“Lord Draco!”
The mont the three saw Draco, they imdiately placed their hands to their chests and bowed respectfully.
If there was one lesson they had learned the hard way during their ti in Glory, it was this: never be rude to an NPC.
These NPCs had the power to kill them, and they’d suffered for it more than once.
“Is there a mission you need us to carry out?” HunYuan sensed sothing strange in Draco’s expression and took the initiative to ask.
Clad in gray armor and sporting a scruffy beard, Draco waved off his earlier thoughts about their ridiculous nas and shook his head. “Not a mission. Lord Stanley has summoned you.”
Stanley?!
The three exchanged glances in surprise.
Stanley was the Vice President of the Dark Pact, a terrifying dark boss whose level they couldn't even see. What could a figure of his magnitude possibly want with them?
“Lord Draco, what does Lord Stanley want from us?” HunYuan probed.
Draco frowned slightly. “HunYuan, you talk too much. As subordinates of the Dark Pact, your superior’s commands are absolute.”
Then, with a shrug, he added, “Also, I don’t know.”
The three of them twitched. If you don’t know, why are you pretending to be all mysterious?!
“Co with .”
The three hurried after him. Seizing the opportunity, HunYuan turned slightly and whispered, “No matter what happens, let do the talking.”
The other two nodded sensibly. With their brainpower, they knew they'd never survive a scene like this alone.
“No need for us to make a move for sothing so small.”
“Yeah, only when we’re facing the real boss of the Dark Pact Iro, should we bother showing our hands.”
HunYuan ignored the two clowns.
They were walking through an extravagant estate divided into a front and rear courtyard. The grounds were vast and luxurious.
Most of the ti, they weren't even allowed into the rear section.
That was reserved for the upper echelon of the Dark Pact. They were re rookie Warrior Apprentices, and even a Level 9 warrior like Draco wasn’t qualified to reside there.
They wound through corridors and courtyards, the estate’s grandeur resembling a palace. Lavish buildings and ornate sculptures were everywhere, dazzling the trio.
Ten minutes later…
HunYuan and the others stood with complex feelings before the tall figure sitting in a finely crafted chair, sipping red tea from a lacquered, gold-rimd porcelain cup.
Powerful. Mysterious. Terrifying.
Those were their first impressions of this man.
Even though this man in a black priest’s robe hadn’t spoken a word yet, his every movent exuded an overwhelming presence.
It was now that the players realized sothing they once mocked: "aura" was very real.
Stanley ???
Level: ???
???
HunYuan quietly closed the inspection panel, his eyes twitching.
This Stanley, as a Vice President of the Dark Pact was absurdly strong.
Even as players, they could feel the crushing pressure from this boss-level NPC whose stats were completely unknowable.
“HunYuan, Thunderhands, Cheng Kun… such strange nas. I didn’t expect the Lost Planes to have forgotten even the traditional naming conventions of the Glory Main Plane.”
Stanley gently drank his tea, gracefully placing the cup down.
He had once been a dark priest of the Evening Bell Church, a true noble. And after becoming a vampire, that nobility had only beco more pronounced.
The three players shared an awkward glance. Damn… should’ve picked less stupid nas. Even an NPC is laughing at us.
“But what intrigues more…” Stanley said, his scarred face darkening, “...is your resurrection ability.”
The scar across his face looked extrely nacing. Though he could’ve erased it with his bloodline powers, he chose to keep it—a personal mark, carved by his own hand.
As HunYuan stared at this graceful yet terrifying man, he felt a suffocating pressure, like facing a beast from the Abyss.
A Level 1 Warrior Apprentice standing before a mysterious Level 15 dark priest and a vampire, no less.
They weren’t just from different classes, but different realms.
Even though Stanley hadn’t released any aura, the players felt like they were speaking with a dragon.
“Lord Stanley, our resurrection is a gift from our world. All warriors from the Lost Planes possess it.”
HunYuan didn’t bother hiding the truth. With this many players running around, it was only a matter of ti before the smarter NPCs pieced it together.
He no longer dared to underestimate the insanely intelligent NPCs in this world. Nothing they did would surprise him anymore.
Stanley nodded, red-tinged eyes flickering in thought.
“As far as I know, only divine power can grant true immortality or resurrection.
When a god receives a believer into their divine realm, they leave a soul imprint there.
During tis of war, the god can send these believers to fight again, reviving them using that imprint after they fall.”
He turned his gaze to the three. “But I sense no divine faith from you. So your resurrection doesn’t follow that path.”
His words chilled the three players, but none dared interrupt.
“All power is bound by rules. Your resurrection must be a result of the Lost Plane’s laws.
Your souls have likely been captured by that realm. When you die, it uses those fragnts to recreate your lives.
The delay before you revive is likely the ti needed to reassemble your power.
And the weakened state after resurrection? That’s the cost of that process.”
Stanley’s eyes held a trace of envy.
“Your world must be unimaginably powerful to allow this. You’re truly fortunate.”
HunYuan’s back was soaked in cold sweat.
This NPC is too damn smart!
While not 100% accurate, Stanley’s deduction of how players operated was frighteningly close to the truth.
If soone gave him more data… could he actually figure out what Earth is?
This is getting dangerous…
Just as he was about to speak, Stanley’s next words froze them solid.
“But though you may resurrect, true strength requires a firm will.”
“Immortality may seem invincible, but there’s no such thing as an unbreakable talent.”
Stanley shook his head. “You lose experience every ti you die. I only need to create scenarios that force you to keep dying to stifle your growth.
Or I could just imprison your body, prevent you from dying at all and bypass your resurrection entirely.”
His voice deepened.
“Each ti, you revive inside a Temple of Life, yes? Then what if soone waits for you every single ti?
Or hires more of your kind from the Lost Planes to oppose you?
You think you’re special, but… you’re not untouchable.”
His words cut like a knife. Coming from a seasoned evil god cultist, these weren’t empty threats. He ant every one of them.
Even the demonic forces of the Abyss paled before the cunning of soone like Stanley.
The players couldn’t even lift their heads. All control had been stripped from them, Stanley owned this conversation from start to finish.
“You joined the Dark Pact, yes,” Stanley continued. “But I’d bet my life… none of you actually care about it.”
“To you, a faction that controls one-third of Green City’s underworld is just a stepping stone.”
“You think yourselves untouchable, immune to death. On the surface, you’re polite but deep down, you don’t respect the Main Plane or its people.
You don’t even respect , the Vice President of the Dark Pact.
Isn’t that right… ‘undying ones’ from the Lost World?”
His eyes glead, sharp enough to pierce bone.
The players broke into cold sweat again.
They exchanged panicked looks, every one of Stanley’s words had hit ho.
This NPC is going to beco sentient…
To be fair, they hadn’t taken NPCs seriously. What player didn’t believe they were the real protagonist?
They’d respected Stanley only because he was powerful. Once they leveled up… they planned to put him in his place.
But this boss?
He’d seen through everything and they hadn’t even done anything overt yet.
Stanley’s expression turned cold as he contemplated various benefits.
As a forr dark priest of the Evening Bell Church and a ruthless survivor of the underground for decades, he had seen everything.
These rookies? They couldn’t fool him even if they tried.
“Lord Stanley,” HunYuan finally asked, voice heavy with tension. “May I ask what your true purpose is in summoning us?”
By now, he’d buried his pride as a player.
Because in front of an NPC this intelligent, and with power to kill them at a whim, he had no counterasure.
He felt ashad.
We’ve lost to an NPC… utterly.
Damn this hardcore ga. I don’t want to deal with NPCs like this anymore!
Stanley didn’t answer.
He simply locked his sharp gaze on them.
And then spoke words that made all three of their hearts skip a beat.
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