Record of a Thousand Lives-Chapter 116

The othersgulpedwhen they heardKang Yoon-Soo’s brazen insult and declaration of war against the Vampire Lord. However, Argoric did not seem to be bothered at all. In fact, he smiledexcitedlyand asked, “And who might you be?”

The Vampire Lord had heard someone personally tell him to his face that he woulddie by having his heart pierced. Thatwas something hehad not heard in the entire millennium he had lived.

Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly replied, “The one who caused the disease outbreak.”

“Hmm…” Argoric rubbed his lips.

It was at that moment, as the Vampire Lordwas deep in thought, that a man wearing a priestly robe broke through the crowds and wildly swung a silver greatsword towardhim.

Clang!

Argoric easily blocked the attack, and the silver greatsword split in halffromthe impact.

Deff bared his fangs at the Vampire Lord and growled like a wolf,glaring at Argoric with eyes filled with angerashe shouted, “Die,Vampire Lord!”

“Are you a werewolf? Your fangs are pretty,” Argoric said with a laugh.

Deffgrowled like a mad dog anddrewa silver longsword from hisbelt,thenswung it at the Vampire Lord. However, Argoric easily grabbed the silver longsword with one hand.

“Grwaaaaaah!”Deff howled like a beast, and his armsbulged with veinsas he put all of his strength behindthe longsword.

However, Argoric did not seem to flinch or grimace at all. He easily squeezed the silver longsword with one hand and crumpled itas if it werea piece of paper,thensaid, “I alwaysfelt that things could have been betterbetween our races. Your race was always at odds with us vampires when we could have been friends. We’re races that possess such beautiful fangs, after all.”

“Shut up! You bastard!” Deff screamed as he punched Argoricin the face. However,the only damageheinflicted was to his own fist;he feltas if he had puncheda stone mountain.

The smile on Argoric’s face disappeared as he said, “I’d prefer if the only things that touched my cheeks were kisses…” Then, the Vampire Lord lightly swung his fist at Deff.

Pukeeoooook!

“Eueuk!”

Deff spun a few times in mid-air, having been flungquite a distance just from the force of one punch. The others watchedthe sight of the large man being easily blown away with fear in their eyes.

“Let’s continue where we left off, shall we?” Argoric said as he rubbed his cheekwhere Deff had punched it.However, the Vampire Lord’s cheeks were still smoothwith no trace of anydamage, not even a scratch.He continued,“Ah, as you were saying. You said you were the onewhospread the disease?”

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Andwhy was that?” Argoric askedcuriously.

“To kill you,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“What a shallow reason…” Argoric said, seemingto be disappointed.

The Vampire Lord flicked his finger, and all the bloodshedby the vampires in the slave quarter gatheredabovehis hand. He asked, “Do you know why vampires don’t drink the blood of their fellow vampires?”

“Because the blood of the same race isn’t delicious,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Hoo? That’s not something someone whowasn’t a vampire would know,” Argoric said, seeminglyimpressed. He then poured the blood abovehis hand into a transparent wine glass. He then took a sip of the blood of his own race, his throat moving visibly as he swallowed.

“I don’t find this taste to be that bad, though. It’s sour at the start, but you can feel it sweetening after you swirl it in your mouth for a bit. The other vampires will realize sooner or later that the blood of their own kind tastes good too,” Argoric said as he drank more of thevampires’ blood.

Argoric’sactionswould be considered equivalentto cannibalismby the standards ofhuman cultures. The slaves trembled at the sight of the madnessthe Vampire Lordwas displayingbeforethem.

“I’ll forgive you for spreading the disease among the vampires. I didn’t really like this bunch anyway. They’re arrogant and love to brag, but all they do is hide in the darkness,” Argoric saidwith a shrug. He stared at Kang Yoon-Soo, who was not fazed at all andstared right back at the Vampire Lord.

“But did you sayyou wouldkill me?”the Vampire Lord continued. He added, “Everyonewho’sopenly declared they wouldkill meisdead. A famous warrior from the continent, an Archmage, and an archerwhokilled the Medusa. I’m already sick and tired of hearing those arrogant words with nothing to backthemup.”

The others allheld their breath. The only one speaking in the entire placewas Argoric.

“I’m pretty sure thatanarrogant fool like you will follow in their footsteps and fail to keeptoyour own words as you die helplessly. It’s too boring… I’m tired of it,” Argoric said with a sigh. He continued, “I haven’t met anyonewhowas a worthy opponent for nearly three thousand years.”

“I’ve lived for twenty thousand years,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

All eyesfocused on one person, and that person was Kang Yoon-Soo.

Argoric snickered and asked, “Isa human’slifespan eventhat long?”

However, Kang Yoon-Soo’s face remained expressionless.

Argoric waved his hands and said, “I thought I was going to have some fun, but this is more boring than sitting and doing nothing at the castle. I’ll have to kill you all since I’m already bored of this charade.”

A chill traveled downthespines of those gathered.

“W-What did he say?!”

“He saidhe wouldkill us all!”

“But we just got our freedom!”

The slaves did not even have the time to run away asa flash of light emanated from Argoric’s red eyes. All those who werehit by the lightstoodstillas ifthey were dazed. The affected slaves stood there with their eyesunfocusedand their mouths agape, as if they were under the influence of something.

“Become statues and decorate the slave quarters,” Argoric commanded, and the slaves’bodies started toturnrigid. They were definitely alive, but they did not move even an inch, as if they werereal-lifestatues.

“This isboring…” Argoric muttered as he displayed the absolute skill of the Vampire Lord—Absolute Mind Control.Itwas stronger than the mind control skillused byhigh-ranked vampires, and it had the power to put anyone under the influence of the VampireLord and makethemunconditionally obey each and every one of his commands. Of course,it wouldnot work against thosewhohad a higher level than Argoric, but the Vampire Lord hadyet to meet anyone like that.

‘Did I push myself too hard?’Argoric thought, suddenly feelingthirsty. Absolute Mind Control was a powerful skill, but it consumed a lot of blood as well, and the fact that he had brainwashed almost two hundred slaves had made him consume a lot of blood.

“Boring…” Argoric muttered, andthat one wordcarried the weight of hisennui.Everyone knelt and prostrated in front of him with a single command from his lips, and life was just too easy for him.

“I feel the same.”

Argoriclooked towardwhere the sudden voicehad comefrom,doubtinghis ears for a moment. He thought, ‘How could this happen?’

No one should have beenable to even move their tongue without his command, but there was one personwhowas still standing while not being under his influence. It was a humanwhowas not affected by his skill.

“Living life while being at the pinnacle can be really boring,” the mancontinued.It was Kang Yoon-Soo.

A message popped up in front of Argoric.

[The target’s mind contains 20,004 years’ worth of memories.The Absolute Mind Control skill has failed to influence the target.]

It was an unbelievable message.Hadthis man really been alive for more than twenty millennia?

Argoric furrowed his brows and asked, “What the hell are you?”

“A manwho’s living his thousandth life,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.The people under the Vampire Lord’s influence could not hear their conversation, however.

Kang Yoon-Soo recalledthememories from his previous lives and said, “I’ve killed you more than three hundred times.”

***

Argoric let out a laugh at the man’s unbelievableboast. He asked, “Did you just sayyou were living your thousandth life?”

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded and replied, “I’ve regressed 999 times.”

“What? Thenhaveyou lived the samelife athousand times?” Argoric asked in surprise. He, who had lived for three thousand years, was already fed up and bored with life—although the fact that he could not leave this place as the owner of Sanguineumwas most of the reason for hisboredom. Still,this man hasd lived for more than twenty millennia?

“Hold on, now that I think about it… I don’t thinkthat’s a blatant lie,” Argoric said.

Kang Yoon-Soo had claimed to havelived for over twenty thousand years, and therehad also been thatmessage that said that he possessed20,004 years’ worth of memories.

Argoric squinted and said, “…But you’re too weak to have lived over twenty millennia.”

The Vampire Lord had the innate ability to gauge another’s strength, and Kang Yoon-Soo was a weakling according to Argoric’s senses. He was only as strong as a normal Traveler on the continent, and that was only if Argoric was being generous with his assessment.

“Because I’veregressed,” Kang Yoon-Sooreplied.

“Show me your proof,” Argorictold him.

“The first time I met you, you bit me and I turned into a vampire,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Argoric snickered. Hehadthoughtabout turningKang Yoon-Soointo a vampirewhen he first saw him.“I like beautiful things, and I like how youlook,”hesaid with a smile on his face. He would have seriously considered turningKang Yoon-Soointo his minion ifthe man had notnot openly declared that he was going to kill him.

Kang Yoon-Soo continued, “I identified your weaknesses, habits, your skills in that life, and I usedthat knowledgeto kill you in the next life.”

“Hoo…How did it go?” Argoric askedcuriously, seemingto be genuinely interested.

“I gathered three hundred beautiful women to have you drown in debauchery,thenstabbed you from behind and killed you,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“What a shame that there were no pretty boys in that,” Argoric saidwith a shrug, but he was actually greatly surprised inside. He knew himself very well, and he knew he would have dropped his guard if he wereburied underneath all those beautiful women.

“I killed you in various ways after that. There was also a time that I threatened you and took you in as one of my summonedcreatures,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Me? A summoned creature?” Argoricrepliedwith a laugh, seeminglyperplexed.

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded and said, “That was only once, because you were the worst summon I ever had.”

“Of course.I would have betrayed you more than nine times a day if youhadbecome my master,” Argoric said.Hewas not someone to take orders from someone else, and he was certain that he would have chosen death rather than listen to a human’s commands no matter how much he was beaten up.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo furrowed his brow and said something unexpected.“You killed yourself after refusing to fight when the Demon Lord showed up.”

“Demon Lord?” Argoric asked.

“No.never mind,” Kang Yoon-Sooreplied.

Argoric was starting to get confused. Was this man trying to trick him? Or was he really a regressor?

The Vampire Lord grabbed Kang Yoon-Soo’s head and pulled it in front of his face,thensaid, “Look me intheeyes.”Hiseyes glowed, and he commanded the man, “Tell me the truth.”

[The target’s mind contains 20,004 years’ worth of memories. The Absolute Mind Control skill has failed to influence the target.]

He was now certain. His mind control skilldid not workon theman, and he was also certain that theman had lived for over twenty millennia.

“If you’re really a regressor, then you must know my father’s name,” Argoric said.

“The Great Vampire Lord, Rwegirkan Hermon. Your father’s heart was ripped apart after he challenged Sirian, the King of All Beings, and died,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The look inArgoric’s eyes changed. The truth behind how his father had died was a secret only he knew of.Heasked one more time, “What’s the reason you’re telling me all this? The fact that you’re a regressor, I mean.”

“It’s to show you that I’m a worthy opponentforyou,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Opponent?” Argoric repeated as if the word wereforeign to him.

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded and said, “Lifeat the pinnacle can be quite boring, but I’m here to shake up your boring days and entertain you.”

“What can an insignificant being like you do?” Argoric asked.

“I’ll kill youand take your spot at the pinnacle,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.Argoric’s eyes opened wide, and he was speechless for a moment. Then, Kang Yoon-Soo continued, completely unfazed, “I’ll kill you in the best way possible.”

Kang Yoon-Soo was saying things that were foreign to Argoric; theywere words that the Vampire Lord had never heard before in his life.

“Give me your heart,” Kang Yoon-Soo finally said.

Argoric was silent for a moment. However,the silence did not last long, andthe Vampire Lord laughed like a maniac.“Bwahahahaha! Ahahahaha!”

‘I’ll kill you.’ ‘I’ll take your spot at the pinnacle.’‘Give me your heart.’Had he ever heard so many threats from the same human before in his life? Argoric was barely able to stop laughingbeforehe asked, “Did you sayyou’dkilled me three hundred times before? And that you succeeded every single time you tried to kill me?”

“I attempteditthree hundred and fifty times. I failed those fifty times because I was pushed back by your vampire minions or I was overpowered by you,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Then I guess the odds aren’t so stacked against me,” Argoric said with a sinister laugh. He asked, “Alright, how do you plan to kill me in this life?”

“I'll gather my forces and face you head-on,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Alright, you have balls, I’llgive you that,” Argoric praised Kang Yoon-Soo,wrapping his armaroundthe other man’sshoulder as if they were the best of friends. Then, he shoutedloudly, “Alright! I accept your challenge! I will not kill you in this place. I will show you an arrogant and foolish mercy befitting an overconfident villain!”

The Vampire Lord sounded very confidentabouthis own victory, and he started to feel that his life thathad beenfilled with nothing but boredom was slowly starting to becomeinteresting.Hecalled outin a loud voice that reverberated across the slave quarters, “Fight me, oh regressor! Icouldwant nothingmorethanto dieat the hands of a foe as entertaining as you!”

Argoric licked Kang Yoon-Soo’s cheek and said, “However, I don’t have any plans to let you off so easily. Thatwould be no fun, wouldn’tit?”

The Vampire Lord bit Kang Yoon-Soo’s neck, and hot and ominousenergy enteredthrough his fangs. Kang Yoon-Soo’s body started toturnhot as he felltohis knees.

“Haa…”Hisbreathing started tobecomerough.

[The Vampire Lord has infused his magic power into you.]

[Your body cannot handle the wild energy.]

[You will die in eight days.]

[The only way to stop this is to kill the Vampire Lord before the time limit ends.]

[Time RemainingUntil Death: 191 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]

“I think there were eight days left before the full moon, right?” Argoricremarked as he stared down at Kang Yoon-Soo.His black cape fluttered as he added, “You’dbetter use your full power if you want toface me. I hopeyou’ll be an interesting enemy, Kang Yoon-Soo.”

The Vampire Lord disappeared into thin air, and the mind control magicfadedoncehe was no longer in the room.

“W-What happened?”

“Where did the Vampire Lord go?”

Theothershad no recollection of what happened, and were perplexed and confused.

Kang Yoon-Soo stood up, enduring the pain as hesaid, “Everyone. Follow me.”

“What do you mean?”anold centaur asked—it was the same centaurwho hadsaid that there was a need to control theslaves.

Kang Yoon-Soo saidloudly, “We’re going tofree all the slaves and wage anall-outwar against Sanguineum.”