“W-wait, y-you’re a…vampire?!” Chloe blurted out, his face filled with shock; her eyes were widened and her mouth gaping open.

She wasn’t the only one. Arthur was just as surprised, bearing a similar expression to the Brawler. Since Lucy was still out of it, she likely didn’t hear Vlad’s story, but he didn’t really mind it that much. Considering how weak she was at the moment; he was more concerned about her health than anything else.

Anyway, the four finally got to the fourth floor of the Warehouse. During that time, Vlad explained a little bit of his side of the story as to why he had been gone for two straight days. He talked about the temple, the trials, and then the big reveal; his vampirism.

It was at that point that Chloe and Arthur couldn’t hold back their surprise as the former blurted out her question. Thankfully, Vlad prepared himself for the confusion and shock, so that he could properly explain his situation.

While on the fourth floor, Vlad placed Chloe against the wall, while Arthur did the same for Lucy and himself. As the three had their backs pressed against the brick wall of the warehouse, Vlad took a trip back to the stairs to make sure that they weren’t followed. Luckily enough, no goblins were marching their way toward the steps, so they were more or less safe for the moment.

Once they were clear of danger, Vlad walked back to his friends before sitting down in front of them. With his legs crossed along with his arms, the vampire took a deep breath before continuing his explanation.

“Yes, I’m a vampire,” He confessed, while jokingly pulling back his lips to reveal his fangs. “See? I got the vampire fangs to prove it.”

Chloe gave a scolding look at Vlad. “This isn’t funny, Vlad.” Her tone was stern and serious, causing the vampire to stop messing around.

Vlad scratched his head nervously. “Look, I don’t know how exactly I got turned. All I know is that during the Class Selection Event, I got to take on a trial to be worthy of some Legacy Class pack. But, to complete the trial, the final one involved me turning into a vampire. I…nearly died from an arrow to the chest before I fell into a basin of blood. Then when I accidentally swallowed some…I transformed.”

Because it hadn’t been that long since his trials, Vlad could still vividly recall the trials he had to endure from the maidens to going to the underworld, to even dealing with Cerberus along with his last trial turning him into a blood-sucking monster. Hell, he could still remember how he slaughtered those goblins after transforming, turning into a cyclone of destruction and bloodshed as he killed every last monster until there was nothing left. He might not ever forget that moment for as long as he lived, which according to his current species lifespan was forever.

“A-are you okay…?” Chloe asked, her voice filled with concern. “A-are you hurting anywhere?”

“You mean aside from the occasional pang of hunger I feel every now and then?” He said sarcastically, though, after another stern look from Chloe, he added a second comment. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. I mean, when I first changed, I was in a bit of pain and all, but nothing too drastic. Of course, there was also the blood frenzy thing I went through…”

“Vlad…!”

Vlad raised his hands in defeat, a wry smile on his face. “S-sorry, couldn’t help it. Making jokes usually lightens the mood, so I figured we could use that after everything that happened, you know?”

“This isn’t the type of situation where the mood can be easily lightened, Stoker,” Chloe chided. “Not only have you been gone for two days, but you’re telling us that you’re a vampire now? Just where is it, in this conversation, where we can be so relaxed, huh?”

As the brawler continued to scold Vlad, further emphasizing the drastic situation that they were currently in, the vampire ever so slowly shrunk in response, unable to provide a sarcastic response due to how serious and grim she was making the situation out to be.

“Are…you really telling us the truth?” Chloe asked a hint of doubt in her voice. “Or are you just messing with us?”

Vlad said nothing for a moment, expecting one of his friends to ask this question. It seemed that they could believe the apocalypse, but seeing how their best friend was a vampire was another problem entirely. So, he needed to do a little convincing.

“Take a look at my appearance,” He pointed his thumb at himself with a confident look. “Don’t I look a lot different compared to before?”

Both Chloe and Arthur squint their eyes to take a closer look at Vlad, carefully observing him so they could see the changes he had.

“You do look a bit buffer than usual,” Arthur stated. “Though, that could be a result of being a player and the Class you chose.”

“That and your face looks a lot more symmetrical. You kind of look like one of those really handsome actors now.”

Arthur and Vlad turn to look at Chloe after her comment. It took a moment for the brawler to realize what she had just said before her face turned red as she looked away out of embarrassment.

“I-I mean, you do, alright!? I-It’s not my fault that I noticed it!”

Arthur and Vlad continued to stare at Chloe, their eyes turning more skeptical by the moment as they silently judged her.

That was when Vlad remembered Chloe’s slight obsession with handsome actors. He remembered how he and his friends would watch a movie sometimes and Chloe would get attached to one of those actors in a heartbeat. Even the minor ones that will sometimes die in the movie, which she would get upset over, stating “That’s a waste of a handsome face”.

Ignoring Chloe for a moment, Vlad and Arthur continued their talk.

“Have you noticed my eyes,” The vampire pointed at his crimson irises.

“Yeah…” Arthur said, quietly observing his eyes. “They’re no longer black, but red. Blood Red. It’s…kind of intimidating.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“You’re not wrong, which makes them useful when I want to intimidate someone like those goblins before.”

Even Vlad found his new eyes a bit difficult to look at out of fear. However, it was thanks to that intimidating factor that he could easily scare monsters weaker than him. Hopefully, he could get another skill that enhanced his menacing gaze. That would certainly help him in taking down his enemies faster. While they were paralyzed with fear, Vlad would rush around and slaughter the monsters with ease.

“Still, these kinds of changes aren’t going to convince us that you’re…you know.”

Upon Arthur’s statement, Vlad suddenly came up with an idea. An idea to show once and for all that he was a vampire. Since he couldn’t get appraised to have his species shown, he needed to display one characteristic that vampires had. And that was drinking blood.

The vampire then reached into his Hunter’s Pouch before pulling out a single vial of human blood. When Arthur saw it, he was confused at first, but he quickly realized what that vial was.

“I-is that…?” He nervously pointed at the vial, his voice trembling along with his hand.

“See for yourself,” Vlad stated while tossing the vial at Arthur.

Thankfully, the Knight caught it before examining the glass vial filled with the crimson liquid. While checking it, he pulled off the top and smelled, only to immediately reel his head back in disgust.

“Y-yeah, that’s blood,” He gagged, keeping the vial as far from his nostrils as possible.

“Let me see…” Chloe quickly took the vial and smelled it as well, doing the exact same thing Arthur did moments after. “U-ugh, that metallic smell is awful!”

Taking the vial back, Arthur put the top back on before tossing it back to Vlad, to which he effortlessly caught it without so much as fumbling it.

“Vampires drink blood, right? So, here’s your proof.”

“W-wait, are you actually going to-?!”

Before Arthur or Chloe could even stop him, Vlad took off the top and instantly downed the vial of blood. His friends were in disbelief as they continued to gawk in shock at what they were witnessing right now. As soon as Vlad was done, he let out a satisfied sigh while putting the top back on the empty vial. While doing this, another message panel appeared.

[Blood has been consumed! 70 BP has been obtained!]

[Skill [Hemophagia] has been activated! 15 Extra BP has been obtained!]

While Vlad smiled at the sight of getting BP, his friends continued to look at him in bewilderment.

“Y-you actually drank that blood vial…” Arthur muttered, slightly horrified by what he saw.

“Indeed, I did,” Vlad said confidently.

“H-how could you drink something like that…” Chloe questioned. “D-doesn’t it taste horrible?”

Vlad shrugged his shoulders. “Not really. I think it has something to do with my vampiric physiology. The blood tastes sweet and delicious like candy or something.”

He was honestly glad that his tastebuds were altered so he could drink blood. He still remembered right before his vampirism as he consumed the blood that changed him. It tasted terrible like he was eating rotten food. Then he transformed, and his tastebuds were altered, allowing him to drink blood while it tasted sweet like candy.

Chloe and Arthur slump further on the floor after hearing this, unable to process what was going on.

“I guess…you really are a vampire,” Arthur concluded.

“Yeah…” Chloe muttered. “He is.”

Vlad nervously scratched his head, unsure of how to continue this conversation. That is until he remembered Tyler and his mission. He managed to find his friends before it was too late. Now he just needed to wait for Tyler to show up to help deal with this Monster Nest.

“Hey, so, I managed to get here thanks to that leader of yours, Tyler,” Vlad stated.

Hearing this, Arthur and Chloe instantly got out of their slump and leaned forward with an anticipated expression.

“Tyler’s here?” Chloe questioned.

Vlad shook his head. “No, he went back to the mall base to gather more players.”

“Huh?” Arthur blurted out. “But why…?”

“Because I knew this place was a lot more dangerous before going inside. I have a skill that lets me see the flowing blood of living creatures. And when I used the skill to scan the building, I saw a lot of monsters all over the place, like it was a monster nest.”

Chloe groaned after hearing this. “We could’ve really used a skill like that before going in here. Maybe then, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“Well, you did have a bad feeling about this building,” Arthur stated before his eyes got darker. “But it was Rick that insisted that we go inside.”

Hearing the name, Vlad and Chloe both bore dark and menacing expressions.

“Right…him,” the brawler coldly said. “If that bastard hadn’t been so determined to prove himself, the other players that were with us would still be alive. But no, that piece of shit didn’t know when to quit. And when we get in trouble, he had the nerve to blame us…then he abandoned us!”

In a fit of rage, Chloe clenched her hand into a fist before smashing it against the floor, making a slight dent in the surface.

Vlad understood Chloe’s feelings completely. After that bastard confessed to leaving them, he made sure that he would suffer the consequences. And he still was at this moment.

“Hey,” Chloe spoke up to Vlad. “You wouldn’t have happened to see someone else here, did you? Wears a thief outfit and looks like a damn coward.”

Vlad couldn’t help but let out a chuckle from her question, knowing exactly what she was talking about. “If you’re talking about the bastard that abandoned you, I do. I encountered him while on the third floor.”

Arthur and Chloe wore concerned expressions, not sure of what Vlad would say next.

“Did you…kill him?” Arthur asked.

“No, he’s alive,” Vlad slightly smiled. “Though, he’s suffering from his actions, right now.”

The pair slightly grew pale, uncertain if they wanted to know what their friend did to the thief. Before that, Vlad spoke up to change the subject.

“Anyway, right now, we just need to wait for Tyler to return to the building with more players so we can destroy the nest and get out of here.”

Vlad’s entire plan was hinging on the fact that reinforcement was coming. If it was just the four of them, he doubted that they could succeed. Their chances of dying would be a lot higher on their own than with more players to back them up. Plus, his three friends were in no shape to fight another horde like before, so it would just be him against an entire monster next.

Although his blood-lusted vampiric mind liked the idea and taking on a nest, his more rational side knew better than to risk doing something that stupid just because it would be fun.

“You think Tyler’s reinforcement will do us any good?” Chloe asked. “This is a monster nest, we’re talking about.”

“Considering our current predicament, I like our chances with the backup.”

As Vlad stated this, a panel suddenly materialized before Vlad, giving him a rather foreboding message.

[Several Factions of the Yggdrasil System are interfering with the current quest!]

Vlad’s eyes widened in surprise. “T-the hell?!”

[Slight adjustments are being made to Monster Nest Quest!]

[Protocol 13-7YP is being initiated to stop Quest Interference!]

[Protocol 13-7YP is being overridden due to Administrator Authority from Pantheon and Angel Faction!]

[Quest Adjustment has been completed!]

[Side Quest – “Underdeveloped Monster Nest” – You managed to come across a Monster nest that hasn’t been fully developed yet! Lucky you! Since you were able to locate one, your goal is to now exterminate the nest, including the Monster Boss that resides within it! *New Changes*: Only the number of players inside the Nest are allowed to destroy it. No other players are allowed inside the building until Quest is complete. Players are not allowed to leave the area or send out any message to call out for help. Duration: 1 Hour.]

Reward – [Rare Item], [Extra XP], [Unique Item]

“W-what the…?!”

Vlad couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the new quest panel. Only to realize how big the situation just got.

So not only was Vlad and his friends on their own to destroy the nest, but no other players could enter the building until then. Which meant the four of them were alone on this quest.