"This tier two difficulty is way too exaggerated. It's more than twice as hard as tier one!" a voice cried out, filled with frustration.

"You haven't seen tier three yet. There was this person who challenged tier three last time. He died in under thirty seconds!" another replied, dread creeping into their tone.

"I wish I had chosen tier one!" a third lamented, eyes darting around.

"Eh, who knew this world was so big? I was supposed to follow Big Bro, but he's disappeared!" someone else said, panic evident in their voice.

"At this rate, Big Bro will probably have a hard time surviving himself!" another added, their voice trembling with fear.

"This time is seriously intense!" a youth exclaimed, desperation mingling with awe.

"Hey, kid, didn't you open a high-level bomb last time? Bring it!"

"I sold it already, dammit!" the kid shot back, exasperation bubbling to the surface.

"You actually sold that?!"

But before they could continue their banter, a vampire swooped down from above, severing one of their heads in a flash. The remaining members barely managed to escape the onslaught, and many of those at the 1st Step in combat power surrendered, giving up their fight against the nightmarish foes.

From nearly a hundred participants in tier two, fewer than thirty remained.

And there were only twenty minutes left.

"It's only halfway over!" someone groaned, despair evident in their voice.

...

Meanwhile, in the tier one difficulty area, the scene was grim but not as dire.

There had been almost 270 brave souls who entered tier one, but now, over 140 survivors struggled to stay alive.

Here, vampires were absent, replaced instead by low-level bloodhounds. Their survival time? A mere thirty minutes.

"Last ten minutes! Hang in there, everyone!" a participant shouted, swinging a stick and striking a bloodhound squarely on the head.

Enko found himself among them, stripped of all his powers and reduced to the 1st Step. Why? Purely bad luck, of course.

He had once tasted fortune, rolling a golden prize, but it seemed he had exhausted all his luck for a lifetime. Since his revival, he had not unlocked a single golden ability.

Thinking back…

Never mind. The past was the past, and the present demanded his attention. Enko knew he could not handle tier two; his only choice was to grind through tier one.

He had no idea how many worthless white and green items he had opened, but even the blue abilities had proven lackluster.

Was the Administrator targeting him? How could someone be this unlucky?

"More of them are coming!" he heard a shout, and the reality of the situation pressed in on him.

...

In stark contrast to the struggles of tier one and tier two, five lifeless bodies lay peacefully in tier three.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

This time, the challenge was a direct confrontation with the True Ancestor. Five souls had dared to test their fate, only to be swiftly extinguished upon entry.

Now, as their souls lingered, they exchanged thoughts, awaiting the timer’s end before they could depart.

"If you ask me, it’s just bad luck," one mused, a hint of resignation in their voice.

"You going back next time?" another asked, curiosity piqued.

"Of course I am!" came the reply, a spark of determination igniting.

"You know, there were five of us who entered tier three. If we can survive until the end of the game, we'll be the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth place. No need to compete!" one proclaimed, a flicker of hope shining through the despair.

"Remember last time? I almost passed tier three difficulty because I was hiding in a haystack!" another reminisced, laughter bubbling forth despite their fate.

"Then someone betrayed me and intentionally led them over!"

"Pfft, ha ha ha. You're talking about Mihawk, aren't you?"

"Besides him, no one else would do that."

"Ah, well, the entrance fees are down the drain. I’ll have to go back and pick up our clothes later."

...

Time slipped away like sand through his fingers.

Shino was still entangled in a fierce struggle. Though he had grasped how to wield his abilities amidst the chaos, he found himself helpless against Dukes of his own caliber. These Dukes were mirror images of him, resilient and tenacious. Killing one was nearly impossible; their severed limbs grew back instantaneously. He would have to slay a Duke dozens of times to siphon their Blood Energy.

In a moment of desperation, Shino transformed his blood into thin, razor-like threads and launched them forward, slicing through the limbs of numerous vampires. But just as swiftly, all the vampires recovered as if reborn.

Sigh…

No matter what he did, he couldn’t bring them down.

With Dukes and over ten Barons relentlessly pursuing him, Shino realized he could not engage in a reckless attack. He pivoted and dashed into the shadowy depths of a skyscraper, where fortune smiled upon him. He discovered a gun and a cache of bullets hidden within a cabinet.

"What is this?" he wondered aloud, his fingers brushing against the cool metal.

But as he picked up a bullet, pain shot through his hand. He watched in horror as his fingers turned black and began to rot before his eyes, showing no sign of healing.

"Is this a tool meant to counter vampires?"

"But I can't use it!"

"I'm a vampire! Just holding the bullets burns my hands!"

Defeated, Shino abandoned the weapon and continued his frantic flight. Mithril, deadly to all beings, was particularly lethal for vampires. Mere contact caused their flesh to corrode and decay.

For humans, it would take prolonged exposure before symptoms emerged. Perhaps it was a consequence of vampires' low immunity.

With a resigned sigh, Shino quickened his flying speed, but as the second half of the timer ticked away, he found himself grounded. He could no longer fly and had to rely on his feet, scavenging the remains of a few Blood Fiends to stave off hunger.

Meanwhile, others still wielded Mithril bullets, successfully shooting down some vampires. However, the tide turned when five royals emerged on the battlefield, sending everyone into a panic. Aiming a shot became nearly impossible as they all scrambled for safety!

At last, when the countdown finally reached its end, only three souls remained in the tier two arena. Shino, fortunate to survive due to his ability to fly, joined the ranks of the other two, who had somehow managed to endure the chaos.

As the rewards began to be calculated, relief washed over Shino.

"Finally over…"

The first phase of the reward calculation revolved around the number of vampires each participant had slain, with points awarded according to their ranks. The higher the rank of the vampire, the greater the reward.

Shino's final score stood at an impressive 1,059 points, having dispatched a staggering 462 vampires, the highest rank being a Marquess.

He secured the top position.

The second place belonged to Ye Gong, who had killed 214 vampires, with the highest rank being a Count. The third spot was claimed by a figure named Paramecium, who managed to take down 146 vampires, also with a Count as their highest rank.

Back on the platform, Ye Gong sank into deep contemplation.

"Rex… I've never heard of that name."

"Who is this guy? He actually beat Ye Gong for first place?"

"Ah, while you’re still pondering who he is, I’ve already begun serving tea to the new Big Brother!"

Even 079 found itself a bit astonished by Shino's performance. When it had sent the invitation to him, he was merely a human.

Now, not long after, Shino had transformed into a Vampire.

The change occurred faster than 079 had anticipated; it hadn’t been prepared for such rapid evolution.

「…Is it necessary for the sake of balance, huh?」

[Wait, Shino?]

[Isn’t he the Red M… Cough, fine, it looks like even without me, he’ll definitely become the creation of that great one.]

079 had planned to orchestrate events for Shino, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Meanwhile, Shino extended his hand, opening the golden chest before him. A blue item shimmered within, revealing itself.

[Mithril Shotgun]

Shino stared at it, speechless.