Chapter 268: The Vampire King, Desmond (4)

The party hid in the grassy plains and observed the fortress.

“

Oh,

you were right.” Balter muttered.

Just as Seol Eun-Yeong had said, a few vampire soldiers had stepped out of the fortress gates and begun searching the area.

“The vampires I encountered were highly suspicious and cunning. At the same time, their pride was through the roof.”

“Is that why only three of them came out?”

“Don’t compare them to regular monsters. A single vampire could rip you and me apart.”

“

Uhh

...” Balter, looking uneasy, turned to Kai. “So, what’s the plan now?”

“We need to take them down one by one.”

“But that’ll only work a few times. They’ll catch on eventually.”

“A few times is all we need.”

“

Sigh.

I don’t know where your confidence comes from, but... I trust you.” Balter shook his head at Kai’s unwavering confidence. “How do you plan to lure them?”

“If you assess the situation logically, the answer is always there. Right now, those guys aren’t actually looking for us. They’re only searching for whoever sent that scouting falcon.”

“

Ah!

You’re right. They don’t know we’re in a group, do they?” Balter’s face brightened with realization.

Meanwhile, Michael wore an awkward expression, like a half-baked pizza.

“

Uh... um

... Bro? Does that mean you’re planning to use me as bait? You know, I’m technically in charge of filming here...” Michael subtly tried to back away.

Of course, Kai wasn’t about to let that happen. “Michael. Don’t you think it’d be a waste to let this program end as just another variety show?”

“Well...

ugh

...” Michael slumped his shoulders, unable to argue.

It was true that the Sanctuary of Corruption wasn’t the kind of place that could simply be treated as a variety show set. On top of that, Michael’s own ambitions as an editor and director played a significant role.

In the end, he raised both hands in surrender. “Alright, fine. What do you want me to do?”

“It’s simple. Let’s take these so-called nobles of the night on a little stroll,” Kai chuckled.

***

“

Hm

... no traces here.”

“But someone definitely infiltrated the city.”

“Obviously. There’s no way something like a hawk would just casually fly over the city.”

“Whoever it is must have some serious guts.”

The three vampire soldiers scowled as they continued their search.

“We have to find them if we want to avoid Desmond’s wrath.”

“He’s been on edge lately... I don’t want to die over something like this.”

“Die? What are you talking about? Just capture them, problem solved.”

“

Hmm

. Has it been too long since we last disciplined the first-floor guards? Letting intruders up... how incompetent.”

They didn’t even consider the possibility that they could be in danger. After all, even if they were just low-ranking vampires assigned to guard duty, they were still noble vampires.

Just then, an arrow sliced through the wind, flying straight toward the forehead of the leading vampire. It was a precise and swift shot, as if intended to kill him in a single strike.

Crack!

Of course, before the arrow could even reach the vampire’s forehead, he caught it in his hand and snapped it in two. The vampires grinned, revealing their white fangs.

“Would you look at this?”

“They should be hiding in fear, yet they’re the ones making the first move?”

“

Heh.

Did they really think a pathetic arrow like this could kill me?”

Instead of being threatened, the vampires, now aware of their prey’s location, sprinted. Each time their feet struck the ground, the scenery behind them blurred.

“Found you.”

Laughing sinisterly, the three vampires quickly surrounded an archer.

“This is disappointing. The intruder is weaker than I expected.”

“Well, humans are always like this. If anything, this makes things easier.”

“Do you realize how much trouble you’ve caused us?”

The culprit who had made the once-chatty vampire soldiers break into a sweat, Michael, swallowed hard, his expression uneasy. As if waiting for something, his eyes kept darting toward another direction. He was a great director and editor, but he was never meant to be an actor.

That was when the vampires realized something was off.

A coward like this shot an arrow at me? And when all three of us were together?

Wait. The guards on the first floor may be useless, but they wouldn’t have let an insect like this reach us so easily.

An ambush! There’s an ambush!

Their fangs extended, and their eyes glowed ominously in the darkness. But unfortunately for them, their realization came too late.

Rumble, rumble.

“

Huh?

”

The grass beneath their feet trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

An earthquake? No, there’s no way...

Just as the bewildered vampire attempted to step back...

Crash!

The ground beneath them collapsed. And that wasn’t all. A hand shot out from the ground, taking one of the vampires by the ankle.

“W-what?!”

“Welcome.”

Covered in dirt, Kai yanked the vampire under the ground.

“L-let go!”

Panicked, the vampire desperately tried to shake Kai’s grip off his ankle. However Kai’s strength stat, which exceeded 2,000, wouldn’t allow it.

W-what kind of human has this much strength...?!

It was enough to remind the vampire of their rivals—the werewolves. The vampire's resistance was meaningless, and he was forcefully dragged into the earth.

“

Argh

... How dare you!”

Now filthy and buried in dirt, the vampire glared at Kai in rage.

No... Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.

Exchanging a glance with his comrades, he bared his fangs and lunged at Kai. The trap had been hastily prepared, making the space too small for three vampires and one human.

This is rather better.

The confined space meant that the distance between him and his target was minimal. The vampire attempted to sink his fangs into the human right in front of him. However, the moment he lunged, time seemed to stretch endlessly.

W-what? Did I... slow down?

It wasn’t just him who had fallen under the spell.

“

Argh

...”

“What is this power...?!”

His two comrades also groaned in pain as the sudden increase in gravity weighed them down. A gravity field six times stronger than normal!

Casting the skill had drained all of Kai’s mana, but he wasn’t particularly worried.

“Mana Release.”

Mana Release was a basic Cleric skill that allowed him to restore mana for himself or a designated target.

[100 Mana restored per second.]

His depleted mana began to recover rapidly. The only drawback of this skill was its high Holy Power consumption, but with Kai’s amount of reserves, that wasn’t a problem.

“

Ugh...!

”

Kai struggled to lift his sword. Since the gravity field applied to the entire area rather than specific targets, it affected everyone—including himself. That was an unavoidable penalty, even for someone like Kai.

Yet, Kai slowly drove his sword into the vampire’s gaping mouth. In the process, his biceps and triceps swelled as if they were about to burst.

The vampire let out a scream, but it came out as nothing more than a faint hissing sound, like air leaking from a tire.

Kai extended his palm and gripped the vampire’s face tightly.

W-what is he trying to do...?

The vampire’s eyes darted around in pure terror, but the only thing he could see was the palm blocking his vision.

At that moment, Kai said, “Holy Explosion.”

Whoooom!

Four holy magic circles formed on Kai’s palm, spinning with a loud hum. Then, four divine beams burst out as if enraged. In normal circumstances, the intensity of the light would have turned the plains as bright as midday.

But that would be a problem. A huge problem.

If the vampires in the black fortress saw that light and sent reinforcements, it would ruin Kai’s entire plan. That was why he had set up the trap and dragged his opponents underground. Even so, a brief flash of light still burst, but not enough for the distant fortress to take notice.

Sizzle...

The vampire, struck directly by Holy Explosion, began to melt away. Holy power alone was already their natural weakness. On top of that, Kai's god was Helik, the Solarian God. For the vampires, creatures of darkness, the sun’s energy-infused holy power was no different from poison.

“This disgusting stench is holy power... but for my skin to melt...”

“S-sunlight!”

Seeing their comrade’s fate, the remaining two vampires instinctively thought of running, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The rest of the party was already outside the gravity field, looking down at them.

Struggling to lift his head and eventually looking up at them, the vampire muttered with a hopeless expression, “...We’re doomed.”

***

The average level of the three vampires was 385. However, since it was nighttime, they received a 10% bonus under the full moon. That meant each of them had a level of approximately 550. Naturally, this also meant the XP gained from defeating them was significantly higher. Perhaps because of that...

Not bad.

Kai had managed to level up twice from the first hunt. His level was now 421, and he also had 25 unused stat points.

But this still isn’t enough. Nowhere near enough.

From this point forward, they would be facing an entire city of vampires. Gaining a few levels wasn’t nearly enough to turn the tide. However, Kai had something he relied on.

The reason I entered this dungeon in the first place was to test out my new skills.

Kai urged the group, “Alright, let’s loot quickly, erase our tracks, and move out.”

“How many times do we have to repeat this?”

“Hard to say. The enemy isn’t stupid, so they’ll send more troops each time.”

“

Ugh

. Honestly, I don’t think we’d stand a chance without the gravity field.”

“Don’t worry. I can use it once every hour.”

After all, this dungeon had no time restrictions.

With a calm mindset, Kai unfolded the map.

A good spot for an ambush would be...

Seol Eun-Yeong, who was examining the map alongside him, marked several locations and shared them.

“Take a look. I’ve narrowed down the best ambush spots.”

“... This is narrowed down?”

“Dang.”

The party voiced their amazement.

The map she shared was packed with notes, resembling the meticulously organized notebook of a top student. It highlighted the best ambush locations and detailed which tactics to use in each spot. There were even precise annotations on timing and how to lure the enemies effectively.

As expected of the Queen of the Battlefield. Not a single flaw.

She might not have the individual power of Kai or Yoo Ha-Rin, but when it came to strategy and tactics, few could match her.

“This is so well-organized, there’s nothing to add. Let’s proceed with this plan.”

At Kai’s praise, a faint, seductive smile flickered across Seol Eun-Yeong’s lips before quickly vanishing.

“

Huh?

Wait a second.” Michael raised his hand. “Isn’t there something weird about Sister’s map?”

“What do you mean?”

The entire group studied the map, searching for anything strange, but there was nothing strange in the notes Seol Eun-Yeong had written.

Michael was bewildered by this. “No, no, Bro. And Sisters. Isn’t the method for luring the enemies really weird?”

Kai lowered his gaze and read through Seol Eun-Yeong’s notes.

Engage the enemy from a distance to lure them in.

It was the same method they had already used with Michael’s archery, and it was the most effective tactic in their current situation.

“What exactly is weird about it?”

“Well... Our tank, Balter Bro, doesn’t have any long-range abilities, right?”

“Right.”

“So how is he supposed to lure the enemies from a distance?”

At Michael’s innocent question, everyone just stared at him.

Michael blinked, then his face twisted in shock. “W-wait a second. No way. You’re not saying I have to go all the way to the front of that fortress, piss off a bunch of vampires, and then sprint for my life till the canyon, right?”

“Of course,” Balter replied.

“

O-oh

, right?

Whew.

” Michael’s face brightened.

But Balter wasn’t finished speaking. “Of course you are.”

“...

Huh?

”

“It’s exactly what you think. You are the bait, brooo.” Balter mimicked Michael’s speech and winked playfully.

“This is also the most efficient method available to us right now,” Seol Eun-Yeong, the mastermind behind the plan, said firmly. “And... I’m sure I told you not to call me Sister.”

Her gaze, sharp like an axe, caused Michael to flinch.

At that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Michael.”

It was Kai’s hand.

Michael, touched by Kai’s comforting gesture, felt his eyes well up with tears.

We may have met through business, but Bro really cares about me...

Of course, that sentiment didn’t last long, as a dozen different buffs were suddenly applied to his body.

“I gave you a full set of buffs, so don’t worry. If you die, just send me a message. I’ll revive you.”

“Can Paladins even do that?”

“Why do you think it’s a hidden class? Plus, you’re an archer, so your movement speed is fast. If you just shoot an arrow from far and run immediately, you’ll barely make it out alive. Have fun.”

Th-that wasn’t what I was expecting...

He had come to this dungeon to film a variety show, but...

“How dare you shoot an arrow at Desmond’s fortress?!”

“Chase him! Catch him!”

“No, just kill him!”

“

Aaaahhhhh!

”

That day, Michael had to act as bait twelve times. He tried countless times to claim he was too exhausted to continue, but it was pointless as Kai just kept fully restoring his Health and Stamina every time.