"Mia, that wolf actually survived you? She's more interesting than I thought."

Mia shot back, cold as ice. "Back off, Darkblood Count. Anyone who survives the 30th floor—I'm keeping her."

That vampire's crimson gaze darkened. The air snapped colder.

He narrowed his eyes, then flicked his hand.

Mia flew like a ragdoll, smashing into the balcony glass with a loud crack.

He sneered. "Growing bold, are you? And who granted you the right to speak to me in such a manner? You really think you're my daughter now?"

Watching him toss my adorable Mia like that? Yeah, no.

I jumped out of bed, full mama-bear mode. "So you're the jerk who bullied Mia! Time to catch these hands!"

I aimed a slap straight at his face—then froze mid-air.

And faceplanted. Hard.

That face...

Way too handsome.

Maybe it was the fall, maybe the adrenaline—either way, my nose started bleeding.

He stared, deadpan. From the look on his face, I could practically hear him thinking:

'Is this chick safe to eat? Or is she gonna kill my brain cells?'

I scrambled up, starry-eyed. "Babe, you're really handsome."

Chat Feed blew up:

[Girl. What?? That's DARKBLOOD COUNT. Rotting face. Shredded body. And she's calling him handsome?!]

[Final boss of Dark Citadel. Nobody's made it out alive.]

Everyone braced for the snap—neck style.

That was always how this ended.

But then... a faint blush bloomed on his bloodstained face.

Chat Feed:

[...Hold up. Is he BLUSHING?! That's creepy!]

[Wait. Why is this kinda adorable though?]

[ADORABLE? Are y'all blind too?!]

Darkblood Count stepped closer, voice low and sharp. "Open your eyes. You seriously think I'm handsome?"

I stroked my chin, eyes trailing down.

And the second I saw that sculpted chest and porcelain-white skin—boom. Nosebleed. Again.

"You're not just handsome."

His eyes darkened. Fangs slid out at the edge of his mouth.

"You're tall, hot, with crazy fair skin. You're like... dream guy overload."

I went all in—he blinked, totally thrown off.

Before he could snap out of it, I grabbed his collar, shoved him onto the bed, and cupped his face.

"If you weren't this good-looking, I would've slapped you by now."

His eyes went wide, stunned. That dazed, innocent look?

Yeah, I was living for it.

Thank god this game tracked fear, not heart rate. No way anyone could stay chill looking at that face.

While I was still admiring the view, Mia—fully reassembled—flew in and kicked his head into the ceiling.

Then she curled into my arms, sniffling. "Mommy, Mia hungry. Feed me."

My heart turned to mush. I hugged her. "Okay, baby. I got you."

Cooking was the one thing I actually had down.

They cleaned their plates like it was the best meal they'd had in years.

After dinner, I told them to do the dishes—and they actually did. No arguing, no drama.

I crashed on the couch, munching fruit and watching a horror flick when I heard them talking in the kitchen.

"She talks a lot, but honestly? Not bad. If she keeps cooking, might be worth keeping her."

"What about those two? If they show up tomorrow, won't they be pissed we didn't eat their stuff?"

"That slop? I'm 90 percent sure they're trying to poison us. They say one word—I'll end them."

After our showers, we hit a snag.

Only two bedrooms on this floor—and three of us.

"Mommy, forget that ugly bat. Sleep with me instead," Mia said, tugging at my skirt, eyes all hopeful.

I crouched down, pinched her cheeks. "Mia, don't diss your dad. He's not ugly at all."

She blinked. "But everyone says we're ugly. They call me a little monster."

I sighed. "Doesn't matter what they say. That kind of talk? Trash. If I ever meet those jerks, they'll find out how sharp my claws are.

"I don't care what you look like to them. To me, you're the cutest little girl ever. So cut it out, alright?"

Mia nodded, then latched onto my leg. "Okay, Mommy. Then I wanna sleep with you! Please!"

Darkblood Count just straight-up scooped her like a kitten and tossed her aside. "You're old enough to sleep alone."

They instantly went full WWE over who got to sleep next to me.

Mia's limbs got snapped, and Darkblood Count's head got kicked around like a soccer ball.

My freshly cleaned room... wrecked.

"Stop!"

They froze, standing like scolded kids.

"If you both wanna sleep with me, fine. We're all squeezing into one bed."

So yeah, we ditched the big bed and piled into the tiny one.

Mia knocked out instantly—probably still full from dinner.

Me? I just kept tossing and turning.

Eventually, Darkblood Count broke the silence. "You can't sleep?"

I shook my head. "No one can. Not here. I'm just... too excited."

He paused.

"I've always been different," I said. "What freaks others out? I think it's beautiful.

"The pack thought I was cursed—called me a freak, kicked me out. But here, with you guys...

"It's the first time I've felt like I belong."

I turned to him, eyes wide and sparkly, flashing a sweet smile. "Thanks. I've seriously never been this happy."

He stared, something shifting in his gaze.

"If you—"

He cut off. 'Stay here' never made it out.

"Oh, right!" I perked up. "I don't even know your name."

His voice dropped, rough. "I don't have one. But... if you want, you can give me one."

I scrunched up my face, thinking. "That's a big deal. Lemme give it some real thought."

In the dark, I saw it—just barely.

The corner of his mouth... lifted slightly, revealing fangs.

The Chat Feed blew up.

[Wait—did he just smile? Darkblood Count SMILED.]

[Okay, this little she-wolf might actually be onto something. No one survives him this long.]

That eerie system voice woke me up again:

[Initial players: 30. Current players: 15.]

One night in, and five were monster food. Three others? They must've gone through something awful. Fear ratings hit 100.

Then I got a message from one of the mages, Mara:

[Yaya, are you okay? I should've warned you. The first three days, you have to bond with your 'family' fast. This is everything I know—take it as an apology for forcing you onto the 30th floor.]

Mara and Kael were always nice to us newbies. Everyone trusted them.

I gave a small smile and typed back:

[Got it. Thanks.]

Darkblood Count was already up. He saw me texting, then paused. "In this place, don't trust—"

His face twisted. He doubled over, clutching his chest, and collapsed.

I lunged forward, catching him before he hit the ground.

The game had rules—NPCs couldn't spill strategies to players. This was the punishment.

At some point, green smoke crept in without warning. The temp plummeted.

I shivered, and he slipped off his cloak, wrapping it around me. "Don't be afraid," he murmured.

Afraid? Not even close. My perception glitch had me kind of... hyped.

"They're back!" Mia yelled. "Grandpa and Grandma are back!"

The door creaked open.

Two shriveled elders shuffled in.

Chat Feed went wild:

[It's them. The revenants. Nobody survives past this.]

[Little wolf, your lucky streak just ran out.]

They crept closer, pupils glowing green like radioactive nightmares.

Then the old man spotted the coat on my shoulders—

Snapped.

"You mangy mutt! That's my son's cloak! Time for a lesson!"