The Regressed Blood Knight’s Strategy

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]

Chapter 81

[Warning! The mutated monster is too strong.]

[Warning! The mutated monster is too strong.]

[Warning! The level difference between you and the mutated monster is significant.]

However, contrary to the messages, the mutated monster couldn’t easily charge forward.

It was because of the blood oath that Kane possessed and Blata’s dark evil energy.

With these two combined, the mutated monster remained cautious, unable to make any decisive move.

“Kane, I blocked it from getting closer. I did well, right?”

“It’s not because of you, it’s because of me.”

“No, it’s thanks to me!”

“That can’t be.”

“It’s because of my ruthless dark energy, I’m telling you.”

As they walked, Kane and Blata bickered back and forth. Blata would bite Kane’s arm, hiss, and even sulk with his face buried in his hands. But when Kane ignored all of these antics, Blata eventually teared up.

“It’s not going to work.”

“I’m going to cry!”

“Do as you wish.”

“I’m going to cryyyy!”

“Go ahead.”

“Waaahhh!”

In the end, Blata broke down in tears. His behavior was hardly different from that of a child. But those were fake tears.

Kane already knew well how to stop these crocodile tears.

“There’s something here you’d enjoy, but if you keep crying, I won’t take you there.”

Sniff.

The crying stopped instantly.

Instead, Blata looked up at Kane with bright, eager eyes.

“Where is it? Hehe.”

“They say if you laugh right after crying, hair will grow on your butt.”

“Hehe, I already have a lot of hair on my butt.”

He seemed genuinely happy. There was no bigger fool than him.

“What is it?”

“It’s a Shadow Spring filled with blood.”

“Le-Let’s go quickly! I need to drink a lot of blood and grow up fast.”

“And if I take you there?”

“I’ll be good from now on.”

“Promise?”

“A demonic guardian spirit never lies.”

Blata grinned ear to ear, his face now full of smiles as if he had never cried.

“You do need to grow up a bit.”

Kane opened Blata’s status screen for the first time in a long while.

[Blata]

Grade: ★★★★★

Description: Hatched from an egg that Kane found in the secret realm, “Cave of Species.” Blata self-proclaims to be a guardian spirit of demons.

Personality: Cute yet cowardly

Note: A pet's personality can change based on how the owner raises it.

- Basic Abilities -

- [Health: A-]

- [Mana: S]

- [Strength: A-]

- [Agility: E]

Trait: Ferocious Species (SSR)

Skills: Bloodsucking (S), Blood Blossom (S)

[Status: Blood, blood, delicious blood is here!]

Blata didn't have an experience bar. The only way for him to grow was by consuming blood—a very demanding pet.

“Hehe, as expected, Kane is a kind human.”

Blata was so excited that he even hummed a tune. Kane patted his head as they continued walking.

The weather on the Shadow Isles was quite clear, almost blindingly bright. Despite the name, it wasn’t that dark.

The mutated monsters were the same—none matched the eerie atmosphere the Shadow Isles were known for. Instead, the monsters were either animal-like or human-like, with not a single undead in sight.

“But Kane, can’t we go a little faster? You’re walking so slowly.”

“We’re almost there. Our destination is that small castle.”

A lone castle towered over the isle, exuding a vibe as though it could be inhabited.

As they approached the castle gate, Kane drew his blade, Bloodsky, and slashed it down.

Two gusts of wind followed, and the gate that blocked their path split in half.

The moment they stepped inside, the clear sky darkened in an instant.

“Now, it begins.”

[Warning! The Master of the Shadow Isles is awakening.]

[Warning! The level difference between you and the mutated monster is extreme.]

[Notice! Time until the Master of the Shadow Isles falls back asleep – 08:00:00]

They had to survive until the Master fell back asleep.

Caw! Caw!

A raven cried out from the sky. And with that sound, the attack began.

Thud, thud, thud!

Several feathers embedded themselves into the ground, right where Kane had been standing. He had swiftly dodged to the side as soon as the feathers flew towards him.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a human.”

Bats gathered, forming a single shape. As the cloak lowered, a pale human face emerged.

It was vampires, the Masters of the Shadow Isles, They were human-shaped mutated monsters with sharp fangs.

“The smell of delicious blood is overwhelming.”

The vampire licked his lips as he closed in on Kane. Blata, disturbed by the vampire’s reaction, voiced his displeasure.

“Kane, this leech is seeing us as food.”

“They’re underestimating us.”

“Let’s just kill them all this time.”

“I was planning on it.”

Kane’s bloodsky blade split into two. The atmosphere shifted dramatically, his mana now surging with twice the intensity as before.

“This is the perfect place for a massacre.”

Flash—

Kane charged towards the mutated vampire.

* * *

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The castle's bell rang frantically, signaling danger. The still-slumbering mutated vampires awoke with irritated expressions.

“Why is it so noisy?”

“It’s not time to wake up yet.”

“It’s still bright out. What’s all the commotion?”

A female vampire, seemingly a guard, bowed her head and responded, “We are currently dealing with the situation, so please, calm your anger.”

“How is anyone supposed to sleep through this?”

“I’ll go and check it out.”

A man with black hair emerged from his coffin. “We should take care of this before the higher-ups lose their temper.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man transformed into dozens of bats and flew out of the window.

Below the castle, a fierce battle was already underway.

Thud!

A mutated vampire was slammed against the wall. A crimson sword was lodged in its heart, rapidly draining the vampire’s fluids and blood.

“Ugh…”

Swoosh—

Kane withdrew the sword and swung it, sending blood droplets flying in all directions. With a sharp sound, five more mutated vampires fell to the ground.

“The experience points are flowing in nicely.”

[Level Up!]

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

...

...

...

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

The enemies were Beginner-tier 5th-class mutated monsters. Strong as they were, the rewards were just as rich—truly experience point gold mines.

The Bloodsky blade began to move again.

[Blood Energy has reached 50 stacks.]

[Attack power has increased by 50%.]

Without Bloodsky, Kane would have had to be cautious not to lose his stacks, but now, that was unnecessary. The stacks could be stored within the blade.

Kane continued killing the vampires, amassing more and more stacks.

“What are you doing? There’s only one enemy!”

Most of the vampires rushing towards Kane wielded either swords or with their claws, marking them as low-level vampires. Only mid-level vampires could use magic, and it was evident that the low-level ones were being effortlessly defeated.

At that moment, a red pillar of energy swirled from the sky, hurling itself at Kane.

“Now it’s the mid-level vampires’ turn.”

Kane crossed his Bloodsky blades to block the red pillar.

Boom!

The mana was overwhelming, forcing Kane’s foot back. His uniform tore, blood splattering from the emerging wounds. The low-level vampires attacked him from the sides and rear, exploiting his moment of vulnerability.

“Blood Void.”

Despite the onslaught, Kane still didn’t release the stacks accumulated on his Bloodsky blades. Instead, he activated Blood Void.

Blood droplets from the walls, floor, and his own wounds floated into the air and began to spin. This was similar to the defensive stance of the Twin Guardian Sword Technique of Rehinar Family. The low-level vampires attacking from the sides and behind were flung away, bloodied and battered.

[Blood Energy has reached 51 stacks.]

[Blood Energy has reached 52 stacks.]

[Blood Energy has reached 53 stacks.]

...

...

...

[Blood Energy has reached 108 stacks.]

[Attack power has increased by 108%.]

Kane released the stacks he had carefully accumulated all at once.

“Blood Wave!”

A powerful shockwave erupted around Kane, instantly detonating the bodies of the surrounding vampires. The radius of the shockwave was so vast that every vampire within its range was obliterated without a trace. Even the nearby buildings couldn’t withstand the Blood Wave.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[You have defeated the mid-level boss monster Godrif.]

[Notice! Time until the Master of the Shadow Isles falls back asleep – 07:15:00]

In just 45 minutes, Kane had slain a mid-level boss monster.

“Blood magic doesn’t work on me.”

Godrif had used blood magic, relying on blood as his power source, like a true vampire. But in the end, he met a glorious demise almost as soon as he appeared.

With the area now clear, Kane had some time left. Although the attacks would soon resume, it was enough time to head towards the spring.

* * *

[The castle of the Shadow Isles has been registered in the system.]

Kane entered the sunlit castle. After defeating the mid-level boss, the previously dark skies had cleared up again.

“Kane, when are we getting there? I’m getting tired of waiting,” Blata urged, clearly impatient. Since it hadn’t absorbed any vampire blood in anticipation of something tastier, Blata was feeling anxious.

“There’s still one more barrier left,” Kane replied.

“Alright, Blata will wait because Blata is good,” the little fatty responded, trying to be patient.

The inside of the castle was eerily empty, save for a few paintings hanging on the walls. There were no display cases or decorations, only rows of black coffins. Kane stabbed his Bloodsky blade into the coffins, piercing ten of them before moving to the next room. About five minutes later...

[Warning! The Master of the Shadow Isles is awakening.]

[Warning! The level difference between you and the mutant monsters is extreme.]

[Notice! Time until the Master of the Shadow Isles falls back asleep – 04:00:00]

The once-clear weather darkened again, and swarms of bats began to gather. Dozens of mid-level vampires appeared before Kane.

“You damned wretch!”

“How dare you come here!”

“Attacking us while we were asleep, you coward!”

The mid-level vampires were furious. It wasn’t enough that a human had invaded their lair; he had also slaughtered their kin while they slept.

A vampire woman with short hair stepped forward from among them. “Be careful, Lady Aracne. This human killed Lord Godfrey.”

At the mention of Aracne’s name, Kane smirked slightly. ‘So, the guardian of the blood spring has come out herself,’ he thought.

The Blood Spring was a crucial place for vampires, as it was the source of their power. When the spring dried up, vampires could no longer exert their strength. The blood from the blood Spring empowered the vampires in the dark and returned to the spring with the dawn.

This was the hidden strategy for conquering the Shadow Isles: luring the guardian of the Shadow Spring out into the open was akin to conquering two-thirds of the challenge. Aracne, like Godfrey, was a blood mage, but while Godfrey could be easily slain, Aracne required a specific approach.

‘Time to push it into the second phase,’ Kane thought as he threw one of his Bloodsky blades at her.

“Pathetic trick!” Aracne scoffed, swatting the Bloodsky blade away, but it transformed into liquid, forming iron bars that trapped her. The weapon, though a blade, was still fundamentally a mass of blood.

Aracne’s face twisted in anger as she realized she was trapped. “Blood magic!?”

Enraged, the mid-level vampires unleashed a barrage of blood magic at Kane. “Die, human!”

Kane blocked their attacks with his remaining Bloodsky blade and then activated his skill.

“Blood Sword, Explode!”

The iron bars trapping Aracne detonated violently.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shook the very foundations of the castle, shattering every window. Kane couldn't block all of the blood magic aimed at him, and a sharp pain coursed through his body.

“Ugh,” he grunted, feeling the pain, but he remained unfazed. As a blood knight, he possessed an extraordinary innate ability. Reaching out to one of the mid-level vampires, he began to siphon its mana and blood into his hand.

As the dust settled, Aracne's glowing red eyes became visible. Her clothes were in tatters, revealing patches of her skin beneath, and she was seething with rage. Behind her, another woman with the same appearance emerged.

The second phase had begun.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]