The SSS Ranked Villain's Return-Chapter 309: The Elf On The Branch

Several dozen minutes had passed as he followed the blood trail. It almost seemed like he wasn't getting anywhere.

The consistency of the blood remained the same, and it didn't even seem like the person who was bleeding had run. If anything, they leisurely walked.

He himself didn't even bleed that much. If anything, his vampire 'class' dealt with the wounds immediately.

Nonetheless, Neraxis kept walking. At this point, he just wanted to see what was on the other side of the forest.

The further he went, the warmer the soil felt, almost as though he was approaching some sort of volcano.

But that doesn't seem to be the case...? Neraxis tilted his head. Maybe it's just someone who used a fireball skill... without charring the ground at all?

Probably not, but it didn't hurt to be optimistic.

After a couple more minutes, he finally arrived at the end of the blood trail, and just as he expected, there was no one there.

It ended beside a giant tree, and even after pacing around it a few times, he couldn't spot anyone.

However, just as he was about to leave, he spotted a droplet of blood dripping down from above and hitting the grass below.

It was barely noticeable, the only reason he noticed it was thanks to his vampiric abilities.

He could smell blood, and it seemed like the fresher it was, the more his body reacted to it.

Neraxis glanced up, and the moment he did, he spotted the one responsible.

It was an elf woman with long, curly black hair and crystal-like emerald eyes. She seemed dazed, blood streaming across her face.

The moment he made eye contact, she flinched and suddenly cast a spell, one he barely had time to react to.

He managed to dodge in time, and just as he thought, it was a flame, a very hot flame at that. However, it didn't burn the grass, nor did it turn it to ash.

It simply exploded in a blaze and disappeared.

"Who are you!?" she yelled. "If you don't need anything, then leave!"

"Yeah, well, I don't think it's very nice to greet someone with a fireball," Neraxis snickered. "On the other hand, do you want some help?"

"Help?" Her brows creased as she struggled to sit straight. "Are you going to offer me some sort of potion but actually drug me, you creep?"

"I'm thinking more along the lines of my blood." Neraxis grinned. "It has healing properties. If I help you, I want you to become my guide. How does that sound?"

"I refuse," she stated. "I don't trust you, and I won't fall for your schemes, dirty human."

Neraxis sighed and opened his mouth. He extended his fangs more than normal, and the moment he did, she visibly flinched.

"Y-You're a vampire?"

"Yup." Neraxis nodded as he walked up to the tree she was on and leaned against it. "I'm not lying, and you seem pretty strong. Someone must've really messed you up if you got hurt."

She remained silent for a moment before letting out a haggard breath.

"It was the king of this forest. A tempest wolf. It controls lightning, and for some reason, every time I cast my fireballs, the wolf shot out a thunderbolt and discharged both our spells. It was just a stalemate, but it had backup," she explained.

"Aha... And the sword?" Neraxis asked.

She tilted her head. "What sword?"

His brows furrowed. "The same sword that led me here? It had a blood trail connecting me here."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about..." she trailed off with a quiet tone. "I'm an elementalist mage. I can use a few elements, with my main one being fire. But I suck with the sword."

That didn't really help his confusion.

The blood was definitely fresh, likely not even a few hours had passed since the fight. And yet...

"There!" she yelled, and as he turned to look at her, he noticed she was pointing behind him.

And the moment he turned around, he came face to face with some sort of knight.

He wore chainmail armor, and his expression was slightly off.

In fact, the closer Neraxis looked, the more he noticed that something was off.

The man had a hole in his cheek, and even his skin was slightly greenish. For a moment, Neraxis thought it was a goblin.

"Mate, are you good?" Neraxis muttered, and the moment he did, the man suddenly lunged at him.

Neraxis didn't hesitate to summon his Shabby Arksteel Sword. With a simple stab, he pierced the man's neck.

However, the man didn't die. Instead, he continued pushing himself along the blade, inching closer toward Neraxis.

Only then did Neraxis realize what he was going up against.

A fucking zombie. You can't be serious. He sighed and proceeded to take out the blade and bash the zombie over the head.

It didn't do much as the zombie continued his approach. However, after a few seconds of Neraxis bonking the zombie over the head, it finally stopped.

Brain matter leaked, and following that, the zombie fell to the floor, lifeless.

<DING!>

<You have slain: Undead (Zombie) [Level 1] Minor Experience increase.>

"Uhh..."

"Is it dead?" the elf muttered. "It's disgusting..."

"Yeah, I bet you're having a blast from up there." Neraxis rolled his eyes. "This thing smells... I don't even want to get into it."

The elf nodded and signaled for Neraxis to step aside.

Then, with a simple fireball, she sent it toward the zombie's body, immediately incinerating it.

Despite his concerns, there was no smell of burning flesh. Instead, it was almost like she had purified the zombie.

However, just as he turned toward her with an amused look, he realized she had fallen off the branch, seemingly unconscious.

He didn't hesitate and ran up the tree, caught her mid-air, and then gently landed on the ground before setting her down.

Neraxis looked at her damaged body for a few moments, noticing several dozen claw marks scattered on her waist, neck, and even her legs.

Her clothes were only slightly torn, so he couldn't see anything significant.

But aside from that, he took a few glances around, slit his wrist, and then opened her mouth.

He dripped a few droplets of his blood into her mouth, and she instinctively swallowed.

Immediately, her injuries healed up, just as he expected. However, she still remained asleep.

Neraxis sighed and placed her against the tree before sitting down beside her.

This is definitely not how I expected my day to go...