Sai leaned against the counter, his mind racing as he processed the implications of the murder. If a vampire was truly behind this, it wasn’t just a threat to the guild—it was a danger to the entire city. He had read about creatures that drained their victims dry, but seeing the aftermath firsthand was another matter entirely. This wasn’t just a rogue monster—it was a calculated predator. Someone was pulling the strings.

  His thoughts were interrupted as the guild master himself stepped out from his chambers. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, exuding an air of authority that silenced the murmurs in the guild hall. His piercing gaze swept across the adventurers, taking in their expressions, their unease, and perhaps their fear.

  "Listen up!" the guild master barked, his voice echoing through the hall. "Until we determine the cause of this murder, all adventurers will remain within city limits. No exceptions. Anyone caught sneaking out will be treated as a suspect."

  A few adventurers grumbled, but no one dared to openly protest. Sai remained silent, watching as the guild master’s gaze briefly settled on him before moving on. He didn’t react, but he knew this situation was more complicated than it appeared. If there truly was a vampire in the city, the lockdown wouldn’t stop it. If anything, it might make the situation worse.

  There were too many gaps. He needed something solid.

  Later that evening, as the guild hall quieted down and the streets fell under the grip of curfew, Sai slipped into the darkened alleys. Moving unnoticed wasn’t difficult—he had trained for this. If the culprit was a vampire, there had to be signs. A pattern. A mistake. And he was determined to find it.

  His first destination was the black market district, a place where information was more valuable than gold. Navigating the maze-like alleyways, he soon found himself face-to-face with an old informant—Lysel, a man whose words carried weight in the underworld.

  Lysel smirked as Sai approached. "Didn’t take you long to come sniffing around, kid. Heard about the murder, I assume?"

  Sai nodded. "I need to know if any unusual figures have been spotted lately. Someone who doesn’t belong here."

  Lysel chuckled, leaning back against a wooden crate. "Oh, there’s always someone who doesn’t belong. But you’re in luck—I might have something for you. A new face in town, pale as death, avoiding sunlight like the plague. Rumor says they’ve been seen near the abandoned manor on the edge of the city."

  Sai narrowed his eyes. A solid lead. "What’s the catch?"

  Lysel shrugged. "No catch, just good business. But be careful. If you’re right about what’s going on, you might not be the only one hunting tonight."

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Sai gave a curt nod and disappeared into the shadows.

  The abandoned manor loomed ahead, its structure weathered by time and neglect. Cracked stone walls bore creeping vines, and shattered windows revealed only the void within. A relic of a forgotten past, the manor stood in eerie silence, as if the very air around it had been swallowed by an unseen force.

  Sai approached cautiously, activating the technique he had learned from the vampire maid—a method to suppress his mana and presence to near invisibility.

  Vanish.

  A technique designed for assassins, it rendered him undetectable to both sight and mana perception. He had practiced it relentlessly, refining it in the time when he wasn’t under Sylvester’s brutal training. Now, it was second nature.

  Sai ghosted toward the manor, each step dissolving into the night. But just as he reached the outer edge, he froze.

  Another presence.

  Faint, but there. Someone—or something—was nearby. Their aura was controlled, masked. But not enough to escape Sai’s sharpened instincts. Whoever it was, they were skilled. But not perfect.

  He didn’t react outwardly, keeping his movements natural as if unaware. However, he subtly adjusted his position, scanning the surroundings with careful precision. His gaze flicked upward toward the manor’s rooftop—there.

  A shadow shifted.

  Sai smirked.

  Whoever was watching him had already taken the bait. He took a deliberate step forward, just enough to make noise, before suddenly vanishing into the darkness.

  A sharp intake of breath came from above.

  A mistake.

  Sai moved swiftly, using the broken structures for cover. Circling around the manor, he found an old service entrance hanging partially ajar. Without hesitation, he slipped inside, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim interior.

  The air inside was thick with dust and decay, clawing at his throat with every breath. Rotting wooden beams creaked under the weight of time, the scent of mildew clinging to the walls like something alive. Cobwebs stretched across the corridors, snapping against his fingers as he passed.

  Then, he heard it.

  A faint scraping sound.

  Deliberate. Controlled.

  Sai’s breath slowed as his senses locked onto the noise. It came from deeper inside the manor. Someone—or something—was moving. Not a rat. Not the shifting of an old building. A presence.

  He kept his steps light, gliding forward without a sound. His fingers flexed around his blade’s hilt, ready to draw at a moment’s notice. Shadows twisted along the walls as he moved, his Vanish technique keeping him unseen.

  A flicker of movement. A dark shape lingering near the end of the hallway, barely visible. Sai stilled, analyzing his next move. He could feel it now—this wasn’t just any killer. This was something else.

  Then, without warning, the presence vanished.

  His heart pounded, but his expression remained cold. So, they were skilled too.

  The manor’s silence deepened, thick and suffocating. The scrape of movement had stopped, replaced by an eerie stillness. Sai waited, every muscle coiled like a spring.

  Then, from behind him—

  A whisper.

  "You’re not supposed to be here."

  Cold breath, too close.

  Sai reacted instantly. His blade shot out in a precise arc as he twisted, slashing toward the source of the voice—

  But he hit nothing.

  A blur of movement. A shadow darted back, just out of reach. The faint glint of eyes—red, hungry—flashed in the darkness before vanishing again.

  A low chuckle echoed through the manor.

  Sai wasn’t hunting alone tonight.