"[Warning! Your Level 1 body is being damaged as a result of using an S-Rank Skill!]"
The red notification flashed across my vision, blinking in sync with the sharp, stabbing pains in my calves and thighs. My muscles were literally tearing themselves apart to keep up with the [Sword Demon's Technique]. It was a heavy price, but James and the others had successfully regrouped at a safe distance. Their eyes were wide, watching the "Unranked" boy distract a monster that should have wiped them all out in seconds.
"... You... smell delicious," Dracula spoke. His voice was like velvet dragged over gravel. He pointed a pale finger at me, a hungry, predatory curiosity lighting up his crimson eyes.
I wiped a trickle of blood from my lip and smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment. I've been told I have good taste."
"[Activating 'Sword Demon's Technique: First Form: Faint Steps' Lvl 1!]"
The world blurred. In a heartbeat, I was in the air above his throne, 'Nolan's Steel Sword' screaming through the air as I brought it down.
Clang! The blade struck nothing but the obsidian chair. Dracula had simply... ceased to be there.
"Too slow," a voice whispered in my ear.
Before I could pivot, he flicked my forehead with a single finger. The impact felt like being hit by a freight train. I was launched backward, my body skipping across the stone floor like a pebble across a pond until I slammed into the far wall.
"... Ho? All the previous challengers turned into a red mist from that simple force. What an interesting human you are!" Dracula smiled, showing his elongated fangs. He was amused, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes. He was analyzing me.
"[Activating 'Blood Hounds' Lvl ???!]"
Puddles of gore bubbled up from the floor, shaping into dozens of skinless, snarling hounds. They surged toward me in a wave of teeth and claws.
"[Activating 'Ice Element' Lvl 1!]"
I didn't panic. I used the remnants of my speed to weave through the pack, my hand trailing along the floor. A trail of frost followed my touch, freezing the hounds' paws to the stone and shattering their fragile, blood-formed legs.
"[Notice: You have dodged a Fatal Attack!]"
"[Notice: You have obtained +1 Rift Point.]"
"[Current [Gap] stat: 23.02/100 Rift Points.]"
The [Gap] was climbing. Every narrow miss, every shockwave I absorbed, pushed my Rift Points higher. But I wasn't just dodging to survive, I was shopping.
"[Notice: Thank you for purchasing the A-Rank Item: 'Bharam's Ring'. A total of 5,000 Coins have been deducted!]"
It was a specialized storage item with a unique "Vacuum" property. I slipped it onto my finger as I threw a wall of ice between us.
"[Activating 'Shallow Breathing' Lvl 1!]"
The ice wall shattered under Dracula's ranged blood-bullets, creating a dense fog of frozen vapor. I masked my presence, becoming a shadow within the mist. Using [Sword Demon's Technique: First Form: Faint Steps], I appeared behind him one more time, aiming for the heart.
THUD.
He didn't even turn around. His cloak flared out like a wing, batting me back to the ground with the force of a tidal wave.
"Such a brave challenger..." Dracula stood atop the armrest of his throne, looking down at me. "You know the difference in our levels. Why do you struggle so? And is it arrogance or stupidity that you carry no killing intent behind your attacks?"
I stood up slowly, dusting off my clothes. The hall was silent; James and the White Tiger members were occupied with the subordinates in the adjacent gallery, unable to hear our conversation.
"Arrogance?" I laughed softly, my eyes locking onto his slit pupils. "I would never dare show arrogance against the 'Vampire Lord', Melchior Von Crimson, Patriarch of the Crimson Bloodline."
The air in the room didn't just get heavy, it turned into lead. The very Mana in the atmosphere froze. Dracula's, no, Melchior's bored expression vanished, replaced by a terrifying, ancient coldness. His eyes flared a deep, incandescent red, and the floor beneath him began to crack from the sheer weight of his leaking power.
"You..." His voice was a low, vibrating growl that shook my very bones. "Where did you learn my true name? Who... are you?"