The night was far from over.
As Chunluo slipped into the darkness, his mind raced with possibilities. Blade had done the impossible, tearing through hundreds of vampires without hesitation. But Quinn—the lecherous brute who had turned him—still clung to existence.
'He's not dead. I know it. Vampires don't die that easily, not unless their hearts are pierced or their heads taken. Blade only burned him. That bastard will crawl back.'
The system's choice still lingered in his ears.
[
Kill Quinn. Seize Frost's second position. Reward: Blade's full combat skills and experience.
]
Chunluo's jaw tightened. That was no ordinary reward—it was a path to survival. Blade's years of honed combat techniques, his battle instincts, his merciless precision—if Chunluo could inherit all of that, then even with his current limitations, he would be far more than just another vampire in Frost's service.
'But not yet,' Chunluo reminded himself. 'Blade may still be watching. And if I move too early, Frost himself might notice. No… I need the right moment.'
He vanished into the night, leaving behind the echo of sirens as the police swarmed the slaughterhouse.
---
The following morning, Quinn's charred body lay under fluorescent hospital lights. His flesh was cracked and blackened, yet faint traces of unholy vitality pulsed beneath the ruined skin.
Doctors gathered around, murmuring in disbelief as medical equipment failed to classify what they were seeing.
"Blood sugar levels—three times higher than normal," one muttered.
"Phosphoric acid, uric acid—off the charts," another added.
"Red blood cells… biconvex?"
A female doctor—Karen—stared at the screen in horror. "That's impossible. No human body can have this."
Her curiosity drew her into the dissection room, unable to resist uncovering the truth. But as she leaned closer to the scorched corpse, a sound tore the air—wet, rasping, inhuman.
The corpse's eyes snapped open.
Karen froze. The blackened husk convulsed violently, muscles twitching, bones snapping back into place. A strangled scream burst from her lips as Quinn surged upright.
With the strength of a predator, the charred vampire lunged, seizing her ex-boyfriend beside her. His jaws unhinged, fangs piercing flesh. Blood gushed, hot and thick, cascading down Quinn's ruined throat.
Karen stumbled, horror freezing her as Quinn drank deep.
The room filled with wet, sucking sounds. Each swallow restored him, his ruined skin peeling, flaking, then knitting together with obscene rapidity. Blackened charcoal gave way to pale, fresh flesh. In moments, the monster had been reborn.
Quinn stood tall again, skin gleaming with unnatural vitality. His lips curled back, fangs flashing as he turned toward Karen.
"What a sweet taste," he growled, voice slick with hunger. "You should be honored to be my food."
Karen screamed as he seized her shoulders, dragging her toward his gaping maw.
But before he could bite down, the glass wall of the morgue shattered with a thunderous crash. A streak of black leather cut through the shards.
Blade.
Steel flashed. Quinn roared as his arm was severed in a single stroke, hot blood spraying across the tiles.
Snarling in rage, Quinn shoved Karen toward Blade and bolted through the far door, his massive frame blurring with desperate speed.
Blade cursed, ready to pursue, but police stormed the halls, weapons raised. Forced to choose, the Daywalker caught Karen in his arms and pulled her to safety.
Quinn escaped into the night.
---
But only for a moment.
Around the corner, away from flashing sirens and cries, Quinn stopped to catch his breath. His body knit itself together, but the stump of his arm bled heavily. He staggered, fury twisting his features.
That was when a shadow fell over him.
His eyes widened.
"Y-you—"
Pain lanced through his neck, sharp and swift. He never even saw the strike.
Quinn's eyes bulged, a look of sheer horror frozen upon his face as the world went dark. His body trembled, then dissolved into ash.
From the settling dust, Chunluo stepped out of the shadows. His expression was cold, but his lips curled into a victorious smirk.
"It's finally resolved," he murmured, brushing ash from his gloves. "And now… that guy Frost won't suspect me either."
The system chimed at once.
>Ding. Selection complete. Reward issuing now. Blade's combat skills and experience have been integrated.
A torrent of memories slammed into Chunluo's mind—fights across alleys and rooftops, countless slain vampires, training, reflexes honed to perfection. Every punch, every parry, every slash with a blade—it all became his.
Chunluo's eyes snapped open, his breathing ragged as the flood of experience settled. His fingers flexed, feeling the phantom weight of a sword, the precise rhythm of battle.
He laughed softly.
"So this is Blade's strength. My body isn't strong enough yet to use all of it… but my foundation just skyrocketed."
Confidence surged in his chest. He had speed, instincts, and now the skills of the most feared vampire hunter in existence.
And the world would never know Quinn had been ended by his own subordinate.
---
Later that evening, Chunluo returned to his apartment in Queens. The luxury space was a far cry from his human life, funded by the handsome salary Frost's organization provided.
Daylight forced him into lethargy. His body craved sleep, drowsiness overwhelming him no matter how unwilling he was.
'This weakness of the sun is going to be a real problem,' he thought bitterly, sealing the bedroom from even a single sliver of light before collapsing into bed.
By the time night fell, he rose again, rejuvenated. The moonlight filtering in through the window filled him with energy, sharpening his senses. He gazed out over the glittering city.
'As expected of a creature of darkness… the night really is a vampire's home.'
But there was no time to linger in sentiment. With Quinn gone, the Frost family would shift. Opportunities would arise—if he moved carefully.
And he intended to seize them.
---
At the same time, deep within the Forester family's towering Edgewood building, Deacon Frost seethed with rage.
Reports confirmed Quinn's death. Blade's interference had cost him one of his most trusted lieutenants.
But Chunluo had been quick to provide information—information that pointed them toward Blade, and even the human doctor he had taken with him.
Deacon's fury simmered, but when he turned his gaze upon Chunluo, he saw potential.
"Although Quinn is gone, his power still needs someone to manage," Frost declared. His cold eyes bored into Chunluo. "I'll give you a chance. Manage one of the bars. If, within a month, you can keep it running without issues… then Quinn's position will be yours."
Chunluo bowed deeply, masking the smirk tugging at his lips.
"Don't worry, Lord Frost. You won't be disappointed."
---
And so, as one empire fell to ashes, Chunluo's own rise began.