"Blood of the God of Love?"
Kurose Akira stared intently at the single drop of blood hovering in his palm, its surface shimmering with seven-colored radiance. Shock rippled through his heart.
Who could have imagined that inside the snake-person's heart, there would be a drop of divine blood hidden away?
And at the very moment he obtained it, a familiar, seductive voice echoed within his mind.
"Divine blood!? Such sweet, intoxicating blood! Give it to me, human! Hand it over to me, and I will grant you anything you desire!"
"…."
Akira ignored the voice of the vampire progenitor entirely.
Instead, a different thought surfaced in his mind.
Did the existence of this divine blood mean that the Medusa Queen had truly returned from the divine realm to the Magic Continent?
And not only that—had she injured the legendary Goddess of Love, even stealing a drop of Her blood?
It was only speculation.
But it was not impossible.
"This drop of blood…"
Lucia and the others were equally captivated by the seven-colored glow. The allure of divine power was impossible to deny.
"Divine blood," Akira said with a faint smile. "I don't know why it appeared here, but it's an unexpected gain."
He was extremely satisfied with the outcome of this mission.
Loserine gazed at the blood, intoxication flickering in her eyes. "Divine blood… To think such a sacred relic would exist here. It's unbelievable."
Even after becoming undead, Loserine still harbored a longing for godhood.
At that moment, Lucia spoke up solemnly. "This item is extraordinarily precious. You must safeguard it carefully and never let anyone else know of its existence. Once word spreads, even demi-gods will tear off their masks and come for that drop of blood."
Akira nodded. "I understand. I'll be careful."
Only those present knew of this matter.If anyone else did… then it could only be the one who had left this blood behind in the first place.
"Let's leave this place first," Akira suggested.
"Mm."
Akira first used a teleportation array to send the petrified Mare Rhine back to the guild. Then he mounted Wyvernis and returned to the village, handing over the snake-person's heart to the village chief.
"Thank you so much, Great Adventurer!" the chief said excitedly. "This is the finest sword our village possesses. Please accept it as a token of our gratitude!"
As he spoke, the chief handed Akira a short sword glowing with a deep green hue, along with a pouch of coins.
[Venomfang Dagger (Epic): A dagger infused with deadly poison. Don't be an idiot and lick it!]
"Poison?"
Akira examined the dagger carefully. Combined with a player's exclusive inventory mechanics, this weapon was clearly ideal for ambushes—instantly summonable for a lethal surprise strike.
After receiving the hidden quest rewards, Akira returned to the guild with Lucia and Loserine.
Wyvernis did not follow.
For personal and familial reasons, she couldn't live in the guild.
However, as long as the distance between them didn't exceed one thousand kilometers, Akira could summon her at any time through their contract.
Upon returning, Akira found Alice and Viola gathered around Mare Rhine's petrified form, staring at her with fascination.
"Master, why is Miss Rhine like this?" Alice asked curiously.
"She was hit by the Medusa Queen's petrification magic. Don't worry—she'll recover in a couple of days," Akira explained.
"Petrification?" Alice blinked, continuing to observe the stone statue with childlike curiosity.
Akira, meanwhile, noticed Ivsha and Elum talking nearby, which piqued his interest.
Just as he was about to approach, he vaguely overheard something about "the art of holy light."
He immediately chose to retreat.
Akira turned around, sat down on the sofa in the guild hall, and submitted the completed D+-rank commission.
Gold +9EXP +90,000!
At the same time, he received a message from Xia Yu.
[Xia Yu: Holy shit! I heard some player actually killed that level-60 snake-man! That's insane! I have to gift that big shot a Silver-Scale Armor set!]
After a brief moment of surprise, Akira closed the chat channel and focused once more on the divine blood.
The radiant drop still filled him with awe.
Even a single drop felt as though it contained overwhelming, irresistible power.
"Hey~ human~ give it to me~! Hurry~ hand it over~!"
The vampire progenitor Kanlutia's voice echoed again in his mind, her craving so intense it felt as though she might burst out of his body at any moment to devour the Goddess of Love's blood.
Akira responded coldly.
"You're not worthy."
He understood the value of this divine blood all too well—especially since it could grant the ultra-rare modifier [Blood of the God of Love]. There was no way he would casually hand it over to a vampire progenitor.
"You—damn human brat! Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity you're throwing away!? With just one drop of divine blood, you could earn the favor of a vampire progenitor!" Kanlutia continued to tempt him—though she was clearly terrible at negotiation.
Akira merely glanced at her coldly, utterly uninterested.
Then his gaze returned to the drop of blood.
He felt it—something else was hidden within it.
He tried to probe deeper, but could only sense a faint anomaly, unable to fully unravel the truth.
At that moment, Lucia approached and handed him a strange container.
"Here."
"What's this?" Akira asked, taking it from her.
The container was a transparent sphere, its surface engraved with complex runes. The interior was hollow, yet mysterious power seemed to circulate within it.
Lucia explained, "It's a vessel designed specifically to store divine blood. The Church of Light also keeps several drops for emergencies."
"I see."
Akira nodded and carefully placed the divine blood inside.
The drop floated weightlessly within the sphere, its dazzling brilliance softening slightly—as if the container itself suppressed the leakage of divine power.
Akira then handed the container back to Lucia. "Lucia, try sensing it. I feel like there's something hidden inside."
"Something hidden?"
Lucia accepted the vessel, golden light blooming at her fingertips as she infused it with magic.
After a thorough examination, her expression changed abruptly, turning grave.
Akira's heart tightened. "Did you find something?"
Lucia shook her head softly. "I can't fully perceive it. There seems to be a powerful force guarding whatever secret lies within…"
And at that very moment, the vampire progenitor's voice echoed once more in Akira's mind:
"Human! Pray to me! And I'll tell you the secret hidden within that blood—how about it?"