Even NPCs Say This Game Is Too Hardcore! Who Can Understand This, Family!

Chapter 47: NPCs Say This Game is Too Hardcore! Who Else Understands, Family?!

Under the guidance of the vampires, the rescue team, divided into three groups, finally entered the city. Since the survivors in the outer streets had basically been led out by the Little Players, the remaining task required these people to venture deeper into the outer urban area.

This was undoubtedly a dangerous endeavor.

However, over a hundred people, holding bright torches and led by vampires, venturing into the deep night was quite an imposing sight. At the very least, the Despair Derivatives lurking in the shadows no longer dared to jump out so carelessly.

These intangible beings were manifestations of Astral Filth energy, guided by mortal emotions. In other words, the more the collective fear subsided, the fewer Despair Derivatives there would be.

To put it simply, the more you fear it, the more of it there is.

At this moment, the flickering torchlight in the dark ruins formed a continuous stream. These flames rekindled courage in the Transylvanians. In their culture, fire was a sacred element, much like how a traveler's campfire in the night always managed to frighten away the bad things in the darkness, preventing them from acting recklessly.

Of course, Murphy, along with the other two vampires, Maxim, and the Little Players, occasionally had to step in as combatants. Despair Derivatives were merely the most trivial of troubles; the Astral Beasts that occasionally darted out to scare people were the true sources of danger.

These creatures, which could only hunt in the outer fringes of the city, were not difficult opponents for the Young Miss and Madam Adele. However, Murphy found them a bit challenging.

He was currently in the outskirts of the area he was responsible for, battling a pack of Astral Wild Dogs.

Compared to the dogs in the material world, these creatures were vicious. In their semi-corporeal state, one could even see their internal skeletons. Their eyes burned with a dim fire in the night, and their sharp teeth and claws were imbued with corrupting energy. A single hit would inflict a weak mental shock.

These characteristics were unique to Astral Creatures.

They existed outside the material world, born and raised in the psionic energies of Astral Filth, and were therefore adept at inflicting mental damage on material life.

The good news was that Murphy was not fighting alone.

The Astral Wolf he summoned was also a formidable combatant, loyal and fierce enough to share a significant portion of the pressure.

The vampire wasn't using the Tomb Guardian Swordsmanship he had just learned, nor the Shadow Elf Secret Swordsmanship he had "freeloaded" from Adele. Both were advanced sword techniques that, while powerful, required time to master.

The intense battle at hand was more suited to the Blood Vulture Swordsmanship, which he had already mastered and employed with broad, powerful strokes.

Under the cover of the Astral Wolf, Murphy quickly dispatched four of the six Astral Wild Dogs with his sword and crossbow. The remaining two, sensing the unfavorable turn of events and attempting to flee, were pounced upon and killed by the ferocious wolf.

The last one escaped into the night. Murphy didn't pursue but instead unholstered the psionic hand crossbow, permanently poisoned, from his waist. With a natural motion, he raised it to aim.

This was one of his rare uses of a ranged weapon, yet he felt no awkwardness.

Perhaps it was due to the Marksmanship Mastery Adele had granted him, combined with the vampire's precise and unhindered vision in the darkness, which allowed him to easily lock onto his target. A few seconds later, he pulled the trigger.

"Whoosh."

With a light humming sound, a short but sharp crossbow bolt shot out, trailing a faint green glow. The limping Astral Wild Dog was hit in the back of the head, its entire body flying forward before crashing to the ground and quickly dissipating.

[Marksmanship Skill - Hand Crossbow Proficiency increased, currently "Novice."]

A line of text popped up before his eyes, causing Murphy to sigh in relief.

He actually had a Dwarven Hunting Rifle confiscated from a witch hunter in his bag, but that thing was too noisy and didn't fit the vampire's shadowy style. Moreover, it didn't align with Murphy's understanding of "firearms."

However, its power was decent and could complement the hand crossbow in close-quarters combat.

According to Mirian, the lead bullets used in this rifle were mixed with a special engineering powder called "Gold-Infusion," giving it considerable destructive power at medium to long ranges. It was rumored that the dwarves' Earth Priests also had a special Dragon's Breath Round that could ignite all dark Malevolent Spirits at close range.

Priests and clerics using large-caliber guns for physical exorcism of Malevolent Spirits?

That was excellent, very dwarven, and very much in line with martial virtue.

"Lord Murphy, we've finished searching this block. We rescued another 37 people. Should we continue forward?"

Black Silk Brother, his face covered in soot and his armor dusted as if he had crawled out of a coal mine, ran over to report.

He carried a shovel, with his new recruit's greatsword strapped to his back.

He seemed to be in good spirits. Murphy glanced back at the crowd behind him. The men holding torches were actively protecting the rescued women and children in the center, while others were rummaging through the ruins.

Compared to when they set out, their morale had quietly recovered significantly.

"First, retreat to the city wall defense line. There's water and food there."

Murphy replied, "Rest for 15 minutes, then we'll go in again. Also, note down the names of the most active individuals. Have Mirian issue them weapons, and Maxim will conscript them into the militia. We'll conduct another search before dawn; this time it will be deeper and more dangerous."

"Hmm?"

The vampire's keen senses twitched his ears. He looked back into the darkness before him and said to Black Silk Brother, who was feeling a bit spooked, "You all go back first. I'll stay here. There's a 'big one' up ahead!"

"I can fight with you too!"

Black Silk Brother immediately straightened his back and spoke a flattering sentence, clearly wanting to seize the opportunity to gain some favor. Murphy glanced at him, gently patted his shoulder, and encouraged him, "Later. Your potential needs time to mature. Precious warrior's blood cannot be wasted here."

He leveled up!

His favorability must have increased!

Black Silk Brother looked at Murphy's gentle expression, a wave of secret joy washing over him. He then obediently retreated.

Murphy watched his departing figure, noting the smug expression, and felt that his acting skills were improving daily through his interactions with the Little Players. At this rate, he would soon become the most skilled actor among the Blood Vulture Clan vampires.

The torch-wielding search party quickly retreated towards the city, escorted by Black Silk Brother and Lumina. Murphy, gripping his hand crossbow and swift sword, patted the Astral Wolf crouching at his feet, and then stepped into the darkness ahead with it.

He cast a wide-area reconnaissance spell, and soon, information tags floated in the darkness, revealing a faint, blurry, reddish-pink tag:

[Astral Lynx - Predatory State - High Danger]

"Is this thing invisible?"

Even with the vampire's night vision, Murphy could barely track the entity ahead. It was like an intangible mist, constantly drifting through the ruins.

The Astral Wolf at his feet whined lowly, just like a dog, clearly sensing the danger.

According to Triss, Astral Wolves weren't particularly strong among Astral Creatures. Their individual combat power was weak, but they excelled in keen perception and hunting instincts. They usually needed to form packs to confront more dangerous entities.

This Astral Lynx was clearly one of the "more dangerous" types.

However, Triss also mentioned that large packs of Astral Wolves in the Astral Plane were true overlords. So, it seemed every life form had its own way of surviving.

"Don't be scared."

Murphy crouched down, stroking the anxious Astral Wolf's head. He said in a low voice, "We're a pack of two, and I'm your Wolf King. Follow me, let's hunt it."

The Astral Wolf seemed to understand Murphy's intention.

It quieted down, licking Murphy's fingers with its rough, ethereal tongue. Then, at Murphy's direction, it began searching the nearby darkness.

Seeing Murphy isolated, the cunning, hidden Astral Lynx's spirit immediately perked up. It started circling closer to Murphy, causing a prickling sensation on the vampire's back.

The vampire was no longer a novice fighter.

He adjusted his breathing, gripping the Blade of the Desire Scion at his waist. In his other hand, he quietly pulled the trigger of his hand crossbow.

This was a classic weapon. While its power was decent, it required reloading after each shot.

He might need a more versatile ranged weapon, like the Crimson Handgun Madam Adele had, which could fire six shots. But that thing looked like a custom weapon for his butler, likely made by the Young Miss.

In Transylvania, a place so isolated and conservative, firearms were seen as cowardly and unpopular by its hardy folk.

Perhaps sensing Murphy's mind wandering, the hidden Astral Lynx quickly launched its attack from behind.

It descended like a swift mist, intending to deliver a killing blow with a feline throat-hold. But the moment it pounced, the vampire dodged with a stylish, fluid slide, narrowly evading the attack.

Shadow Elf Family Secret Swordsmanship - Shadowy Step.

Although he hadn't had time to thoroughly study this Elven swordsmanship that Madam Adele had given him, Murphy had been secretly practicing the evasion techniques within it. Now, with the boost from his Rare Template, his Dexterity of 16 allowed him to counter-attack the instant he dodged.

The Blade of the Desire Scion turned into a striking serpent, biting fiercely into the Astral Lynx's ethereal hide. The hand crossbow fired at the same moment, but the cunning beast dodged the bolt with its peculiar phasing ability.

The vampire didn't hesitate, immediately engaging the ferocious lynx in a one-handed sword fight.

Despite its name, this creature bore no resemblance to a mountain cat in size. If anything, it was about two sizes larger than a leopard, comparable to a tiger.

Besides the signature ethereal hide, burning eyes, and filthy fangs of an Astral Creature, it had three tails, each tipped with a scorpion-like barb.

"Snap!"

One of the barbs flew like a projectile, grazing Murphy's cheek and embedding itself in the wall behind him.

The scattering bricks demonstrated its destructive power. But then, Murphy severed one of its tails with a sword strike. The Astral Lynx recoiled in pain.

However, with a low growl, the Astral Wolf that had run off earlier charged back at incredible speed, slamming into the lynx's flank and flipping it onto the ground.

The two Astral Beasts began a furious, howling brawl. Murphy seized the opportunity to pounce and land two solid blows on the lynx.

The Astral Wolf's individual weakness quickly became apparent. The desperate lynx lightning-fastly bit its throat and refused to let go. But like a wolf pack led by its king, before its projection in the material world vanished, it retaliated with its claws and fangs, tearing off the lynx's entire left foreleg.

At this point, Murphy had already won.

He wasn't saddened by the Astral Wolf's demise, not because Murphy was cold-blooded, but because Astral Creatures were merely projections in the material world. Like players, they could be summoned again after their skills cooled down.

They only truly died when they perished in the Astral Plane. This was quite similar to certain demons in another worldview.

"Thwip!"

The Swift Sword thrust forward. With a flick of Murphy's wrist, a bloody eyeball was sliced from the Astral Lynx's socket. The pain drove the creature into a frenzy, but without eyes, claws, or tails, it was merely waiting for death before Murphy.

Two minutes later, Murphy plunged his sword into the lynx's ear, shredding its brain, and decisively secured victory in this hunt.

Besides a sense of accomplishment, there were also more tangible rewards:

[Blood Vulture Swordsmanship Proficiency increased to "Master"!

This swordsmanship proficiency has reached its cap and cannot be further improved!

Blood Vulture Swordsman Profession level reached 10!

This profession has reached its cap and cannot be further improved. Please find a way to change professions.

Hint!

The standard advanced profession for Blood Vulture Swordsman is Blood Vulture - Tomb Guardian. You have mastered Tomb Guardian Swordsmanship. Please raise it to "Proficient" and craft a Tomb Guardian Emblem to complete the job change.

Currently mastered Shadow Elf - Meijiewa Family Secret Swordsmanship. Available job change: Shadow Elf Sword Singer.

This job change requires raising Meijiewa Secret Swordsmanship to "Proficient" and visiting the Meijiewa Family Temple. You will complete the job change with the help of the Fate Weaver Girl.

Character level reached 10!

"Strength Trial - Black Iron Body" triggered! Please read the Strength Tier and Trial Rules carefully before completing this Strength Trial.]

A cascade of notifications made Murphy beam with joy.

Although it wasn't a typical grind to level up, the fierce battle with the Astral Lynx undoubtedly allowed his basic Blood Vulture Swordsmanship to smoothly break through its final bottleneck.

This wasn't actually difficult, as no matter how complex it was, it was still just a fundamental skill.

However, what surprised Murphy was that the Elf Swordsmanship he'd gotten for free from Madam Adele could actually trigger a special class change. This couldn't help but give him a bold idea.

Perhaps...

This alien swordsmanship could serve as a "hidden reward" for the Little Players' outstanding contributions?

And if there were hidden rewards, it wouldn't be as fun without other rare items to go with it, like a lucky roulette or a series of blind boxes. If only this "game" allowed players to pay to get stronger. With this Elf Swordsmanship, full of mystery, wouldn't it be worth a VIP 3 membership reward?

With such a regretful thought, Murphy found the specific information for "Strength Trial: Black Iron Body" in the Strength Tier section of his Character Card:

[Glossary: Black Iron Body

A method of classifying strength derived from the ancient traditions of elves divides individuals into several stages: Mortal → Professional → Black Iron Body → Silver Body → Transcendent Golden Body → Transcendent Perfect Body/Demigod Threshold.

These respectively represent the ancient elves' description of life's power at different levels.

Black Iron Body can be explained as ordinary people, after rigorous training and constant combat, mastering their bodies to the extreme and unleashing their due destructive power. The significance of the Black Iron Trial lies in unlocking and continuously discovering an individual's hidden potential by challenging powerful enemies.

Throughout the Black Iron Body tier, individuals will continuously have their potential unearthed, undergoing a more powerful reshaping at the biological form level, before ushering in the Silver Trial, truly stepping into the transcendent power level embraced by psionics.]

"Not bad! It's not hard to understand, and this classification method of the elves really has that power system feel from games. It's so perfect that I don't need to modify it at all and can directly use it as game data."

Murphy gave the explanation a thumbs-up.

Then, he glanced at his own Black Iron Trial content, and his expression turned grim:

[Strength Trial: Black Iron Body - Vampire Race Exclusive: Independently hunt enemies at the Black Iron Rank and gorge on their blood until potential is unlocked, OR independently challenge Black Iron Rank Elite creatures to unlock potential.

This trial must be completed solo. Any external intervention will be considered a failed trial!]

"Damn it!"

Murphy cursed fiercely in the darkness:

"It's just simple and brutal, fighting monsters above your level, isn't it? To become Black Iron, I have to kill a Black Iron Elite first? And you mean I have to pick a creature with blood?

So Astral Creatures are out then?

Shit!

In the current chaotic environment of Cadman City, where am I supposed to find a Black Iron Rank enemy with blood!

Why don't you just spawn one out of thin air for me.

As the old saying goes, reality is truly a crappy game!"