Verocia moved like a blade given flesh.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Aleksandr's mana wrapped around her movements like invisible strings, correcting inefficiencies, sharpening angles, tightening timing.
I couldn't outpace her.
Not like this.
So I did something reckless.
I let her win.
She lunged, perfectly timed thrust toward my left lung.
I shifted just enough that it missed the heart.
The dagger punched through armor and into flesh.
White-hot pain detonated in my chest.
Health plummeted.
6,310 → 3,904
She stepped in to twist the blade.
That was the opening.
I grabbed her wrist, locking her in place, and poured every ounce of Strength and mana I could muster into my right fist.
No refinement.
No elegance.
Just compression.
I formed a micro rift directly over her skull—
And drove my fist through it.
Space folded inward at the point of impact.
There was a sickening implosion.
Her head caved in unnaturally, bone collapsing like brittle porcelain under gravitational pressure.
The compulsion vanished instantly.
Her body went slack.
The dagger slid from my chest as she fell.
Silence reclaimed the crypt.
For ten full seconds, neither of us moved.
Then
Aleksandr laughed.
Not enraged.
Delighted.
He clapped slowly again.
"Brutal," he said warmly. "I do admire conviction."
I didn't wait for a monologue.
I grabbed Verocia's corpse and ran.
Deeper into the chamber network beyond the crypt, into branching hallways carved from ancient stone. My boots left streaks of blood behind me.
I ducked into a side alcove and dropped the body.
Four seconds.
Extract.
Mana core dense.
Refined.
I stored it with the others.
System pulsed urgently in my vision.
Status. James Cliff
Level: 20
EXP: 8,500 / 9,500
EXP to Level 21: 1,000
Health: 3,721 / 6,310
Mana: 1,102 / 3,910
One thousand.
So close.
I looked at the inventory.
The mana cores from five vampires.
High-density.
I absorbed them.
Power surged violently through my body.
Not like undead.
Sharper.
More concentrated.
The system chimed repeatedly.
Level up.
Level up.
Level up.
Stat points flooded in at abnormal rates due to vampire-tier mana concentration.
When it stabilized
Total Unallocated Stat Points: 400
I didn't hesitate.
+200 Strength.
+200 Intelligence.
Heat tore through my muscles.
My arms thickened subtly, veins pulsing with controlled power.
Then the shift in Intelligence
That was worse.
My mind expanded painfully.
Mana threads became visible not abstract lye but like layered currents overlaid across reality.
I could see fluctuations in the stone walls.
Residual ancient wards.
The direction of Aleksandr's approach like a red river bleeding through corridors.
Updated Status. James Cliff
Level: 23
Health: 5,112 / 6,310
Mana: 5,880 / 7,820
Core Attributes
Strength: 382
Agility: 118
Vitality: 145
Intelligence: 292
Perception: 94
EXP to Level 24: 6,200
My mana pool had nearly doubled.
Control felt… precise.
Delicate.
Terrifying.
I downed a health potion.
Wounds sealed rapidly.
Stamina returned.
Then I looked down.
My armor was shredded beyond dignity.
The back torn open.
Fabric barely clinging to my waist.
I turned slightly and caught a glimpse of bare skin exposed between destroyed plates.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Comically vulnerable.
In a vampire crypt.
Of all places.
I rummaged through nearby storage alcoves, ripping open ancient chests. Found a dark reinforced coat, lightweight but durable. Pulled it on quickly.
Boots intact.
At least I wouldn't die half-naked.
Footsteps echoed through the stone corridors.
Measured.
Unhurried.
Aleksandr didn't run.
He walked.
His voice drifted through the halls as if carried by silk.
"You fascinate me, little human."
The mana around him thickened the air itself.
"I have not tasted living blood in a millennium."
Closer.
"Yours will be exquisite."
Closer still.
"And when I am done…"
His tone shifted, playful, indulgent.
"I shall preserve what remains. Perhaps teach you to serve eternally."
A slow chuckle echoed through stone.
A deliberate, sensual pause in his speech that made my stomach twist.
"This guy's a pervert," I muttered under my breath, backing deeper into the winding halls. "I need to escape before he gets some Diddy ideas "
His presence pressed closer, steady and confident.
No rush.
He believed this was inevitable.
And somewhere below us,
Six more sealed coffins remained unopened.
If this was one Regent at Level 25
What happened when the rest fully woke?
My Intelligence flared, mapping mana flow lines in real time.
There was an exit shaft somewhere deeper.
A vertical current.
Unstable.
But possible.
Aleksandr's silhouette appeared at the end of the corridor.
Perfect posture.
Perfect composure.
Eyes glowing brighter now.
"Run," he said softly, smiling.
"It sweetens the blood."
And he stepped forward.