Bloodstone

In midair, the white-robed cleric was held like a chick by the monster.

The monster gripped his shoulders, its fingertips sinking into the fabric of his white robe. He could feel the icy chill radiating from those fingers.

The knights stood on the ground, looking up at the gray figure suspended in the air.

They were all melee fighters; even if they jumped with all their strength and swung their weapons, they probably wouldn't even touch the monster's toes. They could only stand and watch.

“You damned monster! Put him down!” Nikus barked in fury.

Vera pulled a bottle of black potion from an inner pocket, a flickering hesitation in her eyes.

Rosie stood at the very front alone.

Her eyes appeared locked on the monster, but the focus of her vision had already passed through that pale gray outline, reaching toward something far beyond.

At this moment, it felt as though she were gazing across dimensions into a world—a boundless realm composed entirely of particles of light.

When she focused her attention on the light particles, those specks of light seemed to sense her gaze and trembled slightly.

A faint warmth, reminiscent of a sunny spring afternoon, drifted back along the threads of her consciousness.

“O shining Holy Light, answer my call and grant me your power.”

Rosie didn't know if this would work, but she recited the incantation she had learned not long ago anyway.

The white-robed cleric's holy barrier couldn't even be pierced by a rapid-fire volley from a heavy crossbow, yet it had shattered under a single strike from the vampire elder.

And the description of Holy Light only mentioned healing, not killing enemies.

Even so, she decided to gamble.

She gambled that Holy Light wasn't just for healing, but also possessed the power to restrain evil creatures.

The flash bolt Vera had fired earlier had dealt damage to the vampires; in theory, Holy Light should be even stronger.

She raised her right hand, which was holding the broken sword, and pointed it straight at the monster hovering in midair.

“Holy Light!”

In an instant, the world lit up.

A beam of golden light fell vertically from the roof of the cavern, illuminating the vampire elder's entire body without missing an inch.

The moment its invulnerable skin made contact with the golden light, it was like a red-hot ember touching ice.

With a sharp hiss, a wisp of smoke rose from where the pillar of light hit.

Then came a second wisp, and a third.

“Aaargh—”

The vampire elder's wings snapped back violently, its body trembling fiercely within the beam of light.

Tiny bubbles began to erupt across its skin, and in some places, golden flames even burst into life.

Unfortunately, the golden light lasted only a moment before the pillar abruptly vanished.

The cavern plunged back into dark red gloom.

The vampire elder hovered in midair, wisps of dark smoke rising from every part of its body.

It lowered its head, glanced at the small patch of fire still burning on its arm, and slapped it out with its other palm.

Then, it raised its head, its slit pupils locking straight onto Rosie.

“Ah! Such pure Holy Light power... It has been so long since I felt this refreshed...”

Its voice was even raspier than before, but its shocking choice of words left Rosie momentarily stunned.

Refreshed?

She wasn't sure if it was speaking sincerely or being sarcastic.

Either way, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Holy Light worked.

As long as it dealt damage, that was enough. Once she used all three charges, even if she couldn't kill this vampire elder outright, it would be severely weakened.

When that happened, everyone could swarm forward and beat the beast while it was down.

Taking a deep breath, she plunged her consciousness back into that world of light.

Once more, she extended her right hand, aiming straight at the vampire elder.

“O shining Holy Light, answer my call and grant me—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the vampire elder moved.

Though its mouth claimed it felt refreshed, its body was far more honest.

It swung its arm violently, hurling the white-robed cleric like a projectile straight toward Rosie.

Then, with a sudden beat of its wings, it bolted toward the tunnel mouth Alysia had pointed out.

As it flew, it even looked back to see how she would react.

If that Holy Light user tried to catch him, she would be injured by the impact, allowing him to turn back immediately, kill her, and then slaughter everyone else!

Back in ancient times, he had frequently used this trick when fighting against wielders of Holy Light, and it had never failed.

Those who held the Holy Light would either get hurt trying to save others—severely weakening themselves and allowing him to turn the tables—

...or they would be crushed by guilt for standing idly by, causing their strength to crumble.

No matter what the opponent chose, he remained invincible.

And then, he saw the Holy Light user step aside without the slightest hesitation, letting the human cannonball whistle past while her gaze stayed firmly locked onto him.

“Holy Light!”

Another beam of golden light crashed down from above. Even with the vampire elder's lightning speed, it was engulfed without mercy.

“Oooo-hehehehe~”

Emitting a series of painful yet strangely ecstatic groans, the vampire elder vanished deep into the pitch-black tunnel.

The golden light dissipated once again as the monster fled into the distance.

On the other side, the cleric's body flew past Rosie's shoulder, the hem of his white robe brushing against the dried blood on her brigandine armor with a soft rustle of fabric.

Rosie didn't budge an inch.

Behind her, a dull thud echoed.

Then came the screech of metal scraping against stone, accompanied by a muffled groan.

Lucius appeared not far behind Rosie. With both arms outstretched, his chest collided with the cleric's body. The powerful force of impact pushed him backward, the soles of his boots grinding harshly against the floor.

A second knight caught him from behind, bracing a shoulder against Lucius's shoulder blades, but the momentum still slid both of them backward.

Then a third and fourth knight stepped up, using their full body weight to halt the retreat.

Piled together, they released a compressed, heavy grunt in unison.

Lucius's helmet clanged loudly against the second knight's visor.

The cleric's limp body slid softly to the ground.

Several of them coughed at once.

Bloody foam seeped through the breathing slits of Lucius's visor, trickling down the curve of the metal surface to drip onto the cleric's white robe, spreading into a small dark red stain.

Nikus rushed over from the side, grabbing Lucius's shoulder. “Lucius! How are you?”

Lucius flipped open his visor, revealing a pale face with a streak of blood hanging from the corner of his mouth.

“...I won't die just yet.”

Nikus reached out to press his fingers against the side of the cleric's neck. After holding them there for a few seconds, he pulled his hand back.

“Looks like he's just like you—he won't die for now either.”

The other knights slowly pushed themselves upright, though from their looks, every single one of them was carrying some degree of injury.

Rosie hadn't turned her head or moved even once, keeping her eyes fixed squarely on the spot where the vampire elder had vanished.

From start to finish, to Rosie, the biggest threat was the vampire elder.

Although the cleric was a good person, she would never sacrifice herself just to save a good person.

Because that would lead to only one outcome: everyone dying in the end.

Just like that vampire noble had said before he died.

“That monster... is truly formidable,” Nikus said, his voice laced with exhaustion.

“If it hadn't just awakened and not fully recovered its strength, we might have all perished here today.”

Vera approached from the side, quietly slipping the black potion back into her pocket.

She stopped in front of Rosie, her eyes lingering on Rosie's face for a moment before she spoke: “Rosie, are you a God-favored?”

Rosie sheathed her broken sword back at her waist. “Uh... probably.”

She didn't elaborate.

Nor did she plan to.

Standing at the edge of the group, Alysia heard Rosie's response. Her pointed ears twitched slightly, her gaze lingering on Rosie's back for a second. Her lips parted as if to say something, but in the end, she stayed silent.

“Alright, let's get out of this blasted place as fast as we can.”

Nikus bent down, picked up the holy emblem the cleric had dropped, stuffed it into his pocket, and scooped up the cleric's body.

He took the lead toward the tunnel mouth Alysia had pointed out.

The others followed one after another.

“Huh... looks like there's something here.”

Near the spot where the vampire elder had originally appeared—beside the shattered pedestal left behind by the stone coffin—a faint dark red light was pulsing, winking like an eye in the dust.

Vera walked over, nudging the debris aside with the toe of her boot. She squatted down and picked up a gemstone.

It was roughly the size of a walnut, its entire body a deep, rich dark crimson, as if congealed blood were sealed inside a transparent crystal.

“A ruby?”

Vera held the stone up to her eyes, turning it over to inspect it.

The instant the gem left the ground, several lines of text lit up at the edge of Rosie's vision.

[Hidden Adventure Quest Completed]

[Optional Reward: Swallow the bloodstone to become a vampire]

[Optional Reward: Purify the bloodstone with Holy Light to gain 1 Free Attribute Point]

Rosie's eyes lingered on those two lines of text.

Vampire: An immortal monster that subsists on drinking blood, fears sunlight, and is reviled by all.

She really couldn't fathom how that counted as a reward.

Her gaze shifted to the second option.

While one free attribute point wasn't much, stats were the foundation. Every extra point was an advantage.

“Sister Vera, can I take a look?”

Rosie's voice carried a perfectly timed touch of coaxing sweetness, making her sound like a completely different person from the valiant figure who had wielded a broken sword to summon Holy Light just moments ago.

Vera glanced at her and handed the dark red gem directly to her. “You were the one who drove it away anyway. This is your loot.”

Rosie took the gemstone.

The moment it touched her hand, an icy chill spread from her fingertips.

She held it up before her eyes.

Looking through the dark red crystal, all the light in the cavern was tinted with a scarlet hue.

The flowing specks of light inside the gem constantly shifted positions as she rotated it between her fingers.

If she took it out to sell, it would surely fetch a great price.

She estimated its value silently in her mind.

“You can worry about its value later. We need to get out.”

Vera patted her shoulder, gesturing for her to follow.

Rosie tightened her palm around the bloodstone, feeling the icy chill seep out from between her fingers.