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That land held a spiritual beauty.
The clean air, the light-green grass — everything felt newly born. The breeze was cool and soft, and the distant whisper of wind through the hills carried a strange peace.
Following the dirt road, Victor and Merlin saw it: a grand white mansion with bluish details and a tall tower that pierced the sky.
All that vast, serene land belonged to Elden Varnhald.
Before them stood an old iron gate, black and ancient in design, yet well preserved.
Victor looked toward the spirit beside him.
"Merlin?"
Without effort, she raised her hand. A lilac glow ran through the locks, and the gate opened with a gentle click.
"All done," she said, smiling softly.
They stepped through the entrance, finding a green garden carpeted with white stones. The trees bore dark-blue leaves, and a solemn silence hung over everything.
Walking along the perfectly aligned stone path, Victor watched carefully.
"It's a great place. Still intact. Guess the armor really didn't leave the sanctuary."
"I can feel a high concentration of mana coming from there," Merlin said, pointing toward the tower.
They approached.
The tower door was sealed by magic, but Merlin unlocked it with ease.
Inside, there was only a circular hall and a spiral staircase rising toward the top.
"I'm sure of it…" Merlin murmured. "It's underneath."
"I feel it too."
The mana there was strange. Normally, it flows evenly through the surroundings — but this one felt trapped, dense, flowing downward like an underground river of energy.
After searching around, Victor fiddled with a bookshelf full of old books.
The titles made no sense — fake.
When he pushed one of them, the stone floor opened with a deep crack, revealing a secret passage and a spiraling staircase descending into darkness.
They exchanged a glance.
Instead of going down step by step, Victor simply jumped through the middle. Merlin followed, floating gracefully behind.
Victor landed firmly, not even bending his knees.
The corridor ahead was made of black stone, covered in ancient dust. On the walls, statues held swords, spears, and shields. Some side corridors extended outward, but they kept going straight.
"A secret passage…" Victor muttered. "Of course, the guy was a hunter after all."
"Oh!" Merlin exclaimed, excited. "I've seen this in movies! Passages like these are used to escape monsters or ambush enemies invading your home! It makes total sense!"
Victor chuckled.
"Those other tunnels probably lead to other parts of the estate, maybe even the mansion itself. I bet the nobles who bought the place don't even know about it"
"Judging by the mana I'm feeling, it must be from the cursed armor."
"Linna said it hasn't fully awakened yet," Victor replied. "It's probably restoring itself… and this leakage is the result."
As they advanced, the statues on the walls grew more disturbing.
Some had no helmets, revealing faces twisted in agony and horror; others wept a dark liquid — almost black with red reflections — blood.
"Who designed this place?" Merlin frowned. "Did he want a statue for every vampire he killed?"
"I doubt he killed that many," Victor said. "It's the first time I've heard of a vampire hunter. Linna said he was legendary."
He watched the dark liquid dripping from one statue.
"The first time I heard about vampires was when Pumpkin told me in Valoria. Said they're a subspecies of humans."
Merlin nodded. "That's not wrong. But it's hard to say who came first. Elves, humans, dwarves, and vampires all seemed to appear together. But humans evolved faster — developed technology before the others. That's why, over time, they dominated everything."
"So… because they evolved first, they're at the top of the chain. Then come elves and dwarves. Vampires last."
"Exactly," said Merlin. "Vampires never developed civilizations of their own. They were seen as monsters for centuries. Only a few worked alongside other races and were recognized. Nowadays, vampire hunting is forbidden. Many live in society… quietly."
Victor smiled. "So the legendary hunter ended up retiring, dying of old age."
"Maybe," Merlin said, looking ahead. "Others say he died fighting. That he never accepted vampires as people."
"What a mess," Victor muttered.
He remembered the Great Union Burst had mentioned back in Valoria. All of it seemed to belong to the same era, though the details were lost to the fog of history.
Still, he didn't care much. The present was enough.
"And what about fairies?" he asked suddenly. "When I arrived in this world, I saw some."
"Fairies?" Merlin laughed softly. "That's fiction, Victor. They were created in fantasy books. The closest thing we have are small winged monsters called Nyfylix. But they're ugly and aggressive."
"But I saw them," he insisted, remembering vividly.
Merlin tilted her head kindly. "Maybe it was the shock of arrival. Your mind tried to give shape to something it couldn't understand."
Victor stayed silent.
He knew what he saw. Those fireflies with arms and legs felt far too real.
But he didn't argue.
"If they did exist," Merlin added, "they'd probably be another human subspecies too."
Moments later, they stopped before an old wooden door.
It wasn't locked. Victor opened it.
Everything turned white.
On the other side was a vast, impossible blue sky. A green field stretched toward the horizon — though they were clearly underground.
And ahead, a huge natural crater, surrounded by a soft, constant wind.
"Hmm…?" Victor looked back.
The door was still there, hanging in the air, attached to nothing.
"I see," said Merlin, scanning the space. "We're inside a pocket dimension."
"Again? Like the worm in Eldoria?"
"No. That was a spatial domain inside something real. This place was created from nothing. An artificial dimension connected to one or more entry points."
Across the crater, a white staircase rose into the sky and vanished into the clouds.
"I think that staircase leads to the cathedral," Victor said.
"Probably. If we climb or go back through the door, we'll return to the real world."
He walked to the edge and looked down.
There it was.
A colossal armor, over two meters tall, white with red plating.
It held a crimson blade with a black hilt, and from its head extended two red antennae, floating like strands of blood.
"There it is…" Victor murmured. "It's really imposing."
"It's motionless," Merlin noted. "I don't think it's noticed us. Strange."
"It must have a limited range. It's draining energy, but without active consciousness. Just an empty shell," Victor said.
"Right. So, it'll only react when someone enters its range."
"Like a video game boss," Victor smirked. "Not bad."
He stretched, rolling his shoulders.
"Stay up here, okay? I'll test this thing out."
"Be careful," Merlin asked. "If you need me, call."
Victor took a deep breath.
'Merlin's going to watch me fight… better not embarrass myself.'
He jumped into the crater, landing behind the armor.
The impact echoed like a muffled thunderclap.
The metallic creature turned immediately, the slit of its helm glowing bright red.
Victor lifted his chin.
"My name's Victor. I'm a Class (A+) Metamorph. I came to fight you today."
The armor raised its arm, lifting the sword with almost human grace.
Victor planted his feet firmly.
And then, the hunt began.
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