Chapter 52

After he split up the 500 Gold he had originally given to Vickie and added another 500 on top, the twenty women looked at Do-Jin like he had just descended from the heavens.

Honestly, if he turned around right now and said, “I am your god, and from this moment on, you are my devoted followers,” he could probably start his own cult on the spot.

It’s like I became a mother duck or something...

With the women trailing closely behind him, Do-Jin felt an odd mix of amusement and exasperation. Whenever he moved, they followed. When he stopped, they stopped. He glanced back to be greeted with dozens of eyes, making it impossible to ignore the pressure. It was starting to get really uncomfortable, but this was as far as their journey together went.

“Alright ladies, time to split up. Climb this ladder, head straight to the Adventurers’ Guild, and ask them for help.”

The Empire had strict laws against unauthorized slave trading. Kidnapping and selling imperial citizens wasn’t just illegal. It was an instant death sentence. The lord of this territory, Viscount Marzia, would do whatever it took to cover this up, whether he was directly involved or not. The last thing he’d want was a royal investigation digging through his land.

That was why, instead of sending the women to the city guards, Do-Jin brought them to the Adventurers’ Guild. If he had the time, he might’ve gone with them, but there was something else he had to deal with.

First, I need to take care of that damn vampire.

Taking her with the rest of the women was out of the question. For one, there was the whole “burns to a crisp in direct sunlight” issue.

He pulled out his Adventurers’ Guild pendant and handed it to one of the women. “Take this. It’s my guild pendant. Show it to them, and they’ll process everything a little faster.”

A Rank 10 Adventurers’ Guild pendant wasn’t worth much, but it would at least help put their minds at ease. Right now, they looked like a bunch of abandoned puppies with separation anxiety, and he felt way too guilty just sending them off empty-handed.

This way, I won’t have to go out of my way to prove that I was the one who saved them. That’ll make collecting the rewards easier later.

Doing good deeds was fine and all, but there was no way in hell he was wasting this opportunity. Everything in Lostania ran on deals, quests, and power. He might as well turn this rescue into an investment.

***

“Finally, some peace and quiet.”

Now that all the women had climbed up, Do-Jin leaned against the cold stone wall, listening to the startled shouts of merchants and passersby from above. His gaze flicked to the Elder. The vampire lay sprawled on the floor, looking like a ragdoll someone had tossed aside.

“That was amazing! Truly incredible!”

The vampire, eyes wide and sparkling, looked up at him with pure admiration. The problem was, she was saying all this while lying there completely useless. He wondered what they had done to her that, even after all this time, she still couldn’t sit up properly.

Do-Jin frowned. “What the hell happened to you? Do you even know what they did?”

The Elder furrowed her brows, humming in thought. She was clearly trying to piece together what had happened to her. Then, as if she had reached a conclusion, her face lit up with joy.

“Nope! No idea!”

Do-Jin exhaled slowly, holding back the urge to roll his eyes into another dimension. As if the universe had finally decided to reward his self-restraint, the vampire spoke up again with a tone full of confidence.

“But! I do have a guess!”

“Spit it out.”

“It all started long ago, back when I was still young and naive—”

“Just get to the damn point.”

“But this is the point!

Ahem

. Anyway, as I was saying, I desperately wanted to see the thing called ‘the sun’ that I had read about in books.”

“How the hell does that have anything to do with...”

The Elder’s expression immediately crumpled into something heartbreakingly pitiful.

“Fine, just say your piece.”

As if a switch had been flipped back, she instantly brightened and continued chattering away. “I also wanted to see the blue sky! As you know, the Shadow Principality exists beneath the Floating Continent, hanging upside down like a mirror image. Because of that, my sky was never a sky. It was always a dark, murky ocean.”

He stayed silent, resisting the urge to question how this was supposed to explain why the Elder was currently limp on the ground. He already knew that if he asked, the story would spiral into something even longer. Do-Jin figured he might as well just let the girl talk.

“So one day, I ran away to see the surface for myself. And it was beautiful.” The Elder sighed wistfully. “When I first arrived, it was nighttime. I had never seen a ‘night’ before. The Principality is always dark. You’ll laugh, but I actually thought the moon was the sun at first.”

“Uh-huh. And then?”

“Then morning came. And when I saw the real sun, I understood just how breathtakingly radiant it was. The time humans are given under the daylight. It’s truly a gift.”

Do-Jin could admit, as far as vampire backstories went, it wasn’t bad. It had a poetic sort of charm to it. But he still had no fucking clue what it had to do with this vampire lying useless on the ground.

“So what happened next?”

Accepting his fate as a helpless audience member, he let her ramble on.

“So, during the night, I would consume darkness. And during the day, I would use the stored darkness to withstand the sun’s rays, just so I could keep watching the sky.”

She let out a wistful chuckle. “I got so weak that I eventually couldn’t even stand. If my father hadn’t come to find me, I would’ve burned to ash under the daylight.”

Do-Jin narrowed his eyes. “So what you’re saying is... you got exposed to too much sunlight and now you’re basically suffering from Sun Poisoning?”

“Exactly! This feels exactly like when I got addicted to the sun! But don’t worry!” The Elder gave him a reassuring smile. “Even when I stared at the sun for a whole month, I just needed to consume darkness for about a week, and I was good as new!”

The second she finished her backstory, a new quest notification popped up in Do-Jin’s vision.

[The quest Ominous Coffin has updated with new objectives.]

[The Elder Vampire appears to be suffering from sun exposure addiction. Protect her until she regains her strength. Once restored, the plotters can be intercepted before their plan is set in motion.]

[Time required for full recovery: 01:59:59]

[Exposure to sunlight or strong light sources will increase recovery time.]

Well. Lucky might not be the right word, but at least the Elder hadn’t been roasting under the sun for too long. Judging by the recovery time, she must’ve been sealed away in a coffin before things got too bad.

If two hours of feeding on darkness was all she needed to recover, it would still be before noon. No way we’re getting out of the sewers in time. So, I just have to keep this idiot alive for that long, huh?

Do-Jin didn’t even entertain the possibility of everything going smoothly. Fate Quests were always a pain in the ass. The rewards were definitely great, but the difficulty was always intense.

For now, let’s put some distance between us and those rat bastards before shit inevitably hits the fan.

Do-Jin threw the still-babbling Elder over his shoulder and started moving deeper into the underground sewers, as far away from the thieves’ hideout as possible.

***

Hexley, who saw himself as a devoted servant of the Great Providence, was incredibly disappointed. He had found that idiotic vampire and planned to use her as a key ingredient to bring forth true destruction. Those filthy rats who knew nothing but crawling in the shadows, doing vile things to scrape together a wretched existence, had the audacity to mess up his plan.

“What the fuck did those vermin just say...? The cargo I left in their care is missing?”

He had paid them well to make sure there were no problems with storage and transportation, and they had lost the damn thing. At first, he assumed they were lying, stealing what belonged to him and making excuses. However, the scorched ruins of their hideout told a different story. Someone had stolen the Elder. Still, just because another factor had interfered didn’t mean the incompetence of these vermin would be forgiven.

Fine. Since they fucked up so badly, they’ll have to fix it themselves. In doing so, they’ll bring this world closer to the providence of destruction.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Hexley’s eyes gleamed as he watched the criminals shouting at each other, running in frantic circles like headless chickens.

One of the junior priests standing behind him spoke up hesitantly, attempting to dissuade him. “H-Hexley, sir, please reconsider. Our Cult must remain in the shadows. The High Priest himself forbade us from acting recklessly—

urk

!”

Hexley’s fingers tightened around the fool’s throat. His head tilted slightly, lips curling into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Who the fuck gave you the right to interfere with my decisions? And what was that just now...? You want to inform the Cult about this? What, so you can rat me out? Hoping I’ll get buried before I can take my rightful place as a High Priest?”

The junior priest desperately wanted to explain that wasn’t his intention, but his windpipe was crushed before a single word could be uttered. His hands flailed, slapping at Hexley’s arm as his eyes bulged in terror.

Hexley paid him no mind, watching the scurrying criminals with an almost serene expression.

“Look at them. They have no idea the depth of the sin they’ve committed. They just mindlessly carry on with their pitiful, wretched existence. Leaving them to live unchecked would be the real sin. As those who serve destruction, it is our duty to cleanse this world of filth.”

Before He descended upon this world, it was their duty,

his

duty, to cleanse as much filth as possible, to purify the world of its scum before the final destruction arrived.

His voice rang out as he looked back down at the priest in his grasp. “You agree with me, don’t you?”

There was no response. The junior priest hung limp in Hexley’s grasp, his vacant eyes already drained of life.

Hexley let out a satisfied chuckle. “O, Great Ruin, our servant has erased another parasite in your name. And today, I shall cleanse even more filth in your name. La Dia Laves.”

Hexley traced the sign of destruction over his chest and closed his eyes in deep focus. He needed to be certain. If there were even a trace of the vampire’s sealing energy left behind, he had to sense it.

Sure enough, he did. It felt like a thread-thin trail of residual magic and the last remnants of the binding force that had once contained the Elder. But it was already fading, vanishing as though footprints in freshly fallen snow. If he didn’t move fast, it would be lost.

“O, Great Ruin, your servant humbly beseeches you. Let this wretched world witness, even for a moment, a glimpse of the glorious destruction to come.”

As he chanted, Hexley reached inside his robes and pulled out one of the Cult of Ruin’s sacred artifacts, the Bell of Ruin.

Ding

.

As a single chime rang through the air, the criminals who had been too caught up in their own screaming and scrambling instantly froze in place. Their rage, confusion, and distraction were gone. The light in their eyes dimmed, their minds emptied.

“Walk with me. I will guide you to the fate you are meant to meet.”

Hexley rang the bell three more times, guiding the vacant-eyed men forward as he followed the fading traces of the seal. Step by step, he led them through the secret tunnel, the trail of magic growing fainter with each step.

When he emerged into the underground sewer, he turned to survey the lifeless men who had followed him into the abyss. A slow, manic grin stretched across his face as their empty, puppet-like stares remained fixed on him.

“Rejoice. For your worthless, meaningless existence has finally found purpose. In this moment, you shall serve as fuel to hasten the Ruin’s arrival.”

As the bell rang once more, a man’s head burst open. Every chime was followed by a skull getting caved in. The ringing grew faster, from one, two, four, to six in a second. With every additional ring, another body hit the ground, blood pooling in the filth beneath them.

Hexley’s hand moved faster, violently shaking the bell and unleashing its power in rapid succession. The criminals collapsed like puppets with their strings cut, skulls rupturing under an unseen force. The magic in the air thickened, darkened, and rotted. This was the kind of corruption only seen in the final days of a dying world.

“

OOOOOOHHH

!” Hexley howled in euphoria, his eyes wide and bloodshot as his masterpiece took shape.

Between the corpses, reality itself fractured. A jagged void split open in the sewer floor, a festering wound in the world that spilled forth the filth that lurked beyond.

[Special item Bell of Ruin effect activated. The Marzia Viscounty Underground Sewer has temporarily transformed into a Dungeon.]

“

AAAAAAAAAARGH!

GO! HUNT DOWN THE IGNORANT FUCK WHO DEFIES PROVIDENCE AND RIP THEM APAAAAART!”

Without a sound, the newly born monsters slithered into the tunnels. They were filthy, formless creatures, like sentient piles of rotting sewage, creeping forward to devour everything in their path.