It wasn't just Wu Ziyi who had looked up the dungeon strategy; Gu Chen had also reviewed it carefully. The Black-Robed Deacon's skill could transfer damage onto nearby guards. Furthermore, guards targeted by this skill wouldn't truly die; if their HP hit zero, they would enter a false death state and revive with full health after one minute. That one minute was precisely the cooldown period for [Damage Transfer].

It was this mechanic that drastically increased the Novice Dungeon's difficulty. Combined with the Deacon's 9000+ HP, rookie Class Holders wanting to kill it had no choice but to kite, dodging the pursuing guards while slowly whittling down the boss's health during the brief vulnerability window. Even well-equipped beginner teams employing kiting tactics would typically need three to four hours to defeat the Black-Robed Deacon, and that was considered fast. It wasn't uncommon for teams to spend two or three days clearing the Novice Dungeon.

Bang! Bang! Bang!... Dracula shifted position and fired another barrage of basic attacks at the Black-Robed Deacon. The damage was transferred. Zero damage taken by the boss. Its health bar remained untouched. However, the HP bar of the nearby Level 5 Guard plummeted rapidly, emptying in moments. The Level 5 Guard collapsed, entering its false death state. The crystalline white light signifying [Damage Transfer] on the Black-Robed Deacon vanished as the skill entered its cooldown.

"ROAR!" The Black-Robed Deacon let out an enraged snarl. With a flick of its voluminous sleeve, a skeletal, grayish-white arm pointed towards Dracula. The surrounding guards seemed to receive a command and immediately charged towards Dracula.

BANG! BANG! BANG!... Combining basic attacks and skills, Dracula dispatched the guards as they approached. One after another, they fell before they could get close. Facing the guards' assault, Dracula's eyes were as cold as steel. He moved, aimed, and fired. He was like an emotionless killing machine, weaving fluidly through the battle. With every shot, a guard's head exploded.

[Killed Sunken Guard LV.3, EXP +31] [Killed Sunken Guard LV.4, EXP +75] [Killed Sunken Guard LV.1, EXP +8] ...

"Is this Dracula a summon or an actual Class Holder? He's killing monsters just as efficiently as a Gunslinger!" "Way more broken than a Gunslinger! Let me ask you, can a Level 4 Gunslinger one-shot a Level 2 Sunken Guard?" "It's more than that! Reloading with one hand, predictive shots, shooting while moving, switching targets rapidly... Is his firearm proficiency maxed out already? This is absurd!" "Dracula should start selling masterclasses to Gunslingers. Make a killing off those韭菜 (leeks - slang for easily exploited people/noobs). Guaranteed profit." ...

Amidst their chatter, Dracula's figure flickered, appearing behind a Level 3 Guard. [Fatal Shot] BANG! The Level 3 Guard's head instantly disintegrated. An instant kill!

[Killed Sunken Guard LV.3, EXP +29]

Without pause, Dracula opened fire again with a stream of basic attacks. Bang! Bang! Bang!... The Black-Robed Deacon's health rapidly decreased, losing a fifth in moments. Enraged, the Deacon shrieked. Its long, thin fingers gestured in the air, and a crescent-shaped shadow of black light abruptly materialized. Vwom! A low vibration hummed through the air. Skill, [Umbral Assault]. The black crescent flickered into the void, vanishing and reappearing instantly before Dracula without any warning.

No time to dodge! Not that he intended to dodge. In the blink of an eye, the black crescent passed through Dracula's body. He shuddered, losing over sixteen hundred HP in an instant. Fortunately, after his recent enhancements, Dracula's health pool was approaching six thousand. While taking the hit definitely hurt, it was bearable.

Simultaneously, Dracula's counterattack was ready. He was trading health. [Fatal Shot] Activate! Almost concurrently, two gunshots rang out. Two gleaming silver bullets whistled through the air, pierced the gray mist, and slammed into the head of a Level 5 Guard.

[Killed Sunken Guard LV.5, EXP +121]

When not targeted by [Damage Transfer], guards could be killed permanently. Eliminating one Level 5 Guard now was equivalent to destroying one of the Black-Robed Deacon's health packs. A skill kill meant a cooldown reset. Dracula didn't hesitate, immediately using the skill again. [Fatal Shot] Another two bullets screamed forth, burying themselves almost simultaneously between the eyes of a Level 4 Guard.

[Killed Sunken Guard LV.4, EXP +75]

Within tens of seconds, all the Level 4 Guards were eliminated, and only one Level 5 Guard remained—the one previously targeted by [Damage Transfer], whose HP had been emptied, putting it into the false death state. Creatures in false death were immune to attacks. Therefore, Dracula flickered, instantly appearing beside the Black-Robed Deacon. At the same time, a crimson glow erupted in his eyes. [Crimson Feast] Blood-red energy surged from Dracula's form, swirling towards the Black-Robed Deacon. BOOM! A loud explosion! The Black-Robed Deacon staggered violently, its health dropping significantly. However, it wasn't brought below half health, so the bonus damage condition wasn't met.

Dracula flickered again, changing position while simultaneously activating [Fatal Shot]. Clean and efficient. Just as the two silver bullets tore through the black mist, the Level 5 Guard in its false death state abruptly opened its eyes, enveloped in a dark red glow—revived with full health. The Black-Robed Deacon let out a piercing shriek, activating its skill. [Damage Transfer] The next second, the crystalline white light reappeared on its body. The damage from [Fatal Shot] arrived, striking the Deacon but dealing no harm. The nearby Level 5 Guard, however, suffered terribly. Having just revived with full health, two-thirds of its HP was instantly vaporized. The Level 5 Guard: ???

[Fatal Shot] was now on cooldown, as was [Crimson Feast]. Dracula efficiently swapped magazines and unleashed another barrage of basic attacks at the Deacon. Bang! Bang! Bang!... In one breath, two clips were emptied. All the damage was transferred; the Deacon didn't lose a single point of health. Not only that, but it activated [Umbral Assault] again. Above Dracula's head, a black crescent began to faintly materialize.

Dracula kicked away a nearby Level 1 Guard, finished reloading, and continued pouring basic shots into the Deacon. The next second, the black crescent appeared right before him. Dracula didn't flinch; his [Blood Progeny Instinct] granted him superb recovery. The sixteen hundred-plus HP he'd lost to the previous [Umbral Assault] was already nearly half restored. Even taking another hit was manageable.

In an instant, the black crescent passed through him again. Simultaneously, Dracula's return fire rained down upon the Black-Robed Deacon. With a faint cracking sound, the crystalline white light shielding the Deacon shattered. The Level 5 Guard had been killed again, this time permanently.

The moment the [Damage Transfer] effect broke, Dracula shifted position once more, locked on with both pistols, and fired two silver bullets. [Fatal Shot] accurately struck the Deacon between the eyes, dealing predictably massive damage. The headshot also plunged the Black-Robed Deacon into a stunned state.

Dracula transformed into a black blur, surging forward, wreathed in thick, blood-red energy. [Crimson Feast] activated! The spiraling blood energy slammed into the Deacon, causing its health to plummet. It was already far below the 50% threshold. Immediately following, the bonus damage triggered, and an intense crimson light exploded from the Black-Robed Deacon's body. CRUNCH! The Black-Robed Deacon's form imploded, shattering into a gruesome mess of black flesh and bone.