"Aaaah—"
Virt's scream tore through the night.
Betty and Scott were jolted awake at almost the same time.
The flickering firelight illuminated the side of the vampire's face.
That pale, withered face was becoming flushed at a visible rate.
Virt struggled violently under him, but the difference in their strength was too obvious. His hands were pinned tightly by the vampire, unable to move at all.
However, this struggle lasted for less than a few seconds.
The hormones injected from the vampire's fangs paralyzed his nerves, and his whole body grew calm.
Robert woke up next. He struggled to open his eyes and look in Virt's direction, still thinking he was dreaming.
But this nightmare was so real it made his heart pound with fear.
"Magic Guide Summon!"
Betty reacted the fastest. A slender, serpent-like Magic Guide Spirit with a brightly colored body shot out from her sleeve in an instant!
It was the three-star Magic Guide Spirit Betty had refined in her second year—the Patterned Moray Eel!
The Patterned Moray Eel had a snake-like body, a small head, and a protruding mouth full of sharp teeth that stuck out past its lips, making it exceptionally ugly.
But its skin had no scales; instead, it was covered in a layer of fine magical patterns.
The magical patterns covering its body allowed its attributes to switch between Water, Electric, and Poison types, which in turn changed the distribution of its Magic Attack/Defense and its special moves.
The Patterned Moray Eel that flew from Betty's sleeve was covered in golden patterns and crackling with lightning, moving as fast as a thunderbolt. In the blink of an eye, it bit down on the vampire's shoulder!
But the vampire just reached out and grabbed the Patterned Moray Eel firmly, letting the electricity touch its palm without flinching.
"Thunderbeam!"
Following Betty's roar, the Patterned Moray Eel suddenly opened its snake-like mouth, and all the lightning on its body surged into its mouth, forming a concentrated, unwavering beam of lightning that shot out abruptly!
"Tss!"
The vampire's face was hit head-on by the Thunderbeam, but only a small scorch mark appeared.
He lifted his head because of it.
The satisfaction from drinking blood gradually brought him out of his state of confusion and thirst, and the scarlet light in his eyes became a little more focused.
"Who am I?"
"Where am I?"
"What am I supposed to do?"
Three questions struck at the core of his being.
Fragmented memories began to surface.
"Vlad, Vlad, I am Vlad!"
"I've been resurrected!"
"I'm back!"
Vlad the vampire shot to his feet, his blood-red cape billowing behind him.
…
"Poison Fang!"
The magical patterns on the Patterned Moray Eel shifted from golden yellow to a deep, dark green. A thick poison dripped from its sharp teeth as it bit down on Vlad's finger.
Vlad raised his left hand, looked at the Patterned Moray Eel, and suddenly squeezed.
"Pop!"
The Patterned Moray Eel was crushed instantly!
Betty's face turned deathly pale. Her dueling record wasn't outstanding, and her ability to handle emergencies was average.
According to Virt's description, besides a one-time appearance of a Minotaur, only a few bats had ever shown up in the secret passage.
After the crowds left, any changes that had occurred in the secret passage had reverted to their original state. The traps and mechanisms had all disappeared.
This had given her the false impression that the secret passage was no longer a threat.
But what was happening before her was violently shattering her judgment.
"A vampire?"
"Is it a Magic Guide Spirit?"
"Or a real vampire?"
…
"Three-Eyed Squid!"
A squid with three eyes was summoned by Scott.
The moment it appeared, it violently sprayed a jet of black ink!
Vlad was still in a state of transition from confusion to clarity and got a face full of squid-flavored ink!
He roared with fury and wiped his hand across his face.
But just as his slender fingers wiped the ink from his eyes, a sharp glint entered his vision, rapidly growing larger.
The Water Monkey's claws shone with a sharp light. Using the ink as cover, it lunged forward, aiming to gouge out his eyes!
"Get lost!"
Vlad suddenly let out a furious roar.
His blood-red cape rippled, and a blood-red hand shot out from the shoulder area, viciously swatting the Water Monkey away in the nick of time!
The Water Monkey went splat against the wall and slid down like a piece of paper.
…
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
The way Vlad had killed two Magic Guide Spirits with casual gestures created a wave of panic.
"Ah!"
Robert's scream, though late, finally arrived.
…
The sudden and dramatic turn of events snapped Betty, Scott, and Robert fully awake.
But all three were still half-stuck in their sleeping bags.
The same was true for Virt, with only his hands exposed.
The bite wound on his neck had already healed significantly in this short time, but the lost blood would not regenerate so quickly.
The hormones from the vampire's fangs had calmed him.
He couldn't even muster the will to resist.
…
Vlad the vampire revealed his savage nature before the four students.
His mind had been in chaos since his resurrection. He had finally cleared his head a bit, but the fragmented memories in his mind were not enough to help him understand the situation.
He was like a newborn child. Other than his own name, he was left with only a vampire's instincts and the pride rooted in his very marrow!
But that didn't stop him from viewing the four of them as being at the bottom of the food chain—in other words, food!
The ecological differences between pureblood vampires and humans made their conflict irreconcilable.
This was the same as the relationship between most demons and humans.
Only when one side was completely wiped out would the war end!
But even a centipede does not collapse completely upon death.
Let alone the demon race.
…
Vlad's resurrection was highly coincidental, but in astrology, it would be called an "inevitability."
In the words of a prophet, it was "destiny"!
A prophet whose ashes had long since been scattered once said that the human and demon races were two sides of the same coin, like light and darkness. As long as the human race survived, the demon race would never be truly annihilated.
Based on this premise, the prophets repeatedly foretold the return of the demon race.
It was as if they'd be out of a job if they didn't make such prophecies =.=.
Outside the castle, dark clouds rolled across the sky, carrying the feeling of an impending storm.
…
A full belly stirs wicked thoughts.
Having just had his fill, it was only natural to look for some fun.
They were just mere humans.
…
"Who are you?"
Robert's question broke the silence.
Vlad turned to look at him, his nose twitching slightly. A look of disgust appeared in his eyes.
The nobler the vampire, the pickier the eater. Not just anyone was fortunate enough to become his meal.
Of the four people present, only Virt and Betty were qualified to be his food.
And the only one qualified to receive his First Embrace was Virt!
He ignored Robert's question, instead looking down at Virt. His lips slowly curled into a grin, revealing gleaming fangs.
"Feel the glory! You shall become Vlad's first blood thrall!"
From blood thrall to blood demon, and then to vampire, was a necessary progression for a non-hereditary vampire.
During this process, the hormones in Virt's bloodstream finally faded to a certain degree.
His eyes shot wide open, fear showing in them.
Accepting a vampire's First Embrace, becoming a vampire's blood thrall—it was a path he had never imagined.
It was not only a negation of himself but an insult to the bloodline of the Hero!
Virt struggled desperately to escape from his sleeping bag.
At almost the same time.
Betty and Scott also seized the opportunity to move.
The two of them scrambled out of their sleeping bags and reached for the card packs on their waists.
Vlad regarded their actions with condescension. Not only did he not stop them, but he also crossed his arms and let out a low chuckle.
…
"Troll!"
In the end, it was Virt who summoned his Magic Guide Spirit first.
Under extreme pressure, he achieved a breakthrough, further compressing the casting time for a normal summon.
A massive Troll descended from above and charged fearlessly towards the vampire!
"Inferior species!"
Vlad sneered. He casually lifted a hand, and two magic circles appeared in his palm.
The magic circles, primarily black and red, overlapped each other, one spinning clockwise, the other counter-clockwise.
A massive amount of mana erupted instantly.
A crimson beam of magical light flared and shot out from the circles!
The Troll's head exploded instantly!
"BOOM!"
The headless corpse fell heavily to the ground.
…
Seeing the Troll he was so proud of killed so easily, Virt's face grew even paler. He barely managed to support himself against the wall and kicked hard at Robert, who was still frozen in his sleeping bag.
Robert was shocked back to his senses and scrambled out of the sleeping bag.
"Run!"
Virt only had time to say those two words, his fingers, gripping the [Radiant Giant Python] card, trembled uncontrollably.
He had never felt such immense fear.
Not even in the Temple of the Moon on Halloween's Eve.
At that time, everyone else had been injected with [Soul-Losing Water], and he was the only one who was lucid, which even gave him a sense of superiority.
When he was manipulated into attacking Dark while waiting for an opportunity, deep down he didn't think anything would really happen to him.
He wasn't the one who truly faced the Goddess directly.
He had only witnessed everything from the sidelines, like an outsider who had accidentally stumbled onto the stage.
But this time, he was the main character!
Just like the protagonist in a fairytale, he was the heart of the event, the one targeted by evil.
I have to pull myself together.
I can't panic.
I have to find a way out of this!
…
"Mirage!"
The moment the Troll fell, Betty raised her right hand high. An intensely brilliant light shot out from the Magic Guide Card in her palm.
A mirage-like projection materialized in the secret passage.
It was a flowing illusion of light and shadow. Waves of unrestrained, rich colors separated everyone's line of sight, and the rolling tide created a surging sound, as if the sea were constantly crashing against the shore.
The vampire finally showed a trace of surprise.
He extended a finger to touch the watery ripples right in front of him and actually felt a sense of reality.
But that was all there was to it.
This [Mirage] card wasn't a finished version; it was just one of the subjects Betty was currently researching.
The intended version of [Mirage] was supposed to be able to project an opponent's Magic Guide Spirit, trapping it in an illusion.
The current [Mirage], however, was still just a scenery card. Aside from being ornamental, it could only be used as a means of interference!
After his initial surprise, Vlad swirled his cape, letting the blood-red color billow out before abruptly contracting it, shattering the illusion!
However, as the illusion vanished, the figures of the students were gone from the secret passage.
Virt and the other three had disappeared.
…
Inside the secret room full of mirrors.
The four of them held their breath, their heads covered in cold sweat.
Hiding in such a small room with only one entrance and exit was not, in fact, a great idea.
But the terrifying power the vampire displayed with every move was too much to handle; they had no choice but to avoid a fight.
"Virt, are you okay?"
Robert asked nervously, "I heard that if you get bitten by a vampire, you turn into one…"
Virt seemed to only remember this just now. His already pale face twisted in horror.
At that moment, only Betty's voice remained relatively calm. "It's not that bad. Only humans who receive a vampire's First Embrace are turned into blood thralls. Pull down your eyelid and see if it's turned red."
Virt quickly pulled down his eyelid with his finger. He had wanted to check it in a mirror, but Robert had already leaned in nervously. After a moment, he relaxed and said, "Still black!"
Virt finally relaxed. "Looks like I just had my blood sucked."
At that moment, the after-effects of the blood loss rushed in all at once. He suddenly felt his limbs go weak, his mind exhausted, and even his eyelids grew heavy.
Scott said fearfully, "What's going on? How could a vampire appear in the secret passage?"
Virt: "How should I know…"
Robert: "We ran into the Minotaur before, but that was a long time ago!"
Scott clutched his head. "Dammit, we're probably not getting out of here. If I die here, what will happen to my parents? What about my family? I'm the last hope of my house!"
Robert also started to panic. "No way... We survived the Moon Goddess incident. The professors will come save us, right?"
Virt managed to squeeze out, "It wasn't just the professors who saved us."
Betty finally roared impatiently, "Quiet!"
As the strongest fighter among the four, Betty had never felt so much pressure.
After escaping into the secret room, she had immediately begun summoning. She had now sacrificed two Tier 1 Magic Guide Spirits to successfully summon a Tier 2 Magic Guide Spirit!
But a Tier 2 Magic Guide Spirit alone wasn't enough!
Her Patterned Moray Eel was the type with abundant mana. In its Poison-pattern form, its combined Magic and Defense stats exceeded 2,500 points.
This meant that Vlad's casual squeeze had an attack power of over 2500!
He was at least a six-star monster or higher!
She had to summon a Tier 3 Magic Guide Spirit to have any chance of winning.
But the only Tier 3 Magic Guide Spirit she currently possessed was just a seven-star White Card.
"If I supplement it with other Magic Guide Cards…"
Betty quickly calculated the power gap between them, trying to shorten it to an acceptable level.
…
And outside the secret room.
Vlad had actually found the secret room long ago, following their lingering scent.
But he just stood outside, picturing the human children huddled together like rats, trembling in the secret room, and he let out a sinister laugh.
…
Meanwhile, Dark was having a sweet dream.
________________________________________
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