Chapter 37_ Dragon Knight

'So I'm sure I'm not up against an absolute yet.'

Lexus was prepared to use Teleport at any moment he detected even the slightest intention of attacking from her. While he was wary as he measures the vast difference between them, Marie Rose spoke.

"You, aren't you quite unusual? You don't have strong divine powers like Rebecca's Daughters, nor do you have strong magic power like Braham, but my gaze and presence have no effect on you… How strange."

Marie Rose appeared to be in her early 20s. Her beauty was so unrealistic that it seemed like an illusion. It was so perfect, but Lexus didn't feel any attraction towards her. He wasn't bewitched at all and managed to stay calm.

"Isn't this strangeness interesting? Are you interested enough to keep me alive?"

Lexus replied with a bit of a forced smile. Though their was a big difference between them, he wasn't afraid at all.

"Oh my? I feel a dirty magic power, who is it?"

As soon Marie Rose said those words while slighty raising her eyebrows.

「 Marie Rose! How did you escape from your seal? 」

Braham's soul materialized at the side of Lexus which made him bewildered on how can Braham leave without him noticing.

"I was able to break the seal at any time. I was just bored and enjoyed sleeping."

Seeing Braham's soul out of nowhere, Marie Rose's eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.

"Braham, you lost your pure blood and degenerated, eventually dying. Now only your soul is left. This insignificant appearance suits you."

「 Don't taunt me! 」

Marie Rose gazed at Braham's soul, which was gradually turning redder.

"Our Braham wouldn't have no countermeasures. What are you planning to do now?"

Marie Rose suddenly smiled. It was a brilliant smile that was enough to illuminate the dark cave.

"You, are you dreaming about resurrection?"

Braham was a peculiar presence. He didn't rely on the innate power of the clan and explored magic power. He might've completed the resurrection magic. Braham didn't deny it.

「 And if I did? There's nothing you can do to stop me. If even one of my souls hidden in all parts of the continent doesn't disappear, I will someday be fully resurrected! Then I will surely use all my effort to destroy you! 」

Marie Rose found the shouting soul to be cute.

"That cockroach-like persistence of yours is the same as ever, I see."

「!!!」

「 Aren't you going to destroy my soul fragment here? 」

Braham had been banished from the clan. He used the fact that it was dark to hide his soul in the clan's cities, but he thought they would be destroyed because they were found by Marie Rose.

However, Marie Rose had no intention of dealing with Braham. Braham was a mere worm in front of her.

"For what reason why should I go to such trouble? Why should a superior being like myself be scared of a mere 'mortal'?"

'This mutation that transcends the founder…!' He must be resurrected. 'I will kill the one who made me like this, take away their heart, and regain eternal life!'

Braham cursed but Marie Rose was no longer looking at him.

"Well I'm leaving you alone because I found 'something...interesting'."

Her eyes were fixed on Lexus, who remained his silence throughout their exchange. He was silent not because he was intimidated by her presence; Lexus remained his silence as it was just a basic manner to not meddle into people's conversations. Noticing her gaze that held interest, Lexus momentarily wondered.

'Hmm, should I try to have the opportunity to get her blood? I'm going to Nevartan's nest so probably it would be better for me.'

As Lexus was thinking about it....

[A special event has been created.]

[Marie Rose's Blood]

[★ Hidden Quest ★

Get the blood of Marie Rose, the vampire duke, and give it as a transfusion to Nevartan, the insane dragon.

Quest Clear Rewards: Treatment of Nevartan's madness, increased affinity with Nevartan.]

While Lexus was surprised at the sudden notification, not even a single second had passed as he immediately regained his calm.

[The effect of the composure stat is activated.]

[You have regained your composure.]

His more than 1,000 points in composure showed an effect. He instantly recovered his cool thanks to it. Looking at her intrigued smile, Lexus greeted her with an etiquette that was taught to his NPC self.

"I'm honored to be in your presence, Vampire Duke Marie Rose. My name is Lexus."

"Oh, my."

Seeing him greeted her politely unlike Braham who was raging by the sight of her, Lexus' action made her chuckle.

"Hmmm. For Braham to be with you. I wonder what's special in you?"

Marie Rose examined him while slightly narrowing her eyes. Of course, the playful smile didn't fade. Putting into consideration that he wasn't affected by her gaze and presence, it didn't took long for her to come up a conclusion.

"A legend, huh. To think that one would emerge after hundreds of years."

Lexus didn't find it strange that from her tone, even a legend wasn't much of importance to her. It was because he knew that she possess the power and status that surpassed and transcended the legends. Even the 9 legends of the previous generation couldn't be compare to her status as an absolute.

She might not need to be wary of him but Marie Rose wasn't disregarding or belittling Lexus' position as someone who became a legend at all. On contrary, she appreciated it that he became one, much more that she noticed that Lexus was a transcendent despite at the lowest level of transcendence.

Seeing that she had no intention of getting rid of Lexus, Braham dematerialized his soul and entered Lexus' body. However, it wasn't voluntary. It was because his time had ran out before he could say something else despite his fury and grumbling towards Marie Rose.

Lexus nodded as he felt Braham's soul fragment entered his body. Looking at the vampire in front of him, Lexus spoke as the two swords in his hands were unequipped. He sheathed the Blight of Misery in the legendary sheath in his back while he put Brilliance in his inventory.

Confirming that she didn't carry a single hostility towards him, there's no longer a point to continue arming himself and he was aware that incurring her wrath was a foolish thing.

« Confirmed. Due to the vast difference in level and abilities, unique skill Plunderer failed. »

Though even without Solomon saying anything, the difference between them was clear as day to him. He wasn't scared to admit admit about his weakness because Lexus understood that strength is multifaceted. There was strength in virtue as well.

"If it's alright with you...May I say something?"

Dropping his guard and wariness towards her, Lexus spoke with a calm expression.

"Well since I found something interesting in you, go on."

Granting her consent, Lexus didn't try and attempt to find some flowery words but straightly spoke what he wants to do without hiding anything.

"You're the strongest vampire in existence, are you?"

"Oh?"

Marie Rose slightly raised her brows but she let out a soft chuckle when she heard that. Though Lexus could feel Braham's fury when he said those words, he still focused on what Marie Rose's words.

"Ah, you are well-learned. Though you felt weak for a legend, you must be clever, for a human."

Marie Rose softly laughed in amusement. She neither claims nor denies it but simply chuckles as she found Lexus' question amusing. The human beings that knew about her true identity could only be counted in one hand.

"Then, can I obtain a small portion of your blood?"

Hearing his words, the smile on her face instantly disappeared. Her blood had only one special purpose aside from her use of Blood Magic but the human in front of her should never possibly even know about it.

Seeing her reaction of displeasure, Lexus' figure immediately disappeared in front of her and dispersed into numerous blood red bats. The bats flapped their wings with echoing sound for a couple of seconds then flew and gathered to a single spot, immediately forming Lexus' body.

"You see, I somehow knew a little about blood magic and I want to know more about it. Having the blood of the strongest vampire....it wouldn't be totally impossible with your blood, right?"

Blood Magic is a passive skill that allows one to create blood through mana. It is also a field of magic that can only be used by those with the progenitor vampire's blood. Like other magics, there are many spells within its field, some of which can only be used by high tiered practitioners, in this case Direct Descendant Vampires.

"Your request is somehow unusual but it's not totally impossible. However..."

Without thinking much about it, she tossed a simple question back at him.

"Why should I do it?"

Hearing her, Lexus sighed. Convincing her wouldn't be easy just like what he expected. However, before he could totally give up about it, she heard Marie Rose continued but her tone changed and it was once again filled with amusement in it.

"Why should I give my blood to a mortal?"

She sweetly smiled again as she started playing with him. For her, giving a small amount of her blood was not hard to do at all. She simply want him to give her an answer that could arouse her interest.

"About that....I don't know. That request just randomly entered in my mind. No other particular reason."

Lexus replied without hesitation. Despite seeing that he could still push it to obtain her blood, he decided not to and stop being greedy. For him, greed is one of the deadly sins.

"Pffft."

Hearing his unexpected answer, Marie Rose laughed and giggled. She thought that Lexus will give a boring profound answer to impress her but she didn't expected his answer at all. She suddenly raised her hands and effortlessly made a wound on her own wrist. Her blood then floated around her and with a slight tinkering, notification appeared in front of Lexus.

[Affinity with Vampire Duke 'Marie Rose' has reached 50.]

[10 bottles of Marie Rose's Blood have been acquired.]

"Cute. Huhut… Let's meet again one day."

Saaah!

Before Lexus could say anything, Marie Rose's beautiful body instantly turned into black powder and was blown away in the wind.

•~~~•

[Fly (Enhanced)]

[A flying magic developed by the legendary great magician who has completely overturned the activation formula.

It boasts tremendous maximum speed, but consumes a lot of resources.

Summons invisible wings of magic power and allows the user to levitate and fly at high speeds.

Flying speed is 300% to the caster's magic power. There are no restrictions on height, but be careful about oxygen deficiency.

Resource Consumption: 250 Mana per Second.

Skill Casting Time: 1 second.

Skill Cooldown Time: None.]

Magicians had to have their second advancement to acquire flying magic. A user needed to be at least level 200 to get their second advancement. In other words, it meant the number of magicians who had learned flying magic at this point could be counted on one hand.

Fly facilitates mobility, allowing the user better offensive and evasive abilities due to not being confined to the ground.

A man was flying through the sky! The object following him flashed in the blazing sun. He flew through the sky without stopping and soon, he started descending from above.

Unlike before when he only ran, Lexus decided to try using Fly (Enhanced). This ability greatly allowed him to travel much faster. Although with his agility that allows him to swiftly run at 80 kilometers per hour, which was very fast and comparable to the speed of the cars and other vehicles in the modern world, flying allows him to go even faster.

[You have discovered the hidden dungeon, 'Dragon's Labyrinth'.]

[You are the first to make this discovery.]

[You have made an achievement that is not easily accomplished.]

[Reputation will rise by 1,000 across the continent.]

[All experience gained inside the dungeon will be doubled for the next 5 days.]

[The item drop rate inside the dungeon is also doubled for the next 5 days.]