SMH 160

Chapter 50 – Blood Christmas (4)

TL: Boko

Editor: Frost

His sword went deep into the Vampire Count’s stomach. Sung Joon attempted to cut through his waist, but the Count, befitting a high tier S-rank monster, noticed the danger and retreated right before the attack hit.

But because Sung Joon’s strike was so quick, the count detected the attack slower than usual. Although it wasn’t cut in half, it was still grievously injured.

“Ugh!”

The Count cried in agony and simultaneously, stemmed the bleeding with its Blood Magic.

The bleeding stopped and the wound began healing at a rapid pace.

“It’s high-speed regeneration!” Rishubalt said.

High-speed regeneration was an ability only a handful of Vampires possessed.

It didn’t require any casting. Because these Vampires could quickly heal their wounds by infusing mana into them, they were difficult to take on.

In order to defeat a Vampire with high-speed regeneration, one would need to kill them immediately. Sung Joon prepared himself for the strain on his mana and unleashed his Illusionary Sword.

Although the Vampire immediately retreated, it was still well within the range of the Illusionary Sword.

“Ugh!”

It was nigh-impossible to dodge the thirty one illusionary blades. Moreover, the higher Sung Joon’s synchronization rate, the more accurately the illusionary blades would aim for vital areas. The Vampire Count’s left leg was severed and blood spilled from its entire body.

“B-Blood Spear!”

As the Vampire Count fell, it cast Blood Magic to stop Sung Joon’s follow up strike. Six red blood spears formed in the air and aimed for Sung Joon’s vital points.

Sung Joon moved quickly to dodge the blood spears. He wasn’t able to dodge one of them completely, but he parried it with his sword.

“Damn it!”

Seeing that, the Count’s face was filled with despair. His left leg was severed and his body was riddled with grievous wounds from the illusionary swords, so he had done everything he could to cast that spell.

He had hoped that the spell would be able to prevent Sung Joon’s follow up strike, but he had failed, and fell in despair.

“Count!”

“Support him with Blood Magic!”

The nearby Vampire Knights hastily casted their Blood Magic. However, they were too late. Sung Joon had already raised his sword.

“Were the Empire’s Heretical Judicators this powerful…?” the Vampire Count said futilely.

The Vampire Count had done its very best, but Sung Joon was so powerful that it felt like it was an insect struggling against him.

‘To think I’d be taken down like this,’ the Vampire thought suddenly.

Then, Sung Joon swung his sword downwards.

The Count’s body was cut in two, spurting blood like a fountain, and the Vampire Knights’ Blood Magic came from behind him.

“Shield.”

One of the two necklaces he wore radiated a red light, creating a powerful magical barrier to protect him.

“He stopped all of our Blood Magic!” someone yelled.

The shield created by the ‘Dragon’s Protection’ could even stop high rank magic. There was no way the Vampire Knights’ Blood Magic could pierce through the shield.

“Get in close! Attack him with aura!” one of the Barons yelled.

Most of the Vampire Knights could use aura, but the strength of their aura was weak. Sung Joon was well aware of that fact, so he manipulated his aura. Then, he shot sharp shards of aura all around him.

“Ah!”

“He can use Aura Transformation as well!”

The approaching Vampire Knights, who’d used high-speed movement, fell.

The ground was filled with blood. The Vampire Baron, who had assumed command, saw the Aura Transformation and shook its head.

‘We can’t beat him…’

The Baron was filled with despair. Seeing that, Sung Joon smirked. His surroundings were filled with Vampire bodies.

“An impressive display of Aura Transformation,” Rishubalt said, marveling at the display.

‘Aura Transformation’ was a high rank technique that demanded a talent in swordsmanship and technical skill, but Sung Joon didn’t feel that it was very difficult, as he was once Roukel. He leaked out his killing intent and gradually walked over to the Vampire Baron.

“Run… away…”

His instincts warned him to run. However, he couldn’t move at all. The Vampire Knights accompanying him couldn’t move either. In no time at all, Sung Joon was right in front of the Baron but then he disappeared.

“Huh…?”

By the time the Vampire Baron could sense Sung Joon’s presence, all of the nearby Vampire Knights spurted blood and had fallen to the ground.

Once the Vampire Baron realized this fact, Sung Joon’s sword had already cut through the Vampire’s left arm.

“Ugh!”

“Relax. I’ll end it soon.”

Sung Joon looked at the Vampire Baron, who screamed in agony, and quickly withdrew his sword. And then, forcefully pierced the Vampire’s heart with his blade.

“Ugh!”

The Baron died with its second scream.

“H-How can this be…?”

“The knights were all killed?”

The Vampires were shocked that the Vampire Nobles’ knights were all killed. There were only a handful of Vampires left, but none of them dare approach Sung Joon.

Sung Joon looked them over coldly. He didn’t feel the need to take them on. Sung Joon used his ‘Absorption’ and went towards the inner castle, but none of them tried to stop him.

Because of that, he got through the inner castle walls without difficulty. Rishubalt lead Sung Joon to the boss.

Though the boss’s location wasn’t fixed in this Awakening Dungeon, Rishubalt faithfully did his job and lead Sung Joon to it.

“It seems like the knights led by the Vampire Count was the main force,” Rishubalt said.

He’d entered the castle, but there was less resistance than he’d expected.

Sung Joon agreed with Rishubalt’s opinion and nodded his head. The knights must’ve been the Marquis’s primary forces.

“Is it empty here too?”

He entered the building, but he didn’t feel any presences nearby.

“Rishubalt.”

“I’ll go scout and return.”

Sung Joon didn’t say any specifics, but Rishubalt realized that Sung Joon wanted him to scout and left. Rishubalt finished scouting five minutes later and returned.

“What’s the situation?”

“It’s mostly empty. I couldn’t take a close look at the boss room due to the interference, but it doesn’t seem like they have an ambush set up.”

“Good.”

Sung Joon nodded his head. It didn’t take long for them to arrive in front of the boss room. He took a step forward to open the door, but then…

He sensed a quickly approaching presence and quickly took a step back.

An aura clad sword cut through the gate. If he hadn’t taken a step back, then his head would’ve been split in two.

“I guess I was a bit short.”

Sung Joon heard a frigid voice from behind the gate. At the same time, the gate crumbled into pieces and a long-haired knight came out.

“You’re from the Knight Brigade?”

His breastplate was adorned with the Knight Brigade’s insignia. Sung Joon looked surprised, but Rishubalt wasn’t.

“The Empire formed an alliance with the monsters, so… it’s not surprising that there’s a knight in the Vampire Marquis’s castle,” Rishubalt said and Sung Joon nodded his head in understanding.

“My name is Gaius, rank 220 of the Knight Brigade. I’ll be in your care.”

Sung Joon saw the Vampire Marquis behind the knight, who introduced himself as Gaius. Once he’d drawn his sword, Gaius stared at him.

He didn’t move, but he knew that the Vampire Marquis could make its move once he and Gaius crossed blades.

“Lord Marquis Haku doesn’t like uninvited guests.”

“‘Lord’ Marquis? You call that monster behind you ‘lord’?”

Sung Joon was speechless at the way Gaius addressed Marquis Haku. He would believe it if someone were to tell him that Gaius was an informant for the monsters, rather than one of the Emperor’s subjects.

“Be careful what you say. You lowly human.”

Its icy voice resounded through the wide hall and corridor. The voice was tinged with a deep killing intent, but Sung Joon just smiled.

“This is the ‘best’ killing intent you can muster? You monsters are a joke.”

“Human, you dare!”

“Watch closely. This is…”

The moment Haku raised its blade, Sung Joon released his killing intent towards Gaius.

“Real killing intent.”

“Ugh!”

His killing intent was strong enough to temporarily freeze the elite knight, Gaius. He didn’t let go of his sword, but he was full of openings.

“Sir Gaius!”

Haku threw his dagger at Sung Joon to protect Gaius. The dagger’s speed was a bit fast, but Sung Joon could take care of Gaius before then.

“Acceleration.”

However, Haku recited the activation words and accelerated the dagger. Sung Joon had no choice but to retreat due to the sped up dagger, but he had something up his sleeve too.

“Rishubalt!”

Sung Joon parried Haku’s dagger and called for his loyal spirit aid, Rishubalt. Rishubalt swung his sword.

“Ugh.”

Blood spilled from Gaius’s neck and he helplessly fell to the floor.

“Return.”

Although Gaius was killed by an unknown attack, Haku didn’t panic and collected his dagger. Haku calmly gathered its mana.

In no time, Sung Joon had used his high-speed movement to appear right in front of Haku.

“Ha!”

Haku yelled out, and the space bent, enabling him to block Sung Joon’s sword.

‘He bent space? What a troublesome ability…’

Sung Joon knew about magic that bent space, so he didn’t go any further and retreated, getting back into position.

“I guess you know about magic that bends space, huh. If that’s the case, then you know that there’s no hope for you,” Haku said.

Magic that bent space could block any attack. It was because of that knowledge that Haku was so confident. However, Sung Joon was also quite relaxed.

“I guess you don’t know much about it.”

Sung Joon’s presence disappeared.

“It’s pointless.”

Haku bent the space behind him. It didn’t even turn around, as it believed there was no reason to do so. However, that was a huge mistake.

“Dimension Slash.”

“Ugh!”

Dimension Slash could cut through all things, including space. He severed Haku’s waist, as well as the bent space. Haku’s upper and lower bodies were separated, spilling red blood.

“I can cut bent space as well.”

“Damn… it…”

“Hoo!” Sung Joon sighed.

The reason he was able to clear this Awakening Dungeon so easily was because Haku was overconfident.

Once he sheathed his sword, his measuring tool reacted.

– Verifying conquest, measurement complete. SS-rank dungeon, clear.

– Verifying the existence of a new item.

Sung Joon collected all the magic stones in the Marquis’s castle. He had to go around and collect them individually, as their bodies didn’t disappear in the other world.

There were a few Vampires that had survived, but Sung Joon didn’t stop them from leaving. Sung Joon returned to the boss room and took the item that Haku had left behind.

With Rishubalt’s help, the otherworldly energy was removed, and Sung Joon was able to appraise the item.

B-rank.

Verifying Return effect.

Verifying Acceleration effect.

A+ rank.

Verifying Magic Recovery effect.

The ‘Knight Brigade’s Ring’ became A-rank once it was upgraded to +10, and the ‘Knight Brigade’s Necklace’ became A+ rank once it was upgraded to +5. And the number engraved on it was changed to ‘220’ as well.

Seeing that, Sung Joon sported a satisfied expression and said.

“What great farming.”

It felt like he’d gotten a great Christmas present.

“Merry Christmas,” he looked at Haku’s corpse and whispered.

Then, he looked at Rishubalt.

“Let’s go back.”