"But I only have this for now. Though, it's not like I should give her life," he said, looking at the small sculpture of Mercedes in his hand.
"Is this me?" Suddenly, someone asked from behind. Turning back, Blade saw Mercedes standing there.
"Yes. How is it?" Blade nodded and asked, showing her the statue. She stared at it with wide eyes.
"It's like a perfect replica of me, but... she looks more determined than I do," she sighed.
Blade shook his head. "Would I have been able to carve it if I hadn't seen that determination in the original?" he asked as she looked at him.
"Thank you," she said.
Blade shrugged. "Why thank me? It is you, after all. Or rather, I should say sorry. I carved you as a model without asking," he said.
She simply shook her head. "I am your knight. I don't mind if you continue to carve me like this," she said with a soft smile.
He nodded. "Can I give it to my uncle? As you can see, if he has it, he can learn a great skill from it," he asked.
She blinked. "You mean Sacrifice Sword? It's possible. I also learned it," she said.
Blade froze. "Huh?"
"Eh?"
"Was I not supposed to learn it?" she asked, flustered.
Blade held the sculpture tightly once again. It still has a nine chances to be learned. He has taken one chance out of ten, so even if Mercedes had learned it, she should have used chance… so how did she learn it? without using any chance?
"How did you learn it?" he asked.
She replied with a sad smile. "The same eyes that made me unloved by others… has helped me learn it," she said softly.
Blade looked at her seriously. "If God has given you those eyes, then they must have a purpose. Maybe you were meant to be the most powerful knight ever. Perhaps that's why he gave you those beautiful eyes—so that you could see through your enemies and defeat them, and protect others" he said.
She stared at him, wide-eyed.
"You are a monster."
"She's creepy."
The words, the taunts that had followed her all her life, echoed in her mind like a dark fog clouding her thoughts. But then, she remembered the faces of those who had accepted her—her idol, Sir Piaro, and now another person who called her gift a blessing.
I am happy, she thought, feeling warmth fill her chest. Her face immediately flushed.
"Are you alright?" Blade asked, noticing her sudden reaction.
She just nodded, her hands trembling slightly.
"So, can I give it to my uncle?" he asked once again.
She nodded.
Hearing her reply, he wasted no time and handed the sculpture to his uncle.
A Minute Later
James: Where did you get this?
He contacted Blade through messages.
Blade: Does it matter? Just use it for your use and your guild.
James: Do you even know the value of this? It has nine chances remaining out of ten, so I guess you used it once. You MUST know how valuable this is!
James: You shouldn't give it away like this. If you had sold it, you could have easily earned more money.
James: I will sell it to my guild members as well as my friends. If you get anything like this again, don't just give it away for free. Give it to me, and I'll sell them for you.
Blade: Suit yourself.
James: Hmm…
Blade closed the chat and turned to Mercedes.
"Where are the others?" he asked.
"Sir Piaro and Sir Asmophel are training with Varuk and Valentine," she said. "They said both of them are very talented."
"Sir Asmophel is helping Lady Valentine learn the way of a Magic Swordsman. According to Sir Piaro, she has the talent for it, while Sir Piaro is teaching his family's swordsmanship to Varuk," she explained.
Blade nodded. "Then I guess we're free," he said.
He then added, "Let's go to the Vampire Cities, then."
He reached out his hand, and Mercedes hesitated for a moment before taking it. Blade helped her stand, and they began to walk away together.
Meanwhile, Mercedes' mind was clouded with thoughts.
W-We're two… alone?
D-Does this mean… it's a… d-date?
Her whole face turned beet red as she followed after Blade, her heart racing.
*****
The vampire cities are 15 dungeons in the western part of the Eternal Kingdom, filled with countless vampires. 10 seconds after entry, the entrance is blocked until the vampire boss dies or the party dies. A party needs to be at least 10 third advancement classes. The bosses who protect each city are True Blood Vampires or Direct Descedant Vampires, the latter not respawn if they were killed. In cities where the boss is killed once, the appearance rate of the True Blood vampires, which are also weaker, decreases.
Yet, Blade had arrived here despite not even being Level 200. He was only Level 191, yet he stood here with Mercedes, who, fortunately for him, was quite high level.
"Is this the Vampire City?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes, we're here to level up " he said.
[You have entered the Vampire's Underground City (15).]
[The entrance of the dungeon is blocked. Contact with the outside world will be blocked.]
[You can't escape the dungeon until you have died or killed the dungeon boss.]
[You are the first to discover this Dungeon]
[Exp and item drop rate +15% for the next seven days.]
"Yes, now it's time to power level," Blade said with a smirk.
As they stepped into the Vampire City, the first thing he felt was the overwhelming darkness. Shadows stretched endlessly, consuming everything in their path. It wasn't just the absence of light—it was an eerie, suffocating void.
Mercedes, walking beside him, instinctively rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. "This place… its perfect for Vampires," she muttered, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.
A sudden sound of wings flapping made them both turn.
Hundreds of small, glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness. Bats—countless of them—flocked together like a living storm, their shrill screeches filling the air.
*******
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