Chapter 331: The Accursed
Dressed in a black regal dress, Sharron pursed her bloodless lips and
tilted her head to look at Maric, nodding slightly.
Maric clasped his hands and said while concealing some of his madness,
"You know about the Prisoner pathway, don't you?"
"Yes, I've heard of it in the Beyonder circles," Klein answered frankly.
*Of course, these Beyonder circles refer to the Nighthawks and the Tarot
Club...* He sighed in his heart as he added.
Maric seemed to recall something, and he was silent for nearly twenty
seconds. Outside the window, he could hear the rhythmic sound of the
carriage wheels rolling across the concrete pavement.
He ruffled his messy brown hair and spoke with a slightly twisted
expression on his face.
"Prisoners are those who are locked up in prisons, and that also
corresponds to having their spirituality and desires constrained by
reason, body, and the world. The Beyonders of this Sequence have strong
bodies and keen senses, often possessing both a staid appearance and a
crazy heart within them. They possess many criminal techniques and are
proficient in killing with whatever they can casually acquire.
"Their corresponding Sequence 8 is Lunatic. I believe you aren't aware
of this because even an orthodox Beyonder organization like the seven
Orthodox Churches aren't fully aware of such matters. That secret
organization's member wields powers that far exceed your imagination.
Those nearly twisted bastards are bound, be it their bodies or souls. It
would be difficult to obtain any useful information by just relying on
mediumship and divination.
"Sharron and I had also put up with this and waited for a very long time
before we found a way to remove this binding and successfully escape.
"As all the Beyonders in this pathway are cursed and have crazy
characteristics, we don't want to rely on the seven major Churches. We
would lose all our freedom, without leaving anything behind."
*So that's the case... It's no wonder the Nighthawk's confidential
information doesn't have much about this. It even lacked the
corresponding Sequences 8 and 7 of Prisoner. It's something I could know
based on the level I had at the time...* Klein replied with a
sense of enlightenment, "I really am not aware of the situation beyond
Prisoner."
Maric didn't nod as he looked at Klein with his brown eyes and
continued, "Compared to a Prisoner, a Lunatic's greatest characteristic
is to be able to autonomously sacrifice their rationality and let their
desires run amok in exchange for strength and enhancements in every
aspect. Apart from not having clear thoughts during this period, there
isn't much of a problem. They can even gain stronger resistances towards
Beyonder powers that can disrupt one's thoughts and influence their
mind."
*To put it simply, I'll get rid of you first, and that will make it
impossible for you to kill me...* Klein couldn't help but
lampoon.
"From this Sequence onwards, the curse will gradually appear. Lunatics
easily lose control," Maric said as his facial muscles twitched.
*Isn't that obvious? If a person's mental state has been operating at a
nadir for a long time, or if there are frequent abnormalities, it would
be abnormal if the possibility of losing control isn't higher than other
Beyonders!* Klein had his own understanding of this. He turned
to look at Miss Sharron, feeling that it was hard for him to imagine
what she would look like when she was in the Prisoner and Lunatic
stages. And throughout this, Sharron maintained her ghostly silent and
ethereal state.
Seeing that he hadn't said anything, Maric slowly exhaled and said, "The
next sequence is Werewolf."
*The mutation begins? However, in the eyes of normal people, the crazy
Prisoners and the Lunatics who are prone to losing their minds are
actually similar to such mutants... Well, Werewolf being a Sequence 7 is
lower than I expected...* Klein's thoughts suddenly wandered.
Maric didn't notice how he had gone adrift as he continued on, "A
Werewolf is a fully cursed person. Every time the crimson moon becomes
full, they will lose part of their sanity, grow black fur, and their
bloodlust and desire for tasting blood would reach its peak..."
His voice gradually became a bit erratic, as if he recalled that bitter
experience of enduring and repressing himself.
"A Werewolf has rather powerful rejuvenation abilities, as well as
terrifying strength, agility, and speed. Their claws and teeth are in no
way inferior to Beyonder weapons of the same Sequence, and they contain
venom. They also know some darkness-related spells. For instance,
targets who are under the Werewolf's control would become subordinates
after a period of time, when a Werewolf's venom infiltrates their body
for a period of time. They would become a monster like a Werewolf, and
typically, these monster's possess very short lifespans..."
After hearing Maric's explanation, Klein made a pertinent conclusion.
*At the level of Sequence 7, the Werewolf is above average in terms of
actual combat ability.*
"A Werewolf who is always unable to suppress their instinct to kill and
their bloodlust during a full moon will turn increasingly cold and more
twisted. Gradually, they will lose their feelings that a normal human
would have," Maric added. There was an undisguised pride in his tone.
It fits Mr. Azik's description of mutants... Klein
subconsciously looked at Miss Sharron, instinctively imagining her
Werewolf form. However, her cold gaze almost made him shiver, and he
quickly turned his head back.
Maric unconsciously licked his lips. It wasn't the seductive kind done
by women, but the kind that gave people a sense of danger.
His gaze seemed to momentarily lose focus; leaving his recollections an
unknown.
After a few seconds, he opened his mouth again.
"I'm at the corresponding Sequence 6, Zombie."
*Zombie... Your outer appearance really does resemble one... It's no
wonder you often play cards with a bunch of your own kind. It turns out
that you are also a special kind of zombie, a real living
zombie...* Klein thought for a moment and said, "I heard from
Kaspars that you aren't afraid of bullets?"
Maric nodded and said, "My body can be as hard as steel. Even if you
used a revolver to fire at my head, I'll only feel dizzy at best. You'll
need to shoot me five times in the same spot before you're able to break
my defenses.
"And even if you break through my defenses, to a Zombie, all other forms
of damage isn't lethal if the brain isn't destroyed.
"And my strength has been raised significantly from the foundation of a
Werewolf. Furthermore, I wield a portion of death-related spells and can
easily summon zombies and control ghosts. I can direct them and am
proficient at using cold and decaying Beyonder powers."
*Every Sequence in the Mutant pathway has different characteristics.
There are very few changes in the progressive pathway...* Klein
pondered for a moment and asked, "Then, what about the curse of Zombie?"
Maric clenched his teeth and said, "I will thirst for the warm blood and
fresh meat of humans. During the full moon, this state will be
particularly serious. The only thing to be gratified about is that a
Zombie's curse replaces the Werewolf's and Lunatic's curse. They do not
exist together, and it's the same later on.
"Every time the crimson moon is full, I will be in great pain. If I
don't give up on self-control, I will be in so much pain that I will
lose my ability to fight. And if I indulge myself, I will also become
less and less like a human, and the risk of losing control is very high.
"Even in normal times, I would always resist the desires in my heart and
the strong malice in my heart."
*Phew. Compared to the Beyonders of other Sequences, the others are so
much better. Well, except for Abyss and Demoness...* Klein
suddenly had such a thought.
Maric paused and glanced at Sharron.
Sharron parted her lips and said in an illusory voice, "Sequence 5,
Wraith."
*Wraith? There's such a Sequence? It really is a Mutant
pathway...* Klein was slightly surprised at first, but then he
felt that this was indeed the characteristic of a spirit body that could
be easily transformed.
Having received the prompt, Maric added, "After becoming a Wraith, one
can turn one's body into a real wraith and obtain the corresponding
powers, such as moving through obstacles, hiding in mirrors, and
directly attacking the soul of the enemy. They can jump through most
things with reflections.
"And unlike ordinary wraiths, even with Spirit Vision, one will find it
difficult to discover such a shadow unless they were a High-Sequence
Beyonder.
"Yes, Wraith wields many death-type spells. There are many strange
techniques, such as forcefully possessing the body and controlling the
enemy...
"Her curse is that on the night of a full moon, she either consumes a
certain number of human souls, or she becomes extremely weak. Choosing
the former is equivalent to being on the brink of losing control at any
moment."
Without waiting for Klein to speak, the similarly pale Sharron suddenly
said, "Our target is also a Wraith."
"The Beyonder powers of Zombie, Werewolf, Lunatic, and Prisoner won't be
lost as a result of advancement," Maric emphasized.
*It sounds like my nemesis. I'm precisely afraid of the type who are
impervious to revolver bullets and do not suffer immense damage when
burned by ordinary flames... Simply put, I'm afraid of
"ghosts"...* Klein felt his heart thump a little.
After pondering for a few seconds, he asked, "What is the effect of the
Sealed Artifact?
"Why would they restrain you?"
*It actually made you willing to tell me your weaknesses and your
curses...* Klein had some general guesses.
Maric's expression was somewhat gloomy as he replied, "That cursed
artifact that needs to be sealed is called 'Scarlet Lunar Corona.'
"Up to a certain range, it can create effects similar to a full moon.
For those who are already cold and warped, it would aid them with
explosive strength, but we will become weak and lose our ability to
fight. If I give up on myself, then I'd rather choose death!" Maric
growled hoarsely.
*I didn't expect a perverted and cowardly fellow like you to be a
persistent person. Hmm, to be able to last until the Zombie Sequence is
indeed extraordinary...* Klein didn't interrupt him and listened
to the next part of the story.
"The person who wears the Scarlet Lunar Corona is immune to the effects
of the full moon, and they will gain terrifying speed and unimaginable
rejuvenation abilities, as well as a number of relatively powerful
darkness-related spells. However, it will make the wearer's blood
gradually turn cold. They will freeze up, bit by bit, and if they do not
stop in time or drink the blood of a living person, they will ultimately
die as their blood freezes up completely." Maric seemed to greatly fear
the Scarlet Lunar Crow.
After he was done, Sharron looked over at Klein with her calm blue eyes.
"Together with Steve are Zombie Jason and Werewolf Tyre.
"But as long as Steve is finished off, the others wouldn't be a
problem."
Maric added, "If we succeed, the Beyonder characteristic left behind by
Steve will be mine. The Scarlet Lunar Corona will belong to Sharron. The
remaining spoils of war and the Book of Secrets will be your payment."