"Don’t worry. The thod to beco a vampire is being published in the guild database as we speak."
Every head turned in unison toward the source of that voice.
Striding confidently from the center of the Azure Serpents’ formation was a tall man clad in a silver-blue robe threaded with scales. His gaze was sharp, his smile smug, and his aura unmistakably refined, clearly soone used to command. His player tag flickered into view:
[Lv. 25] Thorne – Azure Serpent Vice Guildmaster
Damon raised a brow. He rembered this guy. Thorne was one of the original theorycrafters who specialized in class evolutions and racial transformations. A decent PvPer, but an even better loudmouth.
In his last life, he eventually joined a top-tier guild as a strategist after abandoning Azure Serpents.
Thorne walked up, arms spread like he was about to welco Damon to a tea party. "Blood God! It’s an honor. Truly. You’ve made quite the waves lately." He gave a mock bow. "And your companions look... intimidating. I assu you’re here for the dungeon?"
Kate crossed her arms, the blood orbs spinning tighter around her like a silent warning. Mark said nothing, but his eyes said it all. His gaze was cold and threatening.
Damon gave a nonchalant shrug. "We were planning to take a look. Thought we’d have so fun."
Thorne laughed. "Three people for a 30-player raid? Bold. But hey, I get it. PR stunt, content farming, show of force. I respect the hustle." His eyes glead, lips curling slightly. "But since you’re here... how about a friendly competition? We both run it. Separate teams. See who clears it faster."
A quiet hush fell over the clearing. The Azure Serpents began murmuring again. So grinned. Others looked worried.
Damon tilted his head and smirked. "You want to race?" He did not understand why the guy would pick such an odd confrontation. He expected him to straight up start trying to kill the three of them, but now this.
Thorne clasped his hands together. "Why not? Friendly wager. If we win, you tell us the vampire transformation thod directly. If you win... I’ll give you exclusive access to one of our hidden quest chains in the southern marshes. We’ve got the NPC on lock."
Kate arched a brow. "You’re that confident?"
Thorne shrugged. "I’m a betting man, honey. And we’ve been preparing for this run for two days. You three just walked in." Then he added with a sly smile, "Unless... you’re not sure you can win." His eyes lingered on Kate for a mont longer before they shifted to Damon.
Damon obviously noticed it. "Deal." He calmly answered.
Thorne blinked.
He clearly hadn’t expected Damon to accept so easily, without bluster, without hesitation. For just a second, his cocky veneer cracked but only for a second. "Excellent," he said, clapping his hands. "Then let the ga begin."
Behind him, the Azure Serpents erupted into movent. Players quickly ford into ranks, buffing up, checking formations, coordinating class roles, and cooldowns. A few of them shot glances toward Damon’s group, nervous and uncertain.
Damon, on the other hand, didn’t even move.
Thorne’s confident expression faltered ever so slightly as he looked at Damon’s face, calm, unbothered, and utterly assured. There was no uncertainty. No doubt. Only inevitability.
"Alright," Damon said, stepping forward. "We are going in first." He paused, then glanced at Thorne. "And don’t worry about finding after the dungeon run. I will co find you to get the secret quest details."
The Azure Serpents fell completely silent. Thorne’s face darkened. It was clear that Damon was not giving him any sort of respect. Thorne chuckled tightly, his smirk stretched a little too wide. "I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Blood God himself."
Damon gave a brief nod, already turning away. He didn’t waste another word. Kate fell into step beside him, her eyes sharp with anticipation, while Mark followed with the quiet weight of a moving mountain.
Behind them, murmurs broke out again.
"Are they seriously going in first?"
"Just the three of them? This dungeon wrecked a 20-man test group yesterday."
"Look at them... They don’t even look nervous. Who are those people?"
Thorne raised a hand to quiet his guildmates. "Let them have their head start," he said smoothly. "More entertaining that way when we pass them up later." But his voice didn’t carry the sa confidence it did monts ago. Not quite.
Damon and his group stepped into the portal. The blue light swallowed them whole.
Thorne smirked at the sight. "Cocky motherfucker. Let see how you are dealing with the damned dungeon." He then turned to look at his guildmates. "Are you guys ready with your fire resistance potions? Without these, anyone who walks inside that dungeon will only face one ending."
Everyone quietly nodded, gulping down the fire resistance potion as they stepped into the dungeon portal one after the other in formation.
Thorne was one of the last few still standing outside. He did not enter the dungeon just yet. Instead, he made a call. "He is here. You better co prepared this ti. Chances are, he will run out of the dungeon with critical health. You can pick him up real easy and fast."
"And by the way, there is a woman with him. I want her. Save her for . Otherwise, I will break off all our dealings."
Thorne ended the call with a snap of his fingers, his expression sharpening as he stepped toward the portal. "Let’s see how long your legend holds, Blood God," he muttered.
Inside the dungeon, the air changed imdiately.
Flas danced along the stone walls of the Fire Lords’ temple, casting distorted shadows across molten rivers that cracked the ground like veins. Hot gas hissed from vents in the earth, and oppressive heat wrapped around the guild group like a physical force.
Thorne only laughed at this unholy environnt. "We should have the only fire resistance potions in the entire ga world. Let’s see how he clears this dungeon without the potions."
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