Chapter 118: The Cursed Ones

Chapter One Hundred Eighteen
The Cursed Ones

Sharron, dressed in a black court dress, lightly pressed her bloodless lips together, turned her head toward Maric, and gave a slight nod.

Maric clasped his hands together and said, with a hint of hidden madness, “You should know of the Prisoner pathway, correct?”

“Yes. I have heard of it in Beyonder circles,” Klein answered frankly.

Of course, by Beyonder circles, I mean the Nighthawk team and the Tarot Club…

He silently sighed and added that line inside his heart.

Maric seemed to remember something. He fell silent for more than ten seconds, while outside the window, the sound of carriage wheels rolling over the cement road came in with a steady rhythm.

He rubbed his messy brown hair. His face twisted slightly as he began speaking.

“Prisoner refers both to a person locked in a prison and to one whose spirituality and desires are suppressed by reason, the body, and the world. Beyonders of this Sequence have strong bodies and acute senses. They often possess a silent exterior and a mad heart. They grasp many criminal techniques and are skilled at using any object on hand to kill.

“The corresponding Sequence 8 is called Lunatic. I believe you would not know this, because even the orthodox Beyonder organizations of the Seven Churches do not understand these details well enough. That secret organization’s control over its members exceeds your imagination. Those nearly twisted fellows, whether body or soul, are all like things bound in chains. Relying purely on spirit channeling and divination makes it very difficult to obtain anything useful from them.

“Sharron and I endured for a very long time, waited for a very long time, before we finally found a method to undo the ‘binding’ and escape successfully.

“Because Beyonders of this pathway all share traits of being cursed and easily driven mad, we did not wish to seek refuge with the Seven Churches. That would mean completely losing freedom—without even a trace left.”

So that is how it is… No wonder the internal Nighthawk materials did not record much. They did not even include Sequence 8 and Sequence 7 corresponding to Prisoner, though those should have been within what I was allowed to know at the time…

With dawning understanding, Klein answered, “I truly do not know what comes after Prisoner.”

Maric did not nod. He looked at Klein with his brown eyes and continued, “Compared to Prisoner, Lunatic’s greatest trait is that they can voluntarily and actively sacrifice reason and let desire erupt, using it to exchange for strength and gain improvement in all aspects. Aside from their mind becoming less clear during that period, there is no major problem. They even gain strong resistance against certain Beyonder abilities that disturb thoughts or affect the mind.”

Put simply, I kill myself first, so you cannot kill me anymore…

Klein could not help mocking it inwardly.

“From this Sequence onward, curses gradually appear. The curse of the Lunatic is that they easily lose control,” Maric said as the muscles on his face twitched.

Is that not obvious? If a person’s mental state constantly runs at a low point, or frequently becomes abnormal, it would be strange if their probability of losing control were not higher than other Beyonders’…

Klein had his own understanding of that. He turned his head and glanced at Miss Sharron, finding it hard to imagine what she had been like during her Prisoner and Lunatic stages. Sharron remained in that ghostlike, drifting, quiet state.

Seeing that Klein did not speak, Maric slowly exhaled.

“The following Sequence 7 is—is Werewolf.”

So this is where the mutation begins? But to ordinary people, the inwardly mad Prisoner and the reason-losing Lunatic before it are actually not that different from monsters… Hm. Werewolf is only Sequence 7? A little lower than I expected…

Klein’s thoughts suddenly wandered.

Maric did not notice his brief distraction and continued on his own.

“A Werewolf is already a complete cursed one. Every time the red moon becomes full, he loses most of his reason, grows a body covered in black fur, and his desires for slaughter and blood reach their peak…”

His voice gradually turned a little drifting as well, as though recalling that period of bitter endurance and self-suppression.

“A Werewolf possesses fairly strong self-recovery ability, as well as terrifying strength, agility, and speed. His claws and teeth are no worse than Beyonder weapons of the same Sequence, and they carry poison of their own. He also knows certain dark-type spells. For example, he can control targets whose bodies have been infiltrated by werewolf toxin for a certain period of time, transforming them into subordinates, monsters similar to werewolves. Such monsters usually have very short lives…”

After listening to Maric finish, Klein offered a fair evaluation:

At the level of Sequence 7, in terms of practical combat ability, Werewolf can be considered above average.

“A Werewolf who is always unable to suppress their desire for slaughter and bloodlust on nights of the full moon becomes colder and more twisted, gradually losing the emotions that a normal human should possess,” Maric added, his tone carrying a pride difficult to conceal.

That matches Mr. Azik’s description of mutants…

Klein instinctively looked at Miss Sharron again and began instinctively imagining what she looked like when she “werewolfed.” As a result, her cold gaze nearly made him shiver. He hurriedly forced his head back around.

Maric unconsciously licked his lips. It was not the sort of feminine seduction; rather, it gave off a dangerous feeling.

His gaze seemed to lose focus for a short moment, no one knew what he was remembering.

After waiting several seconds, he spoke again.

“I am the corresponding Sequence 6: Living Corpse.”

Living Corpse… He really does look like one… No wonder he often plays cards with a pile of his own kind… So this also counts as a mutant—the truly living dead…

Klein thought briefly, then said, “I heard Kaspars say you are not afraid of bullets.”

Maric nodded.

“My body can be as hard as steel. Even if you pressed a revolver to my head and fired, at most, I would become dizzy. It would take at least five shots striking the same position to possibly break through my defense.

“And even if that defense is broken, for a Living Corpse, as long as the head is not shattered, other injuries are not fatal.

“My strength has also increased to a certain degree beyond a Werewolf’s. I have mastered part of the death-type spells, can easily awaken corpses, control ghosts, drive them, and skillfully use extraordinary powers related to cold and decay.”

The Mutant pathway also has each Sequence possess different traits. There are very few progressive changes…

Klein considered for a moment and asked, “Then what is the curse of a Living Corpse?”

Maric bit down on his teeth by a very small degree.

“I crave warm human blood and fresh flesh. At full moon, this condition becomes especially severe. The only thing worth feeling thankful for is that the Living Corpse curse replaces the Werewolf curse and the Lunatic curse. They do not exist at the same time. The same applies afterward.

“Whenever the red moon becomes full, I suffer extraordinary pain. If I do not abandon self-control, the pain will become severe enough to rob me of combat ability. But if I indulge myself, I will likewise become less and less human, and the risk of losing control will be very high.

“Even normally, I am fighting the desires in my heart at every moment, fighting against intense malice.”

Huh. Compared to Beyonders of this pathway, the others are so much better—uh, except the Abyss and Demoness pathways…

The thought naturally surfaced in Klein’s mind.

Maric paused and glanced at Sharron, who wore a small black soft hat.

Sharron parted her lips, her voice illusory.

“Sequence 5: Wraith.”

Wraith? There is even a Sequence like that? As expected of the Mutant pathway…

Klein first felt slightly surprised. Immediately afterward, he felt that it perfectly matched the trait of being able to easily transform between flesh and Spirit Body.

With that prompt, Maric added, “After becoming a Wraith, one can transform their state into a true shade and gain corresponding abilities—for example, passing through obstacles, hiding inside mirrors, directly attacking the opponent’s soul, and jumping between most places capable of reflecting images.

“And unlike ordinary wraiths, even if one possesses spirit vision, one cannot discover such a shade without reaching the high Sequences.

“Mm, Wraiths also master many death-type spells and quite a few eerie techniques. For example, forced possession and controlling enemies…”

“The curse is this: on nights when the red moon becomes full, one must either consume a certain number of human souls or become extremely weak. Choosing the former is equivalent to choosing to walk forever along the edge of losing control.”

Before Klein could speak, the equally pale Sharron said in her drifting voice, “Our target is also a Wraith.”

“The Beyonder abilities of Living Corpse, Werewolf, Lunatic, and Prisoner will not be lost after advancement,” Maric emphasized.

That sounds exactly like the type that counters me very hard. What I fear most is the kind against which pistol bullets have no effect and ordinary flame is also hard to turn into great damage… Put simply, I am afraid of “ghosts”…

Klein felt his heart beat faintly faster.

He thought for several seconds, then asked, “What is the effect of that Sealed Artifact?

“Why does it counter you?”

It actually makes you willing to tell me your own curses and weak points…

Klein roughly had a few guesses.

Maric’s expression turned slightly gloomy.

“That cursed item that needs to be sealed is called the Crimson Moon Crown.

“It can create, within a certain range, an effect similar to the full moon. For those cold and twisted fellows, this helps them erupt with power. But we will become weak and lose combat ability. If—if abandoning myself is required, I would rather choose death!” Maric rasped in a low roar.

I did not expect that you, someone who looks a little perverse and a little cowardly, would actually be a man with principles. Mm. Being able to persist all the way to Living Corpse truly is impressive…

Klein did not interrupt, listening to the rest of the description.

“The person wearing the Crimson Moon Crown is immune to the full moon effect and will gain terrifying speed, unimaginable recovery ability, and a number of fairly powerful dark-type spells. But it causes the wearer’s blood to gradually turn cold and freeze bit by bit. If it is not stopped in time, or if the wearer does not drink living human blood, they will ultimately die when all their blood turns to frost.”

Maric seemed rather afraid of that Sealed Artifact.

Once he finished, Sharron looked at Klein with calm blue eyes.

“With Steve are Living Corpse Jason and Werewolf Tyre.

“But as long as Steve can be dealt with, they are not a problem.”

Maric added, “If we succeed, Steve’s remaining Beyonder characteristic belongs to me, and the Crimson Moon Crown belongs to Sharron. All the remaining spoils and the Book of Secrets will be your payment.”