Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The Hidden Gate, Blood Pavilion, is divided into three stages.

First is Monster Room 1, then Monster Room 2.

And finally, the Boss Room.

In the first stage, one must face a horde of Vampire Bats, and in the second, they must battle Blood Slimes.

Of course, for Suho, this was not a difficult task.

Suho’s Intimidation skill shone in the second Monster Room as well.

As a result, Suho was able to level up three more times, reaching level 46 before standing at the entrance to the final Boss Room.

There was nothing to fear.

Suho knew well what awaited him beyond this point.

As he opened the massive stone door and entered, the previously rough, cave-like surroundings transitioned into a vast hall, neatly arranged with marble.

At the end of the hall was a grand bed draped with lace, and in the center of the bed, a silhouette of someone lying quietly could be seen.

Then it happened.

 

 

Rumble…

The surroundings trembled along with the notification.

Simultaneously, Vampire Bats hidden in the ceiling flew out, and Blood Slimes hiding in various corners crawled out like zombies.

They were not attacking Suho but were showcasing themselves to add to the boss monster’s overwhelming presence.

At the same time, the figure lying on the bed slowly sat up without any sudden movements.

– How dare you intrude here without fear… Foolish intruder, do you know what you have done?

The figure on the bed did not raise its voice at all.

Even so, its voice resonated through the entire hall, creating an overwhelming presence by itself.

 

 

The voice itself was imbued with Fear, having the same effect as any ordinary Fear.

However,

 

 

Suho remained unaffected.

This was thanks to the first power of Dragon Blood, one of the two powers granted by Dragon’s Spirit.

Suho recalled the effects of Dragon Spirit.

 

 

This is why lineage is important.

With just the fortunate trait of having a good bloodline, Suho could ignore even the Boss Monster’s Fear.

Instead of answering, Suho took out a spear from his inventory.

Unlike the one he had thrown at the Tower Dragon, this spear had a slight blue tint.

Suho applied a skill to the newly prepared spear.

 

 

The skill used was ‘Holy Power,’ a basic Healer-specific skill obtained at level 30, which enchants with the attribute of holy light.

After imbuing the spear with the attribute, Suho threw it toward the silhouette without hesitation.

 

 

With increased strength and penetration power, the spear, enhanced by skill effects, flew like a ballistic missile and struck the figure.

Thud!

The attack landed.

And then,

 

 

Kiiaaaahhh-!

A scream filled with the essence of blood.

At the same time, the silhouette and the bed exploded, scattering debris in all directions, finally revealing the Cursed Prince.

He had purple skin, long grayish-white hair, and eyes that constantly shed bloody tears without any sclera.

Suho checked the information displayed above the creature’s head.

 

 

An astonishing level 76.

Compared to Suho, who had just reached level 46 after clearing the first and second monster rooms, there was a staggering 30-level difference.

Then, the Cursed Prince, with a spear embedded in his left forearm, cried out in a wailing voice.

– How dare you! How dare you! How dare you, filthy intruder, ignore my words!!

 

 

Another notification appeared.

Simultaneously, a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the hall, and blood-red needles were scattered in all directions from the Cursed Prince.

Clang!

Suho drew his sword from the inventory and blocked the attack.

The sword trembled.

Even though it was just a wide-range attack, the trembling of the sword indicated how powerful the creature was.

But it wasn’t to the point where Suho couldn’t handle it.

The Tower Dragon had been the same at first.

Suho smiled as he thought.

‘Indeed, the Holy Power on the pure silver spear is incredibly effective.’

For this Hidden Gate, Suho had prepared special weapons.

Weapons made entirely of pure silver.

That was because the owner of this place, the Blood Pavilion, the Cursed Prince, was a vampire.

‘Moreover, he is a true vampire royal, as indicated by his title.’

The first to discover this place was an infamous player once known as the ‘Blood Emperor.’

He was a rare non-human player who had been bitten by the Cursed Prince in this Blood Pavilion, transforming from a human into a vampire.

‘Technically, a half-vampire.’

He had been a healer working at the Central Blood Bank.

By a twist of fate, he got entangled with this place and barely managed to reach the boss room, but unfortunately, he couldn’t defeat the Cursed Prince and was bitten, turning into a vampire.

Normally, he would have been destined to die.

When a player gets turned into a vampire, the system classifies them as a monster and closes the gate.

But the Blood Emperor didn’t just sit back and accept his fate.

As a healer, he succeeded in neutralizing the vampiric transformation with his skills.

Then, something astonishing happened.

‘Not only did he gain vampire-specific skills, but all his stats were restructured.’

His class didn’t change.

It simply added a new trait.

Thus reborn, the Blood Emperor used his newfound strength to defeat the Cursed Prince and conquer the gate.

And that marked the beginning of the world’s most notorious villain, the ‘Blood Emperor.’

‘Well, he eventually ended up in my hands.’

Suho retrieved another pure silver spear from his inventory and aimed it at the Cursed Prince with his left hand.

The Cursed Prince immediately leaped into the air, exuding the unique malevolent aura of a vampire.

– Rise, my soldiers!

Ssss…

The moment the vampire’s aura became an incantation, the Blood Slimes scattered around the hall converged, forming a massive tower. Arms and legs emerged, creating a gigantic golem.

 

 

The system confirmed it.

A name appeared above the creature’s head.

 

 

Its level was a staggering 72.

Intimidation wouldn’t work.

The Blood Golem was a named monster summoned by the boss.

But Suho welcomed it.

After all, he hadn’t reached level 50 yet.

“Thank you, mosquito!”

Mosquito—a derogatory nickname players used for vampires.

Suho redirected his aim and threw the enchanted pure silver spear at the Blood Golem.

The spear flew straight into the center of the Blood Golem, causing it to stagger.

– ……!

The Cursed Prince’s eyes widened in surprise.

He hadn’t expected his Blood Golem to take such damage from a single throw.

Hurriedly, he began to summon more soldiers.

– Gather, my soldiers!

Another wave of malevolent aura spread.

This time, it enveloped the vampire bats.

The bats, infused with the aura, began to merge in mid-air, forming a colossal bat.

 

 

After the Blood Golem, the Centenary Bat appeared.

Its level was also 72.

But so what?

Suho took out a third pure silver spear and enchanted it with Holy Power.

He threw it.

Crash!

The Centenary Bat, its abdomen pierced, was driven into the wall by the force of the spear.

 

 

Suho seized the moment and threw the Returning Shadow Spear, embedding it in the creature’s shadow.

 

 

In the absence of flying skills, airborne enemies were the most troublesome.

That’s why Suho had held back the Returning Shadow Spear from the Cursed Prince, waiting for the right time.

With the Centenary Bat immobilized, Suho drew his sword.

Naturally, it was a pure silver sword.

Enchanted with Holy Power, Suho charged at the Blood Golem.

 

 

Close to the Blood Golem, Suho relentlessly used sword skills, steadily draining its blood.

He deliberately avoided the core.

This golem was composed of Blood Slimes.

In other words, attacking its body would kill the Blood Slimes, reducing its health, without needing to target the core.

In other words, with each attack Suho landed on the creature:

 

 

This meant he was gaining Blood Slime experience points in real-time.

Finally, when he had destroyed more than half of the Blood Golem’s body:

 

 

Suho achieved another level up.

– This is impossible…!

“Why is it impossible?”

The Cursed Prince was aghast at Suho’s overwhelming power.

But his shock was short-lived, as he realized the severity of the situation and hastily prepared his next attack.

At that moment, Suho suddenly appeared right before his eyes.

“It’s not your turn yet.”

– How…!

 

 

Slash!

Suho closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword.

The Cursed Prince’s head was severed and fell to the ground, which Suho kicked away.

Then,

“Returning Shadow Spear, summon.”

 

 

Crack!

Suho summoned the Returning Shadow Spear and plunged it into the shadow of the decapitated body of the Cursed Prince.

 

 

The special options of the Returning Shadow Spear activated simultaneously.

Suho firmly secured the body and then drew his sword again.

“Hold on a bit, I’ll deal with you after I kill the Centenary Bat.”

– W-What!

The Cursed Prince wailed continuously, receiving such treatment for the first time in his life.

But all he could do with his single remaining head was cry out.

Suho approached the Centenary Bat, whose health was significantly drained due to Shadow Bleed.

He swung his sword again, slaughtering the creature.

 

 

Finally, Suho reached level 50.