Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy Chapter 1315: Bait

Rene silently prayed, since this was one of the two Vampires Lisa had allowed him to create.

He could not afford to waste it.

Deric’s struggles gradually weakened as his heartbeat slowed.

His body trembled violently for several moments before finally becoming still.

"This is it..."

Rene then released him.

Thud...

Deric collapsed onto the floor and for several seconds, nothing happened.

Then his fingers moved.

Deric slowly pushed himself up.

Soon, his breathing had changed before his eyes opened.

They were crimson.

Rene watched carefully as Deric stared at his own hands.

The newly transformed Vampire clenched his fingers.

The strength flowing through his body was completely different from anything he had experienced before. His senses had become more sensitive, his wounds were already beginning to heal, and he could hear sounds from outside the warehouse that would have been impossible for him to notice as a human.

Deric looked at Rene.

"What have you done to me?"

"Given you another life."

Rene smiled.

"From now on, you’re one of us."

Deric remained silent as he slowly stood up.

Rene watched him carefully.

The transformation had succeeded.

His first Vampire was born.

He could feel the faint connection between them through Blood Energy, confirming that Deric had become a proper Vampire rather than a low-level creature or a mere thrall.

Rene finally relaxed.

One position was filled.

He still had one more.

And this time, he couldn’t afford to choose carelessly.

Rene looked toward the city outside the warehouse.

There were countless powerful people in Atrium City.

Adventurers... Mercenaries... Knights.

He only needed to find one more person who was strong enough to become a proper Vampire.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Rene did not immediately return to the Guild.

Instead, he decided to spend the next few days searching.

He had already learned an important lesson from his first transformation. Strength alone was not enough. He needed someone who could become a useful Vampire, preferably someone with combat experience and a strong body.

With that in mind, Rene began paying closer attention to the people moving through Atrium City.

He visited several places where adventurers gathered.

He observed mercenaries taking commissions.

He watched knights passing through the streets.

He even spent time around the markets and transportation routes, looking for people who seemed stronger than they appeared.

Deric accompanied him during this time.

The newly transformed Vampire was still adjusting to his enhanced senses, but his strength had already increased significantly. He could now move through the city beside Rene without anyone realizing what had happened to him.

To ordinary people, the two were simply a knight and an adventurer traveling together.

Nobody suspected that Deric had become a Vampire only a short time ago.

Rene was satisfied with the result.

His first choice had been correct.

Now he needed to find another suitable candidate.

***

Several days passed.

During that time, Rene encountered many people who seemed promising.

However, most of them were either too weak or too suspicious.

There were also several powerful adventurers whom Rene considered unsuitable because their bodies were already heavily injured or weakened from years of fighting.

He couldn’t afford to waste his remaining opportunity.

Then, one afternoon, Rene noticed someone he had never paid attention to before.

The man was walking through one of the busier streets near the eastern district.

At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about him.

He was dressed like an ordinary traveling merchant, wearing simple clothing and carrying a small bag over one shoulder.

His appearance was equally unremarkable.

He wasn’t particularly tall or muscular, and his face did not possess any distinctive features that would make people remember him.

He looked like the kind of person who could walk through a crowded street without attracting anyone’s attention.

Yet Rene stopped.

Something felt wrong.

He couldn’t explain exactly what it was.

There was no overwhelming aura coming from the man and there was no powerful energy leaking from his body.

Even his movements appeared ordinary.

But Rene had become a Vampire.

His senses were now far sharper than they had been before.

And because of that, he could notice details that ordinary humans would completely overlook.

He looked like a merchant, but he moved like someone who had spent years watching for danger.

Rene quietly observed him from across the street.

Deric noticed that Rene had stopped walking.

"Do you know him?"

"No."

Rene continued watching the mysterious man.

"He doesn’t look like much."

Deric looked in the same direction.

"Just a merchant?"

"Maybe."

Rene’s expression slowly became more interested.

There was something about the man that bothered him.

The more he watched, the more convinced he became that the man’s appearance was hiding something.

He wasn’t sure how strong the man actually was.

But that was precisely what made him interesting.

Rene had spent several days searching for someone suitable.

Most powerful people didn’t know how to hide their strength.

This man was different.

He looked completely ordinary.

Yet every instinct Rene possessed was telling him that there was something dangerous about him.

If that was true, then he might have found the perfect target.

A powerful person who had deliberately concealed his strength would probably have excellent combat experience.

Perhaps even better than Deric.

Rene slowly smiled.

"Let’s follow him."

Deric nodded.

Neither of them realized that the man they were following had already noticed them.

Batsaikhan had spent the entire day observing Atrium City’s merchants and transportation routes.

His disguise had worked perfectly.

Nobody suspected that he was a scout from the Order of the Sky Sword.

He had already gathered several pieces of useful information and was preparing to return to the merchant caravan he had entered the city with.

Then he noticed the two men following him.

At first, Batsaikhan assumed they were simply curious.

However, after several streets, he realized that they were deliberately following him.

His expression remained completely unchanged.

Batsaikhan continued walking.

He did not look back.

He simply adjusted his pace slightly and observed their reflections whenever he passed a shop window.

The knight was the more dangerous one.

Something about him felt wrong.

Batsaikhan had encountered many powerful warriors during his years working for the Order, and he knew how experienced fighters moved.

This knight was hiding something.

Batsaikhan considered changing his route.

But another thought quickly entered his mind.

Perhaps this was an opportunity.

If the knight was connected to the strange situation surrounding Atrium City, then confronting him might reveal something useful.

With this in mind, Batsaikhan then continued toward a quieter part of the city...