After unleashing this shot, Fang Senyan’s vision tunneled, and he swayed precariously. Though his earlier struggle with Crowbar had seemed desperate, he had actually been fully in control, assured of victory. But meeting the vampire Edward had plunged his health bar down to the dangerous line of 30 HP, threatening imminent collapse. [Bookmark:] Still, Fang Senyan knew Edward was in no state to press the attack. He immediately gulped down the last of his daily ration of "Endless Potent Vodka," stabilizing his health at 55 points, and then swiftly deployed the "Aspirin" he had strong-armed from Crowbar, boosting his HP back up to around 100! Instantly invigorated, he held his axe in his left hand and his gun in his right, poised for battle.

Vampire Edward was sent flying by the shot, landing in a heap in the icy mud and water, utterly dishevelled and wretched-looking. However, with a single roll upon impact, he was already back on his feet, revealing that half of his head had been utterly pulverized! Yet, from the bright crimson wound, muscle could be seen twisting and regrowing with frantic speed, accompanied by wisps of black mist. He was fully restored in under ten seconds. But the vampire Edward had completely shed his gentlemanly elegance and composure, his eyes now bloodshot as he clenched his fists and roared:

“You imbecile, daring to offend the sacred Bloodline! Did you truly believe that could kill me? No! Such an act will only ensure you experience unimaginable torment before your final breath!”

Fang Senyan chuckled dismissively:

“Is that so? I am well aware that only holy water, silver weapons, or a cross can inflict fatal damage upon your kind. Ordinary attacks, you can regenerate from easily. But… you damned fiend must understand, this is the magical world of Harry Potter! You monster, starved for seven years and two months, do not belong here, and your very essence of life depends on draining others to merely exist! The more of that stolen life essence you expend to heal your wounds, the quicker it signifies one thing: the shorter your stay in this realm will be.”

Pausing there, Fang Senyan shifted to a mocking tone:

“Now, respected Mr. Edward, why don't you try attacking me again? After mending that pitifully broken skull and messy hypothalamus, how much longer will your remaining life force sustain you here? One minute? Thirty seconds? If I manage to hit you again and you lack the life essence for recovery, I wonder what utterly tragic consequences will follow?”

Fang Senyan’s words struck the vampire Edward at his weak point. Had Fang Senyan been on the verge of death, clinging to just twenty or thirty health points, the vampire would certainly not have hesitated to charge. But Fang Senyan still held the trump card of recovery, having restored his health to over 100 points, which made the situation extremely tricky. That single shot had not only struck Edward’s head but had shattered his confidence.

As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. Realizing that the seemingly harmless Fang Senyan could suddenly bare fangs and inflict serious harm, Vampire Edward became considerably more cautious in his movements—though this caution was compounded by his complete ignorance of Ambition's one-minute firing delay, and the fact that flintlock-type weapons, when charged for their special effect, must accumulate a full 50% critical hit chance, which required a lengthy accumulation period of 50 hours!

Once Vampire Edward lost that reckless, headlong momentum during his assaults, his threat level plummeted. Instead, he relied entirely on his supernatural grace and agility, continuously suppressing Fang Senyan. He would charge up, then streak past like the wind, silently shearing off chunks of flesh from Fang Senyan, eliciting shrieks of pain that mingled with the falling rain. Given enough time, this tactic—a relentless drizzle of minor wounds—would have been devastatingly effective at grinding Fang Senyan down, slowly wearing him out until he died. But time was precisely what Edward lacked most!

However, this level of attrition was not fatal to Fang Senyan. As long as the dark, grim weapon Ambition was in his grasp, it exerted immense psychological pressure on Vampire Edward, dredging up memories of lead slugs searing through his skull and the horrifying reality of his previous beheading. Consequently, after three minutes of relentless assault, Vampire Edward finally halted his attack about ten meters away. He cast one last, deep, unwilling glare at Fang Senyan before dissolving into black mist, vanishing into the rain and fog, leaving behind only a tattered tailcoat stained with mud.

Fang Senyan leaned back against a tree, holding his breath for five or six seconds. Seeing no immediate change, his vision began to swim again, and his legs buckled. He nearly collapsed directly onto the ground. His health was already hovering at the edge of oblivion; had Vampire Edward managed two more strikes, he would have instantly entered the dying state. It was only through sheer force of will that he managed to sustain himself until this moment.

The rain continued to fall lightly. Fang Senyan lay supine in the cold mud and water, lacking the energy even to twitch a finger. He gasped for breath, greedily swallowing the droplets of rain falling around him. After a long while, feeling some strength return, he managed to kneel halfway. The ground mud was cold and murky, but Fang Senyan paid it no mind. With trembling hands, he scooped up handfuls of the sludge and drank deeply, before turning his gaze toward Crowbar lying nearby.

To his surprise, Crowbar was not dead yet! He had merely entered the critical dying state. It seemed that just as Fang Senyan had his own hidden reserves, Crowbar did too, likely having consumed some form of specialized medication. If the vampire had succeeded in eliminating Fang Senyan, Crowbar would have been the victor. But now, Crowbar was nothing more than meat for the slaughter!

Fang Senyan gave Crowbar no opportunity to speak. He delivered a heavy kick directly to the man’s throat. Struck while near death, Crowbar died instantly without a sound, his eyes filled with profound resentment and regret. The moment Crowbar exhaled his last breath, the utterly exhausted Fang Senyan received the Nightmare Mark notification:

“You have killed a Contractor for the first time in a Free Scenario.” “As the Contractor initiated combat against you, you will not accrue Kill Points.” “Milestone Achieved: Suspect Unlocked. You have killed 10 Contractors. This Milestone can be completed in any world. Progress: 1/10.”

Just as Fang Senyan prepared to drag Crowbar’s corpse toward the Mountain Troll, he noticed a blood-red key slip from the dead man’s clothing! Fang Senyan suddenly remembered the entry prompt: killing a Contractor offered a 33% chance of receiving a benefit... This blood-red key must be that benefit?

As Fang Senyan grasped the crimson key, a prompt sounded in his ear:

“You have acquired the Heirloom Key dropped by Contractor 33192. You may choose from the following options:”

“I. Receive 50% of the deceased’s remaining Potential Points and Universal Points.” “II. Have a 50% chance to acquire one piece of equipment the deceased was wearing at the time of death. Note: Equipment acquisition is random selection.” “III: Randomly acquire three items from the deceased’s storage space prior to death.” “IV: Have a 33% chance to acquire a Scroll of one of the deceased’s abilities. This Scroll will be drawn from all abilities the deceased possessed (including, but not limited to, Basic Abilities, Advanced Basic Abilities, and Innate Talents). The skill level on the learned Scroll will be half the original ability level.” Example: If Fang Senyan selects this option and randomly draws Crowbar’s Basic Meditation LV6, the acquired Scroll will be: Basic Meditation LV3. Round up if the division results in a fraction.

These four choices were undoubtedly complex. Choosing the first option meant you had no idea if the Contractor had already squandered all his potential and universal points. Choosing the second meant a fifty-fifty chance of gaining nothing, and even if an item was acquired, it might not be the coveted piece of gear. The third option, with its 100% acquisition rate, seemed safer, but the chance of obtaining a high-value item was significantly smaller. As for the fourth, Crowbar’s innate talent, Shining, was an incredibly powerful ability, but the odds of randomly drawing it were slim.

Under different circumstances, Fang Senyan might have hesitated over this choice. But facing Crowbar’s Heirloom Key now, he chose the third option without a second thought! Randomly acquire three items from the deceased’s storage space prior to death. This might not be the choice that maximized his potential gain, but for Fang Senyan, his time in the Harry Potter world was far from over; if he obtained the item Crowbar had been preparing, he might even be able to continue his deception…

Brilliant red light pulsed brightly, manifesting a small, blood-red black hole that spun gently before Fang Senyan’s eyes. Fang Senyan gritted his teeth and plunged his hand into it. The small red vortex vanished, and three objects materialized on the ground.

A key shimmering with blue light, A semi-transparent stone bearing an azure sheen, And a fifty-pound banknote issued by the Bank of England (Bnf Englnd).

Seeing the blue key, a surge of pure elation washed over Fang Senyan! He had correctly assumed that Crowbar, desperate to execute his elaborate plan, would have relied heavily on various drugs and items, meaning his inventory at death wouldn't be vast. Since he could draw three items, the probability of drawing the key Crowbar had prepared was extremely high. He just hadn't expected two major bonus finds along with it.