Area 601, the Red Mist Castle, is located relatively close to the Second District, the City of Today.
The Territory's size falls between that of a village and a city. Its domain encompasses a small forest near the village beneath the castle.
Despite its proximity to the City of the Beginning, the Red Mist Castle had remained unconquered for three primary reasons.
First, the entry requirements. To enter Area 601, specific conditions had to be met, but no one knew what they were.
Active Legions concluded that conquering nearby Territories would be more profitable than investigating and attempting to meet Area 601's entry conditions.
The second reason was its high difficulty. A mid-sized Legion with a decent reputation had accidentally met the entry requirements for Area 601 and attempted a raid, but failed. They were wiped out within Area 601, so no information about the entry conditions ever surfaced.
This led to rumors that once you entered Area 601, you could never leave. Even Legions confident in their skills avoided Area 601 entirely due to the complete lack of information.
The third reason, which now holds little merit, was that in the early days of Atlantis, the City of Today served as the main hub. But with over 2,000 territories secured, the City of Today had become little more than a starting point. Other renowned Legions had established their bases far from this area and were operating elsewhere.
"If they knew what they could gain by conquering this place, they would have rushed to attack it..."
But the Legions had decided to leave it alone. They likely intended to conquer it later when they grew stronger, but for now, it had been almost forgotten.
"It's so eerie..." Lee Minjung murmured, clutching at Kang Myungjin's sleeve. She wore leather armor and carried at least four short swords.
Lee Minjung was introverted and timid, but occasionally, there was something unsettling about her. And her chest was as flat as an A-cup.
"Everyone, move as planned," Kang Myungjin said, tightening his grip on the Heavenly Halberd.
Our gazes followed his, focusing on the direction he was looking.
Ahead lay a castle and a village. A massive castle loomed over the quiet, sprawling village. A red mist shrouded the castle, making it difficult to discern its detailed structure from a distance.
"Don't worry. We've rehearsed the plan countless times," Kang Myungjin said.
The Legion members, except for me, nodded in agreement.
Kang Myungjin stepped forward, but his foot couldn't advance. A transparent barrier blocked his path.
To enter Area 601, Blood Mist Castle, certain conditions must be met.
Kang Myungjin reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch the size of a human fist. From it, he retrieved six wriggling green caterpillars, which squirmed in his palm.
Kang Myungjin counted the caterpillars with his eyes and dropped them to the ground. Without the slightest hesitation, he crushed them under his boot.
Condition met. You may enter Area 601, Blood Mist Castle.
Six lives.
That was the condition for entering Area 601, Blood Mist Castle.
Of course, it didn't have to be caterpillars. Any six lives near this area would suffice human or animal. As long as six lives were extinguished within the time limit, the condition would be met.
"This place is dangerous. Do not act rashly under any circumstances," Kang Myungjin warned us again before stepping inside.
Welcome! We sincerely welcome you to Low Moon Village!
Not long after we entered the village, a crowd began to gather. Nearly two hundred people had assembled, all gaunt and hollow-eyed. It was clear at a glance that they were in poor condition.
Area 406, just like Sunset Mountain. This territory won't open until it's conquered, so the villagers are hoping we'll conquer it for them.
This was a typical reaction from residents of unconquered territories, though exceptions existed.
"We've come to conquer this territory," Kang Myungjin said politely. "If you don't mind, we'd appreciate it if someone could share information about this area."
We stood behind him, scanning our surroundings warily.
A woman stepped forward from the crowd. Her pale skin stretched taut over her gaunt frame, as emaciated as the rest of the villagers.
Her face is pretty enough... but she's as thin as a twig.
Too thin, even for me. My dick wouldn't even get hard. If she had a little more meat on her bones, my cock would have been much happier. I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
"We have been waiting for you, Saviors, for a long time. We will spare no effort to cooperate. So please... save us."
The villagers dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to the ground. Despite the suddenness of the situation, none of us panicked. Kang Myungjin had already warned us to remain vigilant and composed, no matter what happened.
"Please rise. Even if you don't, we will do our utmost to conquer this place. So please, stand up."
Kang Myungjin spoke, and one by one, the people began to rise.
Afterward, we followed the woman to the largest house in the village.
Jane, the pale-skinned, light brown-haired woman who owned the largest house in the village, treated us with utmost courtesy.
A lavish spread of dishes, including steaks that looked like they could feed at least twenty people, her careful demeanor to avoid upsetting us, and fine wines with aromas intoxicating enough to make one drunk on the scent alone.
We ate the food cautiously. After the meal, we were able to obtain information about this territory from Jane.
Jane, who had been speaking animatedly, paused and glanced out the window.
"Ah... has it already gotten this late?"
The sun was beginning to set.
"Members of the A-Plan Legion, I strongly recommend you spend the night here and launch your assault tomorrow at dawn. Everyone in Red Mist Castle is a vampire... they grow stronger in the darkness."
"We'll take you up on that offer for tonight."
"Offer? You're the ones who will save us and become the Dominators of this territory... it's only natural for us to serve you."
After dinner, we gathered in one of the rooms. Kang Myungjin and Yu Inha sat in chairs, while Ju Seohyun and Lee Minjung perched on the left bed, and Yu Seohee and I sat on the right bed, all facing Kang Myungjin in the center.
"What do you all think about the information she shared?" Kang Myungjin asked, his question carrying the weight of his comprehensive knowledge of the Original Work. I understood his purpose: to give us the experience of organizing information and formulating plans.
Later, Kang Myungjin wouldn't be able to handle everything alone. He was preparing the Legion members for that time.
Kang Myungjin turned to Lee Minjung. Flustered but determined, she offered her opinion.
"Um... well, since they're vampires, wouldn't staking them during the day when the sun is up... work?"
"Lee Minjung, as I've said before, we can't blindly trust modern knowledge. The chances of the vampires in this world being the same creatures as those in modern lore are slim."
"...I'm sorry, Myungjin Oppa."
"I'm not blaming you. Just remember that this world is different from our own."
Kang Myungjin's gaze shifted to Ju Seohyun.
"...They said those vampires don't leave the castle. So why can't we just take them out one by one and escape?"
"Hit and run. A good strategy. But we know nothing about the castle's layout. And they said the vampires don't leave, not that they can't."
Ju Seohyun fell silent. Kang Myungjin turned to Yu Inha, who was sitting beside him.
"Yu Inha, what do you think?"
Yu Inha had witnessed Yu Seohee being violated and tamed from beginning to end. As a result, she had grown to dislike and avoid women, even harboring a slight aversion towards them.
"We can't trust that woman. Her kindness is excessive and suspicious. She served us lavish meals with plenty of meat, yet the villagers here are emaciated and sickly. How can they have so much food while the people starve? It's far too suspicious. What she told us might all be lies."
"Yu Inha, you're right. Some of the information she gave us is false. But the biggest reason we can't trust her is... she's not human."
"...!"
No one doubted Kang Myungjin's words.
He had recently revealed to us that he possessed a Skill that allowed him to gather information. Given his demeanor and actions, we had no choice but to believe him.
After sharing the false information Jane had provided, Kang Myungjin turned to Yu Seohee for her opinion.
"Yu Seohee, what do you think?"
"Um... with you and Mr. Sung Yujin here, I'm sure we'll manage somehow, right?"
"...Right."
Kang Myungjin simply nodded. The others reacted similarly, showing little expectation of Yu Seohee.
Yu Seohee had little interest in combat or strategy. Her combat skills were the weakest among us, but her abilities Silence and Seduction proved surprisingly useful in battle.
I subtly stroked Yu Seohee's hip, out of Kang Myungjin's sight. Lee Minjung was too focused on Kang Myungjin to notice, and Ju Seohyun and I were already intimate, so I didn't care if we were caught.
"Sung Yujin, what's your opinion?"
"The red mist surrounding the castle... it's clearly not ordinary fog. That's what worries me. Germany is a strong possibility, but it could also be a curse. The woman glossed over the red mist entirely."
I spoke without hesitation. These weren't my own thoughts; I was merely reciting Kang Myungjin's reasoning from the Original Work.
"...And if, as you say, she's not human... then she's likely a vampire. I observed her closely earlier, and she appeared human. But you're rarely wrong. So, my theory is that the villagers here are human during the day and transform into vampires at night."
"As expected... it's Sung Yujin. The information matches what I already knew."
Kang Myungjin's eyes shone with admiration as he looked at me.
"Just as Sung Yujin said, the villagers transform into vampires at night. They become our enemies."
Ju Seohyun frowned. "Why didn't you tell us this sooner? If they're vampires, wouldn't it be better to kill them during the day when they're weaker?"
"They're human during the day. They begged us for salvation, and that wasn't a lie. The villagers' transformation into vampires at night is due to a curse cast by the Lord of the Castle. If we kill the Lord and conquer this territory, the villagers will revert to their true human forms. So I'm telling you now: avoid killing the villagers as much as possible."
"Understood," Ju Seohyun replied, followed by the others.
Kang Myungjin didn't tell us to spare the residents out of pity. He's the type who would never abandon his comrades, but he'd discard anyone outside that circle without hesitation.
Once we conquer a territory and establish dominance, its residents become assets.
Naturally, the more residents there are, the higher the tax revenue. And in a pinch, we could even conscript them as soldiers.
Kang Myungjin began explaining the detailed operation to us. He had outlined the plan before we arrived, but some aspects remained unclear until we understood the full situation. Now, his strategy made perfect sense.
"Wait. Wouldn't it be easier to hold out here until tomorrow and attack during the day? They're supposed to weaken in daylight, right?" Ju Seohyun's suggestion was logical, but Kang Myungjin shook his head.
"Even if we fight during the day, battling inside the castle where sunlight doesn't penetrate is no different from fighting at night. Plus, we can earn additional rewards by clearing this territory at night."
Before he could explain what those additional rewards were, the sun had completely set.
The villagers began gathering around the house.
Yu Inha peered out the window and her face paled.
There were far more than she had anticipated. She was probably replaying zombie movies in her mind.
"Master, there are too many!"
"That's within expectations. Proceed according to the plan."