Chapter 83: A vampire

My realistic words tensed their expressions. They knew my words had a possibility because it hadn't been long since they had suffered from monsters in the dungeon underground.

"Follow me."

Kamian sent Annette, who was in the middle, behind him. It must have meant he wanted to protect his precious friend as much as possible.

"Uh, okay."

Annette's face turned red. It seemed his kindness had touched her heart. A typical reaction for a heroine with a difficulty level of zero stars. But that blockhead seemed to know nothing.

'Yes, that's better.'

I feel sorry for Annette, but in the game, there are many more helpful heroines than Annette. I don't know who the protagonist's luck in love will turn to, but at this point, only in chapter 2, being purely single might be the best in terms of possibilities.

"Then let's move with caution."

I spoke up. They nodded. And so, we started walking towards the place where the light existed.

'I wonder what will come out.'

As I walked, I imagined various situations in my head. The feature of this quest. The fact that the situation can change randomly each time you proceed.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's infinite. There were about a dozen situations to face. And I knew all of them.

The important thing is quick judgment of the situation. The response that fits that judgment. That's all it takes.

"Slow down."

I murmured in a quiet voice. Before we knew it, we were close to the light. We slowed down and approached the place more cautiously.

Even if it's a quest that knows everything, complacency is forbidden. I'm not the protagonist, and one wrong decision could lead to an irreversible end.

"...I hear something like a sound."

Suddenly, Kamian whispered softly to his ear. The protagonist, sharper in senses than I am now, must have felt it.

"Keep focusing."

I instructed Kamian. Because it was a sound that could be an important clue for judgment.

But then...

"...It's gone. I'm sure I heard it."

Kamian tilted his head and whispered again. My eyes changed when I heard that. Because I realized what it meant.

The sound suddenly disappeared? That means the creatures over there noticed our presence and hid their own.

"It's not a mistake. The creatures over there noticed us and killed the sound."

I explained. The two became tense at that explanation.

"Be ready to attack at any time."

I advised them lastly.

And finally, we reached the place with the light. Whoosh. The view brightened. A wide circular plaza unfolded before us.

The tense expressions of the two, who had been holding their breath, relaxed. They realized there was no one in the plaza.

"Phew, there's no one here."

"Se, se, se, se, senior?! Wh, wh, wh, what are you doing?!"

Annette's face also filled with horror.

"Ugh, are you crazy?!"

Kamian looked shocked as well.

But only I was calm. I opened my mouth with a sly grin.

"Who do you think you are, you wretched woman?"

It felt as if time had stopped. It wasn't just an illusion.

Both people were frozen in shock, and even the hordes of zombies had suddenly stopped in their tracks. So, it was natural to feel as if time had stopped.

The one who broke this frozen time was the woman who had been stabbed by me.

"Ha, hahaha... Ahahahahaha!"

Suddenly, the woman began to laugh like a mad person. The sight of her laughing maniacally while bleeding profusely from being stabbed was chilling.

"How did you know?"

The woman barely stopped laughing and asked.

"Because the smell of rotting corpses is overwhelming."

"Ah."

She nodded her head as if in agreement, then suddenly—

Snap!

Her nails grew long and sharp, lunging at me in an attack.

They were not the kind of nails a human could have—so sharp and strong that they could tear flesh and expose bone with just a graze.

But I had already anticipated this surprise attack. I dodged the nails by tilting my head to the side.

Instead of continuing her attack, the woman grabbed the blade with her hand and pushed her body backward.

Whoosh.

In an instant, she flew back about ten meters and landed. A clear knife wound was visible on her body, from which blood continuously flowed and dripped.

It was a fatal wound that would have caused any human to die from excessive blood loss by now, but she seemed unaffected.

I know why.

Because that woman is also undead.

A vampire, to be precise.

"I thought an easy prey had crawled in after a long time, but it turned out to be a man with a dog-like nose."

"I'd rather not be complimented by a vile woman..."

I said.

"Ahahahahaha!"

The woman started laughing crazily again. It seemed my sincere words sounded funny to her.