There’s Absolutely No Problem With The Magic Cards I Made!

Chapter 166: Dekan Is Forever At A Lower Level (Long Chapter)

Chapter 166: Dekan Is Forever At A Lower Level (Long Chapter)

Late at night, in the city.

The pale grey clouds were dense and heavy and the moonlight not particularly bright. Under the dim yellow lights, the streets looked desolate. A chilly wind blew, lifting the fallen leaves and swirling them on the ground. The doors of the shops along the street were tightly closed, occasionally creaking.

There was only one figure on the entire street. It was a woman wearing a slightly revealing dress, stumbling along as if drunk. She seemed unsure of the direction home, gradually staggering towards an alley.

However, high above, there was a figure faintly visible in the dim light, with a pair of crimson eyes particularly striking. It seemed to be staring at its prey.

Then, it moved with lightning speed, almost invisible to the naked eye. A disturbing scent gradually wafted in the air.

This vampire pounced on the woman from an angle completely out of her field of vision, not giving her a chance to react.

However, in that moment, a glint of clarity flashed in the woman's eyes as if she had sobered up. She swiftly maneuvered behind the vampire, and a dagger that appeared in her hand with unknown timing accurately pierced the vampire's back.

She did not hesitate to pull out the dagger. Blood sprayed on her, but she paid no attention. Instead, she grabbed the vampire by the neck and violently flipped it over.

Then, another dagger stabbed into its heart with precision.

Although the vampire suffered two consecutive fatal wounds, it showed no sign of weakening. The blood that flowed out seemed to have a life of its own, trying to return to its body to heal its injuries.

However, at the moment the vampire struggled, a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

In his hand were several spell cards. He quickly activated them, stunning the vampire before conjuring a halo to restrain it.

"Finally caught one," the man sighed with relief, looking at the immobilized vampire.

"With this, we'll be able to find that vampire noble," the woman said, pulling out her dagger and observing the vampire she had subdued.

Although it had distinct vampire features, its scent was murky, nothing like a pure vampire. It must be a servant of the vampire noble hidden in this city.

It was already the third night of the Shadow World.

This pair, a female warrior and a male mage, were tier 6 elites from the Resurgence Church. They were here to snipe Mauleon.

In the morning, they had just seen the prompt for Mission Objective 3: Stop Marquess Roderick's revival being unlocked.

In the afternoon, they saw the prompt for Marquess Roderick's death.

Until now, they couldn't quite figure out what was going on. They felt that this Shadow World was not quite right, and there might be some deep waters among the challengers.

Based on their understanding, even Mauleon would find it difficult to do such an exaggerated thing. Moreover, this was quite different from Mauleon's all-out attack style.

So, in the afternoon, after a brief discussion, they both confirmed their plan for the upcoming events in this Shadow World -- "Don't cause trouble, give up targeting Mauleon, and perfectly disguise ourselves as ordinary challengers."

Since it seemed that there was a big shot in this Shadow World, they decided to simply play along for the rewards. However, the final rewards in the Shadow World were based on contributions. If the contribution was minimal, the rewards would correspondingly be minimal.

Of course, even if they slacked off, it would be difficult to get nothing from a Shadow World.

At least they hadn't seen such a situation before.

In their investigation over the past three days, they discovered that a vampire noble with unknown intentions seemed to be lurking in the city. And after seeing the Mission Objective 3 of the Shadow World open, they quickly deduced that the motivation of this vampire noble was to rescue the sealed vampire marquess.

The reason it was lurking now must be because it was too weak and in the process of recovery. Strike while the iron is hot — now was undoubtedly the best time to defeat that vampire.

If they could make a significant contribution to Mission Objective 2, then their final rewards would surely be substantial.

So, the strategy they adopted tonight was "bait and ambush".

The female warrior disguised herself as a weak woman, walking on the streets to lure the vampires in need of prey.

The male mage hid in the shadows, ready to support the female warrior at any time, as well as to conduct reconnaissance work and guard against multiple strong enemies.

Lastly, he was also tasked to subdue the vampire.

As expected, the female warrior successfully lured the vampire. They caught their target very smoothly.

Next, all they needed to do was hand over this vampire servant to the Holy Ritual Church or the Lord. The city would naturally launch a thorough investigation.

Even if they aren’t able to personally defeat the vampire noble, they would still receive a good reward for making a crucial contribution.

"Trot, trot, trot."

Just as they were preparing to escort this vampire servant to the church, rapid horse hooves could be heard on the street. It seemed that their movements had attracted the knight guards patrolling at night.

Soon, the knights appeared at the intersection, looking at the mess in the alley.

"We're adventurers on a mission," the female warrior and male mage quickly explained, stepping aside to allow the leading knight to see the vampire on the ground.

The captain of the knights breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the vampire.

"You don't need to worry, we are aware of the situation. In fact, we discovered last night that vampires were lurking in the city and have strengthened our patrols tonight. Thank you very much for helping us defeat that vampire," the captain of the knights said calmly as he dismounted and walked quickly to the two.

"No problem, we were just about to hand over the vampire. The rest is up to you," the two Resurgence Church followers observed the knight patrol team for a moment, confirming that they were legitimate troops directly under the lord.

After a brief handover, just as the two were about to leave, the captain of the knights asked sincerely, "Please wait a moment. If you both are available, could you assist us in escorting this vampire? Also, our lord would like to ask you about some details."

The knight captain did not insist strongly. He showed great respect for the two adventurers, who were both powerful and righteous.

"Of course," the two glanced at each other and quickly nodded in agreement.

This would also increase their contribution level.

So, the two followed the knight team to the lord's mansion. En route, the knight captain explained to them that vampires had been suspected in the city since yesterday.

There were also three missing citizens. However, it was just suspicion, lacking solid evidence, and a day's time had not yielded any conclusive results.

The attitude of the Holy Ritual Church was very vague, without giving opinions or making any response. Because of this, the lord was in a state of urgency, only able to increase the intensity of the nighttime patrols.

The lord also ordered that if there were any clues or informants, they must report to him as soon as possible.

The knight captain was quite sure that these two were the people the lord wanted to find.

Before long, they arrived at a grand and solemn ancient mansion. Several towering ancient trees surrounded the mansion, covering the already sparse moonlight, leaving only scattered spots of light on the walls, giving the entire mansion a mysterious and unpredictable color.

Led by the knight captain, the two entered the mansion through a winding path from the courtyard, then proceeded directly to the spacious reception hall.

A dignified middle-aged man was sitting on the sofa, his expression very serious. He was the lord of this city.

The captain of the patrol knights quickly retired under the lord's instructions.

Only a few guards and a young maid serving beverages were left in the spacious reception hall.

After serving the refreshments, she pulled away the dining cart and stood behind the lord's sofa.

Although this maid looked like a teenage girl, she must be a formidable battle maid to protect the lord up close.

"Thank you very much for what you’ve done. Because vampires were suspected in the city, I didn't sleep all night. It wasn't until you confirmed their capture that I could finally rest today. But, I still need you two to explain the details to me as much as possible," the lord pinched his brow, his voice full of exhaustion.

The two Resurgence Church followers quickly explained the ins and outs to the lord, including the clues they had found in the city and so on. However, they concealed the mission prompt from the Shadow World. Even if they mentioned the existence of the Shadow World, no one would believe it.

Next, the lord discussed with them again. The lord seemed particularly worried, caring deeply about any information regarding vampires. If a vampire noble infiltrated his territory, he and his territory would be in grave danger with the slightest carelessness.

"Lord, you don't need to worry, we will help you defeat the vampires."

"I understand. I will definitely increase the search efforts in the town. If you need assistance, please let me know. I will do my best to cooperate with you."

"Of course."

In the end, the lord finally relaxed. He stood up in a very friendly manner and shook hands with the two, thanking them sincerely.

The two Resurgence Church followers were also very happy. With the strong assistance of the lord, capturing Mission Objective 2’s primary target, the vampire noble, would undoubtedly be much easier. Perhaps they would even have a chance to find and eliminate the vampire noble at a speed beyond imagination.

"Would you two like to rest in my mansion tonight? I have arranged the guest rooms for you in advance."

"We’ll trouble you then, Milord."

Just as the lord ordered the guards to escort them out of the reception hall to the guest rooms, all of a sudden...

*Splurt!*

When the female warrior reacted, she found her clothes were already stained red with gushing blood. It wasn't her blood, but the male mage next to her had been pierced through the heart by bloody hands from somewhere unknown.

Shortly after, the male mage's body trembled violently, and the ground beneath them was instantly dyed a dark red color. It was like a tabletop overturned with red ink.

Every cell in the female warrior's body was filled with a strong sense of impending death. She instinctively reacted by pulling away from her position.

She saw the lord's mansion guard, who had been about to lead them, with an expressionless face like a chess piece, his eyes turning bloodshot, and a strong, pungent smell of blood emanating from him. There was no doubt, his true identity was a vampire servant!

Taking advantage of the proximity, this vampire servant launched a surprise attack on the male mage. The fragile male mage had already perished in the sudden, unsuspecting attack earlier.

Next, several figures approached from around the reception hall. Astonishingly, they were all tier 6 vampire servants!

At this moment, the female warrior realized that several guards in the reception hall had already been replaced by vampires! And they had perfectly disguised themselves as humans by some unknown means!

"M-milord?" The female warrior's lips trembled, her face becoming extremely pale. The sudden turn of events made her realize that she might have been lured into the enemy's lair. Even the lord had a problem!

She and her companion had thought they were executing a bait and ambush plan, but in reality, everything might have been anticipated by the enemy. In fact, the vampire servant they captured was the bait thrown out by the enemy and they were the fish being caught.

In the frightened gaze of the female warrior, the lord did not answer her. He simply stood up from the sofa, then moved behind the sofa and knelt down in front of the maid who had been waiting there.

"Lysilina, my lady, my mission is complete. They have indeed realized your existence," the lord said with exceptional respect, resembling a little dog trying to please its master.

"Thank you for your hard work. You can go back to your duties as the lord," the maid waved her hand disdainfully, indicating the frail lord to leave. It would be troublesome if he got hurt in the upcoming fight.

"You... you are the...!" The female warrior looked at the maid, her voice trembling.

"Hah." The once seemingly innocent and elegant maid, with a touch of girlish charm, now laughed mockingly. "Foolish humans, did you think I wouldn't notice you investigating me?"

Even though the maid still appeared as a young girl and her voice remained crisp, her aura became oppressive, staring down at the female warrior as if looking at a lesser race. Beneath those ruby-like, blood-red eyes, it seemed as if a sea of blood lurked, hiding countless atrocities.

The cold and bloody atmosphere in the reception hall made the female warrior tremble all over. She gradually understood everything now. The figure in front of her was not a maid at all. It was the extremely high ranking vampire noble they had been seeking hiding within the city!

Moreover, the lord had long been under the control of Countess Lysilina! The entire lord's mansion had become a den of vampires, their enemies' headquarters!

Their enemy could efficiently obtain all the information collected within the city as well. Therefore, unless the challengers maintained a high level of anti-reconnaissance awareness, the more they investigated, the more they would expose themselves.

This tier 6 Shadow World, while not as intense in combat, was filled with deadly traps. One wrong step could lead to a dire situation without even realizing it.

In the female warrior's cries of despair, her figure was quickly overwhelmed by the attacks of the vampire servants, gradually losing all vitality.

"Although I don't know where I slipped up for me to be targeted by you insignificant humans, you are ultimately just food for me," Countess Lysilina's face was full of contempt.

She possessed a unique mental manipulation ability and was able to control the minds of humans without turning them into servants. She was also skilled in disguise, not only perfectly disguising herself as a human but also concealing the presence of vampires around her.

Even the lord had been unknowingly controlled by her after she infiltrated the mansion, becoming her puppet. Several guards in the mansion had also been replaced by her servants.

So this became her safest hiding place, where she could immediately manipulate the situation in the city through the lord should something arise.

Before long, the female warrior was subdued by the group of servants. They lifted the barely conscious female warrior and presented her to the countess like an offering.

"Damn this Shadow World..." The dying female warrior's voice was intermittent, her face stained with blood and tears, showing only resentment and despair.

This city was doomed.

In the extreme absence of intelligence, no one could have guessed the troublesome abilities of this countess, nor the hidden advantages she had already secured. Unless someone could convey the information that "the lord has been controlled," there would be no hope of turning the tables.

As a member of the Resurgence Church, she didn't care about the failure of the Shadow World. She was just unwilling to accept this defeat. She hadn't expected the ultimate enemy of this Shadow World to be so cunning, turning the tables and hunting down the challengers.

After her consciousness completely faded, Countess Lysilina began to leisurely consume her nourishment. This was her most enjoyable dinner time.

"Not bad. It would be even better if it were the blood of a young girl," the countess licked her lips with a look of satisfaction on her face. The blood making her mouth corners appear particularly crimson.

This city would soon become her domain. Even though her combat power had not fully recovered to even tier 6 yet, as long as she continued to quietly regain her strength, given another four days, she would restore her full tier 7 power.

By then, she would go to the town to rescue Marquess Roderick and everything would be over.

"Damn Grand Priest... Your sacrifice, your actions, are all futile struggles. Whether it's the town or the city, they will all become our hunting grounds."

Whenever she thought of the Grand Priest of the town who had fought her fiercely, Countess Lysilina would feel particularly angry. If it weren't for that priest's interference, she wouldn't need to lurk like this.

For some reason, she felt the anger rising in her heart becoming stronger. It was as if her emotions were being stirred inexplicably.

Accompanying the anger, she felt a hunger stimulating her brain. Despite just having consumed blood, she was hungry again. And this time, the feeling of hunger was strange.

Countess Lysilina even felt a strong desire to command her servants to go out and hunt down the young girls she craved the most at any cost just so she could drink their blood.

She was an extremely cautious vampire. Every step she had taken so far was filled with prudence. The past two days, she had only been sending out a single servant to attract adventurers and didn’t dare to let her servants capture civilians.

At least for now, she had to endure quietly until the marquess was unsealed; otherwise, all previous efforts might be in vain.

But this restless desire in her heart made her unable to bear it. She decided to go find the lord.

No matter what method the lord devised, she had to drink fresh blood as soon as possible, and it had to be the blood of pure young maidens.

Soon, Countess Lysilina, disguised as a maid, briskly arrived at the door of the lord's bedroom on the second floor. However, she hadn't pushed the door open yet when it was quickly pulled open from the inside. At the same time, a book with a brown cover suddenly smashed towards her forehead from the doorway!

She quickly leaned back and gracefully jumped to the wall of the corridor. Fortunately, her reaction was fast enough to dodge this attack. Otherwise, the terrifying force carried by this blow might have caused her head to explode.

She quickly called for her servants to come to the second floor and saw the situation in the lord's bedroom. Suddenly, Countess Lysilina felt her brain glitching. The scene inside the lord’s bedroom was extremely bizarre.

There was a girl wearing a white mask standing at the door. She was holding a terrifying weapon in her hand. Although it looked like a book, Countess Lysilina's intuition told her that the outcome of being hit by this book would be very tragic. It was clear that the girl in the white mask had been keeping watch just now.

In the middle of the bedroom, the lord had already fainted in front of his desk. Standing next to the lord was a man wearing an equally eerie mask with the character "Center ?" written on it in bright red paint. The man in the red mask helped the lord onto a chair and was holding a metal rope, preparing to tie the lord up.

At the window of the lord's room, there was another figure opening the curtains just a little bit, also keeping watch. However, he was responsible for monitoring the situation downstairs in the lord's mansion. At this moment, the figure at the window also seemed to attract Countess Lysilina's attention. He turned his head back, and his mask was painted green with the character "Wealth ?" on it.

Countess Lysilina's eye twitched. These three extremely suspicious looking individuals were obviously a sophisticated gang of criminals. Although she couldn't see the expressions under their masks, she could feel the obvious hesitation in their movements after noticing her. It was as if they were also surprised. It seemed that these three bandits' initial motive was quite simple; they just wanted to rob the lord's mansion. They hadn't expected to encounter a vampire in the lord's mansion. Although Countess Lysilina was still disguised as a maid, the smell of blood on her body and the bloodstains at the corners of her mouth couldn't be hidden.

Inside the bedroom, the man in the red mask temporarily paused his work. Looking at the maid outside the door, he asked his two accomplices, "Is there such a lucky event?"

The man in the green mask couldn't help but laugh. "Isn't this just perfect?"

"Should we beat her up?" The girl in the white mask was also caressing the murder book in her hand, seemingly determined to hit the vampire once to feel satisfied.

The three of them stared at Countess Lysilina as if they had found their prey. Even though she couldn't meet the gazes behind their masks, Countess Lysilina felt a chill run down her spine.

These three individuals were too cunning. She had thought that the lord's mansion was an absolutely safe hiding place for her. She should have the upper hand and fend off anyone trying to investigate her.

But she never expected that a gang of criminals would target the lord's mansion!!

What kind of world was this?!

Is the lord's mansion something you can just casually rob?!