The Great Tomb of Nazarick, Fifth Floor.
This floor was completely covered in ice and snow. Bone-chilling winds howled endlessly, and as far as the eye could see there was nothing but a vast, blinding white landscape.
Several pale figures drifted through the falling snow.
Frost Virgins.
They were the primary defensive force of the Fifth Floor and also served as Cocytus's personal guard.
However, because enemies rarely managed to reach this place, these level 82 guardians seldom had the chance to fight. Most of the time they could only carry out monotonous patrol duties.
"That guy came again today."
While patrolling, the Frost Virgins looked at the figure standing in the snowy field in the distance and could not help but sigh.
Brain Unglaus.
This man who appeared punctually every day had become quite a headache for them.
It was not that they disliked him coming to the Fifth Floor.
From the Frost Virgins' perspective, anyone serving the Supreme Beings was considered one of their own.
If it were simply a normal visit, they would have no objections. According to proper etiquette, they would even take the initiative to guide him around the floor.
The problem was that he kept causing them trouble.
"He keeps saying he wants to temper his will through the freezing cold and empty his mind so he can improve his swordsmanship."
"Does that kind of training method really work?"
Thinking back to their earlier conversation, the Frost Virgins felt rather speechless.
It sounded simple when he said it, but every time he froze to death they were the ones who had to deal with the body.
Although Brain had been turned into a vampire by Shalltear-sama and gained some resistance to cold, staying in this environment for too long would still freeze him to death.
The freezing conditions of the Fifth Floor were not something a mere level forty-something like Brain could withstand, even without activating the floor's environmental buff.
A few hours was already his absolute limit.
The Frost Virgins chatted for a short while longer before ending the conversation and quietly continuing their patrol.
There was no need to rush. It was still early.
He should be able to hold out for a while longer.
They could deal with the body after finishing their duties.
...
At the same time, elsewhere.
"They didn't come to drive me away. Looks like the effort I've put in these past days wasn't wasted."
Standing in the snow while maintaining the posture of sword meditation, Brain shivered violently from the cold. As he watched the Frost Virgins gradually disappear into the distance, a trembling smile appeared on his face.
If they had really come to expel him, he would have had no choice but to accept it.
After all, in a certain sense, he had indeed caused them some trouble.
Because he understood this very well, Brain always lowered his attitude as much as possible whenever he came here, trying his best not to provoke their displeasure.
Judging from what just happened, his approach seemed to be working.
After confirming that there was no problem, Brain slowly closed his eyes.
He once again entered a deep state of meditation.
The Fifth Floor returned to silence, with only the howling wind echoing through the icy wasteland.
Pure white snow gradually covered his body. The flow of his blood slowed, and the muscles throughout his body began to stiffen.
His upper body was bare, and the crimson pattern on his chest was emitting a faint glow.
If this had been during the game era, one would have clearly seen cold-related negative status effects constantly appearing above Brain's head, while his HP slowly continued to decrease.
Based on past experience, he would soon fall into a near-death state.
But today, things began to change.
"How does it feel to be close to death?"
A deep, magnetic voice came from ahead.
The voice seemed to carry a strange power. Brain, whose consciousness had already begun to blur, instantly snapped awake.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a dragonoid figure walking slowly toward him through the raging snowstorm.
Naohara-sama!
Recognizing the visitor, Brain's body trembled.
He immediately braced himself with his long sword and struggled to stand.
In Nazarick, you might not know every worker, but you absolutely had to recognize the three Supreme Beings.
"There's no need to be nervous. I simply sensed a presence here that was fading away, so I stopped by to take a look."
Naohara stopped a short distance away and observed the man before him, someone who felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
Nail Clipper?
He had long known that Herohero had brought this man back to Nazarick and that he now served under Shalltear.
However, this was the first time they had actually met.
"This subordinate... feels quite good."
"Slowly approaching death in this kind of environment helps this subordinate temper my will and better grasp the deeper meaning of swordsmanship."
Brain immediately knelt on one knee and answered respectfully.
There was not the slightest hint of carelessness in his tone.
"Is that so?"
Naohara looked at the Nail Clipper in front of him, his gaze shifting slightly.
It seemed that even after becoming a vampire, his desire to grow stronger had not changed.
In fact, without the events of the original story interfering, and after experiencing many things while witnessing the power and brilliance of Nazarick, his mentality had become even more focused.
"That determination is admirable."
"But simply tempering your will and pursuing technical breakthroughs is not enough. Strength itself is the true foundation of everything."
Naohara nodded, then shook his head.
Under Brain's puzzled gaze, he spoke calmly.
"Go to the Eighth Floor. I grant you permission to drink the dragon blood of the Platinum Dragon Lord once every seven days."
For vampires, the fastest way to grow stronger was through drinking blood.
Although Brain had joined Nazarick, strictly speaking he was still considered an outsider.
In the eyes of some extreme NPCs, he was even ranked below the monsters that Nazarick automatically produced.
The Platinum Power Plant produced a large amount of materials every day, but those materials were normally only supplied to the NPCs of each floor.
For someone like Brain, according to Nazarick's unspoken hierarchy and internal rules, he normally had no right to receive them unless Shalltear, as a Floor Guardian, personally granted it.
Of course, there were exceptions.
True Dragon Lords such as the Brightness Dragon Lord and the Vampiric Dragon Lord possessed overwhelming strength.
Others like Renner or the Bloody Emperor had fused with the human blood that came from Naohara's transformation.
In simple terms, it came down to one rule.
Either you had strength, or you had backing.
(PS: Thinking about it this way, the Quagoa Beastman King actually has it pretty good. As a subordinate of Sephis, he would never lack such resources.)
(Among all the outsiders who joined Nazarick, Nail Clipper probably has it the worst.)
"Thank you, Naohara-sama! This subordinate is endlessly grateful!"
Brain froze for a moment after hearing this. Then his face immediately lit up with uncontrollable joy.
Heaven as his witness, ever since joining Nazarick, his days had been nothing short of miserable.
His superior had all sorts of bizarre and twisted preferences.
His colleagues were an assortment of strange and terrifying beings.
Because of his status, his position inside Nazarick was extremely awkward.
It felt like almost anyone could come along and kick him down a notch.
Only a few groups such as the Frost Virgins of the Fifth Floor, the dog-headed maid captain, and some of the ordinary maids were relatively easy to get along with.
Thinking of this, Brain immediately bowed deeply.
When he looked at Naohara again, there was now genuine respect in his eyes.
"Good. Keep working hard."
Naohara patted Brain on the shoulder before turning and leaving.
At the same time, a faint sigh rose in his heart.
With just a casual sentence, he had completely changed someone else's fate.
Power really was something intoxicating.
While thinking about this, Naohara's figure gradually disappeared into the raging snowstorm.
Brain was only a small interruption.
His real goal was to find Cocytus and... Nigredo.