The Vampire Count Returned to the Apocalypse Game

He measured every step with precision as he advanced through the new corridor. The new challenge was a trial known for being claustrophobic and psychologically devastating.

Many players had dedicated entire forum threads to sharing their traumatic experiences, insulting the developers and describing how the walls had slowly crushed them until their bodies became an unrecognizable mass.

Deep down, he had no intention of joining that list of victims.

The hidden gears began to sound like distant threats growing increasingly tangible.

A deep, metallic grinding vibrated through the floor. The walls, embedded with human and animal bones, started moving with slow mechanical precision.

In front of him appeared an ancient stone tablet displaying four main symbols: a radiant sun, a chariot pulled by horses, a bird in full flight, and the starry celestial vault.

It was one of the famous distractions that had tricked countless players. It had no real meaning — it only existed to waste time and concentration.

His true objective was to correctly activate the scattered patterns in the corners of the room. It was a test of mental agility and intelligence under extreme pressure.

Gabriel didn’t overthink it. He used the enhanced speed he had gained after consuming the essences of the Pseudo-Tyrants and moved like a specter.

He touched the first glowing point on the left wall. The error reverberated in all four directions.

The gears roared louder and the walls accelerated slightly.

He touched the second and, fortunately, it was correct. The rune glowed green.

He never stopped, memorizing patterns on the fly, guessing sequences through pure instinct and speed.

The space was visibly shrinking. The ceiling also began to descend, making the area more compact, with bone dust flying through the air.

He jumped between narrow platforms, rolling across the floor when necessary, and activated runes with his fingertips at full speed. Sweat was starting to accumulate on his back.

The walls were now less than three meters apart.

With another mistake, the walls accelerated again.

With a correct activation, a golden rune lit up.

His mind worked at maximum capacity. He processed the information as fast as possible, veins bulging in his neck.

He acted, corrected, and advanced. The gears screeched with fury, as if the dungeon itself was enraged by his audacity.

When the walls were less than a meter from crushing him, he activated the final pattern. All the runes glowed in unison. A hidden mechanism rumbled and the door at the back opened with a thunderous sound.

He slipped through the gap just as the walls slammed shut behind him with a dull thud, trapping the wind in their wake.

He got up panting, forehead covered in sweat. He had overcome the challenge.

"Did I almost die...?"

But there was no time to dwell on it.

The next trial glowed in his interface with an ominous air:

________________

[Final: The Laboratory]

[Warning: You will have to live to find out]

________________

He crossed the threshold and entered a vast and sinister chamber. The setting was exactly as described.

Where, supposedly, an ancient alchemist had practiced forbidden manuals. Dissection tables covered with rusted instruments and empty cages hung from the ceiling.

The floor was marked with faded runes that still retained part of their ancient magic.

The moment he set foot inside, the round began. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Sixteen Pseudo-Tyrants emerged from the shadows, growling and clawing at the ground.

And in the center, rising like a living nightmare, stood a Giant Pseudo-Tyrant four meters tall.

Its muscles were mountains of leathery flesh, its claws looked like curved swords, and its presence made the air heavier, with burn marks across its face.

The giant charged straight at him with surprising speed for its size. Gabriel tried to dodge, but the blow grazed his side.

The force was devastating. It tore through his coat and shattered the light chainmail he wore underneath.

He was sent flying like a ragdoll. He slammed hard into the far wall, feeling several ribs crack.

He rose with difficulty, coughing blood and desperately swallowing several low-quality health pills. His HP bar rose a little, but not enough.

"You’ve got to be kidding me, you son of a bitch..." he growled through gritted teeth.

One more hit from that thing and he would die.

The sixteen Pseudo-Tyrants were already charging from all flanks. Gabriel moved on pure survival instinct.

He used Shadow Illusion to hide his tracks and buy time. He dodged claw strikes and rolled between the giant’s legs, counterattacking with his daggers whenever he found openings.

At all times he tried to maintain distance from the larger monster. With its extraordinary strength, any miscalculated move could have unexpected consequences.

The room became a whirlwind of violence.

The giant roared and slammed the ground, creating shockwaves that sent debris flying everywhere.

Gabriel used one of those waves to propel himself, jumping onto the back of one of the beasts and destroying its brain with a downward strike.

He quickly absorbed its essence, feeling a brief burst of energy that slightly eased the pain in his ribs.

But there were too many.

Three monsters cornered him against a dissection table. He dodged two attacks, but the third opened a deep gash in his thigh. Blood gushed out.

He ate more pills while avoiding the giant. The enormous monster missed by centimeters, shattering the table into splinters.

Gabriel knew he couldn’t win with brute force. He had to be smarter, faster, and crueler.

His only chance was to use the environment to his advantage. He lured them to an area with broken glass, using sound to confuse them.

Hiding his noise among the glass, he destroyed brains one after another, absorbing essences between attacks. Leviathan Gluttony kept him on his feet, but the nausea increased with every absorption.

His body trembled internally from the excess.

The giant apparently had inexhaustible resistance. Every blow from it was a cataclysm.

He dodged by millimeters, using columns and the other beasts as cover. In a moment of audacity, he jumped onto the giant’s arm when it struck the ground, ran along its limb, and drove both daggers into its nape, searching for the brain.

The monster roared in fury and shook like a bull. Gabriel was thrown off, but left a deep wound.

Dark blue blood spurted out in streams.

Little by little, the room filled with corpses. The giant, wounded and furious, charged once more.

He carefully read the monster’s aerodynamic movement, avoiding its bestial punch by a second of anticipation. The giant slammed its fist into a column and remained motionless for a second, trapped in the narrow space.

For the first time, he saw an opportunity.