POTLS - Chapter 3: Crimson Shard

Though it wasn't his first encounter with a Crimson Court Noble, Paul couldn't help but feel his skin crawl when those malevolent eyes fixed upon him.

The creature wore aristocratic attire in black and white with intricate trimming. A gleaming gold rose emblem adorned its chest. It wore high boots, red gloves, and a cape that draped from its shoulders. White ornate jewelry dangled from its ears. These weren't made of silver, just designed to resemble it—a way for these high-ranking vampire monsters to demonstrate their fearlessness of the material.

Many would consider this illogical, arrogant, and foolish. If they truly weren't afraid, why not wear actual silver? However, hunters didn't see it that way; their weapons genuinely struggled against Crimson Court Nobles. Perhaps these creatures simply despised the accursed material and wouldn't deign to wear it.

This monster—stronger than elites but not quite qualifying as a Lord—was the main challenge of the sixth night. Every Survivor who reached this stage was guaranteed to encounter one. This increased the failure rate, especially when Blood Courtiers were already difficult obstacles. Teams could make the early phases easier, level up faster, but all maps responded with unreasonable difficulty toward the end. Only with the right skills or evolutions could a team win relatively easily. That's why Paul's team initially needed an Artifact that would allow them to reroll skills with each level-up to find the right combination. And they had failed, to say the least.

Dangerous as it was, the Crimson Court Noble also offered significant benefits proportionate to its threat level: the chance to obtain a Crimson Shard. According to analysis from PDI's research and development department, the drop rate was one-third.

Paul was aiming for this Crimson Shard, which would allow his skill set to evolve, increasing his chances of surviving the seventh day.

The Crimson Court Noble curled its lip in a smile, conjuring wings of thick black smoke. In the blink of an eye, it lunged toward Paul.

He barely managed to roll to the side, the monster leaving behind only a deadly whoosh of air. When he stood up, he discovered a sword-like wound on his shoulder. Without hesitation, he used [Healing Hand] to accelerate recovery. When facing a Crimson Court Noble with the [Noble's Feast] skill, one shouldn't leave open wounds for long, even with [Blood Resistance]. It could drain blood from surroundings without needing to approach or bite. More irritatingly, even with intact skin, this skill could still drain life force from Survivors through pores, nose, mouth, and ears.

Fortunately, the wound wasn't too large, so [Healing Hand] quickly formed a scab. He couldn't wait for new skin to grow while monsters continued to advance.

He spun to avoid a pouncing Shadow Hound, ran to one side as Ghouls approached, and punched the Blood Courtier away. Finally, he swung his sword forward, just in time to block the claws formed from blood magic by the Crimson Court Noble.

The monster's breath, foul and metallic, washed over Paul's face. Black eyes gazed at him hungrily. Its mouth with long teeth opened, speaking words he couldn't understand.

Summoning all his strength, he pushed the monster away. With a nimble spinning motion, the Crimson Court Noble kicked him, sending him tumbling across the ground.

Paul jumped up. This was still nothing. He could still fight.

His stamina had dropped to 90.

Calculating for a few seconds, he prepared to receive the next wave of attacks.

The lesser monsters weren't an issue since Paul was too familiar with them. These were the disposable fodder of this portal. The attack patterns of Shadow Hounds and Ghouls were simple, uncomplicated, and limited to close range, perfectly suited for Paul's attack range.

His greatest burden came from the two flying monsters. Though the Blood Courtier lacked outstanding physical strength, it possessed enough intelligence to avoid rash actions. It also displayed cowardice rather than frenzied attacks like those fodder he cut down effortlessly. Just one Holy Mark had made it extremely cautious around Paul.

Just as he feared killing too many would help the Blood Courtier use their blood, the Crimson Court Noble presented a similar problem. This dilemma weighed on every survivor attempting to clear the Crimson Moon Estate map. Kill monsters, farm quickly, level up—but simultaneously, the monsters grow stronger. Yet without doing so, problems remained unsolved. Especially when these two flying monsters attacked from different angles, preventing him from escaping or separating them from the blood pools.

Paul didn't even have a passive skill to increase Experience Shard collection range. So after several skirmishes with the lightning-fast attacks of the Blood Courtier and Crimson Court Noble, he was forced to deal with the lesser monsters as they became an increasing pain.

His stamina had dropped to sixty when blood on the battlefield formed a small lake. His feet splashed through the red liquid with each step. The air reeked of a pungent metallic smell. Monster corpses decomposed quickly, and the stench of death was enough to make anyone inexperienced faint on the spot.

Paul had enough experience to know this was just the beginning. The real challenge lay ahead.

The Blood Courtier gathered enough blood to form Blood Lances to attack the human. It didn't dare take too much since its superior had stopped in mid-air, muttering incomprehensible words.

Paul avoided the Blood Lances with ease. Unless the monster came close, he could dodge these ranged attacks or block them with his sword by deflecting or cutting them. His eyes focused on the other creature, his breathing heavy and slightly irregular.

Having finished its incantation, the Crimson Court Noble extended its hand. In response, the blood lake below churned, rising into curved shapes as if something wanted to emerge.

Unable to attack the flying monster, Paul ran quickly forward, swinging his sword to shatter the spheres that were still forming.

The first sphere burst with a faint shriek from within. He paid no attention, moving faster to the others. Each splash of blood falling back to the ground accompanied his movements.

With an angry roar, the Blood Courtier dived down from the sky. It couldn't disobey the Crimson Court Noble's command.

Paul immediately switched targets, the flat of his blade barely rising in time to block the claws on those ghostly pale hands. The Blood Courtier pulled away, maintaining a relative height rather than flying higher, and continued attacking.

Paul slid to one side, anticipating the monster's attack pattern, then swung his sword. Combined with the Holy Mark effect, [Silver Strike]'s damage increased. The blow sent the monster crashing into the blood pool, the wound deep to the bone, while the Holy Mark burned its flesh with sizzling sounds.

The Blood Courtier thrashed about, using its hands to draw blood from fallen minions into its wound, attempting to heal. But the silver glow of the Holy Mark still flickered, multiplying its pain.

When it saw Paul approaching, it became frenzied, burning its own life force to compensate for insufficient mana to create a Blood Lance. At close range, Paul wasn't confident he could completely avoid it, so he kept his distance. He didn't hesitate to use a [Crescent Moon Slash] specifically for this monster.

A silver-white arc appeared in the air, gliding toward the Blood Courtier and cutting it in half horizontally. Both parts of its body merged with the lackeys' blood pool. Nothing was more precious than the other. In death, all were equal, becoming material for the stronger.

Paul collected a Red Shard that appeared on the monster's corpse, reducing his experience needed to level up by another 50, leaving 210 remaining.

But the time gained by the Blood Courtier had been enough for the Crimson Court Noble to complete its skill.

The blood spheres had been fully raised, hovering above the ground. The lake below was drained, leaving only damp black earth. Red moonlight pierced through the night, reflecting off the smooth surfaces of the red orbs.

One could somewhat see the movement of a dark shadow inside. Its limbs struck against the sphere's wall, wanting to be released.

Paul ran quickly forward, sword raised, ready to slash down on the nearest sphere, as large as his body. But the Crimson Court Noble appeared in time to block him. As before, it kicked Paul, sending him sliding backward, protecting the nearly hundred eggs it had created.

Paul and the high-ranking monster fought. Though he was relieved the Crimson Court Noble hadn't chosen to use Blood Storm, he understood why. The lightning bolts alone wouldn't be enough to kill Paul instantly. To prevent this scenario, it had chosen its other known skill. In their previous encounter with his team—David, Lina, and Kate—four Blood Storms with red lightning tearing through the night had roasted them all.

Once again, the two separated. The Crimson Court Noble maintained its composed demeanor. Its physical strength far exceeded the human's. Though it couldn't kill immediately, it had inflicted several wounds.

Paul expended mana on Healing Hand for the scratches on his stomach and thigh, ignoring the wounds on his shoulder and forearm. He prioritized what needed immediate attention.

His stamina had dropped to 30, signaling a concerning level.

At that moment, a cracking sound made Paul's heart sink.

The surface of a red sphere split open. A skeletal hand reached out. Then its leg kicked the sphere apart. The entire body of the newly emerged monster crashed to the ground. It grabbed pieces of the broken sphere, devouring them greedily for nourishment. This new creature wasn't as bizarre as the Ghouls—its gaunt form more humanoid, though its skin remained as pallid as the vampires'.

After the first came the second, breaking through its egg. Then the tenth, and the twentieth.

Damn it! These high-ranking monsters just love summoning minions, Paul silently cursed.

The Crimson Court Noble rose high, arms folded arrogantly as it looked down at the human's inevitable death.

A shriek that jolted Paul's spirit rang out. Then others answered.

The amplified sound made him clutch his head in pain, his knees buckling, using his sword for support.

Taking advantage of the unhatched eggs, Paul turned and ran back toward the forest area according to his plan.

He could only use the environment to fight these Nosferatu Hunters.

He silently prayed he would reach the trap he had set up in time.