[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 400

“Recently, creatures that torment us have appeared… Originally, all of Arandis was considered their territory, so as long as we stayed quiet during their inactive hours, they never touched us.”

But lately, even outside of their usual active hours, one of them has been invading human settlements and abducting innocent people.

The people called it Blood Eternity.

Blood Eternity was a monster that had grown by absorbing the vitality of nature over a long period of time. It hatched its own brood and commanded hundreds of Blood Eaters, making it an incredibly troublesome foe.

The reason they asked Jeong-hoon to deal with it was simple: after watching him wipe out twenty mutated Giant Bears in less than a minute, they thought—perhaps his overwhelming strength might be enough to kill it.

“For now, let’s wait until it comes to us.”

“P-please. Even if we hide in our homes, that vile thing barges right in.”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon stepped into the NPC’s house.

Hunting down Blood Eternity directly wasn’t impossible, but since it would come looking for him anyway, there was no need to chase it.

‘Oh, I see… once a Blood Eater attacks, you’re planning to track its trail back to the lair, aren’t you?’

‘That’s the most basic method.’

Mukho and Anima were right.

The NPCs didn’t know the exact location of its nest.

That meant he had to find out himself—but instead of wasting effort searching, he could simply follow the Blood Eaters back and wipe out the lair in one stroke.

“Um, but… is your level really 400?”

Inside the living room, as they sat down, the homeowner—Might—asked cautiously.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No… it’s just strange. Someone strong enough to massacre mutated Giant Bears being only level 400?”

“I’ve been concealing my true level due to certain circumstances.”

“Ah, I see… If you don’t mind me asking, then—what level are you actually?”

“What if I told you it’s over 3,000? Would you believe it?”

“Th-three thousand…?”

Might muttered blankly.

The average level of NPCs living in Arandis didn’t even reach 400.

Even the rare outsiders who visited were only in the low 500s.

So to suddenly hear “3,000”—it was an unbelievable number.

“Why? You don’t believe me?”

“N-no, it’s not that. It’s just… it’s so absurdly high.”

“Is that so?”

Jeong-hoon smiled faintly.

At that moment—

“Uwaaaaah!”

A scream rang out from outside the house.

“T-they’re here!”

The current time was supposed to be free from monster activity.

If an attack happened even while they were hiding inside during these hours, it could only mean one thing—Blood Eternity was behind it.

Jeong-hoon rose from his seat and approached the door.

“Stay back.”

He held out his hand to stop Might, who had followed after him, and then drew Titan.

At that moment, the door burst open, and Jeong-hoon slashed his sword diagonally without hesitation.

“Kiieeek!”

A gaunt, emaciated monster was cleaved in two, blood gushing out like a fountain and staining the entrance.

Jeong-hoon stepped past the corpse and came face to face with the swarming Blood Eaters.

“Help us! Please, help us!”

Ahead, six NPCs were being dragged away in the grip of the Blood Eaters.

Jeong-hoon strode forward, swinging Titan.

The Blood Eater nearest him was sliced clean in half, its torso and legs separating as a path opened before him.

“Seize the human!”

“Capture him!”

The Blood Eaters hastily surrounded Jeong-hoon and charged.

[Activating ‘Cheonma Myeolgeom’ (Heavenly Demon Annihilation Sword).]

With that sword technique, the Blood Eaters were swept away in an instant.

There had been over a hundred by sight alone, yet they didn’t last even five minutes before being completely annihilated.

The NPCs, who had been dragged away helplessly, were all rescued.

“Thank you so much!”

“Uuugh!”

Freed from their bonds, the NPCs broke down in sobs, weeping as they expressed their gratitude to Jeong-hoon.

“It’s alright. Everyone, return to your homes now.”

After calming them and sending them back, Jeong-hoon returned to Might’s house.

“Unbelievable… To think all those numbers were wiped out in less than five minutes…”

Might was so shocked he could hardly form words.

“This isn’t the time to relax. Blood Eternity hasn’t appeared yet.”

The Blood Eaters were merely Blood Eternity’s underlings.

This attack had consisted only of its minions.

“Well… if the goal was to capture us, there’s no real need for it to appear in person. Just sending its subordinates would have been more than enough.”

“It’s fine. The situation will be resolved soon.”

Reassuring Might, Jeong-hoon rose from his seat.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“To where Blood Eternity is hiding.”

“What? How do you know where its lair is?”

“I deliberately spared a few. They’ll return to the nest and report what happened.”

“Oooh, I see! Truly, it was the right choice to entrust this to you!”

Jeong-hoon smiled faintly and began following the trail of blood left by the fleeing Blood Eaters, heading into the forest.

* * *

“S-stop…! Guhhh!”

“Sob… sob…”

Blood Eternity was sucking the blood of a man in his early thirties.

The victim let out groans as his lifeblood was drained, until at last he expired.

Nearby, the survivors who were forced to watch huddled together, trembling in terror.

They, too, were far from unscathed.

Having already been drained of blood several times by Blood Eternity, they had grown so weakened that they could no longer move on their own.

“Not enough. Why are there only such weaklings?”

Blood Eternity let out a sigh laced with irritation.

When it first abducted humans, their condition hadn’t been too bad, but as time passed, their state worsened, and it could no longer drink quality blood.

It had tried to keep them alive instead of killing them outright, hoping to use them for a long time—but this was the result.

At this rate, it had no choice but to seize fresh humans from the village.

“L-Lord…”

The minions it had sent out to kidnap humans returned with only a single survivor.

Even that one was in poor shape.

“What is the meaning of this?”

With a hardened expression, Blood Eternity stepped toward the Blood Eater.

“T-that is…”

The Blood Eater slowly recounted what had happened in the village.

By the time the story was finished, its neck had already been snapped in Blood Eternity’s grasp.

Its injuries were too severe to ever be healed.

“A fighter strong enough to annihilate my underlings in an instant…”

Blood Eternity sank deep into thought.

It needed humans to sustain its supply of blood.

But if someone had the power to slaughter its minions so quickly, then such a person was dangerous enough to demand its own intervention.

Should it hold back and remain hidden?

Or would it be better to strike first and drag that human here alive?

“So, you’re Blood Eternity.”

At that moment, a lone human walked out from the distance.

Following the trail of blood, Jeong-hoon had arrived at Blood Eternity’s lair.

“And what are you supposed to be?”

Blood Eternity tilted its head in curiosity.

The man’s level was only 400.

Far beneath its own 1,200.

“Let’s just say I’m the human who’s going to kill you.”

Jeong-hoon smirked and leveled the tip of his sword at Blood Eternity’s throat.

“Tch. How irritating.”

A mere level 400 dares to point a blade?

Fine.

Originally, it had thought to keep him alive, to drain him slowly of blood over time—

but now, it would crush him in an instant.

Blood Eternity snatched up the axe leaning in the corner and advanced, glaring at Jeong-hoon with the intent to tear him apart.

Slash.

Thunk!

In that instant, with a chilling sound, the axe it held in its right hand clattered to the ground.

Blood Eternity’s head slowly turned to the side.

Its right shoulder was empty—blood was gushing out, and the arm that had held the axe now lay on the ground alongside the weapon.

“Wha…? Gyaaaaaah!”

Only after realizing its arm had been severed did the searing pain register, forcing a scream from Blood Eternity.

“Don’t be so noisy.”

With those words, its vision began to spin and then slowly dissolved into darkness.

* * *

Blood Eternity slain.

Jeong-hoon shook the blood from his sword and returned it to his inventory.

‘Master, over there—people.’

‘Their condition is dire. Skin and bones.’

Just as Mukho and Anima had said, they were in such a pitiful state it wouldn’t have been strange if they breathed their last at any moment.

Jeong-hoon approached them and invoked Divine Healing.

The survivors, who had been on the brink of death, were immediately restored to their original condition.

“W-wow…”

Feeling the sensation of healing for the first time, the survivors could not hide their awe.

“Are you all alright now?”

At his question, they nodded gratefully.

“Thank you so much for saving us.”

“This kindness—we’ll never forget it, even in death.”

There were five survivors in total.

The rest had already been dead for some time.

“Um… excuse me, but could I ask one favor of you?”

Above the head of a woman in her early twenties, an exclamation mark flickered.

[Quest Completed.]

As soon as the previous quest was completed, a question mark began flashing once more.

[General Quest: Repose (1)]

Requirement: Clear-out (1) complete

Reward: Chapel entrance restriction lifted

Description: Please help the villagers of Arandis.

Ah, so this was how the chapel’s entry restrictions were lifted.

Jeong-hoon accepted the quest without hesitation.

“What is it you need?”

“I want to return them to their families.”

“In other words, you’re asking me to help carry the bodies.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Understood.”

It was a far simpler task than slaying Blood Eternity.

When they returned to the village, the place was soon filled with cries of mourning.

“Oh no…”

“My son… I’m sorry I didn’t have the strength to protect you…”

The bereaved clutched the bodies of their loved ones, wailing in grief.

Even though decomposition had already begun, they paid it no mind.

“Thank you… truly, thank you…”

Might, who had been watching from a distance, approached Jeong-hoon and whispered his gratitude.

Above his head, an exclamation mark flickered.

[Quest Completed.]

[The chapel entrance restriction has been lifted.]

The chapel was now open.

Even so, Jeong-hoon found it difficult to leave.

He knew all too well the pain of losing family.

Before coming to Arandis, he had prepared glass vials, just in case. He now handed them to the grieving families one by one.

“This is holy water. If you pray for their repose with this, they will surely find peace in a better place.”

“Sob… thank you. Thank you so much.”

“To have brought our Fran back home was already a debt we could never hope to repay in our lifetimes—and now you’ve even given us holy water… How could we ever repay you?”

Jeong-hoon shook his head and added gently,

“I know all too well how painful it is to lose family. So please, just accept it.”

At his words, the bereaved wept anew.

“Then please accept this.”

Deeply moved by Jeong-hoon’s kindness, Might took a folded note from his breast pocket and handed it over.

“What’s this?”

Jeong-hoon tilted his head as he opened it.

Inside was a bold seal of the chapel.

“Visit the chapel. I once made a large offering there, and in return they gave me this. They promised that if I ever presented it, they would help me unconditionally, no questions asked.”

It was an incredibly precious item.

With this, one could strike a deal with the angel residing in the chapel.

“Are you sure it’s alright to give me something so valuable?”

“You willingly gave away holy water, did you not? Consider this a return for that favor.”

“…Thank you.”

Jeong-hoon expressed his sincere gratitude and placed the note into his inventory.

What he had offered out of sympathy had, in the end, brought him something even more valuable.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]