"Get up, you piece of shit!"
A harsh blow jolted Victor Von Deckart awake, a metallic taste flooding his mouth as blood surged up from his throat.
Unable to hold back, a raspy cough escaped his lips, churning out a pool of blood.
Cough!
Dark blood splattered on the ground, leaving a deep stain. It spread to the nearest person's boots, leaving them stunned.
"Did… did you just dirty my shoes?! You piece of shit! How dare you! How dare you!"
Angered, the person's foot shot towards Victor's back, stomping down on him repeatedly. The person wore heavy metal boots with pointed spikes on its bottom.
Merely by looking at it was enough to send shivers down Victor's spine.
Victor's pupils shrank, but the kick landed before he could even prepare himself.
An electric current flashed through his mind. It felt as if his brain had stopped, ceasing its operations, but the pain quickly pulled him back to reality.
Pain flared through his back as the spikes tore into his flesh. His vision blurred, and dizziness overtook him. More blood spilled from his lips.
The man kept repeatedly stomping him, digging the spikes through his flesh.
If he wasn't fully awake before, now he definitely was. Gritting his teeth, he forced his head up and glared at his torturer with bloodshot eyes.
"…Y-you…"
"Ha? What're you looking at!?' The torturer, an ugly short man wearing a metal chest plate, cackled with a crazed expression. "You really think you're still hot shit? The Deckart family is gone! Gone! Hahaha, you're no longer the heir of that family… You're nothing but a prisoner in my cell! Don't look at me like that!"
The torturer grabbed him by his neck, looking directly at his face. He choked, unable to breathe.
Then, the ugly bastard followed it up with a solid punch directly at his stomach, the ringing of the metal gloves echoing in the dimly lit cell.
For some unknown reason, the man was extremely harsh today.
"Gah—!"
With the little breathe Victor can muster, his lips parted slightly. Anger and confusion filled his eyes.
"W-why...?"
"Why, you ask?"
The torturer rubbed his chin and stopped for a moment.
"It's a shame. The Lord has decided you'll die tomorrow. This is our last session together, Victor… that's why… I'll make sure it's unforgettable for the two of us."
'"… What did you say?'
A mumbled escaped Victor's lips. His eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat.
'Execution.'
His body trembled.
Even after a month, he still couldn't forget that day. When the floor barriers deactivated, allowing the middle-level floors to invade the lower-level ones.
The Deckart Family, who had ruled Floor 4 for almost a century, fell to the invasion of a terrifying race from a middle-level floor.
Blood sucking monstrosities, Nightwalkers, who called themselves followers of the Night God—Vampires.
These abominations had power that surpassed human imagination. Shape shifting abilities, and immortal bones.
Barging right into humanity's domain, they had taken every powerhouse of humanity, humiliating and treating them as if they were mere dogs.
Even his father, Duke Deckart, who was the strongest soul forger in Floor 4 was killed in a matter of seconds by the opposing vampires.
Today, the floor Victor's family once ruled was nothing but a place of livestock for the bloodsucking nightwalkers.
Cough!
The torturer's ears twitched as a weak, rattling cough broke the silence. His gaze shifted.
An old man lay chained in the corner, blood dripping from his lips.
"You're still alive?"
Losing interest in Victor, the torturer strode over to the old man.
Victor watched dizzily as he lay on the cold floor, chained. The old man had been thrown into this cell at the same time as him. Yet, despite spending over a month together, they had never spoken to each other.
The ugly man sighed dramatically.
"Old geezer, looks like after today, it's just gonna be you and me, huh? Don't die too fast, alright? The Lord isn't done with you yet."
Before long, screams coming from the old man resounded in the cell.
Victor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't have the option of helping others right now, he was just thankful for the short respite the old man granted to him.
***
After a while, the ugly short man had left the cell. Victor and the old man were left to a bloody mess, with wounds and bruises spread across their body.
Unfortunately, Victor wasn't saved from the torture like he had thought. He had suffered the same fate as the old man afterwards.
A vengeful light glimmered from his eyes.
Pushing his body to the corner, he leaned against the walls, taking deep breaths.
Pain clouded his thoughts, turning them into a jumbled mess.
His hands tightened instinctively. If his rage could turn into strength, he would've broken free long ago.
'But my chance is coming soon…'
Victor gritted his teeth, attempting to let out a chuckle. But instead he coughed out more blood, showing a pathetic display.
He muttered under his breath.
"I'll… cough!… kill each and single of you goddamn bloodsuckers!"
"Do you want revenge?"
A calm voice suddenly resounded from his right.
It had been quite long since he heard something new. Victor turned to look and was surprised to see it came from the old man's side.
He blinked, unable to believe it. The old man was struggling to even breathe, much less talk with such a calm tone.
How could it be him?
"Do you want revenge?"
But the voice resounded again, and he was shocked to realize that he wasn't mistaken.
The old man's eyes stared at him directly. His eyes were as vast as the ocean, and there didn't seem to be an end to it.
Victor breath hitched. He was sucked in by such a mystical pair of eyes. From his daze, he forgot to point out the fact the old man had spoken even if his mouth didn't move.
"I can help you grant your revenge."
Snapping out from his daze, Victor eyes turned solemn. He looked at the old man with wariness.
"… Who are you?"
"I am no longer who I am." The old man transmitted. "It doesn't matter anymore who I once was. What's important is I can help you grant your revenge, but you have to promise me something."
Victor sneered mockingly. "If you can do that, then why don't you take revenge on your own?"
"Pointless." The old man replied. "I don't have the will to continue anymore… the path of vengeance isn't for me. I have lived far too long already, and my students have all died."
Victor fell silent. After a long while, he answered: "Explain."
Maybe it was the hopelessness of the situation, or the bizarre methods of the old man, but he entertained the man's words.
"I heard they plan to execute you tomorrow," the old man said. "I can help you escape. But even if you do, you won't stand a chance against those Vampires."
His voice deepened.
"I will pass on everything I have accumulated in my lifetime. But in exchange, you must promise me one thing."
Victor exhaled slowly.
Here it comes.
"Kill them."
The old man's gaze burned with sorrow, fury, and something deeper—something that resonated with Victor.
"Kill every last one of those abominations. Don't stop. Not until the last of them is wiped from this continent."
Victor's fingers twitched, his surprise evident on his face.
He could feel it—the weight of the old man's grief.
They were the same.
Two men crushed by fate.
Two men who had lost everything.
His answer came without hesitation.
"Deal."