Chapter Nine: The Hunter among predators
Jeremy woke up choking on pain.
Not the sharp, burning agony he'd expected—but something dull and wrong. His neck felt stiff, rigid, like it had been snapped and poorly put back together. Every attempt to move sent a grinding sensation down his spine.
He sucked in a breath and forced his eyes open.
Concrete ceiling.
Dim lights.
The smell of salt, rust, and old blood.
This wasn't the hotel.
Jeremy's pupils adjusted slowly, and the room came into focus. A wide, open space—pillars, stacked crates, chains hanging from the ceiling. Water lapped faintly somewhere nearby.
A dock.
His heart skipped.
He turned his head slightly and spotted John several meters away, bound to a chair with thick chains wrapped around his torso and arms. His face was bruised, blood dried at the corner of his mouth—but his eyes were open.
Alive.
"Jeremy—" John rasped.
Before Jeremy could respond, a slow clap echoed through the space.
"Well… this is disappointing."
A man stepped forward from the shadows.
Tall. Pale. Well-dressed in an old-fashioned way that screamed money and arrogance. His presence alone pressed down on the room like a weight.
Vampire.
Not just any vampire.
"I thought you'd wake up screaming," the man continued calmly. "Transition is usually… unpleasant."
Jeremy swallowed.
Transition?
What the fuck…?
Darkness flashed in his memory.
He shifted slightly, chains rattling around his wrists.
"So," the vampire went on, circling him slowly, "either you're strong-minded… or you're broken already, cause I expect you to panicking."
Jeremy didn't answer.
Instead, he spoke softly.
"System."
Several vampires frowned.
"What's going on?" Jeremy asked aloud.
A blue interface flickered to life before his eyes.
[You fainted due to neural overload caused by sudden stat amplification.]
[Your body temporarily shut down to prevent permanent damage.]
Jeremy clenched his jaw. "And the neck?"
[Vampires injected you with vampire blood and snapped your neck.]
His gaze darkened. "Am I transitioning?"
There was a brief pause.
Then—
[No.]
Jeremy exhaled slowly.
"Why?"
The System's reply was instant.
[You are a Hunter.]
[A Hunter cannot become prey.]
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Across the room, the vampire leader stopped walking.
"…Is he talking to himself?" one of the younger vampires muttered.
"He doesn't look like he's in transition," another said uneasily. "More like a lunatic."
Jeremy didn't care.
He tilted his head slightly. "How old is the oldest vampire here?"
[Five hundred years.].
"What is his speed stats"
[273 points.]
His eyes flicked to the leader.
That figures.
The more vampires grow older the more stronger and the more faster they becomes.
"Why did I pass out from the pain?" he asked.
[Your Willpower is insufficient to withstand high-level stat recalibration.]
[Increasing Willpower allows mental resistance, focus, and consciousness retention under extreme stress.]
[Increasing Endurance reduces physical pain, fatigue, and bodily backlash.]
[Pain Immunity is available in the System Store.]
Before he could reply, a new notification slammed into his vision.
[MISSION ISSUED: SURVIVE.]
Difficulty: EXTREME
Reward (Survival): Variable
Bonus Reward (Extermination): ??? (BEST GRADE)
Jeremy's pulse steadied.
He checked his stats.
Strength: 60
Agility: 60
Better—but nowhere near enough.
Meanwhile, the vampire leader stopped in front of John.
"You remember my nephew," he said calmly.
John spat blood onto the floor. "I remember killing a lot of monsters."
The vampire smiled. "He screamed your name when you staked his heart—with those fancy hunters you run with. Don't worry. They're dead now."
Silence fell.
"So," the vampire continued, gesturing toward Jeremy, "I decided on something poetic. When he finishes turning—"
He motioned toward Jeremy.
"—you will be the one to kill him. A hunter forced to murder his own."
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "That's your plan?"
The vampire frowned. "You should be grateful. I could make you feel pain so deep you'd wish you were never born."
Jeremy glanced at his interface.
System Points: 83
"…Annoying," he muttered.
"Exchange fifty points. Purchase: Crossbow."
A sleek, compact crossbow materialized in his hands.
The vampires froze.
"What—"
Jeremy fired.
The bolt slammed into the nearest vampire's chest.
Instant petrification.
Stone spread outward from the impact point, freezing the vampire mid-step.
The room erupted in chaos.
Jeremy fired again.
Another vampire—older, maybe fifty or sixty years—petrified.
A third bolt followed.
Three bodies. Petrified.
Silence.
Then snarls.
"Kill him!" someone shouted.
The vampire leader raised a hand.
"Stop."
The remaining vampires skidded to a halt.
He pointed toward five vampires at the back. The others stepped aside.
Newly turned.
Canon fodder.
The five rushed Jeremy at superspeed.
But they were slow.
Not to the eye—but to him.
His Agility sat at 60, while newborn vampire speed barely reached 50.
Jeremy glanced at his interface.
Total: 833
"Keep crossbow. Purchase firearm."
[Purchase confirmed. 100 System Points deducted.]
The weapon dissolved—then reformed into a modified handgun loaded with wooden rounds.
Jeremy fired.
Five shots.
Five hits.
Thanks to Absolute Hit, not a single bullet missed.
Five vampires collapsed into stone.
Jeremy raised his voice. "Timeout."
Laughter rippled through the room.
The leader lifted a hand again. "Enough."
He stepped closer, eyes burning. "You were searched. You had no weapons. Where are you getting these? Are you a witch?"
Jeremy wasn't listening.
His eyes were on the numbers.
Total: 1733
"Exchange fifteen hundred System Points for stat points."
[Confirmed.]
[150 stat points available.]
"Raise Willpower to fifty."
(Mental resistance increased. Pain tolerance, focus, and control enhanced.)
"Raise Endurance to one hundred."
(Physical resilience massively increased. Pain suppression and stamina boosted.)
[Confirmed.]
"Raise Perception to forty."
(Enhanced reaction time, intent awareness, and motion tracking.)
"Intelligence plus five."
(Improved processing speed, adaptability, and tactical thinking.)
[Confirmed.]
He flexed his fingers.
The world sharpened.
Sounds separated. Movements slowed. His body felt cleaner—more responsive.
Still not fast enough.
He needed an exit.
"Purchase: Vervain grenade."
[Cost: 200 System Points.]
[Confirmed.]
Jeremy pulled the pin.
Three…
Two…
He hurled it into the densest cluster of vampires.
The explosion was silent—but devastating.
Vervain gas flooded the room.
Screams erupted as vampires collapsed, choking, bodies convulsing.
Jeremy moved.
Fast.
Not fast enough to match a five-hundred-year-old—
But fast enough.
But fast enough.
He grabbed John, chains snapping as he yanked him free, dragging him toward a side corridor.
His speed felt off—unfamiliar.
But his perception compensated.
His intelligence adapted.
By the time the vampires recovered—
Jeremy and John were gone.
And the hunt had truly begun.