134 – The Kingdom Where the Sun Does Not Rise – 4

Regardless of gender, vampires liked beautiful people.

This was the reason why Ye-min, who had suddenly dropped from the sky, received an excessive amount of attention from them.

However, at the same time, this was proof to the vampires that Ye-min was not an ally, but a very tempting prey.

Naturally, Ye-min had also infiltrated the expedition knowing this from the beginning.

Just as she intended, she had made all the vampires scattered throughout the expedition—which had gathered and joined from all over Gratia—target her.

They wanted Ye-min so badly that a blatant war of nerves had even broken out among the vampires.

“Today, blood splattered for the first time. You didn’t see it, Noona, so you don’t know. In my eyes, they’re all definitely Unique-grade, but wow—it was seriously cutthroat.”

Eun-shin, who had returned after scouting the status of the vampires using his unique skill famous for never being detected by anyone since the tutorial days, shook his head in amazement as he spoke about the literally blood-splattering, fierce competition going on among the vampires.

However, Ye-min replied nonchalantly, as if she had expected it.

“To the point of drawing each other’s blood? Then it’s certain; the trap isn’t far off. It will be decided either tonight or at dawn tomorrow.”

Her reasoning was entirely logical.

Since they were planning to lead the entire expedition into a trap soon, wouldn’t they have to somehow steal her away and make her theirs before then?

Eun-shin asked, dumbfounded by Ye-min’s attitude, which was nothing short of calm despite knowing she was being targeted in many ways.

“Aren’t you even scared, Noona?”

“What’s there to be scared of? It was the same back on Earth, with plenty of guys acting crazy just to hit on me. Back then, the only ones I could rely on were my parents or the police, but now, it’s actually better since I can smash those bastards’ heads in myself.”

If someone was excessively popular with the opposite sex from too young an age—so popular that daily life became difficult—they would easily grow to avoid the opposite sex rather than enjoy the attention or become arrogant.

In Ye-min’s case, it was so extreme that she had already lost all expectation and interest in not just men, but humanity in general, before she even passed puberty.

And after leaving the tutorial and coming to Leta, she had realized that other races were not much different from humans.

It was not particularly surprising, though.

Naturally, she had no intention of bringing up this kind of talk in front of Gi-jun.

She couldn’t afford to give Gi-jun the impression that she rejected men for no reason, after all.

“Noona, are you some kind of femme fatale?”

“If you say that in front of Jun-i oppa, we’re both dead.”

Soon, very soon, she would be able to finish this mission and return to Gi-jun’s side.

She absolutely hated being separated for days when they had barely reunited, but she had to establish a perfect achievement so that he would never even think of sending her away from his side.

She shook her head to erase the image of Gi-jun that came to mind every time she closed her eyes—along with the other women appearing next to him—and tidied her hair to look neat.

Makeup? A woman who wore makeup on the battlefield was either an empty-headed fool or, conversely, a powerful figure who had no need to care about anything, but she was neither.

‘Especially in the current situation, it is out of the question.’

Naturally, she could not blatantly pretend to seduce them.

She had no intention of giving the vampires the impression that she was an easy woman, after all.

If they rashly came at her, she would have to kill them, and then the entire plan would go to ruin.

What she wanted was a clean sweep—the moment the vampires harbored desire for her, letting their guard down as they viewed her as prey rather than an enemy, she would sweep them all away.

‘Good, that’s done.’

If she acted reasonably clever, showed moderate ambition, and presented a slightly vulnerable yet highly attractive image,

Fools who thought they were the greatest usually fell under the illusion that they stood a chance against her.

Those who had lived their entire lives as predators, like the vampires, were even more prone to it.

“It’s supply time, right?”

“Yes, very soon.”

Ye-min was utilizing the supply distribution to raise her standing among the expedition members.

Actually, the mere fact that the vampires, who were the main axis of the expedition, treated Ye-min with preference and cared for her was enough to place her above the other expedition members; however, what she wanted was to take the helm and guide the expedition when the vampires were wiped out.

It was a task that had to be done to minimize the chaos after the situation was settled and to escape the vampires’ trap.

—However.

“Ye-min…!”

“Since strength doesn’t work, are you trying to use your face instead now?”

“I’m sick and tired of looking at your face.”

The reaction from the Earthlings belonging to the expedition was not very positive.

And that was only natural, because unlike in the first round when she had acted virtually as the representative of all Earthlings, she had been akin to a tyrant in the second round.

Of course, since the fact that they were able to hunt the Demon King because of her remained unchanged, many Earthlings still respected and acknowledged her; however, among those with mediocre talent and achievements, there were many who believed they had been deprived of their opportunity to grow because of her.

Coincidentally, in this expedition—which had a hurdle too high for weak Earthlings to participate in, yet was clearly a trap for ridiculously talented Earthlings to join—there were far too many of those ‘mediocre people.’

“I have always acted for the sake of Earthlings, and that will remain the same in the future.”

Of course, there was no way the words of such mediocre people could leave even a single scratch on Ye-min.

“No matter what you think, that is an unchangeable fact. Above all, the system is designed that way.”

Wouldn’t it be better to recognize that there was already an insurmountable difference in standing, starting from the fact that they were on the receiving end of supplies while she was the one distributing them?

Suppressing her desire to snap at them like that, Ye-min dealt with them half-heartedly and sent them away.

Although the backlash from the Earthlings, who were a mere minority compared to the total number of the expedition, was not worth worrying about, she had to care about the gazes of the countless other expedition members who would be watching this scene from afar.

―You guys have inventories. So why do you need this kind of supply distribution?

Lucy, who had returned from scouting the entire expedition to see if there were any vampires completely hiding their identity even from Ye-min, tilted her head and asked as she watched her distribute supplies.

Although it was slightly bothersome that Lucy could materialize in an adult size, Ye-min, who had been thinking it was better to build a good relationship since she was Gi-jun’s spirit after all, replied to her question quite cooperatively.

“Because it’s not just the Summoned who make up the expedition. And the Summoned won’t refuse what they can get, either.”

Of course, the amount of supplies given to the Summoned was far smaller than what was given to the Letans.

And in the case of the Summoned, they tended to take auxiliary items needed for marching and combat, such as bandages, potions, or tents, rather than food.

“But the more important purpose is to show off to many people that this expedition is prestigious enough to carry out large-scale supply distributions. You could say it is a task to increase trust in the expedition.”

―In the end, you’re saying all of this is just for show! Honestly, everyone is just so black-hearted. Ah, I want to return to our pure contractor’s side quickly…!

“Jun-i oppa might be a bit… too pure.”

Recalling the image of the man who had worried about her joining the expedition until the very end, yet failed to realize the true reason she had thrown herself into such a dangerous mission, Ye-min wore a somewhat faint smile.

Lucy replied, narrowing her eyes at her words.

―Our contractor just needs to remain pure until the end. Dirty work is for other people to take care of.

“Right, I think so too. That’s why I volunteered for this kind of work.”

Ye-min’s goal had not changed since the moment she started the second round of the tutorial.

In the end, the person who could save everyone was someone like Gi-jun.

She would make him a Hero.

Not a Hero who was merely handed an appointment letter by some empire or other grand faction.

But a Hero who saved the world in the truest sense.

―’This kind of work’? What, do you also harbor other thoughts? If it is something that makes our contractor sad, I can never tolerate it.

Although she could not release her energy for fear that the vampires might notice, the emotion emitted by the spirit who had already reached the legendary realm became a sharp pressure in itself, pressing down on Ye-min’s shoulders.

However, she scoffed instead under the crushing pressure.

“I am here to make sure that doesn’t happen. I… I have already sworn to devote my everything to him.”

―That’s a lie. You just want to be loved by the contractor by showing him that you are giving him your everything.

At Lucy’s ruthless call-out, Ye-min could not help but frown.

As expected, it was impossible to become close with this spirit.

Since both of their feelings for Gi-jun were too great, and their own desires were just as large, they could not help but clash.

“Yeah, so is that wrong?”

―I wasn’t judging right or wrong, you know? I was just telling you to distinguish clearly between the end and the means.

Lucy spoke with a smile, as if she understood Ye-min’s heart.

―Because I am the same. I can do anything to receive the contractor’s love. A love that is eternal enough to overcome even death—and so enchanting, so intense. That is like the light that constitutes me.

“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you are talking about, but… fine, since you’re opening up so honestly, I have something I want to consult you about, too.”

―Consultation. A consultation about something other than dealing with the vampires, right?

“Yeah. …You’ve expected it to some extent, haven’t you?”

―Like the fact that there would be no need for you to go through all this trouble if it were just about dealing with the vampires of this expedition?

She had worried about what she would do if the spirit was stubborn and blindly good just like Gi-jun.

Fortunately, this spirit was much wiser and more realistic than she had thought.

Ye-min wore a bitter smile at the situation, which was working out more easily than she had expected.

“Then listen. After we deal with the vampires—.”

* * *

Those who hadn’t experienced Gi-jun’s Luminescent Provocation firsthand wouldn’t know.

Although its rank was still only Unique, because its attribute was light, it transcended a rank and affected a vampire of none other than the Legendary grade!

“Th-that vulgar light! In our castle, guests are not allowed to turn on lights as they please!”

Showing just how annoying Gi-jun’s presence was, the bastard rushed toward him, tearing apart the ghouls overflowing toward Gi-jun with his own claws.

A situation that even Patum had not dared to predict.

Ji-hye, who had been waiting for the right moment, concentrated her mana with all her might, creating dozens of crackling lightning chains that stretched through the air.

Naturally, it was her original magic.

“Bind him!”

“How dare a lowly human like you—!”

However, even if Ji-hye’s status was lowly, her magic was anything but.

Normally, if there was a difference in species rank, one was bound to be pushed back due to the difference in status even if their stats were the same.

―Pababababak!

―Kwajijik!

The lightning chains she created collided with the blood stakes the bastard had widely scattered, canceling out most of them, and the remainder rushed forward, wriggling like snakes—ultimately wrapping around and binding one of his legs.

Furthermore, it even strongly discharged electricity, further hindering his movements!

“What?!”

“Well done!”

Although he had also felt like testing his defense against someone who claimed to be a ‘Legendary’ with his own mouth,

Gi-jun took a powerful step forward, thrusting forward the blood-colored fangs that had formed over his shield.

At first glance, it looked similar to the blood magic wielded by their enemies, but its essence was strictly light.

Sensing that he could not break free from Ji-hye’s chains in a short time, the vampire gathered his blood power to create a shield—―Boom!

“Kyahak!”

“Now!”

Unable to completely offset the impact of the collision with Gi-jun, the vampire vomited blood as he was sent flying back; caught midway by Ji-hye’s chains, he shook helplessly like an inflatable doll.

Above him, Tilla appeared, and below him, Patum.

“I’m sending him down, so catch him!”

“I know without you telling me!”

The whip of fire lashed out by Tilla wrapped tightly around the vampire, slamming him to the ground, and dozens of high-heat fireballs she had conjured rained down in succession on top of him.

“Aaaaaaaargh!”

A battle between warriors who had reached the same legendary realm was usually decided by ‘who allowed an opening first’; the vampire, who could not even muster a proper defense with his blood power against Ji-hye and Gi-jun’s combo attack, was hit by Tilla’s attack as well, leaving him exposed with his defense infinitely close to zero.

To what?

To the greatsword thrust by Patum.

―Kwaaaaang!

“Whew.”

Patum, who had thrust his greatsword with all his might, successfully split the vampire’s head; he smiled as he recovered the red gem left behind from among the remains that were turning to ashes and scattering.

“I wondered why he went out of his way to claim to be a legend himself, but it turns out he was just a bastard who barely had a foot in the door.”

“Is that so? No wonder he felt weak.”

“But even so, he was still a legend.”

Stating this firmly, Patum stared at Gi-jun and, especially, Ji-hye, before speaking.

“They are good party members. You had better cherish them.”

“Of course I’m cherishing them.”

“He-hehet. You don’t have to go that far.”

“To think there would be a Legendary-grade enemy right from the entrance of the castle…”

“Ugh, I didn’t even dare to move.”

While Ji-hye felt somewhat embarrassed, Gin and Lora grit their teeth, realizing their own shortcomings.

The reason Patum had just praised Ji-hye was that, while her ability was indeed impressive, she had succeeded in creating a role for herself through quick judgment of the situation.

On the other hand, Gin and Lora had failed to find the timing to cut in while the party was frantically overwhelming the vampire, and were instead merely slicing down the surrounding ghouls.

“You guys did well, too. If you hadn’t cleared the ghouls quickly, we wouldn’t have been able to focus solely on him.”

“That is… thank you, Jun-nim.”

“I’ll become… stronger.”

Although the two were not entirely convinced despite Gi-jun’s praise, he was completely sincere.

The Lord of Thorns had likely carried out this scheme to defeat them individually, as they possessed formidable power, and to hold down Patum, who was their strongest force, in the meantime—but because Gi-jun’s party resisted the space teleportation, they had instead quickly obliterated one of the vampires.

―Your level has increased by 2, reaching level 84! Strength (U) increased by 1, Dexterity (L) by 1, Endurance (L) by 2, Light Mana (L) by 1, and Spiritual Power (L) by 1!

―The Strength (U) stat has reached its limit!

―You have wiped out a vampire who reached the legendary realm together with the Hero of Light! A positive modifier is given to [The Last Hero (L)] title! A highly positive modifier is given to the [Vampire Hunter (R)] title, and its effect grows!

―Your level has increased by 2, reaching level 84! Strength (U) increased by 1, Dexterity (L) by 1, Endurance (L) by 2, Light Mana (L) by 1, and Spiritual Power (L) by 1!

―The Strength (U) stat has reached its limit!

―You have wiped out a vampire who reached the legendary realm together with the Hero of Light! A positive modifier is given to [The Last Hero (L)] title! A highly positive modifier is given to the [Vampire Hunter (R)] title, and its effect grows!

Just then, a system message appeared, proving that the vampire they had defeated was of the Legendary grade.

For Gi-jun, whose level was now high enough that it ended with only rising by two levels—the other members, except for Tilla, were experiencing highly intense, consecutive level-ups.

“Oh, I leveled up too. As expected of a Legendary-grade enemy.”

“Same here. Once you reach the legendary realm, you have to risk your life just to find an opponent who can make you grow. In that sense, it is good to be a Hero. Because powerful enemies pop out relentlessly.”

After speaking, Patum held up the red gem and declared that the distribution would be done after all the battles were over.

Just as they were about to set out to find the next target to increase their rewards further,

―One of the quest objectives has been achieved, amplifying the rewards of the Grand Quest. You have obtained 25,000 points as a reward for achieving the objective.

―One of the quest objectives has been achieved, amplifying the rewards of the Grand Quest. You have obtained 25,000 points as a reward for achieving the objective.

Messages that had not finished yet popped up in front of Gi-jun’s eyes one after another.

―You have accumulated 1 million Leta points! With the authority of the civilization representative, you can now unlock the first civilization skill!

―You have accumulated 1 million Leta points! With the authority of the civilization representative, you can now unlock the first civilization skill!

Along with the existence of the civilization skill, which he had not even been aware of.