The rumbling finally stopped when the vault door opened. I stood there in confusion, my eyes narrowing as I wondered if they were playing tricks on me.
I rubbed them and looked again, but the sight remained the same: the room was empty apart from a single stone platform in the center.
I glanced over my shoulder, wanting to ask Lord Ravus what this meant—but I knew he wouldn't respond. He was little more than a mindless beast now.
"Is this some sort of illusion?" I muttered, but no answer came, neither from Lord Ravus nor the System.
I couldn't help but wonder how Pamela and Viktor would react if they saw this.
With a heavy sigh, I stepped inside, my eyes skeptical. Only after taking a few steps did I realize Lord Ravus wasn't following. I looked back and found him standing like a statue where I'd left him, his gaze locked onto the stone platform—with a tinge of fear in his eyes.
I frowned and followed his line of sight. Lord Ravus was now a monster devoid of basic intelligence, yet whatever lay on that platform terrified him.
Huff!
I exhaled sharply and took a few more steps forward, revealing a two-handed sword embedded in the stone. It was forged from blackened steel, its surface etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly.
The blade's edge looked unnaturally sharp, almost alive, and pulsed with a soft red hue as I drew closer.
My gaze shifted to the hilt, wrapped in dark leather, weathered with time, and adorned with a silver pommel shaped like a raven's head—its eyes set with rubies. The guard was jagged, resembling broken wings, and emitted a faint hum.
Ding!
[Warning!]
[Vanguard's Curse is too powerful for you to wield. The backlash will result in instant death should the host attempt it.]
[Requirement: 25 Intelligence & Vitality.]
Buzz!
I blinked, wondering if my eyes were deceiving me. What kind of weapon requires twenty-five Intelligence and Vitality just to hold?
I turned back to Lord Ravus, who still hadn't moved an inch.
"Come!" I commanded, but there was no response.
He wasn't even looking at me—his focus remained fixed on the platform.
"This reaction… it must stem from a traumatic memory when he was alive." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "What the hell could scare a man as powerful as Lord Ravus?"
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. But I shoved the thought aside. Since I had his diary, I'd uncover the truth eventually. Until then, this weapon would have to stay untouched.
"Vanguard's Curse," I murmured—and the sword pulsed crimson, as if responding to its name.
With a defeated sigh, I walked out, watching the steel door lower itself and slam shut behind me with a resonant bang.
"Go back to your wife. Embrace her, and rest in peace—until I need you again," I said to Lord Ravus.
He nodded once, then slowly walked away. My eyes trailed him until he vanished from the Great Hall.
Sigh!
I slumped against the steel wall, sliding down to sit on the ground, lost in thought.
---
A spatial door yanked open, and I returned to the real world far more troubled than before. There was too much to do, yet no clear path forward.
I knew too little about this world. Lord Ravus's diary was my only source of answers.
Once the gate closed behind me, I strode to my bed, grabbed my discarded phone, and powered it on. I hadn't noted the time earlier, but it was barely past noon when I left for my territory. There, I spent an entire day until nightfall—yet here, only minutes had passed.
"Angel and Blade claimed they stayed for three months, which was three days on Earth," I muttered, nodding slowly.
"So a day there equals…" My eyes narrowed as I calculated. "Forty-eight minutes. Three months there is three days here. One day there is forty-eight minutes here."
The realization settled with grim satisfaction. This meant I could explore freely without losing much time on Earth.
"Looks like I'll be skipping a lot of classes," I mused, switching off my phone and tossing it back onto the bed.
I collapsed onto the mattress, exhaustion dragging at my limbs. From my pocket, I pulled Lord Ravus's diary, flipping to where I left off.
---
Entry 17 — The First Night
I thought death would bring peace.
Instead, I woke to screaming.
My own, at first—until it was drowned out by the chorus of the living.
The thirst…
Gods, it wasn't the hunger I knew. This was fire.
A fire in my throat. In my veins. In my mind.
I killed the first three before realizing what I'd done.
Not enemies.
Travelers.
A priest.
A child.
I licked the blood from my gauntlet and felt nothing.
No guilt. No relief. Just… more thirst.
---
Entry 20 — Ten Days Later
I can't recall their faces.
Only the sound of their hearts.
Like war drums.
Each beat dared me to lose control.
I wandered forests and ruins, draining anything in my path. Wolves. Bears. Bandits.
Then I sought stronger prey.
The alpha warg north of Silfen Ridge.
Tougher meat.
Better blood.
It fought back. That was… enjoyable.
For a moment, I felt alive again.
---
Entry 29 — The Endless Hunt
My armor rusts, but my sword stays sharp.
I've become myth. A red-eyed beast who slaughters monsters by night and vanishes by dawn.
Vampires hunt humans.
I hunt what haunts humans.
Griffons. Chimeras. Wyrms.
Even a lich, once.
Each fight dulled the thirst. Not gone—but quieter. A whisper instead of a scream.
---
Entry 34 — Velenhorst
They didn't attack.
When I entered Velenhorst's outskirts, weapons lowered.
I smelled their fear.
But their voices trembled not with hate…
…but hope.
A girl approached first—no older than ten.
She handed me a black flower.
"For saving our town from the wraiths," she said.
I hadn't done it for them. I'd done it for the blood.
But they didn't care.
They gave me shelter. Silence. A place to rest.
For the first time since awakening, I felt like a man—not a monster.
---
Entry 37 — The Pact
"Stay," the Empress said.
"Protect us, and we shall call you Lord."
I laughed in her face.
Until I realized I wanted to say yes.
I, who had no name but 'Beast.'
They offered what I hadn't tasted in years—belonging.
I accepted.
But I warned them:
"So long as I am fed, and none disturbs my peace… I shall be your sword."
The weight of the day pressed into the mattress. Exhaustion coiled around me, and I slipped into sleep.