Chapter 10 : Hammer Of Judgement On Witches – (1)

The Hunter Training Institute, as its name suggests, is an educational facility designed to train vampire hunters.

The curriculum seemed to be divided into two main parts: theory classes and practical training.

However, many of the trainees entering the institute were like me—kids who hadn’t received a proper education.

Since most of us couldn’t read or write, we had to start by learning the basics.

“There’s a library in the institute. It has beginner-level books. Start by reading those and learning the letters.”

Camilla wasn’t particularly surprised when she heard I broke the seniors’ legs during the initiation.

In fact, she praised me.

“Well done. Ruben and his gang—those guys acted all high and mighty without any real skill. It wasn’t like that when I was around, but things clearly got out of hand. You just happened to rein them in at the right time.”

“But isn’t hitting a senior considered insubordination?”

“Yeah, it is. But what can you do? This institute runs on survival of the fittest. If you don’t want to get beaten, you need to be stronger.”

Camilla responded nonchalantly, as if wondering why I even bothered to ask.

“It’s similar to a mercenary corps.”

“Is that so? Then it shouldn’t be too hard for you to adapt.”

Camilla patted my shoulder in encouragement as she spoke.

She was wearing the same outfit as when we first met—the formal hunter uniform, with a serrated sword at her waist.

It looked like she was heading out for a hunt.

“Are you going on a hunt?”

“Yeah. The priest seems to have found traces of a new vampire. It’s nothing too difficult. If it goes quickly, I’ll be back within a month. I’ll check how much you’ve grown then.”

I later heard that Camilla had been a hunter for less than a year.

Maybe that’s why she had a soft spot for rookies like me.

Once she left, I had no one I knew at the institute.

I started my life there with a great deal of anxiety.

But, contrary to my worries, life at the institute wasn’t that hard.

Having grown up in harsh conditions, the institute’s luxurious facilities actually felt a bit excessive.

The daily physical training that pushed us to the brink of death was something I had been doing since childhood.

And after becoming a blood-bound, I didn’t tire easily.

As for handling weapons like the serrated sword—I already had plenty of experience from my time with the mercenaries.

“Now, today we’ll be learning about the ecology of vampires. Open your books. The table of contents… wait, most of you can’t read. Just open to a random page.”

I found the theory classes especially fascinating.

They taught us about vampire habits and how to track them.

I focused on every word—because this knowledge also related to Lily.

The institute’s library was full of books about vampires, but the problem was—I couldn’t read or write.

That’s why the theory lessons were especially valuable to me.

“They say the vampire kingdom does exist. The prevailing theory is that it operates like an underground empire leeching off the continent’s aristocracy.”

The vampire queen’s kingdom—its location was unknown, but key bloodlines were said to have left the kingdom and now roam the continent.

I also learned the difference between ordinary vampires and the progenitors.

Progenitors were purebloods, direct descendants of the bloodline.

They were on a completely different level compared to regular vampires—nobles by birth, rulers by nature, and the pillars of the vampire society.

I still didn’t know why Lily had inherited the blood of a progenitor while I hadn’t, but it was clear that her situation was far from fortunate.

To meet her again, I had to become an exceptionally strong hunter.

Naturally, I thought of the priest.

The way he handled his sword in that cave, his keen senses—it was almost monstrous.

It felt like it would take me an eternity to even reach the tips of his toes.

Even so, I had no intention of giving up.

After training ended each day, I would head to the training grounds and swing my sword until midnight.

Thwack!

In this way, I quickly adapted to life at the institute.

If there was just one difficult thing…

“That’s him?”

“Yeah. Heard he completely shattered Ruben’s legs. He still hasn’t recovered, apparently.”

“Scary… Why would the priest accept someone like him…”

It was the fearful gaze of my fellow trainees.

According to Camilla, when a newcomer joins the institute, their peers usually come to introduce themselves and become friends.

But no one had approached me yet.

Of course, breaking a senior’s legs meant I had to deal with the consequences.

Still, it was a bit frustrating to be left completely alone, spending my time in the training yard without anyone to talk to.

But what could I do? Frustrated or not, it wouldn’t change anything.

As usual, I picked up a wooden sword and practiced on a straw dummy.

Thump!

Thanks to my continued training, I began to understand the powers I had gained from Lily’s blood.

First—hyper-regeneration.

I named this ability myself—it could heal most wounds or fractures in an instant.

If the wound was large or the bone completely shattered, recovery took longer, but even then, surviving life-threatening injuries was a huge advantage for a hunter.

Second, enhanced senses.

All five senses seemed heightened. I could see clearly even at night, and I could hear my peers whispering from afar as if they were right beside me.

Most of all, there was that strange sensation I felt during the initiation—the feeling that time was slowing down.

When I asked Camilla about it, she explained that it was a kind of sixth sense unique to vampires.

Third, physical enhancement.

Even with a light kick, I had broken the leg of a well-built man.

At first, I wasn’t sure, but as I continued training, I realized my physical abilities were several times stronger than the average adult male.

Like this—

Thwack!

The wooden sword split the training dummy in two.

That was already the fifth dummy I had destroyed.

“…Hey, look at that.”

“There he goes again. Is he trying to intimidate us or something…?”

“If that monster hits you, you’ll die.”

I could feel their piercing stares.

I slowly stepped back and took a deep breath.

I wasn’t particularly skilled in swordsmanship, but with my strength and enhanced senses, I figured I could put up a decent fight against even a seasoned mercenary.

Even the instructor—an active hunter—had looked shocked.

Hoo…

I uncapped my water bottle and took a drink.

Water after a sweaty training session was more precious than anything else.

Then, in the next moment, my enhanced senses picked up a gaze from the entrance of the training ground.

I turned toward the entrance and saw a woman with gray hair staring intently at me.

I couldn’t recall doing anything to earn her hatred, so I met her gaze directly.

She was the first to look away and leave.

“…What’s with her again?”

It had been days now.

That woman kept spying on me whenever I was swinging my sword.

I wanted to find out who she was, but since all my peers avoided me, I had no one to ask.

Maybe I’d get a chance to ask Camilla when she returned.

I wiped off my sweat with a towel and checked the time.

Noon.

It was the first rest day since I entered the training institute.

Time for a lesson from Guildmaster Aila.

“Oh, right. Just sit over there.”

When I entered the guildmaster’s room, Aila was tending to a massive iron maiden.

I sat down awkwardly nearby, and she waved me over.

“Hey, can you help me open this?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I grabbed the latch of the iron maiden and pulled.

The lid opened—and what I saw inside made me flinch.

“G-Guildmaster, this is…”

“Oh, that’s the vampire you caught. Name’s Zurzak. A mid-level mage from the Golden Bloodline.”

Inside the iron maiden was Zurzak, a vampire mage with lifeless eyes.

Crimson blood trickled down from the spikes that pierced his entire body.

Even as the jagged points dug deeper from the movement of the coffin, he didn’t so much as twitch—he seemed to be completely unconscious.

I glanced at Aila, who frowned slightly, as if wondering what I was so startled about.

“I told you I’d teach you blood magic, didn’t I?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, don’t you need a proper target for that?”

Speaking those horrifying words, Aila pushed her desk aside, spun a chair backward, and sat down with her legs spread.

Even with her skirt wide open, she didn’t seem to care at all.

“All right, Aiden. This is your first lesson, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m a mage. And I plan to teach you magic. But what you’ll be learning isn’t ordinary magic. Right?”

“Blood magic.”

“Right. Blood magic. I can’t even use it myself. I’m not a vampire.”

She said it like a joke, but when the word vampire left her lips, I caught a fleeting glimpse of hatred in her eyes.

Well, she was a hunter—no, the guildmaster.

Hatred toward vampires was only natural.

“Aiden. When you think of magic, what comes to mind?”

Anyway—

“…Magic…”

I thought carefully.

Back when I was in Stormgate, I’d seen witches burned at the stake more times than I could count.

From my narrow point of view, witches were evil, and the magic they used…

“Turning a human into a frog?”

…Hah. That’s a funny answer. You’re the first to say that.”

Aila gave a dry laugh and rested her chin on the back of her chair.

“Well, it’s not entirely wrong. Magic is the mystery that makes the unreal possible. Turning a human into a frog isn’t exactly impossible. It’s just that the cost is high.”

“Cost, ma’am?”

“Yeah. A spell to transform a human into a frog—just hearing about it, you can tell how tricky it’d be, right? That’s closer to a curse than proper magic. You’d have to gather a bunch of herbs, dry and grind up frog guts into powder, and all that.”

Aila gestured for me to come closer.

“What you imagine a mage to be isn’t totally wrong. Old ladies mumbling incantations in creepy huts, surrounded by weird ingredients.
But Aiden—do I look like an old lady to you?”

“…N-No, ma’am.”

“Right. I’m a hunter before I’m a witch. And my magic exists solely to hunt vampires. That means it’s simple, and works in the most effective way. Like this.”

As I approached, Aila placed her hand on my chest.

At the same time—

“Guh!”

BOOM!

An overwhelming force sent my body flying.

I crashed into the bookcase in the room, and falling books pelted the top of my head.

Stars danced before my eyes.

“No incantation. Single-stage casting. That’s what hunters’ magic looks like. Don’t lump it in with the nonsense those hags use—this is a different beast entirely.”

She said it with a smile, but I realized she wasn’t as calm as she looked.

She was pissed—pissed that I’d treated her like a witch.

“I’m… sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Your question was valid. I’m not angry—you just needed to be taught.
And this is what that looks like.”

Aila waved her arm through the air, and flames erupted in the direction she motioned.

She drew out the wavering fire into a long line—then launched it at me.

Panicking, I grabbed a thick book off the shelf and used it as a shield.

A blinding flash—then the fire arrow embedded itself in the cover.

“Are you… trying to kill me?!”

“I just wanted to see your reaction speed. Not bad.
I suppose that’s thanks to you becoming a thrall?”

Aila showed no sign of stopping.

She clapped her hands—and blades of wind flew at me.

I barely dodged, and the ground dented beneath the impact, leaving a trail like a snake had slithered by.

Gulp.

If one of those hits, it’s at least a critical injury.

And Aila clearly wasn’t holding back.

I rolled, dodging this way and that, avoiding most of the wind blades thanks to my enhanced senses and physical prowess—but not all.

Thwack!

One wind blade sliced into my shoulder.

Blood poured down, and Aila’s eyes gleamed.

She must’ve been waiting for this.

She began chanting, and a massive wind blade started forming in front of me.

If it hit me, I’d die.

I racked my brain for a solution.

Then—I spotted him.

Behind Aila.

Inside the iron maiden.

The vampire mage, Zurzak.

Just recently, in the village, Zurzak had tried to manipulate my blood.

“A skilled vampire in blood magic can shoot blood like a spear—or stop someone’s bloodstream on contact and kill them instantly.”

Camilla’s words.

A skilled vampire.

That meant a Trueblood, didn’t it?

And I had inherited the blood of a Trueblood.

That meant I could do it too.

No—I had to.

I touched the blood that had flowed out.

It twitched, as if responding to my will.

“Kh…!”

There was no more time.

I followed my instincts, commanding the blood.

The blood rose into the air, spread thin—and formed a crimson shield before me.

KUUUUU—!

But—

The wind blade never struck.

The moment I formed a shield of blood, the magic blade simply… vanished.

As if it had never existed, melting back into the air.

“…Huh.”

I let out a dumbfounded noise, too shocked to process what just happened.

Beyond the blood wall, Aila was smiling, clearly pleased.

“Not bad. You passed the test.
Let’s move on to the next stage.”

One thing was clear.

Guildmaster Aila—

She held grudges.