Chapter Ten: When the Predators Become Prey
Jeremy didn't slow down until the side corridor swallowed them whole.
The moment they were out of sight, he shoved John forward and pressed something solid into his hands.
"Take this."
John looked down.
A compact crossbow—sleek, deadly, unfamiliar.
"Where the hell—"
"No questions," Jeremy said sharply. "If anything comes through that corridor, fire. Center mass."
John swallowed, nodded, and tightened his grip on the weapon.
Jeremy turned away and finally opened his System interface.
His breath caught.
System Points: 4,021
"…That many?"
The realization hit immediately. The vervain grenade hadn't just incapacitated vampires—it had killed them. Several of them. Maybe even an older one. Stronger prey meant heavier rewards.
Keeping his face neutral, he spoke only in his mind.
System. Will I receive rewards for all vampires killed even if some escape the docks?
[Yes.]
What about the bonus reward for extermination?
[Host will not receive the extermination bonus if any vampire escapes.]
Okay.
Another thought followed—cold and precise.
Do you have any barriers? Something that can seal the loading docks. Prevent escape.
A brief pause.
[Recommendation: Mountain Ash Barrier.]
Jeremy blinked.
Mountain ash?
That wasn't even a TVD thing—it was Teen Wolf. A universal supernatural barrier.
You have mountain ash?
[Mountain ash exists in this world.]
[Its usage declined due to the prevalence of witches capable of erecting superior magical barriers.]
[The substance was gradually forgotten.]
Jeremy almost laughed.
The irony was beautiful.
He imagined inviting Stefan or Damon into his house, watching them step inside confidently—only to realize they couldn't enter.
The look on their faces alone would be worth the price.
How much to cover the entire loading dock?
[Required quantity: 2,000 System Points.]
[Manual application available.]
[System-assisted application cost: 500 System Points.]
Jeremy checked his total again.
Still over four thousand.
"Do it," he whispered. "System application."
[Confirmed.]
The points dropped instantly.
The air trembled—not visibly, not audibly—but something locked into place. An invisible boundary wrapped around the docks, sealing every entrance, every exit.
A cage.
Remaining System Points: 1,573
Jeremy exhaled and looked down at his handgun.
He ejected the magazine.
Five rounds left.
Ten-round capacity. Five already spent.
Too loud. Too slow. Too risky.
Even with a suppressor, vampires would hear it. Worse, he'd need to reload at least twice to clear the remaining twenty-plus vampires—and the older ones were still faster and more experienced than him.
He scrolled through the System's weapon list.
Machine guns appeared.
He skipped them instantly.
The prices were obscene.
Then memory clicked.
"…Right."
He reached into his inventory.
The Van Helsing Crossbow materialized in his hand.
Unlike the movie version, this one was matte black from limb to stock. No steel bolts—only carved, reinforced wooden shafts.
He tested the weight.
Light.
Too light.
His strength stat made it effortless. He could fire it one-handed.
Perfect.
From the main dock, enraged snarls erupted.
"I'LL RIP BOTH YOUR HANDS OFF!" the vampire leader roared.
Jeremy didn't flinch.
He opened his stats.
"Convert fifteen hundred points."
[Confirmed.]
[150 Stat Points available.]
"Perception plus fifty. Agility plus fifty. Intelligence thirty. Willpower twenty."
[Confirmed.]
The change was immediate.
Violent.
The world snapped into focus, as if a veil had been torn away.
He could feel the space around him—every wall, crate, pillar, and hanging chain mapped in his mind. Not sight. Something deeper.
Three hundred and sixty degrees.
No blind spots.
Even with his eyes closed, he knew exactly where everything was.
Radar-like. Absolute Awareness.
And the vampires—
He sensed them.
Moving.
Hunting.
They'd heard John's heartbeat.
Keep converting points automatically, Jeremy commanded internally. Funnel everything into Agility and Intelligence until I surpass the leader.
[Understood.]
Control followed power.
The surge in intelligence let him understand his abilities, rein them in, move without wasted motion.
A vampire surged toward him.
Seven meters.
Jeremy fired.
The bolt didn't just hit—it launched the vampire backward, lifting him off his feet and smashing him into a steel shelf.
So much for subtlety.
Jeremy was already moving.
His agility carried him faster than a century-old vampire. He vaulted, climbed, and vanished atop a stack of sacks.
Three vampires reached his previous position seconds later.
Jeremy fired three times.
Three bodies slammed into the shelf, stone spreading instantly.
Shouts erupted.
Too many were converging.
He quickly purchased two vervain grenades—before the System could auto-convert the points.
Ten vampires clustered below.
He yanked the pin from one grenade, counted silently—
One.
Two.
—and threw it mid-air.
He was already gone before it detonated.
The explosion was muted.
The effect wasn't.
Vervain gas flooded the area.
Screams followed.
Jeremy landed lightly in a new position—
—and felt it.
A gaze.
Cold. Ancient. Hostile.
He looked up.
The leader clung to the ceiling, eyes glowing, lips peeled back in a feral grin.
Then he dropped.
The world slowed.
Not because time had changed—
—but because Jeremy had.
The vampire fell like an astronaut on the moon, gravity suddenly optional.
System? Jeremy asked calmly.
[Perception threshold reached.]
[Focused observation causes relative time dilation.]
[Reaction capability remains dependent on Agility.]
Jeremy flicked his eyes to his stats.
Agility: 300
He was faster now.
Faster than the leader.
He raised the crossbow and fired.
The bolt struck the vampire's chest mid-descent.
Stone spread instantly.
The leader froze inches above the ground.
Jeremy didn't wait.
No speeches.
No dominance displays.
He put the crossbow away and summoned two stakes.
They were black. Smooth. Almost metallic.
Perfectly balanced.
"It's time," he murmured, stepping forward, "for predators to become prey."
What followed wasn't a fight.
It was a hunt.
Jeremy moved silently, efficiently—appearing behind vampires before they even sensed danger. Some never realized they'd been stabbed. Others turned just in time to see his eyes before petrification claimed them.
One by one.
Relentless.
Final.
When the last vampire fell, a familiar sensation erupted in his mind—like fireworks behind his eyes.
The mission banner appeared.
[MISSION COMPLETE.]
The loading docks fell silent.
And the Hunter stood alone.