POTLS - Chapter 13: Outnumbered

Paul tilted his head to one side, dodging the filthy blood spattering from the monster. This viscous fluid was entirely different from normal blood—a failed experiment mixing vampire noble blood with inferior quality blood. Nevertheless, it worked perfectly with [Blood Barrier].

A thin membrane with shifting crimson patterns formed around Paul.

He rolled to the side and thrust his sword straight into the chest of another Ghoul. It shrieked, swinging its claws in a desperate attempt to rake at him. [Blood Barrier] instantly flashed, protecting him from the incoming damage.

With a swift kick, the Ghoul was knocked aside, writhing alone as it struggled to stand.

More and more Ghouls poured in, their howls echoing throughout the underground chamber. Some moved on two legs like humans, others on all fours, and some inverted. Nothing clearly dictated their behavior. They shared only one goal: to tear the human apart.

Paul brought his sword up horizontally to block a larger Ghoul's snapping jaws. Its jagged, filthy teeth showed no fear, repeatedly opening and closing despite the sharp edge cutting into them. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, pushing the monster back before swinging in a wide arc, lucky enough to activate a Holy Mark.

Ghouls were among the few creatures immune to pain—an intentional design by the vampire nobles who created them. Even as the Holy Mark burned white-hot on its flesh, the Ghoul continued its advance.

To conserve energy and maximize efficiency, Paul targeted its limbs. Once dismembered, Ghouls became far less threatening. Without [Crescent Moon Slash] and with [Silver Strike] only at level 2, he couldn't cleave a Ghoul in half as he had on the sixth night of his previous run.

He moved constantly, carefully choosing positions to counter attacks coming from all directions.

When enough had gathered, the Ghouls began climbing over each other. Paul now faced a new threat from above.

His sword whistled through the air, severing arms and legs that tumbled across the floor. His increased Dexterity showed effects Paul had never experienced before. His spatial perception and timing had improved dramatically. His attacks had been effective before, but now they were precisely calculated.

The rate of missed strikes and failures decreased significantly.

His stamina dropped from 160 to 120 after dispatching over thirty monsters. Yet more continued to emerge from underground.

Paul had hoped level 5 would grant him a skill to increase his experience shard collection range, but his luck seemed spent. He'd been offered [Last Stand], [Twilight Vision], and [Blood Barrier]. Though tempted by [Last Stand], he chose [Blood Barrier] because it had already proven invaluable.

Although he surpassed the monsters in physical strength and speed, their sheer numbers instantly negated these advantages. Even simple attacks like scratches, punches, kicks, and especially bites remained problematic to avoid.

[Blood Barrier] thoroughly solved these immediate issues. Its future effectiveness was undeniable.

[Last Stand] wouldn't be necessary if he could avoid serious injury.

Level 2 of [Blood Barrier] increased damage absorption while raising mana consumption from 20 to 22—a price Paul willingly paid.

He retreated and advanced, slashed and stabbed, punched and kicked. [Blade Mastery] imparted basic combat knowledge, perfectly integrating him with his sword. At higher levels, this passive skill reportedly allowed wielders to enhance damage through sheer willpower. But no one invested heavily in [Blade Mastery] at the expense of active skills.

For Paul, [Silver Strike] was his salvation. The low-mana, stamina-focused skill let him strike faster with increased damage on each hit of his three-hit combo. Holy Mark hindered the Ghouls' movement by burning through nerves, muscles, and bones.

But the Ghouls' numbers were overwhelming, threatening to fill every corner of the space.

[Blood Barrier] shuddered repeatedly, sending chills down Paul's spine. The skill's cooldown required one minute between activations. During vulnerable periods, he prioritized movement, jumping from place to place, sometimes backing into corners to protect his rear.

When overwhelmed on one side, he would stab a Ghoul, activate [Blood Barrier] again, and charge forward, pushing monsters aside to create a path. Ghouls piled above and around him still tried to attack. During moments without protection, he suffered wounds—not deep, but painful enough.

As he contemplated his next move, he leveled up again.

//

<<You leveled up! Choose your skill!>>

<<Option 1: Crimson Echo>>

Next attacks create phantom strikes.

<<Option 2: Bloodmist Form>>

Temporary invulnerability

<<Option 3: Silver Strike (Level 2 -> Level 3)>>

Increased damage

//

Without hesitation, Paul chose [Crimson Echo]. He already had [Blood Barrier] for defense and needed to increase his monster-killing capability. Besides, while [Bloodmist Form] offered good effects, it came with a long cooldown.

His next strike made Paul blink in surprise. After all, this was his first real experience with [Crimson Echo] outside of books.

A shadow—only his upper body—formed at the exact spot where he'd just attacked. It swung its sword matching his speed and direction, severing a Ghoul's gaping mouth. Not yet finished, another shadow formed, launching a similar attack. The second strike clearly dealt less damage than the first two, but still left the next Ghoul with a dangling arm, hampering its movement.

Momentarily elated, Paul calculated that with his current mana, he could combine skills without worrying about depletion. With a mana pool of 100 instead of the previous 60, he would have enough for other skills even after spending 48 mana on a [Crimson Echo] and [Blood Barrier] combo.

Ranking up is truly amazing, Paul silently marveled.

The longer he fought, the more determined he became, forcing himself to persevere to truly earn his Rank E status.

The Ghouls grew increasingly frenzied, grabbing their own kind and hurling them at Paul to blind him. Cornered with nowhere to roll, he could only respond by swinging his sword.

A thrown Ghoul was cut in half, splitting like a sliding door, opening a path for those behind. One swung its arms, reaching for Paul's head. It only caught a few strands of hair as he ducked, using his prepared left hand to punch the monster aside.

This really isn't good, he thought.

He'd heard assessments about the danger of Secret Hordes, and they exceeded the rumors. These Ghouls poured forth like ants from a broken nest. He figured if the monsters' jaws didn't kill him, the pressure of being trapped in a space packed with bodies would.

Can't stay here too long, he concluded.

Looking up at the chamber ceiling where small stalactites dripped, he narrowed his eyes and decisively threw his sword.

While fighting the Ghouls bare-handed, his sword fell to the ground, bringing down a network of stalactites. These natural spikes, formed over time, impaled the heads and bodies of the crawling Ghouls, pinning them in place as they thrashed helplessly.

Paul harvested them after using a Ghoul as a shield while retrieving his sword.

Experience shards flew toward him, pushing him to level 7.

He nearly shouted with joy when an extremely rare option appeared.

//

<<Option 3: Blood Resonance>>

Standing in blood increases damage

//

Though the effect seemed minor—only a 10% increase—Paul didn't hesitate to choose it, as [Blood Resonance] had a special purpose.

The passive [Blood Resonance] took effect immediately, a strange sensation flowing into his body through the thick pools of blood beneath his feet. Vitality, vigor, and killing intent.

He became the monsters' nightmare—if they could dream.

Combined with [Crimson Echo], he rampaged through the horde like a war god. Even the phantom images created were enhanced by [Blood Resonance].

The 10% increase showed clear results compared to his previous damage output. The marginal benefit was vastly superior.

However, survival still depended on resource management. His stamina was dropping to alarming levels. Starting at 160, it had fallen by half to 81.

By his calculation, he'd been down here for about an hour, engaging in high-intensity action without rest. His endurance had become more resilient, requiring more activity to deplete his stamina. But depletion remained depletion—it needed replenishment.

He began moving more slowly, trying to create breathing room amid the chaos to slow the process.

After a while, a plan formed in his mind.

He continued battling the contorted, pale bodies. Each strike in his combination of techniques became more fluid as he mastered them. The shield provided effective protection.

After twenty minutes, Paul achieved his goal.

He had maintained his position in one place, aiming to stack Ghoul corpses on top of each other. They now reached nearly five feet high.

With the chamber ceiling not particularly tall, Paul jumped atop the small mountain of monster carcasses. He leaped up, swinging his sword forcefully. The earthen ceiling revealed only a vague outline.

He returned to deal with Ghouls that had climbed up, eliminating them and adding their remains to the corpse pile, raising himself higher.

This process repeated for some time, digging at the ceiling while killing monsters. Paul was too busy to check what options level 8 offered him.

Finally, he dug a hole. From there, he widened it by carving with his sword.

The Ghouls below climbed up, trying to grab him. Sometimes they slipped on their comrades' blood, creating a small fountain.

Paul glanced down, saw them struggling, and ignored them. They would succeed soon, so he needed to hurry.

Thanks to the additional corpses, the pile grew taller, allowing Paul to reach up and help break through the chamber ceiling. Dirt caught under his fingernails, small stones fell on his face. His heart raced, adrenaline flooding through his body.

He couldn't die on just the first day like this.

You can't act this stupidly anymore, Paul, he silently scolded himself, his hands never stopping.

The Ghouls below climbed over their struggling comrades, hissing angrily at being used as stepping stones. Their numbers grew, their hands nearly reaching Paul's waist.

A chunk of earth fell away, revealing the night sky and silver moonlight.

With a final slash to fend off the monsters, he jumped up and grabbed the edge of the hole. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself up.

Exhausted, he lay on his back, turning his head to look down at the small mountain of Ghoul corpses through the hole. One creature reached the top and stared at him, raising its dry, curved claws as if begging for help.

Paul's middle finger was its only answer.

He jumped to his feet, knowing this was no time to rest. He looked ahead cautiously.

Four pairs of curious eyes from other Survivors locked onto him as they approached from the grassland beyond.

Without a word, Paul chose a direction and ran.