Chapter 16. Black Route (5)

[Current number of monsters hunted: 543]

The dungeon shook violently.

Dust and debris fell from the ceiling.

Startled by the sudden earthquake, the monsters broke out of their territories and wreaked havoc.

Yeonwoo took advantage of the chaos, gripping his greatsword in reverse and charging into the anthill.

Kiriik!

The boiling atmosphere and the flames on the ground left no room to stand, but Yeonwoo held his breath and projected all his senses toward the anthill.

[Battle Will]

[Enhanced Senses]

Hwaak!

As he activated the skills, time seemed to slow down around him.

With extreme concentration, his senses were maximized, and all the information around him flooded into his mind.

A terrible headache followed, but thanks to his frequent practice, he could endure it to some extent.

‘I can hold on for 5 minutes!’

And then.

Chaeaeak!

Yeonwoo ran at high speed, severing the lifelines of the ants writhing in pain.

Even those charging at him with loud roars had their carapaces worn down, making them easy to dispatch.

‘It’s a shame I can’t eat most of the hearts here, but...’

Still, capturing so many monsters at once was definitely not a loss.

There were still many that were suffocating or barely alive, so he could take his time enjoying it.

However, he didn’t dare to take the risk of immediately finishing them off.

Even though a violent explosion had swept through, nearly half of the ants in the anthill were still alive.

Many of the dead were young or eggs about to hatch.

Therefore, there were still many worker ants left.

‘I can deal with the remaining ants after obtaining Batori’s vampiric sword. The immediate danger is...’

Kieek!

At that moment, a creature five times the size of an ordinary army ant charged at Yeonwoo with a roar.

‘The queen ant!’

The creature revealed fierce anger toward the one who had devastated her nest in an instant.

[A boss monster, the queen army ant, has appeared.]

Normally, she would be impossible to defeat in a head-on confrontation, but the current queen ant had two of her six legs missing, her wings completely torn, and her carapace burned and disfigured.

Her remaining eye glared at Yeonwoo with intense fury.

Kung!

Kung!

She charged, shaking the ground.

The pressure was even greater than when he first met the Red Monkey.

‘4 minutes.’

Yeonwoo quickly searched for a door connected to somewhere in the anthill, but the width of the tunnel made the task difficult.

Meanwhile, the queen ant’s leg struck like lightning.

Yeonwoo rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding it.

The search continued.

‘3 minutes.’

The remaining time was precarious.

Then, something caught Yeonwoo’s senses.

A small door hidden behind a nest of ripe ant eggs.

‘Found it!’

But even with the location, the queen ant showed no intention of letting him pass.

‘2 minutes.’

The accelerated thinking from Battle Will and Enhanced Senses allowed for quick judgment, but the aftereffects of headaches and dizziness would come all at once after it ended.

If he suffered the aftereffects here, it would be the end.

Yeonwoo drew the three greatswords from his waist and threw them at the queen ant.

Tatadang!

Kie!

But the queen ant easily deflected them to the side, roaring in disdain at the attempt to capture her with such a method.

However.

Shik-

Paeok!

The greatsword that followed a beat later deeply pierced the queen ant’s remaining eye.

Kieeek!

The creature writhed in pain.

Meanwhile.

‘Now, 1 minute!’

Yeonwoo slid under the queen ant, passing beneath her belly. He reversed his grip on the greatsword and cut off two of her legs.

Kung!

The queen ant’s body tilted, and her head slammed into the ground.

Other ants gathered like a swarm to protect their queen, causing the anthill to shake.

During this time, Yeonwoo passed through the ants’ territory and reached the door.

At that moment, the accelerated thinking ended, and a massive headache and dizziness overwhelmed him.

Yeonwoo suppressed his nausea, opened the door, and entered, closing it tightly.

Bang!

An ant’s leg was just about to extend when the door narrowly closed. The space was completely isolated, barely stopping the ants.

[You have entered the ‘Vampiric Lord’s Temple’.]

“Phew.”

Yeonwoo leaned against the wall, finally letting out a sigh of relief upon seeing the message.

Kungkungkung.

The sound of ants outside the door desperately trying to open it mixed with the occasional roar of the queen ant.

However, the queen ant’s room and the anthill seemed to be completely separated, or some aura here was preventing the ants from approaching.

The ants continued to pound on the door but did not attempt to invade the room.

Once the headache subsided, Yeonwoo looked around.

A narrow space of about 70 square meters.

But the ceiling was very high, and light pouring down from above illuminated part of the ground.

There was an altar on a five-step platform, glowing with a red hue.

On either side were bronze braziers emitting ominous green flames, and in the center stood a statue.

A woman with snake-like hair and prominent fangs, her eyes sharp as if ready to move at any moment.

‘Vampiric Lord, Batori.’

Yeonwoo examined her face and then shifted his gaze to the dagger in her hand.

A reddish hilt and a blue blade uniquely refined in the shape of lightning.

It was about 30 centimeters long.

‘This is the vampiric sword, the beloved weapon of the Vampiric Lord, Batori.’

[Batori’s Vampiric Sword]

Numbering 352

Category: One-handed weapon

Grade: Unique

Description: A beloved weapon of the Vampiric Lord that drains the lifeblood of its target.

As a divine item with the lord’s will remaining, it is known to choose its owner. If not chosen, the wielder’s mind will be consumed.

* Mark of Blood

When dealing a critical hit, the target is placed in a ‘bleeding’ state, causing continuous damage based on a percentage of their attack power.

* Power of the Vampiric Lord

Inactive ability. (Sealed)

Yeonwoo clenched his fist, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Batori’s Vampiric Sword was the hidden piece that could significantly narrow the gap with the leading players, which had widened over a week.

Since it carried the legacy of the Vampiric Lord, it could also provide steady growth after entering the tower.

‘But there’s another way to use this.’

Yeonwoo’s gaze shifted to the item’s options.

The last option, marked as ‘Sealed’.

Of course, even without this option, Batori’s Vampiric Sword was an excellent weapon.

It had excellent attack power and the ‘Mark of Blood’ option, which alone boasted high performance.

But the true value of this artifact lay in the sealed last option.

‘Only with this can it truly be called a vampiric sword.’

Yeonwoo smiled and began to ascend the steps.

Suddenly, he felt the statue’s gaze watching him intently.

Yeonwoo lightly bowed to the statue as a sign of respect and reached out to touch Batori’s Vampiric Sword.

At that moment.

‘Suck!’

Yeonwoo felt something pierce his palm and enter his body.

It was hot, sticky, and alien.

Blue veins swelled on the back of his right hand and arm, turning pale and dark red.

The black substance rising through his veins was clearly visible.

Yeonwoo gritted his teeth in immense pain.

The phrase ‘chooses its owner’ from the description flashed in his mind.

The Vampiric Lord was known to be the greediest among the lords. Although he had never met her, those who had spoken to her all marveled at her greed, which rivaled that of the Archduke of Devils.

If so, how greedy would the sword she left behind be?

To properly wield the vampiric sword, one had to suppress the constant threat of the fangs.

But.

Could a player who had just entered the tutorial have the skill to suppress the vampiric sword?

Several players who had discovered the dungeon and found Batori’s Vampiric Sword had suddenly vanished without a trace for this very reason.

If one could obtain the vampiric sword, how should it be handled?

Then, a thought struck him. If the vampiric sword was given as a hidden piece, might there be another method to handle it?

Like consuming white moss?

His younger brother, after extensive research, found a way for beginners to handle Batori’s Vampiric Sword.

This could also be considered a hidden piece.

‘A hidden piece within a hidden piece.’

Yeonwoo cursed the designer who had set up double traps to perplex players.

He lifted Batori’s Vampiric Sword and forcefully pressed it onto the back of his left hand.

Crack!

A scene that would make others think he was insane.

But.

Tztztz.

Suddenly, the black aura that had risen to his right shoulder began to descend.

It quickly poured into the back of his left hand.

The black aura coagulated on the back of his left hand and palm. Batori’s Vampiric Sword lost its form, melting and wrapping around his left hand.

It looked as if it was being forcibly implanted into his hand.

Batori’s Vampiric Sword had a secret. It appeared to be a weapon and was described as an artifact, but it had a hidden form.

‘If it chooses its owner, then forcibly implanting it into the body would prevent it from being chosen.’

Skill.

Batori’s Vampiric Sword was originally a skill, a highly difficult one.

The greedy Vampiric Lord, even in death, did not want her beloved weapon to fall into others’ hands. So she sealed its true abilities and appearance and threw it into the world.

And now, the seal was finally broken.

Sssss.

Batori’s Vampiric Sword had completely melted and disappeared.

But Yeonwoo’s left hand looked no different from usual.

His palm was also ordinary.

The sinister aura that had been emanating from the black substance was gone.

It seemed to have vanished into thin air.

But.

Yeonwoo smiled and spread his hand.

A flat, empty palm.

But when he focused his mind on his left hand.

Hwaak!

Suddenly, a black aura coagulated on his palm, forming a swirling pattern and spreading out.

It became a second mouth, like a beast’s, with jagged teeth.

Chak! Chak!

The jagged teeth repeatedly opened and closed.

[The seal has been lifted.]

[Batori’s Vampiric Sword, True Form (眞)]

Numbering 66

Proficiency: 0.0%

Description: The true form of the beloved weapon of the Vampiric Lord, which drains the life force and devours the soul of its target.

* Mark of Blood

When dealing a critical hit, the target is placed in a ‘bleeding’ state, draining a portion of their health and mana. The bleeding target takes continuous damage based on a percentage of their attack power.

* Power of the Vampiric Lord

Drains the essence and steals a portion of the target’s abilities. When proficiency reaches its maximum, there is a chance to steal the target’s skills.

Numbering 66!

A numbering skill that even the top-ranked players in the tower could not easily obtain.

And it was a unique skill that had just come into Yeonwoo’s hands.