Chapter 126 : Respect
"SKREEEEE-!"
A horrific sound like grinding tal echoed with the roar.
It was the noise of saw-blade-like iron plates scraping against each other.
The faint light emitted by the glowing creatures in the dungeon revealed the silhouette of a massive structure in front of the tunnel.
Given that it was a subway station, Sal guessed it was a train car.
From the tracks below the silhouette, sparks flew as it approached him closer and closer.
Sal closed his left eye and stared at it through the visor.
Although his vision wasn't fully clear, the Tracker knew exactly what he was aiming at.
Na: Vampire Variant III (Boss)
Region: Evergreen Subway Dungeon
Type: Dark / Beast / tal
Description: The Vampire Variant is an evolved form of the threatening floating monster. Taking root in an Essence-rich environnt, it stalks prey with roots embedded in the surrounding area. While maintaining its original abilities, it gains access to additional abilities depending on the characteristics of its nest.
Stats:
-Strength: 4
-Agility: 3
-Intelligence: 5
-Constitution: 8
Threat Level: III
Behavior:
-Vampire Variant: Boss (tal)
-Collected Info: 5%
Abilities:
-Essence Drain: Drains target's Essence
-Tentacle Bind: Steals Essence to bind prey
-Regeneration: Heals self with stolen Essence
-Cannibalism: Devours kin to enhance abilities
-[Unidentified]
Weaknesses:
-Dark Variant: Weak to Sunlight
-Beast Variant: Weak to Fire
-tal Variant: Weak to Electricity
Evolution: 8% to Vampire IV
Reputation: Hunter Bureau: Rank 5 | Current Score: 24
Kills: 24
Variants: 1 Discovered
Target Data: 6% to next level
Essence Gain: 1%
Sal forgot all strategies and plans, pulling the trigger along the crosshairs.
He didn't even have ti to wonder if he should reload the revolver.
With the monster staggering toward him, he couldn't just stand there blankly waiting for the Solar Scatter ability to recharge.
The first shot didn't even register a reaction before moving to the next chamber, but Sal didn't care and pulled the trigger again.
Fear consud his entire body, and all instructions Chatfield had given him vanished from his mind.
Then, when Spiral Flare activated, Sal was forced to stagger back from the recoil.
Considering he had activated his black breastplate, it was a testant to the sheer power of the blast.
The surroundings flashed brightly as if dyed in flas.
Shards of solid fire spun and shot straight toward the target presud to be the train car.
Within that flash, Sal caught a glimpse of the monster's form embedded in the rear of the train.
Tracks were ripped up and wrapped around the train, reminiscent of the vine tentacles of the Vampires he had seen before.
Rather than a face, it looked like rotting cabbage leaves clumped together covering the exterior of the tal carriage.
As the shards of fire struck the train and exploded, Sal didn't even have ti to properly identify its appearance.
tal pillars thrashing in all directions slamd into the surrounding walls and the floor ahead, causing Sal to instinctively fall backward.
"SKREEEEEEEEE-!"
The scream mixed with pain and rage was on a different level from the previous roar.
The roar that had been deep and resonant just monts ago had turned into an ear-splitting shriek.
The roar of tal crashing against rock walls and the monster's scream intertwined, shaking Sal with fear to his very bones.
With trembling hands, he barely managed to lift the revolver and aim it at the Vampire Variant.
"...I can do this."
Sal tried to pull the trigger with all his might, but it wouldn't budge.
Desperately looking at the monster before him, he struggled to pull the trigger.
At that mont, the visor flashed, and his mind cleared as if a fog had lifted.
Fear Effect Removed.
Sal pulled the trigger without hesitation, firing a Magnet Scythe bullet at the tangled wreckage of tracks.
He didn't know what would happen, or if it would even be powerful enough.
Using it against Vampires was just about gathering them together, but this was a much taller order.
Sal watched with bated breath.
The tracks shook as if trembling on their own, then tightened upon themselves, knotting into a lump of tal.
The only sign that this displeased the monster was the annoying shaking of the stems attached beneath the carriage.
As if there was no need to wait any longer, Sal imdiately pulled the trigger again.
Soul Killer was an ability he knew absolutely nothing about.
When he pulled the trigger, Sal had to check his eyes twice to see if it had any effect at all.
The only change he noticed was a slight fluttering of the cabbage leaves.
A mont later, those leaves withered and fell from the train car in clumps.
With a crash of tal vines hitting the floor, the monster fused with the train fell with a dull thud.
Soul Killer had forcibly dragged the monster out of its nest.
There were no more tentacles, no bared teeth.
Only a grotesque lump convulsing as if dying remained.
Sal stood up and resud the stance Chatfield had taught him.
Not letting his guard down, he aid the muzzle at the convulsing monster and calmly pulled the trigger.
Since the target area was much smaller now, he wanted to hit it precisely.
As if rejoicing at being released from the chamber, the lightning spear shot forward at ridiculous speed.
Piercing through the encroaching darkness and pushing it back with waves of flashing blue light, it struck the Vampire Variant directly.
This was Sal's first direct hit with that bullet, and it was a mont overwhelming enough to stop his breath.
As the monster exploded, sucking away all the surrounding oxygen, Sal gasped for air.
The tunnel filled with smoke, and he knelt, struggling to catch his breath.
Hot tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily.
Barely squinting to check the target, Sal felt imnse relief when the visor finally confird the thing was dead.
-Vampire Core (Uncommon Rank)
: Crafting material, can be used as an external Core. Vampire attribute naturally absorbs atmospheric Essence for self-recharging. Essence capacity is low. High probability of unlocking one of the following traits when crafting: [Synergy] [Absorption]
-Void tal (Uncommon Rank)
: Crafting material, used to craft durable, Essence-enhanced equipnt. Essence capacity is dium. High probability of unlocking one of the following traits when crafting: [Barrier] [Hardening] [Coagulation] [Reflection] [Flow] [Closure] [Shell] [Grounding]
Sal could have sprawled on the floor for an hour or more, but he forced himself up and sat back on his heels.
The armor was incredibly uncomfortable, so after confirming with the visor that there were no living creatures in sight, he deactivated the black armor and sat blankly.
Perhaps it was the sound of crackling electrical residue, or maybe the flas inside the carriage...
But Sal didn't notice the applause coming from behind at all.
In fact, he should have known from the start. That they were nearby.
They weren't savages.
Nevertheless, gripped by fear, Sal had clung to the delusion that he had been abandoned when he needed them most.
"That was spectacular."
Chatfield bead and sat down next to Sal.
"Great combination of abilities. Strategy to give no room for counterattack was good too. Lowering your body to dodge swinging projectiles was the very definition of battlefield mobility I talked about."
Chatfield continued his analysis, going through each phase of the battle.
"tal Variants lack agility, so engaging from outside its range with long-range attacks was a smart move. It would have been bad if those tal hunks flew at your head, but you poured fire on it before it could counterattack. I thought you'd wait for the Light attribute attack, but taking down a Variant alone without it is impressive."
"Stop teasing him."
Upgrade sat on Sal's other side and patted his shoulder lightly.
"You did really well, Sal. We were behind you the whole ti, but you did it all yourself. Even if your perspective on events is a bit different from the Captain's, your instincts were excellent and you won in the end. I hope this experience showed you that monsters are beatable. With good equipnt and a solid strategy, you can usually deal with them within 20 minutes of encounter. We spent almost three hours here, but considering it's your first ti... Plus, you navigated a dungeon where you didn't know what might be hiding, all on your own power? It was a magnificent achievent. I'm genuinely impressed."
Chatfield placed a hand on his chest and said to Sal.
"Anyway, it's all over now. Do you intend to keep seeing us? If you're going to stick with us, we should move on to the really fun part."
Adding weight to his words, Chatfield pointed at the fallen monster.
"Loot awaits you, Hero."
Sal shook his head and stood up.
After a pause, he said to Upgrade.
"Thank you."
Sal found it hard to speak with all sorts of emotions tangled in his head.
He was grateful they took the ti to help him overco his fear.
But he had mixed feelings about the terrible thod.
He resented them for hiding the fact that a Vampire Variant was waiting at the end of the dungeon, but he was grateful for the fact that they were watching his back.
Even though he didn't know it at the ti.
Recalling the words of a student he t in the workshop, Sal realized he really was receiving special treatnt...
A private room, Guild Tokens, ntorship not only from Upgrade but also directly from Chatfield.
After a mix of thoughts and emotions, Sal concluded that he was receiving too much help from those around him.
The ti spent in the dungeon truly felt like punishnt, but they were helping him in the way they could.
If it had been left entirely up to Sal, he would have made excuses for the next three years and never gone out, only sticking close to strong people to get through the tough battles ahead.
Sal looked at Upgrade, guessing she was seeing right through him.
Upgrade smiled and stood up with him.
"No, Sal. You're learning how to be a hero at Quest Academy. And what you just accomplished is enough to stand proudly among your peers. Bringing you here wasn't just to help you overco your fear of monsters. It was to make you realize why crafting work is important on the battlefield. You didn't use your ability once, yet you broke through the dungeon with just equipnt. Understanding how combat flows will be a huge help to your designs and inventions in the future."
Upgrade smiled, then burst into laughter, pointing at the monster corpse and nodding aningfully.
"Hurry up, or he'll take everything."
Sal turned around to see Chatfield holding a small green stone and a long tal fragnt.
The visor imdiately picked them up and relayed information to Sal in seconds.
"Is it just ? Compared to the battle just now, this seems too simple?"
Sal made a disappointed face looking at the popup window before his eyes.
Glancing at Chatfield, he saw him frowning slightly.
It didn't take long to figure out why.
Chatfield approached Sal and held out the parts in his hand.
"I hope seeing this makes you realize a little bit how much risk the Guild takes when conquering high-level dungeons, portals, or towers. The materials you use in the workshop are on a different level of difficulty to obtain than the dungeon you just cleared. Quality materials co from harder battles. The Moonsilver and Scarlet Screen you used in the workshop were all obtained by heroes risking their lives. Don't forget that fact."
Upgrade cleared her throat, and Chatfield's expression softened.
He smiled and sent her a look of thanks.
Chatfield turned back to Sal and laughed.
"Sorry, Salvatore. I just didn't want you to undervalue your own achievent. You earned this yourself, and you can be proud enough."
Sal took the loot from Chatfield and nodded.
"Thank you for your help. Without you two, I wouldn't have lasted till the end."
Chatfield patted his shoulder and laughed.
"Yeah, probably. But I'll take credit later."
He walked past Sal toward Upgrade.
Upgrade whispered sothing in a low voice.
Sal chewed over Chatfield's words about materials and high-difficulty dungeons.
Until now, he had just considered them expensive materials, never once thinking about the sacrifices made to obtain them.
The reason for his father's anger toward Shade and the Delvers Guild beca clear now.
They didn't care about lives sacrificed to obtain rare equipnt.
Sal absolutely didn't want to beco that kind of person.
Worried that his reaction just now might have disappointed Chatfield, he silently vowed to respect every material placed on his workbench from now on.
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