50 – My Miseries – 5

“This…”

—The earring…

Gi-jun and Lucy let out dumbfounded voices in unison.

One of the earrings, which they had certainly burned together, was somehow remaining in that spot, coated strangely in red and black.

Although it was impossible to know how that was possible—it was radiating an energy so strong that it made one wonder if it had perhaps absorbed the energy of the Orc’s greatsword.

—Let’s burn it, Contractor.

Lucy made a bold suggestion, but Gi-jun picked it up with a bitter smile.

Lucy cried out in fright.

—Ah, why!

‘Should I tell you the truth, or make something up?’

—Tell me the truth!

‘I’m afraid it might chase after me even if I leave it behind, so I’d rather just pick it up now.’

—That’s really honest…

Although the woman’s grudge might have been resolved, the circumstances under which this earring was born in the first place were what they were.

Although the energy contained within it was definitely powerful, a terribly uncomfortable vibe hovered around it, making him not even dare to wear it; Gi-jun did not even dare to check its information and threw it straight into his inventory.

‘From now on, we don’t know anything about any earring.’

—Yeah!

—Kiiit!

—…Fufu.

One human and two spirits desperately ignored the alluring laughter that echoed in their ears.

“Is it over, Jun?”

“Yeah, it’s over.”

Meanwhile, the Orcs, who had been quietly standing their ground, approached him only after hearing that it was all over.

Chabanbesh had retrieved even the Dullahan’s head, which was caught in the mid-air trap before he knew it, and handed it to him.

Accepting it, Gi-jun felt his mood improve at least a little at the upright appearance of the Orcs and spoke.

“But the dungeon isn’t over yet. Follow me, let’s find the dungeon’s rewards.”

“That’s right! The dungeon’s rewards are left!”

“We will follow you to the ends of the earth, Jun!”

Shouting with high spirits, the Orcs were already as cheerful as if Tolchi had never existed.

Perhaps they were being considerate of Gi-jun, but if so, he was only more grateful.

As Gi-jun was smiling faintly while looking at them, he suddenly noticed something else lying on the ground.

It was not left by Tolchi, but by the vampire who had burned and collapsed under Gi-jun’s strike earlier.

“This is…?”

—It looks like a map of the dungeon’s interior?

Lucy, who examined the paper Gi-jun picked up, raised her voice in wonder.

Gi-jun also knew about it.

That when defeating a named monster or mid-boss of a dungeon, a map containing all the information of the dungeon would drop with a low probability.

Since all the dungeon’s secret passages and traps, as well as the clear conditions and hidden rewards, were laid bare on it, once obtained, a perfect clear of the dungeon was practically guaranteed.

“But to think this really drops…”

Although Gi-jun had explored the dungeons relatively well so far thanks to the help of spirits and spiritual power, even that had its limits.

In cases where things were purely and structurally well-hidden without being related to spiritual power, there was no guarantee that even he could find them.

Yet, as if knowing that, the vampire had left behind a wonderful gift before departing.

Of course, since an overflow had occurred in this dungeon once, and the dungeon boss had died outside, the internal situation might be a little different, but…

Just by knowing all the traps and hidden rewards, the remaining conquest was as easy as pie!

He smacked his lips and shouted toward the Orcs.

“Let’s go!”

“Follow Jun!”

They immediately left that unlucky spot and continued their dungeon exploration.

There were unexpectedly many battles they faced after that, but the Orcs said it was a good opportunity, left Gi-jun alone, and stepped forward themselves to deal with the undead.

“It seems that guy had cleaned up the path we took earlier.”

“We can do this on our own, Jun! Please watch us!”

Could it be that they were deeply impressed by Gi-jun’s military might, which had burned the vampire in an instant and overwhelmingly cornered and killed Tolchi?

Or was it because Tolchi, whom they had secretly respected, had shown his rock-bottom and died?

The Orcs, who were already passionate, were now trying to fight the monsters as if they were risking their very lives on the battle.

Although Gi-jun smiled bitterly, he did not step in unless it looked like they were really going to die, and simply watched the battle.

—Crunch!

How much further did they go into the dungeon like that? Gi-jun, who had cleanly destroyed a hidden trap after checking the map in his hand, looked at a stone wall that was completely blocked off, nodded, and spoke.

“It seems beyond this is the secret space. Get ready, Orcs.”

“No, Jun. We will not go beyond this.”

However, the Orcs, who had stepped forward bravely until now, suddenly stepped back firmly upon reaching this point.

“If a battle awaits beyond this, it would be an enemy we could never face, and I do not want to become a weak Orc who is merely protected by Jun.”

“If there is a hidden treasure, we cannot go even more so. It is because exploring the dungeon and avoiding all the traps was all thanks to you.”

“I agree. We are grateful just for the fact that Jun has led us and allowed us to accumulate so much experience until now.”

“Thanks to Jun, our levels rose. An Orc who desires more than this would have their belly burst and die.”

It seemed the Orcs were already certain that what lay beyond this was a ‘reward.’

Kipuz spoke to Gi-jun, who was smiling bitterly.

“If you just come back and tell us that it was beautiful, we will be satisfied with that.”

Now that fellow was even reciting poetry.

Unable to overcome the Orcs’ stubbornness, Gi-jun ended up nodding.

“All right. I will go alone.”

“We will keep watch on the surroundings.”

He wondered why Tolchi was like that when they were all such simple, upright, and good guys.

Could it be that even that guy once had a time of innocence like Chabanbesh or Kipuz?

Wasting time on such a worthless thought, Gi-jun turned his gaze to the wall in front of him with a bitter smile.

—It looks like just a stone wall to me?

‘If even Lucy couldn’t tell, I really would have just skipped it if it weren’t for the map.’

Since the boss had already been caught, he would have likely thought there was no other reward and just walked back out.

If there were bad things, there were bound to be good things as well.

He composed his breathing while quietly thinking such thoughts.

Thrusting his shield forward, he cast Moonlight Blood Fangs to amplify the power contained in the shield.

He charged straight ahead and delivered a Shield Bash to the wall!

—Crash!

As the stone wall collapsed, the structure hidden behind it revealed itself.

It was something like a large tank standing vertically.

Strangely, it was filled with blood, which did not spill onto the floor but maintained its shape as if it were frozen in place.

Lucy gagged upon looking at it.

—Disgusting, this is definitely no ordinary blood. It’s clearly blood, but the fact that there is no smell of blood at all is even more suspicious!

—Kiiii…

Since even Ur frowned while looking at it, the suspiciousness was already at its peak.

Looking at the tank filled with blood, Gi-jun ended up realizing what he had to do.

It looked like a repulsive structure at first glance, but that was a lock.

A lock that could only be opened with a specific key.

“The estoc dropped by the boss must be the key.”

—What, then no one but the Contractor could have entered?

Perhaps if another vampire who was of the ‘Thorn Lord’s Bloodline’ came, they might be able to enter, but at least for now, they did not seem to have come.

At this point, Gi-jun hesitated slightly again.

Although he could not compare to the Earth’s regressors who had experienced the same world twice, Gi-jun was also someone who had explored the Other World for fifteen years through the tutorial.

The experience engraved in his body through progressing quests and exploring dungeons was telling him.

That this was highly likely to be the start of a linked quest leading from the overflow.

—Of course we have to open it! What is there to worry about if the opponents are vampires? Since this Lady Lucy is stuck right by the Contractor’s side!

—Kii!

Following Lucy’s confident words, Ur also cried out loudly, asserting his existence.

Indeed, even when he fought the boss the night before last, Gi-jun had completely chewed him up through compatibility.

Light that vanquished the undead, and flames that burned away the vampire’s blood.

Moreover, because of the effect of ‘The Last Hero,’ Gi-jun’s abilities were even amplified against dark/evil-attributed boss monsters, so if one were to name the archenemy of vampires, he had the confidence to be counted as the very first.

If they were to discuss it further, even his race and class were like poison to vampires—so there was certainly no need to fear vampires.

‘The reason I hesitated was that I was a bit sad that I might have to leave right away, even though I had finally managed to settle down in Turis.’

—Our Contractor really is a big shot.

—Kii.

Of course, it was a pointless worry.

Because after checking the quest, if he felt it was advantageous to leave Turis immediately, he would leave, and if he felt he could stay, he would stay.

Ultimately, Gi-jun nodded firmly and inserted the blood sword he drew from his inventory into the tank.

With a plop, a nasty sound echoed as the blood sword was slowly submerged in the tank, and dozens of thorns sprouted from it, piercing various parts of the tank.

Seeing how that appearance was quite regular, it seemed that a code to unlock the tank was indeed engraved on the blood sword.

—Fufu…

No, why are you laughing so creepily at this timing?

At this moment, the blood in the tank drained away completely, and the sword revealed itself again.

Bringing with it an entirely unexpected result.

Although the blade was still blood-red, it now had a unique luster that sparkled transparently as if it were a gem rather than metal, and seeing the sword evolve when he couldn’t even use it anyway made Gi-jun feel twisted inside.

[(True) Thorn Lord’s Blood Sword (Unique+)]

[Durability — 5,000/5,000]

[Attack Power (U) — 99+]

[Option 1 — Mana, Blood Power increased by 7]

[Option 2 — Causes the blood on the sword to sprout thorns, and its power is amplified by special blood magic.]

[Option 3 — Depending on the charge of blood, a single thrust can deliver dozens of stabs simultaneously.]

[Equip Restriction — Possession of ‘Thorn Lord’s Bloodline’ Title]

[A thrust-only sword bestowed by a wicked and great vampire upon his bloodline. This is a token and a key for the bloodline, and only one is awarded to a single person regardless of rank. The true blood of a vampire and special blood have permanently combined, miraculously revealing the hidden power of the sword. If another miracle were to occur, a legendary treasure that even the original owner who bestowed the sword would covet might be completed.]

[(True) Thorn Lord’s Blood Sword (Unique+)]

[Durability — 5,000/5,000]

[Attack Power (U) — 99+]

[Option 1 — Mana, Blood Power increased by 7]

[Option 2 — Causes the blood on the sword to sprout thorns, and its power is amplified by special blood magic.]

[Option 3 — Depending on the charge of blood, a single thrust can deliver dozens of stabs simultaneously.]

[Equip Restriction — Possession of ‘Thorn Lord’s Bloodline’ Title]

[A thrust-only sword bestowed by a wicked and great vampire upon his bloodline. This is a token and a key for the bloodline, and only one is awarded to a single person regardless of rank. The true blood of a vampire and special blood have permanently combined, miraculously revealing the hidden power of the sword. If another miracle were to occur, a legendary treasure that even the original owner who bestowed the sword would covet might be completed.]

“No.”

Seriously, what is this.

And what is a plus attached to a Unique?

Even if the plain rice cake in a drawing evolves into a honey rice cake, it’s still just a drawing all the same!

—Ah, the space is opening!

As Gi-jun, who had retrieved the sword, was making a displeased expression, Lucy, who was observing the changes on his behalf, shouted.

The tank went inside, and the empty wall split to the left and right, revealing a fairly wide space.

Gi-jun cleared his throat with a ‘Ahem’ and stepped into the room.

—Wow, it’s dazzling…!

The first thing that came into view was gold coins piled on one side.

They looked similar to the Leta common gold coins he had received from the lord yesterday, and at a glance, the amount seemed similar to or even greater than the gold coins in the chest he had received earlier.

Perhaps they considered silver coins to be of inferior quality, as they did not deal with them at all.

Nothing but gold coins!

“Fortunately, I’ll be able to save face with the Orcs as well.”

—Don’t give them too much because they might get spoiled, so just give them a little.

“If I give them too much, they will get angry instead. I will only give them an understandable amount.”

Gi-jun packed all the gold coins into his inventory.

Other than that, there were many items like gem-studded daggers, necklaces, rings, and bracelets, and although he searched through them hoping that artifacts might be mixed in, they were just expensive gem ornaments.

—Still, Contractor, this… I don’t know for sure, but it won’t be less valuable than the gold coins. They are all good items for enchanting.

“You really act just like you look, vampire bastard. You absolute bourgeois!”

Somehow, he should have caught on from the moment the guy showed up wearing a frock coat, which was troublesome to wear.

That bastard was truly a noble!

It was not as if Gi-jun disliked money.

He could not suppress his fluttering heart as he thought of the linked quest that might be waiting for him.

He neatly packed away the gems while indulging in pleasant delusions, and by that time Lucy called him.

—Contractor, this.

“Ah… a skill book. To think even I get to obtain something like this.”

The secret space of a Unique-grade dungeon was indeed generous.

Discovering a red booklet carefully kept inside a valuables case, Gi-jun instinctively realized that this was the greatest reward of this dungeon and reached out his hand with tension.

[Blood Thorn ()]

[Secret Magic Book (Unique)]

[A book that compiles high-level blood magic, the method of sprouting and controlling thorns of blood. If studied deeply, one will be able to cast off the limitations of their race.]

[Acquisition Restriction — One who has learned intermediate blood magic, or one who has inherited Unique-grade blood power, or one who has mastered Legendary-grade dark-attributed mana, or one who has realized Epic-grade mana]

[Blood Thorn ()]

[Secret Magic Book (Unique)]

[A book that compiles high-level blood magic, the method of sprouting and controlling thorns of blood. If studied deeply, one will be able to cast off the limitations of their race.]

[Acquisition Restriction — One who has learned intermediate blood magic, or one who has inherited Unique-grade blood power, or one who has mastered Legendary-grade dark-attributed mana, or one who has realized Epic-grade mana]

Although it looked like an amazing skill no matter how he looked at it.

The only gain Gi-jun obtained from this item was the fact that there seemed to be a grade called Epic above the Legendary grade.

Gi-jun cleanly discarded any lingering regrets about the new skill and threw it into his inventory.

“That’s just my luck.”

—The Contractor doesn’t need to learn this kind of gloomy ability. You have me!

“That’s right, Lucy. You’re the best. Do you want some brown sugar?”

—Yeah!

—Kiit!

He turned around wondering if Ur was also asking for brown sugar, but that was not the case.

Instead of Lucy and Gi-jun, who were distracted by the rewards and such, the fellow had been diligently searching for evidence of the quest.

As he went to where the fellow led, not to mention a luxurious bed, sofa, and furniture set prepared on one side—a pile of letters stacked on one side of the desk came right into view.

“Good job, Ur. It looks like this is the core…”

He picked up a few letters and sat down, leaning comfortably against the sofa, only to be startled.

The feeling of his body sinking into the fluffiness was extremely good!

It was impossible to imagine just how much money and magic had been plastered to make it.

—Contractor.

Lucy, who had buried herself in the sofa just like him, spoke in a serious voice.

—They say even if you hate the nobility, don’t hate luxury. Let’s take all of this. It fits in the inventory, right?

“That is a statement that pierces the core of the conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Even Mr. Marx would probably agree.”

Every proletarian hated the bourgeoisie, but when the opportunity to become a bourgeois themselves arose, they would never miss it.

Of course, Gi-jun and Lucy, who were no exceptions to that, and Ur as a bonus, enjoyed feeling like the bourgeoisie for a moment before finally opening and reading the letters.

And he learned not only how to enter the vampire kingdom hidden in the sub-space, but also the plan for a grand invasion of the Gratia Kingdom by the vampire forces, scheduled for one year from now.

Save me.

* * *

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Jun?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Jjun?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): (This message has been deleted.)]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): (This message has been deleted.)]

……

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): (This message has been deleted.)]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Did you win? You won, right? See, what did I tell you? I said you would win no matter what, didn’t I?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): What are the dozens of deleted messages in front? You know what I would say, right?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): No, what do you mean overreacting? I was just a little worried, okay? I had a drink and was bored, so I just called you, that’s all.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): A Plus grade? Wow, that’s really rare, and you got it? That’s a semi-guaranteed item. Find a way to grow it somehow. If it’s Unique Plus, it will become Legendary, awesome.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): …It’s a vampire-exclusive item?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): You clashed with the Thorn Lord’s forces, not just any ordinary vampires?!]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): No, you crazy bastard, what do you mean vampire kingdom! You just stay glued right there! Don’t go out and do weird things for no reason!]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): They might come looking for you? Ah, ah! Ahh!]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Up to a year? Ha… Where did you say you are now? Turis of Gratia? Understood, so just stay there and quietly breathe.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Rift): One year, okay.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Rift): Noona will go there within that time.]