After saying this, the corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted into a proud smile. Such an expression might look dashing on a well-dressed young man under thirty, but on a six-year-old child, it seemed out of place.

Of course, there was no mirror around, nor anyone else breathing who could critique him. This was one reason Norton liked his undead soldiers. Due to his status, he always had to be cautious when interacting with other family members, trying to appear as much like a normal child as possible. Fortunately, he had an older sister who was just slightly older than him, so when he was unsure about something, he could simply mimic her.

Despite the gender difference, at such a young age, gender characteristics were not pronounced. Aside from differences in hairstyle and clothing, young children were quite similar.

However, Norton had clearly forgotten something: he and his sister were six years apart. Initially, it wasn’t a big deal, but six years later, Juana was already twelve. Vampires develop at a similar pace to humans between ages one and twenty, and Juana was a bit precocious… was it really okay to keep mimicking her?

"Well, well, well, I’m just too clever. This kind of thing is no problem for me." Perhaps due to some stimulus during his soul's travel through the wormhole, Norton was indeed smarter and more cunning than in his past life, where he had only shown minor cleverness with average grades at the military academy. With such a personality, combined with combat abilities from the future world and an affinity for the magic wind, it seemed that making a mark in this world wouldn’t be too difficult.

As Norton thought this, his steps became lighter, and he quickened his pace. However, just as he took a step forward, setting his foot on a stone tile ahead and another step to fully stand on it, the tile suddenly flipped downward, revealing sharp iron spikes ten meters below. Among the spikes, a few scattered white bones were visible. The smooth, patternless bluestone walls were steep and impossible to climb!

Worse still, Norton felt his connection to the magical wind abruptly cut off, and his own stored magic seemed to solidify! Something in the trap was sealing off magic usage!

"Impressive!" Norton's heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, he leaned back, performing a backflip and using both hands to push off against another stone tile, ready to spring upward. Yet he felt his balance disrupted again—the stone tile he pushed with his hands also flipped downward!

"What a setup!" He hadn't expected the mechanism to be a chain trap! The front board triggered the rear one, leaving no room for defense! Fortunately, Norton's past experiences braving treacherous paths and his superior vampire physiology now gave him an edge. Although he was just a six-year-old child, he could perform physically demanding maneuvers.

Shouting, Norton focused all his strength into his left hand, managing to grip the smooth, seemingly tractionless trap wall. Using sheer force, he bent his arm slightly, then sharply straightened it, spending nine parts of his strength to hold onto the wall and using the remaining part to propel himself high into the air.

Unsure whether other tiles might also flip, Norton, in less than a second mid-air, rapidly formed six magical gestures, casting a levitation spell to float above—finally safe.

Norton survived the ordeal, but the crypt guards and skeletal wolves accompanying him were not so fortunate; they perished instantly, leaving no remains. Those crypt guards, once legendary warriors enhanced by necromantic rituals, should have been difficult to harm. However, the magic sustaining them collapsed instantly, turning them into ordinary bones, taking their weapons and gear down with them, killing them all at once.

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Floating above, Norton remained vigilant for a long while before cautiously relaxing. Reflecting on the situation, he realized how dangerous it had been—the trap seemed almost sentient, activating only when he stepped on it, rendering his cannon-fodder strategy useless.

With sixteen high-level undead gone, the passage felt eerily empty. Norton found himself in a dilemma: he had encountered two traps already upon entering the tomb, with an unknown number of dangers still ahead. The difficulty could very well surpass breaking the outer barrier.

Now, with no undead to shield him, any further mishaps could be disastrous. Treasure is enticing, but one must live to enjoy it…

"Still, I can't just turn back now, that would be too disappointing."

Norton thought about it and muttered to himself, "Besides, losing those skeletons will be hard to explain… bribing the cat costs money as well. Then there’s Juana… she borrowed quite a bit of money from me and hasn’t returned a cent…" With these thoughts, Norton was in a bind.

"Really don't know how I'll explain this at home…" he muttered. Two fireballs exploded with a "boom," shattering the tile cover with no defense mechanisms. Seeing the ancient crypt guards' remains scattered below, irreparable, Norton pondered before attempting to see if he could retrieve the skeletons. However, any magic used in the three-foot-square trap vanished without a trace, and his arcane sight revealed nothing. Norton had little choice but to abandon the attempt.

“This is such a hassle… oh well.” After a moment’s consideration, Norton decided to continue. Reduced in number and having suffered a small loss, his actions became more cautious.

Continuing deeper into the tomb, Norton adopted a more careful demeanor. He tested each step by tossing a table knife to check for loose tiles or other mechanisms. His arcane sight remained active to detect magical traps ahead.

However, these precautions seemed unnecessary. After advancing roughly twenty meters, Norton encountered no further traps, a strange situation that doubled his caution.

Judging by the tomb owner's setup, it might have belonged to an ancient imperial noble, a family patriarch, or even an emperor.

If that were the case, the previous arrangements seemed insufficient. Despite seeming perilous, they appeared designed only to deter lone grave robbers, not matching the grandeur of an ancient empire.

"So, what surprises await?" Norton made a wry joke to himself, proceeding cautiously. If possible, he would have preferred to continue floating, but in this tomb, the magic wind was so thin he could hardly draw power from it.

Perhaps it was because his previous strike to break the outer barrier had been too extraordinary; the magic wind within the tomb had yet to recover.

Regardless, Norton was in a precarious state. His greatest asset, powerful magical energy, was nearly exhausted, leaving little room for error. Even maintaining a basic levitation spell was out of reach.

Besides, while Norton's skills were decent, they were just that—decent. He could handle ten, twenty, or maybe a few more enemies, but against elite opponents or sufficiently large professional forces, he was still at great risk.

"So really, I'm in a dangerous situation now. Anything goes wrong, and my life could end here. Seriously…" Norton muttered to himself, trying to quell his fear as he continued forward—halt! At the end of the lengthy passage was an expansive hall—unlike the previous dim passage, magical lights from the ceiling illuminated it as brightly as a cloudless summer day.

As a vampire, Norton was not well-adjusted to such intense brightness, especially after using arcane sight earlier. The most crucial fact was—Norton was sure that the hall had been pitch black before he stepped in, only lighting up with a strong, eerie blue glow upon his entrance.

"Danger! Be alert!" Norton quickly realized, casting what little magic he had left to conjure a protective arcane armor. His left hand reached for his waist, retrieving three silver table knives between his fingers, while his right hand flexed, ready to form magical gestures. He crouched in a poised position, ready to strike at any instant.