Chapter 60: Fallen Vampir [1]

[Warning]

My status screen lit up with a blaring red message.

[The dungeon difficulty is too high compared to the party’s level.]

[Proceeding is not recommended.]

[Challenge again after further growth.]

I blinked.

“What the hell…?”

This was supposed to be an easy dungeon.

A low-tier one.

The kind that even fresh recruits with wooden swords could clear if they followed a guide and didn’t panic.

So why the sudden change in difficulty?

’No… seriously, what the hell is going on?’

I scrolled through the alert again just to be sure. But it wasn’t a mistake.

The dungeon itself had scaled up.

The air grew colder, sharper—like the cave had exhaled. I could feel a faint hum under my boots now, like something ancient had been stirred awake.

To get a better grasp of what we were dealing with, I quickly pulled up the system screen and scrolled through the dungeon info.

[Crimson Bat Hollow]

[Resting Grounds of Fallen Nobility]

[Defeated demons rarely have options left—especially when their enemy stands on the verge of becoming a tyrant… a future Demon King.]

[For the proud vampire nobles who lost the civil war, the only path forward was to vanish and scheme in the shadows. One such noble found shelter in a hostile place: the lands of humans.]

[Only those from bloodlines steeped in enmity against demons could possibly uncover her presence. Even then, only if they were skilled enough to see through her veil.]

I stared at the glowing text for a few seconds, my lips slightly parted.

“This is insane…”

Shaking the disbelief off, I tried to focus—break it down line by line.

The last part was key.

It strongly implied that Alice—was the one who had triggered the shift in the dungeon.

That was bad enough.

But the real problem was the implication of a boss enemy now being active.

A vampire noble.

Those were high-tier demons. The kind that usually didn’t show up until way later in the game—when your team was near max level, brimming with skills and artifacts.

We weren’t even close to that.

Not yet.

Even with Alice’s uncanny aim and reflexes, even with all my relics—we weren’t ready to face a monster like that head-on.

And now she was awake.

“Lady Alice! Stop right now!”

I shouted with everything I had, but she didn’t even flinch.

She’d already slipped into that cold, focused mindset she had when she entered combat. Eyes sharp. Movements tight. Rage buried just beneath the surface, feeding her aim.

She was locked in.

And the dungeon had already shifted into something else entirely.

We needed to get out. Now.

But I had a sinking feeling…

She wasn’t going to let this go.

Alice fired another arrow, her breathing steady, her stance perfect. The fake pattern on the wall shattered in an instant, scattering into shimmering fragments. Another shot followed, and another decoy crumbled.

The dungeon groaned.

A low, echoing rumble passed through the cave like a warning growl. Loose gravel trickled from the ceiling. Somewhere deeper within, something stirred.

“Alice!” I called again, my voice sharp this time. “This isn’t some field trial. That thing—whatever it is—it’s not going to go down just because you’re pissed!”

Still no answer.

Only her arrows did the talking now.

And then I heard it—no, felt it first. A pulse. Like a heartbeat, deep underground. Slow. Measured. Ancient.

The very walls of Crimson Bat Hollow seemed to darken, as if the stone itself was drinking in the torchlight.

And then the system chimed again.

[New Objective Unlocked]

[Optional Boss Encounter: Fallen Noble Countess Velra Awakened]

[Warning: Estimated Threat Level – Catastrophic]

[Escape now or prepare for combat.]

I stared at the screen. My mouth went dry.

Velra. A name I only recognized from one obscure side quest buried deep in the forums. Players called her the “forgotten endboss,” a hidden fight no one was supposed to trigger this early. The few who had encountered her left only warnings: “Don’t wake the Countess unless you’re ready to die.”

This wasn’t just a scaling problem.

This was suicide.

I took a step forward, trying to approach Alice, trying to snap her out of it. But before I could reach her, the air turned heavy—like diving underwater.

And then I heard her voice.

Not Alice’s.

Someone else.

Silken. Cold. Mocking.

“You dare disturb my rest… in this pitiful form you call strength?”

The space ahead shimmered.

A silhouette emerged from the shadows—tall, regal, draped in tattered crimson lace that flowed like smoke. Eyes glowing like dying embers. Fangs bared, but smiling.

The Countess had arrived.

I froze.

Alice didn’t.

“I will eradicate the demons of the north,” she said, her voice low, trembling with restrained fury.

Velra’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Big words… This too shall be amusing.”

Then they moved.

It happened in a flash—so fast my eyes couldn’t track it. A blur of cloth, a streak of flame, and the twang of a bowstring.

But Alice had made a critical mistake.

Two, in fact.

First—she didn’t have her sword.

We were supposed to be on a light hunt. Just a scouting run. Her twin blades and that terrifying third one—the full set of her unorthodox, whirlwind-like swordsmanship—weren’t with her. She only had a hunting dagger and her bow.

Second—the gap between them wasn’t just in weapons.

It was in power.

Pure, overwhelming difference.

Velra was no mid-tier monster hiding in a cave. She was a boss. The kind meant to be faced with a well-trained party, not two half-prepared adventurers on an off-day.

Alice fired another shot, aiming for the Countess’s heart.

Velra caught it mid-air.

Effortlessly.

“Tch—” Alice tried to retreat, to reset the distance—but Velra was already there.

“You’re nothing.”

Velra’s voice was cold, flat.

Then her arm ignited with a wreath of flame.

She slammed it into Alice’s stomach before she could dodge.

The sound—the sound—was like a hammer hitting flesh.

“Alice!” I shouted.

Her body was flung across the cave like a doll, slamming into the jagged rock wall. Dust exploded from the impact, and she crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

I stumbled toward her—only for agony to seize my chest. I collapsed to my knees, gasping.

A red system alert blinked furiously in the corner of my vision.

[Warning]

[NPC Companion “Alice” HP: Critical (↓24%)]

[Linked Fate Condition Active: If companion dies, player death will follow.]

My hands trembled.

This was bad. Really bad.

One hit. One hit, and she was already on death’s door.

“If you truly carry the blood of that human,” she said, tilting her head slightly, “then your offering will serve me well. Come now. Surrender it willingly. I promise to make it quick.”

My heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst through my ribs.

This wasn’t just a tough enemy.

This was a disaster.

Velra, a fallen vampir in the game, bared her sharp fangs, ready to claim her right as the victor.

—-

Author Note:

Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.

It’s my second novel so if there’s any kind of mistakes you find in the novel related to grammar please tell me and I’ll edit it as soon as possible.

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