I decided to stay in this byrinth for a while in order to stock up on materials, but as soon as we reached the second section, I found a problem. The problem was Gcien…

  The rugged, earthy tones of the first section gave way to a more refined, metallic sheen, and it wasn’t long before the new inhabitants made their presence known. These monsters, too, were golems, but they were unlike the previous mineral golems we had faced before. These were silver golems, their forms smooth and polished to a near-mirror appearance.

  Their bodies had a surface reflecting their surroundings with an unnerving crity. Unlike the jagged mineral golems, whose forms seemed to be crudely hewn from raw rock, the silver golems appeared crafted with precision and care, their edges clean and banced. They were taller and more imposing, their clear design giving them an air of elegance that showed their potential strength.

  Their faces were featureless, smooth ovals that glowed like freshly polished silver, with faint etchings where eyes and mouths might have been—glowing softly with a cold, blue light. Their limbs were slender compared to the mineral golems, but they moved with an unnatural fluidity, their joints seamlessly rotating without the grinding sounds of stone.

  “This could be a problem…”

  I shot down the beast with Rapid Fire… but I had to use it two times. I tried to save mana and summon wooden arrows, so perhaps that was the issue. In any case, the monster shrunk after death and just became a piece of silver that was smaller than my hand. When I touched it, my hand began to burn.

  “Now this, huh?”

  The problems were starting to appear and the main problem was still Gcien… since the second type of monster was an inorganic creature, I imagined that it would be the same in the other sections… we couldn’t get food here and while I had some for emergencies, it wouldn’t be enough given how much she eats. When she hunts, she usually brings for herself five times more food.

  “Should you just leave the byrinth and wait for me outside?”

  “Grrr…”

  “What do you want me to do when you eat so much?”

  I learned my lesson. I wrote down in my notebook that I should stock up on food and monster’s meat for situations like this. Finding it in the wild was easy, but it wouldn’t be possible all the time.

  In any case, fighting the silver golems at close range was another issue that I couldn’t let happen… their bodies were heavy and sharp enough, but thanks to their constitution, they would cause fifty percent more damage to me once they hit me.

  ‘Maybe I should stop focusing on just the archery skills and then use the debuff arrows to weaken their defenses alongside Rapid Fire, then Gcien can finish them off. Modern problems require modern solutions beyond understanding.’

  That was a good chance to power up my debuffing skills too, so why not? Since I am always fighting at a disadvantage, it is better if I have the tools to weaken my enemies.

  Once I shared my pn with Gcien, her demeanor changed. Her previously neutral expression brightened, and a sense of eagerness seemed to radiate from her. It was a little strange to see her reaction in such a way. After all, Gcien was just a beast, and I still had no idea how she could understand my nguage so well. Yet, the way she perked up and locked her piercing gaze on me made it clear she was listening and, more importantly, understanding. I pretended to guess what she was saying most of the time, but this was no act.

  When the next fight began, any lingering doubts about her comprehension disappeared. Gcien executed the pn with precision, as if she had memorized every word I said. Her movements were clear and coordinated, perfectly complementing my actions. She knew exactly when to attack, when to defend, and when to retreat, as if we had been fighting as a team for years.

  “All right, let’s keep this up and reach the end of the byrinth. We will gain more there, after all.”

  “Awoo!”

  “We also don’t know when the stock of food will end thanks to you, another reason to speed things up.”

  “Grrr…”

  “I am just speaking facts here.”

  We proceeded through the byrinth and soon reached the next floor. As soon as we stepped out there, something surprising happened.

  “Hatchoo!!”

  It was one hell of a sneeze… even Gcien looked at me scared. It felt like a grenade exploded near us. Regardless, when was the st time that I sneezed? Was I getting sick or was it because there was too much silver in this section of the byrinth?

  “I guess this is another level of being allergic to silver… maybe a bit too literal.”

  At this point in time, I had resigned myself to the reality of my weaknesses as a half-vampire. No matter how much I wanted to overcome it, the limitations of my nature were an ever-present weight. I told myself I should be grateful, grateful that my weaknesses weren’t as severe as those of full-blooded vampires. The crippling sunlight, the endless thirst, and the ever-present need to avoid detection. I didn’t have to endure all of that. But that was little consotion.

  The fact that I so rarely encountered vampires anymore was proof enough of just how impossible these issues could be. Full vampires, with all their strength and mystique, had been forced into obscurity because their weaknesses were so severe. If even they couldn’t find a way to overcome their nature, what chance did someone like me, a half-breed, really have?

  “Chi, chi, chi!”

  “I guess you have a point, drowning in depression won’t help me.”

  Name: Regulus Dawnshield

  Race: Dhampir

  Health: 330/330 (0/3200) (1.1)

  Regen: 2.6 per hour (0/2100) (1.3)

  Mana: 600/600 (0/4600) (1.3)

  Regen: 20.0 per minute (0/8100) (2.5)

  Stamina: 380/380 (0/3500) (1.1)

  Regen: 13.0 per minute (0/10.100) (1.3)

  Strength: 100 + 180 (0/5100) (2.0)

  Magic: 96 (0/6100) (1.6)

  Dexterity: 302 (0/5600) (5.5x)

  Spirit: 21 (0/2200)

  Endurance: 30 (0/3100) (1.1)

  Attack Speed: + 121% (0/7700) (1.6)

  Movement Speed: 15.1 (0/7600) (1.3)

  Stamina Conservation: 2.2 (0/20.000) (1.1)

  Fire Affinity: 30 (0/3100)

  Ice Affinity: 15 (0/1600)

  Traits: Minor Weakness to Sunlight, Minor Sensitivity to Holy Magic, Minor Aversion to Silver

  Csses: Pathfinder, Shadow Scriber, Demon Hunter, Dreadful Enchanter, Shadow Assassin, Merchant, Smith, Magic Forger, Sharpshooter, Pyromancer, Dark Padin, Arcane Archer, Shadow Archer, Barbarian, Lord of War, Bowman, Warbde, Beastmaster, Captain, Blood Mage, Cryomancer, Shadow Inscriber, Leatherworker, Toxic Assassin, Toxic Sage, Alchemist

  Aptitudes: Never Lost, Hunter’s Resolve, Malevolent Artifice, Way of Shadows, Master of Trade, Master of Forging, Arcane Crafting, Master of Precision, Heat Master, Silent Observation, Dark Retribution, Mystic Marksman, Shadow Archery, Rage Unleashed, Battlefield Presence, Ranged Skill, Relentless Assault, Animal Empathy, Maritime Captain, Blood Rain, Frost Wielder, Gliph Writer, Master of Hides, Toxic Mastery, Toxic Wisdom, Chemical Mastery

  Experience: 2598

  I checked my parameters, wondering if I would one day change those traits… if my physiology could change and make me thirst for blood, then perhaps that was a possibility. Since the mana multiplier increased, I decided to improve my mana pool a bit more, given that I would probably need it to summon those magic tools once I have the chance.

  There were also plenty of times where my mana drain effects didn’t work thanks to the circumstances… It was already impressive that it worked on the golems. Relying on the system was convenient, but it had a bunch of limitations. I had to find other ways to get stronger by myself, like combining some effects to obtain new ones.

  “Grrr…”

  While I was lost in thought, Gcien turned around and growled a bit. When I looked behind, I didn’t find the silver golems, so I wondered if she was imagining things.

  “What is wrong, girl? Are we being followed? I don’t think that the dwarves have enough room to try to get us.”

  Gcien still kept growling, weakling behind us… the people following us weren’t a threat, it seemed, but we couldn’t mess up. Surrounded by silver, I would feel weak even during the day, so who knows what would happen?

  “I guess we can dispose of them and then move on.”

  I slipped the camoufge amulet over my neck and secured another around Gcien. The enchantments activated almost instantly after I put the mana cores, cloaking us, both bleeding us into the environment. With our presence masked, we positioned ourselves and waited for the inevitable.

  It didn’t take long. The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the byrinth, growing louder with each passing moment. At first, I tensed, expecting a group. Our pursuers were unlikely to work alone. But as the seconds stretched on, only a single set of footsteps reached my ears. They’d sent just one. Either they were confident in this person’s ability, or they had underestimated me entirely.

  Before long, the figure came into view. The red-haired dwarf, her expression sharp and calcuting, but also filled with fear and tension. Her movements were precise, each step deliberate and quiet. She carried a silver crossbow, its polished surface glinting faintly. A rge, deadly looking bolt was already loaded and locked into pce, the faint hum of magical energy radiating from it.

  She passed from us while looking on the ground… she had a google on her face while she looked on the ground. It looked like she could see our footsteps with that. While I wasn’t expecting that, I knew enough to retract my footsteps a bit when I wanted to ambush any type of pursuers.

  “It seems that you have chosen death…”

  I grabbed the left side of the girl’s neck and then pointed my index right hand finger to her artery. I could feel her heartbeat racing thanks to the surprise. She immediately began to sweat cold, imagining that her end was near.

  “Any st words? Not like I will pass them to anyone.”

  I didn’t hear any answer, but I could feel her resignation. I couldn’t take any chances, so I decided to finish her off, but before I could really do it, her body got limp.

  WritingMachineGun