Chapter 118
Chapter 118
...However.
Despite all the preparations we had made for the battle, it ended too easily.
We stood, sweat cooling on our brows, looking down at Fallen Blood, shredded and fallen before us. What happened?
"His, his stats were certainly high..."
"Is it because hes a fallen vampire? He moved too simply."
He was a former vampire, left with nothing but a thirst for blood and primal instincts. No different from a beast.
No matter how fast and strong he was, his movements and actions were too predictable. This made it easy to counter.
Junior and Damien shot from a distance, while Lucas and Evangeline stormed in close with their silver weapons, Fallen Blood couldnt hold on for long and fell.
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head with my staff. No, I was all prepared, and this is it?
"Do we have something... a little more challenging?"
I looked up at the stage and asked.
"..."
Jackal, who had been looking down at us as if he couldnt believe what he was seeing, cleared his throat, "Very well! Its time to bring out the freshest and liveliest monster from this seasons batch!"
He said, opening the iron-barred gate.
Koo-goong...!
[Flaming Colosseum - Wave 6]
- Defeat the enemy!
- Lv.50 Vampire : 1
- Victory odds ratio : 2.00 vs 2.00
A vampire!
Finally, we were up against a real, legitimate vampire.
"Versus! The self-proclaimed noble with a bat-shaped head! Oh, I dont care anymore! Just go out and fight until you die! The fallen vampire! Bernato~~~!"
Creak, creak.
What appeared was... a young man bound in iron chains.
His skin was pale, his tousled hair was blue and curly, and his eyes were a bloody red.
"Ugh..."
The vampire, Bernato, dazzled by the lights of the arena, found Jackal on the stage and roared.
"Damn you, Jackal! Do you think you can get away with this?!"
"Hmm? What are you saying?"
"The only reason this pitiful arena of yours is allowed to exist is that the great legion leaders tolerate your existence!"
Bernato thumped his chest.
"But I am the family of the great Nosferatu Lord Celendion! You dared to touch me and reduce me to this state, surely the lord will judge you-
Poo-hwak!
Before he could finish his words, Bernatos arms suddenly flew off.
Blood sprayed in all directions. Unaware that his arms had been cut off, Bernato made a stupid noise.
"Huh?"
Before we knew it, Jackal had drawn a dagger in each hand.
He had drawn his daggers at a speed that the eye couldnt see, struck at a speed that the eye couldnt see, and cut off the vampires arms.
"Shut your iron-smelling mouth, you filthy blood bastard."
"Wh, what-"
"Once youre caught by me and brought here, youre just a commodity of this Blazing Colosseum. I dont care who your family is, or under whose ass you were, got it!"
Jackal pointed a dagger at Bernato.
"Next time, Ill cut off your head. Fight properly! Before I stuff your mouth full of crushed garlic! Got it?!"
"Kuk...!"
Bernato, gritting his teeth, turned away from Jackal and looked at us.
The blood connecting the fallen arms and the torso on the floor swirled, and the arms rose into the air, reattaching themselves to his body.
"I dont know where you guys are from, I havent checked your lineage, and right now, I dont even have an appetite."
Bernato flexed his fingers, confirming that his arm was properly attached, and bared his fangs at us.
"I must kill you. If you dont resist, I will let you go peacefully."
"Oh? Thats very kind of you."
I twirled the staff in my hand and gave him a crooked smile.
"Ill give you a heads up too. Were going to kill you. And it would be problematic if you dont resist, so please, do your best to struggle."
"What?"
"Its our first time dealing with a vampire in a real fight. Dont we need to gain some experience too?"
Bernato looked as if he didnt understand my words.
Well, I guess from a vampires point of view, humans are like bottles of juice on display at a supermarket.
And if that bottle of juice suddenly says, Were also going to kill you, I can understand why hed be taken aback.
However, my bloodsucking friend, the odds of victory now stand at 50 to 50, even with the Goblin voters.
Its about time you got your head cracked open, juice bottle.
"Now, guys, before we deal with him."
I looked at my party members and casually lifted my staff.
"How about some palm spanking after a long time?"
As soon as my words dropped, Lucas, Evangeline, and Damien stood side by side and extended their palms to me.
"...?"
Only Junior seemed unable to accept the current situation, staring at us with wide, shocked eyes.
"Uh, what are you doing right now...?"
Slap! Slap! Slap!
After swiftly slapping the palms of the three, I turned to Junior with a wicked grin.
"Your turn."
"What? Oh, okay?"
"Dont worry. The pain will be temporary, and the pleasure... should last for about three minutes."
"Hold on, Im not a fan of physical punishment- Ouch, thats hot?!"
Slap!
[Intermediate Buff Activated!]
[The 20% increased elemental damage for 3 minutes buff has been applied to Jupiter Junior(SSR)!]
"...Huh?"
Junior looked flustered as she checked the buff applied to her.
Lucas, Evangeline, and Damien all nodded their heads in unison at her.
Why does it feel like their expressions are saying Isnt it delicious?
"Uh, uh?"
The color of the elements floating around Junior intensified. The buff seems to be taking effect immediately.
I whispered softly to Junior.
"You can only do this once a day, so dont try to get hit too often."
Relying on buffs should be avoided, but more importantly... this does feel a bit perverted! (TL Note: ( ))
***
Vampire combat methods can be broadly divided into two categories.
First is Blood Magic.
All abilities related to blood are called Blood Magic.
These abilities are based on the vampires own blood and the blood consumed from others.
The strange and powerful abilities that vampires use are mostly this Blood Magic.
Second is Physical Strength.
The overwhelming regenerative ability that far exceeds common sense, and the strength of the body that clearly has the upper hand compared to humans.
Many vampires train to wield weapons.
The weapon swung with their superior physique itself carries brutal power.
Simply put, there are two major skill trees, and most vampires concentrate on one of the two.
If either one reaches a certain level, they become monsters that show disastrous power.
Unfortunately, Bernato,
"Craaargh!"
Seems to have been lazy in practicing both Blood Magic and Physical Training.
Whenever Bernato tried to use some magic by collecting blood, Junior interfered and nullified it.
And he didnt excel in physical combat either, his hand-to-hand combat skills were subpar.
Hes being butchered by Lucas and Evangelines combined attacks.
It might seem like were winning easily based on this.
"..."
But it wasnt necessarily so.
The natural regenerative ability of the vampire species was astounding.
No matter how much Lucas and Evangeline cut him, or Junior burned him with magic, Bernato healed his wounds in an instant.
Even with silver weapons that slow down their regeneration, it still looked like this.
How can we effectively cut off a vampires lifeline...
As I watched the flow of battle from the back, I groaned.
"Damien, can you see his soul core?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Damien had been keenly searching for the Soul Core of the creature for a while now, but even with his Far-Sight, it was hard to spot.
"That vampire, it feels like its entire body is made of blood. Its Soul Core is not fixed; it merges and disintegrates repeatedly."
"Hmm..."
"Even if I snipe it, it just disperses right away. I dont know where to shoot."
I stroked my chin in thought.
What should we do...?
In the game, when you raid a vampire, its usually in the middle stage of the game.
Wed typically set up various healing reduction artifacts and cut them down with holy weapons.
But this is still early game.
We dont have any rare items like healing reduction artifacts, and we havent even drawn a holy weapon yet.
No damage can be inflicted... Is there any good way?
The battle of attrition continued without landing a decisive blow.
But we werent the only ones getting worn out. Bernato had lost too much blood.
"Khuk...!"
Bernato, whose complexion noticeably worsened, looked around. Probably searching for a suitable victim to suck blood from.
And then our eyes met.
"..."
Hold on a minute.
No, seriously?
"Give me your blood, prey-!"
Bernato, his mouth wide open, charged at me in an instant. His sharp fangs glistening threateningly.
It seems I was targeted first because Im the lowest level. Its getting annoying.
But, you see.
If youre going to announce Im going to suck your blood now, naturally, we can prepare a counter.
Thud! Thud-thud!
Just before Bernatos fangs could rip into my throat,
Three arrows flew into his open mouth.
The arrowhead that pierced his left cheek came out through the other cheek, blood spurting out.
"Keuk... He."
Bernato froze in his tracks. Lucas and Evangeline charged at him.
Thud!
Thwack!
Into Bernatos stomach went Lucass silver sword, into his back went Evangelines silver spear.
The moment I saw this scene, an idea flashed across my mind.
"Lucas, Evangeline! Dont retrieve your weapons, keep them stuck in his body and back off!"
Lucas and Evangeline acted upon my command immediately. They dropped their weapons and quickly distanced themselves from Bernato.
"Junior!"
I quickly instructed Junior.
"Lightning! Can you do it?!"
"Ah ha."
Rumble...
The sound of thunder echoed, and Junior grinned cheekily.
"I know what you mean."
Ka-boom-!
The next moment, lightning struck.
The lightning, guided by the silver weapons in Bernatos body, burnt him from the inside out.
"Kyaaaak-?!"
The vampires blood-curdling scream echoed everywhere.
"Ah."
At that moment, Damien mumbled softly.
"I see it."
Whiz-!
A crossbow bolt was fired from Damiens hand.
Thud!
The silver bolt, accurately piercing through Bernatos heart, had a small red bead impaled at its end.
It was the vampires Soul Core.
Ting-!
The next moment, the red bead shattered to pieces.
"Kyaaa... aaah..."
And Bernato, from the end of his body, gradually disappeared as smoke.
Looking down at the disappearing red smoke, all the party members were catching their breaths.
Our first vampire hunt was a success.