Solo Max-Level Newbie – Pure Blood

Chapter 19: Vampire Baron ‘Garbiten de Rohar’ (2)

Frankenstein commanded the army of undead, while the raiding forces of the three major guilds stood against him.

As the battle reached its peak, there was no longer any room to care about allies.

Just surviving against the enemy right before their eyes was already too much to handle.

“Before we begin, let me tell you something.”

Garbiten spoke, turning toward Yohan, who had at some point drawn out the “Sacred Flame.”

“Those priests called you an Inquisitor or a Stigmata bearer. But I’ve met a real Inquisitor before.”

The hounds of the Church, who manifested the blessing of God to fight.

Granted overwhelming power and divine protection, they were the torches of dawn that banished the darkness.

“Of course, judging by how you handle that flame, I’ll admit you have some depth in divine power. However, you’re not the real thing.”

The sneer filled with scorn carried an unshakable confidence of victory.

So, he was trying to demoralize his opponent while glorifying himself.

In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to hit him back with some facts.

“You’re right. I’m not a real Inquisitor. I’ve just been milking that role for a bit of comfort. But I can guarantee one thing — even if you’ve met an Inquisitor, you’ve never actually fought one.”

“Oh? And why do you think that?”

“Because if you had, you’d already be dead.”

At Garbiten’s level, he wouldn’t even be able to breathe before being torn to pieces by a true Inquisitor.

For now, some unknown force had clearly elevated his rank, allowing him to act as though he was composed.

“You don’t even know how to flatter people, huh? Fine then. I’ll see if you can keep that same attitude after all your comrades are dead and the world is dyed red.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Hah! Are you talking about those Paladins? Since I’ve taken the field personally, Frankenstein’s power has increased beyond all comparison. No matter how strong your Paladins are…”

“I wasn’t talking about the Paladins. Unfortunately for you, your men happened to mess with the tent he was in.”

And with that, Yohan finished his sentence.

Wooooong!

A brilliant light burst forth in streams.

[Seo Changhee activates ‘Realm of the Savior’!]

Pure white pillars filled the garden.

The descending beams of light were beautiful, awe-inspiring, and above all, pure.

That—

was a divinity of an entirely different kind.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

The lower undead were erased instantly.

Though not divine power, that mysterious energy displayed perfect superiority over the undead.

Even without being fully awakened, to unleash such power—

That was why the protagonist was always such a broken character.

His natural talents went far, far beyond any reasonable measure.

‘If he hadn’t been born like that, maybe his personality or ego wouldn’t have twisted so much.’

Because he was strong.

Because he was overflowing with talent.

He couldn’t help but believe that he was the only one capable of saving the world.

That was why, even when he acted like a troll, he still firmly believed it was the right path.

Well, for now at least, his presence was helpful.

In fact, Garbiten’s face was now filled with visible agitation and fear.

＊

“Those white rays…”

That power was dangerous.

If left unchecked, it would threaten not only the garden but even himself.

Then there was only one answer—

To finish the ‘Feast’ as quickly as possible and grow even stronger.

[Garbiten activates ‘Blood Field’!]

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!

A massive surge of blood erupted, surrounding both Garbiten and Yohan.

The outside world was completely shut off.

The thick, rich blood began to play a sweet symphony.

“It’s a special kind of blood that suppresses divine power.”

For Paladins or priests, it was the equivalent of poison.

But for a vampire, this was the perfect stage to unleash his power to the fullest.

However—

‘What?’

Seeing Yohan’s expression, Garbiten tilted his head.

Normally, in this situation, a panicked Paladin would desperately try to break through the Blood Field.

Or, crushed by the difference in strength, would give up and beg for his life.

Yes.

That was the normal reaction.

Yet—

He was smiling.

As if the storming droplets of blood were nothing more than delicious prey.

And almost at that same instant—

The surrounding blood began to flow toward Yohan.

The power Garbiten had been controlling so perfectly just moments ago began slipping out of his grasp.

“W-what—?!”

An earthquake ran through Garbiten’s pupils.

Of course it did.

Because the scene that followed shattered his entire understanding of reality.

Pachuchuchu!

Hundreds of spikes filled the air, encircling Yohan protectively.

All of them were forged by reversing the absorption of Garbiten’s own blood.

A Baron-class vampire, huh…

Yohan let out a faint chuckle.

“Cute.”

[Bloodline Ability ‘Blood Spears’ is activated!]

Dozens of sharp spearheads all pointed toward a single target.

In addition, blood-forged spheres rose around them, while a massive hexagram unfolded behind Yohan’s back as if to support him.

Attack and defense.

A formation of annihilation that encompassed both.

It was an overwhelming difference in class.

Shiver…

Garbiten de Rohar—

Born into the House of Rohar, he had been granted the title of “Baron” upon coming of age and later became the Lord of the Withered Garden.

But without question, this was the first time in his entire life he had ever felt such fear.

“H-how… even after I restricted your divine power, how can this be… no, more importantly, what are you…?”

His trembling words trailed off.

He considered countless possibilities, yet he couldn’t make sense of Yohan’s identity.

Yohan slowly raised his hand.

The crimson spikes and spheres surrounding him twitched, ready to be launched at any moment.

“Using the Blood Field was your mistake. Thanks to it, no one can see us—and I’ve been generously supplied with mana.”

Though far weaker than the Essence of Dragon’s Blood, the lifetime’s worth of blood from a Baron-class vampire was still more than enough to fuel his abilities.

“If you kill me, the Count’s household won’t stay silent. Even you won’t survive if you lay hands on the ‘Crimson Crescent’!”

Ah, so he was trying to threaten him by invoking the name of the ‘Crimson Crescent,’ an organization of high-ranking nobles.

But Garbiten had no idea.

That within Ataraxia existed a True Ancestor far beyond any vampire his count could ever serve—

and that there existed the strongest bloodline, descended directly from her.

“Too bad. I doubt they’d bother to move just because someone killed a mere Baron.”

If you’re going to threaten someone, at least prepare something scary.

That’s the basic rule.

“Ghhk!”

Garbiten instinctively gathered his mana.

[‘Blood Shield’ is activated!]

A blood-forged shield formed to protect his body, but—

Crack!

Shatter!

In an instant, its surface fractured like a turtle shell.

Because every droplet of blood in that place had come completely under Yohan’s control.

“Before you go, let me give you a final lesson. If you just harden the blood by coagulating it, it’ll actually become easier to break.”

Creating a proper internal flow and circulating mana dynamically made it far more effective for defense.

“D-don’t… treat me like some rookie!”

Garbiten tried to destroy the “Blood Field” itself.

However—

[‘Bloodline Binding’ is activated!]

[The Authority of ‘Domination’ controls the flow of all blood!]

Even that was broken through with ridiculous ease.

“And one last thing — never recklessly use a large-scale technique in front of someone stronger than you. You’ll only expose your weaknesses even more, and it’ll be that much easier to turn it against you.”

The accumulated mana caused the sharpness and size of the Blood Spears to grow twice as large.

The blood spheres, too, expanded to a scale far greater than before.

Kukukuku!

The air trembled.

Crimson sparks burst in all directions.

“Ugh…”

He couldn’t even grasp the extent of his opponent’s level.

Garbiten could do nothing but despair.

However—

Even in that moment, the last remaining pride of a noble sought one final resort.

A mutual destruction—detonating the Soul Stone embedded in his heart.

If survival was impossible, then he’d at least drag his enemy down to the underworld with him.

But just then—

“Come to think of it, having a high-ranking vampire get involved might be a little troublesome. There’s no need to make unnecessary enemies here.”

Yohan clicked his tongue, furrowing his brow.

“Y-yes! We should stand united as one race. It makes no sense for us to be manipulated by deceitful humans!”

“So you’re saying there’s more benefit in siding with your kind?”

“Of course! If you and I join forces and wipe out these humans, we’ll gain unimaginable wealth and honor!”

“Wealth and honor, huh… You should’ve tried offering carrots instead of sticks from the start. That sounds much better, doesn’t it?”

“T-that’s because the situation was urgent…”

Garbiten’s hand stopped just before touching his heart.

At the very moment he thought everything was over, a rope of survival had appeared before him.

“Wow.”

The corner of Yohan’s lips curved upward.

“And you actually bought that?”

Even the neighbor’s puppy wouldn’t fall for that kind of trick.

Before Garbiten could act again, divine punishment fell from the sky.

Pupupupupuk!

Kwak! Kwaaang!

“Kwaaaargh! Aaaaagh!”

Hundreds of spikes pierced through his body as a blood-curdling scream echoed.

And then—

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

Enormous blood spheres rained down from all directions, erasing the very spot where Garbiten had stood from the map.

Chiiiiik!

Thick, acrid smoke rose upward.

Not a trace remained where the bombardment had passed.

Not even Garbiten’s superior regeneration and the blessing of the night could save him from his gruesome fate.

＊＊＊

[Boss Monster of the Withered Garden, ‘Garbiten de Rohar,’ has been annihilated!]

[You have obtained 5 Low-Grade Magic Stones.]

[You have obtained ‘Spear of Rohar.’]

[You have obtained 1 bottle of ‘Pure Blood Wine (5-Year).’]

[You have obtained ‘Invitation to the Moon’s Masquerade (Regular-tier).’]

[‘Blood Field’ has been released!]

A series of system messages appeared as various rewards fell one after another.

“Wow… This is better than I expected.”

Yohan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected much since the dungeon’s rank was low, yet the drops turned out to be unexpectedly good.

A masquerade held once a year by the Count’s household—

An exclusive event open only to vampires, and the invitation allowed participation in it.

Even if it was a Regular-tier seat befitting a Baron, simply gaining access to it was a huge deal.

After all, this was a hidden among hidden rewards.

Ordinary people could never receive an invitation due to the race restriction.

The “Spear of Rohar,” despite having only 40 attack power, carried a “Life-Drain” effect, making it quite useful.

Something that could be used for a while or sold for a decent price.

Lastly, the “Pure Blood Wine.”

It was not only excellent for skin care, but also capable of removing various status ailments, curses, and poisons.

If sold to the right buyer, he wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while. Or he could use it as a valuable trade item.

“Not bad.”

Yohan nodded in satisfaction.

[As the Boss has been annihilated, the dungeon enters the ‘Closure Procedure.’]

[A Gate has been generated!]

[Remaining Time: 01H : 59M : 59S]

In two hours, the dungeon would completely close, so everything had to be wrapped up before then.

Normally, one would spend the remaining time gathering materials and mining any leftover Magic Stones.

However, even though the Boss Monster had been destroyed, the battle had yet to end.

Kwakwakwakwa!

Pupupupung!

“Uwaaaah!”

“Damn it! Why do they just keep coming endlessly?”

Screams echoed from all around.

Ordinarily, the monsters should have vanished along with the Boss Monster.

Yet Frankenstein and the undead were even more enraged, launching a relentless assault.

‘Something’s definitely wrong.’

Whoever it was, someone had tampered with the dungeon’s core structure.

Even Garbiten’s abnormal strength had already been suspicious.

Now he was sure.

Something unprecedented was happening—something even he hadn’t experienced through 999 regressions.

Yohan quickly moved.

His destination—Seo Changhee’s position.

“You okay?”

“If you came to help, you’re too late. I’ve already wiped them all out myself.”

“Looks that way. Must’ve been quite the fight?”

“Hah! Maybe for the undead. I merely used about one percent of my true power.”

Seo Changhee, looking clearly exhausted, forced his trembling legs to steady.

His mana was completely drained after using the “Realm of the Savior.”

Well, considering he’d taken on the work of a hundred men by himself, it would’ve been strange if he wasn’t worn out.

And yet, even in this state, he was still trying to act tough—that was so like him.

“Yeah, yeah. You did great. Now take the wounded and get out of here.”

“You’re speaking as if you’re not planning to leave.”

“I still have something to take care of.”

The Knight’s Token, the Hidden Piece, and the rewards from defeating the Boss Monster—

He had achieved not only his original goals but far beyond that.

He could stop here.

If he didn’t get greedy, he could safely and solidly enter the first episode.

However—

‘It’s not enough.’

The later episodes were filled with unimaginable difficulty and unpredictable variables.

Even with countless opportunities, hidden pieces, and the strongest allies, victory was never guaranteed.

That was why he couldn’t be satisfied.

He couldn’t simply choose the safe path.

If he couldn’t take a single dangerous step forward, then he’d lose even the right to seize his future.

He had people he cherished.

A world he had lived his life in.

Because there were things he had to protect, he had no choice but to stake everything here.

Yohan steeled himself with grim determination.

Then—

“If you’re staying, then I’ll stay as well.”

“…What?”

“Judging by your tone, you’re about to do something important. Whatever it is, you’ll have a much higher chance of success with me by your side.”

Damn it.

This damn protagonist was finally starting to act like the protagonist again.