Chapter 24: Marie Dunareff (5)
B9HmLYIt was cold and chilly.AIjS
FNTHer skin was shivering from the cold but there was a scorching thirst in her throat.FR2lv01
BxfFxgmShe had done something wrong.fXNf
Sd5pXEShe almost killed her own friend.HcaObf
chBWithout any guilt, as if she was eating a domestic animal for food.nG7cB62
3zeMarie’s moral standards – in fact, the moral standards of everyone born as a human were supposed to differentiate ‘domestic animals’ from ‘humans’. It was a different matter from cracking eggs all day, decapitating chicken and slaughtering pigs.XYrI0h
7tygShe was someone who closed her eyes even when slaughtering an animal that was squirming to stay alive, and yet she had almost killed someone.GKdE0t
F7ol‘I was starving though,’ she thought to herself. ‘I was thirsty.’iPB
D4hDU‘I almost killed my friend; a person but…’ajk
H2Ujnw‘What was their name again?’xUeu
tuXLike how people did not bother remembering the names of domestic animals, she could not remember the name of her friend.F7yrPv
XnHOOoWhat she felt after waking up was a current of air that was different from before.LVm6
tHXWHgGThe chill running all the way from the tip of her feet to the spine was in complete contrast to the scorching thirst in her throat.gZl
7dLNfThe neck in front of her eyes of someone whose name she did not know of was way too appealing.Yclu
G4j2GUThat was why she bit it. The long fangs that appeared to have been with her from birth pierced through the skin and reached the veins.B8d
LzfI– Gulp gulp!Ey3u
IWOThe livestock in front of her shivered.oIg
7t1WWhether it was from the fear of being slaughtered or due to frustration was not very important. Marie did not even feel the need to close her eyes.JLU
YEIcn– Uhk. Uguk…!XcemjH
xFZDqgThe groan full of pain was as pleasant as the melodious notes of the piano. When the hot stream of blood satiated her throat and spread across her body to warm up her cold skin…Gq92mu0
7o5WxE“Ah.”Qspwp2
KOgjKHer veins expanded as her blood began to move again.SW1Mu1a
DIPBlIsabelle’s gasp and the creaking noise of the bed were unable to reach her ears.aQ4wWQI
2Rv0CQTThe only thing Marie could feel was the thumping pulse of her heart and the sweet scent of blood that felt suffocatingly disgusting. Her body that had been supplied with energy suddenly felt like crumbling to nothing.okHLL
IfGCWUrShe finally remembered that humans were different from livestock.QzVT
YGuzJLAfter noticing that what she had done was the same as treating a human as a domestic animal… the girl ran away.GHs
OV4WmUntil a certain boy came looking for her, she ran away and hid herself.Qr6
STTAll the while resisting starvation.ugG00tF
7fgHPF****59Dq
J8y6fzInside the crimson realm, the blood-coloured dog gazed down at the small and feeble human.vvM1Ly
xSGWInstead of his mother who was refusing to fight properly, he planned on using her mana and blood to wipe them off. Those evil humans were harassing his mother, and among them, that guy was the most annoying of them all.U5v
BWrEsZ7Even though he was weak and powerless, he was the calmest of them all.OrHYvX5
5EEfWEven the beasts are afraid of my presence, so how could a mere livestock dare show such an attitude? How dare you try to hurt my mother in front of my eyes?YFOVUAA
sSLIjHowever, what the blood hound hated above everything else was…PZow
a77Nh– Please. Stop.BDTQ
BbIjZmIt was how that human had an unignorable amount of significance inside his mother’s heart. His mother wasn’t even looking after him nor taking care of him, and yet was concerned that a mere human might get hurt.vr1CZI
0NjjIrLThat must be why she still couldn’t kill them. That must be why she was still floundering in pain and thirst.vScm
YdHq1KSJust wait for me mom. I’ll bring some fresh blood for you.DIi8CpB
jqmAPAs a familiar that had just been recently born, the dog was unconditionally faithful to his mother. The loyal dog who moved only for the sake of Marie let out a thunderous roar.WPHnqx0
pZeIC– Roooaaar!!NqiL
d13YC7UThe realm quaked as the forest echoed after him. Everything with a sign of life shivered from fear and yet the man in front was still calm, which was an extremely irritating sight for the dog.vwK
9Ih“A doggy is not supposed to bite people.”W2og
13uYDespite being ignorant of the world, the blood hound could still tell that it was an insult.R6HzQAR
NSH5The realm echoed with a loud roar as the blood hound displayed his killing intent. Despite having the same goal of trying to save the same person, the two of them knew that their paths would not coincide.JWS
lCqzA magic was formed in the air, but instead of a well-calculated equation of spell, it was just a sharp form made by a dense cluster of pure mana.KbPC
wMiOUnlike the clean and elegant magic equations of his mother, it was a violent and oppressive use of mana.Pji
pWYjJ9fThe missiles of mana were met with a spear.Gjw3S
mA1ezP｢Six Ways of the Spear｣kfL
4ng｢Fourth Style, Spinning Heaven｣4Y4
0tnGLrThe spear turned. The centrifugal force and the footwork added power to the spear as it elegantly flailed across.bBe
Q55ght6The Fourth Style was one that scattered kinetic energy with the shift of balance and an endless acceleration to the spin. The spear advanced as it rotated and parried only the clusters of mana that were heading towards his body.uOq2ne8
si4– Kwack!iDxf
Z8Eh– Kagack!o791
eTs– Kajik!aC3p
aTZXG“…!”LVN
L9jaaFSeeing that inexplicable phenomenon, the blood hound widened his eyes. The organism born from blood which naturally had a different way of taking in the world noticed the mysterious mass of power hanging on the spearhead.0rog3
6IzKtUsing the bare minimum amount of aura, the man parried the attacks. Korin was able to serenely advance through the bombardment that was loud enough to quake the entire world.hlnYe
GDI0Something like this couldn’t stop him.XBr6
29N66RP– Grrrh…!DrWwU
aeBIThe blood hound used his sharp claws to dig out a piece of his body. It scattered the flesh to the ground as two four-legged dogs appeared from within.pVsj
ZuPJbxM– Kuraa!Absng0a
STAlaaKill him. Crunch through that human’s neck and devour his guts.S7IN4
H8LA– Pabak!4Xk
No4JjwThe four-legged beasts dashed forward at a speed that was too fast for people to see. The two-legged beast that was made to face the rapid advance of those four-legged animals pulled his right hand to the back and bent his upper body like a bow.RfNS
ED0aIu｢Six Ways of the Spear｣SfpxBi
Jrsj0N0｢Fifth Style, Crumbling Mountain｣zJo
IeSB87To crumble a mountain.bSMcp
SascnStaying faithful to that seemingly exaggerated name, the spear created an aftershock as it pierced through a sprinting clone.hUscv
3eIOFmm– Pagack!Qxw2F
MCnAfter throwing his weapon, the spearman charged in with empty hands. When the remaining animal pounced at the man to bite through his neck, the dog had to confront a letter that was newly engraved in front of its eyes.bVjTI
jB6Kenaz.Wzv
MUyqThe rune letter meaning ‘fire’ created slow rising flames but the four-legged demonic dog did not stop its charge and followed through with its attack.D8Z5c
4pDtkThe demonic dog was enveloped in magic flames, but little damage was done to it. The flames were so weak that they were at the level of a spark. Something meager like the unprocessed cluster of ether was not enough to scorch a demonic dog.w9u7t
3bW4nDVHagalaz, Sowilo, Berkana.pmXySXL
AYMz2UMBut soon, new rune letters were added to the mix.k2VU
8USNoThe consecutive use of magic made the small spark turn into large flames, and the combined power of runes was definitely more than enough to sear the demonic dog of blood to ashes.ZJStcbc
GKuBAfter quickly dealing with the two small four-legged dogs, Korin picked up the spear that was stuck in the ground.VJR
2r7FnG9The blood hound stared at him with a growl. For the dog, that man appeared very insolent – how rude of him to act like he won after dealing with two weak clones?oNEkWN
0YOuIt decided to trample on him with an even more oppressive show of violence.C2rt
aqUATAs soon as the blood hound growled, the realm responded to his call as countless bullets of mana budded in the air.qNY
MaDxThe blood hound was invincible inside this realm. He was one with the world. How could a lowly human contend against the entire world?7C43zQ
Okpcw3eBullets of mana rained on the ground like bombs. Those small balls of mana were like the foot of a giant when together as they trampled on the ground.g3fvk
j07My32Korin Lork took a step forward. Beneath the rain of bombs, he strolled on.GckroEH
YZWaEven though bullets grazed past his shoulders, dug through his thighs and scraped past his ears, he was still unconcerned and patient.5GGtc
MtNlSAs if he knew the pattern of their fall, he slithered through the interval of the bombardment like an acrobat, while being so relaxed as if anything other than a fatal wound did not matter even if his body was to end up in tatters.5Bb
4eqc“Roooaaarrr…!!!!”oK28
FQIThat leisurely attitude infuriated the blood hound.wc6Y
12IRumble! The ground quaked – the four legs of the beast simultaneously kicked off the ground as the blood hound vanished into the thin air.G8dLkSz
XhUWNXThe concentration of blood and a colossal amount of mana tremendously accelerated his body. Like a storm, he destroyed everything while leaving behind an afterimage. The body of the blood hound was like the strongest spear; while at the same time being an invincible armor. Crashing into it would destroy one’s body.WWlW
TjPvzNHOn top of that, the blood hound went over the top as his ferocious claws started cleaving through the dimension. It was clearly an overkill, as the light in Korin’s eyes immediately shifted upon seeing that dash.Bse
2JrSAPKorin moved to meet the storm. What was needed was just one step. Compared to the blood hound that marched through hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, Korin’s one step appeared very insignificant.QnzbYvs
cwcbiEHowever, that one step was enough to turn the situation on its toe.7vqB
AWln“…?!”VU8K
3SOqThe blood hound was flustered by the sudden step forward. He belatedly swung his claws but the spearhead was already striking on his wrist.JUQ
Ux44a｢Trap and Stab: Demonic Arts–｣GoUEv
kiuaClank! The blood hound was dumbfounded from the unexpectedly weak response from the attack. However, the condensed aura emanating out of the spearhead and the small impact was enough to deviate the course of his claws.i4HD
17PdxAt the same time, the feeble body of the man dashed across his side.av7
334m4tY– Clang!dnk
G6j391The vicious claws of the dog landed on the ground. Unable to stop the forward momentum, the blood hound’s body was leaning forward when the man repostured himself behind his back.nYnqd6
77xHUL｢— Scavenging the Grass for the Snake｣910
UCUDt– Kwaduk!lBFm
4VqUnlike the front side of his body that was being protected by the condensation of blood, his back was helplessly weaker and ended up allowing the spear to stab through. However, that wasn’t enough. The magic organism with no sense of pain immediately reacted by swinging his right arm behind after demolishing the ground in front.lnPyZYA
rWyfWithout even looking at the right arm that was flying towards him, Korin took two steps forward and the right arm ended up barely missing him as it cut through the air.5n9Wha
9dnIGThe spear in his hands rotated.OKpT
b9qAfter failing two big attacks, the blood hound was in a defenseless state if anything.DcN
TiB3fi｢Spinning Heaven: Second Move – Rotating Demon Spear.｣VdvgWX
cvKKThe shaft of the spear rotated as it slashed through the blood hound’s thighs. Due to the right arm cutting through nothing and the slashed thighs, it couldn’t control his body and ended up leaning to the side.mzh
TZyHowever, it only needed 2 seconds for a full regeneration. 2 seconds was enough. Using the abundant mana of his mother, 2 seconds should be more than enough to recover his wounds.Fl0GIY
BdSyAHowever, that same amount of 2 seconds was also more than enough time for the spearman.kkppnwx
cYn“…?!!”D2JNop
7b84jCTheir gazes collided in the air as the blood hound realized something. Korin’s eyes weren’t even on him – in the midst of his superhuman level of concentration, Korin was gazing ‘beyond’ into the domain which only a handful of fortunate individuals were able to catch a glimpse of.ktCjs
iG9——uZYZptl
NApCznDA world of silence and suspended dimension.pgEQ1Hi
X1MCXorThe only ones that could move inside the ‘Domain’, where time flew extremely slowly, were very few in numbers.OFvVWPU
WKtaF9It was literally a suspended world. No-one was able to take a step forward inside such a place because of the law of time reigning supreme like always.OsSUZ2i
hKzwQXHowever, Korin took a step forward regardless. He stepped into the Domain of Heroes.1xb
EroWCO｢Ominous Snake: Extreme Arts｣9L2Gx
QDo｢Soaring Snake, Rearing Head of the Venomous Dragon｣YAoQnK
znYThe tip of the spear pierced through the center of the blood hound.xUDfk
laS– ???pAiEV06
TA0nMOUnable to even utter a single sound, the body of the blood hound crumpled down in an instant. In that split second, the blood hound gazed at the spearman with his blood-stained eyes.0PkvOWF
lzSnpfj“I’ve seen that same move before. Of course it’s not going to work.”m5Z
nhhRsThe man proclaimed. Even though the blood hound couldn’t really understand the logic behind that sentence, there was something he still understood.ltZ7V
9LZI can’t beat this man.VG4
U6dOne who had reached the level of a ‘Semi-Unique Grade’ with the sole power of a human after starting as a normal side character.JIqO
WgNBNamed Hero.PcqXapt
UjC0ZAAA-class Knight.Kav
h1iYRA ‘legendary’ existence which the world had chosen as the successor of the main player.dpxF
SiSMIn front of the Hero who had reenacted the legendary spearmanship, a mere animal, who was lacking experience was far inferior.o5lox8
Cv7Czj0Despite having no knowledge of his history; that mythological story and the legends, the newborn demonic animal was still able to understand something.VAmx
8FH35FCHe was in an inexplicable domain. This man was someone who far exceeded his cognitive capability.XQO5
uC2EkE“Cough… cough!”3KFKF1K
5b7The blood hound was sucking in both blood and mana to regenerate his body but instinctively turned around after hearing the cough from behind.ZoXeMNX
P0AZF“Auhk… Haahk…!”3UL
LgDRBooMarie was struggling after vomiting out an enormous amount of blood.SGk2fr
AxqzPpMom!TsO
WKIR0The blood hound immediately canceled the mana and blood that had been channeling towards him and dispelled the realm on top.cwi9
AeCWhile scattering his body that had been formed with blood, the last thing the blood hound heard was the despicable voice of Korin.AVxZzw
BRHBsr“Just watch me save your mother for you.”OKIqIM
6H2nQ****QMDq
neGJThe Blood Realm was the power of the Familiar of Blood that was formed through Marie’s mana and blood.4DNhGL
R8nFor Marie to activate the realm without having sufficiently taken in enough blood, she had to consume her own blood. Marie didn’t even suck all the blood of a single person when she awakened into a vampire, so it was natural for her to have insufficient blood after keeping the realm up for so long.nw8dGF
tId“T, thirsty…”Uhj
ZDKThe girl who turned into a beast gasped. This was the signal.11S
VAo8w4This was the last mechanic of the 3rd phase – the bloodsucking mechanic which rendered one of the party members unconscious.Hw2
xFWI walked towards Marie, who was gasping for breath in pain without even putting up a guard.d7y
dIbK“Kuuh, kyaahk…!”tnmFRhp
HFLtyIn order to replenish all the blood she used, Marie instinctively looked for something to prey on. It was inevitable for her to land her hands on my defenseless body.SXHHKvN
FVxmWyz– Biiite!5GZG
5gR62Without any retaliation, I let her bite into my neck and held her on the spot.aBE1
6hzj3hPhase 3 – Blood-sucking mechanic.bh3
YovSDnIt was a move that allowed the boss to regain both HP and mana before heading to the final phase.KhmN
sZRlOriginally, the other party members were supposed to jump in and push Marie away to save the one that had been chosen as the prey but… there was no-one here to save me.pVcw2n
RFQWhIn a completely defenseless state, I wrapped my arms around the pitiful girl.9QMMuEV
OvH– Gulp! Gulp!Bom605Y
IwqI could feel blood leaving my body through the fangs protruding into my neck.iQhBpwP
F9V1bnhSo this was how it felt to have your life taken away.EwNiN
TJ8NAThe rapid disappearance of blood made the body colder as my heart pulsed faster in desperation.3ix
U3tkHowever, it was fine. It was bearable. This was what the regenerative ability was for. It was enough for me to last until she sucked enough blood to regain her rationality.lwooF
EgtpIgI was an adult. Something like this was bearable, and it was through this that we would gain a happy ending.kfBM
gpht｢You’re thirsty right? Slow down.｣YUuJ
j4ZVThat was what the kind girl used to say to everyone while sharing potatoes with her tiny hands. Letting her rest in my arms, I returned the goodwill she had shown already.FKO7
amYV“It’s fine. You can slow down.”nzK0
5KVJI felt the girl pause for a moment after hearing that. Soon, the impulse that was beyond controllable made her carefully push her fangs back in as she gently licked the wound on my neck with her soft tongue.NMGT
BEz“…Nn.”DltNw9T
FX0mt8When Sebancia Duke awakened as a vampire, he sucked the blood of his own servant to death. While saying that he couldn’t control the impulse that surged during his awakening, he killed his innocent servant.eJ6b4
VqaQJcJThis was where a doubt came to mind. In both the game and the previous iteration, Marie did not kill anyone.yKJ0b
NfmAd‘That alone was a hint.’pgVO7l
d4049F3Another possibility hidden by the scenario. By defeating the thirst and impulse that rose up during the moment of her awakening, Marie was able to separate her fangs from the dying Isabelle. Sebancia Duke’s case was more than enough proof of how insanely proficient she was at controlling herself.SIqYo
mm4rAfter that, she ran away to the forest as Park Sihu said. She endured for a whole month by living off of the blood of demonic beasts.2lMH
1FeThe act of sucking the blood of a human was both a survival instinct and a magic process for a vampire. Would drinking sea water satiate your thirst no matter how thirsty you were? It would only lead to a greater thirst.pqP
C0EWboDespite that, she was able to endure the impulse for a month all the way until she was subjugated and captured by Park Sihu… It was thanks to her superhuman mentality that she was able to overcome the impulse and the starvation.3YOcgj
QlJFAll of that was proof that there was another possibility aside from the bad end of Marie Dunareff’s boss fight.89coI
mzCjlZ1That possibility was what I had trusted and betted on.wOhqQ
duq“Ju…nior.”9VgKWo
I7aA teary voice reached my ears. After satiating the intense starvation, she was finally starting to regain her rationality.fq6
QP5XGQ“It’s fine. It’s fine.”5jO
OaFWhile patting her on the back, I drove her head deeper into my neck. I pacified her by saying I was fine.4ZdPe
5Zn3“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”3woG3tJ
iCrooPMarie mumbled with a voice that was hard to understand as she buried her body deeper into my chest.Q3m
S5n3B“I can handle it. Even though I look like this, I have a regeneration ability, you see.”IMth
tqADeBy etching that fact into her mind, I helped her calm down. She was finally starting to regain her rationality, and I couldn’t stop here and risk making her impulsive again.XEc8D
BnFA vampire was only able to become rational after completely devouring a person’s worth of blood. Marie had to satiate her thirst with my blood.clZgCjz
tGaHsosThis was what the regenerative ability was for. This was why I had learned ❰Regeneration of the Tenacious Warrior❱.Bhbx
iVSBrkAs long as I did not give up, and as long as I had the fighting spirit left inside me… I would stay alive and regenerate even if my intestines were to fall down, and even if my entire body was to be seared or frozen. My vitality would be recovered endlessly.6bK
PxdA tenacious vitality that came to play when driven to a corner – the conviction of a warrior that let them continue the battle without giving up.Tq0
CjUTIt was a specialty which I had gained all for this moment.cu7wu6
33p“Haa…”pjVts
4cQ9iWith a deep and heated breath, Marie distanced her lips. After finally being able to control her own actions, she started crying while looking at me.Hfyrgz
jcO“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”sToKBP3
f0KI looked at the young 18-year-old girl who had burst into tears as if there was a broken dam in her eyes. It didn’t matter even if she was a Grade 1 Mage who had crossed through many vicissitudes of life. Her being a vampire was also a trivial matter.Hvxo
qE7EVAdults had the obligation to protect children.P02U
0jRSGThat fact which I wouldn’t have known if I stayed on Earth, was something I learned after meeting my benefactor in this world.nvFF
GCkcyf『Child, I am an adult. As long as I am an adult, I have the duty to prioritize your safety as a child.』aH3dQ
xHzrNyI met my Master.E7t
VTnpwA real adult.g3Wqg5T
3t8She was someone I had been looking down on as an NPC of a game. I used to secretly look down on this world for being a game, and yet I was protected by that NPC for being a child.2bP32
zPvAcjHThere was an adult who showed me her back to face the great evil.ckbaMf0
oUY1As the successor who watched her last moments, and as the disciple who received her guidance;VrcWG
sic“Not bad.”v9eY82O
NDdDIt should be fine for me to act a little bit like an adult.1L0G
UPB『Main Quest: Marie Dunareff』
※ Difficulty: SuZd
9Vo※ Reward: Even distribution of 100 pointslU9jmk
Gvp0– Aura Rank Increase {Low} -> {Upper Low}bNn
Oeq– Mana Rank Increase {Very Low} -> {Low}hWjS4Y
TEcY– You have obtained Pain Tolerance7Px
bUi4ZLFWatch me, Park Sihu.bfXQe
uc2a5QMy path will be different from yours.9gwkq8W
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HaydenZeMan
VIP Qi RefinementI enjoyed seeing the familiar’s point of view