Yu Seohee, Ju Seohyun, and I swiftly dispatched the three vampires guarding the underground staircase and descended.
At the bottom of the stairs stood a massive, ominous steel gate reminiscent of a prison entrance.
I slowly recalled the information about the gate:
Area 601: Red Mist Castle.
A territory ruled by vampires who feed on human blood.
There are two False Gods in this area: the No Life King and the Blood Countess.
Defeating the No Life King will grant control over this territory. However, even with control, the Blood Countess cannot be subjugated.
In the original work, Kang Myungjin ambushed and killed the Blood Countess first, then eliminated the No Life King.
The reason for this was that the Blood Countess might interfere during the battle with the No Life King. The reverse, however, was impossible, as the No Life King was a higher-ranking being than the Blood Countess.
In the original work, Kang Myungjin immediately annihilated them, claiming he had no time to waste... but I have no such intention.
Clang!
The steel gate swung open, revealing a dimly lit space and a thick, overpowering stench of blood.
"Ugh..."
Ju Seohyun covered her nose and mouth, gagging. Yu Seohee, on the other hand, didn't even flinch, seemingly unaffected. Naturally, I remained perfectly composed.
"My head suddenly hurts... It's not just the smell of blood, is it?"
Ju Seohyun lowered the hand that had been covering her mouth. Her complexion was pale.
"It's a kind of curse," she said. "A curse that gnaws at the mind? I don't know the details, but this entire space is saturated with it."
Yu Seohee was right. The reason she was unaffected by the curse was likely because she was a Succubus.
I have the Mental Resistance Trait, and my stats are exceptionally high.
The curse here wasn't lethal. It fatigued the mind and induced fear. Of course, lingering in this space for too long would inevitably be detrimental.
Blood Mist is accumulating in your body.
All stats have decreased by 21%.
Stats will continue to decrease over time.
The Blood Mist is attempting to corrode your body.
The Blood Mist poses a far greater threat than this useless curse.
"Let's go in," I said, taking the lead. I held a lantern I'd prepared, its light illuminating the path ahead.
"Ugh...!" Ju Seohyun covered her mouth again. It wasn't just the increasingly overpowering stench of blood as we ventured deeper. The walls were drenched in blood.
"What's wrong? Can't handle it? You can wait outside, or I can carry you." I draped my arm over her shoulder.
"Shut up. ...I'll get used to it soon."
"They say the sense of smell adapts quickly, so you probably will. But the headache will persist as long as we're here, right?"
"...Is there no other solution? Even using Mana makes my head hurt."
I stared at Yu Seohee, who was nearly naked. Sensing my gaze, she deliberately twisted her body slightly. Her swollen breasts swayed softly, and drops of semen dripped from her pussy onto the floor.
She openly exuded sensuality, trying to seduce me. Yet I didn't reach out to her. My current focus was the Blood Countess.
"...Curses like this usually have a cursed object as their source. The only ways to break them are to find and destroy the object or use a purification skill to dispel the curse."
"So you're saying I just have to endure it... Fine. My head hurts, but it's not unbearable."
We continued moving forward.
Soon, we realized we were in an underground prison. We discovered people locked in iron cages, sitting blankly on the floor. In one cage, there were torture devices and a tin bucket filled with blood.
All the prisoners had transformed into vampires, as it was night. During the day, when they reverted to human form, they were tortured.
I made eye contact with a prisoner, but he showed no reaction. He didn't scream or beg for salvation.
"This is insane! We have to save them!"
"Seohyun, isn't the mission more important right now? Myungjin didn't tell us to save anyone."
"Yu Seohee! Don't you feel sorry for them?!"
"I do feel sorry for them. But Seohyun, we can't forget our objective. Right, Mr. Sung Yujin?"
"Yu Seohee is right. We can't lose sight of our mission. If we fail, Kang Myungjin and his group will be in danger. Saving them can wait until after we've secured the castle. That's the safest approach."
Ju Seohyun couldn't refute my words and fell silent, her eyes blazing with righteous fury as she glared straight ahead. The murderous intent was directed at the Blood Countess who awaited us.
Having read the original work, I already knew what this place was, so I wasn't particularly surprised.
This was a place where humans were tortured and their blood was extracted.
The victims were the villagers. At regular intervals, they were dragged here and drained of their blood. The reason was simple: this was the Vampire's castle.
There was no need for torture, but the Blood Countess insisted on it as a hobby.
"The Blood Countess... Her true name is Erzs bet B thory. She's the one who supposedly bathed in the blood of virgins."
The villagers in this territory are essentially livestock.
The vampires of the castle constantly provide the villagers with food more than enough to eat three full meals a day. Yet the villagers rarely touch it, knowing it's merely animal feed.
Thud, thud.
We reached the end of the long underground prison, which must have been at least 100 meters long.
This was the source of the overwhelming stench of blood.
Inside a massive bathtub large enough to hold five or six people, a pale woman lay submerged. Her skin was corpse-like, her white hair coiled up to avoid the blood, and her eyes were a chilling crimson, the exact shade of blood.
Submerged neck-deep in a bathtub filled with blood, her porcelain-white features made her resemble a ghost, her head floating eerily in the crimson pool.
What was truly bizarre was the incongruous array of torture devices scattered around the bathtub.
"Oh my," she murmured, noticing us. She glanced at me briefly before turning her gaze to Ju Seohyun and Yu Seohee, a faint smile curving her lips.
The Blood Countess covers her mouth with a fan as she laughs.
The Blood Countess (Imitation) shows interest in you.
"Such lovely children," she purred. "It's a shame they reek of harlotry, but... for women as beautiful as you, I might just show mercy."
Erzsebet rose from the bathtub. Her porcelain-white skin, smooth as polished jade, glistened with the blood that clung to her like a second skin.
I scrutinized her body intently. Her large, hemispherical breasts were so voluminous they resembled watermelons definitely an F cup. The nipples, perched atop her snow-white breasts, were a delicate pink.
Below her breasts, her smooth abdomen was devoid of any excess fat. At its center lay her navel, meticulously crafted like a work of art.
Erzsebet had long, slender limbs. Her height appeared to exceed 170 centimeters.
My gaze then drifted to her pussy. Standing shamelessly in the bathtub, Erzsebet's vulva was completely hairless, just like the vampire woman I had seen earlier.
The clitoris and labia minora are also white.
The Lord of the Heavens marvels.
The Lord of the Heavens donates 10,000 AP.
"I've never been with a vampire. I envy you."
A vampire woman even Zeus hadn't experienced! My cock began to throb, radiating its presence.
Erzsebet narrowed her eyes at me.
"I have no need for men... but you seem to be a first-rate specimen of healthy livestock."
Erzsebet stepped out of the bathtub. As if on cue, female vampires descended from the ceiling, towels in hand, and began to meticulously dry her body and dress her in a pitch-black gown.
We all craned our necks to look up. Over twenty female vampires hung from the ceiling like bats, suspended at least ten meters above us. Ju Seohyun shuddered, and Yu Seohee's face froze into a rigid mask.
I remained calm.
This didn't happen in the original work. Did she gather her subordinates because of the commotion in the castle?
My gaze shifted to Erzsebet, who was wearing a dress. Though the ornate black gown was beautiful, it concealed her even more beautiful body, which displeased me greatly.
"What are you doing? Why wear a dress when you're just going to take it off anyway?"
"...Huh? What are you talking about? Aren't you the one being disrespectful by making me wear this dress before facing you?"
"Respect? The only respect you need to show is stripping naked and spreading your legs. Even better if you wiggle your pussy."
I pulled down my pants.
Grabbing my erect cock with one hand, I pointed it at her, who was still struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
"This is the cock you should worship. Spread your legs now. It's time for impregnation sex."
"...Huh. I've never met a man so utterly devoid of manners, so beastly. Your audacity is so outrageous it's almost comical. But blasphemy is blasphemy. You will not die peacefully, and for the next ten thousand years, you will regret these words."
As she spoke, she finished changing into a new gown and gracefully unfurled the fan the vampire had handed her, concealing her lips.
Erzsebet's crimson eyes narrowed.
"I crave fresh blood. Capture the women alive, without harming them. As for that insolent man... keep him alive, but barely."
"Yes, Countess."
The female vampires responded in unison, surging toward us.
I gripped the Hwaryeon Flying Dagger I had drawn earlier and charged at Erzsebet, its blade crackling with azure sword qi.
More than six vampires charged at me from all directions.
"Discharge."
Thunderbolts erupted from my entire body. The startled vampires instinctively recoiled.
"Useless things."
Thwack.
Erzsebet tore the heart from one of the retreating vampires with her bare hand and clutched it.
"My servants, do not disappoint me."
Fear flashed across the vampires' faces. Though hesitant from the thunderbolts, they soon braved the danger and resumed their assault. The lightning burned their skin, but they pressed on relentlessly.
The vampires feared Erzsebet more than death itself. The reason was obvious: torture.
Do they think I only have thunderbolts? How foolish.
I plunged my sword into the vampire's neck as it reached for my shoulder with its claws, then slashed downward. Blood and viscera, indistinguishable from human remains, spilled forth.
Yeongcheon Style: Streamline.
My blade never faltered. It moved in smooth, unbroken arcs, slicing through the surrounding vampires with relentless precision.
The sword's final destination: Erzsebet, standing calmly at the edge of the fray.
Erzsebet raised her fan to block my strike, but when she saw the crimson lightning crackling over the blue sword qi, she swiftly retreated.
"You're quite skilled, aren't you?"
As I moved to pursue her, the blood-filled bathtub nearby sloshed violently, and three blood-formed stakes shot toward me.
If I go forward, I'll definitely get hit!
I had no choice but to retreat.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The stakes embedded in the floor writhed, then dissolved into blood, forming small puddles.
Blood manipulation... How far does her control extend?
I parried the charging Vampires with my sword while searching for Ju Seohyun and Yu Seohee.
Ju Seohyun was holding her own without much difficulty, likely due to the experience she'd gained fighting Vampires before coming here.
Yu Seohee was performing far better than I'd imagined. Though her combat skills were clumsy, her overwhelming physical abilities allowed her to dominate the Vampires.
Yu Seohee's Succubus Class trait, Succubus Body (B), temporarily boosts her stats each time she absorbs a man's vital essence.
Before coming here, I had sex with Yu Seohee. Not just once, but multiple times. By my count, I had ejaculated inside her pussy twelve times.
As a result, Yu Seohee's stats were now likely similar to mine, or even higher.
I don't need to worry about Ju Seohyun and Yu Seohee.
I killed a blocking vampire and took a step toward Erzsebet.
Erzsebet pointed the tip of her folded fan at me and said, "It's been a while since I've seen a man like you. How long do you think you can last?"
You have been designated as a torture subject.
A torture subject...? What's that?
The question was immediately answered.
The torture devices near the bathtub began moving on their own, targeting me.