A level 15 monster was three levels ahead of him, so the fight would not be easy. Alex would have to use everything to deal with the vampire.
"Let me handle this, adventurer," the captain said, moving his hand toward the sword's sheath.
Alex was not the type of person to flee from combat. Even if it was a fight, he would undoubtedly die, then perhaps, but fighting against a monster only three levels ahead of him was possible!
'I have a hidden class! I cannot hide like a coward!' Alex thought.
Before the captain could kill the monster, he spoke up, "Let me deal with it."
The captain was a little surprised. Alex fought against many bats, and the vampire did not look like a weak opponent, but after he displayed skill, the captain was more than glad to let him fight again.
"Go on, but if things get bad, I will help you."
That gave Alex even more confidence in fighting the vampire. He moved forward, wielding his Umbra Blade, a sword that brought fear to its enemies.
The vampire, different from bats, was an intelligent humanoid creature. "Young man, don't be stupid. Let your captain fight, or else you will die horribly here."
Alex paid no attention to that and instead activated his skill called Doppelganger! An exact copy of Alex appeared beside him, but its body was like a shadow.
Then, it was time to act! The first person to attack in combat often had an advantage in tempo, which was exactly what Alex aimed for. He dashed toward the vampire going as fast as he could, and his Doppelganger did the same, but the two changed directions.
Alex wanted to circle the vampire, who did not look scared, "I know your shadow is just an illusion, so why bother?"
What the vampire said made Alex smirk. It was understandable that the vampire thought like that because a skill like the Doppelganger that created a clone that dealt 50% of the user's damage was quite powerful and rare.
It was easier to be an illusion than a powerful skill like Alex's, so the vampire had no idea what awaited him. Once Alex got close enough to the vampire, he used his first skill, Shadow Strike.
The vampire was focusing solely on Alex himself, and surprisingly, the vampire managed to dodge the attack and felt quite happy about it.
"See? You can't win against me," it said.
Well, it soon bit his tongue. The Doppelganger attacked the vampire from behind with the same Shadow Strike, and the attack hit! It even crit!
[Critical Hit]
[387 Damage dealt]
A vast cut was on the vampire's back. Blood flowed from the wound, and it was clear that the vampire's health had greatly diminished after the first attack.
"H-How? How did you do that?" The vampire said, not believing what his eyes were seeing.
The Doppelganger soon vanished, and the vampire felt more at ease, "You can't use this powerful attack again, right?"
Alex retreated a few steps and said, "How did you know?"
A maniac laugh echoed inside the cave, "This is obvious. Now, just die for me."
The vampire dashed toward Alex with its sharp long claws, ready to rip his throat! It moved fast, and Alex did not feel he had the speed to avoid the attack.
Well, he wasn't looking to avoid it; just block! Alex used his Umbra Blade to block the vampire's claws and activated his Doppelganger skill again. A shadow silently appeared behind the vampire.
"What?"
The creature was utterly shocked! Even more shocking was the next scene with Alex casting his Shadow Strike again and the Doppelganger doing the same, hitting the vampire on two fronts. The vampire died.
[340 Damage dealt]
[170 Damage dealt]
[You killed Fledging Vampire]
[3 levels difference]
[30% More EXP]
[+1100 EXP]
Everything went silent for a while. The captain and the soldiers watching the fight gapped their mouths, and the first one to speak was the captain himself.
"Good job, adventurer. It seems Mayor knew who to send here to help."
Alex smiled. He enjoyed hearing that. It made his day to get a compliment from such a powerful NPC. Despite killing one vampire, there were still plenty of things to uncover inside those mines, and the captain's expression was not that good.
Anyone could notice it. "What happened, captain?" Alex asked.
"It's just... vampires should not be here. This is not a good sign at all."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
Alex did not have much information about the world. He had just arrived in the city.
"I had been receiving constant reports about vampire attacks in small villages. This is turning into a big threat in this kingdom..."
The reports started a while ago. No one knew the exact reason behind the vampire attacks, but at first, no one paid much attention.
The captain and Mayor Sebastian once talked about those strange attacks happening, yet it led to nothing then.
"These are only a small number of attacks, and it's happening away from us. Send someone to investigate, but don't spend too much resources on it. We have other important business," Mayor Sebastian said.
But that changed! The attack was on a mine not far from the city. The vampires and the other creatures they controlled were getting closer and closer, and who could be sure the town of Crystal would not be the next target?
Alex himself, who did not have that much information about the recent attacks, knew that was not a good thing to happen.
"Captain, let's think about this after we leave this mine. Do you want to know more about it? Then this is the perfect place to seek answers!" Alex said.
The captain returned to his usual calm state, understanding the meaning behind Alex's words. Desperate acting would lead to nothing and could give the vampires more advantages.
"You're right, adventurer. Let's keep moving and discover what is happening inside this place!"