Sigh, another day of being pursued again.
Cynthia flicked her fiery red curls, her slim black dress accentuating her collarbones, paired with the clacking sound of high heels. Her voice was lazy as she spoke.
She glanced back at the three pure vampires chasing after her, agilely leaping over a few walls and stepping into the darkness.
This was the third time she'd done this. The silver-haired man the system had mentioned still hadn't appeared, and after three months in this world, Cynthia was starting to wonder if the mission had been messed up.
Thinking back to the previous two attempts, she'd pretended to be weak, tricking a few vampires into falling for it, only to end up empty-handed in the Dark Forest, without even a glimpse of the target. Was it because the timing was wrong?
Cynthia looked up at the round moon. Another full moon night. Dark red patterns swirled at the corners of her eyes and soon disappeared into her pale skin, as if they had never existed.
She felt the wild energy surging through her body, like a beast ready to pounce.
Her eyes narrowed, and she quickly ran deeper into the forest, with the vampires still hot on her heels. After a few minutes of chase, Cynthia found herself deep in the woods, glancing back to see the town lights fading in the distance.
The system, too, remained silent. It seemed like this would be the place to end things. She could use the opportunity to hone her skills as the wild energy inside her reached its peak.
"Hey, little ghosts, let's settle this here."
Cynthia grinned and released her violent energy. Her fiery curls framed her exquisite face, which was now covered in dark red veins.
The three pure vampires immediately found it hard to breathe, collapsing to their knees, completely overwhelmed. Their already pale faces turned even paler.
Wait, this wasn't what they expected. Didn't they hear that this hybrid vampire was weak, only able to hide during the day?
Just as Cynthia was preparing to tear apart the vampires chasing her, the system suddenly blared to life.
System: The mission target is nearby!
Hmm? The silver-haired man was near? What a coincidence.
Looking at the three vampires before her, Cynthia took a deep breath and withdrew her pressure.
The dark forest was tall and dense, blocking some of the moonlight. The eerie trees seemed to open their mouths, revealing sharp claws, waiting for the weak lambs to walk into their grasp.
The forest, which should have been eerily silent, was filled with low sobs and cries, making the place even more sinister.
"Help me, someone please help me!"
The red-haired woman's face showed panic, her fiery curls now tangled with broken leaves. Her delicate face streaked with tears, resembling a frightened fawn. Her sweet voice carried a hint of a sob, and her black dress was torn at the thigh, exposing enticing skin. Her soft, pink toes were also exposed to the air.
The three vampires, who had just been overwhelmed by Cynthia's violent aura, were now utterly confused. Where did the aggressive red-haired woman go? How was she suddenly so delicate?
But facing the blood of a non-pure vampire, the three vampires rubbed their hands together. This was a rare opportunity, one not to be missed.
Drinking the blood of a non-pure vampire, a hybrid of human and vampire, held magical properties. Once consumed, they would no longer fear silver weapons, and might even become powerful vampires themselves, gaining a foothold in the Dark Forest.
Ignoring their confusion over the woman's strange behavior, the three vampires exchanged looks and then took an offensive stance. Their fangs gleamed in the dark as they rushed toward Cynthia.
Bang, bang, bang!
Three silver bullets whizzed through the night air, hitting the vampires, who collapsed in response.
What was going on? Was this a vampire hunter? But there was no time to think further as the bullets burned through their flesh, making them cry out in agony.
Seeing the silver-haired man who appeared suddenly, the vampires wanted to curse, but as low-level vampires, they could barely speak, let alone dodge a silver bullet.
But in the next moment, the silver-haired man was helping the red-haired woman up. What was going on? Wasn't that woman a vampire? Why wasn't the vampire hunter killing her? But their pain from the silver bullets kept them from making any further moves, leaving them to helplessly watch the two.
"Don't be afraid, they won't hurt you anymore." The silver-haired man spoke with a slight tone of reassurance.
The three vampires looked on in disbelief as the trembling red-haired woman's figure dissolved into dust, disappearing into the soil of the Dark Forest.
Only the three silver bullets remained, lying quietly on the ground.
The man helped Cynthia to her feet and retrieved the bullets, placing them in the belt around his waist. Cynthia couldn't help but notice—he had a silver handgun tucked there, likely the weapon that had just taken down the three vampires.
"Thank you," Cynthia said, looking down at the large hand resting on her shoulder. The hand had distinct knuckles, with a large cross tattooed on the back. Cynthia raised an eyebrow, sensing that the target didn't quite trust her.
"I'm Frean."
"Ah, Mr. Hu, hello."
Cynthia removed his hand from her shoulder, brushing against the cross. The man kept his eyes fixed on her face.
The red-haired woman before him showed no sign of pain, her face calm, though still holding traces of panic and relief.
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked, her expression casual, as if she had forgotten to introduce herself.
"My nickname is Little Rabbit... um, no, don't call me that! We're not that familiar."
"I don't have the surname Hu, please call me Frean."
"Alright, Mr. Frean."
The silver-haired man didn't press the issue. At least this time, the woman had pronounced the first part of his name correctly.
"Miss, as a vampire hunter who just killed the three vampires chasing you, I have the right to know everything about what happened. Please cooperate."
"Little Rabbit will definitely cooperate."
The man tugged at the corner of his mouth, struggling with the strange nickname, but as a trained hunter, he was skilled at remaining calm.
"I live in North Mountain Town. The vampires attacked my home while I was sleeping. I had no choice but to escape."
Frean then noticed her dress.
It could be considered a nightdress, as it was thin and exposed her bare arms and neck. Thankfully, her red hair provided some warmth.
Her skin didn't shiver from the cold wind; instead, it glowed white under the moonlight.
"Even the shoes… I didn't have time to put them on," she pouted, sounding almost like a little girl, making Frean glance at her bare feet.
The pink toes, now covered with dark soil from the forest, only made her skin appear even whiter.
In fact, to maintain the image of a lost girl, Cynthia had already discarded her high heels, and no one knew where they had fallen in the darkness.
"Why did you run into the Dark Forest? Don't you know that deep within, the great vampires reside?"
"But you were here, haha. Those three vampires couldn't even speak, so I thought they wouldn't follow me once we entered the great vampires' territory."
Cynthia's joke didn't amuse Frean. She gave a rehearsed excuse she had prepared earlier.
Frean fell silent for a moment. Cynthia knew her lie was a bit too transparent, so she tucked her red hair behind her ear.
"Fortunately, I had a cross earring. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it this far."
The red-haired woman smiled, as though relieved to have survived, even waiting for praise. Frean turned away, not wanting to look at her smile.
It reminded him of the golden retriever owned by a family he had once worked for. Its smile had been similar.