Chapter 144: All-Out War (2)


    Buzzing!


    The dagger traced a sleek arc.


    Kuk!


    Naturally, Bertyon responded by swinging his rapier in turn.


    de shed against de.


    ng!


    The shrill sound of metal proved a perfect contest of skills.


    But then.


    [The effect of Soul Drain has granted you 0.3 mana.]


    Soul Drain could siphon mana from its target without needing tond a solid hit.


    The old saying rang true, Shouldve avoided it instead of blocking.


    Moreover.


    As a higher-level skill, it included an additional effect.


    [The effect of Soul Drain has permanently increased your vigor by 0.01.]


    Unlike temporarily absorbing mana for use,


    Soul Drain could also steal vigor (), a unique form of energy.


    A stat that synergized with all others and could invigorate the user by itself.


    Although its not as top-tier as something like gap or adaptive type skills, the perk of permanent stat growth with each battle is undeniable.


    In other words.


    Vigor could grow indefinitely.


    Most notably, you didnt even need to level up to gain vigor.


    In in terms, if you fought all day with beings like Elise or Cheon Yu-Seong and drained their vigor, you could massively increase your stats.


    While Soul Drain was choosy, favoring only the vigor of worthy opponents, it was undeniably an efficient skill.


    Crash! Bang!


    How long did the fierce exchange of sword strikesst?


    After several bouts, Bertyon too realized something was amissa feeling as if vitality was being siphoned from his entire body.


    Fighting became increasingly unbnced.


    Youre more vampiric than a vampire!


    Heh. Even from Dekasus, youve got some sharp instincts, Jinhyuk chuckled lightly.


    Ah, it wasnt a sneer but rather a mildpliment.


    Typically, the process was a gradual withering away.


    He deserved extra points for noticing it early, but


    It wont change the oue.


    Zip!


    Jinhyuk elerated using the Sword Demon Emperor Stance.


    RattleRattle!


    The dagger moved so fast it became a blur to the eye.


    Kggg


    Bertyon focused all his energy on defense.


    But that was all he could manage; a counterattack was beyond his capacity.


    Jinhyuks aggressive movements, picking apart weaknesses, were almost cruelly efficient.


    Rather than a quick decisive blow, he targeted the most painful and vulnerable spots, draining as much vigor as possible.


    [Mana 0.3]


    [Vigor 0.1]


    [Mana]


    [Vigor]


    As the battle wore on, Bertyons mana was continuously being drained. In contrast, Jinhyuk was experiencing a phenomenon where his mana was restored the more he fought.


    Eventually.


    Tch!


    Ophelia joined the fray with a short click of her tongue.


    A straight trajectory.


    Whirr!


    Her rapier pierced the air towards Jinhyuks neck.


    However, Jinhyuk effortlessly evaded the ambush from the blind spot.


    The de barely grazed his hair.


    Toe at me two on one Well, that could be fun.


    Why refuse when they were so eager to offer their vigor?


    Dragging things out was problematic, but Elise could hold her own for the next 10-15 minutes.


    That was enough time to extract as much honey as possible.


    Jinhyuk further increased his speed.


    Now the movements of the two vampire nobility noticeably slowed due to the substantial drain on their vigor.


    Any further dy would be disastrous.


    Bertyon and Ophelia, more than anyone, were acutely aware of this.


    Bertyon!


    I know!


    [Ophelia activates Lv15 Heart Eater!]


    [Bertyon activates Lv16 Blood Spear!]


    Front and back, they maximized the advantage of a 2 against 1 position.


    They had selected their strongest skills.


    Whooooosh!


    A blood-red aura manifested through the rapier.


    Bertyon focused on destructive power, while Ophelias skill is specialized in targeting vital points with a narrower range.


    In fact, having shed with the Six Families numerous times, Jinhyuk had a thorough understanding of most of their skills and their pros and cons.


    Seeing them in action outside the game was somewhat different, a fresh experience.


    How to describe it?


    Like watching childrens talent shows on YouTube live for the first time?


    They were doing their best, but from Jinhyuks perspective, it was just amusing.


    Dammit, I should be more on edge


    Since watching Elise and Mikhail fight, everything else had be dull.


    Huff.


    Jinhyuk regted his breathing lightly.


    Victory was a foregone conclusion.


    He nned to edit this footage before posting, requiring a high degree of cinematic perfection.


    With those power levels and this terrain arrangement, roughly


    As Jinhyuk sketched out the scene in his mind,


    RumbleRumble!


    Suddenly, a rough energy surged.


    A voice filled with fury followed.


    How dare you be distracted!


    You insolent worm! Ill tear you apart!


    The vampires unleashed their pent-up mana to the limit.


    Their blood-steeped des rushed forward with speed iparable to before; their trajectory was wildly unpredictable, like a snake honing in on its prey.


    Truly, these were strokes of desperation.


    But.


    Did they realize?


    Their very perfection would be their poison.


    If theyd aimed for an arm or leg, it might have been harder, but why stubbornly go for vitals?


    Jinhyuk channeled different kinds of mana into his twin des.


    Calcted without an ounce of error.


    Then, timed perfectly against the iing des.


    Now!


    With a slight twist, Jinhyuks lightning-fast sh intersected them.


    CrackCrack!


    The rapier strikes detonated from front and back subtly deviated as they collided with Jinhyuks des.


    The rapier aiming for the heart from behind slid past the armpit,


    while the one targeting the neck from the front grazed past and extended behind.


    Plunge! Skewer!


    The chilling sound of flesh pierced filled the air.


    Cough


    Ah


    The exmation came not just from pain, but shock at the impossible situation.


    Doubts about what being they were facing assailed them.


    Followed by a sense of reverence for their overwhelming opponent, transcending all other emotions.


    DripDrip!


    Bertyon, with a hole in his heart, copsed onto one knee.


    No vampire, however resilient, could survive a stab to the heart by a de wreathed in Stars Blessing, the bane of their kind.


    He gasped roughly a few times, clinging to life.


    And then, Bertyon fell to the ground for thest time.


    Ding!


    [You have hunted a noble from the Dekasus family residing on the Towers upper floors.]


    [A remarkable achievement has been aplished.]


    [This feat will be recorded in the Hall of Honor for one day.]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    [You have leveled up!]


    Multiple notifications flooded in.


    Even with the enhanced mana from the Soul Essence, downing an upper-floor entity was no mean feat.


    Thus, the value of this aplishmentand the footage itselfwas astronomical.


    I can easily pull in a million coins with this; Ill need to touch it up with some editing before posting in the Hall of Honor.


    Previously, introduction to the Hall of Honor was forced, but now, it was an option.


    The message in the status window confirmed it, stating, You can


    The continued benefits of being in the Hall of Honor should follow. This is happening faster than expected.


    Rik had even subscribed, lowering the cost to 80%, paving a smooth road ahead.


    Coins and leveling up could be dealt withter.


    Priority goes to


    Jinhyuk looked down.


    Belowy Ophelia, breathlessly struggling with injuries.


    Sigh.


    That was a blunder.


    While Bertyon died instantly, Ophelias fatal wound missed by two centimeters.


    The perfect script now had a blemish.


    This is how seasoned yers ruin their reputation.


    Even the most absurd acrobatic feat is to be mastered by essence itself, isnt it?


    Or maybe, this could work out better.


    With things as they were, he could now inquire about several things he was curious about. Originally, he nned to ask Mikhail, but this woman might know something as well.


    Jinhyuk squatted in front of Ophelia.


    Smiling innocently, he gathered mana in one hand.


    [Lv8 Fire Element is activated!]


    mes arose with vigor from his palm.


    As expected.


    The previously sealed fire element skill activated, as if it had never been restrained.


    Having met all copying conditions, the skill seal vanished.


    Now there was nothing left to inhibit him.


    Are you going to torture me with that?


    Ophelias pupils quivered slightly.


    No matter how long-lived a species was, they did not desire pain.


    That depends on you. I have questions, and if you answer honestly, you may keep your life. However, if you choose to remain silent, Ill grant you a deeply immersive experience in advanced methods of torture. Preferably, Id choose thetter. Its less entertaining when ites too easily.


    What do you want to know?


    Your Six Families target location. Where is it?


    That, I cannot


    Ophelia drew a deep breath.


    She couldnt even maintain eye contact, as if hit directly in her most sensitive spot.


    Would you rather remain silent?


    Then, theres no helping it.


    He didnt expect her to open up easily.


    It had been so long since hest used such a method, but if she insisted, he was ready to demonstrate.


    The mes climbed higher.


    Yet, even as the fire drew nearer, Ophelia tightly shut her eyes, her lips sealed.


    Youre quite principled. I respect that.


    Jinhyuks grin grew wider.


    At the same time.


    The mes ferociously consumed the target.


    Ophelia clenched her teeth, expecting excruciating pain.


    But.


    huh?


    The anticipated agony never came.


    It felt peculiar, and just as she realized this,


    Ophelias body wobbled.


    Before she could gain her bnce or even open her eyes, a wave of cold enveloped her head.


    Plunge!


    The ground gave way beneath her, and she found herself plunging into icy water.


    Scream!


    Ophelia screamed, her throat raw.


    Instinctively reaching up, the person above her was, unfortunately, Jinhyuk.


    Oh, what have we here?


    Jinhyuk grasped a branch that had fallen from a coniferous tree.


    He then proceeded to push Ophelias head down.


    Gurgling! Glug!


    Choke! Cough! Cough, hack! Stop it! Stop, you demon!


    Sorry, I cant quite hear you. Could you be a bit clearer and louder?


    PressPress.


    Her crown was particrly tempting.


    There was an odd addictiveness to targeting the center of the crown with a branch.


    If you want, I can do this all day long.


    By the way


    Thats no joke.


    At that moment.


    Wait! Hold on, just wait a moment


    Ophelia finally spoke up.


    Hmm.


    From her mouth spilled the vampires objective, something intriguing enough to warrant aplete reevaluation of his strategy.