Second Chance, Second Death

"Indeed I ventured far out here for days to find a vampire, but... are you a vampire or a druid? Make up your mind!" Soran shouted, his voice filled with frustration and a touch of reprimand, as he continuously leaped to avoid the relentless pursuit of the faster and stronger living roots.

Valeria soared high in the air, chasing after Soran, her torn gown revealing the light armor she wore underneath. With each passing moment, her emotions escalated, fueled not only by her own negligence and recklessness but also by the realization that she had come dangerously close to losing her life – a life saved by someone she deeply cared for.

As a basic druid, Valeria possessed passive regeneration abilities. When combined with her vampiric nature, these two skills seemed to merge and enhance her regenerative powers, resulting in a faster and more potent healing ability than that of an ordinary skill. With the tide now turning in her favor, Valeria actively launched attacks against Soran. Unrestrained by any need to hold back, she channeled her emotions into seeking revenge.

Meanwhile, Soran found himself desperately trying to evade the pursuing living roots, assessing the distance required to break free from their relentless chase. However, he soon realized that the situation was far worse than he anticipated. The boss he was currently battling did not adhere to the typical patterns programmed for monsters.

Initially, Soran had believed that the woman had assumed a vampire-like form due to triggering a mechanism where boss-level creatures would go berserk when their health bar crossed a certain threshold. He had hoped to decipher the enemy's attacks and patterns as he evaded and fought back. Yet, despite his efforts to analyze the enemy's behavior, all he found were abstract and unpredictable patterns. "Is this truly part of her programmed abilities? Damn it!" Soran cursed, frustrated by the unexpected turn of events.

Although he had engaged in the battle with confidence, believing that his knowledge and years of the game's experience would give him the upper hand, there was a more significant reason driving him: he needed to quickly become stronger to achieve a goal more important than his own life. Initially, ignoring a distressed low-level boss seemed like a wasted opportunity - or so he thought.

Weary from evading his pursuers, Soran swung his katana to sever the chasing roots. However, he soon realized that the roots piercing him were not just the ones he had just cut. "Crap, I messed up," frustrated, he forced himself to retaliate, but his vision remained blurry even after breaking free. With the debuff still affecting him, he had to continue running unsteadily.

As he fought against the woman, Soran couldn't help but recall a past memory of participating in a high-difficulty raid. It was a full raid with twenty-five high-level players, each specializing in specific builds and displaying total dedication. However, his reminiscing was cut short as he realized that the woman he was fighting was still at a low level.

"What if she's already at a high level? Did I jinx myself by trying to take on a raid boss alone? Damn, really!"

Ignoring the resistance, Soran shifted his focus solely on escaping the situation that had him cornered. His health bar had significantly diminished, and his MP gauge had been drained multiple times, limiting his skill options. Considering his current level and this unknown region, there were only a few skills he could access in the Samurai Skill Tree.

Valeria pursued him from above, soaring through the air, and observed as Soran desperately attempted to flee, a cynical smile playing on her lips as she prepared her razor-sharp claws. "You must face the consequences of your actions against me. This attire... this existence... belongs to the Master!" she shouted.

"Fudge... I should have realized that I'm not the protagonist of a fantasy novel," he complained once again, his breaths growing uncontrollable and his heart pounding as if it wanted to escape his chest. "Phew... phew... is this the end for me again? Am I truly not destined to save them... this game... this world?"

Soran stood there, panting and utterly worn out. Above him, the woman burst out of the sky, poised to strike. His health bar was already at rock bottom, and he had no hope of restoring it before the next attack hit. "Dravenic," he rasped, "I thought I would make it to you, but..."

Whatever else he planned to say was drowned out by Valeria's battle cry. "Perish, you foul creature!" She lunged at him with talons bared and ready to slice him to ribbons.

Soran's limbs refused to obey the impulses sent by his brain, rendering him motionless. It wasn't fear of death that paralyzed him—after all, he had already faced it once before. Instead, it was a profound regret that flooded his being, a desperate realization that he was unable to act even in this second chance, gnawing at him more fiercely than death itself.

Valeria could sense Soran's resignation as he closed his eyes, surrendering to his impending fate. Time seemed to slow down as she descended upon him, her lethal claws poised to deliver the final blow. The surrounding scenery took on a surreal quality, with her menacing claws and the twisting roots rising from the ground serving as harbingers of Soran's imminent demise.

"Stop, both of you."

From somewhere, a force intervened, halting Valeria in her tracks. Anubis, in a swift and graceful motion, pounced on her arm, sending a spray of crimson as his claws tore through the air, thwarting the entangling roots that sought to ensnare their potential victim.

"Take control of your emotions, Valeria," a voice commanded, accompanied by an unfamiliar presence that disrupted Soran's death-ridden reverie. A gentle breeze brushed against Soran's face, carrying with it the weight of the unexpected visitor. Soran's body jolted before collapsing backward as if struck by a surge of electricity, sprawled out on the ground. "Y-you...?!"

"M-master, but... but he attempted to kill me. Not only that, he tore the precious gown you gifted me," Valeria stuttered, her tone tinged with fear, trembling under the intensity of Anubis's gaze—a level of intensity she had never witnessed before. Yet, it was not aimed at her; rather, the focus was altered.

"Where did you obtain that name... human?!" Anubis's voice dripped with menace as he directed a heavy threat towards Soran, who remained splayed out, wordless, as their eyes locked in an intense confrontation.