Kira scolded them in a firm, commanding tone. "Don't look at my face. Go take out the cores."
Fedric straightened. "Yes, ma'am."
The five of them went to the Shadow Hound corpses. The species had no fur, only smooth dark skin stretched over lean muscle. They were all messy with their guesses about where the heart was located. Tainted creatures' hearts were their cores. They had read about the correct position of a Shadow Hound's heart, but that didn't help at all when they actually had to do it.
Their arms trembled from the earlier fight, and cuts and bruises stung with every movement. Doing precise work on the corpses felt ten times harder than it should have. After a few uncertain stabs, more mistakes, and making an even bigger mess of the corpses—and their own clothes—they finally managed to take the cores out.
Leo grunted in disgust. "Fuck, where is its heart…"
Meanwhile, Kira had already finished dealing with the two corpses she killed instantly. She extracted their cores cleanly and handed the bodies over for the triplets to carry.
Leo had been hiding the pain since the fight, pretending he could still walk normally. But the wound was far deeper than he let on.
After a few steps, Leo suddenly collapsed with a breathless, "Haa…" He held his chest. Leo was the most injured in this battle.
Kira and the others immediately stopped. The claw mark across Leo's chest was deep— not life-threatening, but still deep enough to be serious.
Lina and Lia almost cried. "Leo!"
They grabbed him in unison and helped him sit up.
It was their first real hunt, after all. Of course Lia and Lina were shaken after seeing injuries up close. If not for Kira drilling survival instincts into them—by beating it into their bodies—they wouldn't have stood a chance in this battle.
Leo forced a grin. "It's nothing. Just a superficial injury. Hahaha…"
He tried to laugh it off, but even his voice trembled. Drayen stepped forward. "We'll carry your corpse as well."
Leo whispered, weak and shaky, "…gang leader…"
Drayen clicked his tongue. "Don't call me gang leader."
When the class had been choosing a representative, Kira had chosen Drayen. Of course, Drayen rejected it immediately. But Kira forced him to act as leader whenever they hunted. So technically, Fedric was the class rep… but Drayen was the leader during missions.
Fedric and Drayen took over carrying the corpses. Seeing Leo injured, Kira softened a little. "Let me help you."
She crouched down and lifted Leo onto her back. "Don't act like a kid. It's just a superficial injury."
And with that, the group continued forward.
Drayen watched silently as Kira lifted Leo onto her back. A faint, unfamiliar irritation flickered in his chest for a moment, but he pushed it down. There were more important things to focus on.
After reaching the school, they went straight to the infirmary located near the portal in the basement. The place was surprisingly large. Strange, unfamiliar gadgets filled the room—tools they had never seen before, inventions born from both the Nightmare Realm and their original world.
An old lady in a white coat approached them. She wore small round spectacles that hung low on her nose, giving her a sharp yet gentle appearance. Her white hair was a short, curly crop—thick and naturally wavy.
She gently removed Leo's clothes. Deep claw marks ran across his chest, and Lia and Lina trembled at the sight of the injury. Seeing the fear in Leo's eyes, the old lady immediately understood—it was his first hunt.
"Don't worry, dear. It's just a superficial injury," she said softly, trying to comfort him.
Then she turned toward Kira with a sharp, disapproving look. "Instructor, you should have been more careful. This was their first hunt."
Kira replied in her usual cold tone. "First hunts are supposed to hurt."
The old lady stroked Leo's head as she placed her wrinkled hand above the injury."Butterfly Dust."
A soft, white powder drifted from her palm. Drayen leaned forward slightly, watching the technique with interest. He had never seen an ability like this before.
The moment it touched his skin, the torn muscles began repairing themselves, slowly knitting back together through accelerated regrowth.
[Analyzing the skill: "Butterfly Dust."]
Wing was, as always, collecting data to assist Drayen. Before Leo could even react, the wound had closed completely.
After treating Leo, the old lady quickly checked the others as well, tending to their smaller cuts and bruises before letting them go.
After that, the group headed to wash up, leaving the collected cores with Kira for exchange. The Mysterious School in Etherion University had all kinds of facilities, so getting a proper shower was easy—something they badly needed after the mess they had made.
Once they were done, Kira met them again and handed over the exchanged cores.
Only by absorbing a core related to one's own bloodline could someone gain an ability. Shadow Hounds belonged to the Shadow Assassin bloodline, so Drayen would not gain anything from them. For him to obtain an ability, he would need a tainted core from the Moon Butterfly bloodline.
Of course, the school had no idea that Drayen could gain abilities from any core he absorbed. After all, he possessed thirty-two bloodlines.
Even though thirty-one of his bloodlines were inferior, with great luck he might still obtain an ability by absorbing a Shadow Hound core.
Before letting them leave, Kira gave one last reminder.
"You have two days to absorb the core. Feel the resonance between the core and your bloodline. That's the best teacher you can get. It will guide you during absorption."
She continued, "If you obtain an ability, you'll naturally sense what it is. Focus your mind and feel it clearly. There are no classes for the next two days. You may go."
Drayen sat cross-legged in his room, thinking about the hunt. From start to finish, it had been pure luck — he concluded that much immediately.
The claws of those beasts were extremely hard, easily capable of countering a modern steel knife. It was nothing short of fortunate that Leo survived after taking a direct hit from them.
Not to mention, Shadow Hounds were among the weakest beasts in the entire Hounds Well. Their imperfect camouflage — although impressive compared to Tellus creatures like tigers — wasn't enough to let them roam freely in that forest.
Most of the time, Shadow Hounds survived by hunting other hounds that were either driven out by their pack or younglings abandoned by dominant males. Just like lions on Tellus, adult male hounds would get rid of younger ones if they sensed a future threat. Those younglings became easy prey for Shadow Hounds, along with various smaller beasts that roamed the forest floor.
He shook off his thoughts and prepared to absorb the core. The core was about the size of a thumb, shaped like a small brittle jewel. It looked fragile, like a stone that had somehow gained a shine. A faint coldness seeped into his hand as he held it, and a soft gray-white light pulsed from within. The glow was so subtle that it was only visible if one looked closely.
It was completely different from Shadow Hound cores, which were pitch-black and gave off no sensation at all when touched.
[ This is the first core Drayen will absorb. Your official journey as a Nightborne begins. ]
Wing sounded almost excited as it observed Drayen taking this step. Drayen simply nodded and focused all his attention on the crystal.
He felt all the various bloodlines in his body stirring as he tried to concentrate. Wing transmitted a series of instructions.
[ Concentrate on your thickest bloodline: Moon Butterfly. ]
[ Use the resonance in the crystal to identify the bloodline. ]
[ Through resonance, slowly absorb the energy of the crystal. Remember to use only the Moon Butterfly resonance for extraction. ]
Drayen began pulling the core's energy into his body. A cold sensation spread through him as the Moon Butterfly bloodline responded, resonating faintly within his veins.
[ Guide it slowly to your heart. ]
Drayen followed the instruction, carefully directing the flow of energy inward. His heart grew more active, beating steadily—yet instead of warmth, he felt a soft, lingering chill. The energy seeped into his heart, modifying it from within, transforming it into an engine capable of generating Night Essence and storing it at the same time.
He felt something stir in his mind—an ability he had forgotten long ago. His eyes remained closed as the memory surfaced. When the process finally settled and the last ripple of energy faded as the crystal vanished, he slowly opened his eyes.
[ Congratulations. You have become Rank One Nightmare. ]
[ Congratulations. You have gained the ability: Moon Butterfly Jewel Eyes. ]
Two notifications appeared in succession.
A spark of joy flared in Drayen's eyes.He exhaled softly and whispered, unable to hide his excitement, "Yes… I got an ability."
He activated his Nightmare Essence to examine it. He wasn't sure how, but using the ability felt instinctive, almost as if he had done it before. Immediately, his vision sharpened, becoming clearer than ever before. Inside the dim room, it was hard to gauge how much it had improved, so he walked to the window and pushed it open.
Even though it was a moonless night, the darkness didn't hinder him at all.The world looked vivid—shadows softened, outlines sharpened, and his vision stretched farther than he had ever experienced. It felt supernatural, unreal.
His curiosity was practically dancing in his eyes as he gazed into the night. He asked Wing, "Wing, what's my status?"
[ Analyzing. ]
[ Status Window ]
| Host Name: Drayen
| Age: 18
| Gender: Male
| Bloodline: All 32 Types
| Primary Bloodline: Moon Butterfly (Original)
[ Stats ]
| Strength: 8 (Above-average human)
| Agility: 8 (Above-average human)
| Stamina: 8 (Above-average human)
[ Nightborne Status ]
| Rank: One
| Nightmare Essence: 99 / 100
| Moon Butterfly Bloodline Skill: Moon Butterfly Jewel Eyes (Consumes 1 essence per 5 min)