What followed next was a storm of crimson slashes.
Blood Swipes came from every direction, slicing through the air like whips of scarlet light. The leader moved like a blur, her form flickering in and out of sight.
Sil reacted instantly. An earthen wall erupted from the ground before him. The attacks slammed against it, the impact echoing like thunder. The wall held… but cracks quickly began to spider across its surface.
Crevices widened.Still, it held.
"Are you going to hide behind rocks forever?" the leader taunted. "What a coward."
Before she could finish, several blazing fireballs streaked toward where she stood, but the next moment she vanished again.
One exploded against the ground. Another scorched the air where she had been moments before. The rest detonated harmlessly behind her as she slipped past them with effortless speed.
Sil's temper snapped. The leader still kept her distance, refusing to close the gap. Sil's attacks were fast—but she was faster. Every long-range strike missed by inches.
Realizing this, Sil changed tactics. He slammed his palm into the ground.
The earth answered. Dozens...no, hundreds—of jagged stone spears burst from the soil in every direction. The field became a forest of rising spikes, each one lunging toward the leader in a deadly barrage.
She danced between them.
Moving from Left to right, pivoting and making huge leaps. Each spear missed by the width of a breath. For a moment, it felt like a stalemate.Neither of them had taken a real hit.
But everyone else was suffering.
Erin, Amy, Ray, and the others cried out as stray flames and shattered stone struck around them. Some were burned. Others were cut by flying debris.
"Vorden—stop!" Erin shouted desperately.
But Sil didn't hear them.vOr perhaps he refused to.
The leader tilted her head slightly, watching the destruction around them.
"You have no caution at all," she said calmly. "Even your own friends are getting hurt. What exactly are you trying to achieve, boy?"
Behind the scenes, Vorden struggled furiously against a stubborn sil who refused to listen to reason.
"Sil! Snap out of it!" he shouted.
But Sil was too focussed on staring at the woman in black, flames of destruction dancing in his eyes.
Nearby, Rayten muttered under his breath, half-dazed despite the chaos.
"…What kind of beast is she?" he murmured. "She totally fits my type!."
"Oh, for the love of—these two are completely unreasonable," Vorden cursed.
As vorden struggled between thinking what to do .
As Vorden struggled internally, wondering what to do next—
The leader suddenly glanced sideways, her eyes narrowing. She had caught a scent.
A Very familiar one.
It carried the unmistakable trace of a vampire… yet something about it was different. Not pure. Her mind moved quickly. A subclass? .
From the edge of the ruined camp, Quinn stepped forward. His gaze sweeping over every one. Each stride was calm. Confident. Unhurried.
"I'm here, Vorden," Quinn said. "You can stop now. I'll take care of this."
The voice was enough.
Sil's head snapped sharply toward him.
"Quinn… you're safe!" Sil said, stunned.
A faint smile appeared on his face. Inside, however, Vorden was already lecturing
See?! What did I tell you? Quinn isn't someone who dies that easily! But no—you wouldn't listen!
A tear slipped down Sil's cheek.
Slowly, he stood from the chair.
"I'll step back," he muttered quietly. "You take control."
Sil retreated into the darkness of the mindscape.
The moment the seat was empty, Vorden lunged forward and dropped into it instantly—just before Rayten could.
"Not today," Vorden muttered.
Now fully in control of the body, he turned to face Quinn.
And froze.
His jaw dropped.
"…Did he suddenly get a growth spurt?" Rayten said aloud To vorden . "And since when is his hair red?"
Quinn now stood in the open, taller, sharper, his presence far more imposing than before. Then he spoke. His voice carrying authority.
"STAND DOWN VAMPIRE."
But instead of thinking about the sudden word vampire everyone just stared at quinn.
Erin. Amy. Ray. Sarah.
They were relieved Quinn was alive.
But something about him felt… different.
Very different.
Amy blinked rapidly. Why does he suddenly look so… attractive?
Erin felt it too. A strange pull in her chest she couldn't explain.
Sarah swallowed.
What the hell is happening to me?
Even Michael looked confused.
"Did I hit my head or something?" he muttered. "Why do I suddenly feel attracted to him?"
He paused.
"…Wait."
"…When did I become gay?!"
The vampire leader and the other Vampires struggled to control themself. The leader clenched her teeth, clearly irritated.
"How dare you, bastard!" she snapped. "Using charm on us!"
Quinn blinked in confusion.
System… why are all these people staring at me like they're hungry to devour me?
"Oh, that?" the system replied casually.
"That's your charm stat. Vampires naturally use charm to attract prey. Humans find you irresistible."
Quinn frowned.
"Well… with one hundred points in charm," the system continued teasingly, "you could easily become quite the playboy, Quinn."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Quinn muttered in disgust.
"Turn it off!"
"You can," the system replied. "But I thought you'd enjoy the attention."
Quinn focused for a second.
The charm aura instantly vanished.
Suddenly the strange gazes around him faded.
Everyone blinked, looking slightly embarrassed.
"…Well," Quinn sighed, "that's a relief."
He turned back toward the vampire leader.
"Stop hurting my friends," he said calmly. "And we'll leave peacefully."
"They were prisoners. There's no reason for you to hold a grudge against them."
The woman studied him carefully.
"And who exactly are you supposed to be?" she asked. "I thought all of your kind were either imprisoned… or dead."
She straightened slightly.
"Well then. It would only be fair if I introduce myself."
"My name is Lexi," she said.
"A Snackker from the Eighth Family."
"According to the current rules… surrender, or die."
Suddenly her eyes turned deep crimson.
She was using Influence.
She directed the full force of her vampire skill toward Quinn.
But Quinn stood there completely unfazed.
Lexi's brows furrowed.
How did he resist my influence?
System, do you know her? Quinn asked mentally.
"How would I know?" the system replied lazily. "I'm not a walking record book. She's probably just some young vampire."
Quinn sighed.
"Well then…"
He looked back at Lexi.
"If you're truly determined to kill me… don't say I didn't offer you a chance to reconsider."
A small grin spread across his face.
"Well, time to test these new skills."
He extended his hand.
"Blood Swipe."
A wave of crimson energy shot from his palm toward Lexi.
–1 HP
Lexi reacted instantly, releasing her own Blood Swipe.
The two attacks collided midair.
The red waves crashed together and dissolved.
Quinn scratched his cheek.
"Huh."
"I guess that's why it's only level one."
He stretched his shoulders and raised his fists in a mock fighting stance.
"Well then…"
"Time for combat."
Behind him, the others shouted in panic.
"Quinn, what are you doing?!"
"She's dangerous!"
But Quinn only smiled.
The system had practically praised his new body nonstop.
And right now—
He trusted it.