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Chapter 11
In an instant, yet another goblin collapsed, leaving only one remaining.
Thud—
As the goblin fell from being kicked into the air, Woo Hyun reversed his grip on the goblin’s shortsword and hurled it at the last one standing to his right.
Squelch!!!
“Kerek!!”
The goblin on the right was already using its shortsword to block Dracula, so it had no way to defend against the flying weapon. The blade pierced its heart in an instant, killing it on the spot.
In just a few minutes, Woo Hyun had successfully hunted down five F-rank goblins.
“…Something feels off.”
Even though he had quickly slain all five, his expression wasn’t satisfied—something was bothering him.
“Why do I feel better than before?”
He had clearly used mana to kill the goblins. His body should have converted blood into mana to replenish what he’d spent.
Logically, that meant he should be short on blood and feeling worse, not better.
But compared to before the fight, his condition had actually improved, and that was something he couldn’t understand.
—Hey. You. What are you?—
A clear woman’s voice suddenly rang in his ears. Startled, Woo Hyun quickly infused Dracula with red mana and scanned his surroundings.
He crouched low, darting his eyes in every direction. Then, the voice came again.
—Idiot. Not there. Here. Your right hand.—
At the word “right hand,” Woo Hyun instinctively glanced down at Dracula clutched in his grasp.
“…Dracula?”
—That’s right, you idiot.—
The voice that answered made his eyes fly wide open.
“An Ego Sword…? No, wait—then the blacksmith would’ve known…”
As he muttered, the voice from Dracula replied:
—Close, but I’m not an Ego Sword. Anyway, what are you?—
“What do you mean by that?”
—Why aren’t you being poisoned by monster blood energy?—
“Monster blood energy?”
Woo Hyun tilted his head, confused, and the voice calmly explained.
—Dracula is a blood-drinking magic sword. To be precise, it absorbs the blood energy of anything it wounds.—
Hearing the explanation, Woo Hyun stared at Dracula in shock.
“That’s… insanely good.”
He couldn’t help but say it aloud.
If Dracula absorbed blood and blood energy, that meant he no longer needed to drink monster blood by mouth.
All he had to do was stab Dracula into a monster, and the sword would automatically absorb the blood for him.
The thought alone sent chills of excitement through his body—it was like automatic looting.
At the same time, he understood why all of Dracula’s previous wielders had died, and what the voice meant about being poisoned by monster blood.
Every time Dracula cut a monster, it absorbed their blood energy—and with it, the toxins. Those toxins would then transfer into its wielder, poisoning them to death.
Woo Hyun was different: with his Gift—Vampirism—monster blood wasn’t poisonous to him. But others weren’t so lucky. They would waste away, sick and dying, unable to withstand the blood’s toxins.
Thus, the cause wasn’t Dracula itself, but the monster blood it absorbed. That’s why no curse had ever been detected on the blade.
—From the way you’re talking, it seems you have some blood-related Gift.—
“…Let’s say that’s true.”
—Then tell me what it is.—
“…Why should I?”
Among the most guarded information on a player’s status, the details of one’s Gift were paramount. No one ever revealed them.
Yet this voice was asking him to disclose the secret of his Vampirism—a weakness if exposed. Naturally, Woo Hyun refused.
—You should tell me. Only then can I help you.—
“What do you…”
Crack!!!
Before he could finish, a massive green monster, as tall as Woo Hyun, emerged from the bushes.
“…Damn it. Why here, of all places?”
It was an E-rank monster: a Hobgoblin.
E-rank monsters were rarely seen in Odaesan hunting grounds, but one had appeared at the worst possible time. Woo Hyun cursed aloud.
Now he understood what the voice had meant by “help.”
—If I know your Gift precisely, I can form a contract with you. Only with a contract can I properly help you. Otherwise, you won’t survive.—
Lowering his stance with Dracula in hand, Woo Hyun began probing the Hobgoblin with cautious movements.
‘One thing’s clear—I can’t overcome this with my strength alone.’
During the player license test, when an E-rank kobold appeared, all he could do was run for 7 minutes and 45 seconds.
Sure, Hobgoblins were slower than kobolds, so maybe he could run for 8 minutes. But then what? He had no allies this time—Se Rin wasn’t here.
Escaping this alone was nearly impossible. And in hunting grounds, “impossible” meant “death.”
“If I make this contract… can I get out of here alive?”
The voice answered:
—I can’t promise survival. But without it, you’ll definitely die.—
“…Shit.”
Step. Step. Step.
The Hobgoblin slowly closed the distance, and Woo Hyun made his decision.
“To put it briefly—my Gift, Vampirism, lets me gain strength by drinking blood. From the one I drink from, I can acquire one of their unique abilities as a skill, or some of their stats. That’s why monster blood doesn’t poison me.”
He spoke quickly and low, careful not to provoke the Hobgoblin. The voice replied:
—What are you, some saint from a past life? How does someone with hematomancy syndrome end up with the perfect Gift for it?—
The voice knew of his blood disease without him even saying it. Woo Hyun scoffed and answered.
“If you knew my life, you wouldn’t say that. So enough talk—just do the contract. That thing’s about to attack.”
—Fine. You’re perfect. No—you’re the only one. It has to be you.—
If the voice had a face, it would’ve been smirking. Immediately, a system message appeared before Woo Hyun’s eyes.
[The Blood Spirit—Elizabeth Báthory—proposes a Spirit Contract to Player—Cheon Woo Hyun.]
[Do you accept?]
[Yes / No]
“…Blood Spirit?”
—That’s right. Dracula isn’t an Ego Sword—it’s an Elemental Sword, a Spirit Weapon. I’m the Blood Spirit sealed inside. The reason Dracula can absorb blood energy is because of me.—
At her words, Woo Hyun finally understood everything.
Why every owner of Dracula had died despite no curses.
Why Elizabeth said it had to be him, and no one else.
“What are the terms?”
Elizabeth answered.
—Hunt monsters and supply me with blood energy regularly. As the Blood Spirit, I get very hungry without it.—
“And in return?”
—I’ll teach you Blood Magic. Learn it, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll survive this.—
Woo Hyun immediately pressed Yes.
He agreed because they needed each other.
He needed Dracula, with Elizabeth inside, to handle his blood disease without constantly drinking blood. And right now, he needed a way to survive.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, needed someone immune to blood toxins to keep feeding her. Without him, she would starve.
They were symbiotic—neither could betray the other.
‘Honestly, if I don’t accept, I’m not making it out alive anyway.’
With that thought, he accepted the contract without hesitation.
[Spirit Contract established between Player—Cheon Woo Hyun and Blood Spirit—Elizabeth Báthory.]
[By the Spirit Contract, Blood Spirit—Elizabeth Báthory bestows Skill—Blood Magic (EX) upon Player—Cheon Woo Hyun.]
“Ugh!!!”
Knowledge of Blood Magic flooded into his mind all at once, splitting his head with pain. In that instant, the Hobgoblin charged.
Thud-thud-thud!!!
“Krrrk!!!”
The Hobgoblin rushed him with a massive club, and Woo Hyun left himself open for just a moment.
“Tch!”
He scrambled backward, but he was still within its attack range.
Swish!
At that very moment—
From Dracula burst a crimson aura, drops of blood gathering together, forming into a beautiful woman with black hair and red eyes.
—Blood Protection.—
Shaa—BOOM!!!
Elizabeth swung her hand, condensing blood into a barrier that instantly blocked the Hobgoblin’s crushing blow.
Crash! Crack—!
Thanks to the opening she created, Woo Hyun narrowly dodged and retreated safely.
“…Elizabeth?”
He called softly. Floating in the air at only about 30cm tall, Elizabeth answered:
—I was stuck in that barrel for ages without feeding. This will probably be the last time I can directly intervene. Honestly, it’s only possible now because you killed five goblins.—
