Vampire Princess Guide in Progress - Volume 1 Chapter 23

Chapter 23: I Will Break Through!

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A week had passed since this death game began.

Among the 30,000 players trapped in the game, more than 3,000 had already left, which meant that in just this short amount of time, one-tenth of the players had died in this absurd farce of a game.

Even at this moment, standing at the teleportation array on the second floor, perhaps people were still dying.

Compared to accidental deaths in battle, the proportion of players who chose to end themselves or whose spirits had sunk so low they went to fight monsters believing there was no hope anyway — thinking that rather than waiting endlessly in darkness for rescue, it was better to die honorably in battle — was steadily increasing.

At first, many people had placed their hopes on the strongest guild, the Iris Knights.

They believed this guild, established during the closed beta and composed of many top PVE players, could progress layer by layer upward until reaching the 100th floor, liberating all players whether they were fighting desperately or waiting anxiously in the main city.

But they failed, and to this day no one had attempted to challenge the second floor BOSS again.

Defeating the BOSS was now viewed as an impossible task. Everyone would be forever trapped on the first and second floors, and reaching the hundredth floor was considered a fantasy. No matter who it was, more or less everyone probably harbored such thoughts now.

And I, also a closed beta player, had originally maintained an optimistic attitude about defeating the BOSS based on my understanding of the game.

But after the Iris Knights’ defeat and the sacrifice of Vice Guildmaster Lockias, this shocking reality shattered my originally optimistic thoughts. Even those players who had been so powerful during the closed beta would experience physiological fear when facing death.

Everyone was just an ordinary person, one couldn’t unilaterally impose some vision onto others.

In that moment, doubt arose in my heart.

But I couldn’t show that doubt because beside me stood a female player who was new to this game. Cross had followed me, relied on me, and also believed in me. I couldn’t tell her this crushing truth.

It was I who had brought her out from the main city, encouraging her to fight for her right to survive. I couldn’t then turn around and tell her it was all futile. That little girl was already strong enough, she had already done the best she could.

And the Iris Knights were strong, they weren’t an ordinary guild, and their failure wasn’t the failure of an ordinary guild.

During the closed beta’s arena competitions, although I had luckily won the championship, the battles along the way weren’t easy. Many of my opponents were members of the Iris Knights. It could be said that their top members were completely on par with someone like me who had played almost entirely as a stealth character.

The second floor BOSS 「Minorius」 had received a significant stat boost. According to the game administrator, or what could be called the “Star Lord,” the BOSS’s strength had been restored from the original 50% to 100%, equivalent to a doubling in power.

This was an important reason why the Iris Knights had been defeated in this raid attempt, the BOSS was simply too powerful.

Back during the closed beta, after finishing the game each time, I would occasionally wonder if the arrival of this game was a turning point in my destiny, becoming a brand new life for me, a person confined to a wheelchair with disabled legs, rescuing me from the painful reality I was trapped in.

And now I truly believed the same, and it seemed to have been given an even higher significance.

Perhaps fate is truly like someone writing a story, with everything predetermined and arranged. Fate led me to encounter this game precisely to establish my role as the protagonist, to create such a chapter in life.

If I am truly the protagonist, then I certainly cannot fade into obscurity. Rather, I must radiate a light more brilliant and dazzling than anyone else, taking on a mission more arduous than anyone else. Perhaps now is that moment.

At the same time, I needed to apologize to someone in my heart — my sister.

Since being inexplicably drawn into this world, I had no idea what was happening on the other side in reality. Perhaps my body had completely disappeared and crossed over to this side, which meant leaving my sister alone in the real world.

Just before logging into the game, she had reminded me not to play too much, to remember to eat on time, and said she would return at 9 PM as promised.

I hadn’t listened to her, and thus completely missed the chance to see her again.

And while I had originally thought about clearing all hundred floors and returning to reality, now that idea wasn’t so clear, because I might very well die tonight. Therefore, I might irresponsibly abandon my sister who depended on me, leaving her to walk alone through the long life ahead. Unable to fulfill my duties as a brother, she would surely hate me while grieving.

But even so, this step had to be taken.

Just as pioneers are needed in any era, Cross had always believed in my promise that we could leave this world. A warrior as tenacious as Kilo would continue seeking a way to defeat the BOSS. Karl had placed the rarest weapon in my hands for me to make use of it.

I was also carrying the hopes and beliefs of the remaining 27,000 players. Even if I died in battle, it would once again stir everyone’s hearts.

All of this made me more aware that I had never felt this sense of irreplaceability before. This pioneering position that I once thought was unattainable was now one that only I could fill — as the only closed beta player who had defeated the second floor BOSS.

Walking out from the teleportation array on the second floor, wrapped tightly in a black coat and moving alone under the night, I traversed through dark forests filled with cawing ravens and swamps.

By the time all these thoughts concluded, I was standing before the BOSS dungeon.

Heavy black clouds swirled into a vortex in the sky, twelve bronze chains descended with an oppressive presence from deep within the clouds, their ends disappearing into two massive doors forged from star fragments stone. Those chains were as thick as dragon spines, their surfaces covered with dark red rust that looked like blood scabs that had solidified for thousands of years.

Phosphorescent fires danced on both doors, illuminating this entrance that symbolized the powerful floor BOSS dungeon.

As I placed my hand on that massive stone door, the runes carved on the door emitted light and began to pulse and flash. The twelve chains broke with successive thunderous sounds and metallic clashes as the giant stone doors slowly unsealed.

It was at this moment that all the enhancement potions purchased in advance were used simultaneously.

Four buff effects with 20-minute durations instantly appeared in the buff bar. All auxiliary enhancement skills were also stacked continuously, and the most precious equipment enchantments that could only be used for one battle were all applied to their fullest extent.

Standing at the BOSS entrance in the cold, snowy night.

Nolan’s composed face exhaled a puff of white mist before he forcefully pushed open the stone door.

And in an instant, from the invisible, pitch-black depths came an incredibly trembling monster’s roar!

He stood motionless with a solemn face, allowing the howling wind stirred up by the roar to flap his coat noisily. His night-colored eyes stared fixedly ahead as he slowly raised his hand and gripped the sword hilt behind him.

“I will be the one to break through this situation—!!!”