A full ninety gold coins.
This was the income Dylan had earned after selling all the parasitic tree seeds he had brought out, and this was still the result of having to sell them at a discount due to his urgent need for money.
He still remembered the flickering eyes of that goat-bearded merchant who had deliberately suppressed the prices.
If he'd had more time to spare, doubling the price wouldn't have been surprising.
But what he lacked most right now was time.
This was the largest sum of money he'd ever handled in his life, and he spent it without the slightest hesitation.
After purchasing the Anti-Life Potion at a premium of 55 gold coins, Dylan immediately set off for Fenlade—a border village where all residents had been relocated inland, transformed into a treatment facility for the wounded.
After Bella had been infected with blood poison, she was sent to the church in Fenlade, where she stayed with other victims while priests used holy light daily to suppress the transformation's progress.
But even so, she could hold out for three months at most, and Dylan had only learned of this a month later.
Now the deadline was approaching, and Dylan dared not delay for even a moment.
Whether it was due to the parasitic infection or not, Dylan had recently found that he needed less and less sleep.
This should be considered a good thing, as it gave him more time to travel.
Thanks also to his surplus gold coins, he could continuously change horses along the way, traveling day and night.
Though he had encountered some dangers, he had arrived at the border earlier than expected.
On the small path, Dylan dismounted early. There was still some distance to the village, and he had no intention of riding boldly in.
That half-face covered with mycelium would never withstand scrutiny—he could only sneak in quietly to see his daughter.
Untying the reins and slapping the horse's rump, watching it gradually disappear into the distance, Dylan never thought he'd have such a luxurious day.
The sun had already set; he could slip in under cover of darkness.
Clutching the package containing the potion, the closer Dylan got to the village, the more nervous his heart became.
It had been nearly three months—had Bella really held on until now?
Would the Anti-Life Potion in his hands prove ineffective?
Or perhaps something else...
"Bella, you must be alright..."
Suddenly, Dylan frowned and sniffed hard.
The air had somehow filled with a burnt smell mixed with blood.
He stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly rushed up to the top of the slope—the entire village of Fenlade was burning in a sea of flames.
Figures moved in the dancing firelight, with faint sounds of crying and combat carried by the clash of metal.
What was happening? Had the vampires attacked?
No, this was an ambush—if a large army had come, such a small outpost couldn't have held them off.
Where was Bella?
Dylan immediately looked toward the church's direction. Thankfully it wasn't on fire, but it was still in imminent danger.
He had to reach Bella's side quickly!
The moment he stepped into the village, Dylan felt as if he had entered hell itself.
Thick smoke rolled with sparks through the night sky, his boots stuck to viscous blood plasma, and the thatched roofs on both sides were burning and collapsing.
Three deserting soldiers suddenly burst from a house, their smoke-blackened faces full of terror. After brushing past Dylan, they fled toward the village outskirts.
But before long, terrified screams echoed from behind.
Looking back, he saw one of them lying on the ground with his chest torn open, convulsing—clearly beyond saving. The other two soldiers were nowhere to be seen.
Beside him, a figure that seemed human yet not human was devouring the still-fresh flesh like a wild beast.
"Blood Devourer..."
This Blood Devourer appeared temporarily absorbed in the food before it, paying no attention to Dylan.
Dylan didn't want to get entangled here either and turned to leave, only to discover another one standing ahead.
A Blood Devourer with the appearance of a young girl stared straight at Dylan with crimson eyes full of hungry desire.
Looking more carefully, her skin had grown many protruding horny patches, making her look even less human than Dylan.
This Blood Devourer clearly wouldn't let him pass easily. Dylan could only draw the longsword from his waist.
This was a weapon forged from refined steel, much better quality than the one he'd lost in the underground city, but he wasn't confident it could handle the Blood Devourer before him.
The Blood Devourer's knees bent slightly as she suddenly charged at Dylan.
So fast!
[Parry LV4]
Dylan barely managed to raise his sword horizontally across his chest before the attack arrived. The moment claws met blade in a shower of sparks, the tremendous force sent him flying several meters along with his weapon.
Dylan crashed heavily into a wall, his internal organs churning as he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with mycelium.
Strong. With just this one strike, he clearly recognized that his opponent's attributes far exceeded his own at full strength.
The strength of Blood Devourers was directly related to the strength of those who had been transformed.
Dylan was already cursing inwardly—how had the people at this border managed to let so many strong individuals get infected with blood poison?
The Blood Devourer had no intention of giving Dylan a chance to catch his breath, and thrust her second attack toward his neck.
In the crisis, Dylan pulled out a scroll from his body and used it against the Blood Devourer.
[Blindness Spell]
"Gaaaaaaah!"
Knowing he was coming to a dangerous border, how could Dylan be unprepared?
The scroll worth 5 gold coins temporarily sealed her vision.
But Dylan hadn't expected that the Blood Devourer not only didn't stop her attack, but became even more frenzied, striking at him by feel.
"Ah!"
The claws originally aimed at Dylan's neck pierced through his left arm instead, the tremendous force pinning Dylan to the wall behind him.
At this moment, the Blood Devourer revealed a bloodthirsty smile.
Her other claw blindly grabbed toward Dylan's body.
The claws left a gash in the wall but didn't touch the prey's body!?
"Die!"
Dylan's roar came from behind, striking with all his might from the start.
[Fury LV3]
[Whirling Slash LV5]
The refined steel longsword slashed into the Blood Devourer's horny neck, cutting two-thirds of the way through before being barely stopped by the Blood Devourer's claws.
The Blood Devourer couldn't understand how this person had appeared behind her—she had clearly pinned him to the wall just moments ago.
She tried to push the longsword away, but with most of her neck severed, blood gushed out unstoppably, and the strength in her body grew weaker and weaker...
"Die for me!"
After a brief stalemate, amid Dylan's furious roar, the Blood Devourer's head was severed along with her hands.
"Hah... hah..."
Covered in blood and gasping roughly, Dylan kicked away the headless corpse on the ground as if venting his anger.
He stepped forward to retrieve his own severed arm.
Using bandages to simply tie the severed limb back on, feeling the wriggling sensation of mycelium slowly mending at the break.
Dylan felt he was becoming more and more adapted to this mutated body.
He just didn't know how much more flesh and mycelium would fuse together this time—there weren't many parts of his body that remained completely human.
Behind him, the other Blood Devourer remained indifferent to its companion's death, simply continuing to devour what remained of the half-eaten soldier.
Dylan sincerely thanked that soldier for his sacrifice—facing another Blood Devourer right now would be more than he could handle.
Gulping down an entire bottle of mana potion, which would help the mycelium inside his body repair his internal injuries.
Dylan dragged his heavy body toward the church.
Whether it was his imagination or not, the clamor around him seemed to be gradually diminishing.
Was the battle nearing its end?
He hoped the Blood Devourers hadn't won, and he hoped he wouldn't see his daughter already transformed into a Blood Devourer.
If Bella had truly already been transformed...
Dylan gripped the longsword in his hand tightly.
Then let him personally grant his daughter release...
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