Taking in his surroundings, Teo didn't see a single monster. The tunnel stretched out endlessly before him, shrouded in darkness. Wondering about the emptiness, he decided to double-check the data Selene had sent.
Grabbing his phone, he pulled up the downloaded report. "Rank C. Four floors, with a boss only on the last floor." He skimmed further. "Sound-based monsters... cave setting helps them, I guess." Teo lost interest. This wouldn't be a challenge.
They'd picked him because, as an immortal vampire, he could ignore their weak attacks and clear the dungeon fast. He'd just need to watch out for traps because healing still costs energy. "Or," he smirked, "I could just devour every monster I kill."
"I'll clear the first three floors today. Tomorrow's my 17th birthday, so that's when I awaken... I can't wait," he whispered to himself, a wild grin spreading across his face.
Teo continued down the dark tunnel, his steps echoing. After thirty minutes, still no sign of life. The silence was almost unnatural. "Tsk, where are all the monsters?" he muttered. "If it stays this easy, I'll be out of here in no time."
However, as Teo moved deeper, the tunnel grew increasingly narrow, pressing him between the walls that seemed to close tighter with each step. Just as he felt the rocks scraping against his shoulders, the narrow passage ended.
He stepped forward, and the space around him opened up into an immense cave, stretching so far that even his vision struggled to capture the edges. The ceiling high above was covered with bats.
Seeing the bats, Teo couldn't help but grin. Finally, some monsters. "Come at me!" he shouted, licking his lips in anticipation. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.
In unison, every bat opened its mouth, releasing a piercing, shrill cry that seemed to cut through the air. The sound surged toward him like a wave, vibrating his bones and reverberating in his skull.
"Oh shit, this is gonna hurt," Teo muttered, desperately trying to cover his ears, but it was too late. The sonic assault hit him full force, sending a jolt of pain racing through his body.
He collapsed to the ground, disoriented for a moment as his vampiric healing kicked in, rapidly mending the damage. "Damn, I forgot these bats use sound-based attacks, and of course, in this cavern, the sound's amplified."
Getting up slowly as his injuries and headache healed, Teo closed his eyes for a moment, concentrating on his aching body. This was it. The thrill of fighting and getting injured is what he lives for.
Snapping his fingers, blood started to appear behind him. "Blood Spears," he chanted. The next moment, countless blood-red spears formed surrounding him. He raised his index finger and aimed it at the swarm of bats. At his signal, every spear shot forward, hurdling toward their targets.
Agonized howls spread throughout the cave as Teo watched hundreds of bats fall from the rocky ceiling above. Glancing over the scattered bodies, he casually chewed on their remains, quickly losing interest. "Pathetic," he muttered. "I should have read the report more carefully; then I'd have avoided these useless injuries. But it doesn't matter. Without pain, things are far too dull."
Teo strolled through the bats' remains, casually launching spear after spear at the remaining bats. Each bat that fell, he would snack on it, devouring half or less of the creature before discarding it carelessly. The ground full of half-eaten bodies.
He tore off a chunk of meat, chewing as he muttered, "Weak little things... barely worth the effort." Swallowing, he glanced around at the pile of half-eaten bats spread across the ground, having finally arrived at the end of the bat-infested cave. His gaze shifted, catching sight of a staircase descending into the next level.
"So, this was the first floor. Not bad as a warm-up, I suppose," he said. Continuing onward, he started down the stairs to the second floor.
Exiting the staircase, he stepped into another cavernous chamber, this one far larger than the previous cave on the first floor. Teo saw all the monsters glaring at him. There were even more bats hanging on the ceiling, and Teo noticed that they looked bigger than the bats that were on the first floor.
And on the ground were creatures that looked like lizards; they had long, scaly bodies that were white. With big blue eyeballs, their scaled limbs ended in sharp, curved nails.
"Now this is more like it!" Teo exclaimed, a sinister, almost feral grin spreading across his face, as if reveling in some dark, twisted pleasure. His nails elongated into wicked claws. His body began to stretch and sharpen, becoming taller and more unnaturally slender, his features taking on a vampiric edge as his form twisted.
He could feel his senses sharpen as his fangs lengthened, his skin growing even paler. The hunger for blood surged within him, an insatiable craving that rose with the transformation. His form was no longer human; he was becoming something monstrous.
He watched as the bats opened their mouths once more, preparing for another shrill cry. Without hesitation, Teo sprang into action, chanting, "Crimson Silence." Two small red bubbles materialized around his ears, forming a protective barrier. The high-pitched shriek of the bats collided harmlessly with the invisible shield, having no effect on Teo.
A smirk curled on Teo's lips. Not waiting for another second, he snapped his fingers. "Blood Spears!" The moment the words left his lips, the blood spears were launched towards the bats.
Without a second glance, Teo dashed toward the lizards. In a blur of motion, he slashed through one with his claws, splitting it in half, before puncturing the throat of another with a swift strike. The air was thick with the stench of blood as he moved through them effortlessly.