"Do you know how hard it is to find a pawn this perfect in a city like this? The right profile, the right trauma, the right bloodline..."
He tilted his head at me.
"And now you've seen me. My face. My fangs. My little trick."
He smiled again, but this time there was no amusement behind it—just quiet, frigid fury.
"I can't let that slide."
[Villain System Notification!]
[Bonus Task Unlocked!]Title: "Blood Moon Duel"Objective: Survive or defeat the Vampire Scout.Reward: +100 Story Points
[Warning: Extremely Dangerous Encounter. Recommended only for advanced combatants or extreme risk-takers.]
Oh.
Oh, that's just fantastic.
A hundred story points? That's enough to shoot every single one of my stats through the roof.
That's the kind of prize that could change the entire trajectory of this game I'm stuck in.
In other words, it is a high risk high rewards event.
Failure means death, success means a big step towards achieving my goal to become stronger.
Or so I thought.
He moved without warning—No signal, no smirk, no slow cinematic build-up.
Just a blur of pale skin and crimson eyes, and—
Slash.
A blinding pain shot up my arm, like fire and lightning had fused into a blade and danced across my nerves.
I staggered back. Looked down.
And froze.
My wrist.
Gone.
A clean, brutal cut. My hand lay on the cobblestones like some discarded glove, fingers twitching faintly, blood spurting from the torn veins of my severed limb like a damn fountain.
The pain came crashing in a second later—sharp, raw, real.
I screamed.
Not out of fear—though that was still lurking somewhere deep inside—but out of sheer, involuntary agony. My knees buckled.
The vampire didn't rush in for the kill.
He was enjoying this.
Taking his time.
Watching me squirm.
But while he took pleasure in the spectacle, something inside me began to shift.
The panic that had earlier frozen me solid began to dull, like a storm fading into cold rain.
My breathing steadied.
My thoughts cleared.
And my body—despite the pain—moved.
Agility: 24.
Not for brute force. Not for power duels. But for moments exactly like this—To evade.
His next attack came in low—sweeping kick aimed at my legs.
I jumped back.
Too slow.
The tip of his boot grazed my shin and sent me spinning, but I caught myself against the alley wall, panting.
Then again—he lunged.
This time, I twisted mid-air, his claws slicing inches from my chest.
I wasn't getting faster.
But I was learning.
Adapting.
Each movement of his—each slight twitch before a strike—etched into my memory like battle notes written in blood.
That's when I saw it—
The sword.
Half-buried beneath the unconscious girl.
Its hilt was slick with blood, but the blade gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
I didn't hesitate.
I dove.
Rolled.
And grabbed it with my only hand—awkwardly, like a child picking up a toy he didn't know how to use.
My stance was terrible.
My grip was worse.
But I stood anyway, sword trembling in front of me.
The vampire laughed—short and sharp.
"You? With that?" he sneered. "You're not even holding it right."
"Yeah," I muttered, blood dripping down my side. "First time for me."
He lunged again.
I dodged—barely.
Not by reflex. By prediction.
I was reading him.
Tracking his patterns.
The difference in our abilities wasn't as vast as I initially thought. He was fast, sure—but not unstoppable. Not invincible.
He relied on intimidation.
On overwhelming his prey in the first few seconds.
And I was still standing.
Still bleeding.
Still breathing.
Which meant—
He was vulnerable.
I didn't need to kill him.
Just survive.
Just one opening. One misstep. One distraction.
That's all it would take.
Though I was terrible at holding the sword and swinging it, my movements became more precise and on point.
I was able to use the narrow alley to my advantage.
It almost felt like I was all too familiar with all these.
Each movement I made echoed like thunder in my mind.
At first, I was clumsy—awkward and unrefined.
I looked like a boy playing warrior with a blade far too heavy for him.
But I didn't stop. I couldn't. My life depended on every shaky step, every desperate dodge.
And slowly… something began to change.
The sword no longer felt alien in my grip.
My fingers, blood-slick and trembling, adjusted to its weight. My body began to sync with its length and pull.
Every breath brought more clarity. Every dodge etched a new line of understanding into my instincts.
The narrow alley, once a trap, became a tactical advantage. I used the walls to push off, the tight corners to force the vampire to limit his wide swings.
His claws came inches from my cheek—I twisted beneath them. He slashed again—I ducked, and his attack cracked into the stone wall.
And then, finally, I struck.
The tip of my blade connected with his face.
A shallow cut.
A line of red opened across his forehead, just above his right eye.
He froze.
His pale hand slowly rose to the wound. He stared at the blood smeared on his fingers with quiet disbelief. Then his expression shifted—something furious and primal simmering beneath his elegant features.
"You…" he whispered, voice trembling with fury. "You ruined it. My face. My beautiful, perfect face."
His eyes met mine again. The smile was gone, replaced with something cold and vengeful.
"Do you have any idea what you've done, brat?" he said, voice low and venomous. "I was going easy on you. Playing with my food. Savoring the fear."
He cracked his neck, once to the left, then to the right.
"But now?" he said, stepping closer. "Now I don't need to hold back anymore. I'll carve you open and use your bones as bookmarks."
Then he moved.
This wasn't the same calculated predator from before.
His restraint was gone.
Now he moved like a whirlwind of teeth and claws and hate.
My eyes couldn't follow. He was everywhere—behind me, in front of me, beside me.
I tried to dodge, but I wasn't fast enough.
His claws raked across my back.
I stumbled. Another slash tore into my thigh. Blood sprayed in arcs around me. I tried to raise the sword, but he kicked it aside. The weapon spun across the cobblestones and out of reach.
He kept attacking. A flurry of strikes. Quick. Precise. Brutal.
Cuts bloomed all over my body like cursed flowers. My shirt was soaked in blood. My legs buckled. My breathing was ragged.
Then I fell.
I hit the ground hard, my back slamming against the cold stone. My vision swam. My ears rang. The sword was gone. My body was drenched in blood. My strength had left me.
The vampire stood over me, calm now, as if the fury had drained out, leaving only contempt. He muttered something under his breath—words I couldn't understand.
They sounded ancient, foreign, like they had been pulled from the depths of some forgotten crypt.
I didn't understand what he said. But I understood the intent.
He was about to kill me.
And then—
I felt it.
A presence.
It wasn't the vampire. It wasn't the girl, still unconscious behind me.
This… was something else entirely.
It was as if the very air shifted—turned still, reverent.
I felt it in my spine, in my bones, in the roots of my mind.
Eyes. Watching.
And those eyes were not only watching me, but both of us.
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Author's Note :
Please comment down your thoughts, if any, on this chapter.
If you are enjoying the story, don't forget to add it to your library.
I am open to criticisms too, so comment anything you want about the story.
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