Logan Carter felt a surge of joy in his heart: ‘The effect is exactly the same as in the game. This activated 1 point must be this body’s innate alchemy talent. But, judging from the game experience, with only 1 point in Elemental Friend, the effect is quite weak. I wonder how it works in the real world?’

‘In the game, players gain experience and activate talent points by hunting monsters. I wonder if that’s possible in this world... Wait, hunting monsters... I know why this place looks so familiar!’

Logan Carter finally understood why he’d always felt a strange sense of familiarity with his surroundings: ‘Laplace Manor! This is Laplace Manor! Oh no~ Wasn’t I just fighting the vampire boss in the second-floor hall of this manor’s wooden building?’

The perspective from the LCD screen was nothing like the real world. After watching for so long, Logan Carter finally realized what was going on.

This memory was like a vine, suddenly pulling out a whole patch of new memories.

‘Right, I’ve been in this room too. Right here, by the table, when I arrived, there was a boy’s corpse lying here. The vampire also killed Lord Laplace and Lady Laplace. The whole manor was full of corpses—he slaughtered all the residents!’

All the clues pointed to the fact that, after transmigrating, Logan Carter’s identity was that of the boy in Laplace Manor who was supposed to be killed by the boss—the only son of Lord Laplace.

“No way, could it really be such a coincidence?” Logan Carter’s knees started to tremble a little.

“I’m still alive now, so does that mean the monster hasn’t come yet?” He felt a bit of luck in his heart.

‘Whoosh~ whoosh~’

Logan Carter took a few breaths and frowned: “What’s that smell? Why does it seem so strange?”

A peculiar scent filled the air, a bit sweet, but also somewhat like the smell of rust... This seemed to be... the smell of blood!

Logan Carter recognized this smell. When he was a child, there was a slaughterhouse on the edge of town, and every time he passed by, he could smell a similar metallic scent, but it was never as strong as it was now.

He became alert: ‘In the middle of the night, why is there such a strong smell of blood?’

‘Ugh~~~ ugh~~~ thud~ thud!’

There seemed to be very faint sounds coming from the upper hallway. Logan Carter listened intently, and the sounds became a bit clearer—something like moaning, or perhaps the struggle of someone suffocating. Logan Carter had never heard such sounds before, but he could vaguely sense the despair contained within them.

The flickering candlelight, the old European-style wooden building, the heavy scent of blood, the eerie noises... Logan Carter’s hair stood on end all over his body.

“Could the boss have already arrived? Am I still alive just because it’s not my turn yet?”

That was one of the top 10 most terrifying monsters known for its combat power. If the boss had already arrived at Laplace Manor, did Logan Carter have any chance of survival?

------------

Chapter 2: The Vampire in the Manor

“Thud thud~ thud thud~ thud thud~”

In the darkness, Logan Carter could clearly feel his own heartbeat. He stood motionless at the door, staring unblinkingly at the dim entrance to the hallway, like a wooden statue.

‘Monster! Danger! Monster! Danger!’ Two words kept spinning in his mind.

In the world of “The Hunt,” monsters were called monsters because they possessed physical qualities that utterly crushed ordinary creatures. Whether in strength or senses, they far surpassed humans. Some monsters even had inexplicable, magic-like special abilities.

For ordinary people, all monsters were extremely dangerous. The only difference when facing different types of monsters was probably just the manner of death.

At the entrance to the second-floor hallway, it was pitch black, like a pool of thick, undiluted ink. From time to time, faint noises drifted over, constantly reminding Logan Carter that there were likely two beings there: one, a pitiful person on the verge of death; the other, a high-level vampire boss in the midst of violence.

‘Suppose I really have transmigrated into the world of “The Hunt.” Suppose I really am a rich young master, and a completely inhuman vampire has come to the manor—what should I do?!’

By now, questions like how or why he transmigrated were meaningless. For Logan Carter, what mattered now was how to keep himself alive.

‘The room behind me is Logan Carter’s... no, my alchemy lab. Alchemy lab... alchemy lab... I’ve studied alchemy for half a year, but I have so little related knowledge in my head, just some basic operational experience. Looks like I’m just a beginner... Wait, alchemy talent... That’s probably the only power I can rely on right now!’

‘According to the game’s introduction, alchemy is a branch of magic. Alchemists focus on material transformation. As long as you concentrate, you can sense the presence of alchemy talent. I wonder if it’s the same in the real world... Let me try.’

Logan Carter took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried hard to clear his mind. After five or six seconds, he really did feel the effect of the alchemy talent “Elemental Friend.”

He could clearly sense that there were two distinct components in the air around his body. One was very lively, full of exuberant vitality, making up about one-fifth of the air. The other was much calmer, seeming indifferent to him, and made up almost the remaining four-fifths.