With the Fire Essence Core lighting his way, Kevin moved slowly forward. Winding tunnels, uneven ground, twisting passages, endless darkness—a crisis was brewing.
Following the passage, Kevin inched along, but before him lay endless dark, behind him the same. Another fork in the road. As before, he turned left...
Three hours later, exhausted and weary, Kevin finally realized with dismay that he was lost. He had returned to the large, excavated pit—the very one where he had mined the Fire Essence Core.
No way out? Am I really going to die here? His hunger level, already strained from the long hours of labor and only hasty meals, was approaching the critical threshold again. Should he keep searching for an exit? Even if he found one, surviving the seven-hour trek back was impossible. No amount of willpower could overcome that. Wait here to die? If he stayed still, starvation would take over a dozen hours—a torment he would have to endure. Kevin knew hunger. He remembered clearly the feeling of his entire abdominal cavity contracting, his stomach seeming to digest itself from the inside. Those who had never experienced true hunger couldn't imagine that pain, the kind that made you wish you could tear your own stomach out and throw it away. The thought alone was terrifying. No. I won't die like that. Kevin would rather choose to end it himself.
Death seemed unavoidable now. Kevin glanced toward the dark mine shaft plunging even deeper underground and resolutely walked forward.
Still dark. Still shrouded in endless fear. But something felt different. Kevin tried to pinpoint it, but couldn't quite grasp what was wrong.
Suddenly, it hit him. The forks. He hadn't encountered a single fork in the road for a long time! This raised his alarm.
Then, something white appeared ahead. Kevin moved closer, and a cold sweat instantly drenched him. Bones. Piles of bones! Peering further in, he saw heaps of skeletons littering the cavern floor, odd-shaped bones scattered everywhere. Kevin looked closer. Minotaur bones. Back when he led the beastmen armies, minotaurs were the most formidable mounts besides tyrannosaurs. Their thick hide rivaled armor, and most blade slashes felt like tickles to them. Their raw power was such that a few full charges could breach fortress walls. It was this very strength that had made Kevin's攻城 (siege) tactics unstoppable.
Wait... Why would beastmen remains be in human territory? And this skeleton was clearly an adult minotaur that had died unnaturally! Puzzled, Kevin pressed on. The further he went, the more alarmed he became. Compared to the bones deeper inside, the minotaur was child's play. Scattered feathers—yes, angel feathers. And not just any angels—high-ranking, six-winged seraphs. What being—no, what thing—could slay so many semi-divine entities? What kind of power would that require?
Further in, the tunnel walls began to gleam with an eerie, bloody hue. Kevin looked closely. The stone was stained red, as if blood had seeped into the very rock! The corpses were less decayed, but without exception, every one looked like dried vegetables—desiccated, devoid of any color. The word vampire flashed through Kevin's mind. No way. Did I actually run into one? Games always had special existences like vampires and fallen angels. They didn't belong to the three major races; they were often even opposed to them.
Since the game's launch, no player had ever encountered them. The forums were full of speculation, with no solid evidence. The official site offered only sparse, unhelpful descriptions.
No use overthinking. Kevin carefully edged forward. One question nagged him: Where are the weapons? With so many angel remains, where were their weapons? Those would be incredibly powerful. He bent down and picked up a distinctly long feather near his foot.
Congratulations, Player Nightshade. You have obtained: Angel Feather.
This was definitely good news. Scanning the area, he spotted a relatively intact skeleton of a four-winged angel not far off. Treading carefully between bones, on tiptoe, Kevin moved toward it. His cloth shoes were already stained with patches of blood. At least filth on clothing would disappear after each logout.
Kneeling before the four-winged angel, Kevin examined it closely. Strip away the wings, and angels looked no different from humans. This one was completely desiccated, its face shriveled and distorted, yet one could still imagine its former transcendent beauty. Why its? Because the remnants of clothing suggested this one was distinctly male. Two clear puncture wounds marked the neck, deep enough to reach the major vessels. That seemed to be the cause of death.
Looking at the four-winged angel lying on its side, with half its wings trapped beneath it, Kevin didn't hesitate. His hunger meter was critical. Time to work: looting the corpse.
It felt somewhat… morally bankrupt. Though he'd killed countless times in-game, looting a corpse was a first. It felt… creepy.
He pinched the tip of a long primary feather and yanked. Damn, it's sturdy. He pulled again.
Congratulations, Player Nightshade. You have obtained: Angel Wing.
Congratulations, Player Nightshade. You have comprehended the skill: Harvesting. System reward: Skill rank upgraded to Intermediate.
Harvesting: Allows collection of materials from monster corpses. Mostly yields crafting components.
With Harvesting, things got easier. He spammed the skill on the corpse. Materials automatically flew into his bag. Efficient, effortless, convenient. Harvesting: an essential skill for居家旅游 (daily life and travel),杀人越货 (killing and plundering)!
Kevin wondered why he hadn't gained the skill when he first picked up the feather. Thinking with his toes… the first time was picking up—that didn't require a skill. The second was plucking—directly from a corpse. Made sense.
Using Harvesting consumed significant stamina. Seeing his hunger value nearing the critical line again, Kevin stopped. He strode forward. Even facing death, he had to see this through. Ignoring the bones underfoot, he pressed deeper into the cavern.
An hour later, Kevin emerged from the tunnel into a vast hall. This was the cavern's end. The hall was profoundly dark. Looking up, he saw only pitch blackness, no ceiling in sight. Within that darkness flickered pairs of blood-red eyes—the crimson pupils of vampire bats, brimming with bloodlust.
The hall was mostly empty. A few supporting pillars were intricately carved with exquisite imagery. Looking closer, they depicted the origin of vampires:
After Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden, they wandered the wilderness and bore many children. Cain was the firstborn, the third human on Earth. A farmer, he lived with his shepherd brother, Abel. One day, as was customary, they made offerings to God. Abel, the shepherd, presented rich meat. Cain offered vegetables, which displeased God. Enraged, Cain slew Abel—the first murder. The next day, Abel's spilled blood cried out to God. To punish Cain, God cursed him: he must drink the blood of the living, live forever, and suffer this torment for generations. His land would bear no crops; he would wander, homeless, forever shunned by humanity. Cain became the first vampire—the progenitor. Later, Cain married Lilith, who was discontent with God's gender inequality. On their wedding night, Lilith asked Cain to turn her, making her a Second Generation vampire. They bore thirteen children—the Third Generation...
Looking at this tedious lore, Kevin lost patience. It was blatantly borrowed from Genesis, Chapter 3.
He scanned the hall. Suddenly—his speed dropped again. Right, hunger meter. On the far side of the hall stood a tall stone throne. On it slumped the faint, hunched figure of an old man. Who? Who's this guy?
Kevin shuffled over. If he wasn't afraid of death, what was there to fear? No—death was certain. The question was how. The old man wore a black cloak trimmed with dark crimson bats. The bats' eyes were studded with blood-red gems; their claws were plated with adamantite, gleaming coldly. Beneath was a black formal suit. His hair was tied high, his skin pale, his nails long—everything screamed: I am a vampire. Pureblood.
"Young man, you've come." A hoarse, ancient voice echoed through the hall. Kevin saw the old man open his eyes—blood-red irises burning with thirst.
"You were waiting for me?" Confusion filled Kevin. To drink my blood? "Are you a vampire?"
"'Vampire' is what humans call us. I prefer 'Kindred.'"
"Why wait for me? To drink my blood? I don't have enough to fill your teeth. Besides, look at those高级货色 (high-grade specimens) outside. You wouldn't want mine…"
"Young man, if I may interrupt." The elder rose, waving a hand. His frail frame made Kevin worry he might throw his back out. "I waited for one purpose: to turn you into one of the Kindred."
"You must be joking."
"I am not. Cough." The elder covered his mouth with a hand, then withdrew it. His palm was smeared with dark blood streaked with black. "My time is short. See for yourself." He parted his cloak, revealing a silver crucifix embedded deep in his chest, right over the heart.
"Not long ago, hunting angels… ambushed. No time for details. Come here." The elder weakly lifted a hand, gesturing. Kevin obediently approached. The elder whispered, "It will hurt. Endure it." Before Kevin could react, the elder's razor-sharp nail sliced across his neck. Blood gushed. Kevin tried to pull away, but the elder's vise-like hands clamped down, immovable. Above, the vampire bats, stirred by the scent of blood, began to dance and swirl in the dark space.
As his blood drained, Kevin's consciousness blurred. His body grew weak, his mouth parched.
Every cell desperately absorbed the blood entering his body. Soon, his temperature plummeted, giving way to even deeper agony. On a microscopic level: cells ruptured from within. Kevin's body seeped vast amounts of blood, staining the ground. From the bursting cellular fluid, pinpoints of red light emerged. The fluid gathered, reforming under the crimson glow. The sensation of destruction and rebirth overwhelmed him, and Kevin blacked out.