Henry Acton had faced death countless times. He had witnessed horrors most people couldn’t even fathom. But now, he felt fear like never before. Because of one mistake, Jiho was in the clutches of a vampire.


    Acton had expected the vampire to flee toward the exit, but instead, she launched a direct attack at Jiho. The distance between them was short, leaving no room for error. A single wrong move could cost Jiho his life, and everyone in the room seemed to know it.


    Acton had expected the vampire to flee toward the exit, but instead, she launched a direct attack at Jiho. The distance between them was short, leaving no room for error. A single wrong move could cost Jiho his life, and everyone in the room felt the weight of it.


    The other students, once confident, stood frozen. They were all talented young men from noble families, raised on stories of hunts and trained by real hunters before ever stepping foot in Cheonji Academy. They had always thought of themselves as brave and strong. But now, face-to-face with a vampire, all their confidence had vanished. The stories hadn’t prepared them for this.


    Acton’s voice broke the silence, calm but firm: “Don’t. If you let the boy go, I promise you a quick and painless death. I swear on my honor.”


    The vampire’s blood-red eyes locked onto Acton’s, and a mocking smile curled on her lips. “Honor?” she hissed, her voice echoing coldly in the room.


    Acton’s heart tightened as he saw the look in her eyes.


    Without warning, the vampire sank her fangs into Jiho’s neck. Jiho’s scream of pain filled the air but was quickly silenced. His face twisted in pure agony, the kind of pain so intense that no sound could escape his lips. His eyes, wide with fear and desperation, reflected sheer terror, as if his soul was screaming, but his body couldn’t respond. The torment in his gaze was unbearable, and for a moment, he seemed frozen in time, unable to do anything but endure the suffering.


    Vampires were most vulnerable when they fed, especially in that first moment when they tasted the blood. Acton knew this well as an experienced hunter. As he looked at Jiho’s pained face, he realized this was the only chance he had to save him.


    In life-or-death moments like this, Acton’s heart remained cold, his hand steady, and his focus absolute. He had just one breath’s worth of time to act, but that was all he needed.


    With lightning speed, he drew his gun. The students barely saw his movement before the deafening blast shattered the silence. A beam of light pierced the vampire’s skull, and her body went limp.


    The vampire collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, and Jiho crumpled beside her. Blood dripped from the corners of Jiho’s eyes, and his nose began to bleed as his body shook uncontrollably. His teeth were clenched tight, his whole body trembling as if every muscle was fighting the poison coursing through him.


    The students stared at Acton, a mix of fear, shock, and respect in their eyes. But Acton ignored them, rushing to Jiho’s side.


    When they looked back at Jiho, a cold shiver ran down their spines. The truth—the harsh reality they had only heard about in stories—was now right before their eyes.


    "Vampire poison..." someone whispered.


    Suppressing his panic, Acton quickly crouched next to Jiho and pulled out a small bottle filled with blue pills. He placed the pills in Jiho''s mouth and made him swallow before he lost consciousness. These pills, developed by scientist hunters after years of research, were created to counter vampire venom. When a hunter was poisoned by a vampire bite, these pills were the only thing that could ensure their survival.


    As Jiho took the pills, his body was still shaking, blood dripping from his nose, ears, and eyes. His face contorted in pain. His body continued to tremble for a while, but eventually, it stopped, and his eyes closed completely... he lost consciousness. For Jiho, there was now only darkness.


    -Hospital Building, Infirmary-Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    As Jiho lay unconscious in the quiet hospital room, Henry Acton and Kim Taejoon,the academy principal, stood silently by his side. Acton gave a detailed explanation of what had happened, bowing respectfully and apologizing repeatedly.


    “I understand,” the principal said calmly. “Even the best of us sometimes make mistakes, Henry. It''s not just your fault, it’s mine too. The vampire was much more powerful than we realized.”


    Acton looked down in shame, silently accepting the blame. He couldn’t find the words to say.


    Kim Taejoon’s gaze shifted to Jiho. “It’s incredible that an untrained hunter trainee like him could resist vampire venom.”


    A heavy silence filled the room. Both men stared at Jiho for a while before silently leaving the room. Jiho remained unconscious for three days. Finally, on the morning of the third day, as the sun rose, he opened his eyes. For a moment, he didn’t understand where he was. But as he looked around, it became clear—he was in a hospital. Slowly, his memories began to return. He quickly reached for his neck, where the vampire had bitten him.


    The moment his fingers touched the spot, the memory flooded back. He recalled the worst pain he had ever felt. It was as though his soul was on fire, his blood boiling, and his bones crumbling. When the pain had become unbearable, it seemed to slow down for a brief moment, but immediately afterward, it surged back, even stronger. That was the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness.


    Jiho remembered everything: the vampire’s cold, terrifying gaze, how she attacked his neck, and the moment her fangs sank into his flesh. The pain was pure, endless, hopeless—a suffering so intense it felt as if his very soul had caught fire. His blood had boiled, his bones had seemed to break, and the agony had been so pure, it defied description. It wasn''t just physical; it felt like something deep within him had shattered. He had wished for death, just to escape that pain. That was something he could never forget, a memory so vivid it still echoed in his mind.


    But, despite that sharp recollection, all of it—the pain—was gone now. It had felt as if it had torn both his soul and body apart, but now, it was as though that torment had simply vanished, leaving nothing but a strange stillness in its place.


    He checked his body, instinctively searching for any sign of injury or change, but everything seemed normal. Yet, something felt different.


    On the outside, he looked the same as before—nothing had changed. But on the inside, he felt a strength and vitality he had never known. It was like something inside him had shifted, something deep within that had never been there before.


    Since childhood, Jiho had always been weaker than his peers. His true strength had always been his courage and determination. He had believed that, with hard work, he would eventually strengthen his body. But what he felt now was completely different. The weakness that had always held him back seemed to have vanished entirely. It was as if this body didn’t belong to him anymore.


    That bite... what did it do to me? he wondered.


    As he clenched his fists, a power unlike anything he had felt before surged through him. When he looked around, everything seemed more vivid, clearer. The air felt brighter, the colors more intense, and the sounds sharper. It was as if all his senses had been heightened.


    What really happened to me? His heart raced with a mix of curiosity and excitement. He tried to recall the moment when the vampire attacked, the sensation of her fangs sinking into his neck. The pain was so vivid in his mind, but the actual moment of the attack was unclear, as if a part of it had slipped away. It felt as though he had forgotten something important. After thinking for a while, a memory finally surfaced—before the vampire died, she had said something to him. But the words... they were gone, as if they had been erased from his mind.


    What did she say to me before she died? he muttered under his breath.


    Just as Jiho was lost in thought, a nurse entered the room, holding Jiho’s blood test results. A puzzled smile spread across her face.


    “Park Jiho, you’re awake!” she said cheerfully. “You must be exhausted. The doctor will check on you soon. Please stay in bed.”


    Jiho remained silent, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened. After a short while, the doctor entered the room.


    “Park Jiho, you’re incredibly lucky. Surviving a vampire bite is extremely rare. The quick intervention and the right medication seem to have saved you,” the doctor said.


    “The tests we’ve done so far are looking good. We’ll need to run a few more blood tests, but once we’re sure everything is normal, you can leave. You’ll need to stay here for a few more days,” the doctor explained.


    “Blood tests... they want to make sure everything is normal...”


    He nodded slightly and said, “Thank you.”


    After the doctor and nurse left, the room fell into silence again. As Jiho closed his eyes, something unusual caught his attention—a strange, pungent smell filled his nose.


    This smell... it was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. His heart began to race.


    “It’s... the smell of blood,” he whispered. “But why... why do I smell it so clearly?”