She turned to look outside. The sky was already beginning to lighten, and early birds were chirping. She had slept for at least four hours. She touched her stomach; the wounds had scabbed over, and the stomachache was gone. Her injuries were basically healed.
She looked towards Rosen again, and there he was, fast asleep, clutching the bear carcass's hind leg.
'What a strange little fellow.' Just then, the light inside the cave dimmed, and a figure appeared at the cave entrance. Immediately afterward, a seductive, melodious voice rang out: 'Oh, beautiful ladies, so you were hiding here. I've been looking for you for quite a while.'
"Rosen, wake up~ wake up~"
Hazy, Rosen heard a woman's voice beside him. He was fast asleep, so he turned over. "Don't disturb me, I want to sleep a little longer."
Then a male voice came through: "Ha~ interesting, this little thing is really interesting. Last night when I saw him, he not only didn't run away, but he also tricked me into getting poisoned. Now, knowing I'll chase after him, he can still sleep so soundly. Sigh~ in all my years, this is the first time I've seen such an interesting little thing."
The voice was seductive, the tone mocking; it was the vampire Viken.
Rosen jolted awake, sitting bolt upright. He saw two people sitting in front of him. To his left was Annie, looking on high alert. To his right was the vampire Viken, unsurprisingly, sitting in the most comfortable spot in the cave.
Viken wore a well-tailored navy blue evening tuxedo, his golden curly hair shone like sunshine, and he exuded a faint scent of roses. He was looking at Rosen with a half-smile.
With his attire and demeanor, he should be dancing with noble ladies at a noble ball, not in a damp, dark cave.
What was bound to happen, Rosen had been prepared.
He sat up straight, rubbed his sleepy eyes, glanced at the sky outside the cave, and said, "Mr. Viken, normally you should have found me before the morning star rises."
"Indeed," Viken replied casually, settling into the most comfortable spot in the cave. "But I had a party to attend last night, which delayed me. Actually, if you had escaped during that time, I might have let you go. After all, humans as clever as you are rare."
Rosen chuckled, then suddenly raised an eyebrow, mimicking Viken's tone, "I have many excellent qualities, but not one of them: mercy. Right, Mr. Viken?"
This was Viken's signature boastful phrase, which Rosen often heard during their matches in the game.
Viken's expression shifted slightly. "You seem to know quite a lot. You know, I hate smart people the most."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Annie instinctively gripped her sword hilt. She knew it was futile, but swordsmanship remained her greatest asset.
"Wait a minute," Rosen said, remaining seated. "I have a question."
"Ask away. A final word is my reward." Viken's tone was icy, his impatience palpable. In truth, he himself didn't know why he was so agitated, as he usually spent a good while playing with his prey.
"You said you attended a party last night. I imagine it must have been something special. Could I get a general idea of what it was about?" Rosen was genuinely curious.
Based on his gaming experience, vampires and similar super monsters were seasoned veterans who had seen it all. They never gathered for no reason, unless there was something important to discuss.
Viken was somewhat surprised. "You really want to know?"
"Could you satisfy my curiosity?" Rosen asked humbly.
"Well, it's nothing serious. There's this idle sage among the humans, or you could call him a conman, who's been spreading a prophecy of the apocalypse everywhere."
"A prophecy of the apocalypse?" Rosen was taken aback; he hadn't heard of this prophecy in the game.
Annie, standing beside him, was also curious: "Sages are incredibly powerful mages; they wouldn't speak without reason. They must have truly received divine revelation."
"Unfortunately, my clan's elders share your views. Those old fogies firmly believe in the prophecy of the apocalypse, which has given me this troublesome quest." Viken sighed.
"Can I know the contents of the prophecy of the apocalypse?" Rosen asked.
Viken's lips curled into a wicked smile: "That's the second question already. I'd love to answer you, but among my many excellent qualities, there is no mercy, much less generosity."
Rosen knew Viken very well. From his actions and tone, he could sense the intense killing intent. He knew that in the next second, this vampire could suddenly strike and kill.
He hurriedly called out, "Wait a minute!"
As he spoke, his mind was already focused on the nitroglycerin inside the bamboo tube on the stone wall.
"What else do you want?" Viken frowned impatiently. If he had been amused before, now he genuinely felt Rosen was talking too much nonsense.
Almost simultaneously, Rosen activated.
Alchemy: Elemental Control!
Inside the bamboo tube, Rosen's mental hand grasped a small amount of nitroglycerin within the diatomaceous earth pores and violently vibrated it.
Nitroglycerin, inherently unstable, couldn't withstand such manipulation. It immediately snapped, exploding with a 'bang,' releasing the energy stored in its chemical bonds. This created even more violent vibrations, which in turn caused more nitroglycerin to explode.
In an instant, a chain reaction occurred; chemical bonds began to avalanche, and all the nitroglycerin exploded, releasing a massive amount of energy in a very short time.
*Bang!*
A muffled, piercing sound rang out as the bamboo tube embedded in the wall jolted violently. A beam of blue light shot from its end, illuminating the dim cave.
"Ahhhhhh!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted almost simultaneously, an incredibly shrill sound. Anyone hearing such a sound would have no doubt that someone was suffering the most horrific torture imaginable!