The heavy, metallic scent of blood hung in the air, thick enough to choke on.
Down in the vestibule, the massacre continued as the aristocratic Vampires clashed with the mutant Fallen. But up on the balcony, time seemed to freeze.
The hulking Fallen in front of me was a monstrosity of twisted muscle and protruding bone, standing nearly nine feet tall. Its jaws unhinged, revealing rows of jagged, yellowed teeth as it lunged, aiming to bite me clean in half.
Eighty-five Strength.
Ninety Agility.
I had never felt numbers before. But right now, my body felt weightless, humming with an explosive kinetic energy that defied human biology.
[ Active Skill: Shadow Step (Lv. 1) initiated. ]
The Fallen's jaws snapped shut on empty air.
Crack!
I didn't dodge backward. I didn't roll. I simply stepped into its shadow. The world flickered—a brief transition through a dimension of cold, sensory-depriving darkness—and in the next microsecond, I materialized directly above the beast's broad shoulders.
"Remember, Lucian," Seraphina's voice echoed clearly in my mind, her tone as casual as if she were lecturing me over a pot of stew. "A monster is just a very aggressive piece of meat. Don't waste energy hacking at the bone. Find the joints. Cut the tendons. Deconstruct it."
I raised my right hand. The obsidian talons extending from my fingertips hummed with crimson energy, sharp enough to cut through space itself.
I didn't swing wildly. I aimed for the cervical vertebrae—specifically, the C3 and C4 joints, right where the thick musculature of the neck met the spinal column.
Swish.
My hand glided through the Fallen's flesh with zero resistance. It felt exactly like slicing through a perfectly rested tenderloin.
The beast didn't even have time to scream. Its massive head slid off its shoulders, a fountain of black, corrupted blood erupting from the stump. The headless colossal body stood frozen for a second before collapsing forward, crashing into the marble floor with a bone-rattling thud.
I landed softly on the balls of my feet, the crimson-black aura swirling around my suit. I flicked my wrist, scattering the corrupted blood from my claws so it wouldn't stain my cuffs.
One down.
Below, the Rogue Vampire leader looked up, his manic green eyes widening in sheer disbelief as the corpse of his strongest Vanguard hit the floor.
"What is that?!" the Rogue shrieked, pointing a rotting finger up at the balcony. "That's not a noble! Kill him! Tear him apart!"
Three more Fallen screeched, abandoning the fleeing human Initiates and leaping toward the balcony. They scrambled up the obsidian pillars like giant, rabid spiders.
Behind me, I heard a sharp intake of breath. Lysandra had finally stood up from her chair. The ethereal red chain connecting her chest to my wrist glowed fiercely.
"You... you're draining my mana," she gasped, clutching her chest. "But... I don't have any mana. My core has been dormant since birth!"
"It wasn't dormant, My Lady," I replied smoothly, not taking my eyes off the approaching monsters.
"It was simply too dense for a fragile aristocratic vessel to process without a proper conduit. Think of me as your pressure valve. Now, please, step back. The splash zone is about to expand."
The first Fallen crested the balcony railing, swiping a razor-sharp claw at my waist.
[ System Alert: Analyzing Target Anatomy... ]
[ Target: Lesser Fallen. Weakness: Patellar Tendon, Subclavian Artery. ]
I sidestepped the sweeping claw by a fraction of an inch. My left hand shot out, grabbing the creature by its extended wrist. With a sharp, precise twist of my hips, I applied leverage, snapping its elbow backward with a sickening CRUNCH.
As the creature howled, I drove my right heel directly into its kneecap. The joint inverted. The Fallen collapsed to the floor, completely immobilized. Without missing a beat, I drove my talons straight through its ribcage, piercing the subclavian artery and crushing its corrupted heart in my palm.
Two down.
The remaining two Fallen attacked simultaneously from opposite sides, a classic pincer maneuver.
Too slow.
With ninety Agility, their movements looked like a poorly choreographed stage play. I activated [Shadow Step] again, melting into the floor just as they collided with each other. Reappearing directly behind them, I grabbed both of their heads.
"Tenderizing a tough cut requires blunt force, Lucian."
I slammed their skulls together with all eighty-five points of my Strength.
SPLAT.
It sounded like a pair of overripe watermelons being dropped from a five-story building. The headless corpses crumpled to the floor, twitching as their corrupted nervous systems short-circuited.
Silence fell over our section of the balcony.
I stood amidst the carnage, my breathing perfectly steady. The chaotic slaughter down in the vestibule had paused. The surviving human Initiates, the haughty Vampire Peers, and the invading Rogue vampires had all stopped to stare up at the balcony.
A human Initiate, a mere blood-bag meant for the slaughter, had just effortlessly butchered four high-level Fallen in under ten seconds.
The Rogue leader's jaw trembled. The green magic in his eyes flickered, replaced by primal terror. He looked at the dense, suffocating crimson aura radiating from my body, and then he looked past me, to the pale, silver-haired girl standing near the wall.
"The... The Anomaly," the Rogue whispered, backing toward the shattered doorway. "The Vesper Anomaly has Awakened! Retreat! RETREAT!"
He didn't wait for his surviving minions. The Rogue leader spun on his heel and burst through the heavy oak doors, fleeing into the night. Bereft of their master's command, the remaining Fallen scattered like cockroaches in the light, scrambling up the walls and disappearing through the shattered stained-glass ceiling.
The vestibule was dead silent, save for the groans of the wounded.
[ System Alert: Threat Neutralized. ]
[ Sanguine Thrall Form Time Limit Reached. Deactivating... ]
The freezing power in my veins abruptly vanished. The thick, shadowy miasma dissipating into thin air. My obsidian talons retracted, shifting back into neatly trimmed human fingernails. The ethereal red chain linking me to Lysandra shattered into glowing particles of light.
A wave of intense exhaustion hit me, but my [Absolute Composure] passive skill kept my face impassive. My stats plummeted back to normal.
[Strength: 85 -> 12]
[Agility: 90 -> 14]
I was just Lucian again. Weak. Human.
I let out a quiet sigh. I reached into my trouser pocket, pulled out a neatly folded, pristine white handkerchief, and began wiping the black blood off my hands.
Once my hands were clean, I turned around.
Lysandra Von Vesper was staring at me. Her crimson eyes, previously completely apathetic, were now wide with a mixture of awe, suspicion, and undeniable hunger. She could still feel the phantom sensation of the power we had just shared.
"You..." she started, her voice trembling slightly before she forced it back into an aristocratic chill. "What was that? Who are you? A spy for House Valerius? An assassin?"
I finished folding the soiled handkerchief and slipped it into an inner pocket of my jacket. I stepped over the headless corpse of the Vanguard Fallen and walked toward her.
She flinched, taking a half-step back, but I merely stopped a respectful two paces away and bowed at a perfect forty-five-degree angle.
"I am neither a spy nor an assassin, Lady Lysandra," I said, my tone polite and deferential. "My name is Lucian. I am simply a human Initiate who registered for the Academy today. And, as of two minutes ago, I am your Servant."
"My Servant?" She scoffed, though it lacked venom. "I didn't choose you. You forced a blood-bind incantation on me. That is high treason against a Peer!"
"With respect, My Lady, you were about to be cleaved in two," I pointed out smoothly. "I merely offered a mutually beneficial contract. You provided the latent, S-Class aristocratic mana that you have been unable to use your entire life. I provided the martial execution to keep us both breathing. A perfect symbiosis, wouldn't you agree?"
Her breath hitched. "How... how do you know about my mana? The elders declared me a defective vessel years ago. They threw me to the fringes of the family."
"The elders are blind," I said simply. "Your potential is brighter than anyone else's in this room. You just needed the right... outlet. Someone who can handle the chores so you can focus on ruling."
Before she could process that, heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed up the marble staircase.
"Lysandra!"
A towering vampire stepped onto the balcony, flanked by two heavily armored guards. He had sleek black hair, a sharp jawline, and an aura of immense, suffocating pressure. The silver rose crest on his lapel marked him as high royalty of the Vesper family.
Name: Duke Alaric Von Vesper | Potential: A-Class | Status: Suspicious
Duke Alaric's eyes swept over the butchered remains of the Fallen, then landed on me, and finally on Lysandra.
"The Anomaly," Alaric sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "I leave you alone for ten minutes during the Selection Ceremony, and you manage to surround yourself with corpses. Did you hire a mercenary to save your pathetic life?"
He glared at me. "Human. Who killed these beasts?"
I kept my head bowed, playing the part of a terrified, lowly human. I subtly shifted my gaze to Lysandra, offering her the silent stage. Take the credit. Claim your throne.
Lysandra looked at Alaric. For years, she had been the punching bag of her family, mocked for her inability to manifest the Vesper bloodline arts. But right now, the lingering hum of S-Class mana was still vibrating in her core. She had tasted true power.
She stood up a little straighter. The apathy in her eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, imperious glare.
"Watch your tone, Alaric," Lysandra commanded. Her voice echoed with a faint, unnatural resonance—a byproduct of her awakened core.
Alaric physically flinched, his eyes widening as he felt the oppressive weight of her aura for the first time.
"These beasts attacked my sector," Lysandra continued, gesturing elegantly to the gore around us. "So, they were dismantled. By my new Thrall."
She stepped forward and placed a cold, pale hand on my shoulder. The touch sent a deliberate shiver down my spine.
"He belongs to me," she declared, looking down at the Duke. "If you have an issue with how I discipline the rabble that interrupts my tea time, you may take it up with the High Council. Otherwise, clear these corpses from my sight."
Alaric was speechless. He stared at the four mangled Fallen, then at the supposedly 'powerless' princess, and finally at me—the human who was apparently capable of turning high-level monsters into minced meat.
"I... I see," Alaric ground out, his face pale. He bowed stiffly. "Forgive my intrusion, Lady Lysandra. The guards will clean this up."
He turned and practically fled down the stairs, his armor clanking loudly.
Once he was gone, Lysandra let out a long, shaky breath. Her hand dropped from my shoulder, and she looked at me, her eyes unreadable.
"You made an enemy of a Duke today," she said quietly.
"We made an enemy of a Duke today," I corrected, offering a faint, reassuring smile. "But do not worry, My Lady. Dealing with pests is part of a servant's duties."
I gestured toward the far hallway, leading away from the carnage.
"Now, shall we proceed to your dormitory? Your dress is entirely ruined by the dust, and I imagine you prefer a lighter tea after such a stressful afternoon. Chamomile, perhaps?"
Lysandra stared at me for a long moment. She was a predator, a creature of the night. But right now, looking at the human who had just effortlessly slaughtered monsters and was now offering to brew her tea, she looked entirely lost.
"You are... a very strange human," she muttered.
"I have been told I am aggressively domestic," I replied.
[ Ding! ]
[ Quest Complete: Survive the Assessment. ]
[ Reward: 500 Exp.]
[ You have Level Up! (Lv. 2) ]
[ New Function Unlocked: Domestic Sub-Space Inventory (10 Slots). ]
I smiled internally. Perfect. I needed a place to store my cooking knives.
"Lead the way, My Lady," I said, falling perfectly into step half a pace behind her.
My infiltration had begun. The House of Vesper had opened its doors to a snake, and by the time I found the Pureblood who murdered Seraphina, I would burn this entire aristocratic world down from the kitchen outward.