My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon

With this background knowledge to draw upon, combined with the characteristics of the Curse Seal World, it wasn't difficult to guess Ellick's secret.

In this era of the Curse Seal World, he was exceptionally well-informed.

As someone from the modern world, the sheer volume of information he had absorbed far surpassed that of anyone living in this age.

Gwendolyn and the others weren't stupid. And while Karen was annoying, she was quite clever. Still, it would be difficult for them to connect the dots and figure out the truth behind Ellick.

It wasn't that they were dumb, but rather the limits of their knowledge and experience.

Forget them; even Ellick, with his high status and two centuries of accumulated knowledge, likely didn't possess the breadth of experience Fang Zhen did.

Of course, there was no need to tell Ellick any of this.

Seeing that Fang Zhen didn't answer, Ellick became even more interested.

"Interesting. You're not answering, are you... In that case, I'll take a guess. You must be that mysterious foreigner, the Ranger Fang Zhen who created the Blood Burst Secret Medicine."

"I've already heard your name. Your origins pique my curiosity, and the insight you just displayed has made me rather... fascinated with you."

"It doesn't matter if you don't speak. After I capture you, I will preserve your head, leaving it completely unharmed. Then, I will extract the answers I desire from your soul. At that point, you'll have no secrets left and will be unable to lie."

"Just thinking about it is so exciting. It thrills me." Ellick's expression turned fanatical.

"Disgusting." Fang Zhen stared coldly at the Vampire Count.

One of his mission objectives was to uncover the truth behind the bloody ritual.

He now had a pretty good idea.

The bloody ritual was likely an evil ceremony for creating a new body and transferring a soul into it.

"Enough talk. Let's do this!" He leveled his spear, its tip aimed straight at Ellick.

In that instant, Ellick moved.

Ellick's body moved so fast it left afterimages. He rushed toward Karen, the closest person to him, his movements jarring and seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics.

There was something uncanny about the way Ellick moved. In Fang Zhen's eyes, it was as if everyone else was a character moving under one set of physical rules, while Ellick existed under a completely different set—as if all his actions were playing at double speed.

Others, like Tos, could also move at high speeds, but they still looked like normal people moving exceptionally fast. Ellick, on the other hand, possessed a deeply unnatural quality to his movements, even if his actual speed was comparable.

Fang Zhen had a gut feeling that Ellick's absolute speed wasn't as fast as it looked, at least not enough to leave afterimages. Instead, the man was using some incredibly sophisticated footwork to create a kind of visual illusion.

This wasn't a superpower like enhanced speed or reflexes; it was a highly polished, advanced footwork technique.

Karen, greatly alarmed, hastily raised her greatsword to defend herself, executing a diagonal slash.

However, Karen's greatsword slashed through empty air.

It had looked as if Ellick was about to run straight into her greatsword; to the naked eye, it even seemed the blade had struck the Vampire Count. But in reality, it had only passed through an afterimage.

Ellick's true form had already pivoted, closing in on Pat.

Ellick formed his left hand into a blade. The nails on his fingers shot out like an animal's claws, their blood-red tips glinting with a metallic luster. They looked lethally sharp, as if they could slice through skin, muscle, blood vessels, and bone like a real blade.

Ellick's move also sent a chill down Pat's spine.

With a loud roar, the Steel Fist Gloves that also served as his arm shields began to glow with a white light. He threw a heavy punch straight at the charging Ellick.

But Pat's heavy punch struck nothing but air.

Pat was stunned.

Normally, Pat's punches rarely missed. Even if dodged, he could quickly regain his balance and follow up with a chain of other martial arts techniques.

But this time, a punch Pat had been certain would land only hit air. Not only did he fail to touch a hair on Ellick, but he also lost his balance, his body pitching forward uncontrollably.

Ellick's bladed hand was already slicing toward the trapezius muscle on Pat's neck. A fraction of an inch closer, and it would have severed the muscle and likely his carotid artery.

"Gang Zan!"

In the nick of time, Pat activated the Gang Zan Seal.

An invisible shield materialized, intercepting Ellick's bladed hand.

Ellick's figure retreated gracefully, still leaving a trail of afterimages.

Seeing this, Gwendolyn and the others rushed forward to surround Ellick.

However, Ellick's movements were uncanny. He moved with an illusory quality, as if fast-forwarded at double speed, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake. He effortlessly evaded their coordinated attack, appearing completely at ease.

Pat broke out in a cold sweat.

A tiny pinprick of blood had already appeared on his neck.

If he had been a moment later, Giant Stone Pat's carotid artery would have been sliced open.

Fang Zhen did not join the fray.

He was focused intently on observing Ellick's footwork.

After watching for a moment, he came to a realization.

Ellick was certainly agile, but his absolute speed wasn't nearly as fast as it appeared.

It was all due to his footwork.

Ellick's footwork incorporated many techniques designed to exploit the blind spots of human perception. Used in combination, they produced a bizarrely effective illusion.