My Blood Legacy: Reincarnated as a Vampire
Chapter 73: A Poisonous Viper

"Fortunately, you woke up before I did anything..." murmured Dante as he observed the woman's condition in front of him, contemplating an action that had a high chance of failure considering his current mana.

She seemed drained, not just physically but mentally as well, as if someone had ripped her out of her body; she was visibly shaken.

"We've been down here for over thirty hours. I don't know the situation outside... but I have something to tell you. Let's keep moving, and I'll explain as we go," Dante said, holding Nagasawa's uninjured arm.

"Can you stand?" He asked, offering support. "No," she replied.

"Alright, I'll carry you," he said, lifting Nagasawa up like a princess, with Durandal already on his back.

"What happened while I was asleep?" she asked. "We were betrayed," he replied, noting Nagasawa's furious expression, though she couldn't see Dante, who was smiling.

"Who did this?" she asked grimly. "Ethan, Alexander, and Forki," he replied as they walked through the caverns.

"Do you know where we are?" she inquired, and Dante began recounting everything that had happened in the past few hours since they were buried alive.

At first, Nagasawa found it all too incredible to believe and how they survived, but she had no words; she simply couldn't conceive anything beyond sheer luck. She was alive, even without one of her arms, and that was what mattered.

Nagasawa was complicated and didn't care much about things; she was hot-headed and easily irritated, mostly because her entire life had been controlled by others. But now? She didn't even care anymore; she was between life and death, surviving thanks to a man, or rather, a child who wasn't even half her age yet.

She was human, a poison expert, and also a member of the Tang Clan, one of the largest clans in the Eastern Empire, although she herself was not from the East but from the Banglarash Deserts; still, she was a member of the Tang Clan because of her mother, a concubine.

"How's your body holding up?" Dante asked, concerned. He had already regained half of his mana and his body was almost fully healed, but he still worried about the woman. He was a vampire, while she... was human.

"My core is cracked, I can't feel my left arm anymore, and I'm hungry," she replied emotionlessly.

"I have beast meat, but I'm not sure how dangerous it is to consume... I just absorbed blood to recover. You're human; things are different," he said as they continued walking.

"That smell," she murmured, and Dante also noticed; it was a strong scent of blood coming from the path they were following.

"Are your legs feeling better?" he asked as he conjured a Light spell.

"How did you..." Nagasawa wanted to ask something but didn't press on. Dante promptly understood that she wanted to understand, so he just nodded.

"The Holy Power comes from the Hero Title," said Dante, and Nagasawa showed a slight surprise in her eyes. Dante found it cute but didn't say anything more about it.

"Your core is cracked. Stay behind me and avoid using mana," said Dante, taking the lead as Nagasawa lightly held onto his injured arm.

They walked for about forty minutes, following the nauseating smell of blood emanating from several different sources.

"Slow down," Dante said, sneaking slightly around one of the rocky corridors. He spotted light ahead and heard voices.

"We need to get out of here."

"We need to, but it's not that easy, Number 12."

"Shut up, I need to think," the deeper voice said.

"The collapse ruined our plans. The temple must have been compromised."

"Can't we just go down and check?"

"No. The other three groups disappeared almost a month trying to replace the way to the next floor. We have to be cautious. Food is running out, and the beasts have been getting increasingly hostile. This labyrinth is driving me crazy."

"They're talking about those skeletons? Hm... there's no time," Dante thought and quickly decided to act.

Sneaking lightly behind a pillar, he drew Durandal and whispered to Nagasawa, "Stay here."

Dante disappeared swiftly, swiftly beheading two people instantly.

"Hey, you, start talking or you'll die," he pointed the sword at the last one standing, but before he could do anything, the last one committed suicide.

"You're well trained," Nagasawa commented, emerging from the shadows where she was hiding.

"I have good teachers," Dante remarked as he checked the bodies of the dead. He found three more spatial rings.

"Four spatial rings, that's complicated," Nagasawa commented, leaving Dante confused. He didn't quite understand what she meant.

"It means they have a lot of money. No organization would give four rings just for an excursion. Spatial rings are rare, as are spatial mages," Nagasawa said as she picked up one of the rings.

"Empty," she remarked.

"This one too."

"Wait, there's something in this one," Dante said as he summoned things from inside the space. "Notes." Dante and Nagasawa sat at the camp they had just destroyed, the bodies of the humans thrown away, and Dante sat at the table looking at the notes. Again, a more detailed map of the other parts of the dungeon. Both maps connected when compared, and that was a good sign.

"It looks like we have to go North. There's a staircase to ascend," he commented, and Nagasawa analyzed it lightly.

"No, if they're here and haven't decided to ascend, it means this side was demolished when the Guardian Golem fell. It must be under rubble," Nagasawa said, leaving Dante pensive.

"What do you suggest?" he asked. With the question, Nagasawa suggested, "Let's go to the opposite side, southwest." "Why?" "Usually, ancient structures are opposites, and there are patterns. The sides of going up and down are inverse. This happens a lot in dungeons like this. The pattern of the first levels is the same," she explained, and Dante lightly analyzed the entrance to the Tenth Floor.

'She's right.'

"Alright, let's rest for a bit and move on," he said, and she nodded as she leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked, trying to relax.

"No, and you?"

"Neither am I. What will you do if we get out of here?"

"I'll wipe those three off the map," Dante replied, demonstrating a slight murderous intent.

"Are you sure?" she asked, opening her eyes.

"Yes, I spared Alexander once," he replied. "If any of those fools want to do something, it's just erasing them from the map along with their offspring."

"I must be hearing things. A thirteen-year-old boy is challenging three rulers," she said, lightly laughing.

"I won't be a boy forever, Naga," Dante said with a smile that left Nagasawa slightly uncomfortable.

"Do you have plans?"

"Keep you alive," he said. "Oh? Me?"

"You're a witness and ally. I doubt the so-hateful Nagasawa would allow herself to be killed by three foolish children," Dante commented, and Nagasawa's smile slightly broke.

"What image have I conveyed to you?" she asked, and Dante smiled maliciously.

"A Poisonous Viper," he replied.