Chapter 120 The Vampire Dies Fast
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I didn’t think there would be this many!” I shouted.
”Are these not meant to be rare, noja!?” Yohira cried.
Throwing out those complaints, we swung our weapons again and again.
My strike hit true, and a flame burst over the King of Undead (undead king). It fell, and we moved on to the next.
After we beat our first King of Undead on the 31st Floor, the spawn rate went up. We were still on that same floor, yet we had already defeated over twenty. It felt like all the normal undead had been replaced with King of Undead. We kept fighting them while staying alert for instant-death magic. My level went up on the way, so my status recovered, but my mind still grew tired. Staying ready for that one-hit-kill magic really pressed on my thoughts.
We cut down another King of Undead. A short fanfare rang in my head as I gained another level, even if it was only one. My status rose again, so I looked for the next target, but the room was already clear.
”Good job,” Ethelena said.
”Yeah… how is everyone?” I asked.
”My level went up. I’m close to thirty,” I said.
”Mine rose by one too, noja,” Yohira said.
”I didn’t beat any, so I’m the same. Ah, but I stole a few more items!” Ethelena said with a small smile.
She held out some stat-up items. If she used all of these on herself, she could gain the same as a level up. We had already found at least ten.
”I did not expect to fight this many Lich in a row,” Tatia said.
”Why do so many things with ‘king’ in the name show up like this?” I said.
It felt like a sale on king titles. At least we got materials for King of Undead robes and large to huge mana stones, so the profit was good, but it was still tiring.
”Ethelena, which way now?” I asked.
”Hold on… left from here, I think,” she said.
”Left? Thanks.”
”It’s my job,” she said with a grin.
The fights had shaken my sense of direction, so I asked her. She checked around us and pointed the way. She was a real help.
”More will show up, noja?” Yohira asked.
”If they do, we can level up and get stronger,” Tatia said.
”True enough, noja.”
Yohira let out a tired sigh, and Tatia answered with a calm tone. Yohira agreed. We might have less time to learn dungeon facts, but if our abilities grew, we could make time later. Also, Ethelena and I still went to the academy. We had support.
Soon after, we reached the stairs leading up from the 31st Floor. We checked everyone’s skills, and the others began to work on something. They said they could rank up a few skills now. I told my early-bloomer side to hang in there.
We kept moving. It was not all smooth, but we reached the 35th Floor. By then, Yohira and I hit level thirty-four, and Tatia reached thirty-two. Anyone would level up fast after beating ten King of Undead each on every floor.
From the 35th Floor onward, the air changed again. It now looked like a grave. Dark red marks like old blood stained the stone walls. The air carried a smell like rusty blood and rot. At once, the others covered their mouths. I had expected that.
”You can smell it now. From this floor, the stink is strong. Put these on,” I said.
I took four masks from my inventory and gave them out. The three of them grabbed one right away, held it to their faces, and breathed in. Bit by bit, they calmed down.
”What is this place? It really stinks,” Ethelena said through the mask.
”We heard about it before, but it is worse than I thought, noja,” Yohira said.
Tatia still took short breaths, trying to get used to it.
”…I thought the smell would stick to my lungs,” she said once she calmed.
She was not wrong. The stink was awful. I put on my own mask too. I had been breathing with shallow mouth breaths to keep the smell low, but a mask still helped.
Since talking too much could tire our lungs, we switched to mind-speech.
’From here, the enemies will be undead. With Tatia’s skill, the enemy will likely be a vampire.’
’We must watch out for charm and blood drain, noja,’ Yohira said.
’I heard their basic status is high as well,’ Tatia added.
They shared what we had learned in our meeting yesterday.
’Do they also change into animals?’ Ethelena asked.
’Strong vampire can,’ I said. ‘But only very strong ones do it.’
In the original story Beyond the Deep Darkness, no vampire gained that much power. Only named ones with Demon Lord strength had that skill. The fanbook said there were less than ten in the world. The strongest, called the true ancestor, might even reach a Demon Lord. It also said the true ancestor loved humans, especially those who kept trying to move forward even in despair. There was no name, but the note said she looked a lot like the secret weapon of a royal knight order.
That sounded exactly like a certain person. I never wanted to meet her.
’For now, we should watch Tatia the most,’ I said.
’I have no resistance to charm. We must beat them before they use it,’ Tatia said.
She understood the danger, which helped. Yohira could not be charmed, but if Tatia turned on us, we would be in trouble. Only Yohira could break through Tatia’s defense.
’By the way, now that you passed level thirty, you got a free Skill Slot, right?’ I asked.
’Yes. I took Physical Attack Boost,’ Tatia said.
’I see. We need more power, so that is a good choice,’ I said.
It was better than leaving all damage to Yohira. Tatia was a front-line fighter, so having her as a sub-attacker made sense.
’Shall we use the items to raise our status now?’ I asked.
’Later is better, noja. We should fight one vampire first and see what we lack,’ Yohira said.
She was right. We should fill the gaps after hitting the max level. For now, we moved on.
Ethelena led the way. We met few enemies, found a treasure chest, and let Ethelena open it. Sometimes we even got Orichalcum, which gave us more choices for equipment upgrades. After we walked about halfway through the floor, we finally saw one.
A woman stood there. Her hair was dark brown with a gold shine, and her eyes were black. She was tall for a woman, but a bit shorter than Tatia. Her body had a fair shape. Her chest was larger than Yohira’s, but her waist seemed thick, maybe because of a corset. She had a strange, cold beauty. Still, I had a great beauty at my side already, so I felt nothing.
’So that is a vampire… I heard they have a strange beauty, but she looks kind of normal,’ Tatia said.
’Tatia, even you plus the other girls in this party could start a fight with the world with your looks,’ I said.
Even without Ethelena, Yohira and Tatia were very pretty, and the two waiting at home, Ichika and Dahlia, were also top-class. I had seen so many beauties that even if that vampire tried to charm me, I would only laugh.
’Shote, shall we begin the same as before, with Ethelena striking from behind, noja?’ Yohira asked.
’Yeah, that’s best. Tatia should follow up with a charge and then Burst Edge to blow it away,’ I said.
I used Appraisal at once.
King of Undead ‘Vampirella’
HP 280/280
Mana 150/150
Skill Power 50/50
Physical Attack 54
Physical Defense 32+3
Magic Attack 42
Magic Defense 22+3
Speed 56
Movement 3
No status effects
Special Ability: undead trait
Equipment: night party dress
Its Magic Defense was low, but its HP was higher than I thought. I shared the info with the party, and Ethelena spoke like she had an idea.
’Let me go first. I want to test something. Chi-chan, if my hit doesn’t kill that vampire, cover me,’ she said.
Before we were even set, she rushed out. In a flash, she slipped behind the vampire and fired both Lonisera and Gloriosa. Blue fire burst over the creature. The Special bullet from Gloriosa, the exploding armor-piercing shot, must have lit the fluid mana stone on impact and wrapped it in flame.
Tatia stopped herself from jumping in when the blue fire roared. If she ran through that, even she would take heavy damage. It was the same power that once tore into an Orichalcum Golem.
Through the flames, I saw a shape. When the fire died, what remained was a black, burnt husk. Before I could Appraisal again, it crumbled. Only a large mana stone lay on the ground. She had finished it clean.
’…Wow,’ I said.
’That was more than I expected, noja,’ Yohira said, sounding shocked.
Even Yohira froze at how fast Ethelena killed it. As long as she had Special bullets, she could one-shot vampire, but she did have a limit.
’Tatara, I stole this,’ Ethelena said.
She showed me a rare vampire drop: a deep red gem, Noble Blood. I never thought she would get that on the first try.
’It’s a very pretty gem,’ Tatia said.
’It looks nice, but it’s the vampire’s soul core,’ I said.
For some reason, Ethelena had taken the soul core while a mana stone also dropped, which made no sense. A soul core was a high-pure, high-density mana stone. Normally you got only one or the other. Was this also from Tatia’s skill?
’If we gather a few of these, we can make vampire gear,’ I said.
’Is it strong, noja?’ Yohira asked.
’Very. The Special Ability is nasty,’ I said.
The rare vampire weapon Kaziklu Bey was a spear with two skills: Drain III, which stole thirty percent of the damage as HP, and Pierce III, which could ignore defense. Its base power was also good, so explorers loved it.
To be honest, Noble Blood was only useful for that spear. I did not want too many.
’Ethelena, how many bullets do you have left?’ I asked.
’Around fifty. I use three per target, so I can do this sixteen more times,’ she said.
That was fewer than I hoped. The encounter rate would likely rise from here, and we still had the dragon zombie boss. We should save them and fight ourselves.
’Let’s save your bullets. Next time, I’ll prepare about five hundred, and then we can come back to level up here,’ I said.
’Okay,’ she said.
She agreed so easily that I felt relieved. She might end this run without a level up, so she had every right to be unhappy, since killing was limited by her bullet count. I was glad she trusted me.
Soon after, we met more vampire—three at once. Even as monsters, seeing three women with the same face was creepy.
’Three rare ones again…’ Yohira said.
’Still better than normal. This floor is usually full of zombies, and clearing them takes time. If they come in small groups like this, it’s easy,’ I said.
The real danger on the 35th Floor was the huge number of zombies. Because of the undead trait, they were hard to finish, and they swarmed. Their stats were weak except for HP, so you just had to move and not get surrounded.
In this real world, zombies were even worse than in the game. They had no pain, so they kept coming unless you smashed them in one hit. Their rotten bodies also carried germs, so a scratch could become dangerous. Burning them fast was best.
Thinking of that, a few vampire were easier. Their physical stats were high, but their magic was not as strong. If Ethelena’s Lonisera Rinne could hurt them, they were not that scary.
’Will the next floor have the same number of vampire as zombies?’ Yohira asked.
’If it does, we’re dead,’ I said.
No joke—if five to eight vampire gathered in one room, we would have no chance. We would need Yohira to sweep them, and the rest of us clean up.
’Yohira, take one,’ I said.
’Of course. From my Appraisal, I can beat one alone, noja. Leave it to me,’ she said.
With her element advantage, her physical hits would smash them. I almost felt sorry for the enemy. Almost.
’Ethelena and Tatia, you two take one,’ I said.
’Got it,’ Ethelena said.
’Understood,’ Tatia said.
With Ethelena’s guns taking most of the HP, Tatia could finish it.
The problem was me. Even with fire to hit the weak point, my damage was not enough for a one-shot. I would need a few hits. At least I could use combo attacks to build damage and weaken mine for the others to help.
’Everyone ready?’ I asked.
They nodded. I counted down by mind-speech, and we all rushed forward.
King of Undead ‘Vampirella’
HP 280/280
Mana 150/150
Skill Power 50/50
Physical Attack 55
Physical Defense 34+2
Magic Attack 40
Magic Defense 24+2
Speed 53
Movement 3
No status effects
Special Ability: undead trait
Equipment: light dress
I used Appraisal again as I closed in. In one breath, I moved to its side and began my skill. I struck with Combo Attack and ambush.
My hit landed. I had used ambush in case it dodged, but it chose to guard. If I had used Heavy Strike, I might not have beaten the guard.
My fire strike hit twice with the combo, and the flames bit in. Then my magic followed and added more damage.
I blurred my form to trick its eyes, then drove the first hit into its knee. It felt light, like snapping a dry stick. Spinning, I struck its side to lift it, then brought my hammer down and crushed its head into the ground. The hard shock mixed with a soft, balloon-like pop sent a sick feeling through my hand.
The vampire burned at once as fire mana spread from the hammer. When I saw it was fully gone, I stood.
I looked around. Everyone had finished off their targets and stood safe.
”Glad we’re all fine,” I said.
That was the first thought that came to me, and the others seemed to feel the same. They checked one another again and nodded. If we could stay like this, we would be fine ahead.
It was not smooth, but we kept moving. Maybe because of our earlier joke about “as many vampire as zombies,” we really did meet that nightmare on the way, yet we still reached the 49th Floor. With all the fights, our levels rose. Yohira and I were near forty, and Tatia reached thirty-five. Some skills ranked up too.
One more floor and the boss room waited. We moved with care.
If I had to name what happened next, I would call it payback from luck.
On the 39th Floor, we found no enemies. Ethelena scouted ahead and found treasure chests and mining spots, but no monsters. The lack of encounters felt wrong, and a bad chill grew.
’…No enemies, noja,’ Yohira said.
’Yeah. I feel uneasy. We may need to think about pulling back,’ I said.
’That serious?’ Tatia asked.
Yohira’s worry reached me through mind-speech. I answered, and she grew even more alert.
We kept exploring with no fights at all, and the bad feeling only got worse.
When we finally reached the stairs down, we met it.
A fine black suit with a deep red cloak.
Long, glossy black hair and a pale, perfect face.
Eyes that shone bright red—the mark of a child of the night.
”What… is that, noja?” Yohira whispered.
No wonder she reacted. Yohira’s strength could match a Demon Lord, but the presence before us was beyond even that. It had no place on this floor.
”I would like to leave before it notices us, but that’s not happening now,” I said.
”Sorry, Tatara. I think it noticed us the moment we stepped onto this floor,” Ethelena said.
What kind of detection range did this thing have?
”Good evening, young explorers. Do not hide in fear. Show me your faces,” it said.
Of course. With that power, the dungeon’s mana could not cloud its mind.
I stepped forward. Through mind-speech, I told the others I would face it alone. Their thoughts tried to stop me, but I ignored them and used Appraisal on the being before us.
Undead ‘Immortal King’
HP 870/870
Mana 498/498
Skill Power 299/299
Physical Attack 360
Physical Defense 188+12
Magic Attack 231
Magic Defense 116+14
Speed 113
Movement 3
No status effects
Special Ability: undead trait, true ancestor
Equipment: black mana gun, white mana gun, deep red finery
No chance. Even if Dahlia were here, we could not win. What was this thing? Without the Archangels, this was hopeless.
”So, you used your eyes to see me. I will allow that small rudeness,” it said.
No, no, no. It noticed the Appraisal!? How sensitive to mana was it?
”You have slain many of my kin on your way here… Your skill is clear,” it said.
Wait. Did we call this thing by killing so many vampire?
”Then tell me your name,” it said.
”…Tatara Julon,” I answered.
”Oh? I did not think you would reply, Tatara Julon,” it said, sounding pleased.
Was being recognized a bad move?
”Then, Tatara Julon, who are the ones behind you?” it asked.
Of course it knew. Ethelena said it had seen us since we came down.
”My party members… no. My fiancée, and the ones who said they loved me. They are precious to me,” I said.
”Oh? Oh!!” it said, leaning forward with a bright look.
I felt odd calling them only “party members,” so I spoke the truth. For some reason, my answer made it excited.
”Next question… Why did you come here?” it asked.
”To go down the stairs behind you and defeat the dragon zombie there,” I said.
”Brave words,” it said.
The Immortal King closed its eyes and nodded slowly. A huge, bursting fear prickled up my back. Had I answered wrong?
”Then, let us greet each other properly,” it said.
’Ethelena, get ready to snipe,’ I sent.
’Okay,’ she replied.
The Immortal King bowed with graceful, stage-like motion. I fired off the mind-speech at once.
Its eyes, when it looked at me again, shone with a crushing light.
”My name is long lost in history. Now, I am called the Immortal King, the true ancestor,” it said, spreading its arms like an actor on stage.
”As king, I shall punish you for slaying so many of my kin.”
’Ethelena!’ I called.
’Down!’ she ordered.
I dropped flat as her Elingium round flew past me and blew off the Immortal King’s head. Normally, that would end a fight. I did not trust it, so I used Heavy Strike and smashed my hammer down.
My hit landed on its left arm, crushing flesh and bone. Yohira followed without pause, likely because her Appraisal told her it still lived. Silver flashes slashed the Immortal King at a speed too fast to see. But—
’What is this thing, noja!? I cannot kill it at all!’ Yohira cried.
Her mind-voice shook. Yohira had special power against living beings, yet she still could not finish it. So this was the Immortal King.
’Yohira, why can’t we kill it?’ I asked.
’I do not know. Appraisal says we killed it, but its HP comes back at once. It is like it has spare lives ready and—’
”Talking during battle? You seem relaxed,” it said.
Its voice cut through our mind-speech. It stood there, its head fully healed, its red eyes fixed on us.
”You are strong, but still not enough to kill me,” it said.
It raised both arms. In its hands were a white and a black large mana gun.
With that raw Physical Attack, why use fixed-damage guns? Was it holding back?
It fired. I barely dodged thanks to luck. But the sound told me those shots were stronger than Gloriosa. One hit would not break me right away, but if many landed, even the Genbu model armor might fail.
At that moment, Tatia charged in with all her speed and drove Burst Edge straight into its heart.
”Good power. But still not enough,” the Immortal King said.
”But I pinned you in place!” Tatia said.
Tatia shouted back at the Immortal King’s mocking words. Ethelena’s second Elingium shot pierced him again, and Yohira and I followed.
I struck with Combo Attack to keep shaving his HP. Yohira said even if we hit zero, it refilled instantly, but we had to try.
In the next moment, his body restored and he aimed at us. Before he could fire, his arm jerked—Ethelena’s shot from Lonisera disrupted him, even if it did no damage.
”Impressive aim,” he said.
”Hey! Don’t you dare eye up my wife!” I yelled.
I uppercut his jaw with my hammer, but without a skill, it was a waste.
Yet the Immortal King looked oddly solemn.
”For casting an impolite gaze upon your beloved wife, I apologize,” he said.
”…Apology accepted,” I replied.
Somehow, sincerity made it hard to stay mad.
”It is rare for a human to wed a succubus, and rarer for the succubus to truly fall for them,” he said.
Even mid-battle, his expression looked nostalgic, like he recalled someone dear.
”Normally, a human would be drained and left as prey. To overcome that… you are worthy of the title Hero,” he said.
”I don’t feel happy hearing that,” I muttered.
Yohira carved him apart with four Combo Attacks, yet he regenerated again and kept talking. Being called a Hero in this context didn’t feel good.
”Tatara Julon. I acknowledge it—you are worthy to defeat me,” he said.
”I still don’t see the win condition here!” I snapped.
I slipped past another shot and used Combo Attack again. Total damage worked better than a single heavy strike.
”Simple. Kill me a million times, and you will end me,” he said.
”Fine! I’ll kill you until you stay dead!”
’Tatara… is it safe to befriend the enemy this much?’ Yohira asked through mind-speech.
Did it look like we were getting along? I needed to watch myself.
’Yohira, what you said was spot on,’ I replied.
’You mean his words about “kill me a million times” are true?’ she asked.
’Yeah. Your Appraisal says we DO kill him. He just restocks a life each time. That’s the trick.’
It was absurd—true immortality. He even seemed to enjoy dying, like battle itself was fun. He wasn’t using his full strength either—bare-handed attacks would one-shot us, but he held back.
’We must not break his mana guns,’ I warned.
If we destroyed them, he would switch to raw physical attacks stronger than Dahlia’s. We would lose instantly. Our victory conditions were either: exhaust his so-called million lives, or fight until he got bored and left.
This was far worse than that fake bird-thing we fought.
”Done talking?” he asked.
”Thanks for waiting. Very gentlemanly,” I said.
”I seek battle—battle that thrills my soul. And you, weak yet still charging at me, are so dear to watch,” he said.
”Then go fight someone stronger. Bullying weaker people isn’t cool,” I said.
”True!!” he said with a booming laugh.
He looked delighted. Maybe we were making him too excited by refusing to give up.
”You are a fine, if twisted, band,” he said, pointing at Yohira.
”You—your sword talent, your body, your mind… you could reach a Demon Lord. You hold the highest combat power here.”
He pointed at Tatia.
”You throw yourself into danger without hesitation. You are the shield of this band—the bravest among them.”
He pointed at Ethelena.
”Your sniping is excellent. You lack natural talent, yet you polish your skill to kill the enemy. Your killing intent is the strongest.”
At last, he pointed at me.
”But the most insane is you. You wield only two techniques—only two. No talent for war, no talent for combat. Yet your resolve surpasses all.”
He laughed and continued:
”It is always humans who slay monsters. Those with strong will, who never give up. You have the quality—I guarantee it. You can overcome monsters. I, the Immortal King, say so!”
Not a blessing I wanted. I raised my hammer anyway. He grinned wider and lifted his mana guns. We came here to kill a dragon zombie, and instead we faced something far worse.
”Now—entertain me!”
He laughed louder.
”Faster, faster, faster, faster!”
His grin nearly tore his face, eyes blazing.
”The fun begins now! This feast will not end!”
”You’re war-crazy, you monster,” I muttered.
He bared his fangs at the word.
”You call ME a monster? Then what are YOU!?” he demanded.
”Old age got you? Forgot already?” I said, staring at him.
”I’m Tatara Julon. Just a human you can find anywhere.”
His smile deepened.
”My apologies, Tatara Julon. I will carve your name into my soul!”
With regal presence fit for his title, he declared:
”Come without fear! Kill me to the very end!”
Notes:
• Yohira – Torakuma’s first name. Oni warrior.
• Dahlia – The automaton.
• Ichika – The fox girl. Kunoichi. Virgincest⚠️, becomes pregnant immediately.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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