Vampire?
Darren wasn't surprised. The woman's features fit every image he'd ever had of one—pale skin, sharp eyes, an unnatural grace.
Though honestly, this game was starting to feel like a patchwork nightmare. Vampires now? How much more were they going to cram in?
He lowered his elbow and sighed, shaking his head with mock pity. "See? You could've just said that from the start. Would've saved you a beating."
The red-haired woman with the voluminous curls glared at him, torn between rage and fear. To her, this human was nothing short of insane.
Darren crouched beside her, curious. "So you say you're a vampire… what kind exactly?"
"There are… types of vampires?"
She blinked, genuinely confused. Apparently, she'd missed that memo.
"Of course there are," Darren replied with a knowing air. "Some are just stronger humans who can suck blood but come with a laundry list of weaknesses. Others don't fear sunlight and even have special powers—but their brains are fried from all the melodrama. They spend eternity trapped in love triangles with humans and werewolves. So, which one are you?"
"…Probably the first kind."
Her pride took a hit, but admitting weakness was still better than being labeled a lovesick idiot.
"In America, how many of your kind are there?" Darren asked again.
"Not too many," she answered after a moment's thought. "Otherwise humans would've noticed us long ago."
That, at least, sounded honest.
If vampires were crawling all over the place, there was no way S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have noticed. Knowing Nick Fury, he'd probably already be planning a full-scale purge.
Darren crossed his arms. "So, the recent disappearances in the Bronx—was that your doing?"
The redhead froze mid-breath.
When Darren lifted his elbow again, she panicked and blurted out, "Yes! Yes, it was us! A while back, Frost announced that we could start hunting freely. That's why we began taking humans from the area!"
"Frost?"
"He's the leader of the hybrids. Very powerful among vampires."
Her eyes flickered with fear.
[Mission "Investigate the Missing Persons" completed!]
[Rewards: 500 EXP, +10 S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation, Equipment: Sun Blade]
[Equipment: Sun Blade (crafted from sunlight-absorbing material, lethal to all creatures that fear the sun)]
[Proceed to next mission or skip report sequence?]
Normally, Darren would have to report back to Nick Fury for debriefing before getting a new assignment. But the game system kindly offered a skip option—smooth, streamlined, no unnecessary exposition.
That part, he had to admit, was pretty well done.
Unlike those annoying games that forced players to sit through ten-minute cutscenes without a skip button.
"Skip!" he said decisively.
[NPC Nick Fury has assigned you a new mission]
[Mission: Ghost Sweep]
[Objective: Eliminate the vampire infestation across New York within one week]
[Reward: Based on number of confirmed kills]
Darren asked a few more questions, all of which the red-haired vampire answered obediently. She didn't have much choice—the trauma from that elbow strike had apparently rearranged her sense of fear.
"Last question," Darren said, raising a single finger. "Get this one right, and I'll let you go."
"Ask!" she said eagerly, eyes wide with desperate hope.
When life's on the line, even a vampire can grovel like a saint.
Darren smiled. "It's simple. Prove Goldbach's Conjecture."
"…"
A few moments later, Darren pushed open the restroom door. The redhead was gone.
So yes, it was true—beings will do anything to survive.
Except math.
"Speaking of which…" He looked down at the weapon in his hand. "System, are you sure this Sun Blade isn't fake? The shape seems… off."
[The appearance of the Sun Blade varies according to its wielder. It reflects who they are.]
"You're telling me this is a Sun Blade?"
Darren stared at the oversized watermelon knife gleaming in his grip, speechless.
So what did that say about him?
That he liked watermelons?
Before he could think of an appropriate insult, a shrill scream tore through the bar, cutting through the music like a blade.
Darren's head snapped toward the dance floor—just in time to see one figure tackle another to the ground. Fangs flashed. Blood sprayed in a violent crimson arc.
Another vampire.
Then chaos erupted.
Like dominoes, more figures lunged from the shadows—eyes glowing, teeth bared—pouncing on unsuspecting humans.
Screams filled the air. Glass shattered. Music died beneath a chorus of agony.
Within seconds, the bar turned into a slaughterhouse.
Bodies littered the floor, pale and shriveled, bathed in pools of dark blood that gleamed under flickering lights. The air stank of iron and death.
And then—because fate had a twisted sense of humor—someone messed with the lighting.
A blinding spotlight flared, landing squarely on Darren.
Instantly, dozens of blood-red eyes swiveled toward him, glowing with hunger and malice. It felt like he'd stumbled into an Uchiha clan meeting.
He gave an awkward wave. "Hey there. Everyone having dinner? Don't let me interrupt."
The vampires grinned, feral and mocking, slinking toward him from all sides.
Darren sighed, gripping his Sun Blade tighter. "Fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you. Exercising right after eating is bad for your health."
They didn't care.
The first vampire lunged forward, jaws snapping open, desperate for blood.
Shing!
A silver flash cut through the air.
The vampire froze mid-pounce, a thin red line appearing on its neck.
A heartbeat later, its head slid clean off, body disintegrating into ash before it even hit the ground.
No blood. No mess. Just dust.
Darren slung the knife over his shoulder, whistling. "Well, I'll be damned. That's one eco-friendly way to die."
The other vampires halted, eyes wide with disbelief.
Everyone knew their kind was hard to kill—normal weapons barely scratched them. Even bullets couldn't stop them for long unless mixed with pure silver.
But this human… this human had cut one of them down in a single stroke.
No regeneration. No struggle. Just gone.
Was that really… a Sunblade?