’Well I’ll be damned. Finally some good luck.’

Grey had no idea that Abyssal Anchor would be this useful. But that was probably what happened when you got a Skill to Core Sync and Level 10 at the same time.

He wasn’t even taking advantage of the benefits of Core Sync right now because he hadn’t activated his Vampire Lord Frame. So, right now, Abyssal Anchor was acting like any other Active Link Ability.

But if he did do so, would it be even more powerful than this?

These two guards were only at the Established Class, but even so, before this point, so long as you were beyond Proving Class, his stealth had been useless.

Grey’s grin widened. ’Don’t mind if I do.’

When the guards had turned their attention back to their own conversation assuming that they had just heard a shifting from the cells again, Grey slipped right by them and continued down the hallway.

Soon, he reached a set of stairs and went right up. This time, he was more cautious as he came to a fork. It was a three-way fork. To his left and right were seemingly paths to more cages, while ahead was a set of stairs that went further up.

After checking to make sure there weren’t guards down the two paths, he continued up the stairs.

He hadn’t opened his eyes while he was with the man, but he had sensed him walking down three flights. There had been three sections of steep changes in terrain before a moment of flat.

As expected, there was yet another identical three-way fork.

Grey began to hear louder and louder voices as he made his way up the third set of stairs.

’Guards. Fuck.’

There was another three-way fork at the top of the third set of stairs. But this time, the path ahead wasn’t another set of stairs, but instead a pair of backs.

These stairs had taken a winding path, so Grey hadn’t seen them immediately. But their backs were so broad that there was barely a stream of light that made it through them. They were taller than even the entrance to the dungeon.

Luckily, their legs were a bit skinnier and Grey could see through to flickering red-gold beyond. The voices were even louder, but now that he was closer he realized that they weren’t just chatting or having a party, it sounded like they were speaking in tongues.

It was either they had taken a bite of food that was way too hot, or they were summoning a demon. No in between.

’Let’s push our luck a bit.’

Grey wasn’t sure what else he could do other than explore the Dungeon further, but he had a feeling that probably wouldn’t help him all that much.

Taking a deep breath, Grey activated his Vampire Lord Frame. Strands of crimson wafted from him almost like solar flares, but they were far darker than they had been before.

The Fang Necklace shook as though responding to him.

WHOOSH.

Grey suddenly felt tens of times more powerful, the fang necklace syncing with him in a way it never had before.

— 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

[Hidden Effect of Relentless Fang Set has activated]

—

[All Vampire Lord Frame Abilities gain +3 Levels]

—

Abyssal Anchor broke through the Proving Class ceiling and entered the Established Class.

Grey felt jolts of electricity running through his body. This level of strain should have drained his Stamina instantly, and yet the fang necklace took on the entire burden for him.

It was almost like he was walking on air.

’Now this is a Legendary Set. Now we’re talking.’

Grey felt misunderstandings and gaps in what he couldn’t grasp in the Vampire Lord Frame quickly closing, but he didn’t have the time to focus on them, not when he could literally be detected any moment now.

There was only one thing he was focusing on: the darkness of Abyssal Anchor and the feeling of sinking darkness all around him.

It was like he had slipped into an infinite void. This time, even the sound of his footsteps vanished as he climbed up to the last stair and slipped his gaze between the bulky heads of the two Holy Knights that must have been quite powerful in the Vector Class.

That was when Grey saw it.

Blood was tied down in the middle of a ritualistic circle. An old man dressed in pristine white robes held up a staff as he prayed over him, his babbling words echoing with strength and conviction. Behind him, Sir Pebble stood with his hands on the pommel of a sword pierced into the ground.

’Fuck me.’ Grey cursed.

There was a litter of corpses, all sucked dry to the bone. But there was one of them that Grey recognized.

His mohawk was gone after it had been burned away, but Grey knew that the odds of more than one of those corpses having those same severe burns was near impossible.

Grey gritted his teeth.

The bar was really in hell. The mohawk man hadn’t even done him a great service, all he had done was warn him before they did their best as a team to try and kill him.

But Grey hadn’t experienced much kindness since he got trapped in this world. So many things were out of his control, and now even when he decided to spare someone they ended up dead anyway.

And for what, exactly?

Blood’s body convulsed, his chest rising into the air as streams of blood poured into him.

Grey should have probably waited. He should have learned what the purpose of all of this was. Even if he went now, there was no way he would be able to stop whatever was happening with Blood from happening.

Waiting, observing, understanding, and then acting. Those would have been the smart choices to make.

But at some point, if you could come back to life after you died and you still did things like a coward, what use were you to the world?

Grey stabbed the two Holy Knights clean through their necks.

Hemorrhagic Regeneration raged and their blood was sucked up through his blades.

It seemed that Abyssal Anchor wasn’t the only one of his Vampire Lord Frame Abilities he didn’t understand.

But right now all Grey was interested in was which ability let him kill more.