The man on the throne was the literal definition of aristocratic dread. His pitch-black hair cascaded over a high-collared cape lined with blood-red silk. He sat with a casual, bored elegance, leaning his cheek against his palm, his slit-pupil crimson eyes tracking us like insects under a glass.
From the shadows of the obsidian pillars, his "court" emerged.
Vampires armed with ornate spears and Grimoirs stepped forward, flanked by 'Blood-Fangs', wolves that had been mutated by necrotic mana into jagged, red-eyed nightmares.
The pressure was physical. It felt like standing at the bottom of an ocean.
"Stay focused!" a woman's voice cut through the dread.
"[Activating 'Mental Fortitude' Lvl 2!]"
The petrifying fear receded just enough for us to breathe.
Another Ranker, a Priest Class from the White Tiger Guild, slammed his staff down.
"[Activating 'Sacred Ground' Lvl 3!]"
A golden hue washed over the floor, smelling of incense and ozone. It was a rare buff, giving our weapons 'holy' attributes. But as I looked at Dracula through my [Red Demon's Eye] and with my past experiencs, I knew the truth. Even with 98% of his power shackled by the Tower's seals, the 2% he held was a tidal wave compared to our puddle.
The System notification flickered with a new, massive opportunity:
"[Copy Condition: All Rankers inside this Hall currently desire to survive. You will be able to copy one skill from each person if you help their desire come true.]"
"A martyr's quest," I thought, a cold smirk tugging at my lips. To save them all while being Level 1? It was insane. But the subordinates were already charging. The sound of clashing steel and snarling wolves filled the cathedral. The White Tiger Guild was being pushed back instantly, their formations crumbling under the vampires' superior Agility.
Dracula looked bored. He gave a lazy wave of his hand.
"[Activating 'Blood Spears' Lvl ???!]"
Crimson liquid manifested out of thin air, hardening into jagged, crystalline lances. With a flick of his fingers, they tore through the air at a speed the human eye couldn't track. They weren't just aimed at us; they were aimed to end the "raid" right here.
Just then,
"[Activating the Exclusive Skill: 'Fusion']"
"[Fusing: 'Magic Sense', 'Sword Steps', and 'Martial Arts'...]"
The blue data streams in my mind turned a violent, electric violet.
"[Congratulations! You have obtained the S-Rank Skill: 'Sword Demon's Technique'!]"
"[Warning: Insufficient Level/Stats. Only the First Form is accessible.]"
"[Activating 'Sword Demon's Technique: First Form: Faint Steps' Lvl 1!]"
The world slowed. My perception of the mana in the air surged by 50%, and a sudden, explosive heat centered in my legs, boosting my movement speed by 100%.
Boom.
The blood spears slammed into the ground, shattering the obsidian floor in a spray of stone and red mist. But when the dust settled, the "sacred ground" was empty. Dracula's eyes, previously half-closed, suddenly widened. The slit pupils thinned to needles.
In the span of a millisecond, I had grabbed the closest four Rankers and blurred across the hall, depositing them behind a heavy pillar before circling back for the others. To the vampires, I hadn't moved, I had simply vanished and reappeared.
Surprising Dracula with speed was an achievement that would have made the Constellations scream with excitement, but I wasn't celebrating. My muscles were screaming from the strain of the [Sword Demon's Technique] on a Level 1 body.