Chapter 242

The Castle of Hope.

The castle, named “Hope” with the desperate wish of the humans who hadn’t given up yet, was also their last bastion.

The size of the castle, the height and sturdiness of its walls, were all just average, but it was this castle that had allowed them to endure countless bloody battles against the undead and defend their territory.

Deep within the Castle of Hope,

An old man lay in bed, his eyes closed.

His breathing was shallow, his complexion pale, and it was clear at a glance that he was in poor health.

A middle-aged man watched over the old man.

He was a tall, imposing man with a wild, spiky red beard like boar bristles.

The Red-Haired Beast.

That was the man’s nickname.

It was a nickname based on his appearance, but it was also a nickname that the humans used with reverence.

Because he was a hero among heroes, who had fought bravely against the undead and saved countless lives.

“Sigh…”

A deep sigh escaped the hero’s lips.

It was because of the old man lying in bed.

The old man was an irreplaceable, great man.

If he was a knight, the old man was a king.

A war might not be lost without a knight, but a kingdom would surely fall without a king.

Without a doubt.

The man left the room with a grim expression.

A man who appeared to be a mage was waiting outside and immediately asked,

“How is the elder, Duncan?”

Duncan, the Red-Haired Beast, shook his head.

“Not good.”

“This is bad. The undead are getting closer, sensing something is wrong…”

“We need to block the information as much as possible and buy as much time as we can. And make as many arrows as possible.”

Arrows were the most important weapon in a siege.

Duncan’s order to produce as many arrows as possible showed that he was prepared for a siege.

“Of course. But we’re running low on wood.”

A chronic shortage of wood.

It was only natural in the underground.

“If we’re short on wood, gather stones.”

His words showed his determination.

He believed that the upcoming battle could decide the fate of humans here.

A battle they had to win, even if it meant using their eating utensils as weapons.

“…Understood.”

And so, the shadow of war loomed over the Castle of Hope.

* * *

The Castle of Curse.

That’s what the humans called the undead’s castle, filled with their hatred.

But the ruler of the undead, Vampire Lord Vaien Blood, liked the name.

Why?

Because being a curse to the humans meant they feared him.

And that fear was the undead’s nourishment.

The nourishment that would break and kill the humans.

Flutter!

The sound of bat wings flapping echoed through the air.

The bat transformed into a woman and bowed before Vaien Blood.

“I have returned, Lord.”

The woman was Riel, the Human Hunter.

A high-ranking vampire and Vaien’s trusted subordinate.

She was also the vampire Max and his group had first encountered on Underground Floor 10.

“Tell me what you have learned.”

Vaien leaned back on his throne and spoke.

“Kaysin hasn’t been seen outside for at least two months. It’s unprecedented. There’s no doubt something has happened to him.”

“No doubt, you say. Can you guarantee that?”

“Yes, I’m absolutely certain, Lord.”

“Well, good.”

Vaien smiled, a chilling grin spreading across his face, and sat up straight.

He trusted Riel, but he wasn’t a ruler who relied solely on his subordinates’ judgments.

He had already made up his mind.

Riel’s report was just the final confirmation.

“It seems the time has finally come.”

His hated rival.

The indomitable swordsman, Kaysin.

Even that old man couldn’t escape the passage of time and was nearing his end.

That was the limitation of humans.

Inferior humans could never defeat immortal undead.

This land would belong to the undead.

“Prepare for battle as soon as possible.”

Riel’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

As her title “Human Hunter” suggested, she took great pleasure in hunting and feeding on humans.

“You’ll be using the siege weapons, right?”

“Of course. The next battle, no, the final battle…”

Vaien grinned, his sharp fangs glinting in the dim light.

“Will be a siege.”

* * *

Underground Floor 13.

It was a place where all the terrains I had encountered so far seemed to be mixed together.

Upon reaching Underground Floor 13, I stopped the group and drew a map in my mind.

It was a complex terrain, but the two most important locations were the human castle and the undead castle, located at opposite ends.

We were currently in the middle, near the entrance.

There was one obvious choice in this situation.

Join forces with the humans, gather our strength, and then attack the undead castle.

That was the choice I had made in the past.

It was the only logical choice, as we wouldn’t be able to face the undead without joining forces with the humans.

But the situation was different now.

‘Completely different.’

I narrowed my eyes, thinking.

The forces I had built up so far were enough to take on the undead.

I was confident in that.

‘Joining forces with the humans would definitely increase our strength. But…’

I knew from experience.

How difficult it was for two completely different groups to fight together in harmony.

The chain of command was the first problem.

In the past, I had been the weaker party, so I had to submit to the humans’ leadership.

But now, I couldn’t give up my role as the savior and the de facto leader who united everyone.

I couldn’t bow to anyone.

That was one problem, and the delay was another.

Military expeditions required preparation.

You couldn’t just send unprepared troops into battle.

Especially in a siege, preparation was crucial.

Even if we joined forces with the humans, it would take a considerable amount of time before we could actually move.

And that wasn’t what I wanted.

‘The advantage of information isn’t something only one side can monopolize.’

If we delayed, the information would inevitably reach the enemy as well.

And they would be prepared.

I didn’t want to give them even that much time.

‘There’s only one answer.’

A swift and decisive strike.

The enemy knew nothing about us.

They weren’t prepared for battle.

Especially not for a siege.

What if we suddenly stormed the undead castle like a raging torrent?

There weren’t many situations where we could gain a greater advantage from a surprise attack.

“Something bothering you, Max?”

Ran, who had approached me unnoticed, asked, blinking her cute eyes.

“No, it’s going too well, that’s the problem.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“People tend to get careless when things are going too well.”

“Hmm, that’s true. But you’ll be fine, Max. You’re not the type to get careless over something like that.”

“Haha, that’s true.”

I chuckled and continued.

“By the way, that special flag you made, it’s actually growing on me.”

The unnecessarily cute turtle might not be intimidating.

But it actually made the residents’ army, armed with powerful weapons and radiating an aura of elite soldiers, even more terrifying.

A fearsome elite force marching under such a cute emblem.

It was a chilling thought.

And…

‘It definitely boosted their sense of belonging.’

They had always been close, bound by camaraderie and brotherhood.

But now that they were officially united under a single banner, their sense of belonging had definitely strengthened.

That was human psychology.

Ran’s suggestion had been helpful in many ways.

“Wow, ‘growing on you’… That’s so rude! It’s my masterpiece, made with my heart and soul!”

Ran said in a sulky voice.

…Was that really a masterpiece made with her heart and soul?

The mithril flagpole was definitely well-made, though.

“Ah… Right. It’s definitely impressive. Very impressive.”

I quickly appeased her.

Ran’s expression softened slightly.

She was easy to read.

“Heh, this is what happens when I get serious.”

Ran puffed out her chest proudly.

“Yes, yes. And it’s perfect timing.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“To raise our banner after we win.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“I’ve always wanted to do that.”

I grinned.

Today.

That wish would come true.

“Now, let’s move!”

I shouted, my voice filled with authority.

“To the east.”

* * *

Gulp.

Blood-red wine.

It was a rare luxury in this barren land where all resources were scarce.

But it wouldn’t matter soon.

Because he would soon be bathing in the blood of real humans.

“Riel.”

Vaien Blood spoke.

“Yes, my Lord.”

“I will become the king of this underground.”

The underground.

A mysterious place that had trapped even him, Vampire Lord Vaien, who had lived for hundreds of years.

He had tried to escape.

But as soon as he had breathed the air of the outside world, he had been attacked by unknown humans.

Humans who were incredibly strong, even he couldn’t handle them.

He had lost countless kin and been forced to flee back to the underground.

It was a humiliating defeat, the first he had ever experienced.

Since then, he had lived for revenge.

To build up his strength in the underground and take his revenge.

But it had been a long and arduous journey.

Because he had lost so many of his kin.

If they had been with him, he would have already conquered the underground.

But it was too late to regret.

He had been patiently building up his strength.

And finally, the perfect opportunity had arrived.

The chance to rule the underground.

“I will crush their castle and turn all the humans into undead. Especially Kaysin and Duncan, they’ll make excellent materials. With our increased strength, we’ll sweep through the rest of the underground. I will become the king of the underground. And then, with all our forces, we’ll kill every single one of those bastards on the surface.”

Vaien’s face burned with determination.

Riel’s eyes were filled with awe.

“Ah, it will surely come to pass. You will achieve your ambition, my Lord.”

“And when that time comes, you will sit at the second highest position.”

“It is an honor, my Lord.”

They spoke as if the human castle had already fallen.

And it would have, if there were no external variables.

There was no way such a variable would appear.

Normally.

But.

“Lord! Lord!”

One of the few remaining vampires rushed into the room.

Vaien frowned.

He sensed something was wrong from his unusual panic.

“What is it? Has Kaysin, who disappeared, reappeared?”

“An… army…!”

“An army?”

“A-An army of humans is approaching! They’re swarming towards us!”

“What?!”

Bang!

Vaien shot up from his throne.

Riel also froze, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Something impossible had happened.

How could the human army, which had been holed up in their castle until recently, appear here?

It was impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

“This is absurd! We have so many scouts deployed, how could they reach here without being detected?!”

“I-I don’t know! But they’re definitely advancing! From the side path!”

“The side path? Even then, it doesn’t make sense! We’re monitoring the castle, how could they secretly move their troops?!”

“I-I don’t know! A-Anyway, that’s not important right now! We have to stop them!”

“I know that!”

Vaien snapped.

There were two options.

Intercept them or defend the castle.

He needed more information to make a decision.

“How many are there?”

“I-I’m not sure, but it looked like a little over a hundred.”

“A hundred?”

Vaien muttered in disbelief.

A hundred men was at least 70% of the human forces.

They were coming at them with everything they had.

Well, it was only natural if they were targeting the castle.

“We defend! We’ll hold them off at the castle and wait for their momentum to weaken!”

Vaien made his decision.

It was a bad idea to intercept a hundred highly motivated enemies who had successfully marched to their doorstep.

It was better to defend the castle, wait for their morale to drop, and then plan their next move.

“Move now!”

It was the beginning of a battle that would decide the fate of Underground Floor 13.