As he finished speaking, a self-satisfied smile crept across Valder's face. On a well-dressed, ambitious young man under thirty, such an expression might've been charming. But on a six-year-old boy, it was jarring and incongruous. Not that there was anyone around to judge—Valder was alone, save for the silent, unbreathing undead soldiers who accompanied him.
It was one of the reasons he preferred their company. With the living, especially family members, he had to tread carefully, mimicking the behavior of a normal child to avoid suspicion. Fortunately, he had an older sister to emulate. Though their genders were different, at their age, physical development hadn't yet created significant distinctions. Aside from hairstyle and clothing, children were largely indistinguishable.
But Valder had overlooked one crucial detail: his sister, Isabella, was six years older than him. While the age gap hadn't mattered when he first arrived in this world, it was becoming increasingly problematic. Isabella, now twelve, was entering a phase of early adolescence—something Valder, still a child, couldn't replicate convincingly.
"Well, well, I'm just too clever," Valder mused to himself, his smile widening. Perhaps the journey through the wormhole that brought him to this world had done more than just transport him. Compared to his past life as a mediocre student at a military academy, this Valder was sharper, more cunning, and more ambitious. Coupled with his combat skills from the future and his affinity for the Winds of Magic, he was confident he could carve out a place for himself in this world.
Lost in thought, Valder quickened his pace. But just as he stepped onto a seemingly innocuous stone tile, it gave way beneath him. The ground beneath his feet disappeared, revealing a pit ten meters deep, lined with sharp iron spikes and scattered with skeletal remains. The walls were smooth, unclimbable slabs of polished stone, impossible to scale. Worse, as his foot touched the tile, Valder felt his connection to the Winds of Magic severed. His stored magic froze, leaving him powerless.
"Impressive!" Valder's heart lurched as he instinctively leaned back, performing a backwards flip to land on another tile. But no sooner had his hands touched the ground than that tile, too, flipped open. It was a cleverly designed trap, a series of interconnected mechanisms designed to catch intruders off guard.
Despite the danger, Valder's experience from his past life and his enhanced vampire physique allowed him to react swiftly. With a shout, he channeled all his strength into his left hand, gripping the smooth wall of the pit. His arm bent and then snapped straight, propelling him upward with enough force to escape the trap. Unwilling to risk landing on another tile, he swiftly cast a levitation spell mid-air, floating safely above the pit.
The ordeal left him shaken. The undead guards who had followed him hadn't been so lucky. Without the magic that animated them, their bodies crumbled into lifeless bones the moment they fell into the pit. Valder hovered above the trap, his mind racing. The loss of sixteen high-level undead was a significant blow, and the challenges ahead now seemed even more daunting.
Valder's confidence wavered for the first time. The tomb's defenses were far more sophisticated than he'd anticipated, and without his guards to act as decoys, he was perilously exposed. The treasures within the tomb were tempting, but they were useless if he didn't survive to claim them.
Still, the thought of retreating left a bitter taste in his mouth. "If I go back now, I'll have to explain the loss of those skeletons," he muttered. "And there's Isabella… she still owes me money. And that damn cat I bribe—more expenses to deal with."
Deciding to press on, Valder threw two fireballs into the pit, incinerating the remains of his guards. He considered retrieving their bones but quickly dismissed the idea. Any magic he tried to use within the pit dissipated instantly, and his Arcane Sight revealed nothing of interest. Reluctantly, he moved forward, his steps cautious and deliberate now.
Despite his heightened awareness, the next twenty meters of the tunnel passed without incident. The absence of traps made Valder even more uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that the tomb's true defenses were yet to come. The scale and complexity of the mechanisms suggested the tomb belonged to a figure of significant importance—perhaps a noble, a clan leader, or even an emperor of the ancient empire. If that were the case, the traps he'd encountered so far were merely the opening act.
As he ventured deeper, the tunnel suddenly widened into a vast, brightly lit chamber. The transition was abrupt and jarring. Moments ago, the passage had been pitch black; now, the chamber was illuminated by an intense, azure light that bathed the room in an eerie glow.
Valder, his eyes accustomed to darkness, winced at the sudden brightness. The transition had been instantaneous, a deliberate design to disorient intruders. He immediately recognized the danger.
"Alert! Defend!" he shouted, his hands moving swiftly as he cast a protective spell, summoning a magical armor around himself. His left hand reached for his belt, producing three silver knives, while his right hand poised to cast further spells. He crouched low, his body tense and ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The chamber was vast, its purpose unclear. But Valder knew better than to let his guard down. The tomb had already proven itself to be a labyrinth of deadly surprises, and he had no doubt that the greatest challenges were yet to come. His magic reserves were dwindling, and without his undead guards, he was more vulnerable than ever. Yet, despite the risks, he pressed on, driven by a mix of ambition, curiosity, and the stubborn refusal to back down.