Ark

Shackles of Pain has been released.

‘That’s it! Success!’

It had been 10 minutes since he had escaped after shooting the pig missile at Karakul. After he crossed a small river and the forest changed, the message window appeared and the shackles fell off.

‘I’ve escaped Karakul’s territory. The Bloody are too far to reach me and a vampire can’t leave its territory so I don’t have to worry about Karakul chasing me.

Ark found a suitable place and landed.

“This might be useful again, Magic Restoration!”

He used advanced Magic Restoration to fix the hang glider. Ark felt touched as he looked at it. It was the first time he had used a skill in 8 days. But he didn’t have time to enjoy himself. He might’ve escaped Karakul’s territory but he was in the territory of another vampire. He couldn’t guarantee what would happen.

‘I better use Stealth to look for a suitable hiding place and do maintenance on myself.’

Ark gave the hang glider to Radun and used Stealth. Then a red warning message floated in front of Ark.

‘Huk, what, what the? I haven’t even worn my equipment properly.....!’

It wasn’t possible to change equipment when in a battle state. Fortunately, swords and shields were the exception so he took out his sword. But he was lacking in defense. Yet he couldn’t run away carelessly. He might attract even more enemies.

‘Damn, it better not be another vampire’s Bloody. I’ll commit suicide if a vampire captures me again.’

In the worst case scenario, Ark would commit suicide so he observed the surroundings. However, it kept on being quiet so he felt uneasy.

“Huhuhu, it’s a meal.”

A voice was audible in the gloomy forest.

“I’ve never seen this guy around here before.”

“He’s a little dirty but he should be a fine meal after we wash him.”

‘Oh my god, there are three of them.....!’

Ark swallowed his saliva. There were few monsters in the Dark Earth, with the vampires being the majority. In other words, he was either meeting the subordinates of a Vampire Lord or monsters with equal power. Either way, Ark couldn’t fight against them with no defense.

‘Dammit! I’m such an unlucky guy....... I just managed to escape from one vampire castle. Should I kill myself before it is too late?’

Ark was seriously contemplating suicide. Then something like an arrow flew from the forest. Ark had been lost in thought and reflexively swung his sword. If it was the Bloody, such a clumsy counter attacked would be easily evaded. Although he was tense, his sword dealt a direct hit.

“Ugh!”

Something hit the ground as it was struck by his sword.

“Ack, he hit our colleague!”

“Shit, he is strong. A-3 plan, pincer movement to the left and right!”

Ark stared with astonishment at his opponents. The one that had fallen to the ground was a bat struggling to flap its wings. All of them were incredibly weak bats.

‘What the, who are these guys? And did they just say plan A-3?’

“Uhh, this bastard...! A strong enemy!”

“He’s clearly an expert in sword mastery considering how quickly he took care of us.”

“You, although you look like a human..... Ugh, w-what are you? Uhh! Help me!”

Ark pressed his foot against the stomach of a bat and watch in surprise as it struggled and flapped its wings. Then he removed his leg and held the bat by the head.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Do you want to die?”

“I was careless just now but I’ll fight you properly.....”

“Fight properly?”

Ark lowered his face to the bat and growled, making it retreat a little bit. Then it muttered in a terrified and tearful voice.

“You...... You...... You’ll regret this.”

“Regret? I won’t regret it.”

“You really are going to regret it. Our Lord is close by.......!”

“R-really....... Our Lord is unbelievably strong!”

“Earl Karakul in the next town can’t even touch our Lord!”

The playfulness disappeared from Ark’s face at the bat’s words. The bats were so weak that he had become careless. If this area was right next to Karakul then wouldn’t the Lord be as powerful as him? And the bats were subordinates of that vampire!

‘I forgot, it’s not just the bats I have to deal with!’

Ark hurriedly withdrew. Thanks to the bats, he had been unable to use Stealth and he hadn’t even had a chance to wear his equipment so he couldn’t face a vampire. The momentum immediately went to the bats as Ark retreated.

“Huhuhu, you’ve finally grasped the situation.”

“But it’s too late. We’ve already mentally contacted our Lord to tell him that there is an intruder. He’ll arrive soon.”

“You’re finished when our Lord arrives!”

It was at that time. A nearby bush shook and a voice rang out.

“Roaaaar, how dare somebody invade my territory!”

“Lord, over here!”

The bats flapped their wings and shouted.

‘Dammit!’

The voice had been heard from the forest right in front of him. If the vampire could turn himself into a bat like Karakul then it was too late to run away.

‘It can’t be helped. The only method in this state is suicide.’

Ark ground his teeth together and lifted his sword. Then the voice rang through the forest again.

“I’ll count to three. If you want to live then run away before then!”

‘Eh? What is this?’

Ark’s determined face suddenly changed. He got three seconds to run away? Did that sound like a vampire? That wasn’t the only strange part. The opponent shaking the forest had appeared just then. But he wasn’t showing himself.

‘What on earth is this? Wait....... Which reminds me, this voice.......? It is familiar....... The bats also shouted plan A-3 earlier....... Perhaps.......?’

The voice in the forest hesitated before shouting.

“Two and a quarter...... Uhh, you should run away quickly. I don’t often spare people. Two again.....you still haven’t escaped? There are really no more chances. Two and a half........”

‘Indeed, I’ve seen through this.’

Ark slung his sword over his shoulders and walked into the forest. After walking through the bushes, he saw the quivering form of a boy shouting through a megaphone.

“Huhuhu, this is really your last chance, two and three quarters......”

“......Sheesh.”

The boy retreated with surprise at Ark’s voice. Then he stared dumbly at Ark’s face.

“Lord, Lord, this guy! It’s him!”

The bats couldn’t grasp the strange atmosphere between Ark and the boy. The boy acted like he didn’t hear anything and turned around with a pleasant smile. Then he walked away stiffly like a wound up toy doll.

“Eh? Lord?”

“Where are you going? What about this guy?”

“.......Stop moving!”

Ark smiled and spoke, making the boy instantly stiffen. The boy paused awkwardly before turning around and speaking.

“Ah, that is...... Um....... It’s been a while?”

The vampire boy speaking was Dedric. The bats looked confused at Dedric’s reaction.

“Eh? Lord, do you know this human?”

“Ah, well........ This is the person who summons me......”

“Heok! T-this person is the Ark you were talking about?”

They freaked out and looked at the arc.

‘Huhuhu those cheeky bats, they now understand the situation!’

Ark folded his arms and stared at the bats. He never imagined that he would encounter Dedric this way. After meeting Dedric, he was now certain about the pecking order. Ark was Dedric’s Master while the bats were his subordinates. In other words, he was the Master of the bat’s Master. He expected that the bats would shed tears and beg for forgiveness after hearing about Ark’s reputation from Dedric.

“This is the human that summons our Lord.”

‘Heh, they’ve finally realised? Now beg me for forgiveness. But I have no intention of forgiving you.’

Ark was seriously contemplating how to cook the bats.

“This guy is the unscrupulous and cheapskate human?”

“I heard that he was really wicked. But didn’t our Lord use his charisma to educate the human? Our Lord is too wonderful.”

“The human became strong after learning from our Lord.”

Ark’s expression became vacant after hearing the bats’ words. Dedric belatedly noticed the situation as Ark muttered.

“Oh, this is the first time I heard those words? Is that what Dedric told you?”

“Ah, no I.......”

Ark stepped towards Dedric who retreated with a fearful look. As expected, the ignorant were courageous. One of the bats had punched Ark’s head and shouted.

“What, this brat! How dare a subordinate call him Dedric?”

“Subordinate? I’m Dedric’s subordinate?”

“He really is an ungrateful bastard. Didn’t his status rise because of Our Lord?”

“Our Lord is gentle so he might forgive you, but we won’t permit it. If you call our Lord by that name excessively......”

The last thread of Ark’s patience broke inside him.

“Excessively?”

Ark laughed with an odd expression and approached.

“What did you say? When did I call his name excessively? Huh?”

“What, what the! This brat, what’s with that look?”

The bats flinched and sent a begging look towards Dedric.

“Lord.......”

“Oh oh! Yes, our Lord, what did you call him? How can a human like you call the name Dedric excessively?”

Ark continued laughing and approached, making Dedric turn pale and terrified. Then Ark raised his fist underneath Dedric’s nose, causing Dedric to squeal and secretly speaking in Ark’s ear.

‘M-master! P-please let it go just this once! Afterwards Master can hit me as much as you want until your anger is released. But please endure it in front of those guys. It’s a request. I won’t say unnecessary drivel even when diving down a dragon’s mouth. Huk huk huk, I swear! I’ll do whatever you want in the future.’

Ark instantly stopped his movements. Ark had grasped the situation thanks to Dedric’s desperate voice. Although he was mistreated by Ark, Dedric was still a vampire aristocrat. It had its own standards and behaviour. It must be really important to have Dedric begging so earnestly.

‘Which reminds me, doesn’t this guy have a surprisingly strong ego? If it is cracked here then he might become even worse. It is better than having to keep on disciplining him...... Dedric’s help is also necessary so wouldn’t it be better to have him owe me a favour now? This will be a convenient method to control Dedric in the future.’

Ark sighed loudly and took one step back.

“Okay. I’ll be careful from now on. Dedric-nim.”

Dedric sighed with relief after Ark’s words. Fortunately for them, the bats were able to live even after they kicked Ark again.

“What the, this brat! Why did you cause such a strange atmosphere?”

“We’re the seniors. You should use honorifics with us in the future!” “S-stop. You morons!”

Dedric ran over and stopped the bats after seeing Ark’s expression. In fact, his face didn’t seem that angry.

“S-sorry. These guys are still immature.......”

“No it’s fine. It can’t be helped. I am Dedric-nim’s subordinate. We talk about the details later. There is plenty of time.”

Ark grinned and replied while an angry vein bulged on his forehead. Anyway, the situation was somehow resolved and Ark headed towards Dedric’s castle (?). It wasn’t a long way as Dedric’s castle was only 10 metres away. No, in fact Dedric’s castle was only 10 metres. Dedric’s castle looked like a beggar’s hut built underneath a bridge, with wood planks being tied together with gaps for wind. However, straw mats divided the hut into two areas, with one room used by the bat siblings with the other one was split into Dedric’s office, bedroom, living room and kitchen.

“Our Lord has integrity.”

“Yes, he’s too scrupulous to snatch the territory of other vampires.”

The bats said proudly. Thanks to that, Ark’s plan of disciplining Dedric disappeared. Ark had been thinking about what to do while walking towards Dedric’s house. It felt like the time when a teacher visited him and saw that he was so poor his socks had holes in them. How could he stay angry?

Anyway, Dedric’s followers were still young bats. They fell asleep as soon as they arrived at the castle. Dedric moved to the adjoining room and immediately changed his attitude, prostrating himself on the floor in front of Ark.

“Oh oh oh, M- Master. Thank you. You can hit me as much as you want later. I’ll work really hard and will complete your objective even if I have to die.”

Ark looked at Dedric and sighed before asking.

“Didn’t you inherit Dunphil’s assets?”

“That......”

Dedric started to sob and confessed his hidden circumstances. Among all the vampires, Dunphil wasn’t exactly the coolest one. He had no talent in making Bloody and he also had no idea how to increase his magic. Luckily for Dunphil, no other vampires coveted his territory so he somehow managed to survive.

“But then Earl Karakul increased his power and defeated the surrounding vampires. He had lived on the other side, but now Karakul’s territory was right next to him after all the territory was taken. Therefore the cowardly Dunphil fled to this piece of land and offered Karakul the rest of his territory.”

This was the reason Dunphil was able to survive the strong vampires. But then he had his property taken away by Dedric not long afterwards.

‘Dunphil was such a weak vampire that he even lost to Dedric so of course I wouldn’t know how strong Karakul is. By the way, didn’t Dunphil act ridiculously arrogant when he first appeared? Is pretending a natural characteristic of the vampires?

“Ah? Were the bats subordinates of Dunphil?”

“No, they are my cousins who lived in a cave west of here.”

Dedric blushed and scratched his head.

“The best way for bats to succeed is to become the subordinate of a Vampire Lord.”

It was extremely difficult for bats to become subordinates of a vampire in Dark Earth. The battle capacity was a lot lower than the Bloody so they were mainly used as messengers by the vampires.

“It’s to the extent that my parents hosted a feast after I became Dunphil’s subordinate.”

Dedric became nostalgic as he recalled his memories. But soon after Dedric became a subordinate, he was bullied by the other bats and expelled by Dunphil. Dedric’s parents were so shocked that they died from the impact while Dedric was driven out by his clan for dishonouring them and forced to live in the cave. That was the reason why Dedric burnt with hatred for Dunphil.

“Afterwards I wandered for a long time.”

Dedric looked 10 years old but he muttered in a delinquent type tone. Anyway, Dedric wandered until he accidentally became Ark’s summon. He was then able to slay Dunphil and suddenly became a vampire aristocrat. He was still a Lord even if his territory was like a beggar’s. Not too long ago, he wandered around and discovered that his uncle had died and his cousins were orphans...... It was an impressive tale of a bat’s hardships.

“Lord-nim...... I’ll defend the territory......”

While they were talking, one of the bats kicked the blanket and talked in his sleep. Dedric covered him up again and came back with a strange expression.

“These guys think that I’m the best. I want to succeed for them......”

‘I finally know why Dedric cares about his status so much. Until now I just thought of him as a summon with no manners, but he unexpectedly has some depth. It is better than some people.’

He remembered his uncle who had suddenly appeared after Ark hadn’t seen him for a long time. His uncle had always showed up to beg for money from his father before leaving. But his uncle never showed his face when Ark’s father died and his mother was hospitalized. In New World, only the basic character was programed and their actual behaviour was determined on its own using artificial intelligence. Thus all Dedric’s actions were chosen by him. In that case, wasn’t an NPC like Dedric more human than his uncle?

‘These bats were the reason why Dedric was eager to go home?’

Ark rethought the situation after hearing Dedric’s circumstances.

“Okay, I’ll protect your honour while we are here.

“Really?”

“Now you have to work even more eagerly when I summon you.”

“Thank you, Master. Master is also a human!”

“What?”

“Ah, nothing!”

Dedric quickly closed his mouth and shook his head. Before those actions would seem hateful, but now they weren’t for some reason.

“But Master, how will you summon me now that Seutandal has risen?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve found a method.”

Ark explained the Summoning Port to Dedric who nodded.

“Then are we leaving immediately?”

“No, I still have some things to finish.”

“What is it?”

“I have to rescue Buksil but..... That’s a secondary problem. The most important thing is finding information about the Three Marvels.”

Of course he had to help Buksil. He also had to return the favour to Karakul. Although actually killing Karakul was a problem, his pride was too strong to allow him to just leave. He had to at least destroy all of Karakul’s Bloody. However, he had no confidence in his abilities.

‘But it might be possible if I get my hands on the final fragment and change to my second profession.’

“Is a fragment of the Three Marvels here?”

Dedric’s eyes widened.

“But I’ve never heard of any Beast clans here.”

“I can guess a place. Let me summon you and we’ll go together.”

Ark laughed as he got up from his seat. He registered Dedric to the Summoning Port and summoned him. Apart from the high ranking vampires in the Immortal’s castle, vampires couldn’t leave their estates. Dedric was the same. However, Dedric was a vampire and a summon. He could go anywhere in the world with Ark.

——————————————————————————————————-

“They are the beast clan?”

“Yes, if my guess is correct........”

Ark nodded and looked at the village. This village was the first place Ark visited in Dark Earth. While Ark had been trapped in the castle, he had gained various information about Dark Earth from the Flip. After several clues were combined, he was convinced that the beast clan lived here.

“How are these people the Beast clan? No matter how hard I look, they are humans. This is the territory of the powerful vampire Karakul I spoke about. I heard that he possesses the ability to disguise his subordinates as humans.”

“I’m aware of that. I’ve already met Karakul.”

“Eh? You’ve met Karakul? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Yes, there’s still a debt I have to repay. I also have to take back the baggage.”

“W-wait! What are you saying? Surely Master isn’t......”

Dedric panicked and shook his head as soon as Karakul was brought up.

“I don’t want to know what you’re talking about. Karakul rules this region. If I oppose him just a little bit than my territory will disappear. Frankly, it’s dangerous enough just having my territory close to Karakul. If they are Karakul’s subordinates......”

“That’s why I’m going to confirm it now.”

“Hik, w-wait a minute!”

Dedric pulled Ark’s collar with surprise. However Ark just dragged Dedric into the village. Once again the resident sitting near the entrance of the village became frightened like he saw a ghost and ran off. Ark used Sprint to block the villager’s path and laughed.

“I just want to talk for a moment.”

“W-why are you doing this? I don’t know anything. I don’t want to care!”

“I haven’t said anything yet. You don’t know what? Why don’t you want to care?”

“T-that......”

“As expected, the residents here aren’t Karakul’s subordinates.”

Ark was now convinced he was right by the villager’s reaction. If these people were Bloody transformed into humans then they would’ve aggressively lured him like Albert. However, the villagers had reacted like Ark was trouble from the first time they saw him.

‘Even if my idea is wrong, the village is near the coast. It is possible for me to run away.’

Therefore Ark had targeted the time when villagers would be scarce and entered.

‘But this is the important part.’

“I just have one thing I would like to ask.”

“W-what is it?”

“Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Ark took out the two fragments of the Three Marvels from his bag. The villager’s eyes popped out like a missile.

“T-that...... Where did you get that? Perhaps you are......?”

“The Truthseeker.”

The villager turned pale and stumbled at Ark’s answer. Then he suddenly looked around and spoke quickly.

“This place is dangerous. Come this way.”

The villager pulled Ark into a nearby house. An old man inside the house flinched and stood up as Ark entered. But the villager quickly approached and whispered in his ear, causing the old man’s eyes to widen and scan Ark. He hesitated and looked outside through the window gap before sighing with relief and sitting down.

“Fortunately it’s not here today.”

“What do you mean?”

“The eye. Earl Karakul’s eye. When you entered the village the first time, you smelt like you were a colleague of Karakul. So we thought you were a person that Karakul sent. We only knew about the misunderstanding after Albert appeared...... I never imagined that you would still be alive.”

“Hah, so that was what happened?’

Ark now understood the reaction of the villagers. The old man looked apologetically at Ark before he spoke in a begging tone.

“.......Can you show the fragments of the Three Marvels again?”

Ark nodded and pulled it out again. The old man’s eyes brimmed with tears as he stared at the Three Marvels before muttering.

“Ohhhh! It’s real. This is unmistakably the Three Marvels. I can clearly see that this is the ‘Star’ and ‘Dark’ pieces.”

“Yes, this is clearly the Three Marvels. And you are the beast clan who possesses the final piece.”

The old man sighed and his shoulders slumped.

“.......How did you know?”

The reason Ark was convinced they were the beast clan was easy. Karakul said that there were no humans living in Dark Earth. However, Flip said that it had seen humans. Their claims conflicted with each other so which one was telling the truth? Ark struggled with it before eventually reaching the conclusion that both were true. In other words, there was only one explanation. The vampire was an existence that was closer to humans than to monsters. Just in their outward appearances, a vampire was closer to humans then orcs. When looking at the Meow, mermaids or raccoon clan, it was impossible to consider them ‘human.’ In the view of vampires, beasts were non-human. On the other hand, monsters would 100% see the beast clan as human. They were a species that monsters consider human yet vampires didn’t consider human. It could only be a beast clan. The old man nodded with a bittersweet look at Ark’s description.

“Yes, we are the beast clan like you guessed.”

“But why do you look like humans?”

That was the only part Ark was worried about. Although the villagers looked tough, they looked nothing like a beast. He thought it was similar to Karakul’s ability to transform his subordinates. There was no other reason for the villagers to be alive while in Karakul’s territory. Thus Ark had secured a route of escape.

“Perhaps the beast clan are the subordinates of Karakul?”

“That....... No. Subordinates? Absolutely not! Although our bodies might be seized by Karakul, we have never sold our souls.”

While Ark was conversing with Ark, the villager who had been watching the outside through the window shouted angrily.

“Then this is your natural form?”

“No we are the wolf clan who have inherited the blood of Fenrir, the first wolf.”

“Wolf clan?”

“Yes among all the wolf clans, we are the Wolrang family who has inherited the lineage of a noble warrior.”

The old man breathed in deeply before speaking.

“I am the elder of the Wolrang clan. The Wolrang were trapped in Dark Earth 100 years ago.” The elder started his lecture on the history of the Wolrang family.

Although the Meow also had a warrior lineage, they were closer to thieves. On the other hand, the Wolf clan was a pure warrior lineage so the only profession available was warrior. And the Wolrang were the strongest among the Wolf clan.

“During the Dark Century hundreds of years ago, the Wolrang fought at the front lines with Hero Maban against the dark forces. It was truly an honourable battle. A large number of our kin died but there was no regret. That time was probably the golden age of the Wolrang family. I would’ve rather been born then.......”

The elder muttered with sad eyes as he seemed to look in the past. And it happened near the end of the Dark Century. The 7 heroes fought against the Dark Lord while the Wolrang were given another mission. It was to head to Seutandal with allies in order to stop the aerial attack of the Rwigenberg. The Wolrang accepted this dangerous mission and waged a bloody battle against the Rwigenberg. Thanks to warriors’ sacrifices, Seutandal was relatively unharmed despite the Rwigenberg’s invasion. Then the 7 heroes defeated the Dark Lord and he unleashed his ultimate destruction magic, trapping Seutandal in the dimensional storm. Therefore the Wolrang family became trapped on Seutandal. The place where they battled the Rwigenberg was the area where the mountains converged that Beseutyu pointed out. It was on the soaring cliffs where there was only the storm present.

“The lives of our isolated ancestors then became very miserable. The earth in that area had died. They had to risk their lives for a blade of grass or a sip of water.”

The Wolrang who had fought fiercely on the front lines fell victim to hunger and cold. The Wolrang who had survived numerous battles started dying one by one.

“Huk, I know how that feels. Dying yet never getting any sympathy in return.”

Dedric muttered with tearful eyes as he sat on Ark’s shoulders. However, the elder of the Wolrang was different from the bat with no manners.

“No, we hadn’t expected anything in return for fighting the darkness. We just wanted to fight and die honourably like a warrior. I think that was the most painful thing for our ancestors. There was no honour. It was only an empty death.”

Anyway, the Wolrang wandered the mountains for 100 years.

“Our ancestors eventually found the land filled with darkness. This place was already dominated by vampires but our ancestors had no choice. No, I think they were hoping to fight against the vampires in order to die. But that didn’t happen. The place they arrived at was Dunphil’s territory who proposed peace.”

‘Eh? Dunphil? Ah, that’s right. Didn’t this area originally belong to Dunphil?’

It was all connected? After the Wolrang family appeared, Dunphil was so cowardly that he proposed peace straight away. However things changed a few years ago. Dunphil handed his territory to Karakul and ran away. Karakul wasn’t weak like Dunphil.

“Karakul tried to make us his subordinates. But even if the Wolrang had lost our former glory, we would rather die than become subordinates of a vampire.”

Therefore Karakul and the Wolrang waged a war against each other. After battling fiercely for a decade and many sacrifices, the Wolrang had finally managed to kill most of the Bloody and reached Karakul’s castle.

“We were one step away from deciding Karakul’s fate. Then.......”

The elder bit his lip and muttered.

“One of the eve of the decisive battle, someone in the clan betrayed us. Albert...... He stole our clan’s treasure and offered it to Karakul. He stepped on all the honour that our ancestors had built up!”

“W-wait a minute. The clan’s treasure? Don’t tell me.....?”

Ark asked with surprise and the elder instantly nodded.

“Yes, it is the fragment of the Three Marvels that you are looking for.”

Ark became confused by the elder’s answer. He thought that the beast clan would give him the Three Marvels after he found them. So he had considered a way to rescue Buksil after gaining that power. But now the Three Marvels was in Karakul’s possession? Didn’t that mean he had to defeat Karakul before he could obtain the Three Marvels?

‘Hasn’t this problem just become more complicated?’

“Hero Maban left the treasure to us before he went to fight the Dark Lord. He believed in us. To have Hero Maban’s legacy taken away by a mere vampire...... It was our greatest shame. Truthseeker, you’re welcome to laugh at us. Although our ancestors have given us sharp fangs and claws, our minds have dulled..... We deserve it for losing the clan’s treasure.”

The elder spoke in a self-mocking voice. The Wolrang’s courage also disappeared after losing their treasure. They lost their power to fight and were trapped here, with Karakul often coming to suck their blood. Although their features had changed, their blood they inherited from warriors who fought against the Dark Lord still strengthened Karakul. Every day was humiliating for the Wolrang clan.

At that time, Ark noticed something strange.

“Then your appearance changed after losing the Three Marvels?”

Ark had thought the reason the Wolrang changed was because Karakul cursed them. If they lost their strength after losing the Three Marvels then how could they fight alongside Hero Maban? However, the answer was surprisingly simple.

“The source of our power is the moon. Therefore we are even more powerful in the evening under the moonlight. We are weaker during the day as the moon isn’t visible but it still exists. Thus the Wolrang clan could maintain its form. But thanks to the strength of the darkness here, the Wolrang had difficulty maintaining our features.”

The Wolrang were similar to werewolves. However, there were a few differences as they could maintain the appearance of a wolf during the day and night. But the Wolrang weren’t able to maintain the wolf features because the power of the moon was blocked....... So the Wolrang used the power of the Three Marvels.

“Our clan holds the ‘Moon Piece.’ The treasure contains the power of the moon. So we were able to receive the protection of the moon here. But we lost that power after Karakul received the moon piece.”

‘The Moon Piece!’

Ark’s spirit felt refreshed.

‘My last question has been answered!’

He had been wondering why Karakul trapped the Wolrang here and not in his castle. Even if the Wolrang had the shape of humans, they could still be trapped in the dungeon to be used as labour. The reason the Wolrang weren’t trapped in the underground jail was because there was a possibility of them regaining their power. Yes, it was the dungeon where Ark had been forced to labour. Karakul had obviously hidden the Moon Piece somewhere in that dungeon. The reason why the Moon Rocks were created was because they absorbed power from the Moon Piece.

‘All my questions are answered!’

It was the feeling of a complicated knot finally being undone. Karakul was the key to all his problems. He had no choice but to defeat Karakul to find the final fragment. Although he could use ‘Stealth’ to enter the dungeon, he didn’t know where the Moon Piece was hidden. What would happen if his stealth turned off while he was in the dungeon?

‘There is no way I can defeat the Bloody and Karakul all by myself. But.......’

“As you know, I need the Moon Piece. But it is impossible for me by myself. I need the help of the Wolrang who were the guardians of the Three Marvels.”

“Of course we’d be interested in helping. It doesn’t matter even if the entire clan is wiped out.”

The elder then sighed and shook his head.

“But we have no power. We’ve lost our fangs and claws, and we also lost our courage.”

“It will be different if you have the power of the moon. Radun!”

Ssak ssak ssak, ssak ssak ssak ssak!

Radun flicked his tongue and spat out a stone. It was a Moon rock he sneaked out of the dungeon!

The elder cried out with distress and grasped the Moon rock after he saw it.

“Hik, t-this is...... No way!”

Susususu.

Silvery fur started sprouting from the hand holding the Moon Rock. After that was the long nails and sharp fangs inside a snout. The elder growled in a pleased voice after transforming into a silver wolf.

“Ohhhhh, this power....... My combative spirit is burning in my heart....... This is it, the Wolrang family.......”

“I have enough Moon rocks to distribute to all the villagers. Now, would you like to help me?”

“Of course. No, please let us help! Recovering the Moon Piece will allow us to repay the humiliation. In addition, you are the Truthseeker. You are the descendant of the great Hero Maban so we would like nothing more than to fight beside you. Please lead us against Karakul and the clan’s traitor Albert.”

At the same time, there were two dings and a quest window popped up.

You have found the descendants of the Wolrang in the Dark Earth. However, the vampire Karakul has taken away their treasure and subjected the Wolrang to humiliation every day. Help the Wolrang family get revenge on Karakul and the clan’s traitor Albert.

<Difficulty: B+>

“I understand. But I need time to prepare. Please wait 2~3 days. This can’t be discovered by Karakul or Albert. So you’ll have to secretly prepare the other villagers. Ah, and of course you shouldn’t shapeshift.”

The wolf instantly turned back into an old man after Ark took the Moon rock away. Then Dedric suddenly exclaimed.

“Wait, you’re really thinking about fighting Karakul?”

“Haven’t you been listening?”

“No, absolutely not! Master doesn’t know how strong Karakul is. And even if Master manages to kill Karakul.......”

“I already know that.”

If he killed a vampire then he would incite the wrath of the strongest vampire. Ark and the Wolrang would all be wiped out in an instant. Even if he won the fight against Karakul, there was a 100% chance that he would die after the battle. However, Ark grabbed Dedric’s shoulder firmly and grinned.

“There’s no need to worry. The one who will defeat Karakul is you.”

“Ah, it was like that. I also...... Eh? W-w-w-what?”

“Didn’t you hear me? The Wolrang will make it possible for you to fight against Karakul. You will have the best role of defeating the leader. After all, it doesn’t matter if vampires kill each other.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! There is no way I could win against Karakul!”

Dedric panicked and turned pale while shaking like crazy.

“Didn’t you say you would willingly plunge into a dragon’s mouth if I ordered you to?”

“B-but.....”

“You are also a vampire. Don’t you want to show something nice to your cousins?”

“But I won’t be able to win!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you win.”

Ark replied with a wicked grin.