Vampire Princess Guide in Progress - Volume 1 Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Cross’s Life Countdown

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Tilia’s silhouette, surrounded by swirling black and red killing intent, seemed to be immersed in darkness. Within her slender black outline, those brilliant blood-red eyes watched like a demon as the man before her died with a face full of terror and pain, gradually dissipating into fragments in the wind.

The blood-colored Rose Scythe swept heavily, instantly spattering blood onto the pristine snow.

At the same time, in a corner that went unnoticed, in Tilia’s player perspective UI, beneath the HP bar, a thin progress bar labeled 【Crimson Hunger】 was rising faster than usual.

“Ah…”

As if something had forcefully struck the back of her head, Tilia seemed to awaken from a dream, raising her face as the blood-red color in her pupils gradually dissipated, returning to the usual calm night color.

Tilia staggered in place, tightly holding her forehead with her hand.

She turned to look at the equipment and items scattered on the snow, as well as the clusters of red crystals, all results of her actions.

Six red-named players who had killed countless others had their lives ended by her. Tilia wasn’t feeling any unease or regret; rather, she hadn’t expected that seeing Cross severely wounded would make her so furious that she’d lose control of her emotions.

Only now, as she calmed down, did she realize that she had slain these people without a moment’s hesitation or delay.

It seemed she wasn’t as indecisive as she’d imagined, or perhaps in this death game, she wasn’t as afraid to fight against other human players. Anger made her instinctively seek revenge, instinctively viewing red-named players as creatures no different from monsters.

“Cross… Cross!”

After finishing off the entire red-named squad, Tilia quickly turned and ran back to the Ice Cave Camp.

The blue-haired loli girl lying on the ground had already fallen into an unconscious state, completely losing awareness, with only faint sounds of breathing remaining.

In Cross’s BUFF column, due to her severe injuries, 【Bleeding】 had turned into 【Hemorrhaging】. In her continuous HP loss state, in the long bar displaying HP value, the blood bar would drop a little, then slowly recover slightly thanks to HP potions.

Tilia had indeed thrown over a hundred Basic Healing Potions at Cross at once, and now they had accumulated to 【3 hours 42 minutes】 of continuous recovery time. This meant that for the next 3 hours, they could barely maintain Cross’s life.

“I’ll take you back to town right now, Cross. I won’t let you die…”

Tilia returned the Forest Deer King’s Staff that she had reclaimed to her, then hurriedly picked up Cross, racing against time.

She opened the map, determining the direction from the current cave camp to the main city’s safe zone, wrapped Cross’s body tightly in the cold weather outfit, then continuously struggled forward into the wind and snow.

However, flying in the snowstorm consumed MP extremely quickly, soon making it impossible to maintain.

“Damn it… I’ve already used too much on the return journey.”

Tilia gritted her teeth as the wings behind her disappeared due to insufficient magic power, forcing her to return to the ground. She held the girl tightly in her arms as her heart began to race anxiously.

This journey… could they really reach the Ice Snow City within three hours?

With Cross’s deer spirit, they had barely estimated that they could arrive before sunset tonight, but now, with a half-flying + walking method, trying to get closer to the main city in this fierce snowstorm, they wouldn’t be able to arrive within today’s timeframe.

If she had known this would happen, she would definitely have prepared at least 1,000 healing potions.

Was there anyone she could ask for help? Were there any players nearby who could help?

Tilia anxiously raised her head and looked around, but this was in the Wind Snow Area of the third floor, where barely any players had managed to reach yet. Thus, all that answered her was the vast white expanse of ice and snow before her.

“Just a little more, use them all…” She gave all the healing potions that had dropped from the red-named players to Cross as well. The recovery time displayed below became Cross’s life countdown.

No, don’t disappear… please, don’t, Cross.

If Cross were to die here today, right in Tilia’s arms, she would never be able to forgive herself.

She had misjudged the level of danger, both the unexpected appearance of giant monsters on the third floor and the attack by red-named players. The Ice Cave Camp wasn’t a safe zone, yet she had confidently left Cross behind and gone alone to the distant BOSS room to scout.

But it was precisely in this situation.

Pairs of crimson eyes appeared from the snow mist as Ice Plains Wolves, smelling the scent of blood in the wind, gradually approached them. Right before Tilia, seven or eight Ice Plains Wolves crouched on the ground, already poised with their sharp claws to block her path.

Tilia stopped, facing the wolf pack that continued to gather around her, her face darkening.

“Get… out of my way!!!” Her pupils instantly turned blood-red again as she protected the unconscious blue-haired girl in her arms. The resonant sound of the scythe echoed endlessly across the entire snow plain.

……………

In the distance, a few player figures gradually appeared.

They sat in small groups on sleds, each pulled by two Ice Plains Wolves tied with ropes, rapidly moving across the snow in the Wind Snow Area. Each person displayed the guild tag 【Silly Group Friends Guild】 above their heads.

“Woo-hoo, hahaha! This is awesome, the husky’s speed is so fast!”

“I told you so. Damn, there’s no way anyone would try to cross such a vast snow plain to the main city on foot, right? No way, right?”

“Hmm? Hey, look over there. Why are there so many monsters gathered? Is someone in danger…?” Yezi squinted with his 250-degree nearsighted eyes and suddenly exclaimed in shock: “Wait! Isn’t that the girl from before!?”