Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the hunting team lowered their weapons.
Mario's reputation among vampires had grown to rival Blade's, though for very different reasons. Blade was known for clean, efficient kills. Mario? The bloodsuckers who'd barely escaped him told stories that would make your skin crawl. The crazy Italian didn't even use silver weapons. Just an iron axe and a wooden stake, slowly torturing vampires to death while they screamed for mercy.
If Mario knew about these rumors, he'd be screaming his innocence. It wasn't torture, it was farming for loot drops. Not his fault the weapons did low damage!
The lead hunter stepped forward, extending his hand. "I'm Hannibal King. It's an honor to meet the Butcher of the Night."
"You're celebrating way too early," Mario said flatly.
Then he studied Hannibal's face with a strange expression. "Let me ask you something, do you happen to know a guy named Deadpool?"
Hannibal blinked, still processing Mario's first comment. "Uh... sorry, never heard of any Deadpool. Why?"
Mario stared at Hannibal's face, which looked exactly like Wade Wilson's, and resisted the urge to laugh. Same actor, different character. Ryan Reynolds had played this guy, Deadpool, and even that disaster of a Green Lantern movie.
"No reason. Just curious."
Hannibal's enthusiasm returned immediately. "Hey, about that Night Hunter name, could I maybe use it? It sounds way cooler than what we came up with. We call ourselves the Nightstalkers, which is pretty lame when you say it out loud. Blade mentioned you started a Hunters Guild. Any chance we could join up?"
Mario shook his head. His reputation was completely shot at this point.
"You talk so much, you actually remind me of Deadpool."
That perked Hannibal up even more. "Really? Man, if you ever meet him, I'd love an introduction. Sounds like we'd get along great!"
Mario shrugged. He had no idea if Deadpool even existed in this universe. No X-Men, that much was certain. But Deadpool was such a walking cosmic bug that if that guy showed up tomorrow, he wouldn't bat an eye.
"If I ever run into him, I'll let you know. But back to business, Blade told you about the Hunter Association, right? You want to join? That's fine. But you'll need to pass a test first."
The whole team crowded closer.
"What kind of test?"
"Do we have to hunt vampires to prove ourselves?"
Even Abigail stepped forward.
Mario smiled at their eager expressions and pulled a garlic-shaped injector from his inventory. The thing was massive.
"It's very simple. Think of this as a joining bonus for the Association. One injection of my special formula will enhance your physical abilities and give you access to unique powers. You'll be way more effective at killing vampires."
The team exchanged confused looks. That didn't sound like a test at all.
Abigail spoke up immediately. "According to what you just said, this doesn't sound like a test."
"Oh, believe me," Mario said, smiling as he raised the syringe. "This is definitely a test."
He gave the injector a little shake. "One hundred percent pure garlic juice. My own special recipe. If you can endure a few seconds of pain, you'll come out stronger on the other side."
Everyone took two steps back. Even the normally chatty Hannibal shut his mouth. In that moment, they finally understood why vampires called Mario the Butcher, this guy wasn't just cruel to bloodsuckers. He was harsh to everyone.
That syringe could probably kill an elephant.
Mario just kept smiling. He walked over to the corner of the basement, pulled out the red injection chair from his inventory, and set it up.
"Who wants to go first? Pass the test, join the Association, and gain special abilities. Simple as that."
His gaze swept across their faces. As expected, not a single person volunteered. The injector looked completely untrustworthy, you could literally see garlic pulp floating in the liquid. It didn't look like something that belonged in anyone's bloodstream.
"If nobody wants to try, then I guess—"
"I'll do it."
Mario turned to find Whistler stepping forward.
The old man pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tossed one to Mario, and stuck another in his own mouth. He lit it and took a long drag.
"Let me go first. I'm getting old. If I don't change something soon, I won't be able to keep hunting in a couple years."
That was part of his reasoning. But there was more to it. He'd witnessed Mario's abilities firsthand multiple times. The man didn't make reckless decisions. If he said it was safe, it was probably safe.
"Father!"
But Whistler had already made up his mind. He waved Abigail's concern away. "Don't worry. I trust him."
Mario smiled and patted the injection chair. "Since you want to officially join the Association, have a seat."
Whistler didn't hesitate. He walked over, settled into the chair, cigarette still dangling from his lips. "Do it."
"Fair warning," Mario said. "No danger to your life, but it's going to hurt. A lot. Be prepared."
Whistler gave a calm smile, speaking around his cigarette. "Relax, I've felt more pain in my life than I can count. I don't think there's any—AHHH!!!"
Mario didn't let him finish. The needle plunged into Whistler's arm before he could complete the sentence. The garlic serum didn't even need to be pushed, it seemed to inject itself directly into his bloodstream.
Sweat instantly poured down Whistler's forehead. His face turned corpse-pale, and every vein in his body bulged grotesquely beneath his skin like worms trying to escape. His muscles locked up, tendons standing out like cables.
Under normal circumstances, a human experiencing that level of agony would have blacked out immediately. Self-preservation would have shut down consciousness. But he remained horrifically aware through every second of it. His breath came in ragged gasps, his eyes rolled back, and his entire body trembled like he was being electrocuted.
A few seconds later, though it felt like hours, the worst of it passed. He lay in the chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. The physical pain had faded, but the psychological shock still made his body shake.
His scream had been so sudden that Abigail only now snapped out of her frozen state. She rushed to her father's side.
"Are you okay? Are you... crying?"
Mario tossed the empty syringe back into his inventory and pulled out a fresh one filled with the same cloudy liquid. He grinned at the horrified faces staring at him.
"See? First time's always rough, but it gets better. Don't worry, once this stuff's in your system, there's no danger to your life. Just give Whistler a few minutes to recover, then we'll figure out who's next."
After several minutes of lying there like he'd been hit by a truck, Whistler finally recovered enough to sit up. His clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
"I feel like nothing will ever scare me again," he muttered hoarsely.
Mario looked at him with sympathy. His class change to Vampire Hunter had been automatic, no garlic injection required. He had no frame of reference for how bad it actually was.
But judging by Whistler's reaction, it had to be worse than stubbing your toe on furniture in the dark. Way worse.
"So, who's next? Hannibal, why don't you step up? Don't worry, it's completely safe. See? Whistler's fine now."
Hannibal looked torn. Whistler's screams had been terrifying. He couldn't even imagine what kind of pain could make someone that tough cry out like that.
Before he could voice his hesitation, Abigail spoke up. "I'll go. If my father can handle it, so can I."
Whistler, still recovering, tried to protest. "That feeling... it's unbearable. You don't have to do this."
But Abigail just shook her head. She walked over to the injection chair, carefully set down her bow and quiver beside it, and climbed in.
"Let's do it."
Whistler didn't try to stop her again. Despite the agony, he could already feel the changes in his body. Power flowing through muscles that had grown weak over the years.
Mario approached with the syringe, sizing up Abigail. She was tough, no question. But she was also Whistler's daughter. He decided to be slightly gentler.
"It's definitely going to hurt. A lot. Brace yourself. I'll count to three, and then I'll inject it. Ready?"
Abigail bit her lip nervously, took several deep breaths, and nodded.
"Three!"
"AHHH!!!"
Before her brain could even process what was happening, the needle plunged into her arm with lightning speed. Abigail, who'd been preparing herself to endure the pain, didn't even last a tenth of a second before agony overwhelmed every nerve ending in her body.
The sensation spread from the injection site. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by a fist. Breathing became impossible. The world narrowed to nothing but pain.
Right at that moment, Blade burst into the basement, drawn by the screaming. He had his weapon half-drawn before he registered the scene, his entire team standing around, Mario holding a syringe, and Abigail writhing in the injection chair.
"What the hell is going on here?"
His eyes locked onto Mario. Instinct told him the screaming was definitely this guy's fault.
He sheathed his sword and walked over. "What was that screaming about?"
Mario shrugged. "Nothing dramatic. Just adding some new members to our Association."
Abigail, still lying weakly in the chair, managed to glare at Mario through her pain. "You... bastard... you didn't... finish counting..."
Mario burst out laughing. "Whistler, your daughter's tougher than you! She's already got the strength to complain!"
He waved at the remaining hunters. "Come on, hurry up. If you want to fight vampires effectively, your current abilities won't cut it."
The rest of the team looked at each other nervously. Finally, Hannibal chose strength over comfort. After all, he'd once been part of the vampire world himself. He knew firsthand just how powerful they could be.
Before long, another round of screams echoed through the basement. Blade finally understood what those earlier cries had been about.
Meanwhile, Mario was explaining the basics to everyone, how to use wooden stakes properly, what different potions could do, the limitations of their new class.
"Your route is combat-oriented. That means you can use the weapons and items, but you can't craft them yourself. Without the proper route, you won't even be able to equip specialized gear."
He pulled out a vial of dark red liquid from his inventory. "Just remember, when you kill a vampire with a stake, you'll get something like this. Vampire Blood. This is what it looks like."
Blade stepped closer, frowning. "This drops when a vampire dies? Why haven't I ever seen it before?"
"Because you can't see loot drops without the right class. I've mentioned it before, but you've never actually witnessed it happen."
Mario studied Blade carefully. "By the way, would you be interested in changing class to a vampire? Like Pearl here?"
No way I'm offering him the Hunter class. He's still technically a vampire, and if a vampire injects garlic serum, it's instant death. No exceptions.
Blade considered it seriously. The idea of being able to transform into a bat was tempting as hell.
"What's the downside?"
Mario explained honestly. "Before level four, you'll be vulnerable to garlic. Other than that, you'll be pretty much the same as you are now."
Blade caught the implication. "And after level four?"
"After level four, you'll be vulnerable to sunlight. Also, you won't be able to beat a Hunter of the same level in direct combat."
Seeing Blade frown, Mario didn't keep him guessing. He smiled and listed the benefits.
"But let me tell you the advantages. Once you reach high enough levels, you unlock special abilities, transforming into a bat, summoning swarms, night vision, invisibility, teleportation..."
Before Blade could respond, the hunters nearby were practically salivating.
Still, not everyone was convinced. Hannibal voiced his skepticism. "That's impossible. I've never heard of vampires having powers like that. It doesn't sound realistic at all."
Pearl, hearing someone question Mario, immediately took offense. He transformed into bat form on the spot, wings flapping furiously as he dive-bombed Hannibal, then shifted back to human form mid-impact.
His massive body landed on top of the hunter, pinning him to the floor.
"You got a problem with what Mario just said?"
Everyone's eyes lit up with amazement. The transformation was instantaneous.
But despite the temptation, nobody spoke up. Becoming a vampire went against everything they'd been fighting for their entire lives. The idea of willingly becoming what they hunted... it was a line most of them weren't ready to cross.