◈ Episode 18. You’re Not Good Enough (2)

“Manifestation.

I transformed the statue’s form.

The muscular legs that supported its massive body became slender.

Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle!

The statue lost its balance and fell to its knees.

All of this was possible because the statue was not a monster.

Not a monster.

How could you be so sure?

Because I checked the update history.

──────

New Rift, ‘Count’s Citadel’ is added.

New Named Monster, ‘Count Ascura’ : Lv.430

──────

Count’s Stronghold.

The only monster that appears is Count Ascura.

If so, direct interference may be possible…….

That judgment was correct.

Not a monster, but not a demon either.

The [Natural Enmity] hadn’t been activated.

It was a bit of a drain on my magic, but it was fine.

“What did you just say……?! Heh?!”

“……Did you all see that monster, once and for all!!!”

“Everybody move! Now is not the time to be distracted!”

There were plenty of players, if not necessarily me.

My entrance into the main gate was the signal.

Knocking over the gargoyle that served as the gatekeeper was the final straw.

Players were entering the castle, inside, like a tide.

I wouldn’t be the only one.

And yet.

I had a purpose, after all.

─Hunt the vampires. (in progress)

Let them know the hunt has begun. (Successful)

Make them feel the fear of being hunted. (Ongoing)

You think you can take down Count Ascura by yourself?

That was arrogance.

It didn’t make sense based on level alone.

Level 100 vs. Level 430

But I had a card called [Ritual of the Demon].

I also had the right demonic items for its sacrifice.

So what I needed to do was simple.

Make Count Ascura feel the slightest bit of fear through the demonic ritual.

After that, the rest is history…….

‘I’ll leave it to the other players.

They’d get some credit.

Experience points, of course.

If you’re lucky, you might even get some loot.

Yeah, so…….

Why don’t you walk a little slower, my legs?

I made a rational, evidence-based decision……!

I was more confident than that.

Like I was on a runway.

I was strutting through the castle.

“How can you look at a portrait like that and not want to eat? You have a good stomach. Ascura.”

Suddenly, I’m at a huge dining room table, and I’m spouting off.

A portrait hung on the wall opposite it.

It was that of Count Ascura.

……Isn’t that too realistic?

Not to mention that it’s a bit skeletal.

Red eyes, protruding fangs.

Ascura’s appearance in the painting was that of a vampire.

And the dreary atmosphere of the castle made the portrait look even scarier.

Of course, I was looking at the portrait from an aesthetic perspective.

“The details and contrast are clumsy. I’m embarrassed to say it’s an artist’s painting.”

……I felt like I was in someone else’s house, spitting venom.

It’s a good thing I didn’t.

If it weren’t for this crap.

I wouldn’t be able to do this alone.

“Like the statue, you’re a failure.”

Also.

*.

Count Ascura’s citadel.

As expected, it was not a crack to be taken lightly.

The players’ faces were covered in cold sweat.

The players’ faces were filled with cold sweat.

“……I feel like I’m suffocating.”

“I can’t believe this pressure, even with the buffs.”

“Doesn’t it look like it? I feel bad about every single one of them.”

She wasn’t kidding.

In fact, from the moment they entered the castle.

They were suffering from all sorts of conditions.

[Count Ascura is watching you].

[Your mental strength is too low].

[Status: Fear is occurring].

I wasn’t even face-to-face with Count Ascura.

Portraits of Count Ascura hang everywhere.

The portrait’s red pupils watched the players.

“Found ……!”

Hooray!

The portrait was found.

After burning it with their skills, they could breathe a little easier.

The players stuck out their tongues.

“Damn it. The castle, the interior, everything is a trap.”

“I thought it was just a scare tactic, but it’s not.”

“This is leveling? That’s tricky. Really.”

It was.

It wasn’t just a scare.

It was a statue.

A portrait.

Even a book, a book on a shelf.

“……What’s this, ‘Human Cuisine’? What kind of title is that?”

“Hey! Don’t touch that!”

“……?!”

All of that.

It was causing players to go into a trance.

Guild, come on.

The analysis was relayed to Nam Tae-min.

-So everything inside the castle is a trap.

“It’s evil, really. I sense malice.”

-It must be a vampire’s castle.

Tae-min thought back on his experiences.

Including when Arcana was a game.

No matter how much he thought about it, the concept was new.

“I would have loved it back then.”

“I would have loved it back then,” he says.

But not anymore.

Failure was no longer a logout, it was death.

And the responsibility was enormous.

I wonder if he recognized the anguish in my small breath.

Nam Chul-min’s voice came through.

-Don’t be so frustrated that you can’t do anything about it.

“……What’s that sound? Suddenly.”

-You must be beating yourself up again, I thought. Don’t do that.

Namtae-min’s class is Barbarian.

Except when [Berserk] is triggered, it has low resistance to status ailments.

As a warrior class, it was unavoidable, but…….

‘It’s bound to be a burden on the healers.

A burden, not a help.

Nam Tae-min’s concern was unshakable.

-It’s just that the roles are different, and everyone understands that. I’m just saying, don’t get ahead of yourself and overdo it, because it won’t do you any good.

You can’t fake blood.

Nam Tae-min spat out a bloodless laugh.

“Well, if you know so well, you’re speaking from experience.”

More laughter followed.

-Haha. Pretending is pretending, right?

“……Pretending? What, is that a true story?”

-Well? Anyway, I’m telling you this as a senior in life, so take it to heart.

It was then.

I felt a movement in front of me.

I wondered if it was another guild, but there was only one popular pretender.

“Who’s that?”

Hawkeye.

One of the guild members used his enhanced vision to identify the pretender.

“I don’t think it’s Count Ascura……. It’s a woman. Blonde hair down to her waist and……. Wait, she’s incredibly pretty! That’s because her hat is pushed down, so I can only see her junior officer. Does that mean she’s a beauty……?! Ouch, why did you hit her?!”

Whoa!

I wonder what to do about that.

Nam Tae-min shook his head in disbelief.

I heard Nam Chul-min’s voice in my ear.

-You said you were alone, right?

The voice continued as if it was obvious.

-Suitable level, 400-450. Who else would be able to wander around this castle alone, with its glitches and glitches everywhere? Only one person.

Nam Tae-min nodded.

“Yeah, I guess there’s only one.”

A wizard, more than a wizard.

Jessie Heinness.

She was sure of it.

*.

My sour assessment continued.

“You haven’t even given the structure the slightest thought.”

I could have sworn we were looking at real estate.

Let’s just say I’m glad I don’t have eyes to see right now.

I recalled the structure of the castles I’d been through.

Entrance → garden → hallway → ballroom → study.

And the staircase in front of me.

So far, nothing had been a problem.

Nothing was particularly strange.

Oh, well, there was one thing.

There were too many portraits of Count Ascura.

It was a constant barrage of vitriol.

The architecture.

There would be only one staircase upstairs.

You don’t have to look all the way to the other side.

If Count Ascura had appeared, there would have been a commotion of some sort, and if so, he would most likely be on the second floor.

“Your demeanor is also unacceptable.”

No players seemed to have entered the second floor before me.

No player had discovered this staircase.

I was confident of that.

My steps were fast, even for me.

So confident.

I’m sure it was because I was walking with a straight leg.

I approached the stairs with that same steady stride.

“Uh!”

I heard a muffled voice say.

I turned my head and there it was, a giant tin foil hat.

Or, more accurately, a woman pressed against the hat.

Before I could formulate a response, she was on me.

But what the hell, this speed.

I checked to see if she had wings on her legs.

I was even more surprised.

“…… levitate.

The bridge was floating in the air!

I felt like crying.

“Some people use science to save horsepower……!

Someone is using magic power like that.

It was because I realized the disparity between the rich and poor.

But there was no response.

The hat looked up at my face.

……I wonder if I’ll ever see it, I thought.

The hat was pulled back, revealing a woman’s face.

Blonde hair.

Green eyes.

Pure white skin.

……I recognised her face from somewhere.

And by recognisable, I mean she’s probably a very famous player. The thought made my heart ache less.

Yeah, that kind of levitation isn’t just for dogs and cows.

“I saw you!”

“?”

“You, your magic!”

She said that to me with a straight face.

To look at her, you’d think I was Mr Wonderful Magic.

But I could tell by the twinkle in her eye.

She seemed genuine, not malicious.

“What kind of skill was that? I’ve never seen it before, and I’ve watched that video dozens of times, and I still can’t figure it out – there’s never been a magic-based skill I didn’t know!”

I see.

When you say you’ve watched the video dozens of times, you’re probably referring to the square battle.

The magic I used there was very simple, building walls and pillars.

But you don’t notice, because it’s magic, not a [skill].

“I was just so curious, I couldn’t help myself!”

Suddenly-!

I looked at the face that stared back at me.

She was acting out of pure curiosity.

If she’d understood and left Malgo, I might have answered her in the old days, mesmerised by her charming looks.

“Can we talk about that strange magic!”

But not now.

I opened my mouth.

“About having manners.”

“What, ……, manners?”

“Those are the basics of being a learner.”

That should have been enough.

I managed to add another word.

“Unqualified. Fail.”

“@…….”

The exclamation point turned into a question mark.

Turned into a full stop.

The life had drained from her face.

She wouldn’t look like that if she failed college.

There was a brief, cold silence.

Suddenly, words appeared in my vision.

[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy’ triggered].

The message was simple.

The Count’s Citadel.

The only monster to appear, Count Ascura.

It meant he had appeared.

I reflexively looked up the stairs.

And there he was, Count Ascura.

A vampire who looked exactly like his portrait.

“Ascura.”

I said, and he spoke back.

“Ascura ‘Count’. Frail human.”

His breath reeked of blood.

I wondered how many lives he had taken with those fangs.

It was very thick.

Tight.

It was enough to make the stunned woman press down on her hat and grip her staff.

But at the same moment.

I felt only one emotion.

I laughed.

“An earl? That joke passes muster. Ascura.”

“A …… joke?” I said clearly. I’m an Ascura ‘Count’ ……!!!”

“No. You are not a noble.”

[Necklace with Blood Curse].

I held out the demonic item.

“To disguise an ugly curse as power, to give it away and then take it back, as if it were one’s own power. And all the décor in the castle, which lacks the slightest hint of elegance.”

“……what?”

“It means that you have not a shred of nobility left in you, Ascura, and…….”

I snapped one last time.

“Why does an ugly vampire still call himself a noble?”

That taunt was the signal.

“Shut up! I’ll kill you! You lowly human!”

[The ‘Necklace with Blood Curse’ was chosen as the sacrifice].

[Skill, ‘Rite of Kuma’ is triggered].

[Vampire, invites Count Ascura to the ‘Ritual’].