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2. Vampire's Castle

The people in Rando's village are always in hiding. Even something as important as hunting is done by Rando alone. Unless it is close to a long winter or when Rando is not feeling well, they would only come out. From the outside, the village looks small, but the houses here are connected by underground passages (and that's where they usually hide).

Those people are too timid and always cautious it irks Rando so much.

So does today. When Rando tells them that he plans to kill the vampire living in the castle on the hill, that the lower village would reward him with one of their many unharvested fields if he succeeds in the mission, and that afterward, they would no longer have to rely on humans to live, the werewolf villagers forbids him.

"You can't touch that vampire."

They all speak the same concern.

Rando dislikes that. Because all he thinks is, if he manages to kill the vampire then they no longer need to be bound by humans, and later he will be recognized as a hero by his people.

He has already received a bag of crops as collateral and a letter from the men of the lower village. He has already made up his mind. So in the early hours of the morning when his people are already deep in their slumber, Rando leaves his home. On a wet, cold, dark night, as the mist rolls low, his large body swings swiftly through the trees.

This oak forest is old, there are no good paths for Rando to walk through in his human form. The grass here is too tall and the trees are too dense.

Rando's giant wolf form flashes, gliding through the dense mist between the narrow trees. Like a wind spirit, like a wolf ghost.

Once he gets near the castle, Rando jumps onto one of the tall tree branches and returns to his human form. He shakes his head from the tangled leaves, then focusing his eyes and mind. Hunting in the dark like this is no easy feat. But Rando knows he can.

Rando observes the giant castle, solemnly searching for the movements of the vampire living inside.

The castle is quiet. As though nobody lives there. Throughout his life until now, whether he was hunting or just playing around in the forest, Rando had never approached this place. This is out of his territory. Rando only hunted around the human village, harassing the goblins and orcs. He had always seen this castle from afar, never once getting this close.

When viewed from afar, the large round moon that occasionally shines behind the castle that stands on the eastern hill adds to the gloomy ambiance. But strangely, when viewed up this close, the castle looks well-maintained and does not appear dark. Instead, it exudes a clean and warm feeling. To think of it as the home of a vampire sounds a bit out of place.

Rando shifts to sit on a thicker branch and looks at the castle's entrance.

Soon the sun will rise, the fog is already starting to get thickens. Instead of getting brighter with sunlight, due to the proximity of the lake and the high altitude, this area becomes slightly darker with a grey color. Then, no matter how much warmth the castle radiates when viewed up close, the atmosphere will soon turn gloomy.

Rando breathes in the morning air deep. He is actually eager to jump into the castle, but that is not the plan. Right now he needs to observe the castle some more before executing the initial plan later in the evening after sunset.

Rando breathes out and casts his eyes around the castle. His eyes catch a figure of an old woman coming out of the front door and walking to the garden at the back of the castle, then busying herself cleaning the garden.

"Is she the vampire?" asks Rando, thinking that the said vampire looks too weak.

He wanders his eyes in other directions, but all of a sudden his body is gripped by a powerful cold energy. Overflowing, it envelopes his body. Sending shivers down his spine. This does not come from the chill of the morning mist, Rando knows that. This is far more horrifying, like a pair of sharp teeth grazing the back of your neck. Like he just met a much stronger predator in an unexpected place.

Surprised, Rando quickly shifts his gaze to the place where he feels the energy. And there he meets those eyes.

It's the vampire. The vampire Rando is looking for.

Yes, Rando is sure he is the vampire he hunts.

The man, with his cold, fiery red eyes, stands near one of the large windows, slightly lower than the branch Rando is sitting on. Through the glass, his gaze seems to freeze Rando's spine. Their faces are not directly facing each other, but that pair of eyes seems to be right in front of him.

Rando swallows a chunk of saliva.

The man's gaze is aloof. It shows no particular emotion. His red and dark eyes just fix on Rando. He is a cool-looking guy wearing a long sleeve white shirt with dark long hair.

He is staring at Rando from head to toe, like observing the value of an item. Rando jerks himself up to the stare. He knew that he has been stunned by his good-looking figure as well as a little terrified by the eerie atmosphere he gives off. His pride can't accept this.

So Rando growls low and bares his sharp teeth, trying to intimidate. But unexpectedly, the corners of the man's lips instead lifted into a smirk. Appearing to be laughing.

Rando becomes furious.

He should have waited for the next night to come. This hunt should be done secretly in the dark. When the man is caught off guard, when the man does not realize that death is near, he will come and attack. But Rando cannot ignore such an insulting provocation.

So Rando rises from the tree branch. The distance from the tree where he squats to the window of the castle is about eight meters. A normal human will not be able to jump that far, but Rando is no ordinary human. Frankly, he is excited to be able to show off that he can leap that far.

After all, his purpose in coming here is to kill. He has no need to hesitate. The plan changes. Rando is not going to wait for the next night and blow an attack secretly. He is going to show his true strength. He is going to rip that smirking, arrogant mouth in half. To death.

Rando pulls out his claws and flies away. His big body stretches out in the air. Effortless, light as a feather despite his tall and muscular body.

He flies straight to the place where the man is standing and breaks the window in.

The sound of glass shattering into pieces is deafening. But Rando doesn't care. Before his feet can even land on the floor, he is already swinging his sharp claws at the vampire. So fast so sudden. Unpredictable―it's supposed to be. However, the vampire lightly dodges the attack. His speed is incredible. More effortless than Rando's movement.

Rando is surprised. His eyes widen. But quickly and without hesitation, he regains control and right away, twists his body as he swings his sharp claws at the vampire once more.

"A werewolf?"




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