Ah-rin’s injuries were serious enough that a regular person might be left with a permanent disability.
Drip, drip, drip—
But thanks to our miracle cure, Irmana’s water, and applying potions to the affected area, she started to regain her original skin at a noticeable pace.
It was a miracle possible due to the incredible recovery ability of the Awakened One.
“I got hit for just a moment, and my health dropped by 90. Those crazy bastards.”
“At least it’s a relief. Let’s take a break until Ah-rin is fully recovered.”
It was a short but intense battle.
Despite starting in a very advantageous position, the tension remained high solely because of the overwhelming numbers and persistence of the mosquitoes.
Of course, it was also because I controlled the use of Skeleton Bombs and Flame Magic while ensuring my companions could gain experience.
Seeing Ah-rin’s injury made me feel I needed to intervene a bit more.
– You have achieved the quest related to [Thievery]!
– You can obtain the racial ability [Blood Transformation] of [Blood Mosquito]. Do you agree?
‘… By the way, why is this question popping up now when it was never asked before?’
This was the racial ability reward obtained halfway through the battle.
But I had been contemplating over the question that presented the option.
Since it was a trait gained from completing a quest, it was only natural to eagerly accept it, but…
‘Blood Transformation… It alters life with living blood. If I gain this ability, could there be any side effects?’
It was something I had never experienced before, so I was worried.
However, there was no answer when I asked the system, and based on my experience, traits had always brought me benefits, so there didn’t seem to be much to hesitate about.
‘Ah, what the heck? Life is short! I’ll take it!’
I couldn’t just brush off the opportunity given to me by my cute “Skull.”
– You have acquired the racial ability [Blood Transformation] of [Blood Mosquito]!
– The achievement [Pioneer] is activated!
– All attributes increase by 1.
[Blood Transformation]
– The starting point of the Parasitic Bloodline is here.
– It is a terrifying ability that permanently enhances the body by absorbing the blood of living beings. The stronger the opponent, the greater the enhancement.
– Growth will be slow, but with patience in feeding, you can become a powerful entity.
After gaining the trait named [Blood Transformation], I waited for a moment for the changes in my body.
However, there were no signs of the flow of magic or even the slightest change.
‘What the…? Seems like nothing is wrong?’
I got rid of my worries, thinking it was just a false alarm, and read down the explanation of the trait.
‘What the… It says it’s the starting point of the Parasitic Bloodline?’
Not long ago, I traveled through a small gate in the dungeon to another dimension.
Those creatures that had infested the shell of the Sand Dragon Turtle suddenly came to mind.
How did they get involved with these mosquitoes to end up in such a horrific state?
‘Anyway, the important thing is that I gained a new ability. The problem is that I can’t use it in my current state.’
[Blood Transformation]
When the ability activated, a small amount of magic flowed out, and a tiny black needle emerged from my index finger.
I quickly hid it, fearing my other companions might see, instinctively judging that this would be difficult to use in my Skeleton form.
An ability related to consumption.
It wouldn’t be reasonable to think I could stuff the corpses of monsters into my body to activate Essence Consumption.
‘I can’t even drink the monster’s blood piled up in the Space. There’s the stipulation of “living creatures.” Ultimately, I have to suppress and absorb enemies while in disguise. Isn’t that just telling me to become a vampire?’
Even though I had gained a new ability, it was awkward to try to use it right away.
Thinking about how those mosquitoes suck blood, it wasn’t something that could merely be sampled briefly.
It was a dangerous ability that could potentially drain the life force of the experimental target entirely.
‘I’ll need to test it on something I wouldn’t mind killing.’
I nodded and continued pouring Irmana’s water onto Ah-rin’s arm.
“Oww— that hurts… Il-wol, I’m in pain.”
“Clap, clap…”
Ah-rin’s arm had a hole the size of a 100-won coin from where a mosquito’s proboscis penetrated.
Watching the blood drip from that hole made my mouth water, and I instinctively reached towards Ah-rin’s arm.
‘—?! Wh-What?! What am I thinking?! Have I lost my mind?!’
I got chills for a moment, hurriedly putting the jug away and backing off.
“Huh? Is the water not coming out? Did I use too much?”
Baek Ah-rin looked at me curiously as I suddenly halted the healing.
‘Phew… It’s alright. I was startled for a moment, but I don’t feel an uncontrollable urge or anything.’
If it were an insatiable desire, that would be a huge problem, but I just felt a bit of craving. It should be okay, right?
‘Okay or not, if I see blood in disguise form, it could be dangerous, right?’
Now I understood why the system had asked for my consent.
‘Isn’t this the time to give a warning? Hey? System!’
– ……
I protested to the system, but there was only a hollow echo.
Drip, drip, drip—
“Aah— that stings.”
Again, I placed the jug over Ah-rin’s arm and glanced at “Castle” for safety, keeping blood away just in case. I should be cautious even in my Skeleton state for the time being.
“Alright, how does it feel? Want to move your arm a bit?”
Joo-ah skillfully wrapped bandages around Ah-rin’s arm.
“I think it’s okay. By tomorrow, the hole should close, I believe.”
“I’ll keep singing healing songs from the side…”
Eun-young whispered, trying her best to help.
We had pooled all our capabilities as a party, so it would be unacceptable if her injury didn’t heal cleanly.
“It seems wise to stock up on more potions. Irmana’s water doesn’t seem to provide immediate effects.”
As we discussed item stocking, it was time to head back into battle again.
“Shall we go?”
With Bae Joo-ah’s powerful shout, Yeon-hee’s lips moved quickly.
With Yeon-hee’s spell, our protective Castle vanished.
Hundreds of mosquitoes began rushing through the open passage, drooling.
‘Where do you think you’re going!’
Thundering—
But I unleashed piles of stones summoned from the Dark Space, blocking more than half of the passage. As the remaining ones squeezed through, my companions’ skills hit them, marking the start of the second round.
*
“Whew— is it finally over?”
“Let’s stop for today. Pushing ourselves won’t get us anywhere.”
“I feel like we’ve already pushed ourselves enough… Whew, whew— that was tough.”
We endured a total of six waves, gaining experience, and only after exhausting ourselves did we feel the monsters’ momentum weaken.
This was possible because I shared two attributes with my companions.
“What on earth is with all the mosquitoes in this confined space?”
“It’s not a typical ecosystem. Growing to adulthood with just this abundant magic wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Oh no, they’re coming again.”
Just because their momentum weakened didn’t mean they gave up on us.
As the sound of the monsters became clearer, Yeon-hee called upon Castle again to block the passage, and Bae Joo-ah even filled the smallest gaps with rocks, preventing any air from getting through.
“Let’s take a quick break and then exit… huh?”
At that moment, as if by agreement, the five of us turned our gaze into the air.
‘… Did we gain something?’
There were no messages for me, but I was much more interested in their growth.
“Wow… what’s this…?”
“Is this for real?”
‘What could be causing such a reaction?’
Calmly waiting, I listened to the messages that arose within them. It was indeed a quest meant to provide astonishing rewards— not just rewards.
“They say if we finish purifying this dungeon and cleanse the other light temple at the center, they’ll grant us a small blessing?”
‘A small blessing… understood.’
Usually, a small blessing refers to a buff that is more than half as effective as a complete blessing.
Considering how the Paladins experienced a remarkable surge in physical abilities and health recovery after receiving Areina’s buff, even a small blessing would be significant.
‘The biggest beneficiary will be Ah-rin.’
Knowing this, Ah-rin already had a beaming smile that stretched from ear to ear.
‘By the way, Areina never gives out rewards all at once. Of course, I’m grateful for a blessing of this level for such a cleansing task, but…’
In any case, it seemed like the entire party was set to receive rewards, so there was no need to complain.
‘Am I not getting anything…? Just because they removed some restrictions on light attributes, do I just get to eat scraps?’
……..
When I think about it, I probably had the highest contribution here. I felt somewhat disappointed.
‘But if I progress the cleansing work in disguise, it might turn out differently… ugh…’
Even if I transformed into a human, my essence wouldn’t change, but who knows what could happen.
‘The bigger issue isn’t whether my trick will work or not… it’s how things will unfold if I reveal my disguise ability to my companions… I genuinely can’t foresee that.’
I remained cautious about sharing my secrets with others.
‘But I can’t hide it forever. With this great beast hunt coming up, there might be situations where I’ll need to use disguise.’
While I was lost in thought, the warmth of Yeon-hee’s hand guided me.
“Hehe, what are you doing? Are you staying here?”
She looked up at me with a slightly playful expression.
In that moment, my mind cleared, and the sweet temptation of blood faded away.
When I turned my steps, holding her hand as if entranced.
[Ugh… Ahh…!]
A terrifying darkness lurked at the end of this dungeon.
It stared at me, asking where I thought I was going.
‘Wait for me. Next time, I’ll rush straight at you and crack your head open.’
With a promise to return, I escaped the hidden dungeon unscathed with my companions.
I didn’t gain the expected achievement, but I obtained clues for a better blessing.
It was also a harvest that my companions gained significant experience from engaging in tense battles against formidable monsters.
Yeon-hee leveled up to 82, and even the companions were just stepping into the late 70s.
“Already three red summoning cards. Hehe—”
As Yeon-hee surpassed level 80, the grade of the summon cards she could use upgraded by one tier.
Tonight, she planned to spin the gacha with the blue summoning cards she had been collecting.
The best summons available from B rank would definitely be Ogre and Orc.
Single-handedly, the Ogre is much stronger than the Orc, but it has a notable weakness in group battles due to its individualistic nature.
‘Yeon-hee hasn’t utilized the Ogre much. It was mostly Orcs for her.’
From B rank onwards, various breeds of Orcs appear, so summoning them would be the most straightforward approach.
“Considering the recipe for Killbard, it might be better to leave this dungeon uncompleted, right?”
“Right. I’ve seen quite a few mutants lately. Do we have a few Bloodstones from the mutants?”
“I think we’ve gathered close to a hundred.”
“They say hidden dungeons will respawn monsters in the cleared areas, so if we can clear it, we won’t need to hesitate.”
“Is that the Witch’s official line?”
“Yeah.”
As likely due to how many times they have heard the nickname ‘Witch’, Hae-yoon remarked he’d gotten so used to it that it felt more familiar than referring to her as ‘Mom’.
In any case, it was a relief that the companions maintained their interest in the special potion from Ilseom.
‘I can’t overcome this alone. I should start discussing Killbard with Yeon-su soon.’
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