The Vampire Count Returned to the Apocalypse Game

The ruins had probably been imposing in a distant past. A creation that had taken centuries to erect and decades to fall into the cycle of decay, condemned to an eternity of being forgotten.

Covered in thick undergrowth and bearing the weight of time, it still shone with a slight distinction from its once resplendent past.

He approached cautiously, using his one-handed axe to clear a path through the obstacles. His tool rose and fell again and again — vines split, branches fell, and tall grass was pushed aside.

Every step was calculated and every sound was analyzed.

But the closer he got, the stranger the environment became. There was no sound of wind, insects, or animals.

The silence was unsettling, covering the area like an invisible hand. That was why he remained alert to any unpredictable change.

When he finally passed the last obstacles, he saw that the main doors were wide open. Precise and clean cuts marked the stone edges — evidence of a level of technology and mastery far beyond the ordinary.

His hands brushed the ancient facade. At that instant, his interface glowed with bright letters:

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You have discovered a new location!

[Ruins of the Penumbras]

Description: The land of ancient men.

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The information it shared wasn’t very valuable.

But Gabriel observed the construction more closely. This type of location was very rare within the game, and many were never shared with the public, with their secrets carefully guarded.

The darkness inside was diffuse even for his improved vision. He took out a cheap torch from his inventory, poured on some flammable liquid, and lit it with a quick motion.

The orange light illuminated the entrance. He advanced, noticing the deteriorated state of the interior.

Gabriel entered holding the torch in one hand and the axe in the other. He moved astutely, his breathing steady, his muscles relaxed, but his mind remained alert.

The first thing the fire illuminated was, surprisingly, a corpse reduced to bones. It was leaning against a wall, and dozens of black scorpions crawled over the yellowish bones.

Beside it rested two small chests and a shield with faded paint, almost erased by time.

He scared the insects away with the torch flame. He observed the ancient bones, deteriorated and marked by the passage of years. The wood of the chests was corroded, but what really caught his attention was the bronze shield.

When he picked it up, he could see a small description:

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[Bronze Shield]

"Title: Better Days"

Rarity: Common.

Description: An honorable and virtuous bronze shield that once belonged to a man of distinguished status in the past. It stands out for its beautiful appearance, worn by the hands of time.

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He thought this was probably a clue related to the mystery of the ruins. It was closely tied to a distant past.

He stored everything in his inventory without wasting time and continued forward.

Only the faint sound of insects and the distant echo of his own footsteps accompanied him.

The interior was immense, with long corridors, cracked columns, and partially collapsed ceilings. Time had left scars everywhere, possibly from looting.

But something still felt strange... There were no monsters, traps, or enemies.

He continued on like this, measuring every step, until he saw a great monolith rising imposingly. Stranded in time, it stood out for its excellent state of preservation amid the chaos.

Gabriel felt a slight electrifying energy coming from the structure. It bore inscriptions carved with precision.

Thanks to the system’s intervention, he could understand what those symbols expressed.

We men have been abandoned.

How different are we from the gods?

If they bleed... who will sustain our world?

If they fear... who will protect us, oh men?

It was a confession.

Gabriel remembered the broken statue in the dungeon, hidden for an unknown time. The similarity in their descriptions was unsettling.

But at that moment he heard a long, distorted, and painful groan, along with the clamor of dragging chains.

Clang, clang.

He was instantly alert. He pulled his gaze away from the monolith and searched for the source of the commotion.

The sound disappeared and then returned. More subtle and distant, as if trying to catch his attention, guiding him. Gabriel couldn’t ignore it.

He continued forward, perceiving any potential danger. To his surprise, nothing happened. Only the constant and subtle noise of chains.

He walked in the direction where he perceived it, without delay. He still had a mission to complete.

Until he finally found a staircase descending toward an unknown place.

The smell was more fetid in that direction. Like advanced decomposition.

He walked slowly until he perceived giant doors. The smell was coming from there.

He slowly opened the first door, inspecting the room with extreme caution.

There were many papers scattered on the floor, covered in dried ink and dark stains. It looked like the study of an obsessed scientific researcher.

On a table, surrounding an overturned chair on the floor, he found a diary. It was a log that repeated failed experiments day after day.

Page after page, the author’s madness increased. Consuming his rationality, until on the last page it said, written with trembling letters in dried blood:

GOD HAS ABANDONED US.

But what really caught his attention was a page mentioning Blood Crystals along with other rare materials. Details about their acquisition, properties, and uses.

His reflection stopped abruptly.

The sound of chains returned. Slow and creaking, closer than ever.

It came from a side door in the same room.

He gripped the handle of his axe tightly. The torch illuminated the half-open door, the smell of decomposition intensified.

Leviathan Gluttony stirred inside him. The latent hunger awakened with greater force, as if something ancient were calling him from the other side.

He took a deep breath, controlling the savage impulse.

With silent steps, he approached the side door. He pushed it slowly with his shoulder.

The wood creaked faintly.

The darkness on the other side was denser. Rusted chains hung from the ceiling, moving slightly without apparent cause.

In the center of the room, a chained figure appeared to be dead.

He raised the torch. The light revealed more details.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.

The blood began to circulate faster through his veins. Because the figure was not a corpse, not yet.

And because just as the light reached the chained face...

Two eyes opened in the darkness.

Clang.

And a trace of impossible-to-replicate happiness slowly appeared on that ancient face.