[WAVE-6 HAS BEEN COMPLETED]

[REMAINING TIME UNTIL THE NEXT WAVE: 30 Minutes]

On the ground, in a bloody mess, the sound of notifications echoed through my mind as my eye hardly stayed open. I was sleepy and tired—so exhausted that even the texts that were only a few inches away blurry in my sight. There was still a scorching pain in my right eye, but I think the bleeding finally stopped as no blood was dropping anymore.

Lamia's body began fading, reverting back to the light particles she was initially made of. It was like she never existed when the last particle of light disappeared in the air.

Yet, there was a taste in my mouth—a familiar taste—the taste of blood. Most probably, some of hers made it into my mouth somehow when I stabbed her to death. Well... I couldn't care less as I had tasted more terrible things before. After all, what can be worse than a ghoul's saliva?

Coming against my body's will, I tried to stand up again, only to fall on my back halfway. My body was rejecting the very thought of movement. My muscles were begging for a rest.

"*Kugh!* Okay. I guess I will just lie down a little more," I huffed, knowing it will be longer than a "little".

Fighting so many enemies in a row was still pushing my body to its limits. Well, my vitality is the same. What was I even expecting?

It's hilarious that I was still weak after all the training I'd done.

Whenever I dare to say that I am stronger, the system finds a way and throws something more challenging in front of me. In an endless race, like a little fish in a large ocean, swinging its fins harder and harder through the waves, only to end up back where it started.

This feeling of weakness and hopelessness... It gets stronger as I get stronger.

I am marching constantly and consistently to become that perfect weapon, but am I even making progress?

But no...

Nothing about this unalterable fact upsets me or scares me. The only thing it makes me wonder about is—to get an answer, just how many?

How many more enemies do I have to kill before I leave this place? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? Billions?

The longer I stared at the white sky, the heavier my eyelid became. The bright artificial light of this place was still hitting my retina with its full power irritatingly, yet I knew nothing could prevent me from taking a nap here. Finally, my eyelid closed, and darkness covered my sight as my breathing slowed down gradually...

...

...

...

...

...

[SEVENTH WAVE IS STARTING WITHIN 3 MINUTES]

The loud sound of notification echoed through my mind again, waking me up.

After a moment—when my eye adjusted to light—I said whiningly, "...And I had always thought that the morning alarms were irritating. *Sigh* At least they can't ring in your head," as I pushed myself to my feet.

There was no way that I could get the sleep that my body sorely craved, nor would I have the opportunity to do so. Still, there was an improvement, even if I still felt some soreness whenever I moved.

[REMAINING TIME MINUTES]

I had considered this, though, and was ready for it. The length of this trial was beyond my endurance. I realized this when I first fought against imps. This is why, ever since I began this trial, I have been making an effort to minimize my use of MP and Qi.

Despite the odds being stacked against me, the greatest outcome I can hope for is to keep moving forth as much as possible and have an idea about the further waves. In the worst-case scenario, I will have to start from scratch. Then... If I still cannot finish it, I will just have to begin again and again until I succeed. Even after everything I've been through, I can't decide whether or not it's a curse to be able to keep coming back from the dead.

Getting my armor out of my inventory, I started wearing them one by one while looking at the bad state they were in. Holes, breaches and scratches... Almost every component was ruined in some way. My helmet, though, was in worse shape than the rest, even among them.

There was a massive vertical split on its right side which occurred while protecting my right eye. In spite of the fact that it did little to shield my right eye, it ended up saving my life. Being in the path of that Lamia's onslaught sure came with a cost.

In my final step of prepping, I summoned the Torchlight. Within a single second, it appeared in my hands.

Its surface was full of scratches and battle marks from all the fighting we had through many trials. My fingers wandered on its surface, feeling the cold steel, feeling how everything around me was temporary.

[Durability: 38/100]

Just a touch was enough to feel everything. Death was here for them, too. Not now, not today, but someday it will happen. Maybe it really is ridiculous, or I am just pathetic to feel sorry for something unalive, but these things...

Now thinking, they are all I have here.

Looking at my reflection on its blade for a second, I put it back into its sheath, waiting for the start of the next wave, and it wasn't long before the first panels appeared.

[SEVENTH WAVE IS STARTING WITHIN 3 SECONDS]

[]

[]

[]

[!!]

Leaving my thoughts behind, I focused on the fight to come.

Appearing from nothingness, the light began taking shape and started doing its business right away without wasting a single second. I had to squint my eye to look directly at the light, the very existence of which I did not comprehend. After giving its behavior a moment of thought, I concluded that it was going to create only one enemy.

Though I won't be sure what exactly it is until the creation is totally completed, the form of the light was of a humanoid with two arms and two legs. This was good; I'll be able to defend myself more effectively against a creature with a similar body shape.

After a few seconds, when the creation ultimately ended, the light faded away in silence, ending my suspense without keeping me waiting any longer. Ready to act, my right hand was gripping the Torchlight's hilt as my gaze traveled over my opponent.

"Human?" I made a quick guess.

At least, I thought it was a human until I saw its pale skin and pointy ears. It was a male human's body. Human, not elf, because I've battled dozens of times against elves and am familiar with their appearance, and this thing is obviously not an elf but doesn't seem to be a human with that facial structure. He was unlike anything I'd seen before.

His face and ears were entirely exposed to me while his long, black, wavy hair dripped freely down his back. With his deathly pale skin and pointy ears, he has a pointed chin, a narrow profile, and an aquiline nose, giving his face slightly the appearance of a triangle. Awakening from his sleep, his red, piercing eyes directly looking at me gave him an intimidating appearance.

He was about the same stature as I am, but his frame was noticeably less robust, gaining him a weak stance. Despite the fragile appearance of the body, I knew that there was a hidden strength within it that did not match its weak appearance. He could deceive my eyes but not my senses.

This being had no visible weapons or armor, only a long black leather coat, and leather gloves. The only potentially dangerous aspect of its appearance was its sharp, pointy fingernails, but even those were not seeming as challenging and sharp as a lamia's

"What might you be?" I asked myself before using "analyze" on him.

[Vampire Lv.20]

[Name: --- ]

[Race: Vampire (Lower)]

[STR: 162]

[AGI: 170]

[VIT: 94]

[INT: 80]

[IN: 0]

[(Vampires are known by many names - bloodsucker, lords of the night, the godless race - but only a few know their true nature and origin. Five hundred years after the "Era of Legends," the first vampires rose to power in the continent of Aloris by spreading death, chaos, and misery. There was no evil god or other malevolent divine entity behind their creation, contrary to the false sacred texts of many religions. A human magician who was fascinated by evolution was responsible for creating these beings through thousands of experiments on living creatures. The great dark magician Alwyn wanted humanity to advance to the next step in its evolution, but in doing so, he unleashed a force that threatened everyone on the continent of Aloris, including himself. The vampires, who were destined to carry humanity to its bright future, became the worst nightmare for humanity and many others. Vampires possessed a power that almost no other race could reach and use properly - blood magic, which they are born with. In a short time, they grew so much that they split into numerous clans to exert their authority over conquered territories. After causing havoc for the next four hundred years by using blood magic to their advantage, vampires were finally stopped by a group of heroes with the support of several nations and armies. While their race may be virtually extinct, there may still be a few individuals who are dormant and waiting for the glorious day of their awakening.)]

After reading all the essential parts, my sight swayed from the panels to the figure again. He seemed unwilling to take the initiative and stood there as if he were analyzing me. Nonetheless, I knew he was prepared to battle like me.

Although the light's creations don't appear to be able to communicate or have any sort of emotional self, that doesn't mean they're completely mindless automatons. I mean, some of them are literally mindless monsters, but the others—just by looking into their eyes, I can see the spark of intelligence and invaluable experience they have. They are not completely a monster or a human; they are unique.

And in this case, too, I can see that spark of intelligence in those sinister eyes.

We looked at one other for a second, and I commented, "Blood magic, huh? Even the name sounds ominous..." as I placed one hand on the hilt of the Torchlight and the other behind my back to gather mana.

As I said, "But," a magic circle emerged on my hand glowingly, and a grin grew across my face.

[-120 MP] [MP: 586/960]

"That's the part of the thrill, right?" Without losing a second, I let forth a fireball upon him roughly halfway through my statement. He quickly sensed my impending attack, and a red mist rushed from his body to congregate around his hand. Unfortunately, before my fireball could reach him, the crimson mist suddenly formed a magical circle, glowing red. This was followed by a crimson barrier enveloping his entire body as the red magic circle flared brightly at his fingertips. Even though it appeared to take a long time, this process actually just consumed a single second.

And after that single second, my fireball and his barrier collided with each other, producing a loud explosion.

*Boom!*

After tanking all the damage of my fireball, the barrier released a crimson vapor from its surface and appeared to be the only thing that got hurt in this encounter. The vampire was still there in one piece and suffered no lasting effects beyond being pushed back a few steps.

Seeming not to be so happy after my way of welcoming him, he lunged at me as the red mist left out his body once again and formed a sword seemingly made of blood in his palm. The fact that a blade could be created out of literally nothing just like that was impressive but now was neither the time nor the place to be amazed.

"Tch! This will be annoying..." I hissed bothersomely.

Knowing my plan failed miserably, I unsheathed the Torchlight while I took a few steps back to guard myself against his strikes.

*Clang!*

*Clang!*

*Swish!*

'He really isn't as weak as he seems,' I thought, feeling the strength behind every blow he made. Both of us were trying to find a way to successfully attack the other, and the sound of our swords cutting through the air as they repeatedly clashed was overwhelming.

[-20 HP] [HP: 776/1070]

He wasn't quite as good with the sword as I am, and I was able to easily dodge and block many of his blows, but my body wasn't at its prime either. His talent was up against my endurance, and we both had our advantages.

Just as I believed we were in for a long, slow struggle, his body spat out the same crimson mist he had used before and he accelerated abruptly.

The next thing I knew was his presence behind me.

Instinctively, I knew I was in trouble as I moved my arms over my shoulder and slid the blade of my sword down my back, making it look like I had placed it in an imaginary second scabbard.

*CLANG!*

It was the loudest clang of swords since we began this duel when his blade clashed with mine. My arms felt like they were about to give out from the pressure, but they held up.

After the encounter, his blade ricocheted off mine and went back uncontrollably. He was probably so sure about his strike that he hadn't thought I would block it, and as a result of using too much force, his sword was deflected back and he lost his balance, stumbling a few steps back.

[-70 Qi] [Qi: 660/1000]

His misstep became my opportunity. I abandoned my defensive position, switched back to a regular grip on my blade, and spun around to attack the vampire, using my Qi to increase my speed.

*Slash!*

A single drop of blood stained the otherwise spotless floor, and more soon followed. I halted my sword's lateral momentum after it slashed through his chest, leaving a gaping wound.

He was no longer stumbling; instead, there was an uncomfortable silence.

Where my blade came and went through his skin, flesh, and ultimately his destroyed rib cage was crystal clear to me. Just when I was resigning myself to victory, he kicked me and threw himself farther from me.

"How-"

The scene before me cut off my question in mid-sentence.

Pointing his sword at me with one hand and creating a magic circle with the other, red mist once again streamed from his body and was absorbed into his wound, bringing about a visible recovery within seconds.

Noticing how quickly the cut I'd caused had healed, "Really?" I spoke my aggravated confusion out. His blood magic was really a pain in the ass, but I've learned the hard way that everything has its price and he can't probably do that forever.

"Let's see how long you can play around like that!" Lunging forward, I stormed into another fight.

Maybe I was really getting good at swordsmanship. The more I fought with him, the more I adapted to his style. There was no resemblance between my attacking method and his. Our approaches were very different; mine was much more straightforward, while his was more stealthy, like an assassin's. Every time he had an opportunity, he kept trying to sneak up behind me and kill me in one swift blow, but I wasn't stupid enough to fall for the same trick again.

Perhaps he would have had more success in killing me if our battle had taken place at night, but in full daylight, his tricks had no chance.

*Sweep!*

*Clang!*

In the heat of the moment, we marched back and forth across the battlefield, our swords clashing with each other in a fierce dance. I could feel the sweat pouring down my face as my body forced itself to its limits. Now and then, though, his guard was broken and he suffered minor scrapes and bruises. In a sword fight like this, that lamia was much tougher than him.

*Clang!*

As our swords touched for the final time, we pulled each other apart and put some space between us.

Huff!

My heart was pounding so hard that it echoed in my ears as I took deep breaths and let them out, again and again, my sweaty palms still firmly gripping the Torchlight's hilt.

"What? Are you tired already?" I ridiculed him, looking at the state he was in. Wounds covered his shaking body, and blood dripped through his garments and onto the floor. In his free hand, a red magic circle manifested and directed the crimson mist to heal his wounds. I watched the process and let him heal himself. I had realized long ago that whenever he healed himself, his strikes lost power and his movements slowed down.

Only the heavy intake and release of breath could be heard, and even they gradually receded as we drew circles around each other, aiming the other with our sword's blade's tip.

This time, something strange was happening with his sword. I noticed that it was beginning to lose its solidity, as if it were slowly melting away. It was actually turning into blood, the very material it was made of.

*Drip*

*Drip*

As the blood dripped from the edges of his sword and stained the white floor beneath us, he was aware of the dire situation he was in. I had no intention of giving him time to restore his spell or showing him mercy. I lunged forward before he could activate his spell, my sword flashing through the air and colliding with his own. His sword was not as solid as it had been before, and every strike I made seemed to accelerate its destruction, turning it into a pool of blood on the floor. Despite his desperate attempts to protect himself with his weak sword, we both knew the outcome was inevitable. After a minute of merciless strikes from me, his sword was completely destroyed.

Disarmed and vulnerable, I took advantage of the opening and thrust my sword forward, driving it into his heart. As his hand grasped the Torchlight's blade and he tried to free himself from the sword, I told him in a cold manner, "Don't you understand, this is the end for you."

[-120 MP] [MP: 466/960]

"Conjure Flames..."

The temperature around the sword began to rise, and flames gathered around the blade, burning the vampire from within. The intense heat seared through his body, leaving him no chance to defend himself or escape. As the flames consumed him, his eyes were still locked on me. His eyes, they were filled with agony. The flames were hurting him, but nothing was coming out of his mouth - no sound, no scream. Finally, flames covered his face too. I pulled my sword back and sheathed it, standing there and watching as the vampire was reduced to ashes before my eyes.

"Death, it's so strange, isn't it?" I asked myself, gazing at the remains of the vampire before me. The finality of it all was unsettling, and I couldn't help but wonder about the mysteries of life and death. What lay beyond this world, and what happened to the soul after the body was gone? Do they fall into the darkness like me? Did the others besides me open their eyes to this kind of place? What Player-474 means? I was no closer to finding answers as I stood there in the aftermath of another life taken.

[WAVE-7 HAS BEEN COMPLETED]

[REMAINING TIME UNTIL THE NEXT WAVE: 30 Minutes]

[AS A REWARD FOR COMING THIS FAR, THE PLAYER WILL BE REWARDED WITH AN ENERGY POTION, A HEALTH POTION, AND A MANA POTION]

-CHAPTER 40 END-