Chapter 84

Chapter 84. This is the Price of a Fight (4)

The Mythical Era.

It is the first era that comes to mind when talking about the origin of the world. A time when ‘gods’ resided in everything.

Among them, Dracula, the God of Blood, enjoyed toying with humans.

Beings that looked like gods but were not gods, humans. Watching them live modestly with their meager abilities and gradually develop was Dracula’s pleasure.

When the continent became saturated with humans, he would occasionally manifest and carry out massacres.

That was the highlight. Pretending to be a great being and then killing humans with just a glance was Dracula’s favorite pastime.

[The source of your life force is me. No matter how much you transcend, as long as you are human, you cannot harm me.]

All beings with physical bodies were subject to Dracula’s will to live or die.

Dracula slaughtered humans, waited for them to rebuild, and then destroyed their civilizations, repeating this cycle over centuries.

Then one day, he met a funny human woman. She begged him to spare her village, offering herself as a sacrifice.

It was the first time.

The spirit of ‘sacrifice’ had emerged in humans.

Intrigued by this unprecedented human behavior, Dracula granted her request. He made her his first servant and gave her the name ‘Vampire.’

The first vampire, Elije.

Elije descended into the human world and began spreading her descendants.

To protect humans from Dracula, she taught them the spirit of submission, obedience, and sacrifice. She aimed to save the majority with minimal sacrifice.

Dracula was pleased with the system Elije created. Thanks to her, humans could avoid Dracula’s wrath with minimal sacrifice, as Elije had hoped.

For a thousand years.

A thousand years later, numerous vampires had emerged. They were Elije’s descendants.

However, Elije’s ideology of saving humans had deteriorated, and they began to dominate humans. Without Dracula’s intervention, the vampires treated humans like livestock.

This divine tyranny was not unique to Dracula. Other gods committed similar or even worse acts.

Then came the war that changed history.

Ragnarok.

Gods who cherished humans declared war on gods who oppressed human freedom.

It was a reckless war, but in the end, humans emerged victorious. Many gods were annihilated or sealed under the stigma of being evil gods.

Dracula was no exception.

He was shamefully defeated by a human, a non-divine being.

By a transcendent being who had shed his flesh, a battle machine called ‘Titan’ with cold coolant flowing instead of hot blood.

Thus, Dracula was split into six pieces and sealed, one of which was sealed in Ruquer.

In the form of a blood sword before Keter.

[A human with flesh and blood dares to defile my sacred body. The penalty for this crime is death.]

If Keter had been alone, Dracula might have spared him.

But there were other humans outside. Although they were somewhat lacking, Dracula was not merciful enough to let such arrogant humans live.

Drops of blood formed on the blood sword, evaporating into a thick fog.

Blood Magic, the Fog of Bloodsucking.

Even the slightest touch of this fog would drain one’s blood. Keter, standing in the center of the fog, would turn into a mummy in the blink of an eye.

Or so it should have been…

“What the hell is this?”

*Thud!*

Keter kicked the blood sword with his foot.

The blood sword, embedded in the altar, was dislodged and rolled down the stairs with a *ting, tang* sound.

[What the… How can you be unharmed in the Fog of Bloodsucking?]

“Did you think there was no one in Ruquer who could use Blood Magic?”

Blood Magic, which uses blood as a medium, is infamous for being an undefendable magic.

But Keter knew how to counter it. He had learned it directly from a grandmaster of Blood Magic.

‘You don’t coat the outside of your body, but the inside with mana. If you can do it perfectly, you’re absolutely safe from Blood Magic.’

Easier said than done. Coating the inside of your body with mana is theoretically possible.

If your concentration wavers even slightly while coating your bones, blood vessels, and organs with mana, the mana coating shatters into sharp fragments. You’d self-destruct before Blood Magic could even affect you.

Moreover, you have to maintain that state for a while. Using this defense in real combat is practically gambling.

Yet Keter did it effortlessly.

‘I’m a bit surprised. This guy is different from Apophis or Amaranth.’

Of course, he was a bit surprised inside.

Apophis and Amaranth needed a host to exert their power. But Dracula could manifest his power without a host.

‘In short, he’s become a more troublesome item.’

It wasn’t worry but irritation that rose in Keter. This would lower the selling price!

“I thought it was worth 1 million gold, but it’s only 500,000 gold.”

Having lost 500,000 gold, Keter kicked Dracula again.

Unable to move on his own, Dracula flew through the air and rolled on the ground. He had come to understand Keter a little.

[What do you take me for? Mortal, I am the ruler of life. Become my faithful servant. I will grant you immortality and the mighty power of blood.]

“No thanks.”

[There’s no need to lie. No human would refuse power and authority.]

“Who said I’m refusing? I just don’t need your power.”

[……]

Dracula, who was somewhat meek, closed his mouth. If another human had said that, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.

But Dracula could feel it. The power flowing from Keter’s left arm, a power akin to his own.

He sensed the presence of Amaranth.

[So you’re already a contractor. Now I understand.]

Keter could resist his temptation.

He could remain unharmed in the Fog of Bloodsucking.

And the reason he didn’t desire Dracula was that he had already contracted with another god.

But Dracula didn’t give up. There was something only he could offer.

[Mortal, tell me your name.]

“Keter.”

[Mortal Keter. Don’t you want to leave this place, Ruquer?]

Dracula knew the characteristics of Ruquer, the place where he was sealed.

A place where you can enter but not leave. What would humans living in such a place desire most?

“Hoh?”

Keter pretended to be interested.

Dracula, now full of himself, laughed.

[Hehehe, only I can do it. Because I have a contract with Ruquer. Only I can freely leave this place, Ruquer.]

Wasn’t Ruquer the name of a city?

Dracula’s attitude, treating it as if it were a ‘living being,’ genuinely piqued Keter’s interest this time.

* * *

Ruquer is a place full of secrets.

Why does the gray fog allow people to enter but not leave?

Who founded the city, and why does Queen Lilia know of Ruquer’s existence yet tolerate it?

What lies dozens of meters below the underground?

Keter had once been curious enough to investigate actively.

The conclusion he reached was that it was like an onion. No matter how many layers you peel, secrets keep emerging. Moreover, all these secrets pointed to one person.

The ruler of Ruquer, the Grand Duke.

Not wanting to get entangled with him, Keter stopped digging into Ruquer’s secrets. Besides, Keter had already received an artifact from Basil.

An artifact that allows free passage in and out of Ruquer. It can even mark others to let them leave.

He had felt how extraordinary the artifact was just from the description.

But now, seeing Dracula confidently claim that only he could do it, Keter became curious about the identity of the mother who left this artifact.

‘No need to dig into this.’

What will happen will happen anyway.

Not ignoring, but acknowledging. That’s enough.

The secrets of his mother or Ruquer have nothing to do with the revival of Sephira or the final battle with the Queen.

‘But it’s interesting. Hehe.’

Keter looked down at the blood sword Dracula lying unceremoniously on the ground.

Anyway, this guy is spoils of war. He seems unusable, so he’s spoils to be sold. To do that, he needs to be coaxed and taken out first.

“So, you can really leave Ruquer, right?”

[Rejoice. Lies are the privilege of humans. We are not false beings like you.]

“What do you want from me in return?”

[Swear loyalty. Act for my resurrection. It’s not just for me, but for you too.]

“Hmm, I need time to think. I can’t decide right now.”

[Take your time. But remember, you need my power to leave Ruquer.]

*Swoosh!*

The blood sword turned into a blood mist and wrapped around Keter’s neck, forming a blood-red cross necklace.

*Rumble!*

The labyrinth shook once more. It was a different kind of tremor this time.

[This place will collapse soon. Escape.]

This labyrinth was a place to seal Dracula. With the seal broken, the power maintaining the labyrinth had vanished.

Keter escaped the labyrinth. The mercenaries who were with him had already fled.

*Crash!*

As soon as he left the labyrinth, the ground collapsed. The passage connected to the mercenary vault was buried and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

It was completely gone.

Cork and his labyrinth.

“Clean.”

Keter was satisfied with the perfect cleanup.

Having settled an old grudge and gained the blood sword Dracula as a reward, Keter returned triumphantly to the Mercenary Guild.

Many people were waiting for Keter at the guild. Joyray was there, as was Luke, who had woken up.

Hansen, who had been worried about Keter from the start, and the mercenaries he hired. Mercenaries who knew about the feud between Keter and Cork had all gathered. The guild was so packed it felt suffocating.

“It’s Keter!”

“Keter’s here after all!”

“Hahaha! I told you! Keter would win! Hand over the 10 gold!”

“Branch Manager! Take care of us!”

Everyone knew Keter had gone after Cork. And since Keter had returned, it meant Cork was dead.

No one mourned. Not because Cork deserved to die, but because in Ruquer, life and death weren’t that different.

While the mercenaries flattered Keter, the new branch manager, Joyray spoke to Keter with a serious expression.

“That’s Cork’s legacy.”

The red cross.

Joyray, sensing Dracula’s presence, felt a deep discomfort.

“Are you interested?”

“I can’t help but be interested. You’re now the branch manager of the Ruquer Mercenary Guild.”

He had already acknowledged it, but Joyray publicly declared Keter as the branch manager in front of everyone.

“Hahaha! You did it, Keter! You’re the branch manager!”

Only Luke genuinely congratulated him.

From the mercenaries’ perspective, there wasn’t much to celebrate about Keter becoming branch manager. The previous branch manager, Cork, hadn’t done much good, but he hadn’t been tyrannical either.

On the other hand, Keter was one of Ruquer’s five madmen. With him as branch manager, they were more worried about what he might do.

“You all can leave now.”

Joyray dismissed the mercenaries.

Who would defy a council member? The mercenaries left the guild without a word.

Keter crossed his arms.

“You have business with me, I see?”

“Yes. Not me, though.”

Joyray pointed to the second floor with his finger.

“Go to the reception room. Someone is waiting for you.”

Keter’s eyebrow raised.

A council member of the Mercenary Association using honorifics? It was clear who was waiting in the reception room.

There was only one person in Ruquer who could receive such respect from him.

“You stay here and wait with me.”

Joyray stopped Luke, who was about to follow Keter.

“I’m not a mercenary, so I don’t have to follow your orders.”

“It’s not an order, but advice. I don’t want to see a promising young man go mad and become a wreck.”

“……!”

Luke turned his gaze to Keter.

Keter shrugged and said.

“Kid, it’s too early for you. Listen to the captain.”

“Who are you calling a kid!”

Though he protested, Luke obediently followed Keter’s words.

Leaving the two behind, Keter headed to the second-floor reception room. As he got closer, he felt a strange sensation.

The corridor felt like the mouth of a monster.

*Creak!*

As Keter stood in front of the door, it opened by itself.

In the reception room sat an old man. He looked like a teacher from a rural village teaching children.

“Long time no see—”

Keter bowed respectfully to the old man.

“Grand Duke.”

The old man was the ruler of Ruquer, ‘Grand Duke Alkione.’