Rain drummed steadily against the stained-glass windows of Aurelius Academy.

The academy courtyard was bathed in the glow of floating search-orbs as faculty members hurried back and forth beneath the storm. Orders echoed through the night: security barriers had been activated, patrols doubled.

The entire academy was hunting a vampire, so they believed.

Inside Lina’s dormitory room, a tiny white rabbit sat on the balcony railing.

Qhuin slowly closed his ruby eyes; moments later, his vision shifted, and he was soaring high above the academy grounds.

The sharp eyesight of Marcus’s Storm Eagle replaced his own. Through the eyes of his thrall, he watched the interrogation below.

Professor Valerius stood motionless in the center of the courtyard, and the rain seemed to avoid him.

His black cloak snapped in the wind while Marcus and his cousin stood before him, looking like criminals awaiting judgment.

"You saw the creature."

Valerius’s voice was calm, staring at them.

"What did it look like?"

Marcus swallowed.

"I-I told you already, Professor."

Valerius remained silent, and the tension in the air increased.

Marcus visibly flinched.

"It happened too fast! There was fog everywhere!"

His cousin looked even worse; the upperclassman’s face had gone pale every time he tried to talk about the cave, the memory of those glowing crimson eyes surfacing in his mind.

A phantom blade seemed to press against his skull.

His breathing quickened.

"I..."

His voice cracked.

"I..."

Nothing came out; the memory of Crimson Pressure immediately strangled the words in his throat.

Valerius frowned.

The cousin stumbled backward as sweat poured down his face.

"It... it..."

His entire body started shaking. The surrounding professors exchanged looks.

Elizabeth watched from nearby while feeding pieces of biscuit to her griffin.

"Trauma," one professor muttered.

Valerius said nothing, yet his golden eyes narrowed slightly.

’The reaction wasn’t normal. This boy looked genuinely terrified, as though speaking would kill him.’

Far above them, Qhuin withdrew his consciousness from the eagle.

His vision snapped back to his rabbit body.

"Hmph."

The tiny rabbit flicked an ear.

Pathetic — humans are always predictable.

Across the room, Lina sat nervously on her bed. She then looked up.

"Snowy?"

Qhuin hopped onto the blanket.

The moment their eyes met, his voice echoed through her mind.

"Valerius is occupied with the dead beast."

Lina jumped, even after an hour, she still hadn’t fully adapted to hearing his voice.

"Y-You can’t just appear in my head like that!"

"You will survive."

His tone was completely indifferent. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"For now, stay in this room."

Lina opened her mouth to say something but stopped.

Qhuin’s gaze shifted toward the window, and his ruby eyes gleamed.

"The academy has provided me with an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"A buffet."

"..."

Lina wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he meant. Before she could ask another question, Qhuin leapt from the balcony.

"Snowy!"

The rabbit vanished into the darkness. The academy’s elite beast stables occupied an entire section of the High Pyramid’s lower district.

Massive stone walls surrounded the structure, with protective runes glowing along the entrances.

Inside rested the prized beasts of noble families: Thunder Wolves, Flame Panthers, and Ironhide Bulls.

Rare creatures worth more than entire villages. To most, the stables represented power.

But to Qhuin, they represented a feast.

The moment he slipped through a ventilation shaft and landed silently inside, the scent hit him — high mana-rich blood.

His nose twitched.

Rows of sleeping beasts filled the massive hall. Several lifted their heads as he hopped past.

None considered a rabbit a threat. Qhuin calmly inspected enclosure after enclosure.

No, too weak. Not this one — trash bloodline, worthless.

Then he stopped.

Inside an iron-reinforced pen rested a sleek black panther. The beast opened glowing green eyes.

A low growl rumbled from its throat.

Then a status window appeared before Qhuin:

[Gloom-Fang Panther]

Rank D

Potential: Sky

Element: Shadow

The panther slowly rose, its muscles tightening, instincts screaming danger.

Yet logic refused to accept the source.

A rabbit?

Qhuin smiled, or at least as much as a rabbit could.

’Excellent.’

The panther lunged forward; a blur of black claws exploded across the enclosure.

The rabbit disappeared.

The panther’s eyes widened, searching for it. Then a white blur appeared above, and fangs sank into its neck.

The beast jerked.

Qhuin activated Blood Predator, causing the panther to freeze.

Its body locked in place as mana-rich blood surged into Qhuin.

He greedily consumed every drop he could safely take. Seconds later, the beast collapsed, barely alive.

Qhuin stepped back as a blue screen appeared:

[Blood Energy Gained: +40]

[Current Blood Energy: 188/500]

[Genetic Extraction Successful]

[New Skill Acquired]

[Shadow Meld Lv.1]

Allows host to merge into physical shadows for up to 30 seconds.

Qhuin’s eyes gleamed.

’A useful ability.’

Without hesitation, he activated it. Darkness swallowed his body.

White fur dissolved into shadow.

At that moment, the stable doors burst open.

Holy light flooded the building.

A familiar female voice drifted through the aisles, but this time cold.

"I know you’re here, leech."

Qhuin’s ears flattened. Professor Elizabeth had arrived and seemed to have sensed him.