CHAPTER 316: NEXT STOP

Seeing Damon rummage through the treasury again, the old vampire looked like someone had just poured vinegar into his blood. "Technically, yes. But it’s rarely used. Most lords don’t bother with their followers..." He tried to stop him, but it was of no use.

"Well, I’m not most lords," Damon cut in cheerfully and continued looting the place until he filled up with even more potions.

When Kaelthorn and Damon finally left the place, the poor vampire weakly leaned against the massive doors, watching the young lord in shock and awe. He did not know whether to be afraid or impressed.

Damon, on the other hand, looked very pleased. He patted Kaelthorn on the back with a big old smile. "Keep this up and you will have redeemed yourself in no time at all."

Kaelthorn coughed lightly at the force of the slap, his shoulder nearly dislocating under Damon’s enthusiastic encouragement. He managed a stiff smile, though his eyes betrayed a flicker of pride. "It is my honor to serve, my Lord."

"Good," Damon said, stretching his arms like he’d just finished a workout. "Because next, we’re heading somewhere suicidal."

Kaelthorn blinked. "Suicidal?"

Damon gave him a look that practically glowed with mischief. "Very. High mortality rate. Rumors say even the Emperors don’t dare send anyone to that place anymore. Still want to tag along?"

Kaelthorn smiled a little. I swore to follow, not to cower. Lead the way, my Lord."

Damon’s grin widened. "That’s the spirit. Let’s go and court death."

Damon sped out of Niera City, and Kaelthorn was barely able to keep up. Luckily for him, Damon was not going at full speed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to do even that. Kaelthorn wanted to ask how someone in D rank could effortlessly match a C ranker’s speed, but he did not dare.

In fact, there were more things he was curious about, like why the lord was constantly spitting into glass vials and tossing them into his storage space. But he kept his mouth shut like he planned to and silently followed as best as he could.

Soon, Damon stopped at an isolated location. It was a perfect place without any other players or landmarks nearby. He then focused and activated his newly acquired skill, Blood Gate.

Immediately, a ring of blood-red glyphs ignited beneath Damon’s boots. Ribbons of crimson mist rose from the soil, spiraling around him. The next second, a vertical slit opened in the air before him, bordered by writhing runes made of blood. The space within shimmered, showing flashes of another place, one Kaelthorn didn’t recognize but Damon only knew too well.

The abyssal plague lands.

The small strands of aura that slipped through the portal and entered this side were enough to send chills down Kaelthorn’s spine.

The stench of decay, rot, and something far older seeped into the air like an invisible toxin. The sky on the other side of the Blood Gate was a bruised purple, streaked with clouds that wept ash instead of rain. Shadows moved unnaturally across blackened hills. Even in glimpses, the land pulsed like a festering wound.

Kaelthorn took an involuntary step back. "We are going there?"

Damon didn’t answer immediately. He stared through the gate, eyes narrowing with focused intensity. "Yup, we are going there. We are going there to take something from the big boss of that place."

"Take something from him?" Kaelthorn gulped. His hand hovered near his weapon. "I’ve heard stories. Of plaguebeasts immune to magic. Of cursed zones that twist your soul if you linger too long. Of ghosts that... devour your minds."

"Good," Damon said, stepping forward. "Then maybe you’ll be alert enough to survive."

The blood runes flared brighter as he approached, reacting to his presence. Damon didn’t hesitate. He walked straight through the Blood Gate, vanishing into the corruption-tinted light.

Kaelthorn stared for a breath longer. Then two. Then followed right behind Damon, entering the portal and vanishing into the other side.

The Blood Gate snapped shut behind them almost instantly. All that remained was the stench of death and decay lingering in the air.

On the other side, Damon immediately scrambled to erect a barrier. This place was not for the weak. But unlike before, the feeling of weakness and corruption did not instantly overwhelm him.

Hmmm? Damon paused. He took a deep breath to confirm. It was indeed as he suspected. The air here was pretty much the same as the air outside. In fact, it could even be better for him as his body felt fresh and energetic.

Kaelthorn, on the other side, was now buckling over and retching. He was pale with veins twitching beneath his skin as if something foreign was trying to burrow through them. The corruption here was alive, crawling into lungs, bloodstreams, and even thoughts. It was the kind of place that didn’t just kill you. It changed you.

However, Damon was completely fine. He did not have to wonder why this was happening. He immediately received a bunch of notifications.

[Ding! You have gained +1 Poison Resistance]

[Ding! You have gained +1 Poison Resistance]

[Ding! You have acquired 1 new type of poison]

[Ding! You have made small progress in the second cycle of the Nine Million Poison Body Refining Technique]

[Ding! You have gained +1 Poison Resistance]

[Ding! You have gained +1 Poison Affinity]

[Ding! You have acquired 1 new type of poison]

[Ding! You have made small progress in the second cycle of the Nine Million Poison Body Refining Technique]

[Ding! You have acquired 1 new type of poison]

[Ding! You have made small progress in the second cycle of the Nine Million Poison Body Refining Technique]

...

...

...

It seemed corruption was also a kind of poison.

Damon flicked his wrist and deployed a small crimson dome of blood magic around Kaelthorn. "Here. That should buy you an hour or two. You will get used to it soon enough."

The weak him of previous life had done just fine here. Someone like Kaelthorn should be able to boot and rally.