The academy cafeteria was nearly closed by the time Lina finally left her dorm room.

After spending almost an entire day watching over Qhuin, she looked exhausted. Her silver hair was still messy, and dark circles rested beneath her eyes as she quietly walked through the evening halls.

Qhuin rested inside her side bag while listening carefully to the conversations around them.

"...They found it completely drained."

"I heard it was a Rank D+ Shadow Hound."

"Professor Valerius is investigating it personally."

"The guards sealed the entire east hallway this morning."

Qhuin’s ears twitched slightly inside the bag.

’So the corpse had already been discovered,’

He had expected it

A beast drained of blood was not exactly subtle.

Lina lowered her voice nervously while walking.

"Snowy... did you really kill that thing?"

Qhuin remained silent. What was he supposed to say?

Yes, I shredded its throat and drank its blood like a proper vampire king.

Instead, he simply let out a soft squeak and pushed his fluffy head slightly deeper into the bag.

Lina sighed.

"I still don’t understand what happened..."

’Neither do I’ Qhuin thought bitterly.

Especially this body.

His eyes drifted toward his own tiny paws, even after evolving, he still looked like a harmless snowy rabbit. The memory of his true evolved form only made him more annoyed.

The sleek body.

The sharp claws.

The feeling of actual dignity.

Gone. Sealed behind Combat Mode, now he was back to being soft and fluffy.

A nearby female student suddenly noticed him peeking out of the bag.

"Oh my god, it’s the rabbit from the placement exam!"

Several students instantly turned toward Lina.

"So cute..."

"Can I pet him?"

"The little ears!"

Qhuin immediately pulled himself back into the bag with disgust.

’Animals, all of them.’

Lina awkwardly laughed before quickly grabbing food and leaving the cafeteria.

On the way back to the dormitory, they passed the eastern hallway.

Several academy guards stood near the sealed corridor while examining the damaged walls and dried bloodstains left behind from the Shadow Hound attack.

Professor Valerius stood nearby, he was watching everything carefully.

The golden-eyed hunter slowly crouched beside the dead beast’s remains while examining the wounds around its neck.

Qhuin instantly lowered his aura, even from a distance, Valerius felt dangerous. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

One of the guards spoke quietly.

"There are no claw marks, professor. Just tearing damage around the throat."

Valerius’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And the blood?"

"...Almost entirely drained."

Silence followed.

Qhuin could already tell what the hunter was thinking.

Vampire.

Valerius slowly stood up again.

"Continue investigating," he said calmly. "No student leaves the academy grounds until further notice."

Lina stiffened immediately in the hallway.

Qhuin noticed Valerius’s gaze briefly move toward them, for a second, the hunter’s golden eyes locked onto the rabbit inside Lina’s bag.

Qhuin instantly started grooming one of his ears with his paw.

’Completely harmless nothing to see here absolutely brainless.’

Valerius watched him for another moment before finally looking away.

Lina quietly hurried back toward the dormitories, only after reaching her room did she finally relax.

"That professor seriously scares me..."

Qhuin silently agreed, later that night, the academy eventually became quiet.

Moonlight passed through the dormitory windows while Lina slept peacefully on the bed nearby.

Qhuin slowly opened his crimson eyes, the room was silent except for Lina’s soft breathing.

Carefully, Qhuin slipped out from beneath the blanket and landed quietly on the floor.

His ears twitched, checking his surroundings.

No guards nearby.

’Perfect.’

If he wanted to survive inside Aurelius Academy, he needed information.

He needs eyes and ears and something useful.

And fortunately—

Marcus already owned the perfect target.

Qhuin quietly moved toward the dormitory window before squeezing through the small opening. His fluffy body landed lightly outside, lucky their room was on the first floor before vanishing into the night.

The academy grounds were far calmer after midnight.

Mana lamps glowed softly across the stone pathways while distant patrols moved through the outer sections of campus.

Qhuin stayed hidden beneath bushes and shadows as he crossed the academy grounds.

Several minutes later, the elite beast stables finally came into view.

Large reinforced buildings stood near the northern training fields, protected by barriers designed to hold dangerous contracted beasts.

Qhuin slipped through a small drainage opening beneath the fence.

Inside, dozens of beasts rested quietly within separate containment rooms.

Some slept, some growled softly.

Others immediately noticed him.

A massive armored boar stared down at the tiny rabbit in confusion.

Qhuin ignored it completely, he continued deeper into the stable until he finally found the familiar scent.

Storm mana.

Marcus’s Storm Eagle rested alone inside a reinforced chamber near the back of the stable. Bandages still covered part of its body after the humiliation from the placement battle.

The moment the eagle noticed Qhuin, it panicked. Its wings slammed violently against the cage walls while terror filled its eyes.

Qhuin calmly hopped closer.

The eagle immediately lowered its head.

’Good.’

The fear from Crimson Pressure remained deeply rooted inside the creature’s instincts.

Qhuin’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

Then the system window appeared.

[Blood Turn Lv. 1]

[Target Status:

Submissive Condition Confirmed]

[Compatible Blood-Thrall Candidate]

A slow smile formed inside Qhuin’s mind.

’Perfect.’

The eagle trembled harder as Qhuin jumped onto the wooden perch beside it.

Then—

Bite.

Qhuin’s fangs pierced directly into the side of the eagle’s neck.

The beast jerked violently at first, but dark crimson energy immediately spread through its veins.

The stable room became colder.

The eagle’s pupils turned blood-red for several seconds while vampire essence spread deeper into its body.

Then slowly—

The red faded, then the eagle became still.

A new system notification appeared.

[Blood Turn Successful]

[Thrall Created: Storm Eagle]

[Current Thrall Count: 1/1]

Qhuin released the bite before stepping backward.

The eagle slowly raised its head again.

But now, its gaze had completely changed. There was no fear, no resistance only loyalty.

The large beast lowered its head respectfully toward the tiny rabbit standing before it.

Qhuin felt the connection instantly.

He could vaguely sense the eagle’s vision, its emotions, and its location.

’Good now you’re mine’

Qhuin’s ears twitched proudly.

Now Marcus’s own beast belonged to him.

A noble’s prized companion, a perfect spy flying above the academy skies.

The beginning of something much larger.

Qhuin looked out through the stable windows toward the sleeping academy.

Then he smiled with his cute face making him look ridiculously cute.

The Crimson Eclipse had taken its first step.