Don't move, it's a robbery!

I first smeared my stick with the horse's blood, then suddenly exerted my strength and charged towards the nearest nightmare.

"Bang!!"

Having decided to fight at full strength, I swung my bat with all my might, smashing Nightmare's head directly and shattering it.

But the result was no different from before. All the nightmares disappeared together, and when they reappeared, there were still 5 intact nightmares.

Although the result was the same, I was not discouraged.

The purpose of that blow was not to cause harm, but to smear the blood on the stick onto Nightmare's body to see if the blood would be preserved.

The heads of all five nightmares were completely clean, without a single trace of blood. I squinted and carefully examined the fur on their bodies, and finally saw the bloodstains I was looking for.

However, although there was blood, it wasn't from where I hit him.

I was aiming for the head, but among the five new nightmares that appeared, the one with bloodstains on its body had its back stained red.

Why would bloodstains appear there?

If there were no bloodstains, or if they were on the spot where I hit you, I could understand. But why would there be bloodstains on your back? I've never hit you there before.

I rushed over again and shot the one I'd hit before, wanting to see what would happen to the Nightmare after being stained with blood twice. Its head was still clean, the bloodstains on its back were gone, and the bloodstains had reappeared on its left leg and right arm.

I tried again, this time choosing a nightmare I hadn't fought before and still aiming for its head. The new nightmare that appeared had its bloodstains on its abdomen, while the nightmare I had previously stained with blood had its bloodstains on its chest and shoulders.

I realized I had discovered their secret.

These guys aren't illusions; when I hit them, I really did hit them. And each time they were hit, they didn't disappear; instead, they turned into mist.

This is why mist must condense before they appear, because they are mist, and the blood-stained areas change every time they reappear.

In that case, blunt force attacks would be ineffective against them, since no matter how much I swung my stick, I couldn't damage the monsters made of mist.

However, the fact that Nightmare's Eyeballs are available on the market means that the problem can be solved. The high price only indicates that the cost of obtaining them is relatively high, but it does not mean that they are without weaknesses.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to try them all right now, but luckily I have other solutions.

Ding ding ding ding!

Appear! The crimson dagger that can directly harm the enemy's soul, the Rabbit Knife!

I pulled out the bright red dagger that 'West Copper' had given me and ran swiftly toward Nightmare.

Since I had already attacked them many times before without being able to threaten them, these monsters had become too lazy to dodge. Faced with my thrusting dagger, the leader of the Nightmares not only did not dodge, but instead pounced directly at me, seemingly wanting to trade blows with me.

That was a wise move; these monsters seem quite intelligent. However, the difference in strength was undeniable; they had no chance of harming me until I was completely exhausted.

I tilted my head to the side, easily dodging the attack, and at the same time, stabbed it through the throat with my knife.

In the instant their figures intersected, the five nightmares vanished again. When they reappeared, one of them had a bloody gash on its shoulder, from which black blood was still flowing.

"What~~"

The nightmare emitted strange cries and appeared to be in great pain.

It seems that nightmares are not purely made of mist; they must have their own bodies. As long as you can actually attack their bodies, you can cause damage!

My crimson dagger is a weapon inhabited by a soul. I didn't understand before what the difference was between a weapon with a soul and an ordinary weapon, but now it seems that it was specifically designed to deal with this kind of special monster.

However, since body parts can be freely transferred, as long as I am not killed in one blow, they can move the damaged parts to a place where they are no longer life-threatening.

It's not a big problem, as long as it's a one-hit kill. It's just that I'm not quite sure where to hit a Nightmare to kill it instantly.

Moreover, stabbing with a dagger alone doesn't seem to be quite powerful enough.

Got it!

I can combine my stick and dagger to make a short spear, wouldn't that be powerful?

I took out a rope, intending to tie the stick and dagger together, but the nightmares were also angered by me. Seeing that I had stopped, they actually chose to take the initiative to attack.

Faced with the nightmares' claws, I simply tied the rope around myself and easily dodged their attacks by twisting my body a few times.

Heh, these monsters are weak in their backhand, clumsy in their forehand, unsteady on their feet, and slow to react; not a single one of their movements is decent. They actually think they can hit me with this level of attack, just by virtue of their numerical advantage?

The five nightmares missed their target and became somewhat enraged, then screamed and attacked again.

This time I didn't dodge. I suddenly spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick that slammed heavily into its jaw. As I watched the nightmare dissipate, a moment of contempt arose in my heart.

However, I soon realized that I might have underestimated my opponent.

Because this time, only the one I kicked disappeared; the remaining four nightmares were still pouncing towards me.

"Huh?"

Since all the monsters disappeared together each time they were attacked, I subconsciously thought that as long as I defeated one of them, I could ignore the rest of the nightmares. That's why I used a spinning kick that would leave me vulnerable after kicking.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a deliberate arrangement by them.

These monsters had been waiting for this moment. They suddenly increased their speed, seemingly wanting to take advantage of my momentary lapse in concentration to deliver a fatal blow.

Fortunately, I took the medication beforehand, and now my reaction speed is just as amazing.

In a very short time, I adjusted my movements, using the momentum from the previous spin to dodge the first nightmare by sidestepping, then sliding in the opposite direction to dodge another one. The third nightmare changed direction and pounced on me, but I stepped on its head. Then, it used its momentum to perform a somersault in mid-air, dodging the attack of the last nightmare.

"Impressive, impressive! As expected, we must not let our guard down against any enemy."

"Things have been going too well lately, which has made me a little complacent. This kind of thinking is not good."

The monsters were clearly surprised that they hadn't been able to hurt me in the previous situation, and they all began to retreat, preparing for the next surprise attack.

With them watching over me like that, I didn't dare to shift my attention to tying the rope.

Ugh, this is so annoying.

"Bunny, come out."

As I called out, a pair of long, furry ears suddenly appeared on the dagger in my hand, and then the hilt began to transform, turning directly into a furry red rabbit.

It gripped my hand tightly and sniffed me with its pink little nose. Its adorable appearance made me want to pinch its cheeks.

The nightmares didn't give me much time to catch my breath. When they saw that the knife in my hand had turned into a rabbit, they worried that something bad might happen, so they attacked me again.

I held the rabbit in one hand and picked up the stick with the other. I spun around, making the stick spin rapidly around me, and then slammed it down on the charging nightmare, scattering it completely.

While they were shrouded in mist, I quickly started talking to my rabbit.

"Come on, sweetie, hug this stick, yes, yes, hug it tight like this, and then pop the blade out from your back."

I held out the three-star stick to its face, and the rabbit obediently hugged the stick and, as I asked, extended the blade of a dagger from its back.

It's just that the angle is slightly tilted.

"I wanted a short spear, how did it become a sickle? Oh well, a sickle it is then."

The mist gathered again, and the nightmares seemed to be forming at an accelerated pace, but this was their last chance to escape.

I gripped the short stick tightly with both hands, then swung it with all my might. The blade of the scythe left a blood-red arc in the air, like a winding river, crashing into the nightmare.

A crimson light pierced through the mist, and the Nightmare at the forefront was decapitated. Black blood mingled with snow-white fur, and this time, it did not disappear again.

"Meow!!!" *4

The remaining four nightmares let out terrified screams, which then turned into angry roars.

"Tch, died that easily? That's pretty simple. I thought it would be much harder."

I spun my scythe and charged toward the remaining nightmares.

A crimson blade flashed, severing the clamor of the wind. The blood-red blade easily sliced ​​through their fur, followed by flesh and bone. Anger and life vanished together, separating hatred and resentment. The corpses returned to the earth, and the souls returned to the sky.

A few mournful cries followed, and then the forest fell silent, leaving only the sound of my own breathing.

Huh? Wait a minute! Where did Ronaldo go?

I quickly ran to where Ronaldo had been standing and found that he hadn't run away.

He was just scared to death.

"Tch, what a spineless coward. With such little guts, he actually dares to provoke a cult?"

I shook my head and prepared to turn around and leave, but I soon realized that something was wrong.

Ronaldo may be bad, but he's definitely not timid. On the contrary, as someone who dares to play with vampires in his study and still possesses the "holy artifact" of the evil god, he should be very bold.

Those nightmares, while they certainly had some tricks up their sleeves, didn't seem particularly scary in appearance. So why were they able to scare Ronaldo to death?

Or did I misjudge the cause of his death?

I quickly examined Ronaldo's body and found some strange runes on his body. When these runes were connected, they looked like a huge and strange eye, as if it was staring at anyone who noticed it, making one's hair stand on end.

I recalled what he had said before, and it seemed that one of his points was that destroying sacred artifacts would attract the attention of the "gods".

Could this thing be the eye of a 'god'?

Something feels off.

I quickly checked myself and found that I also had similar runes on my body. Although there weren't as many as on his body, and the color wasn't as dark, they were definitely the same thing.

"Damn! I still got infected."

I was a bit annoyed. I didn't get anything this time, which was a huge loss.

"West Copper, do you know what this is?"

ψ(｀∇´)ψ: "Yay! Oh! You're finally going to die~ Oh! Hoho! Today's a good day~"

Well, it's probably hoping I die sooner.

I shrugged, not at all surprised, but 'West Copper' showed me a rare act of kindness.

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Actually, I can save you too~ As long as you sign the contract, I have plenty of ways to save you~"

I was so touched! It really does care about me!

Faced with West Copper's overtures, I naturally had only one choice.

"I won't sign."

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "..."

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Why bother? I'm not asking you to be a slave, I just want you to complete some tasks~"

"What if we can't finish it?"

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Of course it's annihilation~"

"They're still slaves!"

(˶'ᵕ'˶): "Then go die~ Make room for the new contractor sooner."

I sighed and prepared to go back to Linde City to think of a solution.

Although I caused quite a commotion over there, I should have stayed out in the wild for a while. But this strange rune could be deadly. If I can't get rid of this trouble quickly, I guess I'll be dead by now.

Death isn't really a big deal, but if I could, I would definitely prefer to live.

Although I have no idea what happened to me, where to find clues, or when my death will come, I feel that my chances of surviving are slim.

But it's not like it's completely nonexistent!

Maybe Lady Luck is on my side!

"Boom!"

Thunder rumbled, followed by a downpour. I took shelter under a tree and looked up at the sky.

Maybe they'll side with me?