Chapter 2 – Bait for a Monster
The entrance to the magical basement yawned open like a wounded beast.
Cold air spilled out, thick with the stench of blood and old magic.
Max felt uneasy the moment he stepped inside.
"D-doesn't this place feel… strange?" he asked nervously.
No one answered.
Rodriguez walked behind him. Martinez was on his left.
Then—
THUD.
Something slammed into the back of Max's head.
Pain exploded behind his eyes. The world spun violently, voices blurring into distant echoes.
"S-sir…?" was all Max managed to say before darkness swallowed him whole.
The Bait Is Set
Max's unconscious body was dragged forward and thrown onto the cold stone floor.
"Position him here," Amelia said coldly, already chanting spells.
Elijah clasped his holy symbol tightly, whispering prayers—not for Max, but for themselves.
"He won't die instantly," Robert muttered. "That's enough."
"That's all we need," James replied.
They waited.
And then—
The shadows moved.
A figure stepped out from the darkness, pale and tall, crimson eyes burning faintly. His clothes were torn, his body riddled with burn marks and cursed runes that crawled across his skin.
A vampire.
But not an ordinary one.
This was a high-level vampire—even weakened, his presence crushed the air.
Amelia's face went pale.
"…This isn't right," she whispered.
The vampire's voice was hoarse, filled with rage and exhaustion.
"So… you bring me a gift," he said, staring at Max's limp body. "How kind."
Massacre
"ATTACK!" someone screamed.
Spells flew. Swords clashed.
For a brief moment, hope flickered.
Then—
It vanished.
The vampire moved.
Too fast.
Robert's head left his shoulders before he could scream.
Mia tried to retreat—her chest was pierced instantly.
James barely raised his sword before his body was torn apart.
Blood sprayed the stone walls like paint.
Evelyn vanished into the shadows—only to reappear lifeless seconds later.
Harper and Davis ran.
They didn't look back.
Rodriguez and Martinez stood their ground, shields raised, protecting Amelia and Elijah.
It didn't matter.
The vampire crushed them both like insects.
Amelia collapsed, coughing blood, her spells failing.
Elijah screamed prayers as claws pierced his chest.
Silence followed.
Only bodies remained.
Only blood.
A Dying King
The vampire staggered.
His breath was uneven. His knees trembled.
Black smoke rose from his wounds as glowing curse symbols burned deeper into his flesh.
He laughed weakly.
"Tch… that wizard…"
Earlier that night, he had fought a powerful wizard.
A soul-draining curse still clung to him—devouring his strength, his existence.
If nothing was done…
He would die.
Then his gaze fell on Max.
Unconscious. Alive. Human.
"…Fate mocks me," the vampire whispered.
The Forbidden Exchange
The vampire dragged Max's body into a ritual circle drawn with blood—blood taken from the fallen hunters.
He sliced his palm and let dark crimson blood drip onto Max's chest.
"This body will become my vessel," he murmured.
A forbidden ritual.
A soul exchange.
Power surged violently.
Blood rose into the air, wrapping around Max like chains.
His body convulsed.
Bones cracked. Veins darkened.
The vampire pressed his forehead against Max's.
"Endure it," he whispered. "Or die."
Max knew none of this.
He couldn't scream.
Couldn't resist.
Couldn't run.
His body was changing—forced into something inhuman.
But halfway through—
The curse flared.
The wizard's magic burned brighter than ever.
The vampire screamed.
"No—!"
His body disintegrated into ash mid-ritual.
The soul exchange was left unfinished.
The vampire was dead.
The One Who Survived
The ritual circle collapsed.
Blood soaked into Max's skin.
Dark energy fused into his heart.
His body went still.
For a long moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Thump.
A heartbeat echoed in the silence.
Slow.
Heavy.
Not human.
Max remained unconscious.
Unaware that he had survived.
Unaware that he was no longer human.
Unaware that the weakest hunter…
Had just been reborn as something far more terrifying.