“I give up,” said Max as he simply lied there on the bench, breathing loudly. He was injured. It wasn’t anything Sean’s Heart Factor wouldn’t solve, but the thing was… Max didn’t have it. He was the only one that had gotten a visible and dangerous injury among the group. He groaned every now and then and didn’t even bother to get up.

The reason soon made itself apparent. There was another injury near his ribs, far more severe. The vampire’s claws had torn right past his shirt and cloak to make yet another nasty scratch wound there. It was deep enough for his bones to be slightly visible and enough flesh had been torn off.

“Go on without me. I’m just going to be a bother,” he said, his forearm placed on his forehead. Then he chuckled slightly and winced, “Damn, I always wanted to say that. One thing off my bucket list.”

Sean looked away from him, his mouth and hands bloody. There were eight salvageable spleens and he’d gotten all the mana he could out of them. The others had been blown into smithereens. It counteracted the expenditure from Mana Sight and he’d recovered some of his Mana Points. He hadn’t gained any extra Intelligence or Wisdom from the title.

He’d recovered a little over a hundred and fifty Mana Points. He didn’t know how expensive using Mana Sight was due to there not being a counter for it but it’d cost a slight bit. He now had around four hundred fifty Mana Points.

He felt less scared now.

Sean had glimpsed at Max slightly with his Mana Sight on and had seen the Mana in his body dim. Deep inside, he knew it, but he didn’t want to accept that.

Maybe the others also knew that even without Mana Sight.

“How much do you have left?” asked Rex as he knelt next to him, clutching his hands as tightly as possible, leaning on the wall next to him. They’d talked about this enough times before they started hunting mosquitos. They knew the risks the moment they started trying to level up.

Max gave him a smirk.

“Tell me,” he said, “You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Marie… can you freeze his wounds?”

She extended her hand and tried to wave it across his injuries like she’d done for the door but it was pushed aside by Max himself. He shook his head and spoke, “Don’t. It won’t help.”

“You won’t be bleeding then,” growled Rex, “You’ll live.”

“I know that it won’t,” said Max, straining his voice. He groaned and lied back down, clearly hurt from it, “I’m a damned Biology Major. I know what I’m talking about. By the time it stops the blood loss, it’ll have messed me up big time. Just freezing the nerves won’t work.”

He looked at Liz and Chris. They were far too quiet, simply standing aside —they wanted to go. Sean grit his teeth. If only… if only he had stood his ground and had told them they were staying, then it mightn’t have happened.

“I can make it quick,” said Marie slowly.

“Someone’s speaking logic here,” said Max. He breathed in slowly and closed his eyes, “I’m waiting.”

“We can bring you the potion again,” said Rex quickly, eyes-wide-open, “You know, the one that cured your eye. It can save you.”

“And how? By killing the people… outside?” asked Max, “If they could be saved, I’d feel bad. Either way… I won’t last long enough. I don’t even want to. Life sucks now.”

“But-” started Rex but an icicle almost the size of Max’s head landed right at the middle of his forehead, making a large enough hole for a fist to fit through. The glacier itself was almost a foot long and it got gradually wider.

“I know how to help,” said Sean, interrupting Rex. If he got the Messy Eater title which combined with his Big Eater title, then that meant… others could also get it, wasn’t that right? Then, if Max ate something, he could also recover his Health Points. That way, he could survive.

“Great, another hunter Deus Ex Machina,” said Max with a grin and tilted his head to look at Sean, “I’m not complaining, though.”

“A vital organ. You need to eat it, like me,” said Sean. He was thinking of suggesting it later, but someone was dying right in front of his eyes. He couldn’t let that happen. Not on his watch. Sean pointed at the corpses, “There should be some left intact. I’m sure of it.”

He’d eaten most of them but not all. Who knew that would save Max?

“I’ll find one,” said Sean and he was once again blinded. The dagger was still in his hand and he had to find one. While the Mana within the organs and the vampire seeped out fast, there were still a lot of them. They were brighter than a human’s.

In his hurry, Sean stumbled on one of the corpses but picked himself up quickly enough. He had to hurry. After tumbling through the graveyard of recently deceased vampires, he found one. It was the liver. At least that’s what he assumed it was from the location. Carefully, Sean plunged the dagger into the corpse and cut apart the area around the organ —you could make out the outline of the organs, like an X-Ray sight.

After he finally made big enough a hole to pull the liver out from, Sean turned off his Mana Sight and saw the mess he’d made. His hands were covered with blood and he could smell the iron now. But he pushed the sensations back and brought it to Max.

“Will that… really help me?” asked Max as he stared at the raw liver, “Well, at least it’s the liver. Heard that it’s the tastiest part.”

“If you get the title,” said Sean. He didn’t know if it would be successful, but if it was, it’d save him, “Your Monster Hunter title will upgrade and you’ll get one called Messy Eater.”

“Ha, fine,” said Max as Sean brought it closer to his mouth, assuming he’d have to feed it to him. But Max turned his head away, “If I’m being fed something, I’d prefer it to be a chick feeding me.”

“Gimme that,” hissed Marie and pulled the liver off Sean’s hand. She then pulled Max’s head back with the hair and pushed the liver into his mouth. There was no resistance and he simply bit into it. Slowly, he swallowed.

The air was practically filled with tension.

After eating it, Max stared up at the air.

Was it… successful?

“Yep, I’m not going to heaven just yet,” said Max with a chuckle, “That’s two things off my bucket list. Cannibalism and being fed by a chick.”

“Next time, just eat it before throwing your witty remarks. Anyways, this is disgusting,” said Marie and wiped the blood off her hand in Max’s shirt.

Were they… dating?

Well, he wouldn’t even be surprised.

That aside, it was intriguing how fast the world changed. Rather, how fast people changed. Sean supposed at least more than four of them would have pissed their pants at the thought of fighting monsters and giant bugs not even a month ago.

Now?

Now, they were killing them and eating their organs like it was just another day.

Then again, it was just another day.

Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t too bad?

“I… might want to eat another one before I can start moving around,” said Max as he tried to pull himself up but failed to, “My HP hasn’t even increased much.”

Sean turned around to fetch yet another organ but was stopped by Chris.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Chris whispered into his ears, “What if there are side-effects?”

“It’s fine. Probably,” answered Sean quietly, but far louder than a whisper, “I’ve done this before.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s safe,” he said.

“I mean… mom ate werewolf hearts before. Aunt Charlie probably has. Liz drunk fairy blood to recover. At this point, I don’t think we can complain or get creeped out,” said Sean. Then he added, “Especially when we’re talking about life and death. They’ll come in anytime now and we don’t want Max to be hurt then.”

This Chris felt different —he was serious. The Chris that Sean wanted to talk to wasn’t there. He wasn’t a nerd… Then again, Sean hadn’t met him ever since he came back from the military. Too busy with classes and pondering about his future.

That future was gone, though.

He liked this lifestyle a bit. Not thinking about the next year and just living in the moment. That was the best thing about this new world. He could just learn how to fight and he was set. No need to get a degree or an internship or anything. Just surviving was enough.

Then they heard glass break.

“We gotta go,” said Chris instantly. He grabbed the crossbow he’d put aside from the ground and the dagger Sean was holding —both of his weapons. As if on cue, Rex grabbed Max in what looked like a princess carry and dashed toward the corridor. He made it look easy as if Max was weightless.

Maybe, Sean could also carry Max like that?

He didn’t know. He had nothing to compare his Strength to so he’d have to ask about how much Strength Rex had afterward.

“Sean, do what you did outside but on the corridor,” shouted out Rex as he ran to it. Everyone followed and Sean was left at the back. He wasn’t fast, but he wasn’t slow either. It was intentional —he had to block the exit.

After being left at the very back and after everyone had entered, Sean blocked the exit with an Expanded Mana Ball that covered the entirety of it and they ran to the other side. It wasn’t too hurried but neither was it tardy.

It was dark but the other option was to stay in there. That was an option no one wanted to pick.

Sean had only entered the school building once and that was from the front. He mostly visited Madison when she was in the dorm and met her outside so he mostly knew what was outside, not inside. Entering the girls’ dormitory wasn’t allowed if you were male, after all.

The corridor itself was dark but at the end of the tunnel, you could see light. They were running toward that and after they made their way there, they could see the front gate. Sean knew that part.

There was a stairway at the end of the corridor to the right when you entered the building, and for them, that was to the left because they came from the back. Chris knew that as well and he didn’t even hesitate to keep running up, now leading it with Rex following close behind.

Just like at the back, there were no monsters nor people at the front.

It was concerning. If they weren’t here, then that meant they were taken somewhere or had been killed.

Sean furrowed his brows.

Where did they take the people?

Reaching the stairs was easy and so was scaling it. After the System came, most of them had gained more Vitality than before it started and naturally, they’d have run enough to survive. Now, they had enough time for a breather —to clear their minds and to think properly.

Then they heard something —it was speech.

People were talking!

Chris raised a hand as if to gesture for them to be quiet. But that was apparent to everyone. None of them dared to make a noise and quietly prowled to the source of the conversation. The bottom of their boots were wet and it squelched, but they tried to minimize it as much as possible.

It was coming from the auditorium. It was a large room with a stage at one end that resembled a theater more than anything. It wasn’t as large, though, slightly smaller but not by much. The conversation was unnaturally loud. There was a platform up above as well, which could be accessed by the upper floor.

“Damn private schools,” whispered Mark as they got closer to the entrance. They didn’t peek in all at the same time. In fact, only Chris did, but they could all see the light coming from within. It was yellowish as if the interior was lit up by the fire.

Liz and Chris were at the front, with Liz almost leaning on him and Sean was right in the middle, with Rex at the far back and Marie at his front. Max was placed upright on the ground, sitting while leaning on the wall. It was over ten or so meters from the stairs, giving them ample room to fit in.

Then, without warning, Chris was dragged into the room. He wasn’t pulled from the head that had been poking in, but rather, it looked as if he fell into the room. Liz stumbled forward but Sean managed to pull her back in time for her to notbe seen through the door.

Sean gulped.

If whatever was inside was using Telekinesis, it had to be a… Noble, right?

He turned to look behind him and saw Rex and Marie pale. They slightly trembled and Sean felt a cold hand grab his forearm from behind —it was Marie. She slowly shook her head. Rex looked away and Sean could see him mumbling underneath his breath.

That was a prayer.

It felt like they were in a horror movie. Except… they weren’t. This was their life now and they’d have to rein it in. There were some good things about this new world but the bad things far outnumbered them.

Sean tried his very best to inhale constantly, as he was taught by his father. It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t something he could keep up for more than a minute.

So he let his breath out and prepared.

He couldn’t be late again.

If he made a mistake by rushing, so be it, but he wouldn’t be late. Not anymore. Chris was right across the corner and he wouldn’t let him be torn apart or turn into a ball of flesh if he could help it.

So Sean walked forward.

He was afraid but the regret was stronger. Regret that he’d taken too long.

Sean, for the first time, consciously activated Presence.

It was like pressing a button on a remote. As was the case with every other Skill he’d gotten from the System, it was natural. Like it was meant to be. He felt his worries ease as the world faded to grayscale and the very air seemed to tremble.

Skill ‘Presence’ has been activated!

Status Effect ‘Awe’ has been inflicted upon targets.

Right… it seemed that the System assumed he was targeting his allies.

Sean then dashed in, ready to cast all his spells and unleash hell upon whatever was inside. He didn’t know what to expect but all he knew was that he had to save Chris.

But he stopped.

Chris wasn’t in danger. Not right now.

But that wasn’t what stopped him.

In fact, he was sitting at the front of the auditorium. But his eyes were filled with panic as he looked back at the exit. Sean’s eyes met with his. It looked like he was being bound to the chair as he struggled to get up, only to fail.

On the stage stood a man dressed in a white suit. It wasn’t a regular one, but one that looked like it was from the military, with golden embroidery and all. Almost like it was some noble from a fantasy novel. There was a black cloak draped over one of his shoulders and a blade sheathed to the left side of his hip. Hovering at his side was a ghost very much like the one that Sean had seen back at the apartment complex.

But those weren’t what caught Sean’s attention.

Instead, what did catch his attention was his face.

He had straight white hair that reached his shoulders and a little bit below. It looked like it was almost glowing with a white light despite the dozen or so torches floating around in the air, lighting up the room with its yellow light. His face was pretty, almost like one of those Korean idols, with an arrogant smirk on his face. Then he was pale, very much so.

He looked like he was right in front of him despite being over fifty meters below. All of his features were pronounced, clearly visible.

Then there were his eyes…

They were icy blue, piercing, and strong. Sean knew those eyes far too well. It was exactly like… Clara.

“That is some domineering aura there,” said the vampire as his expression changed, a frown replacing the smirk from before. His tone was haughty and his accent was almost… posh, “Are you sure you’re a human?”

The ghost disappeared into what looked like the air vent, seeping through it.

Sean heard footsteps behind him. It was too soft to be one of the mindless vampires. He slightly turned his head and saw a Cruciform Dagger glimmering in the light of the torch. Liz was holding it in front of her, from the blade end, making it resemble a cross.

Then Chris broke away from the chair and stood up. Then he just awkwardly stood there, like he wasn’t expecting to.

“Oh, there’s little missy. Too bad that you had been defiled by these disgusting pigs. You could have joined me to rule this world alongside us, on the winning side,” said the noble, elegantly waving at Liz. His eyes slowly narrowed, “Well, I suppose you can’t remember me. Considering that you’re alive. Fairy blood, I presume.”

Liz grit her teeth and held yet another Cruciform Dagger in her hand. From who, he didn’t know. Maybe Max or Rex. He wasn’t thinking about them. He'd almost blanked out.

Sean could see slightly sharp canines reveal themselves when he spoke.

Just like… Clara.

No, no, no, no, NO!

That couldn’t be. That shouldn’t be. She couldn’t have been a Vampire.

“Asshole!” shouted Liz and charged. She wasn’t afraid. Far from it. She was angry.

That was anger. Not whatever Sean had been feeling ever since he found out Clara had died. In fact, he’d only felt anger the moment he found out. What he felt afterward was different. That was him simply looking for a justification —for a reason to vent out his frustration and irritation on something.

That took the form of vampires.

The vampire disappeared and appeared right next to Liz. Sean could see a blur get left behind him as he moved. Then, he slapped her cheek with a resounding clap. Afterward, the vampire kicked her in the guts and sent her flying several meters away to the side.

“I won’t try to turn you this time. You’re better off as a blood bag than a corpse,” said the vampire. Chris was almost right behind him, trying to attack the vampire with a crossbow bolt in hand. The Noble casually swung her hand and an entire row of seats lifted itself up and slammed into Chris’s side, like a train.

He was too strong… and he was fast, far faster than Helthur.

This was an uphill battle. No, it wasn’t even an uphill battle. It was an impossible one. But Sean didn’t care. That’s not what he was thinking. In fact, all of his common sense had taken a back seat. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was Clara.

Her identity.

“Hmm? You aren’t going to do anything, mage?” asked the Noble, raising an eyebrow, “That’s weird. You don’t look afraid yet you are not reacting. I’m not using my Charm and you’re looking at me like you’ve seen your-”

“Clara,” said Sean, almost a mumble, but it was enough to stop the vampire in his tracks. He couldn’t even properly string together words. The shock and the suddenness of the news did that.

“Did you just say what I thought you did?” asked the vampire and tilted his head. He stared at Sean. Then he activated his Charm as his eyes sharpened and Sean felt his eyes get dragged to the vampire, “Say that again, but louder.”

Then he heard a whisper inside his head. It drowned out everything else, even the order from the vampire. It was Clara’s voice, soft and playful. It was the sentence that made him love her.

Am I pretty?

Skill ‘Presence’ has been activated!

Skill ‘Charm’ has been overpowered.

“Clara,” said Sean, louder now. He felt something now. It wasn’t anger. It was different. If what he felt when he learned that Clara had ‘died’ was like a bonfire, this was like an ocean surging into his heart. It felt heavy and before the Noble even reacted, tears streamed down from his eyes.

He was happy but… he was angry. But more importantly, stronger than all the other emotions, he felt confusion.

“So you’ve been charmed,” said the Noble. He covered his mouth with one of his hands and chuckled. That chuckle turned into a laugh and that laugh turned into a maniacal cackle, “Oh my… that has to be rough. She is a Daywalker. She wouldn’t be a vampire without at least a few toys. That makes sense, ha!”

That pissed him off.

Sean grit his teeth and shot an Explosive Mana Ball at the vampire. That was a simple reaction, like wanting to punch an asshole in the face, except it was easier for him. It formed from his eyes and the Magic Circles merged to create a dazzling ball of blue light, overpowering the torches to bathe the room in blue light.

The vampire casually swat it aside with the back of his hands.

It hit the wall somewhere up above and something fell down. He didn’t even bother to check on that.

“Hmm… well, if I deliver you to her, maybe Her Highness will assign me a less tiring job,” said the vampire, one finger placed on his chin. He raised both hands to the air in a laid-back manner and shrugged, “You want to see her, don’t you? I can bring you to her.”

Wait…

He could bring Sean to Clara…

Sean’s expression changed. It wasn’t anger now. It was just acceptance.

“On one condition, though,” said the vampire, halting his thought process. He pointed at Liz who struggled to get up from underneath a row of seats placed on top of her with one hand and then at Chris who was in a similar situation with his other, “Kill one of them. You can do that, can’t you? It’s either them or… Clara.”

He stopped.

Chris and Liz…

Chris was his best friend and Liz was… Chris wouldn’t forgive him if he killed her, but… but he could forgive himself if he did that. They were shouting at him now but he didn’t hear them.

“I’ll… I-” started Sean but his mind was a mess. He couldn’t think properly.

“Five, four, three-” started the vampire, casually counting down. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he reached zero.

“There is no turning back once you’ve made the choice,” whispered the voices in his head. It was his father and mother —his family.

No!

He wouldn’t be making that choice.

But, but it was Clara that they were talking about. He could see her again, alive. His heart was filled with warmth whenever he thought of her back when he was in Veidrheim! What would seeing her do?! It’d be the best feeling in the world, without a doubt!

Just as Sean started to extend his eyes, he heard the wind whistle as the vampire disappeared. On the ground, where he stood moments ago, there was a crossbow bolt very much like the ones Chris shot stabbed into the ground. He’d seen a few of them while looking for organs.

Chris himself didn’t have his crossbow and was still under the row of seats. That could only mean… the adults!

“Well, I’ll be damned. Didn’t we tell them to stay?” asked a voice that Sean recognized far too well —Aunt Charlie. Sean felt someone drop down right behind him, very lightly so. Then he felt a heavy arm put itself over his shoulders. He was pulled in and he felt his head being rubbed with knuckles —it hurt. Aunt Charlie spoke sarcastically, “You know how to get yourself in trouble, eh. Who taught you to do bad things like this? Maybe I should start babysitting you again, huh?”

“To what do I owe the displeasure of seeing the Huntress?” asked the vampire, practically spitting the words out, “Was not seeing you off the last time you came here a bad idea? Maybe I should have.”

Huntress? Was that what they called Aunt Charlie?

“Nah, I’m not into formalities,” said Aunt Charlie and finally let him go. And suddenly, everything was quiet. Sean could almost hear a pin drop. Aunt Charlie stared at the vampire without an expression on her face —that was unusual. She always had an overly exaggerated expression. Her voice was still as mocking as the very first sentence she spoke after coming in, though. It almost sounded and looked arrogant, “So? Do we have to?”

“I would very much like to keep my limbs, thank you,” said the vampire and he gestured at Liz and Chris lying under a row of seats each. They groaned almost at once, “And I assume you want to keep those kids.”

“Well, goodbye then,” said Aunt Charlie and waved casually. The Noble’s suit ripped itself apart and from behind his back appeared gray wings. They didn’t have feathers and resembled a bat’s for the most part. Then she added with a shout, “Oh, we’ll be keeping the school, by the way!”

The vampire flapped his wings once and almost instantly lifted off. The wings then lazily flapped in the background, letting him hover five or so meters off the ground.

“Come to any bridge and chant the name Evan thrice if you wish to see me,” said the vampire and flew off into one of the closed curtains of the auditorium. He flew right past the window, breaking through it far too easily. Then he added as he flew out, quite loudly, “As a special favor, I will undo what I have done to the cattle there. It is no longer my problem, after all.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Did that bastard just tell you to come and see him?” asked Aunt Charlie and tilted his head. She put an innocent expression on her face and put a finger to her chin, as if thinking, “To think that one of those cold bastards would want you in bed. I guess you are Jackie boy’s son.”

Sean could only be quiet.

He had time now.

Too much of it now.

“Maybe,” said Sean. He shot two Mana Balls at the rows of seats and flipped them to the side, letting Liz and Chris get freed. It passed right through the seats in the process, rending through them like it wasn’t even there.

He needed that time.

“By the way, can you stop oozing out that annoying ass aura,” asked Aunt Charlie with a toothy grin, “Well, I guess that did save you from shitting your pants just now. It’s useful.”

He noticed a notification that had popped out while he was busy —it said that Killing Intent was blocked off, the same one that the vampire back at Clara’s house had.