Chapter Eight: After the First Hunt
Jeremy collapsed onto the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight as exhaustion finally claimed him. His body felt heavier than stone. Even with the increase in endurance the System had granted him, it did nothing to ease the crushing mental fatigue pressing behind his eyes. His thoughts felt slow, sticky—like wading through mud.
He exhaled and lifted his head.
John sat on the opposite bed, back against the wall. One arm hung at an unnatural angle, his shoulder slumped and wrong in a way Jeremy didn't need medical training to recognize.
Broken.
Jeremy frowned. "Care to explain why three vampires jumped us tonight?" He paused, then added, "Or is this about last night's hunt?"
For a second, his mind replayed the alley—the blood, the speed.
Had someone seen them?
He'd thought hunting vampires would be easier. Cleaner. Like the movies.
He'd been wrong.
Vampires weren't monsters pretending to be predators.
They were predators pretending to be human.
Every movement, every strike from them came with lethal intent—instinct etched into their very existence. If not for his increased stats—if not for the System—he would've been dead within seconds during the first fight.
And even then, it had nearly broken him.
He'd slept through the entire day afterward, his body shutting down completely, dreaming only of dead vampires. John had woken him briefly—to eat, to move, to hunt again. There hadn't been time to think. No time to improve himself.
John sucked in a sharp breath as he shifted slightly. "No," he said, jaw tightening. "Not about yesterday."
Jeremy raised an eyebrow.
"Some old friends must've seen me back in the city," John continued. "Decided to send me a gift."
Jeremy snorted. "More like they were trying to kill you."
John huffed out a short laugh that turned into a grimace. "If they were trying to kill me, they wouldn't have sent newbies."
"That's a lot of confidence for someone with a broken shoulder," Jeremy said, a tired smirk tugging at his lips. "They still got you pretty good."
John glanced down at his arm but didn't deny it.
Jeremy hesitated, then added casually, "You should've taken some vampire blood. It would've healed you right away."
Silence fell between them.
John slowly turned his head, studying Jeremy with a sharpness that cut straight through the haze in the room. "I never taught you that. How did you know?"
Jeremy blinked. "I read it somewhere."
John stared at him for a long moment, something unreadable flickering behind his eyes.
"Huh," he muttered. "You keep on lying, kid."
Before Jeremy could respond, a sharp, cold sensation sliced through his mind.
[WARNING: Multiple hostile entities detected.]
[Threat Level: HIGH.]
[Estimated Arrival: IMMINENT.]
Jeremy stiffened.
His pulse spiked as another alert followed, clearer this time.
[Several vampires are approaching at superspeed.]
A map opened before his eyes, showing several red figures rapidly closing in around their position.
"What—" Jeremy sucked in a breath. "John."
John straightened despite the pain. "What?"
Jeremy nodded, panic tightening his chest. "We're being surrounded."
Without thinking, he summoned the System interface. The translucent blue screen flared into existence, hovering before his eyes. His gaze dropped instantly to the numbers.
System Points: 883
Jeremy froze.
"Eight hundred…?" he whispered. "That means…"
Two hundred points per vampire.
The realization hit hard—and there was no time to process it.
His thoughts spiraled as he stared at the interface.
Jeremy clenched his fists.
"Exchange eight hundred System Points," he said quickly.
[Confirmed.]
[80 stat points available for allocation.]
"Allocate forty to Strength," he said. "Forty to Agility."
[Confirmed.]
The world tilted.
Power surged through him—violent, overwhelming. His muscles seized as if lightning had been poured into his veins. His vision blurred, ears ringing as his body struggled to adapt.
Jeremy barely had time to register John shouting his name.
Then everything went black.