"Vomit."
Suppressing the urge to vomit, he maintained his aristocratic elegance and looked at his other prisoner:
And you? Can you tell me what year and month it is now?
[ Western Sharpshooter ] Makes an international friendship gesture:
"Once I get a gun, I'll riddle you with bullets."
"Puff."
Another headless corpse fell to the ground, but this time the old man wiped the blood off his face and did not lick it.
He sighed softly. All he wanted to know was what year it was, so why was it so difficult?
But what's wrong with humans these days? Their blood has become so repulsive, almost indistinguishable from green tree sap. Has the Demonic Tide corrupted them to this extent?
Putting these questions aside, the old man slightly turned his head to look at a corner of the cave:
"Would you like to tell me what year and month it is now?"
In a corner near the cave entrance, a player who was still alive huddled there, watching everything unfold before him.
As a newbie who had only been playing the game for a short time, his combat skills were not yet proficient. In the recent battle, he was rammed by both his companion and the Blood Corpse, and ended up in a somewhat awkward position in the cave.
If the Blood Corpse around him hadn't knelt on the ground and refrained from attacking, the old man probably wouldn't have had to personally kill him.
But as he watched his companions die one by one, his thoughts began to change.
I thought this was a purely reward-based event, so I brought most of my wealth with me when I set off.
If I die like this, even if I can be resurrected, I'll be bankrupt.
I'm certainly not afraid of dying, but I don't want the game experience to be so bad. If I die here, the cost of running back to my corpse for the Dragonborn is astronomical, and there's even a possibility that they'll refuse my order.
Thinking of this, he shook his head.
No, no, I can't accept this ending.
Thinking this, the player [ Aluode ]'s trembling gradually stopped, and his lifeless eyes refocused on the old man's face:
"Now it is..."
He glanced at the corner of the player panel and slowly spoke:
"October 10th, 908 AD (Royal Calendar)."
The old man's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, but he was somewhat shocked.
The Demonic Tide has been raging for almost a century, and I've been asleep for over eighty years. I have no idea what the world has become.
However, no matter where I am, my mission remains unchanged.
Assimilate the Blood Corpse, collect their blood, revive your blood relatives, and under the Grand Duke's leadership, unleash Corpse Tide that sweeps across the world!
The oppressive feeling in his heart suddenly turned heavy; the old man knew that the Blood Grand Duke, to whom he represented loyalty, was still alive.
Now that I have been able to awaken from ignorance, I should do what is within my responsibilities.
With a thought, the coffin lid in front of the old man slid off automatically to the ground, and as the last drop of blood filled his increasingly withered skin, he crawled out of the coffin like someone getting out of bed.
"Human, your answer is very useful to me. Tell me, what reward do you want?"
[ Aluode ] sat in the corner of the cave, staring in astonishment at the Blood Corpse leader who had killed all his companions:
"A reward... a prize?"
"Yes, if you wish, I can grant you a painless death."
The old man spoke softly, his tone tinged with pity.
His peripheral vision swept over the mutilated corpses, subtly indicating to the player before him what "painful death" meant.
[ Aluode ] never expected that even after telling the other party the time, he would still die. But at this moment, he also felt a bit more like a tough nut to crack. Since he couldn't feel any pain anyway, let them torture him if they dare.
So he asked nonchalantly:
"Anything else...?"
"Have."
The old man nodded and smiled. If it weren't for his withered body and bloodshot eyes, [ Aluode ] would almost have mistaken him for one of the kind-looking old men in the community.
"You're quite sensible. The Blood Curse Brand on your body isn't too severe, so I can make an exception and let you become a member of my clan, enjoying endless life."
ah?
A question mark slowly appeared in [ Aluode's ] mind.
If he heard correctly, the other party was trying to recruit him into the Blood Corpse faction, right?
Is this really possible?
If I truly betray the Soul Returner, will I become a red-named monster in other people's eyes?
If I were killed in that situation, would I never be able to resurrect?
But if I don't choose this, I'll die, and then I'm really doomed.
"You stubborn old man, hurry up and think!" the old man said, getting impatient.
The instant he caught the barely perceptible downward twitch at the corner of the old Blood Corpse's mouth, [ Aluode ] said with certainty:
"That's exactly what I wanted."
"Very good."
The old Blood Corpse smiled:
"No era is lacking in true wise men, like you and like me."
Without waiting for a reply from [ Aluode ], he pointed a finger at his forehead.
The deep black, sharp nails pierced the skin, gracefully stopping on the surface of the skull without leaving a single scratch.
[ Aluode ] looked at his player panel and noticed that the buff bar was changing rapidly:
[ Corpse Poison) ]...[ Corpse Poison (medium)]...[ Corpse Poison (severe)]...
The status [ Corpse Poison ] has transformed into the status [ Blood Corpse Transformation ]. Additionally, the status [ Count's Gift ] has been gained, with the effect of: the vampire count personally performing the Blood Corpse transformation, which to some extent suppresses the Blood Corpse's instincts and ensures absolute obedience to the individual from whom the status originated...
[WARNING: Your current body has undergone an alignment change. Current alignment: Blood Corpse. Current alignment quests: None. You can abandon your current body to return to your original alignment.]
Huh? I really became a red-named monster?
[ Aluode ] stared in astonishment at the constantly changing status bar and the endless stream of new notifications in front of him.
A few seconds later, he had a general understanding of the situation:
His body had been completely Blood Corpse Transformation, and because it was a vampire count who personally did it, it should be much better than those mass-produced ones.
At the same time, he has officially become a member of the monster faction, and the player has now become his enemy. As long as he dies once or voluntarily abandons this body, he can return to the Soul Returner faction.
Judging from the description of his condition, he should have lost the ability to think and become a puppet who obeys the count's every word. But why can he still think now?
[ Aluode ] quickly found the answer--
Of course, it's because I'm a player! Even though games are highly immersive, you can't just take away control of the game.
The developers of World of Disorder have really struck a good balance between immersion and gameplay experience...
Thinking about this, he realized he might have a good way to cut his losses.
If you can Blood Corpse for a while, you can hide your valuables near the respawn point. This way, you can quickly loot the loot after respawning and avoid losses.
But... now that the Blood Corpse has changed, are there any other ways to play?
The more exciting kind?