Ryzen zoomed out of sector one but even with his heightened speed from his shadow step skill, he didn’t feel quick enough. If Venis was as strong as everyone made him out to be then he knew things were looking good.

The other problem was the security that had somehow massively increased compared to when Ryzen first came through. Each tunnel had multiple guards in black armor walking the perimeter. If it weren’t for Ryzen’s unique skill set, he would likely be dead.

Ryzen was already running low on MP and it wouldn’t fully recharge until after a few hours. He could keep up use with his shadow step skill but if he added shadow daggers to the mix then he would quickly run out.

With this in mind, Ryzen made sure to avoid all the battles he could. His current sole goal was getting back to Marikon and getting Enancia out of there. He wasn’t sure what the state of the place would be in once he got there but he would not be stopping to help.

He knew he would have to rest at one point as he needed to have his full MP to even stand a chance against the monster he would be fighting against.

“Lock down everything! Comrade Lilian is dead. I repeat comrade Lilian is dead! ” a shout echoed through the hall Ryzen was in.

He rapidly turned towards the noise to find another higher-level guard who was storming around. It seems Lilian’s body was located. Endless amounts of chatter filled the air as the vampires became visibly worried.

Ryzen inaudibly groaned in his shadow as the vampires blocked off the exits and entrances to each individual tunnel. Shit was about to get real.

He appeared behind a vampire guard and slammed his dagger into his heart. A gurgling noise alerted the many other vampires in the area and Ryzen disappeared.

“He’s here! He’s fucking right here!” one of them screamed before they were slammed into the floor and stabbed through the heart.

A sharp icicle flew right by Ryzen’s face and he jumped backwards, dodging the next one. He chucked his dagger at the vampire mage’s heart, piercing it in one quick throw. He entered his shadow to grab the dagger and quickly slashed another vampire down, giving him a moment of respite.

He used the lever to open the gate to the next tunnel and threw himself in. He slammed the gate shut behind him and sprinted to the next tunnel. A plethora of vampires growled at him and prepared to attack but were thrown off when he disappeared. Within seconds, one of them dropped to the floor clutching their heart.

“What the fuck?” one of them screamed as they too were impaled through the heart.

“He’s a fucking monster!”

“Run away!”

The vampires tried to flee but Ryzen wouldn’t let them. He would not allow them to become a liability down the road.

You have leveled up!

Another level-up message struck Ryzen as he slammed open another gate and proceeded to the next tunnel.

“Stop right there villain!” a noble voice shouted.

In front of Ryzen stood a figure with a heavy shield and a squadron of men behind him. Once again, his armor clearly showed he was of a higher rank than the rest of the guards.

“Your march of death ends here!” the vampire yelled as he slammed his shield onto the ground. A thick translucent red shield appeared in front of all the guards.

They all proceeded to aim either a wand or a bow at Ryzen. He stood there and patiently observed the group of enemies staring at him. He didn’t make a single move until one of the vampires lost their nerve and fired an arrow, encouraging everyone else to send their projectile as well. Ryzen disappeared into his shadow and rapidly dodged each red magic bolt while the arrows bounced harmlessly off the ground.

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“Come out coward! You stand no chance against us!” the noble vampire commanded.

Ryzen was obviously not coming out and instead appeared directly behind the vampire. His defense was truly extraordinary but he had focused it all to his front. Their entire strategy didn’t account for an enemy simply being able to appear behind them.

Ryzen sent a shadow dagger to his back and it flew straight through the armor and into his heart. The noble vampire died before he even had time to utter another word. It was clear to Ryzen that the vampire had no real battle experience. He had been nothing like Lilian.

Upon seeing the collapse of the tank vampire, the rest of his group collapsed into terror. Some of them simply accepted their fates while others tried to run. Ryzen allowed none to escape.

You have leveled up!

He opened up the next gate and proceeded down a much larger tunnel than the other ones. He was in his shadow so nobody could see him but there were multiple large weapons set up, prepared for his arrival. There were cannons, ballistae, and rows of guards set up to stop him. It was almost a shame that he simply skipped over everything.

He was nearing the exit of sector one but instead of there just being an easy way out, there was a large gate covering it. There was yet another vampire that looked to be a higher up but instead of pitch black armor, he was wearing a pitch black cloak. Encompassing this was a pointy hat, clearly showing his status as a mage.

Ryzen would have to be extra careful with this vampire as his shadow form was vulnerable to magic attacks. That’s exactly why he sent two shadow daggers at the vampire’s heart. He immediately put up a barrier around themselves, taking the first hit. The second hit was blocked by a large red orb that exploded upon impact.

Unfortunately for the vampire, he hadn’t expected a third attack from behind. That paired with having no armor meant that the vampire was dead within seconds. Ryzen dodged a few projectiles that came his way and quickly took care of their sources.

By now, the vampires stationed near the front of the tunnel were realizing what happened and were rapidly beginning to charge at Ryzen. He wasted no time in slowly pulling the rope that operated the large gate. Once it cracked slightly open, he disappeared into his shadow and slipped under.

You have leveled up!

Ryzen chuckled at the notification and wondered how many points he had saved up. Having a moment of peace, he quickly gave his status a check and gasped.

Ryzen Litfield

Race: Otherworlder

Class: Shadow Soldier

Level: 19

Hp: 105

Mp: 380

Strength: 16 (+5)

Dexterity: 54 (+20)

Agility: 61 (+25)

Vitality: 16 (+5)

Endurance: 9 (+10)

Intelligence: 38

Wisdom: 14

Unselected: 20

Skills:

Disguise: 1

Shadow Step: 2

Shadow Daggers: 2

Shadow Guard: 1

As usual, Ryzen had a whole twenty points that he simply hadn’t spent. He really wasn’t great about making sure he spent those. He decided to put ten into agility, five into endurance, and five into wisdom. He needed to make sure he kept up all his stats as one being too low could be deadly at this point.

From what he could see, sector two was quiet. Still, he wouldn’t let his guard down because anything could happen at any moment. Ryzen moved through the tunnels and didn’t find anyone. This was odd because there were plenty of regular vampires wandering about before. Now, they were just gone.

He entered the business district and observed the area around him. Everything was dead quiet. Not a single movement could be seen. This was incredibly odd considering this was supposed to be a busy business area. Something was obviously wrong.

Still, it wasn’t Ryzen’s goal to investigate the area. He quickly made his way to the sewer and jumped in. He landed on the floor with a splash and surveyed the area. Again, it was silent. Nobody was here. However, this didn’t mean that nobody hadn’t been here.

There were traces of a massive amount of footsteps all over the floor. Ryzen put the puzzle together in his head. Venis’s army had gone through here. That’s also why all the vampires in the business district packed up shop.

Ryzen sped down the sewers and into the tunnels that led back to Marikon. He was rapidly approaching his destination and he could only hope he wouldn’t arrive too late. The thought of Enancia popped into his head and his heart filled with worry.

What was it with that girl? Why was she always on his mind? Ryzen didn’t understand but he did want to save her.

He popped out of his shadow and decided to run the rest of the way to save MP. He had never given his usage much of a break and he desperately needed more. It wouldn’t be long now until he reached Marikon anyway.