Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Spendthrift Necromancer (120)

Vampire's Ancient Castle (2)

Vampires.

One of the most famous monsters.

Their defining trait was that the more fresh blood they drank, the stronger they became.

Their regenerative ability rose like crazy too. That bloodsucking ability was why Vampires were so infamous.‘Which means undead are their natural enemies.’Undead?

Most of them had no blood.

A few species did, but being corpses, all they had was rotten blood.

The kind of blood that actually harmed Vampires if they drank it.

The only thing here worth sucking blood from was Minwoo himself.‘I just need to dodge properly.’Their most troublesome bloodsucking ability was effectively half-sealed.

Thoom.

Thoom.

As Dolsoe's heavy footsteps carried them close to the ancient castle.―Kyaaah!

Black figures suddenly attacked from every direction.

Roughly ten of them.

A nighttime Vampire ambush. Every pair of crimson eyes was fixed on Minwoo.

When fighting a summoner, targeting the summoner's real body was the golden rule.

These Vampires apparently knew that too.

The undead army reacted just as quickly.[Dolsoe uses Taunt(A)

on Idran!]

Dolsoe raised his shield and blocked from above. One Vampire's head snapped around as it focused on the Golem.‘Here we go.’Kim Minwoo extended a hand.[Casting Land of Death(S)

!]

Land of Death activated first.[Curse of Aging(D)+9…….]

The curse, enhanced by the Ring of Ascension, covered their bodies.[‘Serina’ is cursed!][‘Albolton’ is…….]..[They possess powerful blood! The curse's effects and duration are greatly reduced…….]

Every Vampire had a name. A characteristic of those possessing Trueblood. Even so, the curse still worked.Around a 10% reduction to speed and Defense.

Merhen cast magic at the slowed Vampires.[Merhen uses Underwater Prison(SS)

!]

The group rushing toward Kim Minwoo was trapped inside a prison of water formed in midair. Crimson blood gathered over their hands and transformed into claws.

Riiip!

Blood tore through water.

Several Vampires ripped through the Underwater Prison and pushed their bodies out.

Cedric's spear greeted them as though he'd been waiting.―Kill them all![Cedric activates Dragon Strike(S)

!]

Blood claws collided with the long spear.

Boom!

A Vampire was knocked backward, its body trembling.

Cedric's stats had already risen after the second seal was released.

Add the stat boost from Land of Death and the Skill he had just used, and he wouldn't be pushed back easily.

Dullahans, Specters, and Skeletons swarmed from every direction, while the Mages' curses obscured the Vampires' vision.

A brutal melee erupted on all sides.

Amid it all, two Vampires forced their way through and charged toward Kim Minwoo.

“Fire.”―Coo.[‘Snowy’ shares an attribute with its master!][You can use the Fire attribute!][Fire Resistance increases by 10.2%!]

Snowy's attributes had risen considerably. By now, even attributes other than Ice were useful.[‘Law of Victory’ activates!][All stats increase by 50%!][All damage increases by 50%!]A title that rose by 10% for every 100 Levels of difference.A 50% increase meant there was at least a 500-Level gap.‘They're fairly high-Level.’Not that it mattered much.

Fire was a Vampire's natural weakness.

He swung his sword, now wrapped in flame.[Using Necromantic Sword Art(S)

!][Consuming 3,000 Mana…….]

Dozens of streams of blazing sword energy engulfed their bodies.

The blood that sprayed out slightly seemed to play in reverse, being sucked straight back into the Vampires' bodies.

Source of Blood.

One of the Truebloods' Passive Skills.

Its effect was simple.

Even spilled blood returned to their bodies.

A kind of miniature immortality.‘The way to counter it…….’Was to inflict severe enough wounds that they lost blood faster than they could recover it.

He dodged the Vampires' attacks and swung his sword.

Amid the vicious melee.After three minutes of fighting, the first Vampire's head went flying.

That was when.

The headless Vampire staggered back to its feet, arms dangling.

“……!”

The Vampire beside it recoiled in horror.

Even a Trueblood couldn't survive after having its head severed.

A high-ranking noble might be different.

But the Trueblood that had just died was merely from the common class.‘Don't tell me?’His bad feeling immediately became reality. The Vampire, now undead, drove its claws into its former comrade.

The tide of battle began tilting sharply.* * *Creeeak.

For the first time in decades, a coffin inside the ancient castle opened. A Vampire lay within, submerged in rippling blood.

“We greet the great Duke Timorn.”

The Vampire group bowed respectfully toward the Vampire opening his eyes within the coffin.

The Vampire before them possessed power worthy of such reverence. Even among Truebloods, he was a noble.

And not merely any noble, but one holding the highest title of Duke.

“Why have you awakened me?”

The Vampires bit their lips, then dropped to their knees.

“……

Please help us, Your Grace. A Necromancer has invaded. He is an enemy we cannot handle.”

Interest appeared in the Duke's eyes.

A Vampire's power was determined by blood.

Put another way, Truebloods were powerful from birth.

Powerful enough that after settling here, they'd fed countless intruders to the crows.

Yet they had still come seeking him…….

The Duke rose from the coffin.

Sliiide…….

He moved as though gliding, while the remaining Truebloods followed behind him in reverence.

As he walked forward.

The Duke frowned at the sensation of vitality draining from his body.‘An irritating little trick.’Of course, for someone at his level, losing a little vitality wouldn't cause any serious problem.

It was merely annoying.

Before long, he could see the banquet hall in chaos.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Debris scattered across the wrecked hall.

Countless undead.

And a human standing calmly in their midst.

Timorn narrowed his eyes.‘A Necromancer.’A summoner who controlled undead.

Among those undead were several Truebloods who had already become corpses.

Apparently he possessed some special ability to raise dead Vampires again.‘I understand the situation well enough.’A Necromancer had invaded, and in trying to stop him, they'd only ended up increasing his forces.

The Duke stepped forward.

The woman holding a parasol immediately launched magic.

Rumble!

A massive bolt of lightning surged toward the Duke. The Truebloods trembled when they saw it.

Several of their comrades had already died to that witch's magic.

Then.

Blood surged upward and formed a sphere around the Duke.

Hiss!

The moment the lightning struck the blood, it vanished.

“You command an unusual servant.”

Timorn stared at Kim Minwoo with interest.* * *One Vampire dressed in obviously old-fashioned, aristocratic clothing.

Even his aura was unusual.

A group of Vampires had followed behind him from the moment he entered the banquet hall.‘That's probably him.’The reason this mission rewarded 500,000 points plus something extra.

It seemed that Vampire was the reason.[Ancient Castle Boss, ‘Duke Timorn,’ appears!]

The message also made it clear he was no pushover.

A Duke, no less.

As a test, Minwoo ordered Merhen to attack. The magic that had slaughtered countless Truebloods barely affected the Duke.‘High Magic Resistance.’Well.

He was a Duke.

He had probably lived for hundreds of years, meaning his Level was naturally high too.Merhen's Magic had risen enormously after her second seal was released, but there was nothing she could do about the Level difference.

Minwoo sent the Truebloods raised by Land of Death toward him.

He wanted to test the Duke's physical abilities. The undead Vampires charged with their mouths wide open.

Their racial abilities had vanished once they were raised as undead.

But their physical abilities alone still had value.―Kyaaah!

The Duke frowned at the undead attacking from every direction.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue and swung a hand. More than ten undead Vampires were split in half at once.‘……

He's pretty damn strong.’He was weaker than Valkan, whom Minwoo had encountered during the last Arrangement.

The problem was that he wasn't alone. Nearly sixty Truebloods had followed him.

Minwoo had only just killed around forty.

It was one mountain after another.‘Good thing I brought those bombs.’If he'd tried clearing this without them, he'd have needed to prepare himself for death.

“I shall grant you a glorious life.”

The Duke's fangs gleamed sharply. Minwoo could see overflowing greed in his eyes.‘He's planning to turn me into a Vampire?’Vampires could turn those whose blood they drank into their dependents.

Of course, they couldn't create an unlimited number. That was why they chose their dependents carefully.

Apparently the Duke coveted Minwoo's abilities.‘Perfect.’To turn someone into a dependent, a Vampire had to sink its fangs into their neck.

Minwoo needed to close the distance to use a Light Bomb anyway.

Judging by the greed in the Duke's eyes, that wouldn't be a problem.

Sure enough.

The Duke began closing the distance.

Truebloods surged from every direction as well. While the undead army handled them.

Cedric and Dolsoe.

Minwoo charged the Duke alongside both of them.[Dolsoe uses Taunt(A)

on Timorn!][His rank is far too high! Taunt fails…….]

Apparently the Level gap was too large for Taunt to work.

Whoosh!

Dolsoe swung his mace.

The Duke ducked lightly beneath it, and Cedric thrust his spear.

Shadow Spear and Dragon Strike combined into a powerful combo dealing fourteen times damage.

The Duke caught the spear barehanded.

Cedric opened his mouth wide and fired his Breath.

The Duke opened his mouth as well.

A blood-red mist flowed out and completely swallowed the Breath.

Kim Minwoo stabbed during the opening.[‘Law of Victory’ activates!][All stats increase by 80%…….]

A monster above Level 1,000.

The Necromantic Sword sank slightly into his waist. A few drops of blood trickled out before being absorbed back into the Duke's body.

The Duke's head snapped toward him.

Timorn stared at Minwoo with a chilling smile.

Desire burned in his eyes.

“I want you.”

The way he maintained his leisurely attitude from beginning to end suggested that the possibility of defeat had never once crossed his mind.

“Want a present?”

“……?”

The Duke tilted his head at the sudden question.

A small cluster of Light appeared over Minwoo's palm. A Light Bomb taken from his inventory.[Using Light Bomb!][Allies take no damage!]

“……!”

The Duke's eyes flew wide open.

A terrifying chill raised every hair on his body, and he hurriedly created a barrier of blood.

It meant nothing against the mass of Light exploding directly in front of him.

“Graaaagh!”

Light bright enough to blind engulfed everything.

The nearby Truebloods were affected too. Like ants caught in a hurricane, their bodies were ripped apart.

When the explosion faded.

“Ghhk…….”

The Duke, covered in burns, coughed blood from his mouth.

An unmistakably severe injury.

Even so, he wasn't dead.

That was how high his rank was.

Fury filled his eyes after taking an attack he'd never anticipated.

“……

You bastard. I'll kill you.”

“Oh, I've got another one.”

“……?”

BOOM!

Another colossal explosion erupted. He had somehow endured the first, but even the Duke couldn't withstand a second.

All the blood in his body evaporated, leaving him shriveled like a mummy.

When the seemingly endless Light finally faded.

The Duke looked wretched.

“Blood…… blood…… give me…….”

The Duke desperately craved blood.

Unfortunately, that was a goal he would never accomplish.

With every drop of blood gone and his strength reduced to almost nothing, Minwoo's side wasn't weak enough to fall to him anymore.

The undead swarmed from every direction and crushed his body like a cracker.‘Worth the points.’To think only two bombs could instantly suppress a monster this powerful.

There was a reason each one cost 500,000 points. Kim Minwoo approached the Duke.

“Goodbye.”

The Necromantic Sword severed his neck.

That was when.[Necromantic Sword absorbs the prey's blood!][Powerful foe! Absorption greatly increases! (4/10)]‘Huh?’When he'd hunted the demonized Han Baekgil, the Necromantic Sword's count had increased by one.

Now it had jumped straight to four.‘Similar to Valkan?’When Valkan fed it blood, the value had jumped by two thousand at a time. This seemed to work through a similar mechanism.

Proof of just how powerful the Duke had been.

The messages didn't end there.[You acquire the title ‘One Who Executed the Vampire Duke’…….][Beginning of a Legend

- Part One gains a new entry…….][All entries in Part One have been completed! (10/10)][You acquire the title ‘Completer of Part One’ as a reward!][Beginning of a Legend

- Part Two is created!]

Title-acquisition messages.[You have completed the Vampire's Ancient Castle mission!][Rewards are granted!][1. You acquire 500,000 points!][2. You receive a VVIP Shop Unlock Ticket!]

The hidden question-mark reward.

Apparently that had been the VVIP Shop Unlock Ticket.

He examined its details.[VVIP Shop Unlock Ticket][Rank: Special][Effect 1. Using it allows you to unlock the VVIP Shop. (The VIP Shop must already be unlocked.)][Effect 2. Allows you to purchase a ‘Nuclear Bomb’ from the VVIP Shop.]

What?

There was something strange written there.

“……

Nuclear Bomb?”

Kim Minwoo tilted his head.

Surely it couldn't mean the nuclear bomb he was thinking of?