After saying this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn upward, revealing a smile that could be considered smug. If such an expression appeared on the face of a well-dressed, promising young man under thirty, it might look quite handsome. But on the face of a child who had just turned six, it seemed utterly out of place.
Of course, there were no mirrors here. Besides Valed, there was no one else breathing. No one would judge him.
This was one reason Valed liked the undead soldiers. Due to his identity, he had to tread carefully when interacting with other family members, trying his best to appear like a normal child. Fortunately, he had an older sister only slightly his senior. Whenever he was unsure, he simply imitated her.
Despite the gender difference, at this age, sexual development hadn't begun yet. Aside from differences in head shape and clothing, children were fundamentally similar.
But Valed had clearly forgotten one crucial thing: he was six years younger than his sister. At first, this hadn't been a problem. But now, six years later, Isabella was twelve. Vampires developed at a pace indistinguishable from humans between the ages of one and twenty. Add to that Isabella's slight precociousness... Was continuing to imitate her really okay?
"Mm-hmm, I'm just so clever. This sort of thing is no challenge at all for me." Perhaps due to some stimulus during his soul's journey through the wormhole, Valed now seemed far more intelligent and scheming than his previous self—who had merely possessed a touch of cleverness and average grades at military academy. This new personality, combined with combat skills from the future and a constitution naturally attuned to the winds of magic, suggested achieving something significant in this world wouldn't be too difficult.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Valed's steps grew lighter and faster. But then—just as he stepped onto a paving stone, and then fully onto the next—the tile suddenly flipped downward. Below lay a pit ten meters deep, filled with sharp iron spikes. Among them, several patches of bleached bones lay starkly visible. The walls were smooth, featureless blue stone—not even a fly could land on them. Climbing was impossible!
Worse still, the moment Valed's foot touched the trap, his connection to the magical winds snapped! His stored mana seemed to freeze solid! Something within the trap could seal off the use of magic!
"Impressive!" Valed's heart skipped a beat. In the blink of an eye, he arched backward, executed a backflip, and braced himself against a stone slab behind him, preparing to leap again. But his balance was shattered once more—the slab beneath his hands flipped downward!
"What a cunning trap!" He never imagined the mechanism was a chain reaction—one trap triggering the next. Utterly unforeseeable! Yet Valed had survived fiery trials in his past life, and in this one, he'd gained an advantage: a vampire body far surpassing ordinary physical limits. Though merely a six-year-old child, he could already perform actions demanding immense physical strain.
Valder let out a mighty shout, channeling the force of his voice to concentrate every ounce of strength into his left arm. Before the trapdoor slammed shut, he slammed his palm against the smooth wall—a surface that should have offered no grip, impossible to use as leverage. His arm bent slightly, then shot straight as an arrow. Nine-tenths of his strength went into gripping the wall, leaving only one-tenth to propel Valed high into the air.
Uncertain if another trapdoor awaited below, Valed frantically flicked his hands mid-air. In less than a second, he executed six magical gestures, casting a levitation spell that suspended him in mid-air. Only then was he truly safe.
Valed had narrowly escaped, but the tomb guardians and skeletal wolves that had followed him were utterly annihilated, leaving not a single bone behind. Truth be told, these tomb guardians under the vampire's command had been mighty warriors in life, further strengthened by necromantic arts after death. They were not easily wounded. Yet, in that single instant, the magic sustaining them dissolved completely, reducing these formidable warriors to ordinary skeletal remains. Their weapons and armor fell alongside them. They perished instantly, every last one.
Valred hovered midair, holding his breath for what felt like an eternity before finally exhaling in relief. Reflecting on it afterward sent a chill down his spine—the trap seemed almost sentient. The undead before him had passed through unscathed, yet the moment Valred stepped on it, the mechanism activated. All his plans to use these tomb guardians as cannon fodder had been utterly wasted.
Sixteen high-level undead were lost in an instant. The passage suddenly felt even more desolate. Valed found himself at a loss, calculating inwardly: After entering the tomb, they'd encountered two consecutive traps. Who knew how many more dangers lay ahead? This difficulty might just surpass breaking through the outer barrier.
And now, the cannon fodder that had shielded him from the elements was suddenly gone. Whatever happened next could be disastrous. Treasure was all well and good, but one needed to be alive to enjoy it...
"Still, retreating like this feels like giving up too easily."
Valred pondered for a moment, then muttered to himself: "Besides, losing those skeleton frames means I'll have a lot of explaining to do back home... Bribing that cat costs money too. And Isabella... She borrowed several sums from me and hasn't paid back a single penny yet..." These thoughts left Valred feeling utterly stumped.
"I have no idea how I'll explain this back home..." Two fireballs were hurled down. With a thunderous crash, they smashed open the trapdoor, which had no defenses. Seeing the scattered bones below—an ancient tomb guardian long since beyond reassembly—Vared pondered for a moment before attempting to pull the skeletal remains up. But any magical energy vanished the moment it entered the three-foot-square pit. Even Arcane Sight revealed nothing. Valed had no choice but to abandon the attempt.
"What a hassle... Never mind." After pondering for a moment, Valed decided to press on. Only this time, with several undead guards missing and having just suffered a minor setback, his actions grew more cautious.
As Valed delved deeper into the tomb, his demeanor grew increasingly solemn. With each step, he tossed a dagger to test whether the floor tiles ahead were loose or concealed spring-loaded crossbows. His Arcane Sight remained constantly active, scanning for any other magical traps.
Yet all this caution proved futile—Vared advanced another twenty meters without encountering a single trap. This puzzled him deeply, prompting him to redouble his vigilance.
Judging by the grandeur of this tomb's occupant, it might well belong to some ancient imperial noble, a patriarch of a prominent clan, or even an emperor himself.
If that were the case, the previous arrangements seemed rather inadequate. Though perilous, they appeared designed to counter lone tomb raiders—utterly lacking the grandeur befitting an ancient empire.
"What might spring out next?" Valed chuckled darkly to himself, advancing cautiously. If possible, he would have preferred to maintain his levitation. But for some reason, the magical winds within this tomb were thin as air. Borrowing power from the outside was nearly impossible.
Of course, it was also possible that Valed's earlier strike to shatter the outer barrier had been too earth-shattering. The magical winds within the tomb's confines still hadn't recovered.
Regardless, Valed's situation was dire. His greatest trump card—his formidable magical energy—was now nearly depleted, forcing him to ration its use. Even maintaining the most basic levitation spell was forbidden.
Beyond that, Valed's combat skills were decent—but only decent. He could handle ten, twenty, or even slightly more enemies. But encountering truly elite opponents above his level, or facing a sufficiently large professional force, would still lead to a miserable death.
"So, honestly, my situation is actually quite dangerous right now. The slightest misstep, and this little life of mine is over. Really..." Varred muttered to himself, trying to dispel his fear as he continued forward—then paused abruptly! At the end of the long tunnel lay an immense, cavernous hall. Unlike the dim passage before, magical light poured directly from the ceiling, bathing the entire space in the blinding brightness of a cloudless midsummer day.
Truth be told, even as a vampire, Valed found this intense light somewhat jarring. Especially since he had been relying on his witchcraft vision moments before. But the most crucial point was this—Vared could swear that before he stepped into this hall, it had been shrouded in utter darkness. The transformation into this intense, ghostly blue light happened the instant he entered.
"Danger! Alert!" Valed reacted instantly, hastily gesturing to conjure a layer of magical armor with his dwindling magic reserves. His left hand swept to his waist, a swift flick and click producing three silver paring knives between his fingers. His right hand flickered, fingers unfurling as he prepared to form a magical seal. His body bent slightly, arms extended, crouching low in a bow-like stance, poised to spring into action at a moment's notice.