Crimson System of Vampire Prince

Clink!

Clank!

The sound of swords swinging in the weapon hall reverberated, followed by the panting sound of exhausted cadets.

Thud!

Zara fell on her butt, gasping for breath with disheveled hair and sweat dripping from her face. She stared at the system panel with a new notification.

Ding!

[Unique Stat Heal unlocked]

[Normal Stat Stamina Unlocked]

[Heal: 1+1]

[Description: Heal yourself and others with the blessings of Gaia]

"He…heal," she whispered, putting her hand on the arm holding the sword. Blue light glowed around her whole body, and fatigue vanished. She felt rejuvenated.

Ding!

[MP: 0/100]

"Oh, so I could heal myself as long as I have enough MP," she muttered to herself.

Zara stood up with a smug smile. She glanced around and started swinging her heavy sword again.

Swoosh!

Clank!

As she slashed the air, she lost her balance, and her sword struck the ground. The shock transferred to her hands, and she felt slight pain. She didn't stop and swung again. She repeated the process until exhaustion took over her body, and she collapsed on the floor. She tried the heal again, but nothing happened.

Ding!

[Not enough MP]

"I thought my life would become easy, but I was wrong." She whispered and closed her eyes, leaning back on her hands.

Kate slumped beside her. "Huff, Huff, Huff! My…strength…It is not increasing with this workout. Hufff," she muttered, and her eyes drifted around, only pausing on Victor. He was completely drenched in sweat; you could tell from afar that he was swinging it nonstop.

He held the sword in both hands, with one foot forward, and leaning forward with every slash. Sweat trimmed down from his dark, disheveled hair and face. His eyes were fully focused on the sword in his hands.

And hacked nonstop, every stroke felt heavy and purposeful. A smile etched on Kate's face, she dragged her eyes back to Zara and smiled at her. Zara oblivious, smiled back at her.

'I need to learn about the cold weapons, I can't rely on the guns only. Victor thought, his sweaty hands gripping the metal harder. He raised it above his shoulder and swung.

Whoosh!

It cut through the air, making a whistling sound.

'It's not sharp enough.'

He raised his sword again and slashed.

Whistle!

'It's not fast enough.' He repeated it again and again. He was zoned out, fully focused on the sword. Every slash would lead him to another mistake, and he would try to correct it. Every arc was the mark of failure, which he corrected without any guidance. Sweat drops fell around him with every movement. Not once in two hours of practice did he stop and take a break.

Some laughed at him, thinking he had turned crazy, some admired his efforts, and a few knew the focus he got can't be achieved so easily.

Feena smiled as she noticed Victor. 'That focus, it's similar to a battle-hardened warrior. But I know you haven't practiced with a sword before, but that type of focus we warriors yearn for but couldn't achieve.'

Mona scowled and muttered, gnashing teeth, "I knew he was talented in hand-to-hand combat, but I didn't know his focus was this good."

Victor could feel the pain in his muscles, the soreness all over his body, but he didn't stop.

"Huff, Huff, Huff!" he panted, and his chest burned for oxygen.

'Little more, Little more, I can't get stronger without efforts.'

He struck again.

Slash!

The blunt sword cut the air, and a small arc of slash appeared in the wall nearby. He lost his balance and fell face-first on the ground.

Thud!

"Hahahahahahah!" A chorus of laughter echoed from the crowd.

"Huff, Huff, huppp," he pushed himself up with trembling hands and sat on the ground.

He gasped for breath, and sweat rolled down from his head, entering his eyes and mouth. He felt the salty taste of his sweat on his dry tongue; he gulped and leaned on his arms, threw his head back. He ignored everyone else and focused on breathing. The pain racked his body, keeping him wide awake.

Ding!

[Sword beginner progress:10%]

He grinned as he glanced at the system panel. 'Yes! I'm on the right track.'

"DISMISS!" A thunder-like shout of Mona sounded in the weapon hall. The cadets cheered up and started leaving.

He heard a pair of footsteps stop beside him. He opened his eyes. He found Zara and Kate standing beside him.

"Are you alright?" From left, he heard a familiar sound. He turned and saw Luke standing with messy hair.

Victor nodded and tried to stand up. His legs trembled with every muscle of his body twitching from over exhaustion. He walked beside the girls with an unsteady gait. Zara turned toward him with concerned eyes. "Are you sure you don't need our help?" she asked.

Victor shook his head and replied in a hoarse voice, "No, I'm alright."

Zara reluctantly agreed, and on the other hand, Kate squinted her eyes. Victor felt the stares on the back of his head but ignored her. They walked silently in the corridor, only the sound of their footsteps audible.

They stopped as they reached a fork with two separate corridors. Kate and Zara turned left. Victor and Luke turned right.

"See you at lunch, Victor," Zara muttered in a low voice.

Kate also chimed in with a smirk, "Yes, see you at lunch."

Before he could reply, they had already turned around the corner. He shook his head with a wry smile and walked toward his dorm room.

"What was that?" Luke asked.

"What?" Victor asked, confused.

Luke exhaled, "Blue faction, are you sure you want to keep in contact with them. They hate us, you know that, right?"

"No, those are my friends. I grew up with Zara and about Kate—" He paused and glanced at Luke.

"I grew closer to her." He replied, stepping into his dorm room.

Luke raised his eyebrows at the last remark but didn't comment on it. 'I hope you know what you are doing, Victor.'

"Arghh, I'm bone tired." Victor lay on the bed and cried. He closed his eyes. 'Vlad Lunaria, who was it? Was it the one whose soul merged with me? No, not merged, it felt as if it was my soul that returned to me. Was it my past life?