novelraw Chapter 113 : Chapter 113
Chapter 113 : Chapter 113
Chapter 113. Venae Sigillum (2)
Deep within the territory of Luminia.
We finally reached our destination in a desolate mountain range, a place so remote that not only humans but even vampires hesitated to approach.
“…This is incredible.”
Before us stood an ancient castle, precariously perched as if it would collapse at any moment under the weight of time.
A legendary castle where the first Vampire King, who founded Luminia, was said to have resided.
But its glorious past had long since faded.
Now, it was nothing more than an abandoned and forgotten ruin.
The black castle walls were crumbling in places, and the pointed spires were leaning precariously.
A bleak wind howled through the empty windows, creating an unsettling wail.
Noctavira, standing behind me, asked with anxious eyes.
Her voice was trembling slightly.
“Is that thing here?”
“Probably.”
I replied curtly and dryly, looking up at the old castle.
On the game screen, it had been just a simple, old castle represented by a few dots.
But the castle I faced in person was different.
Though it was a ruin, its framework alone hinted at its past grandeur and majesty.
Those massive castle walls and the spires that had once soared high into the sky.
How splendid and imposing must it have looked in its heyday.
‘Somewhere deep inside here, Venae Sigillum must be hidden.’
That magic device was essential to effectively control the vampire race and their dangerous instincts.
It was also the key to making Lumen Fortis the true center of a multi-racial alliance.
However, the reactions of my companions were far from ordinary.
They all had expressions of being thoroughly terrified by the gloomy appearance of the castle.
“Ugh… it looks like ghosts will come out.”
Noemi muttered, clinging to my clothes.
“Pfft. Where in the world are there ghosts? What nonsense. But it certainly is ominous.”
Even Anonymous, unlike her usual arrogant demeanor, slightly frowned.
Noctavira had her lips tightly sealed, looking up at the castle with a pale face.
I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
‘The women who would pride themselves on being stronger than anyone in this world are faltering at the sight of what looks like a haunted house.’
Well, given its appearance, it was understandable.
It was an atmosphere where it wouldn’t be strange if a skeletal soldier suddenly jumped out or if bloody tears flowed from the walls.
But I knew.
Their fear was not just a groundless apprehension.
I turned to my companions and gave them a meaningful smile.
“You all better be on your guard. That place isn’t just about appearances; it’s actually a house where ghosts live.”
Seeing the three women’s faces turn pale at my words, I took my first step towards the old castle gate.
Now then, shall I see for myself how different it is from the game?
As the eerie atmosphere overwhelmed the surroundings, my heart pounded with excitement for the adventure that was about to unfold.
***
I looked at the eerie, ruined castle and sealed my lips shut.
The ominous energy I felt beyond it.
And the tense expressions of my three female companions.
I understood it all too well.
But to me, this place was less an object of fear and more a place of memories mixed with annoyance and stubbornness.
‘Hoo. I really didn’t want to come here again.’
This was back before I entered Frank’s body, back when I was playing ‘Princess Produce’ on a monitor in the real world.
This ancient castle was a notoriously difficult hidden dungeon at the time.
[Quest: Fulfill the last wish of the first Vampire King!]
Having accepted the quest out of curiosity, I soon had to beat the ground in regret.
“Wow. This is really hard. Is the balance team even working? Why did they make it so difficult?”
Curses came out naturally.
The difficulty was murderous.
All the monsters here were of the ‘ghost’ type.
Perhaps because of their ghostly nature, physical attacks were completely ineffective, and even the magic attacks I trusted were mostly repelled or absorbed.
“Crazy! The magic resistance is no joke! Was this made to be cleared or not?”
I repeated hundreds of save-loads, trying all sorts of combinations and items, but I couldn’t see a solution.
Control and everything else was useless when the damage itself barely registered.
Even if I managed to reach the boss room, that was when the real hell began.
“Damn it! They really made a shitty game!”
The boss was even worse.
It was completely immune to physical and magical attacks, and its health was so high that no matter how much I hit it, it showed no signs of dying.
It felt as if it had infinite HP.
It was truly an impossible realm with no visible strategy.
But who was I?
The veteran of veterans who knew everything about PP.
After days and nights of intense strategizing, I finally found a solution.
It was a very peculiar and absurd method.
‘A vampire turned human.’
Only that person could inflict effective damage on the ghosts and the boss here.
Was the game's setting something like ‘only a being on the boundary of death and life’ could strike ‘a being that has not completely died’?
I don’t remember the exact reason.
Why is that, you ask?
Don’t ask me.
I’m not the developer of this crappy game.
Anyway, thanks to that solution, I had brought Noctavira here.
She was now in a half-human, half-vampire state.
More accurately, a former vampire turned human.
She had the optimal conditions to clear this dungeon.
The problem was the process of getting to the boss room.
A vampire turned human could only land effective hits on the boss.
Her attacks wouldn’t work on the numerous mob ghosts encountered before that.
Mine, Anonymous', and Noemi’s attacks would also be ineffective.
So, should I give up?
I smirked and fumbled inside my coat.
‘I came prepared for this.’
In my hand was a small, transparent glass bottle.
Inside it was a liquid that emitted a brilliant light.
It was precious holy water that I had earnestly requested from Isabel before she left Lumen Fortis.
‘If I sprinkle this, the ghosts will be instantly exorcised. No, they won’t even dare to come close out of fear.’
All preparations were complete.
I shrugged my shoulders and looked back at my companions.
Noemi, still with a scared expression; Anonymous, trying to act composed despite feeling the ominousness; and Noctavira, with a complex face.
I gave them a confident smile and slowly stepped inside the creaking castle gate.
Soon, pitch-black darkness swallowed us.
***
Noemi had seemed fearless to the world.
In front of the Lich King, in front of the Queen of Dragons.
She had never once been intimidated.
But even she had one fatal weakness.
And that was ghosts.
Of course, she had never actually seen one.
But in the fairy tale books her maid used to read to her as a child, ghosts often appeared as recurring villains.
Creepy beings that loved dark, damp places and were said to bewitch and devour the living.
That story seemed to have left a deep trauma in young Noemi.
As Frank took the first step into the castle, Noemi urgently grabbed his clothes.
Her small hand was trembling like an aspen leaf.
“D-Dad! I’ll just stay out here.”
Frank looked back at her with a puzzled face.
“What’s wrong? Do you have a stomachache all of a sudden?”
“No, it’s not that… I just have a really bad feeling. I feel like if I go in there, I’ll see something I really shouldn’t.”
Frank gave a bitter smile at his terrified daughter's appearance.
He persuaded Noemi in a gentle voice.
“To stand against Primus, we must become much stronger than we are now. This will be good training for your courage. Now, let's be brave and go in.”
But Noemi shook her head vigorously and started to whine.
“No! I don’t want to go! I’m scared!”
While Frank was making a troubled face, Anonymous, who couldn't watch any longer, stepped in.
She clicked her tongue and lightly slung Noemi over her shoulder.
“Jeez, you can’t even act your size. If a ghost appears, you can just blast it away with magic! What are you going to do with all that strong magic power?”
She strode into the castle with Noemi slung over her shoulder.
“Waaah! N-no! I don’t want to! Put me down!”
Noemi struggled desperately, but she couldn't escape from Anonymous' arms.
Frank chuckled at the sight and followed behind them.
But then.
Noctavira, who had been standing behind, spoke with a cautious face.
“Um… I don’t know for sure, but I think I know a little of what that ominous feeling Noemi mentioned is.”
Her voice carried a seriousness different from before.
“This castle was built by our vampire progenitor when he first founded Luminia. But there were many sacrifices in the process, and legend has it that unresolved resentments still linger in every corner of the castle……”
“Aaaaaah!”
Before Noctavira’s explanation could even finish, goosebumps rose on the arms of Noemi, who was slung over Anonymous' shoulder.
She wailed even more violently.
“Stop it! I don’t want to hear it! I’m scared! Waaah.”
Noemi, wailing in fear.
Frank couldn’t hold back his laughter and said.
“Haha, that doesn’t matter at all. And Noctavira.”
“Yes?”
Noctavira flinched at the sudden call.
“Your role is the most important in this matter. So be prepared.”
Frank left those words and entered the darkness first.
Noctavira stared blankly at his back for a moment.
Her red eyes wavered with complexity.
But soon, as if she had made up her mind, she too followed Frank into the darkness.
Noemi was still on the verge of tears, but she didn’t miss the expression on Noctavira’s face,seen over Anonymous' shoulder.
‘Why is she making that kind of face?’
It was a gaze filled with a strong will, different from her previous anxiety or confusion.
It was as if she had decided to truly believe in and follow Dad, just like herself.
No, it was like that of a fanatic who must follow him blindly.
‘That’s not just simple admiration or respect. It’s an obsession that’s almost scary… No, it’s close to blind faith.’
Noemi instinctively swallowed a dry gulp.
Inside this ominous castle, she had no idea what would happen next.
***
Meanwhile, at the dungeon construction site in Lumen Fortis.
Mammon, who was in charge of the dungeon design and overall management, had run into an unexpected obstacle.
A person had appeared who was strongly challenging his ambitious plan.
That person’s identity was the leader of the Unseen Ones, Iris.
She pointed to the 1st to 10th floors of the dungeon blueprint that Mammon had spread out and questioned him sharply.
“You’re asking us to take charge of the lower floors? Ha? Are you looking down on us right now?”
Mammon broke out in a cold sweat without realizing it and fidgeted.
As the demon of greed, he had subjugated many, but in front of this young and bold woman, he felt strangely intimidated.
Was it because the aura she exuded was unusual?
Or was it because of the presence of the ‘Unseen Ones’ behind her?
“N-no. It’s not like that, just think about it. If overly powerful monsters appear from the very beginning, won’t all the adventurers who come here get scared and run away? So, for the lower floors, we should start with humanoid enemies and gradually increase the difficulty……”
“Cut the crap!”
Iris cut Mammon off sharply.
Her red eyes shone coldly.
“We are the Unseen Ones. Assassins who move in the shadows and pierce the enemy’s heart. And what? You want us to be mere gatekeepers at the dungeon entrance? What do you take us for? I will never allow it!”
Iris' voice echoed loudly.
At that, the workers—dragons, demons, and humans alike—who were working nearby paused for a moment and glanced this way.
Mammon broke out in even more sweat and pondered inwardly.
‘Damn it. If this happens, my perfect plan will be all messed up.’
He planned to make this dungeon not just a training ground, but the best attraction to draw in adventurers from all over the world.
The lowest floor, the 100th, would naturally be his, and the floors right above it would be guarded by his demon brothers.
Above that, he planned to place powerful monsters by rank to stimulate the desire for a challenge.
And the most important floors, the 1st to the 10th.
This was set as a ‘tutorial’ section.
He had planned to place the ‘Unseen Ones’, who were similar in appearance to humans and could adjust their skills, so that beginners challenging the dungeon for the first time wouldn't be scared and could gradually adapt.
Of course, he wasn't disrespecting their skills.
They were, as Iris said, elite assassins who could sever an opponent’s neck with a single strike.
But that was precisely why he thought they were more suitable.
Unlike monsters who couldn’t communicate, they could hide their strength and ‘go easy’ on them, providing valuable experience and growth opportunities to rookie adventurers.
But he never expected Iris to protest so strongly.
‘I can’t compromise on this. It’s an essential element for the successful operation of the dungeon!’
Mammon grumbled inwardly but hardened his resolve.
He clenched his fists and was about to bravely raise his voice against Iris.
Whether she was the leader of the Unseen Ones or not, he was the designer and director of this dungeon.
But who would have known.
The role of a beginner's guide that Mammon so desperately wanted was destined to be taken by others he hadn't even thought of.
His perfect plan was already preparing to swerve in an unexpected direction before it even began.