-Hmm?
The dungeon master tilted his head slightly to the side after seeing me pull out my sword from its sheath.
-You use that steel stick like those common idiots even though you are immortal? I thought all vampires would use magic just like me.
He said that with a voice that sounded genuinely confused, as if he couldn’t fathom why anyone would choose a blade over a spell.
’I would use magic if I could, you old prune.’
I thought that to myself, but I didn’t say it out loud. Instead—
"Magic? Just this sword is more than enough to deal with you."
I opened my mouth and told him that with a confident smirk. I was bluffing, hoping that hinting I might know magic would make him a bit more wary of me. It was a clear provocation as well to get him to lose his cool.
-...
The dungeon master looked at me with a heavy scowl on his face, which I could barely recognize because of how his rotting skin was stretched and folded.
Anyway, I tried using [Vital Mapping] to find my opponent’s weakness, but it didn’t show me anything useful. The skill just wasn’t strong enough to pierce through his magical defenses or his weird anatomy yet.
’I need to get much closer to him and try using it again.’
I thought, And just then—
-I will show you exactly why magic is superior to that dumb piece of metal.
The dungeon master said that, his voice turning cold and sharp.
And with a casual, mocking swing of his left hand— SWOOSH—!!!
The floating circular magic projectiles around him suddenly turned into sharp, serrated edges and flew at me at a terrifying speed!
[Danger Sense] flared up in my brain and really started to put in some work. It told me the vague areas where the magic would strike, and with its help— SLASH!
I cut down the first one that was screaming toward my head, but then— BOOM!
The magic didn’t just break; it exploded with a violent roar upon impact.
-KAHAHAHAHA—! I told you!
I heard the dungeon master exclaim that as he laughed. But I just ignored his annoying voice.
And using the absolute concentration given to me by [Knight’s Discipline]— SWISH- BOOM!
I continued cutting down the magic projectiles as they rained down on me like a storm.
WHOOSH— BOOM!
Each one I sliced out of the air exploded right in front of me, sending heat and shockwaves against my chest. But it was barely doing any real damage to my body.
I had already covered my entire body with [Black Scales], using them to tank the majority of the blast force. With my passive skills [Bone Density] and [Reinforced Musculature] working in the background, each explosion just felt like being pinched a little bit.
[Predatory Posture] was also helping me keep my center of gravity. Even as the explosions tried to knock me off balance, I stayed rooted to the floor as I cut them off and dodged the others. Thanks to this, I wasn’t being blown away by the constant pressure.
Then, in a matter of seconds— BOOM!
I cut down, blocked, parried, and dodged every single projectile the dungeon master had launched at me. The smoke from the explosions cleared around me.
-...
I immediately looked at him and saw his empty eye sockets open wide. He looked completely surprised at how easily I had handled his opening move.
FWAAAAAH~
My clothes were burning and were all tattered up from all the heat, but the damage didn’t bother me at all since my [Black Scales] were still protecting me from head to toe.
I undid the scales on my face so I could speak properly. Then opening my mouth—
"Was that supposed to be some kind of fireball? It is interesting, at least."
I stated that, sounding as cocky as I possibly could. I noticed something twitch in the dungeon master’s face, a sign of growing frustration.
And in that moment—
-HAH! I GUESS A VAMPIRE REALLY IS SOMETHING ELSE!!!
He exclaimed that and raised his skeletal hand high up into the air. Then in an instant— FWOOSH—!!!
Even bigger, sharper, and much more numerous magic projectiles appeared all around him, glowing with a dark energy!
The dungeon master stood up from his throne, his empty eyes locked onto mine with a manic intensity.
-I WILL REALLY HAVE FUN HAVING YOU AS MY TEST SUBJECT!!!
He shouted that— FWIP.
And he pointed his raised hand directly at me.
W H O O O S H—!!!
The moment he did, all the sharp magic projectiles launched at me at the same time. It was an overwhelming wall of death that filled my vision. But with [Knight’s Discipline] active, I kept my calm.
"..."
I stared at the incoming wave of attacks and used [Danger Sense] to filter out which ones would be truly fatal. And once I had a path in mind— BAM!
I kicked off the ground with all my strength and propelled myself forward, charging straight toward the incoming projectiles and the dungeon master!
SHING— BOOM! BOOOOM!!!
I cut off the first one in my path and it exploded, causing a chain reaction. The ones nearby got caught in the blast and exploded all around me. The shockwaves finally did some real damage.
Blood dripped down the corner of my lips as the heat scorched my skin, but I didn’t pay any attention to the pain.
SWISH— BOOM!
WHOOSH— BOOM!
S L A S H— BOOOOM!!!
I was a whirlwind of steel, slashing every projectile in my way while dodging the ones I could. The damage was accumulating in my body with every explosion I moved through. It felt like I was running through a minefield.
But because of that reckless charge— TAP.
I broke through the final barrage of the dungeon master’s magic and landed heavily right in front of him!
-...?!
He froze, his jaw hanging open when he saw me standing there.
I wasted no time. With my right hand and sword already pulled back— PHUCK!
I thrust my blade forward and stabbed the dungeon master deep in the chest, aiming straight for where his heart should be!
-Keuk...!
He stumbled back against his throne, looking me right in the face as the steel stayed buried in his chest.
’This was... easy...’
I thought he was done for, when all of a sudden—
-KAHAHAHAHAHA—!!!
He started laughing manically, the sound echoing off the high stone walls. I just frowned, keeping my grip on the hilt without saying anything.
Then, after a few seconds of laughing—
-YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO KILL ME THAT EASILY!
He declared that with a chilling grin. And opening his mouth again—
-[Void Dominion]
He muttered those words while smiling creepily.
FWOOOSH~
The entire surrounding area went dark immediately after that.
The once well-lit throne room became pitch-black in an instant, it was just like when I was trapped in the cave. I felt my sword being forced out of the body of the dungeon master as he disappeared into the heavy darkness.
"...?"
I stood there, momentarily confused as my eyes adjusted to the change.
And in that moment—
-You are now trapped in my domain. In this total darkness, only I can see clearly... I will end you slowly and painfully!
I heard the dungeon master’s voice. It was echoing all over the place, bouncing off the pillars so it was impossible to tell where it was coming from. He sounded incredibly cocky, as if he had already won.
"..."
I remained silent for a few more moments, processing what was happening and what he had just said to me.
Then, once I was done—
"Pfft... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!!"
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of this situation.