Trina found herself in yet another unfamiliar town, the sense of disorientation gnawing at her. Why does this keep happening to me? Everything felt overwhelmingly foreign, and she struggled to piece together how she ended up there. The recurring blackouts haunted her—what was happening during those lost moments? She yearned for answers.
Every time she blacked out, she awoke in a completely different town. Was this some kind of side effect from the duel with Rae? If her memory served her right, Rae struck her with a spell just before Trina's own attack landed. That meant Rae was now the new Vampire Queen.
But where was Rae? And why had so much changed? Trina couldn't shake the feeling that she had woken up in an entirely different era. The Holy Kingdom—wasn't that once the Stokes Kingdom? And the Bermone Kingdom had been reduced to half its former size. Churches dotted the landscape in staggering numbers. How long had she been unconscious?
A faint shimmer caught her eye as she focused on the bottom-left corner of her vision. It was something labeled "status." With a single thought, her information appeared before her:
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Trina
Gender: Female
Race: Dhampir
Level Information:
Overall Level: 74 Racial Level: 57 Job Level: 4 Class Level: 90
Vital Statistics:
HP: 40,000/50,000 MP: 30,000/60,000
Attributes:
Strength (STR): 10,000 Intelligence (INT): 900 Vitality (VIT): 6,000 Dexterity (DEX): 7,004 Luck (LCK): 94 Agility (AGL): 24,003
Combat Stats:
Attack (ATK): 24,000 Defense (DEF): 16,000 Physical Attack (PHY ATK): 15,000 Magic Attack (MAG ATK): 9,000 Physical Defense (PHY DEF): 7,000 Magic Defense (MAG DEF): 9,000
Resistances:
Dark Magic
Magic Attributes:
Dark Magic, Fire Magic, Earth Magic, Wind Magic
Traits:
First-Class Vampire / Vampire of Royal Blood (Rank 3) Renegade Vampire Unbonded to Kin Dhampir Daywalker Twin Personas Defeated Heir Demon Kin Blood Dependency (Min Level) / Blood Lust Weak Link to Past Memories
Titles:
The Ruler of Shadows Fastest Vampire The Veil of Darkness Shadow Executioner Master Assassin
Skills:
Vampiric Speed (Lv. 9) Vampiric Enhancement (Lv. 7) Hunting (Lv. 6) Stealth (Lv. 8) Point of Weakness Detection (Lv. 7) Blood to Mana Converter (Lv. 5) Alternative Perception (Lv. 1) Perceptivity (Lv. 8) Vampire Regeneration (Lv. Max) Demonic Tongue (Lv. 8) Assassination Weapon Mastery (Lv. 7)
Magic Skills:
Monster Puppetry (Lv. 3) Shadow Travel (Lv. 1) Fire Magic (Lv. 4) Wind Magic (Lv. 3) Earth Magic (Lv. 1) Dark Magic (Lv. 6)
Special Abilities:
Vampire Generation (Lv. 1) Vampiric Reanimation (Lv. 2) Eye to the Past (Lv. 3) {Weakened} Miasma Manipulation (Lv. 4) Miasma Immunity (Lv. 8) Quick Analysis (Lv. 1) Partial Immortality (Lv. 8)
Blood Meter: 20,000
Trina stumbled through the dimly lit streets, her disorientation weighing heavily on her. Shaking it off, her eyes fell on a nearby building that appeared to serve as both a tavern and an inn. Finally, a chance to rest. But as she patted herself down, a thought crossed her mind: Did she even have money?
Her hand brushed against a small pouch tied to her side. The fabric was rough and stained with dried blood. "That's not suspicious at all," she muttered dryly to herself, trying to push aside the unsettling thought.
With no better options, she approached the tavern's entrance, her resolve firm despite the unease.
Inside, the warm glow of the hearth and the murmur of patrons greeted her. She made her way to the counter and asked, "Excuse me, how much for a meal and a room for the night?"
The innkeeper, a stout woman with sharp eyes, replied curtly, "That'll be forty copper coins."
Trina fished the coins from the blood-stained pouch and handed them over. "Okay, one room and a warm meal, please."
The innkeeper nodded and grabbed a key from the wall. "Here's your key. Jenny!"
A teenage girl rushed over. "Yes, Mother?"
"Show this lady to her room."
Jenny turned to Trina with a polite smile. "Right this way, miss." She led her upstairs to a modest room and opened the door. "This is your room. What would you like for supper, miss?"
"What do you have?" Trina asked, her exhaustion evident.
Jenny thought for a moment before suggesting, "We don't have much variety, but I'd recommend the steak rice with vegetables and a mug of mead."
"I'll have that," Trina replied.
"Right away. I'll come to inform you when it's ready. In the meantime," Jenny added, gesturing to a bowl of water on the table, "you can wipe yourself off. It's not much of a bath, but it should help with the day's grime."
As Jenny left, Trina's gaze fell on the water. Only now did she notice the dried blood caked on her skin. No wonder the girl had offered it without comment. Did she not find me suspicious? Trina wondered briefly before dismissing the thought.
She used the water to clean herself, her mind turning over the events of the day. Once finished, a knock came at the door.
"Miss, your meal is ready," Jenny called out.
"Thank you. I'll be right down," Trina replied, feeling the pang of hunger sharpening in her stomach.
Downstairs, the tavern was lively and packed with patrons exchanging laughter and stories. Trina settled at a table and began eating her meal. The savory flavor of the steak rice and vegetables paired well with the mead, and for a moment, she let herself relax. However, as she ate, a nearby conversation caught her attention.
"...Are you afraid of going back home this late at night?" one patron asked.
"No! Why should I be?" came the defiant reply.
"This is when the bloodsuckers roam free," another voice warned.
Trina's appetite waned as the words reached her ears. She listened closely, the term "bloodsuckers" striking a nerve.
"If that's the case, shouldn't you also be scared?" the first voice asked nervously.
"To tell the truth, I am," the second voice admitted. "But battling one and winning is a lucrative way to gain leveling points or experience."
"So you want to be attacked by one of those monsters?" the first person asked, incredulous.
"Of course not! But I wouldn't mind the chance to fight one."
"Even if it's a quick way to gain experience, those monsters are beyond human capabilities. I hear even the low-ranking ones can be formidable. It's like they're immortal... Well, they can still be killed—fire to the heart, fatal light magic attacks, or the sun's light. But the sun only affects Nightwalkers. The high-ranking ones that walk during the day? They're the ones you should really fear. No one truly knows how to kill them... except maybe the number one vampire hunter."
The conversation continued as Trina's thoughts churned. Vampire hunters? How much time had she lost? The faint thirst for blood stirred within her, a quiet but nagging reminder of her nature.
Her attention returned to the conversation as one of the patrons asked, "How do you differentiate vampires from humans?"
"That's hard to do unless you're a vampire hunter or have one of those special appraisal skills," the second voice replied. "They look just like us. If you try hard enough, you might notice a Nightwalker's weird mannerisms, but they only come out at night. The Daywalkers, though—they terrify me to the core."
"So... are they monsters or just another race?" the first patron wondered aloud.
"I hear they're demon kin," the other answered. "Anyone from any race can become one of them, but the price you pay is your humanity. How else could they kill so ruthlessly, draining the blood of the living without mercy?"
"Going back to vampire hunters," the first voice ventured, "how does one become one?"
"I'm not sure, but I think you have to kill a vampire with your own two hands first."
The conversation shifted, but Trina's thoughts remained fixed on the mention of "Nightmare."
"This town has fewer vampires than the others nearby," one patron said. "And with Nightmare hunting in the surrounding areas, we might be safe for now. Then again, she could already be here. If she is, that's a nightmare for all vampire-kind."
Trina stiffened at the name. Nightmare. A vampire hunter? Was this hunter after her? The thirst within her flared again, faint but persistent. She needed to find Rae and be re-bound as kin. Perhaps then the thirst would subside.
A sudden scream shattered the tavern's lively atmosphere. Trina rose from her seat, alarmed, but her body began to betray her. The all-too-familiar pull of unconsciousness gripped her.
Not now. I have to fight it.
Her vision blurred as the darkness encroached, and a chilling voice echoed in her fading mind.
"Finally, I'm out. Time for a hunt."