Ss dashed out of the academy''s building and swiftly made his way to the backyard. The cold air pped against his face, but his focus remained razor-sharp. The moment he arrived, his feet screeched to a halt. His breath caught in his throat, eyes widening in sheer horror, and his jaw dropped as a wave of dread washed over him.


    Just a few meters away, Vic knelt beside a lifeless male student. The student''s torso had been savagely torn open, a gory cavity exposing mangled organs.


    Vic''s hands, soaked in crimson, plunged deep into the corpse as he ripped out glistening innards with terrifying focus. Blood coated his mouth and dripped from his chin, evidence of the grisly feast he had been consuming. The grotesque scene seemed like it had been torn straight from the pages of a horror novel.


    The ground beneath Vic was a slick pool of scarlet, reflecting the faint light like a nightmare mirror. The metallic tang of fresh blood was suffocating, filling Ss''s lungs and clinging to his senses. His mind recoiled, struggling to process the horrific reality unfolding before him.


    [Name: Victor Hardcastle]


    [Race: Malcavore]


    [HP: ?????]


    As Ss''s gaze remained locked on Vic, a notification screen materialized in front of him. His eyes darted toward the screen, his mind barelyprehending what he was reading.


    "What the hell?" he muttered, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. His gaze flicked back to Vic, his thoughts spiraling into confusion and disbelief.


    He hadn''t expected this. When Vic had been infected, Ss had braced himself for a full transformation into a Shifter. After all, a Shifter had scratched him. The expectation was clear: ws, fangs, and a monstrous hunger. But Vic''s transformation hadn''t followed the pattern. The creature before him—this Malcavore—was an abomination Ss had never seen or even heard of.


    "What the hell is a Malcavore? And why would Vic turn into that instead of a Shifter?" he wondered aloud, his voice trembling with frustration and fear. None of it made sense, and the unknown only made his chest tighten further.


    Yet questions would have to wait. The evidence of Vic''s monstrous naturey sprawled out in a pool of its own blood. Ss''s best friend had killed—no, butchered—a fellow student. The realization burned like acid, and the weight of it pressed down on Ss''s shoulders. The hope he had held, fragile as ss, shattered into a million pieces.


    He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening under the strain. The choice was no longer his to make. If Vic remained alive, he would continue to ughter anyone in his path. It was a painful truth, but one Ss couldn''t ignore.


    "I should be able to end this without using any of my abilities," he told himself, his voice t and resolute.


    The notification flickered out of sight as Ss dismissed it. His fists tightened further, and a surge of glowing blue energy red to life around his hands. The power radiated with an intensity that vibrated through the air, making the ground beneath him tremble. Vic paused, his ck eyes narrowing as he turned his attention toward Ss. The predator''s gaze held no warmth—only the cold calction of a hunter tracking its prey.


    Ss adjusted his stance, his muscles coiling in anticipation of the fight toe.


    WHOOSH!


    Before he couldunch his attack, Vic blurred into motion. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Ss, his wed fist arcing forward like a bullet.


    "Too fast!" Ss''s mind screamed as his eyes widened in shock. He barely managed to cross his arms in front of him before impact.


    BAM!


    Vic''s punch collided with Ss''s forearms, the force detonating like a bomb. His bones shattered instantly, pain erupting in white-hot shes. The blow hurled Ss backward, his boots scraping deep grooves into the blood-soaked ground.


    [Host has undergone a critical injury.]


    [Passive Skill: Superfast Healing will now activate.]


    [-10 Soul Points]


    Warmth surged through his limbs, the broken bones knitting back together almost immediately. The pain ebbed away, leaving only a dull ache as his arms returned to normal. Ss clenched his fists, flexing his fingers as he straightened up, his jaw tight.


    "He''s not just fast; he''s strong too," Ss realized, dread curling in his stomach. "His strength and speed match mine. What kind of monster did he be?"


    Vic gave no time for reflection. He charged again, ws glinting in the dim light. Ss dodged to the side just as Vic''s talons shed through the air, missing his chest by a hair''s breadth. Before Ss could react, another set of ws came from the opposite direction.


    Ss''s instincts screamed. He sidestepped just in time, the ws whooshing past his face, missing by inches. Drawing on pure reflex, he swung his fist in a sharp counterattack.


    BAM!


    His punch connected squarely with Vic''s face, the satisfying crunch of bone echoing around them. Vic''s nose twisted grotesquely, fangs scattering from his mouth like broken ss. Blood spurted, sttering the ground, but Vic didn''t react. He simply stood there, bleeding and silent, like the pain didn''t register at all.


    Ss''s stomach clenched. "What the—?"


    Before he could finish the thought, Vic''s shattered nose snapped back into ce with sickening speed. The bleeding stopped, the damage erased as if it had never happened.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "He heals as fast as I do," Ss muttered bitterly. "Fantastic."


    Vic''s eyes narrowed again, and without a word, he lunged. Ss leapt into the air, performing a wless frontflip. Hended behind Vic and whipped out a kick aimed at his spine.


    The blow connected, driving Vic a few steps forward. But it wasn''t enough. Vic steadied himself almost instantly and whirled around, ws shing.


    Ss ducked low, avoiding the deadly swipe, andunched an uppercut. Vic danced back, evading the strike effortlessly. Before Ss could retract his arm, Vic''s ws shot forward.


    SLASH!


    "Argh!" Ss grunted as Vic''s talons ripped through his forearm, hot blood spilling from the wound. The pain seared through him, but he gritted his teeth, his eyes zing with determination.


    """"


    A/N: Vote with your tickets and power stones! The book hasn''t received a promotion in months And I really need those for the promotion. Without promotion I won''t be able to continue, so help me. Thank you!