Lynn subconsciously scanned his surroundings, searching for the source of the voice.
What met his eyes was a castle hall, bathed in shades of gray.
There were no torches or other light sources in the spacious stone hall; only a dull crimson moonlight filtering through the ceiling illuminated the interior, allowing him to discern the luxurious decor.
Opposite him, a wall displayed an artistic noble crest, and before Lynn, a long stone table stood, adorned with a pair of seemingly expensive golden candelabras. They were unlit, as if awaiting a guest to take a seat.
He seemed to no longer be in the Graveyard.
But Lynn was certain his sense of time wasn't off; the entire process had lasted only about ten seconds.
Had someone used a space spell to move him?
No.
Lynn placed a hand on his chest. His [Mind Wall Pendant] was faintly warm.
Someone had used a mental illusion on him...
And it was a high-Circle illusion at that.
The [Mind Wall Pendant], which could perfectly block even the psionic impact of a Tier 2 monster, was now only acting as a warning against this unknown entity's illusion.
Meanwhile, the 《Monster Identification Manual》 also provided a prompt:
“New Star Calendar 442, adventurer Lynn has unlocked a new entry in the monster encyclopedia: High Vampire - Newborn. Current unlocked entries: 19.”
“One more entry is needed to unlock the next Rune reward.”
A High Vampire, even in its infant stage, had a Challenge Rating as high as Tier 5.
Lynn's heart sank.
He had just defeated a Tier 2 Psionic Corpse, and now an even stronger magical beast had appeared.
Did he really have to use Incorporeal today?
But for some reason, this vampire had no intention of attacking him; instead, it initiated communication with Lynn.
Thus, Lynn wasn't in a hurry to retreat.
A crimson cloud of mist suddenly burst through the castle hall's ceiling, settling onto the head of the stone table and coalescing into a humanoid figure.
However, still shrouded in mist, Lynn couldn't make out its face.
Only...
This vampire's stature was rather petite.
Lynn estimated its height to be between 1.45 to 1.55 meters.
“Sit.”
The entity spoke, its voice muffled, revealing no useful information.
Given the circumstances, facing a powerful magical beast, Lynn naturally complied, choosing to temporarily avoid confrontation.
Hepulled out a chair and sat down, and the vampire opposite him spoke again.
“You're looking for moon dust fungus?”
How did this vampire know?
Was it watching him?
Lynn nodded cautiously, secretly ready to activate Incorporeal and flee at a moment's notice.
The vampire said nonchalantly, “All the moon dust fungus in the Graveyard was collected by me long ago.”
No wonder the Grote family hadn't been able to gather any moon dust fungus for years. Lynn grumbled inwardly.
This vampire running into someone else's territory and silently plundering all their treasures was truly an act of banditry.
But that had nothing to do with him.
It was the Grotes who were robbed, not Lynn.
So Lynn began to speculate why the vampire brought this up.
Based on his previous experience with the Wererat, Lynn judged that this magical beast likely also wanted to make a deal with him.
Did he possess some kind of constitution that attracted magical beasts?
Sure enough, the vampire spoke again:
“I can give you enough moon dust fungus; I don't have much use for it anyway. But in exchange, I need you to give me something.”
Though the moon dust fungus seemed within reach, Lynn didn't agree immediately. Instead, he cautiously asked, “What do you want?”
“Your blood smells delicious.”
Oh no.
It was after him.
Lynn's expression subtly changed, and he thought to himself, This isn't good.
However, the other party seemed to notice Lynn's change in expression and said casually:
“Don't worry, I'm very particular about fairness. I only need to taste a bit of your blood—about a small bowl—it won't kill you. But the moon dust fungus accumulated in the Graveyard over these past decades will be yours for the taking.”
A small bowl of blood was indeed a relatively safe amount.
Lynn was also tempted by the moon dust fungus accumulated over decades.
If his safety could be guaranteed, letting the other party take a sip of his blood didn't seem like too big of a problem.
But could a vampire truly restrain its bloodlust and only take one sip?
Dealing with magical beasts, Lynn had to be cautious.
The other party seemed to sense Lynn's lingering concerns, so it suddenly transformed into a blood mist again and floated to the seat beside Lynn.
After settling, the vampire finally revealed its true form—
This Newborn vampire was actually a young girl with a somewhat childlike appearance!
The vampire girl, whose height only reached Lynn's chest, wore a luxurious and intricately designed black and red Gothic gown, and strapped mid-calf leather boots.
The boot shafts just reached mid-calf, creating a suggestive gap between them and the hem of her skirt, while the exposed skin above the deep neckline of her dress was a sickly pale.
The girl's naturally curly silver hair was tied into a ponytail resting on her shoulder, making her skin appear even fairer in contrast.
The only warm color on the entire vampire was her pupils, which were blood-red.
“Don't worry, just a little sip, it won't be dangerous.”
Lynn struggled internally.
For some reason, after seeing the girl's longing expression, his resolve wavered.
The [Mind Wall Pendant] against his chest grew hotter.
This creature is using a charm spell on me!
Against a creature with such extraordinary Charisma as a vampire, Lynn's nine Charisma attribute points were somewhat insufficient.
But protected by the [Mind Wall Pendant], Lynn barely managed to steady his mind, taking a step back and pushing the long chair away.
...
...
...
Rate on N.U.
