Ch.57Chapter 57: Vampire (13).

But a moment later.

Heave—

Kwaaang!

Rumble rumble—

Valt’s arm emerges from the ground with the help of the gnome, followed by his massive body rising from beneath the earth.

In one hand, he held Roksa’s corpse.

With a casual swing of his arm, Valt tosses Roksa’s corpse—her lower body completely obliterated by a direct hit from his rock hammer—beside a tree outside the pile of stones.

“Huff.”

Swoosh—

Thud—

This time, his rock hammer incorporated two additional techniques for a more definitive strike.

One was the rotation Valt always used to increase destructive power.

The other was the vibration he had conceived when activating sound wave magic.

By adding the physical force of vibration, Valt’s physical magic became even more devastating, allowing him to shatter Roksa’s insect armor and finish her with a single blow.

Wheel Vibration Rock Hammer.

It was the birth of Valt’s most powerful anti-personnel magic capable of inflicting maximum damage on a single target.

Subduing Roksa without killing her would have been difficult. Trying to merely restrain such a powerful opponent for information would have been laughable arrogance.

Still, he felt he should retrieve the corpse, so he brought it out.

“Phew… thanks, gnome. I’ll need to rest briefly before setting off again.”

Valt manipulated his armlet to send a message to his companions.

***

Beep—

Lati, who checked the chat first, shouts out.

“I knew it! That’s our Valt!! Hey, he caught that bug woman!! He says he’s coming right after us!?”

Everyone nods, suggesting no one thought Valt would lose.

“Ahahaha! Of course! I’m telling you, he’s amazing!”

Only Lilith looks confused as she asks Yuria.

“R-really? He defeated such a powerful opponent all by himself?”

Lilith had expected Valt to send the group ahead while he escaped, which would have been perfectly understandable to her. But even for a barbarian warrior, it was incomprehensible that a mere 1st Circle magic user could defeat an Aura user estimated to be at the 7th layer or higher.

“Of course. Valt’s a complete monster, you know? Even I didn’t know much about him since the barbarians have been stuck in the south for decades, but he’s seriously no joke.”

“I-is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s why we trust Valt so much.”

With few vampires currently able to fight properly, Valt’s support for Lilith’s side would certainly be a significant advantage.

***

If Valt had captured the enemy, it would be much safer to regroup and travel together.

As Lilith’s group waits briefly for Valt, he soon appears with heavy footsteps.

“Did you wait long?”

Valt appeared holding Roksa’s dangling corpse in one hand.

“Ugh, did you run all the way here carrying that?”

Lati stuck out her tongue in disgust, prompting Valt to defend himself.

“We need to identify who these people are. Even as a corpse, someone this powerful could provide useful information.”

“Couldn’t you at least put it in a spatial pouch?!”

Since corpses aren’t living beings, they can be stored in spatial pouches.

“Ah, I forgot in my rush to get here.”

After storing Roksa’s corpse in his spatial pouch, Valt continues.

“Let’s go. I’m worried about Brasov.”

Only now noticing Valt’s wounds in the dark forest, Lati flies up and perches on his shoulder.

Fairies of original size can fly with their wings regardless of the Fly spell.

“Valt, your wounds are too severe. Let’s heal you a bit before going. Intensive Heal.”

Valt’s wounds heal completely with Lati’s recovery magic.

“Wow, that’s impressive. Thanks, Lati.”

As expected of the fairy race specialized in magic.

She demonstrates proficient magical power across all attributes.

Though less effective than healing using holy power, Valt smiles with satisfaction as he examines his healed body.

After running further, they arrive at Brasov.

Lilith’s expression fills with dismay as they stand before the entrance they had used previously.

“W-what is this??”

The illusion magic concealing the entrance has disappeared, revealing the passage.

Anyone could tell intruders had entered.

“W-we need to hurry!!”

Valt sets down Lilith, who had been carried on his back.

“We need to stay calm now. Let’s prepare. Lilith has weakened from creating a familiar. It would be better for her to recover her strength.”

Robin steps forward.

“If that’s the case, my blood…”

Valt stops Robin as he takes out an arrow to cut his forearm.

“Wait, this should work.”

Saying that, Valt pulls out a small glass bottle from his spatial pouch.

Splash—

A red liquid visible inside.

Lati looks puzzled as Valt takes out the item.

“Huh? A health potion? It would be less effective than blood for a vampire, wouldn’t it?”

Potions certainly work on vampires.

However, Lilith’s weakness is complex. It’s not just blood loss but also a rebound from excessive mana use, making meaningful recovery impossible with ordinary potions.

“It’s not a potion.”

“Huh? Then what is it?”

A gift that Lamrpo had prepared before leaving the academy, saying vampires might like it.

“It’s blood. Monster blood, specifically.”

“What? Monster blood?”

“Yes, desert long-tongued salamander blood.”

A 5th-grade magical beast living in the desert region further south.

With a body the size of an alligator, it’s a creature desert travelers must be wary of.

Its favorite delicacy happens to be the black horses that the Gerungtu use as their main mode of transportation, making it a monster that needs to be hunted regularly in the south.

“You’re going to feed that to Lilith?”

“Yes, a merchant I know said vampires would really like it. Have you ever heard of it, Lilith?”

Monster blood? Vampires don’t drink monster blood. Not only does it taste bad, but it’s also inefficient.

Monster or livestock blood cannot easily quench a vampire’s thirst.

“No… I’ve never heard of it. The southern deserts are far from here, and vampires have no reason to go to scorching deserts with intense sunlight.”

“Really? Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Give it a try.”

Though reluctant, Lilith nods.

“Here you go.”

As soon as Valt opens the lid, he pours the salamander blood from the glass bottle onto his hand.

Yuria raises an eyebrow at the sight.

“Huh? Valt, what are you doing? You said she should drink it, but you’re pouring it out…”

“Watch carefully. This salamander blood is a bit special.”

Saaaah—

Clink—

The salamander blood falling onto Valt’s hand rapidly solidifies, transforming into blood-red crystal-like gems.

Lati exclaims in admiration.

“Wooow? What is that? It’s so pretty!”

All the blood has now turned into crystal gems.

Valt passes them to Lilith.

“Salamander blood only exists as a liquid above a certain temperature. At room temperature like this, it solidifies rapidly.”

Clink—

Lilith receives the blood crystals from Valt with surprised eyes.

“T-this is like…”

“Yes, similar to the blood crystals vampires create. But these don’t last as long. They spoil since they’re not condensed with magical power.”

“They spoil?”

“Yes, like food. Try eating one. Think of it as a blood-flavored candy.”

Vampires above a certain level can use blood magic to create valuable gems called blood crystals.

These are the main trade items between humans and vampires.

With a reluctant expression, Lilith puts one of the salamander blood crystals in her mouth.

Crunch—

Unlike what she expected, the blood crystal crumbles with no resistance.

Munch—

Munch—

Gulp—

After swallowing one crystal, Valt asks Lilith.

“How is it?”

Whoosh!

Lilith’s expression turns to shock, and she quickly puts the remaining blood crystals in her mouth, chewing and swallowing them all at once.

WHOOSH!

A storm of blood mist erupts.

Then Lilith’s body returns to its original slender form.

Her strength has returned.

With wide eyes from the incredible effect, Lilith seems unable to return to her normal expression.

“W-what is this? H-how can it be so efficient?”

Valt calmly assesses that Lilith’s power seems to have grown even stronger than before.

“I’m not sure. I only heard about it… but the effect is certainly clear.”

“D-does that salamander only live in the south?!”

Valt nods to the excited Lilith.

“As far as I know, yes. We can discuss this later. Now that Lilith has recovered, shall we proceed slowly?”

Lamrpo’s grand scheme.

The hardworking merchant Lamrpo had been pondering where to sell goods from the south.

He gathered all possible information about southern products—from people’s rumors to folk tales, old stories, ancient books, and more.

Then he discovered an old book.

It contained an unverifiable story that when the vampire progenitor traveled the world, he stayed longest in the south and hunted countless long-tongued salamanders.

But it was worth a try. When Lamrpo heard that Valt was going to meet vampires, he saw an opportunity to profit from vampires as well.

Though it was a very merchant-like motive, it proved tremendously helpful in this moment.

“Stay alert. The real challenge may be just beginning.”