The old man stared at me for a moment. "Er, n-no, not all of them have cybernetic parts. Sorry, I should've clarified. They're kinda just vampires from the future, but the more dangerous ones are those with cybernetic implants."

  Tommy and Celine exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of skepticism and excitement. "Vampires with cybernetics?" Tommy said, scratching his head. "This game just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

  "Considering a small part of its mechanics actually follow standard game formulas, that shouldn't be so surprising anymore," I said with a smirk, looking around at the high-tech gothic cityscape. The buildings were tall and narrow, with archaic stones and metallic structures intertwining in a way that made my head spin. Neon lights and holographic billboards flickered and danced across the walls, advertising various goods and services that were impossible to comprehend at first glance.

  "Hey, but I'm serious. These guys are leagues above anything we've ever faced. Even during the World Raid," the old man spoke up, his voice laced with a hint of fear. "Nothing short of Holy-attributes or the Angel faction will be effective against these guys. Most of them have already gone ahead, which is why you see the rest of us waiting here for them to come back. If they come back."

  My smile grew wider. While it was the only active skill of its kind that I had, Holy Element was both a Holy-attribute and a skill I gained directly from an Angel. A courtesy of the first boss I had ever faced. Zapziel, I think his name was.

  "I think we'll be fine, sir," I assured him, patting him on the back. He promptly brushed off the spot I patted him on. "We've got this."

  "Don't say I didn't warn you."

  The old man's words hung in the air as we stepped away from the crowded camps and into the dimly lit streets of the city. The atmosphere was thick with a sense of foreboding that even the flashy neon lights couldn't pierce. The buildings looked like they could tell a thousand gothic tales of despair and rebellion, each one more twisted than the last.

  Tommy and Celine had drawn their dual blades out, the neon lights reflecting off the steel in a mesmerizing pattern. Their eyes darted around, searching for any sign of danger. With my heightened senses, I could tell there was nothing out there.

  In fact, as we trekked deeper into the city, I noticed that I couldn't sense any other presence at all. I stopped walking, a frown spreading on my face.

  "What's wrong?" Celine asked, looking around warily.

  I immediately tensed, whipping the Soultaker in front of me. "Fuck. Guys, keep your guard up."

  "What do you sense?" Tommy's eyes narrowed as he scanned the area.

  "That's the problem. I don't," I replied tersely. "That old guy said other Players got here before us, but if that's the case, we would've sensed them or at least heard them fighting, right?"

  Tommy nodded, his grip tightening around the hilt of his swords. "Ain't no way they're all dead either."

  Our pace slowed significantly as we inched our way through the deserted streets. The silence was eerie, and the lack of any signs of life only served to amplify the tension. It was as if the entire city had been abandoned, left behind by those who knew better than to face whatever horrors lay in wait.

  "Sephera, you there?" I whispered into the air.

  [Yeah, I'm here, Player.]

  "Any chance you could shed some light onto what's going on right now?"

  It took a moment before I saw Sephera's message pop up in front of me again.

  [...Not until you actually encounter them. Sorry ;_; ]

  I quietly clicked my tongue. Stupid system preventing me from gaining information. Oh well, if it’s how things were going to go, then that was fine by me.

  As we turned the corner, we saw a figure leaning against the wall of a building, shrouded in shadows. A cold chill ran down my spine, but it didn’t feel like the presence of a monster or a human. Rather, it didn't have a presence at all.

  "Fuck," I muttered under my breath, sensing the other two pause behind me. "We stepped into a trap."

  "Even if you've realized it, you meatbags are too late," A voice suddenly spoke out to us.

  I had to admit, even with my Speed stat in the billions, I barely managed to zip behind my friends in time to block what looked like a futuristic blade shooting out from another shadowy figure's hand. The blade clashed with my sword, sending a shockwave that echoed through the empty streets. The figure emerged, revealing itself to be a woman with piercing red eyes and a sleek black exoskeleton that covered her body, reminiscent of the vampires from the fables I'd read but with a technological twist.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  [Name: Sanguine Harvester | Level: 41]

  [Health: 95,000,000 | Strength: 32,000,000]

  [Speed: 36,000,000 | Magic: 40,100,000]

  [Description: A being of the night, augmented by ancient technology.]

  What the fuck? Its stats were vastly lower than mine, yet I couldn't even track its movements. Was it due to some sort of spell or skill?

  "Oh, you're good," the Sanguine Harvester had a deep voice. "But good isn't going to be enough."

  "...Right," I replied, casting a Holy Element-empowered Flooded Kingdom alongside a Rainfall. The Sanguine Harvester's eyes widened in shock as the flood's debuff rooted her in place, the rain doubling the Speed stat of my friends and I.

  To anyone else, it would've seemed overkill to drop such powerful crowd control skills right off the bat for a single opponent, but I had the feeling that there were more than just one. Sure enough, a clamor soon broke out as a couple of shadows darted above us.

  I immediately dropped some Risk points, summoning Levius and his three clones to help fight back against the other cybernetic vampires that fell upon us. In the back of my mind, I was still pondering why I couldn't feel any presence from them at all. Vampires were technically undead, and as a Player with death-themed skills, there wasn't a reason for me not to be able to sense them.

  Pushing back the Sanguine Harvester, I decided to test out a theory, firing several Reaps and Death's Shadows at the other vampires. Even before I went ahead with the experiment, I more or less could figure out the outcome.

  My attacks pierced and exploded the vampires, sending them into a frenzy. Their screams were a mix of pain and rage, echoing through the empty streets. However, only a small portion of them were effectively destroyed by my attacks, while the rest of them shook it off. The ones destroyed didn't trigger any reward notification, which sucked.

  "Huh, so you guys aren't actual vampires, but crave blood just the same," I murmured to myself, watching the surviving Sanguine Harvesters regenerate from my attacks. If they were truly undead, then the Soultaker would've prompted me for auto Reaps. The fact that it didn't meant that they weren't true vampires. Still, it wasn't explaining why none of us could sense anything from them.

  I push the thought aside, focusing on the fight instead. I casted Duplicate, summoning my clone to help us fight back against the cybernetically enhanced pseudo-vampires. My clone and I worked in unison, our swords flashing through the air as we danced around the Sanguine Harvesters. They were fast, but not fast enough to keep up with us, who had the advantage of both the rain's boost and my naturally high Speed.

  [Soultaker damage: +7]

  I wasn't prepared for the blade to audibly gag after slaying some of the harvesters. I wanted to ask if it was okay, but it was taking all of my concentration and reliance on reflexes to deal with the monsters.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Levius and his three clones helping Tommy and Celine, all of them struggling against the monsters despite having higher stats. It wasn't that they were faster or stronger, it was that none of us could read their movements. Sort of like when you could only tell there was wind when it hits you.

  I made a face, more out of annoyance than fear. This was something I hadn't encountered before when I played the game, since my characters always had some sort of enemy radar or attack indicator. Hell, even up until now, I was always able to sense something from my opponents, so I was pretty perplexed.

  Despite the fact that the situation could get worse at any moment, I decided to hold back and figure out their tactics. It didn't seem like they had an inherent ability, so I casted Neutralize on one of them on a whim.

  To my surprise, the Sanguine Harvesters I was fighting against froze mid-flight, as if they had been exposed. Some of the other vampires nearby took notice, and suddenly swarmed the Neutralized monsters, tearing them apart in a spray of what looked like green blood.

  "What the fuck?" Tommy exclaimed, stunned by the sudden turn of events.

  "Interesting..." I muttered under my breath. Neutralize only worked on skills, not passives, so it must've been a skill they were using. However, it didn't seem like they needed to devote much focus towards it, so I had a gut feeling it may have something to do with their cybernetic enhancements.

  I definitely felt the exposed Sanguine Harvesters' lives fade away as their supposed comrades tore them apart, which indicated that maybe they weren't undead after all. If they weren't truly vampires, then what the hell were they? At least, now I knew why Holy-attributes and those from the Angel faction were so effective- they were probably carrying the Evil-attribute.

  As if reading my mind, Celine spoke up, "Maybe they're not vampires. They could be cyborgs, or something similar, with a vampiric theme. Perhaps the in-game lore is that they need to thrive off human blood?"

  "Yeah, I think you're right," I nodded at Celine, watching the vicious display unfold before us. "I also think that their cybernetic enhancements are using a skill to prevent us from sensing them. Thankfully I can counter it using Neutralize, but we still need to be careful. Just stick close to me and we'll breeze through this."

  We regrouped, Levius and his clones standing protectively in front of us. The remaining vampires had turned their attention to us, and I could feel the malice in their gazes. What sucked was that I couldn't risk using the shackles to adjust my stats, so I had to give up on any additional rewards. Oh well, the new change in theme was enough of a reward.

  "Okay, so they're not undead. That makes them easier to deal with," Tommy said, gripping his dual swords tightly. "But we still have no idea how to detect them without relying on your Neutralize."

  Before I could reassure him, there was a sudden volley of light that cascaded upon the harvesters, illuminating the area and searing their flesh. The vampires let out high-pitched squeals, their bodies smoking as they retreated into the shadows, trying to evade the incoming fire.

  "What the-" I started, but was immediately cut off by the sound of boots clattering against the metal street. The light grew brighter, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure dressed in gleaming silver armor emerge from a nearby alleyway.

  "Maintain formation! Rear Priests, support with Holy buffs! Archmages, ready more offensive attacks! Daria, frontline with me!"

  The voice boomed through the alleyways, echoing off the towering cybernetic structures. The figure in gleaming silver armor marched out into the light, a cerulean cape billowing behind them. A sword made of pure light shimmered in their hand, and as they raised it, a sense of divine power washed over us.

  The harvesters hissed and retreated further, their movements erratic and panicked. The figure looked at us, the light from their sword illuminating a stern, yet beautiful, face beneath a closed visor.

  "You seven, please get to safety. We'll handle it from here," the silver-armored figure called out to us, their voice resonating with authority despite the soft pitch.

  ****

  [Updating…]

  [Soultaker: 10,126,219] +7

  [Summon: Levius] -100,000