Chapter 21
<Domestic Hunter Gallery>
[Title: Breaking) Seollim-dong Gate closed, causing shivers]
Poster: News Wrecker
(On-site photo attached)
The Association’s official briefing just came out.
It said it barely closed right before a Gate Break was imminent.
- Fuck, we lived hahahahaha
- Great Eun-Seol
- Kya, as expected of Ice Empress noona ! ! !
- I believed in you GOAT
- There are no black cows who doubted God Eun-Seol, right?
Reply What? Black cow? You bastard, are you perhaps mentioning Black Cow, one of Seoul’s Top 3 Dark Guilds right now?
Reply Not that black cow, fuck hahaha
Reply hahahaha These guys are getting mocked so hard since they went under.
[Title: Does this make me the winner for not evacuating?]
Poster: DieIfNotDiamond
(A picture of a hand giving a thumbs up along with a League of Hunters Diamond Tier promotion screen)
I couldn’t evacuate because I was in my promotion matches haha
I hit Diamond Tier, yep.
- This guy is a real madman hahahaha
- If the Gate broke, you would’ve broken with it haha
- Living up to your name damn hahahaha
- With this passion, I’m more amazed you only just reached Diamond.
Reply DieIfNotDiamond) OP, where do you live by any chance?
[Title: Just took a pic of Ice Empress coming out]
Poster: OP
(A photo of Baek Eun-Seol bleeding heavily)
Her condition doesn’t look too good
- Hul, why is her condition like that?
- Covered in blood, shivering
- Is she okay? She looks like she’ll collapse at that rate.
Reply OP) She was supported by Association personnel and was immediately transported.
- No, an S-rank Hunter cleared a single A-rank Gate and looks like that? It took a damn long time too. Hmm. Is the Ice Empress washed up now haha
Reply Retard, the Gate probably had a classification error.
Reply Ice Empress haters are looking for angles to curse her even when she successfully cleared it haha. It’s really driving me crazy.
- It might have actually been an S-rank Gate? It’s the Ice Empress, but it took too long for an A-rank. She didn’t come out for over 20 minutes.
Reply Isn’t it because of poor condition? She rolled around in Europe for a month and was immediately deployed.
Reply Still, it is weird.
[Title: Something feels off about this Gate clear]
Poster: Active A-rank Hunter
First off, even in the Hunter Chat Room where high-ranks gather, there’s talk about whether it was an S-rank Gate just like the gallery rumors.
But putting that aside, there’s something else feels off.
This was a 2-Person Entry Limit Gate, right?
But the Association officially deployed only the Ice Empress.
Then what about the remaining spot?
The Association says she went in, leaving it empty, but isn’t that a bit weird?
Considering the time and the Ice Empress’s earlier condition, it seems obvious she needed backup, but why wasn’t it provided?
This is a bit fishy.
What’s even weirder is that I have a B-rank acquaintance who went out for on-site support earlier, and according to them, a System Window popped up in the latter half saying the Gate Entry Limit was full.
If that’s true, someone might have activated Stealth and sneaked in.
- shivers Then someone helped the Ice Empress?
Reply Active A-rank Hunter) I’m saying there’s a possibility, but it’s not confirmed.
- Ay haha. Who would the Ice Empress get help from? She has her S-rank pride. Would she get help with a mere A-rank Gate?
Reply OP Knowing Eun-Seol-jwa’s personality, she probably rejected help and cleared it alone heh.
Reply But looking at her condition, it really wouldn’t be weird even if she did get help.
- Don’t attract weird attention haha. The Ice Empress just cleared it alone. What are you talking about?
Reply Active A-rank Hunter) I wish that were the case too. But something feels off.
- Then who is the person who used Stealth and went in to help? All the S-ranks were gone too shivers
Reply If they’re at the level to help the Ice Empress, shouldn’t they be at least Upper A-rank?
- We’ve seen everything from the True Ancestor to the Secret Organization that wiped out Black Cow, and now this hahaha. Why are there so many mysterious powerhouses in such a small land?
Reply Haven’t you thought of this? Actually, they all belong to one group haha.
Reply You have opened your eyes. Come to the Mystery Gallery.
* * *
[Your Retainer has subdued the 'Pure-blood Vampire Lachesis'.]
[Your Retainer has acquired experience points.]
'Wow… Katarina’s incredibly strong…?'
I gulped as I watched Katarina’s returning vision.
To think she just instantly cut down a monster that even the S-rank Hunter Ice Empress struggled against.
I knew she was strong, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.
If it’s like this… doesn’t that mean she’s at least 'Ranker' level?
Si-Yeon was really strong too, but Katarina seemed to be on a completely different level of strength.
Just how high is her level, if it didn’t even increase by 1 after she subdued such a monster?
'Hehe. I really picked a good Retainer.'
As expected of the first Retainer I Summoned.
When she returns home, I will feed her lots and lots of Korean Beef Blood Sausage.
'Anyway, Katarina was really cool earlier.'
Especially when she made him suddenly kneel as soon as she went in, what was that!
I don’t know if she used some kind of ability, but I almost fell for her a little when she suppressed him with a single word.
But the opponent wasn’t a pushover either, as he immediately resisted and stood up.
And then the fight started…
Honestly, I couldn’t see it well.
The vision shook so dizzily that I couldn’t even tell what or how they were fighting.
[Sight Sharing].
If I just set this up well, I could somewhat see the battles of powerhouses at Si-Yeon’s level, but it seems it is too much for someone with a measly 4 Agility to follow a fight between such super-experts.
It was to the point where I didn’t even know if Katarina was winning or losing.
I got tense, worried, and my heart pounded, so I just used the [Book of the Dead] right away.
'Ugh. I’m just a person who spammed my ult in a team fight…'
Thinking about it again, it was a bit embarrassing, but the performance itself was incredible.
She immediately ripped off both his arms and ended the situation.
'He said he was a pure-blood.'
Soon after, the words that the Vampire said earlier suddenly came to mind.
Pure-blood. True-blood. Great Ones.
He said words like that.
'Is there a hierarchy among Vampires?'
Even after awakening as the [Lord of Blood], I actually didn’t really know anything about the Vampire worldview.
I only just found out that a monster species called Vampire actually existed in the first place.
Until now, I thought it was just some urban legend from Heon-gael.
Of course, I was a Vampire, but this was the first time I learned there were other Vampires too.
Anyway, if there’s one thing I’m slightly worried about, it’s this.
It’s what that Pure-blood Vampire Lache… sis? Sus? Anyway, whatever his name was, said before he died.
“I am a Retainer who was directly bestowed blood by one of the Great Ones! Do you think you can kill me, a pure-blood, and remain unscathed!”
'Hmm.'
It seemed like he had some incredible backing.
What if that Great One or whatever comes after me.
Somehow, I ended up making another enemy just like with Black Cow.
I think it’s fine since I have Katarina and Si-Yeon, but I’m not the complacent person I was before anymore.
Safety First! Self-Preservation!
I planned to get stronger, if only for the safety of myself and my Retainers.
And.
Lastly, I also thought about the Ice Empress for a moment.
The Ice Empress’s condition seen through Sight Sharing was truly miserable.
She had become a complete rag and was shivering violently.
She only ever showed a cool and awesome image on TV or YourTube…
How should I say it - she looked incredibly pitiful back then.
It was a bit shocking that the famous S-rank Hunter was pushed to that extent.
'But anyway, she lived thanks to our Katarina, right?'
Thinking about that made me feel good again.
It wasn’t intended from the start, but anyway, my decision to send her at the right time was correct.
In conclusion, I saved one of the Republic of Korea’s top hunters.
Though the Ice Empress herself wouldn’t know who saved her.
In the end, Katarina needlessly talked about Liege Lord and Servant, but it would be hard to figure out my identity with just that.
At that moment.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-
The door opened with the sound of the door lock, and a shadow wavered, and then Katarina appeared.
“Liege Lord. I have returned.”
She knelt on one knee and bowed her head.
“I have returned after bringing the fledgling to his knees who dared to overstep and threaten the Territory and executing him.”
As expected, she looked clean without a single scratch.
It even seemed like she had cleaned up all the blood on her clothes.
“Mmm, yes. You have worked hard.”
I nodded my head as majestically as possible.
“However, Liege Lord… May I dare to offer a word?”
“Hmm? Speak.”
“During the battle, when that bastard made his final desperate struggle, it almost became a little dangerous. Thanks to the Liege Lord bestowing power upon me at the perfect instant, I was able to tear that lowly creature apart in a single breath.”
Katarina’s eyes looking at me were dyed with admiration and deep emotion.
“As expected, Liege Lord, were you not seeing the entire Battlefield through the vision of this lowly servant? Such perfect timing could never be a coincidence.”
Si-Yeon also slowly nodded her head from the side with a serious face, as if agreeing.
“As expected of the Master.”
'…H-huh?'
No, guys. What do I do? I feel so sorry.
Actually, my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking back then, so I just used it.
However, it was a situation where my two Retainers were looking at only me with sparkling eyes.
It was an atmosphere where I absolutely couldn’t confess the truth.
Moreover, there was no way the [Exalted Dignity] Passive would just sit back and watch.
“A-ahem. It is only natural. It is not such a difficult task for this True Ancestor.”
In the end, I had no choice but to pretend to be as calm as possible, puff out my chest, and give a slight nod.
“Ooh…!”
“Indeed, Master.”
The respectful gazes of the two Retainers pierced me.
'I-I’m sorry…!'
“Si-Yeon. You must have guarded the Liege Lord’s side well during that time.”
“Of course.”
Katarina nodded her head and turned her gaze back toward me.
“Liege Lord, I have spoils of war.”
As she reached out her hand, a sphere made of bright red liquid floated up into the air.
That was the Vampire’s blood she had retrieved earlier after the battle.
“This is the blood of that lowly one. Although it is an endlessly lacking as a tribute to offer to the Liege Lord, I believe it will still have some useful nutritional value. Please accept it.”
'…Blood.'
I stared blankly at that red sphere.
Since becoming a Vampire, I have only drunk 'real' blood exactly once directly.
When I used the Vampirism Skill on Si-Yeon.
But this isn’t human blood, it’s monster blood.
'Is it okay to eat this?'
Honestly, I was a bit reluctant.
No matter how much of a Vampire I am, I was a human just a few weeks ago.
But.
Gulp-.
'…Huh?'
While I was contemplating, saliva unconsciously went down my throat.
As I looked at the red sphere, I strangely, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
My mouth even started to water.
Rationally, I felt a sense of rejection.
But my instinct as a Vampire was urging my body to eat that.
'It’s exactly the same as with the raw meat before, isn’t it?'
That meant there was a high chance I could actually eat it and it would be helpful.
Then let’s try eating it once.
I soon made up my mind and opened my mouth with a majestic tone.
“Hmm. You did well. Bring it here.”
“I am deeply honored…! I pray it suits the Liege Lord’s taste.”
Katarina brought a glass and carefully poured the blood into it.
It would have been cool if I had had something like a wine glass.
But since I was a lightweight whose alcohol tolerance was only one can of beer, I naturally didn’t have anything like that, and it was a cup with a rabbit drawn on it that I usually poured juice or milk into.
Gulp.
I squeezed my eyes shut and drank the blood.
'…Oh! This is totally delicious!'
My eyes shot open.
A sweet and sour tomato juice taste!
It was as delicious as Si-Yeon’s blood that I drank before making her a Vampire.
And.
Ding!
[You have consumed High-grade Blood.]
[You acquire a large number of experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 22.]
'Ooooh!'
3 Consecutive Level Ups!
So you can level up by drinking blood too? I just learned that for the first time.
However, just as I was rejoicing.
[You have achieved Level 20.]
[A new Skill has been unlocked.]
[You have acquired the Skill, 'Blood’s Grace'.]
'…Blood’s Grace?'
A new function had opened.