'Damn.' Leo's breath hitched as he inspected the relic. He withdrew a polished silver earring in the shape of a cross, its metal stained with a deep, crystalline crimson. Though it was a singular piece, it radiated an aura of ancient, absolute authority that demanded immediate respect.
[Cross of the Silent Throne]
Grade: Epic
Active Skill — Absolute Domain: Deploys a 100-meter Blood Dome, a sealed mirror dimension that overlays reality. The interior is a flawless replica of the physical world, frozen at the instant of activation. Exterior time and causality remain unaffected; no sound, life-force, or spiritual residue escapes the dome's boundary. Upon collapse, the physical world shows no sign of the conflict within.
Passive Effect — Throne Perception (20m Absolute Field): Within a 20-meter radius, the user can perceive all movement through earth, air, space distortion, and mana fluctuation. Stealth, invisibility, concealment, and aura suppression are automatically revealed to you. Spatial displacement cannot occur unnoticed.
Sealed Effect — Crown of Hemomancy Ascension
'This is beyond overpowered,' Leo mused, bringing the cold silver to his ear. He had never worn jewelry, but the artifact required no permission; it bored into his flesh with a sharp sting, anchoring its power directly to his soul.
''It suits you, Leo. It really completes the whole Vampire Lord aesthetic,'' Luna remarked with a playful grin.
He then retrieved a porcelain half-mask, its surface marred by delicate silver fractures. It was featureless and hauntingly smooth.
[Mask of a Thousand Faces]
Grade: Rare
Core Effect — Perfect Assimilation: Grants the ability to mimic the visage, vocal frequency, and mannerisms of any subject observed for sixty seconds.
Passive Effect — Gaze of the Unremembered: Imposes a perception filter on all observers. Memories of the wearer become hazy and contradictory. Arcane surveillance and recording devices perceive only a distorted, blurred impression.
'The system truly provides what is necessary. This mask is the answer to my greatest vulnerability,' Leo thought. He pressed the porcelain to his skin, feeling it dissolve into transparency until it felt like a second skin.
While his mythical chain could shroud his power, it was useless against a familiar gaze. That was how Luna had recognized him so easily; despite his evolution, his core features remained. For a man who intended to move in the shadows, that was a fatal flaw—one this mask had now corrected.
Finally, he unfurled the blueprint, which was wreathed in flickering scarlet wisps.
[House of the Scarlet Crown]
Type: High-Tier Blood Race Barracks
Grade: Epic
Lore: A fallen noble house that once swore an eternal blood oath. They wait in the silent dark, ready to rise and serve the new order.
Construction Requirements: Stronghold Rank (Lv 4). Bloodline Authority. 500 Crimson Obsidian, 120 Nightsteel Ingots, 50 Blood Essence Crystals, 10 Elite Beast Bone Pillars, and 50,000 Gold.
''Are you kidding me?'' Leo's voice cracked the silence of the hall. His eyes darted over the list in disbelief. He had momentarily envisioned a legion of high-tier vampires standing alongside Malphas, a true aristocratic army, but the resource list was a slap in the face. He didn't even know where to begin looking for Nightsteel or Crimson Obsidian.
Without a word to the confused Luna, Leo strode past the silent golem sentries that guarded the Lord's hall. Once inside his private quarters, he stared at his silent throne and let out a frustrated roar: ''FUCKKKKKKK!''
He collapsed onto the cold stone floor, the weight of the impossible task pressing down on him. 'How am I supposed to gather all that?' Attempting to distract himself, he opened the regional interface. As he had feared, the chat was a chaotic storm of envy and terror following his most recent announcement.
Channel 86
[User: Ember Witch]: ''Is Crimson lord even human?''
[User: Hollow Smile]: ''True i mean, how is it possible to upgrade to lv4, without outside help?''
[User: Elias Crowe]: ''He must have gained a ton of resources through the auction.''
[User: Fangbound]: ''Right, that bastard robbed us, what a snake.''
[User: Richie Rich]: ''Your mother is a snake bastard, why don't you try to mimic him, if it is possible?''
[User: Mercenary_Kim]: ''Hehe, Fang, what species of snake is your mother, man?''
[User: Fangbound]: ''You half dicks, I will kill you if you talk about my mother.''
[User: HollowSmile]: ''Lol, bro got busted.''
Leo chuckled at how the course of the chat changed in a moment. 'I guess they have already started to adapt,' he thought.
[User: BigDog69]: ''But guys, how are high-tier dungeons different from the ones we cleared?''
[User: AshVein]: ''There is no comparison. High-tier dungeons are pocket realms of their own, and inhabitants are high-ranked and very intelligent. We need an army to clear them.''
[User: EmberWitch]: ''Really? Then how do we clear them even if we join hands?''
[User: Elias Crowe]: ''I think these are not standard high tier. The system said unique high tier, so I guess at least if we all form groups, then we can clear them.''
[User: Fangbound]: ''Speaking of groups, doesn't alliance function unlock at lv 4 territory?''
[User: Elias Crowe]: ''Yes, Crimson Lord will have an advantage above others since he can scout early.''
[User: Mercenary_Kim]: ''Damn, how envious, but why have we never heard of Crimson Lord back on Earth? I thought every heir and scion was already known before.''
[User: Elias Crowe]: ''What if he was not from the legacy families?''
'Legacy families.' Leo caught this name in chat a few times. 'Lets not think about that for now.'
Leo shook his head and closed the general tab. He opened the Market interface and typed in the first requirement for his new barracks.
[Search: Crimson Obsidian] [Results: 0 found]
'Nothing. Not even one,' Leo thought, his frustration returning. He tried the next one.
[Search: Nightsteel Ingot] [Results: 3 found] [Price: 1,200 Gold per Ingot]
''Twelve hundred gold for one?'' Leo almost choked. He needed 120 of them. That was 144,000 gold just for one type of material. He looked at his current balance, which was barely scratching twenty thousand after all his trades. 'This is going to take months unless I find a better way to get resources.'
A private message notification pinged. It was from Sylvia.
''Congratulations, neighbor. Architect of the current age? That is quite a mouthful. I assume your new castle is sturdy enough to withstand the attention you just invited?''
Leo sighed and typed back: ''Its not like I wanted it. The attention was involuntary. Anyway, about these dungeon raids, do you have any idea what to expect?''
''These blessings are unheard of, Leo. No one knows what to expect,'' Sylvia replied instantly. ''But there is going to be a massacre. The top-tier lords will try to block entry for others. So don't hesitate. I know others can't compare to you, but even ants can kill a dragon if it is careless.''
''I expected as much. Anyway, I gotta go.'' Leo ended the chat and moved toward his throne.
First, he opened the new alliance function that others envied. Apparently, Leo could start his alliance and add others regardless of distance. Others could teleport back and forth if they built a guild building. This would help a lot in the coming challenges, but Leo could only add from his human channel for now. He couldn't add Sylvia yet.
Next, Leo glanced at the guardian function. While it could help a lot in defending the territory, it required aether cores to function. Every time the shield activated, it would bleed his coffers.
Leo had been saving SE from all his kills yesterday. Now the time had come to try his luck with the gatcha again.
[SE: 3600]
Taking a deep breath, he opened the mental vault and navigated to the Hero Summoning Banner. The massive gate loomed over the lake of phantoms once more.
[Cost: 500 SE] [Pity: 2/30]
Praying to every known god, he initiated a pull. The gates groaned open, and a brilliant, regal golden light spilled out, illuminating the entire hall. Leo's fingers started thumping the throne involuntarily. Just as before, the light reached its end, flickered, and died.
[Summoning Failed: Consumable Reward Granted] [Pity: 3/30] [Sanguine Essence Remaining: 3100]
''No worries,'' Leo assured himself. He initiated again, and again, but the result remained the same.
[Pity: 8/30] [Sanguine Essence Remaining: 600]
''Bitch, I'm not going to back down again.'' A bead of imaginary sweat formed on his neck. He pulled again. Just as he thought the regal golden light would fade, it didn't. Leo's expression broke. He stood from his chair, eyes wide with expectation as a golden circle formed on the stone floor.
Every rare grade existence in the territory felt their instincts flare. All eyes turned toward the Lord's hall. Akul's face turned fanatical. ''Lord was really blessed.''
Malphas was already inside, his hand moving toward his sword hilt, eyes narrowing into slits.
However, Leo didn't know this summoning was different. It was his own talent. Before his smile could widen, he lost consciousness. Malphas blurred forward, catching his falling body and placing it back on the throne.
'What is happening?' Malphas thought, his eyes moving between the summoning circle and the fallen Lord.