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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Thick smoke filled the auction house. I quickly covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve. The smoke was probably laced with something.
I focused my mana, trying to block the effects.
People collapsed, unconscious. Panic erupted.
Sepia and Tesha also covered their noses and mouths, crouching low to the ground.
“Don’t breathe in the smoke!”
Tesha shouted. But it was too late for most of them. They had already inhaled the smoke and collapsed.
“Guards! Guards!”
Milton, the auction owner, frantically called for help. But no guards came.
Even the guards inside the auction house had succumbed to the smoke.
Tesha checked the pulse of the unconscious person beside her. They were still breathing.
‘Sleeping gas?’
A fast-acting sedative that knocked you out within seconds.
There was only one reason to attack an auction house: to steal the merchandise.
“Protect the items!”
Milton yelled.
Sepia clapped her hands together, creating a gust of wind that dispersed the smoke.
I instinctively reached for my sword, then remembered that weapons weren’t allowed inside.
Several gray-haired men stood up and ran towards the stage.
I ran after them.
If it weren’t for my improved Poison Resistance, I would have succumbed to the sleeping gas.
But I was able to resist its effects.
“Tesha! Sepia! Get ready to fight!”
“Ethan? Sepia? It was you?”
I threw off my fox mask. I was finally free from that ridiculous thing.
“Guards… guards…”
Milton’s eyelids fluttered, his voice weak. He knew this was serious. A lot of money was at stake.
But he couldn’t fight the effects of the drug any longer. His voice faded, and he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was the black-haired young man facing a group of gray-haired men.
I calmly assumed a fighting stance.
My Hand-to-Hand Combat skill had reached level 5. I could handle myself in a fight, even without a weapon.
“There are twenty of them.”
“Mages and fighters. They can use mana.”
The apparent leader of the group spoke. His red eyes glowed through the eyeholes of his bat mask.
“Take off that ridiculous mask.”
“Get out of my way, human, if you value your life.”
I frowned. He had called me “human,” which meant he wasn’t one.
A demon? Or some other species.
They all had red eyes. There were humans with red eyes, but…
‘A race with red eyes…’
Some orcs and goblins had red eyes. But if an entire race had red eyes, there was only one possibility.
“Vampires.”
That would explain why they were after the Necromancer’s Blue Gem.
I thought of Ashron.
Ashron, the first-generation vampire.
He was as strong as a mid- to high-ranking demon general and had once served a queen.
‘They weren’t supposed to attack… Could it be…?’
I didn’t know everything. There were plenty of events that weren’t mentioned in the novel.
‘They were originally supposed to buy the gem at the auction.’
I had been careless. The Blue Gem didn’t appear until later in the original story. I hadn’t anticipated this.
It made sense. They had probably decided to implement their backup plan after I outbid them.
The Blue Gem was more than just a valuable item to them. It had religious and ritualistic significance.
“Move aside, kid.”
“Sorry, but I need that gem. I already paid for it.”
The vampire bared his fangs, a low growl rumbling in his chest.
“That’s not something you can buy with money.”
I had a feeling I knew why they were so desperate. It was the queen’s heart, after all.
“Do you humans sell your mothers’ remains for money?”
I looked around. There were four of us still conscious:
Tesha, Sepia, the brown-mustached gentleman, and myself.
Tesha had assumed a fighting stance, her fists clenched. Blue mana flickered around Sepia’s hands.
The brown-mustached gentleman tapped his cane against the ground, a 19th-century British gentleman’s hat perched on his head.
He seemed to be enjoying the show.
“Step aside, black-haired one. I don’t want to cause a scene.”
Ashron took a step towards me.
‘Can I defeat a first-generation vampire with my bare hands?’
My Combat Intuition would tell me after a few exchanges.
But that wasn’t the problem.
There were twenty of them.
First-generation vampires had a high concentration of demon blood, allowing them to be active during the day and survive without blood, food, or water.
The first vampire had been born from darkness and had lived for thousands of years.
They were different from the demons who had crossed over from the demon world.
“If you’re not going to move, don’t blame me if you break a bone or two.”
Ashron extended his hand, his claws sharp and menacing, like a predator’s.
He lunged at me.
A vampire’s claws were difficult to block.
Rip.
Something grazed my arm, tearing my sleeve. A few drops of blood appeared on the torn fabric.
I punched him in the ribs. I heard a sickening crack.
I followed up with a roundhouse kick, aiming for his head. Ashron quickly raised his arms to block.
Thwack!
The impact sent a jolt through his elbow. Ashron stumbled back.
“Damn it, Master gave me this shirt…”
I muttered, looking at the torn sleeve. One of the vampires behind Ashron stepped forward.
“Lord!”
“Stay back. I’ll deal with him. You take the gem and escape.”
The vampire nodded and ran towards the display case.
“Not so fast! That’s mine!”
I leaped forward and slammed my mana-infused fist into the vampire’s back, sending him flying.
“Gah!”
It felt like he had been hit by a hammer. He struggled to his feet, his shoulder dislocated.
I unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, targeting his stomach, ribs, and waist. Bones shattered with each blow.
But vampires had incredible regenerative abilities. His bones were already starting to heal.
Ashron chuckled, amused by my fighting style.
“Human, what is your name?”
“Ethan.”
“I am Ashron, the First Apostle of the Twelve Apostles of the First Vampire.”
He was the current leader of the vampires. His red eyes narrowed.
“We need that gem.”
“No, I need it.”
I couldn’t back out of my deal with Rutea now. Fifteen vampires surrounded me. I couldn’t fight them all barehanded.
I assessed the situation.
Should I summon Lien or the undead army? But the brown-mustached gentleman was watching with amusement.
And I couldn’t summon Obelisk.
The giant would destroy the building. And he was currently inside Hessia’s shadow.
The vampires attacked. I dodged and weaved, landing punches and kicks whenever I saw an opening.
My attacks were powerful, breaking bones and crushing organs. But they healed quickly.
“Damn it, if only I had my sword…”
My Combat Intuition warned me. This wasn’t good.
The longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for me. Vampires had incredible regenerative abilities.
I had to kill them quickly.
And I also had to keep an eye on the unconscious people in the audience. The vampires were after the gem.
My movements were restricted.
“Young man.”
The brown-mustached gentleman spoke. He tossed his cane towards me.
I caught it.
“Use this. It should be a suitable weapon.”
He was right. I pulled on both ends of the cane, and a blade slid out. Weapons were forbidden, but canes were an exception.
“You think a sword will make a difference?”
Ashron chuckled. My blade erupted in flames.
“We’ll see.”
“You can control fire spirits?”
“Apparently.”
“But be careful. You might burn the place down.”
Ethan was already a formidable opponent. And now he had a weapon. The vampires had no choice but to attack.
They lunged at him. His flaming blade flashed, a whirlwind of fire.
They felt a sharp pain as his blade sliced through their limbs.
Arms and legs fell to the ground, then turned to ash. New limbs regenerated instantly.
“How… annoying.”
But the new limbs were immediately engulfed in flames. The flames clinging to the severed limbs had spread.
The vampires screamed in pain, rolling on the ground.
“Stay back. He’s not someone you can defeat.”
Ashron said, slowly approaching me.
Whoosh—!
My blade flashed, a series of attacks, each leaving a trail of fire.
Ashron extended his arm, and I met his attack head-on.
His right arm was severed.
But he didn’t retreat. He immediately attacked with his left arm, aiming for my side. He was willing to sacrifice a limb to injure me.
‘He got me…!’
His sharp claws were about to pierce my chest. Suddenly, my blade shot upwards.
Ashron’s remaining arm flew through the air. I kicked him in the stomach before he could react.
Bam!
I stumbled back from the force of the impact, then used the momentum to spin and kick off the ground, propelling myself forward.
My blade sliced through the air again, a trail of fire in its wake.
Ashron fell, his ankle severed.
But as soon as he landed, his arm and leg regenerated.
They were on fire, but he didn’t seem to care. I charged, intending to finish him off.
But my blade sliced through thin air. Or rather, through mist.
Ashron had turned into mist.
I swung my blade through the mist and turned around. I hadn’t felt anything.
When the mist coalesced, the flames were gone.
“Damn it.”
“You’re quite skilled for a human. I’ll have to get serious.”
I sighed inwardly. If Arthur were here, he would have obliterated them with his golden mana.
But I didn’t have golden mana.
Ashron cracked his knuckles and approached me. Round two.
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