"Tch...will you let me down now?" Count Draculus said after a while.

He didn't have an ounce of fear in his eyes, only mild annoyance. I smiled and set him down. He knew I had no intention of really killing him. I was just testing him out, and also my own newfound abilities in the process.

"How could you be so sure I wasn't going to kill you right then and there?" I asked, curious to see the answer.

"Hmph. You may be cold and ruthless on the surface, but deep down, you have a warm heart. Those girls who travel with you are living examples of that," he said confidently. "You are not the type to mindlessly murder."

"My, my...I appreciate it," I replied. "In any case...I'm not going to start growing fangs or anything, right?"

Count Draculus shook his head. "No. Because you are only a half-vampire, your physical appearance will not change. Even though your power and speed have both improved, do you see any visible muscles on your body that weren't there before?"

I looked at my arms, which were the easiest spot to locate new muscles. "Nope. I suppose you're right...with the power and speed I moved with just now, I should've been buff as hell, to the point where my clothes should've ripped. But here I am, still looking the exact same as before drinking your blood. That settles my worries, then. I should keep my identity a secret, yeah?"

"If you wish to share it with those extremely close to you, such as those girls, I do not care. But I am just warning you - anyone beyond that must not know of your identity."

I nodded. "Got it. Thanks."

"No need for gratitude. You passed my test. All I did was give you a suitable reward in return."

"Is that so...?" I smiled thinly. "Unfortunately...something in your eyes tells me otherwise. Tell me, what do I have to do to pay you back for this power you've given me? I'm not so good-hearted as to believe you would give all this strength to me free-of-charge."

He sighed. "Fine. I do have a mission for you. However, not now. You are not yet strong enough. Familiarize yourself with this new power you have obtained, and keep improving. When you are ready, we will meet again. Do not forget this debt to me."

I smirked. "I knew it. Don't worry, Count. We'll meet again."

With that, Count Draculus did some sort of gesture with his hands, and a closed door suddenly appeared to my right.

"Go through that door. You will find yourself on the fourth floor of the Library."

I nodded in thanks, and pushed the door open. But then, I stopped for just a moment.

"Hey. I think I already know the answer to this, but...I can't turn into a swarm of bats, can I?"

Count Draculus snorted. "Hmph. Nice try."

I shrugged. "Well, it was a valiant effort. Truly unfortunate though."

With that, I stepped through the portal behind the door, and vanished.

*****

When I returned to the Library, I was on the fourth floor, just like Count Draculus had said. Turning around, I pulled the door open once again, and found myself looking at the others, namely Xiang Peng, Mei Gui, Four-Eyes, Cherry, and Ling Ling.

"Well then, looks like you made it out just fine," Xiang Peng said. It looked like she had returned from the 'bathroom'. Of course, that was just an excuse. She had, in reality, been secretly communicating with Shi Yan. But if she was back here, then...that could only mean two things. One, Shi Yan succeeded in his mission, and is on his way back now. Two...he died.

Either way, it was not my problem.

"Yeah, it wasn't too hard," I replied nonchalantly.

"Are you sure? You took quite a long time in there. We were starting to get worried," Cherry said.

"Yeah. I ended up exploring the place a little bit after beating the Gatekeeper, and lost track of time," I explained. A lie, but a white lie.

"I...see..." Xiang Peng murmured, staring intently at me. Mei Gui obviously knew the truth, but other than her, the three others seemed to believe my lie. Xiang Peng was the only one who was still suspicious. She was extremely observant and perceptive, for better or worse.

I'll tell her and the other girls the truth on what happened later, about me now being a half-vampire.

But wait...that means I would have to tell them about the Founders and all that too...hm. I think if I just tell them not to pry, I can avoid it, but...well, it's worth a shot.

"Anyway, now that we're all here, let's go see what the fourth floor has in stock for us," I said, changing the topic.

Everyone agreed, and we entered through the door, one at a time.

*****

- A Little Earlier -

Turning back time by about half an hour, right about when Xuan Kai entered the castle...

(Shi Yan's Perspective)

"Okay...I can do this," I whispered to myself, then took a deep breath. "Level One Shadow Magic - Vanishing Shadows."

Since it was nighttime, there were shadows everywhere. The perfect situation for this.

I slipped closer to the edges of the building, hiding myself within the shadows of the structure itself. Hugging the wall, I slowly moved closer to the entrance, turning right to round the corner. There were two guards right next to me, but since I was hiding within the depths of the shadows, they couldn't see me. The only problem?

The doors were automatic.

As I got close to it, the door opened on it's own. Because of the lights on the inside, there weren't any shadows to hide in either.

Damn it, what do I do now...

"Hey, did the door just open on it's own just now?" one of the guards asked the other.

"Yeah...must be some malfunction. I'll report this to the higher-ups," the other responded, then pulled out his phone and walked off to one side.

Okay, this guard is alone now...I can take him.

"Hey, hold up, you dropped something!" the first guard suddenly yelled, picking up a card of some kind off the floor, then started walking towards the other guard. "Good lord, can't believe you dropped your employee ID..."

Uh...now there is no guard left.

...This is my chance!

I quickly cancelled my spell and dashed into the building. It felt almost to convenient, the timing of that. My luck was just this great, I suppose. With this great luck, once I finish doing this and return back to Xiang Peng triumphantly...she'll definitely fall for me instantly!

I checked my phone once I was inside. Xiang Peng had sent me a text.

[Find the staircase on the floor, and enter it. It should be near the back.]

I headed to the back of the floor I was on, and saw a door. Through the peekhole, I could see that beyond the door was a set of stairs. I decided that this was the staircase I was looking for, because I was smart like that.

Opening the door, I hurriedly climbed up the flight of the stairs, as I sent a text to Xiang Peng.

[I'm in the stairwell.]

The message was immediately marked was read, and a response came soon after.

[Go straight to the third floor.]

She's just waiting for my text messages? Damn, she cares a lot about me, eh? Heh.

I soon reached the third floor, and waited before opening the door, just to be safe. It was weird, because I felt like getting to the third floor from the second took a lot longer than getting to the second from the first.

[I'm here. What now?]

I sent that short text to Xiang Peng, and she responded immediately.

[Find the bathroom on the floor. It is pretty hidden.]

Hidden? Oh well, it's not like they could hide a big ass room all that much.

I promptly entered the third floor. It was an office-like layout. After searching around for a while, I found what I was looking for. As expected, it wasn't too hidden. All I had to do was wander around for a little. I went inside the bathroom, and flipped the lights on.

[I found it. What do I do?]

Sending that to Xiang Peng, I awaited a response, which came soon after.

[Look underneath the nursing table.]

I did, and found what seemed to be a button.

[Uh...I see a button.]

[Press it.]

I pressed it.

Suddenly, a large shuffling noise came from outside the bathroom. I turned around, and my eyes widened as I saw the entire floor rotating 180 degrees. The office layout was no more, and in its place was an auction-center like room. Velvet chairs attached to the floor were arranged in an audience-type layout, with the rows having different heights as you went up. And all these chairs were facing...was a stage, with velvet curtains surrounding it. It was empty right now, but no doubt, this place was meant to host an auction.

What the hell...just where is this place?

Then, two concrete walls slid together, blocking my exit. I hurriedly pressed the button again, and the transformation redid itself. I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn't stuck in here forever. I hurried out of the building after that. I didn't bother using stealth on the way out. The guards tried to chase me, but I shook them off with ease the moment I reached some shadows.

I hurried back to the Library of Infinite Beginnings to meet up with everyone else, and report back to Xiang Peng on what I had discovered.

This was huge, after all.