerings and manifest on Earth as a constellation.
The incident named ‘Bloody Friday.’
Having devoured a constellation, Jeong Sinho would lose control of his power and go berserk, slaughtering countless players and civilians.
In that case, I had to nip the bud before he went berserk.
Various changes brought about by the aftermath of regression.
Though there were negative events that accelerated the Tower’s synchronization, this one would be a positive change.
A wide road connecting Suwon and Uiwang.
After turning off it and walking for about five minutes, a shabby civilian house came into view.
-I sense nothing from that building.
“It’s probably because it’s a constellation skilled at hiding its presence.”
It was understandable that the Player Association had struggled with the investigation.
They wouldn’t have imagined someone like me coming here with the answer sheet in hand.
“If I’m going to do it, I might as well be thorough.”
I used Ultrasound.
High-frequency waves scanning the abandoned house.
Even without looking directly, the internal structure felt vividly clear, as if I could grasp it in my hands.
While I had my eyes closed and was focusing on the ultrasound,
“Bingo.”
I opened my closed eyes.
-Fierce anger is swirling in your eyes.
“There are kids inside.”
Nyx’s face darkened as well.
-An act that would enrage both gods and men!
“Goddess, please calm your anger for now.”
I took a short, deep breath.
The cold air cooled my lungs, and the blazing anger subsided.
Just then, the sun set beyond the mountain ridge, and thick twilight spread across the ground.
[Night Walk has been activated.]
[Faint light remains. The efficiency of Night Walk is reduced by 28%.]
My body assimilated into the darkness.
A stealth skill that could only be deployed in dark places.
It was an embedded skill of the ring [Veil of Night], obtained from the tutorial stage.
-Oh, with this, I can move stealthily.
“There are many restrictions, but it’s usable.”
A 3-star skill.
As much as it was restricted to being usable only in darkness, its stealth effect was certain.
-My partner. Does darkness refer to a state without light?
“More precisely, my body must not be exposed to light.”
-Then, wouldn’t wrapping your body with Polar Night have an effect?
Wait a second.
“There was that method.”
I gaped in admiration at Nyx’s advice.
-Hohoho, how is my wisdom?
“You’re really the best, Goddess.”
[Your entire body has been covered in darkness.]
[Night Walk has been perfectly activated.]
Completely concealing my appearance, I approached the abandoned house.
A door that was half-broken and open.
Not a single sign of human presence could be felt.
Dust piled thickly on the floor.
It was clearly a house that had been abandoned for a long time.
-How strange. If it is as you said, there should be traces left.
“That’s because it’s been hidden with Bathory’s authority.”
I pointed to the window frame on the wall.
Red stones embedded between the broken window panes.
It was Bathory’s blessing.
Nyx pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor.
-Then, is it up there?
“Not there.”
I looked down at the floor of the abandoned house.
Even if an illusion deceived the eyes, it couldn’t change the structure of the space itself.
A path leading down to the floor.
[Ultrasound] didn’t miss even a small gap and discovered the basement hidden beneath the abandoned house.
[Eagle Eye has been activated.]
Having approached this close, it should be possible to read the mana.
Even if the ‘eyes’ were deceived, the mana dwelling within couldn’t be hidden.
A red aura shimmering on the floor.
[The opponent is stronger than you.]
The bastard was down below.
“Lucky.”
-What do you mean?
“I was worried about what I’d do if he was out.”
Since I’d come as a guest, I should knock.
[Superhuman Strength has been activated.]
With my clenched fist, I struck the floor.
Kwaaaang—! Along with a loud explosion, the accumulated dust scattered.
[Blood Hideout has been dispelled.]
[Your vision has returned to normal.]
A red current swept through the abandoned house.
Bathory’s blessing.
The Blood Hideout had been broken.
-To think it could even deceive my senses.
Nyx muttered in a voice mixed with shock and admiration.
When the illusion barrier broke, traces of people left throughout the abandoned house were revealed.
Multiple footprints.
Stains of half-drunk coffee that had dried.
Other traces of people having stayed were also revealed in several places.
“Which bastard did this kind of shit!!!”
A loud voice echoed from below.
A man in his thirties with disheveled hair came up while spouting in an irritable voice.
Jeong Sinho. The man looked exactly as I had seen on the data screen before my regression.
“It’s me, you bastard.”
“Who the hell are you!”
“Yu Jinho, affiliated with the Player Association’s Special Operations Unit.”
“The Association?”
A wary light appeared in Jeong Sinho’s eyes.
Even though I hadn’t stated the charges, the atmosphere was already one where a fight was about to break out.
Since he’d kidnapped children, he must have felt guilty.
“Come out and let’s have a go.”
“Kikiki. Who would be stupid enough to get ambushed while coming up?”
“The kids are down there.”
“What? How did you know that?”
“If you’re curious, ask with your own strength.”
I wiggled the fingers of my right hand.
-As expected of my contractor. You are giving up the advantageous high ground in consideration of the children’s safety.
Well.
The reason I gave up the advantage of seizing the high ground was because I had the confidence to win.
If there were lives that could be saved, it was right to use my strength, wasn’t it?
It was a luxury I couldn’t afford in the era of destruction.
I slowly backed out of the abandoned house.
“Come up.”
“Kikiki. You’re an interesting guy.”
Jeong Sinho came up with a sly smile.
Drip— Drip— Blood droplets fell from his outstretched fingers.
-It seems he is injured.
“No. That’s his fighting style.”
Bathory’s blessing was the ability to manipulate ‘blood.’
Blood Nail
Blood droplets formed on Jeong Sinho’s fingers.
The blood transformed into a hook shape.
A chilling killing intent swirled over the nails made of congealed blood.
-They are similar to your claws.
“Comparing them to something like that puts me in a bad mood.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
Seeing that, Jeong Sinho’s eyebrows furrowed into an inverted V.
“You’ve got a lot of leeway. You insect bastard!”
He charged forward with an angry momentum.
Just as the data said.
Serving Bathory as a guardian constellation brought various aftereffects.
Blood offerings.
And on top of that, becoming impatient was an optional extra.
“This isn’t even a proper provocation, but you’re already getting excited.”
Facing Jeong Sinho, I kicked off the ground.
Fierce Charge has been activated.
The distance closed in an instant.
Thanks to him charging at me, it was easier to match the timing of Fierce Charge.
I charged forward with my shoulders raised like an American football player.
Just before the collision.
“You bas…….”
Though flustered, he countered properly.
The blood-colored hooks deviated from their original position.
The nails, freed straight ahead, struck my body.
The penalty for Fierce Charge was 5 seconds of stiffness.
I couldn’t dodge it.
[The durability of Thorn Carapace has decreased by 42%.]
[The durability of Thorn Carapace has decreased by 37…….]
More than a third of the carapace’s durability had been shaved off.
As expected.
He was an opponent worthy of [Eagle Eye] turning red.
This much was manageable.
Ignoring the shock transmitted through the carapace, I rammed into Jeong Sinho.
Kwaaaang!
With a heavy impact sound, Jeong Sinho was pushed far back.
His face had turned pale; it seemed the shock from taking the Fierce Charge was quite significant.
“Kuhuk.”
“What’s wrong? Your body not moving well?”
2 seconds of stiffness.
It was an option attached to Fierce Charge.
When Jeong Sinho’s eyes were colored with bewilderment, I closed the distance with him once more.
I enhanced my protruding nails with [Blessing of Greed].
I raked them across Jeong Sinho’s stiffened torso.
Swish! His skin tore and his muscles ruptured.
It was the first time I had used assassination techniques in this life.
There was no hesitation.
Because in my previous life, I had struggled to survive in a place hundreds of times more brutal than this.
“Kuaaa!”
As soon as the stiffness wore off, Jeong Sinho let out a scream mixed with pain and wildly sprayed his own blood.
At first glance, it looked like the action of a madman.
I stepped back to create distance.
Bloody Pierce
Blood droplets transformed into an awl shape flew straight at me.
Blood strengthened by Bathory’s mana.
If I took all of that at close range, it was obvious my carapace would be left in tatters.
Sssssssst!
I manifested Polar Night in the form of a barrier.
It blocked the pouring blood droplets.
The barrier of darkness shattered in less than a second.
I continued to conjure the image of the barrier and blocked Jeong Sinho’s attacks.
It didn’t matter that the power of Polar Night was being consumed.
So far, every time my level increased, I had invested all the ability points I gained into Polar Night.
Moreover, the sun had now set and darkness had fallen.
[The sun cannot be found in the sky. Blessing of the Night has been activated.]
The Polar Night recovered rapidly.
Thanks to [Blessing of the Night], the consumed power of Polar Night also recovered quickly, so there was no way I would lose in a battle of attrition.
“This time, it won’t go as you wish.”
I muttered softly and pressed Jeong Sinho.