After a few stunned seconds, the realization finally hit the girls. Tears of relief and overwhelming happiness spilled down their faces as they began to cry.
Following Vikram’s order, Shade freed the girls from their chains. They didn’t know what this silent, vine-covered being was, but to them, it was their savior. They wept uncontrollably while thanking Shade again and again.
Shade ignored their gratitude and turned around silently. Shadow Dash activated. Its figure blurred and vanished into the darkness.
The holographic screen distorted briefly and monts later, a black shadow erged directly behind Team 11 outside the village. Several mbers instinctively tensed before realizing it was Shade returning.
Without a word, the Assassin Druid walked up to Vikram and knelt on one knee respectfully. In its hand hung Oswald’s severed head, blood still dripping slowly from the neck.
"Mission completed, Vik."
The surrounding team mbers were stunned once again. Although they had watched the fight through the live feed, seeing the Vampire’s head brought back in person was still shocking. A monster that had terrorized the village for months had been eliminated in re minutes by a single summon.
Rohit muttered quietly, "That thing is terrifying..."
Vikram nodded calmly. "Good work."
Shade saluted once more before standing silently behind him like a loyal shadow guard.
anwhile, Isha began handling the aftermath. Accompanied by Sana, Bushra, and a few others, she entered the village center and activated a siren, the standard signal used by Hunters after liberating a human settlent.
At first, the villagers were terrified by the sound. Many hid inside their hos, fearing retaliation from the Vampire. However, after several minutes, the old Village Head finally erged cautiously, followed by a few brave souls.
He was an elderly man with tired, sunken eyes and a frail body. Years of fear had clearly broken his spirit.
"Hunters..." he asked nervously, "Did... did you encounter Lord Oswald?"
Isha stepped aside calmly. Shade then raised the severed head for everyone to see.
The Village Head froze. All the surrounding villagers widened their eyes in disbelief. It was truly Oswald Cobblepot’s head, completely dead.
Isha spoke in a calm, clear voice:
"From today onward, Greyford Village is free from Vampire rule."
A brief, heavy silence fell over the crowd. Then, their expressions began to shift, from disbelief to shock, and finally to pure hope.
Several won burst into tears. An elderly man fell to his knees, his body trembling with emotion. "We’re... saved? We’re really saved?"
The girls who had been rescued from the underground chamber also broke down crying. For them, this was true liberation.
The Village Head stared at the Vampire’s head for several long seconds before his frail body began to shake violently. He lowered himself deeply before Team 11.
"Thank you... Hunters... Thank you for saving our village..."
Seeing the villagers emotionally thanking them over and over, Isha shook her head calmly.
"This is our responsibility as Hunters."
She bent down and took the Oswald Cobblepot’s severed head. Proof of elimination was required to confirm the mission reward.
After completing final checks around the village and ensuring no Vampire servants remained, Team 11 handed the rescued girls safely back to the villagers and prepared to leave.
Once everything was settled, the group climbed back into their armored vehicles. The engines roared to life as they began the journey back to Caron City under the darkening evening sky.
Unlike the tense atmosphere on the way there, the mood inside the vehicles was now completely different. Everyone was still reeling from what they had witnessed.
Jas leaned back in his seat and looked at Vikram. "You really hid this ability for years? That summon of yours is ridiculously strong."
Raghav nodded seriously. "That Vampire didn’t even stand a chance."
Rohit looked thoughtful. "More importantly, that thing’s stealth ability is absurd. We were watching it live through a drone and still lost sight of it sotis."
Several team mbers subconsciously glanced toward Shade, who sat silently near Vikram. The Assassin Druid remained perfectly motionless. Its dark vine armor occasionally caught faint glimrs of light, while the natural mask covering its face made its expressions unreadable.
The more they observed it, the more unsettling it felt. Despite being a summoned entity, Shade behaved like a highly intelligent warrior rather than a mindless servant.
Kavya muttered quietly, "How can one summon possess so many abilities? It cleared an E-Rank mission alone in minutes."
Although the mission had been considered low difficulty, everyone understood the truth: normal summons could never perform at this level.
Pooja suddenly leaned closer to Vikram with a playful smile. "So... you’ve been secretly hiding all this strength while sleeping every day? Should we punish you for making us work so hard before?"
A small fla danced teasingly across her fingertip as she spoke.
Vikram simply smiled calmly. "Maybe."
Seeing his relaxed attitude, Pooja’s eyes sparkled with even more interest. The current Vikram felt far more attractive than the old, lazy one.
anwhile, while the others chatted, Shade remained completely focused on Vikram, or more precisely, on the hand gently patting its head.
For Shade, this simple gesture brought imnse satisfaction. The Assassin Druid quietly lowered its head slightly, staying close like a loyal shadow. Its emotions were pure and straightforward: praise from Vikram, recognition from Vikram, and being useful to Vikram. These things alone were enough to make it happy.
Though its face remained hidden behind the vine mask, the subtle, pleased movents of its vines revealed its quiet joy.
---
By the ti Team 11 returned to Caron City, night had already fallen. The massive city gates slowly opened, allowing their armored vehicles to enter the Hunter District once again.
The group headed straight to the Hunter Office Building to submit the completed mission. The mission hall was still bustling with Hunters preparing equipnt, forming temporary squads, and discussing tomorrow’s operations.
However, the mont Team 11 approached the submission counter just a few hours after leaving, many people turned to look at them with curiosity. Several Hunters clearly rembered them accepting the mission earlier that day.
The female receptionist behind the counter smiled politely at first. "Welco back, Captain Isha. Are you here to—"
Before she could finish, Isha calmly placed Oswald Cobblepot’s severed head on the counter.
"Mission submission complete," Isha said. "Greyford Village has been cleared. The target has been eliminated, and there were no civilian casualties."
The receptionist froze instantly. "...What?"
Several nearby Hunters also looked over in shock. The receptionist hurriedly checked the mission details on her screen, then the ti records, and finally the severed Vampire head again. Her eyes widened.
According to the system tistamps, Team 11 had traveled to the village, eliminated the target, and returned in an incredibly short ti. The actual combat likely hadn’t even taken ten minutes.
"That fast...?" the receptionist muttered in disbelief. "When did Team 11 beco this efficient?"
After a brief mont of shock, she regained her composure. Since Isha was a highly capable Captain, she assud Isha had handled the Vampire personally.
Once the Vampire head was properly verified, the system updated automatically.
[Mission Completed Successfully]
[E Rank Mission — Greyford Village Cleared]
[Reward Granted: 1500 Contribution Points]
[Additional Reward for Rapid Clearance and Civilian Rescue: 2000 Contribution Points]
At the sa ti, the nearby Hunter Ranking Board refreshed. Since the monthly rankings had only just reset and most teams were still preparing for their assigned operations, very few missions had been completed yet.
As a result, Team 11 instantly shot to the top of the leaderboard.
[Monthly Contribution Rankings]
[1st Place — Team 11]
The surrounding Hunters imdiately grew noisy.
"Wait... Team 11 is in first place?"
"They already completed a mission?"
"So quickly?"
Even Hunters who were preparing their own missions looked surprised. Team 11 was usually known more for safe survival than for fast mission efficiency.
The receptionist smiled politely once more. "Congratulations, Captain Isha. This may be the fastest E-Rank competition we’ve had today."
Several nearby Hunters began complinting her as well.
"As expected of Captain Isha."
"Team 11 was really efficient this ti."
"Looks like your team is becoming more active lately."
anwhile, standing slightly behind the group, Vikram quietly observed everything. For the first ti, he noticed sothing interesting, the Team mbers around him looked genuinely proud after completing such a simple mission together.
Before returning to Team 11’s residential area, Vikram suddenly stopped walking and turned toward Isha.
"Wifey. Pick two more missions."
Isha looked at him with visible surprise. The old Vikram would have avoided even one mission if possible, yet here he was, actively requesting more. After studying his serious expression for a mont, she gave a quiet nod.
"Alright."
The group returned to the mission board once again. Nurous missions were still scrolling across the large holographic display. Isha scanned through them carefully while several surrounding Hunters watched curiously.
Various missions appeared before their eyes:
[E Rank Mission]
Clear Blood Leech Infestation in West District Ruins
Reward: 1800 Contribution Points
Mission Details: A swarm of mutated Blood Leeches has infested the abandoned ruins in the West District. These parasites have begun spreading into nearby civilian routes. Eliminate the entire swarm and destroy the central breeding nest before the infestation expands further.
---
[C Rank Mission]
Rescue Trapped Survivors in Dawnfall Outpost
Reward: 6500 Contribution Points
Mission Details: Dawnfall Outpost lost contact two days ago after reports of a Vampire raid. Intelligence indicates at least 40 civilians and Federation staff remain trapped inside the fortified bunker. Rescue as many survivors as possible, eliminate any remaining Vampire forces, and secure the outpost.
---
[C Rank Mission]
Destroy Vampire Ambush Camp near Silverpine Forest
Reward: 7200 Contribution Points
Mission Details: A Vampire ambush camp has been established near Silverpine Forest, targeting supply caravans heading to Caron City. The camp is led by a Vampire Lieutenant and includes several elite guards. Destroy the camp, eliminate the Lieutenant, and disrupt their supply-line operations.
---
[D Rank Mission]
Investigate Missing Caravan near Blackstone Highway
Reward: 3000 Contribution Points
Mission Details: A Federation supply caravan carrying critical intelligence reports and essential dical supplies departed from the Eastern Outpost three days ago but has since gone missing near Blackstone Highway. The caravan consisted of 28 personnel, including ard escorts and Federation officials. The last transmission reported signs of a possible Vampire ambush. All contact has been lost. Investigate the disappearance, locate any survivors, recover the intelligence docunts and supplies if possible, and eliminate any hostiles responsible.
---
[D Rank Mission]
Exterminate Vampire Spawn Nest near Hollow Creek
Reward: 4000 Contribution Points
Mission Details: A rapidly growing nest of Vampire Spawn has been discovered near Hollow Creek, approximately 45 kiloters from Caron City. These mutated creatures, created through forbidden blood rituals, have begun attacking nearby settlents and travelers. Intelligence suggests the nest is led by a mid-level Spawn Mother capable of continuously producing more offspring. Left unchecked, the nest could evolve into a major threat. Eliminate the Spawn Mother, destroy the nest, and ensure no survivors remain to prevent further spread.
---
After carefully reviewing the options, Isha selected the two D-Rank missions. The surrounding Hunters raised their eyebrows in surprise when they saw her choices.
[Mission Accepted Successfully]
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