Solo Max Level Newbie Chapter 133: The Hounds of the Darcassan Family (2)
The alien magic power that dominated the space.
“This, what is this?”
“Argh!”
A tremor struck the pupils of the two bloodline members.
Chills ran up and down their bodies, stirred by an aura utterly different from anything they had encountered thus far.
How could this be…
“How does a mere human possess such power?”
“…Was he hiding his true abilities?”
It was unbelievable.
An individual they thought was nothing more than a puppet of Elis.
An expendable human used just to help them get out of the corridor.
Their assumption was utterly mistaken.
This was not a level of magic power one would feel in the lower floors of the tower.
Of course, no matter how much a human struggled, they wouldn’t match up to the nocturnal aristocrats such as themselves.
But they couldn’t afford to be complacent. That was the common thought in the minds of both bloodline members.
And while Vertion and Ophelia were disconcerted,
Jinhyuk turned to address the players behind him.
“Player Kwak, take your comrades and flee this place at once.”
“Excuse me?”
Kwak Daeho’s face was a mask of shock.
“As you’ve heard, the Dan-gun Guild is probably under attack by the mines. It’s unlikely that Jang Eunseok prepared for such a surprise assault.”
The snowy forest, stained with blizzards and heavy snowfall.
He must have been too focused on running headlong to pay attention.
To put it simply, they must be completely trapped with no way out.
“Once you’re out of the forest, please request support from other guilds right away. It’s highly likely that the mines have done something to prevent communication from within the forest.”
“But what about you, Player Kang Jinhyuk? Are you planning to deal with them all by yourself?”
“Don’t tell me you plan to confront all of them alone?”
“It’s too dangerous! Rather… Rather, let’s escape together. If we use magic to grab their attention, maybe we can make it to the outskirts.”
Everyone urged against his plan.
Due to their lower levels, they were unable to grasp which side had the advantage.
‘Well, they’re already terrified, so it’s hardly surprising they can’t gauge the situation properly.’
Even the vampires had yet to fully understand the situation and were not fleeing, so how could these players, whose levels were far lower, make a rational judgment?
A smirk crossed Jinhyuk’s face as he firmly gripped his ‘fang.’
It was about time to throw out his first punchline.
“I’ll be fine. I promised to have a drink with friends after this fight is over. So you go first. I’ll definitely follow behind.”
He spoke words that were far from his heart.
Even as he said this, he could feel the energy of death creeping over him.
And at that very moment.
[The first phrase of the ‘death flag dialogue’ condition has been accounted for.]
[One of your unique abilities or skills will be sealed at random.]
[Your unique ability ‘Thousand Poisons’ has been sealed.]
As expected…
Promising future deeds was always one of the hallmarks of a death flag.
With the sealing of ‘Thousand Poisons,’ at least it was not an ability that he commonly used.
“Now! Run!”
Jinhyuk shouted.
“What are you all doing? Didn’t you hear what Player Kang Jinhyuk said? Run! Just run!”
“Kugh.”
“I’m sorry.”
“…Please, watch our backs.”
Kwak Daeho and the other players began to run back the way they came.
Simultaneously.
“How dare you think you can escape right in front of us!”
“We have limits to being underestimated.”
Woo woo wooong!
Around Vertion and Ophelia’s bodies appeared red drops of blood.
Globes about 1 meter in diameter spun rapidly.
Their target was, of course, the five players who turned their backs to flee.
However.
“You’re supposed to play with me. Why are you focusing on the others?”
Right before magic was activated, Jinhyuk intervened.
The distance was instantly closed.
The dagger imbued with a green light cleanly sliced across.
Kakakakak!
Vertion quickly deployed a shield, but it couldn’t withstand the sword energy of the dagger.
The shield shattered like glass.
Vertion was quick to dodge backward, so his hand wasn’t entirely severed, but the dagger left a deep cut in the palm of his hand.
Drip drip…
Red droplets appeared on the pristine snow.
Vertion’s face contorted more fiercely than ever before.
“You lowlife dare to harm my noble self!”
Whoa…
“Why does every sentence you utter include the word ‘noble’?”
Is that part of the curriculum in vampire kindergarten?
At this point, one might as well write a thesis on the greatness of early education and ideological training.
If you gather Elis and the rest of the vampires for the presentation, the VampireBel Literature Prize of the year would be as good as won, wouldn’t it? Absolutely.
“Indeed, that old man’s words were true. You do get particularly annoyed when your mouth is alive. I almost forgot about sucking blood and almost killed you.”
“I agree.”
Ophelia’s remark was met with Vertion’s concurrence.
They were too provoked by his insolent demeanor to the point where they almost forgot their mission.
The most important matter for both bloodline members was to uncover the whereabouts of Elis.
Having emerged from the corridor, Teresa and the man known as Unknown were the prime suspects, and Jinhyuk, who had connections with both, became the focus of their attention.
‘Teresa and Cheon Yooseong did not exhibit the characteristic lingering of a vampire.’
If they had been with Elis, there certainly should have been some of that particular trace.
In the end, the last candidate was Jinhyuk.
‘He even confessed to having met a vampire, so frankly, no further evidence is needed…’
The real question, however, was where exactly had he hidden Elis?
If Elis was outside the tower, things would become complicated.
Thus.
The exact location of that information.
It was time to find out.
“Remember, Ophelia. We must capture him alive.”
“I know that already.”
Sreeeung! Sreeeung!
A pair of slim rapiers reflected a dazzling light.
The blades heated up to a dark red by the ‘Dark Aura’ in the blink of an eye.
The atmosphere changed.
Even their stance transformed.
“Hmm…”
Jinhyuk exclaimed in admiration.
“Not bad for a handicap. It looks like it’ll be mildly entertaining.”
“What are you…?”
“Looks like I’m training a talented student. Won’t be boring at all.”
Only moments before, he had promised to prove the objectivity of his assessment.
Jinhyuk intended to keep that promise.
“Listening to your nonsense tires me. You’ll witness with your own eyes the holes punched through your body.”
In an instant, the rapier was thrust forward at a breathtaking speed.
But.
Clang!
Vertion’s thrust was rendered ineffective.
A small spark burst as the tip was parried aside.
“The thrust wasn’t bad. But your timing for the feint was too quick. Since your center of gravity isn’t properly aligned, it’s easily parried like that.”
“How insolent!”
Vertion, who had just received the barb, accelerated the rapier’s movement notably faster than before.
The rapier’s charm lies not in slashing, but in thrusting.
Its ability to penetrate the smallest openings was the precise reason for wielding such a weapon.
Clang! Clang! Clang-clanging!
The storm of strikes that had annihilated the mines guarding the cathedral continued unabated.
“Oh dear. Aim lower, aim lower. Your feet are resting at the moment. Keep up your steps. You’re fast, but you get too carried away.”
“Gah!”
For Vertion, who moved at high speed, that comment was meant to be draining. But the sheer frustration of failing to land a blow on Jinhyuk, who parried every surprise attack, rendered him unable to even voice his frustration.
