Vampire Hunter

"Ah, this isn't authentic at all." Having eaten and drunk her fill, Kate began to complain.

Breakfast vanished magically, and the Great Hall had been decorated in a very magical fashion too. It had none of the gloomy horror from vampire novels—no cobwebs, rats, or bats in sight. Only the occasional flash of lightning gave it some atmosphere.

"Kate, this is where we eat, and it's also the safe zone mentioned in the handbook. Don't tell me you haven't read it yet," Ryan said speechlessly.

"I'm a professional Vampire Hunter who's read no fewer than ten vampire novels. What handbook? Is there any need to read one?" Kate said, hands on her hips as she thrust out her utterly flat chest.

"Wait, don't tell me you thought we'd be taking our wands and fighting vampires in a moment?" Ryan looked at Kate as though she were an idiot.

"Wouldn't we?" Kate replied guiltily.

"Vampires are merely xxx creatures. Any capable wizard—that is, any wizard with a wand who knows a few spells—can handle them. If we used wands, the actor playing the vampire would probably go down the moment he appeared. Only a group of vampires would pose any real threat."

"Ah, we can't use spells? I had my Buckteeth Clubbing Curse and Ear-Shriveling Curse all prepared." Kate lowered her head dejectedly.

Fortunately, they couldn't use wands. Otherwise, Ryan truly would have felt sorry for the vampire employee.

"Kate, there's something even more exciting." Ryan flipped the handbook to a page filled with vampire-hunting equipment: all kinds of silverware, garlic, crosses, wooden stakes, and more.

"Wow." Kate's eyes lit up.

"Where is it? Take me there, quick!"

"Through the passage on your left. All these weapons have been enchanted. When the time comes, just slash hard at the vampire—it won't actually hurt him," Ryan explained.

"Go, go, go! Vampire, Sir Kate the Vampire Hunter is here!"

I, Salvatore Stefan, was a hardworking vampire—no, a member of the blood clan.

Unlike most of my kind, who only knew how to loaf around in the blood clan reservation, I wanted to become a star in the wizarding world, just like my idol Bloodney.

After much effort, and despite my less-than-handsome face, I defeated more than a dozen of my kin and successfully applied to become an employee of the famous Terror Trips.

I even got to live in a vast, gloomy castle like those wealthy blood clan elders, role-play, and hunt wizards pretending to be Muggles. It truly was an excellent job.

Without wizard friends, I couldn't become famous like Bloodney, who had been written into books by his friend, the literary master Eldred Worple.

Salvatore could only write himself into novels, using each role-playing session as material. He hoped that one day he could truly own a castle of his own, buy heaps of bloody lollipops, and perhaps even, like some wealthy American compatriots, open a hospital.

Unexpectedly, his writing was rather good. Some readers even wrote to praise how vividly he wrote. One reader in particular, who called herself Sir Kate the Vampire Hunter, was especially fervent.

She repeatedly asked about methods and tips for hunting vampires.

Salvatore had wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that the person on the other end was a wizard. Even without any so-called tricks, she could easily subdue a vampire. Besides, she was a loyal fan. It was only a small request, and he had already written some of it in his books, so Salvatore specially replied with his own conclusions and a few tips.

First, fire or sunlight. Although these would not reduce a member of the blood clan to ash on contact like in Muggle novels, they were not much better. They would make a vampire's entire body hot and weak.

Second, silverware. Weapons made of pure silver could inhibit the healing of a blood clan member's flesh. Of course, chopping off their head with an iron sword, or stabbing them through the heart and not pulling the sword out, could also work. But that was not as immediately effective as silver, and some well-trained, exceptional members of the blood clan could endure the pain without fainting, pull out the iron sword themselves, or even reattach their heads. But no matter how powerful a vampire was, they could not pull out silver on their own, and wounds severed by silver were difficult to heal.

Third, garlic. Most blood clan members, even after training, could only eat a small bite of a garlic clove. But if you had lots of garlic, congratulations—no member of the blood clan would dare turn into a bat and approach you. Otherwise, they would revert to their original form and collapse unconscious on the ground.

As for the rest, most of it had been fabricated in Muggle novels.

For example, throwing a handful of rice, sand, Seeds, or similar things at a vampire. Supposedly, vampires were obsessed with counting. If you threw such things at them, it would distract them and make them unable to resist counting, giving you plenty of time to escape or kill them in return.

Or bells, dog whistles, and the like. Vampires supposedly could not stand continuous noise. That was fake too. If you were a Muggle, it was practically a reminder to the vampire that dinner was served—there was a living creature here.

Then there were knotted ropes or tangled nets. Vampires were supposedly irresistibly drawn to them and obsessively wanted to untangle them. But if the net was sturdy enough, and its holes were too small for the vampire to turn into a bat and slip through, then it might actually be somewhat useful.

The most ridiculous claim was that wearing a cross or reciting the Bible would work. That was the most absurd rumor of all.

After Salvatore's books gradually became popular, he had considered resigning. But after leaving this job, where would he find inspiration? Besides, he could not guarantee that every book would become a hit.

Today was another day for visitors to come and play. His Hook-Nosed Wizard colleague had reminded him that this group was wealthy, unlike the previous batch who had come on a tour.

These guests could use the armory. Although all the weapons had been enchanted, getting slashed by them still hurt. And there were very few people this time, so the game would be more like Salvatore taking the initiative to attack.

But it was no problem. Most wizards were clumsy as could be. They knew nothing about using Muggle weapons against vampires. It wasn't as if real Vampire Hunters had come here for a holiday.

"Hmm, looks like they're two young wizards. I've got material for my next book. I'll call it Home Alone: Vampire Attack." Salvatore said confidently.

On the other side, Ryan stared open-mouthed at Kate. To Ryan, a weak creature like a vampire was nothing more than an ordinary creature that could be dealt with using a single Incendio. Even without a wand, once he picked up a sword, it would take Ryan only one slash.

But Kate before him—how should he put it? She was truly professional. The moment she entered the armory, she chose a torch and a tightly woven net made of silver. Her reasons were all logical and well-founded. She ignored the iron axe and armor that looked extremely powerful, and instead put on a Garlic Necklace.

"Compared to vampires, we wizards aren't physically weaker than they are, but we're somewhat lacking in strength and speed."

"They can also naturally turn into bats like Animagi. Silver is a vampire's most common weakness. The moment they see silver, they'll turn into bats and hide among a swarm of bats. In that situation, a net is more useful than a sword," Kate said seriously. She did not know much else about vampires, but having read more than a dozen vampire novels, she was undoubtedly a professional when it came to using Muggle weapons to hunt vampires.

"Even if the vampire can overcome his fear of silver, he definitely won't dare stay close to us for long when we have torches and garlic. This net can also be used as a club."

"And the torch can light up the surroundings, so we won't get ambushed."

"Ryan, take the Iron Shield and the Silver Sword to stop him from getting close. Don't forget your Garlic Necklace either," Kate instructed.

"One more thing: we stand in a diagonal line so we can support each other at any time. While facing forward, keep watching the other person from the corner of your eye."

The Vampire Hunter squad, move out!