MMORPG: I was BUGGED-Chapter 233: The Cost of Loyalty

"It looks like you’ll have to venture into the final dungeon alone," she said, her voice oddly calm despite the chaos around them. A small, enigmatic smile played on her lips.

"Huh?" Xin was utterly baffled. "What are you talking about? You need to drink an HP potion; your HP is nearing 100. You can’t let it drop below that, or she’ll instantly kill you."

Midnight Duchess grinned, her eyes gleaming with a secret that only she knew. "That’s precisely what I’m hoping for."

Xin’s eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Before he could utter another word, Midnight Duchess swiftly drew a dagger, slicing her own wrist open. Her HP plummeted at an alarming speed, the red numbers indicating the rapid decline of her life force.

"W-what are you doing?" Xin’s voice shook with alarm, his usual lethargic demeanor replaced by genuine concern.

But Midnight Duchess only beamed at him, her eyes filled with a strange mixture of resolve and defiance. "Go to the next level, Lord Schrödinger."

With that, she dashed toward the vampire. In an instant, the Bloodcountess was upon her, her fangs finding purchase on her neck.

"Midnight Duchess!" Xin’s voice cracked, desperation lacing his words as he called out her name, hoping against hope that his voice would somehow change her mind.

It seemed all too clear to him; Midnight Duchess was prepared to sacrifice herself to catch the elusive vampire.

Yet, Midnight Duchess remained strangely composed, her smile unwavering even as the Bloodcountess’s deadly assault drained her HP to zero.

"Didn’t I tell you? I’ll make you admit that I’m more beautiful than you by the end of this fight."

In the midst of her frenzied state, the Bloodcountess remembered her earlier claim that she wouldn’t drink the blood of women unless they were more beautiful than her.

The Bloodcountess snarled in fury, her instincts urging her to spit out the blood she was sipping, but her own skill, [Feast], had already taken effect, and there was no stopping it now.

She unknowingly underestimated Midnight Duchess, turning the tide of the battle in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

The moment the Bloodcountess’s [Feast] ability took effect, Midnight Duchess felt her life force drain away rapidly, her HP plummeting to zero.

Despite the dire situation, she retained a calm demeanor, her eyes steady.

"You’re going to hell with me," she said, her voice carrying an eerie certainty as if she had accepted her fate.

Before the Bloodcountess could fully comprehend the gravity of Midnight Duchess’s words, a blinding surge of energy enveloped both of them.

Midnight Duchess invoked her deadly skill, [Death’s Revenge], a move that ensured her opponent would accompany her to the afterlife.

In an instant, the room was consumed by a blinding light, and a powerful shockwave rippled through the chamber. The force of the explosion sent debris flying in all directions, shaking the very foundation of the room.

Xin shielded his eyes from the intensity of the light, unable to witness the exact moment of the explosion.

When the brilliance subsided, and the dust settled, he found himself standing alone amidst the aftermath. The Bloodcountess was gone, and so was Midnight Duchess.

For a moment, he stood there, stunned into silence.

Xin then released a heavy breath, realizing he was alone once more.

Not that he was complaining; he knew he could summon Elysia freely if he was alone, that was the advantage.

There were messages flooding in from Victor and the others.

[Grey Smoke: Lord Schrödinger, proceed to uncover the mysteries of the final level.]

[Red Dragon: Can’t believe you cleared the third level with just the two of you. Midnight Duchess is too OP! It’s a shame she met her end, though.]

[Hikari: I . . . I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Finish the dungeon for all of us.]

Xin found it hard to do. There was no way that he could finish the last dungeon alone, but he would surely go to the last level.

[Red Dragon: We might be the first group ever to clear this dungeon. Oh, I’m getting so excited just thinking about it! Lord Schrödinger, don’t forget to announce our achievement to the world, alright? It could make us famous, and that would definitely help us in the future!]

[Hikari: By the way . . . why did Midnight Duchess leave the group? She won’t be able to gain EXP and items anymore because of that.]

Xin was bewildered, only just noticing that Midnight Duchess had indeed left the group.

But why?

Confusion settled in his mind.

If she left voluntarily, she would forfeit her right to EXP and any items.

Furthermore, if she chose to revive after she left, she’d undoubtedly suffer the EXP penalty the system demanded as compensation.

There was no way she would have gone through all that, sacrificing her life and items, only to emerge from this fight empty-handed.

". . . Empty-handed?" Xin hesitated for a moment before hurriedly searching through his items.

A sigh of relief escaped him when he found the [Shell of Oceanic Powers] still safely tucked away in his inventory.

Without it, he wouldn’t be able to summon Elysia to fight for him. The materials for his golems, along with the rare items they had collected from their battles, were intact in his inventory as well. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Everything seemed to be there, yet he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was missing. His eyes widened as realization struck.

The Love Enduring Sacrifice!

Due to the item restrictions, Xin had assumed he could use it as a special material to create a unique Golem.

That’s why he had retrieved it from the Bank. He had trusted Midnight Duchess completely by this point; she had repeatedly sacrificed herself in the past to save him.

Was that part of the plan? Was she aiming for it from the start?

Conflicting emotions surged within him –– disappointment at the perceived betrayal, bewilderment about why she chose to take that particular item over the others, and a strange sense of relief that she had chosen an item he couldn’t use at the moment.

Still, he couldn’t ignore the fact that the [Love Enduring Sacrifice] would have fetched a high price if he had auctioned it.

He should have just auctioned it if he knew this would happen.

With a heavy sigh, Xin decided it was time to move on. There was nothing he could do about it now that Midnight Duchess was gone.

One thing was certain –– she had truly pulled a fast one on him.