Chapter 186 – Blood Witch Bathory

‘What’s going on?’

Theodore sending killing intent toward him?

‘Could it be that Theodore was the assassin all along?’

Min Do-jun immediately shook his head.

‘That’s impossible. He wasn’t even in the right location.’

The initial killing intent had come from a position where Theodore wasn’t present.

Then why was Theodore suddenly directing killing intent at him?

Theodore, who had been glaring at Min Do-jun with eyes full of killing intent, grinned.

“You’re already dead. I’ve successfully possessed you. Hohohoho!”

Then he suddenly covered his mouth and burst into laughter.

Seeing Theodore laugh like a woman with his gruff voice, Min Do-jun thought:

‘Has he gone mad?’

But he quickly reconsidered.

‘The message that appeared earlier mentioned something about attempted possession.’

Blood Witch Bathory had attempted possession.

‘But my Strong Mind characteristic nullified the possession.’

And immediately after that, Theodore started acting strangely.

‘Based on that, perhaps she tried to possess me first, failed, and then tried Theodore instead? And that’s the result of her success.’

Min Do-jun looked at Theodore.

His cackling laughter definitely made him seem like a different person.

At that moment, the information shown by weakness detection changed.

[Blood Witch Bathory possessing Theodore Townsend]

-Description: A named boss that only appears in Vampire’s Night. As a spirit entity, she only manifests through possession. Usually possesses an ancient vampire.

-Combat Style: Uses the memories of the possessed target to fight. If at a disadvantage, transforms into spirit form and escapes.

-Weakness: If killed during possession, the spirit entity also dies.

‘So that’s it…!’

His hypothesis about Theodore being possessed was correct.

‘Blood Witch Bathory… Just from the name, she sounds like a named boss?’

In S-rank dungeons, named bosses appear with a very low probability.

‘But I’ve never heard the name Bathory before.’

Even before his regression, he had never heard information about such a boss.

‘Could it be a boss that even I don’t know about?’

As a hunter with 10 years of experience, Min Do-jun knew most information, but he couldn’t claim to know everything.

‘Just as there were hidden achievements I didn’t know about, there could be named bosses I’m not familiar with.’

If someone defeated a named boss and didn’t share the information, others naturally wouldn’t know of its existence.

‘To think I’d encounter a named boss in a place like this…’

Min Do-jun looked at Theodore.

‘This is amazing!’

A smile involuntarily formed on his face at this unexpected stroke of luck.

Seeing this, Theodore suddenly frowned.

“You lowly human, you dare to smile in my presence? Have you lost your mind?”

At those words, Min Do-jun erased his smile and looked at her with interest.

‘A monster that can speak…’

It wasn’t particularly surprising for a named boss to speak.

Hadn’t the Death Summoner Clark, whom he had defeated on Ghost Island, also spoken?

Though they couldn’t communicate.

‘The fact that it speaks isn’t surprising in itself. What’s truly surprising is that it’s speaking English.’

Most named bosses use a language that’s automatically translated like system messages.

But Bathory was different.

‘She’s clearly speaking English.’

Given the circumstances, she might be naturally using English after reading Theodore’s memories.

‘The important thing is that we might be able to communicate.’

A conversation with a monster.

Wasn’t this something no one in history had ever attempted?

‘Well, maybe I’m not the first, but…’

What was certain was that such opportunities were rare.

Min Do-jun asked with expectant eyes:

“Who are you?”

“Me? Hehe, I’m your companion Theodore Townsend, am I not?”

“A monster trying to deceive me… As expected of a boss, you do have intelligence.”

“What are you saying, you lowly human?”

“Bathory. Is that your name?”

At those words, Bathory showed a slightly surprised expression.

“Oh, a lowly human knows my name. How unexpected.”

“Did you try to possess my body?”

“To think you know even that… I’ve been watching since you arrived, and you’re definitely not an ordinary human.”

‘She’s been watching since we entered the dungeon?’

That statement reminded him of an incident.

‘Shortly after entering the dungeon, I felt killing intent. Could it be…’

Min Do-jun asked:

“Was it you who directed killing intent at me when we entered the dungeon?”

“Dungeon? Is that what humans call this place?”

“Answer me.”

“You’re good at sensing killing intent, but not so good at reading the situation. Hoho.”

She didn’t give a clear answer, but that was enough.

‘So the killing intent at the beginning wasn’t from an assassin, but from her?’

He had thought a party member was sending killing intent, but it seems Bathory was simply among the party members.

‘Judging by how she speaks, she already knows I can detect killing intent…’

Though he wasn’t entirely sure, he spoke as if he had figured it out to draw an answer from her.

“You’ve been targeting us since we entered the dungeon.”

“Hoho, you sensed the killing intent early on but only realized it now, I see.”

“You were targeting us for possession? And when I sensed your killing intent, you backed off?”

“Oh. You’re quite perceptive for a human.”

“What do you plan to do after possessing a human body?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“A meal?”

Bathory was surprised by Min Do-jun’s guess.

“Oh, how did you know?”

“Isn’t it obvious? There’s only one reason monsters like you target humans.”

Min Do-jun speculated that Bathory was the reason deaths occurred specifically in the Russian dungeon.

‘She’s probably been regularly feeding on humans.’

The fact that one out of ten never returned alive was because Bathory took them for meals.

‘When hunters enter the dungeon, she possesses a vulnerable one and takes them away with various excuses.’

After possessing her prey, she might say she needs to step out briefly and move the body elsewhere.

‘That location is probably the boss room in the castle where the ancient vampire resides.’

According to the information from weakness detection, her true form is an ancient vampire.

‘Since she can’t eat her own body while possessing it, she probably returns to her true form for meals.’

In other words, it could be inferred that she used possession to bring her prey to her lair.

‘When people couldn’t find the boss room, did she feed on them one by one like this?’

Or perhaps she hoped they wouldn’t find the boss room.

Even for a named boss, facing ten hunters simultaneously would be burdensome.

‘The mystery is mostly solved, but what about that?’

Min Do-jun was looking at the eight unconscious party members.

‘Why did the party members attack? Were they all under some kind of mental control magic from Bathory?’

What was certain was that the party members were being recognized as monsters, not humans.

‘The same goes for Theodore.’

Perhaps because of Bathory’s possession, Theodore was also being detected as a monster by presence detection.

“Bathory. Were those collapsed party members also your doing?”

“Hmph, do you think I’d tell a mere human?”

“Says the monster parasitizing a human body.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

Bathory, who had been flustered, visibly wrinkled her brow.

“I, the noble one, am gracing you with my time! You should consider it an honor that I’ve conversed with you this long!”

“Fuck you.”

“…!”

When Min Do-jun showed his middle finger, Bathory’s face turned red and blue with anger.

“Y-you disrespectful human…!”

“You definitely share memories with humans.”

Min Do-jun, who had been speaking calmly, suddenly became serious.

There was something he had always wanted to ask a monster.

“What are you monsters, really?”

“What?”

“Why are you invading Earth?”

“Ha!”

Bathory frowned as if finding the question absurd.

“Who’s invading whom? Aren’t you humans the ones invading our territory?”

“……”

Considering that dungeons were the monsters’ territory, she had a point.

‘Does that mean the appearance of dungeons on Earth wasn’t their intention?’

Indeed, if it had been an invasion, only dungeons would have appeared, not the countermeasure of awakened individuals.

Just then.

Thud-

Bathory slammed the hammer on the ground.

“Human. How long will you just talk?”

Whoosh- Whoosh-

Bathory swung the hammer, loosening up her body.

“The entertainment is over. Come at me.”

“You want to fight me?”

“Fight? I’ll kill you and devour you.”

The killing intent emanating from her made it clear she was serious.

“Don’t you share Theodore’s memories?”

“Yes, and?”

“And you still want to fight me?”

If she were truly Theodore, she would know.

Know how strong Min Do-jun was.

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t fight you?”

But it seemed Bathory didn’t have access to Min Do-jun’s memories.

“Could it be that you can’t read recent memories?”

“…You’re quite perceptive.”

‘So that’s why she was so confident.’

Min Do-jun nodded.

‘If we must fight, so be it.’

However, he planned to just rough her up a bit, not kill her.

After all, despite being possessed, the body belonged to an innocent party member.

‘Maybe she’ll be released from possession after taking a few hits.’

With that thought, Min Do-jun approached.

Without even drawing his ghost sword.

“You pathetic human. Not even drawing your weapon?”

Bathory sneered at the unarmed Min Do-jun.

“Ah, I see. You’re intimidated by my presence and have given up. But it’s already too late.”

Ta-at!

“I’ll beat you to a pulp for your earlier disrespect!”

Bathory stomped the ground and swung the hammer.

The hammer was surrounded by a golden light, suggesting it wasn’t a simple attack.

‘So she can read memories and use skills too.’

Either way, the outcome wouldn’t change.

Whoosh-

The hammer fiercely cut through the air, passing through where Min Do-jun had been standing.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

The trees behind were swept away by the golden shockwave.

“Where did this guy go…”

“Your attack power is strong, but your accuracy is terrible.”

Startled by the voice behind her, Bathory quickly swung the hammer.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

It was a skill called Double Smash that delivered consecutive strikes, but it still couldn’t reach Min Do-jun.

“You’re too slow.”

“Eek!”

Whoosh- Whoosh- Whoosh-

She tried swinging the hammer using all the skills at her disposal, but.

Thud-!

“Ugh!”

There was no way she could hit Min Do-jun, whose agility exceeded 6,400 and who also possessed the Dynamic Vision characteristic.

Thud- Thud-!

One blow to the face, one to the abdomen.

He turned around, tripped her, and kicked her jaw as she fell.

Using moderate strength to avoid killing her, Min Do-jun kept landing blows that elicited continuous groans from Bathory.

“So you can feel pain even while possessing someone?”

“Kuheuuk… You dare…”

“Get out of my companion’s body now.”

Thud-!

With one punch, Bathory lost grip of the hammer and rolled on the ground. As Min Do-jun was about to finish her off:

Sssssss-

Steam rose from above Theodore’s head and took the form of a person.

[Blood Witch Bathory (Spirit Form)]

The form that had been floating in the air briefly disappeared as if fleeing.

‘Did she escape?’

Min Do-jun didn’t feel particularly disappointed.

He had a good idea of where she had gone.