Old Mand's body swelled like a bull, with blue eyes and a black beard. Mutated freak flesh coursed through him, and the skin exposed outside his armor rippled with small, shifting bulges, as if mice were scurrying beneath the surface.
"He's gone berserk!"
"Tank him!"
"Unstoppable! We're screwed. Kite him!"
The Undead had a significant advantage, but as Old Mand and a group of others suddenly began to swell in size, the battle took a dramatic turn.
The longsword in his hand seemed disproportionately small compared to his inflated body. Old Mand rapidly spun his wrist, turning the sword into a whirlwind.
Blood burned, the severed nose now resembled a dragon head, blood gushing out.
He couldn't hear anything else. Only the voices and images in his mind echoed.
Some time ago, after being routed by a group of wanderers, Old Mand and his people had encountered that person.
"My dear friends, have you had enough of the turmoil of this chaotic world? You may have preyed on others to survive, but you have retained your humanity. You fled in fear, seeking only to live. You are not aimless stray dogs, but simply hadn't met me yet."
Lord Celine's voice was elegant, his demeanor noble. His exquisite features made it difficult to mistake him for a woman.
"Raving lunatics will not be entrusted with important tasks. Only those who disregard their pride and strive to defend their lives can be called strong. I want you to stay and serve me. Lord Lyon's territory is expanding. He will create an era of absolute peace and prosperity. I am his knight, and you will become my weapons. I need sufficiently excellent talent, even if it means sacrificing yourselves. Are you willing to become such a weapon?"
How had he answered at the time?
Old Mand's voice trembled.
"Yes, Lord!"
A homeless stray dog, finally having the opportunity to join the wolf pack, immediately kneeling on one knee was his most devout response.
On the other side, the Undead, entangled in close combat, once again found an opportunity. The crazed enemy was incredibly strong but had lost his mind.
Kiting never gets old.
"Wait, look at that elite monster. It looks like he's going into phase two!"
An Undead player noticed Old Mand kneeling on the ground.
"Elite monster entering phase two... is that a world boss?!"
The Undead looked at Old Mand kneeling. His body had swelled to a height of two and a half meters. Even kneeling, he was more massive than an average person.
Blood streamed from his orifices, but his face was filled with piety and fanaticism.
Blood-soaked... insane!
"But, Lord Celine, even if you gather all the wanderers around Puley Town, you still lack the strength to break through it. Perhaps we should infiltrate Puley Town, then grab a few hostages to make those soldiers think twice. They're used to the good life and have families. A stronger town leader wouldn't matter much to them. Ronin isn't the first town leader."
"Hostages? No." Lord Celine smiled. "When I appear before the gates of Puley Town, the entire town, young and old, male and female, will be the hostages."
Before, Old Mand had doubts. But now, Old Mand felt his blood rushing, his heart burning with fanaticism.
He understood.
"Awooo!" Old Mand raised his head.
Blood spurted from the gaps in his armor.
Pieces of iron fell off as he moved, revealing his body beginning to twist and become more bestial, especially around his heart, which glowed red.
With each heartbeat, his body pumped out blood. His heart was like a rabid dog in a cage, trying to break free.
"Awooo!" Old Mand lunged at an Undead, kicking him away.
The Undead sent flying exploded into a cloud of ash in mid-air.
"His health bar's low, but he's in full-on rage mode. Who wants to go up and poke him?"
Everyone wanted to take a shot. It was a golden opportunity to grind levels and steal a kill.
But whoever went forward was easily crushed, including the strongest trio, Xuan Zhanlong.
WhiteStockingsLover, meanwhile, acted as a war correspondent, faithfully recording the scene before him.
Levels and gear only needed to be good enough to keep up. Capturing enough material to make money in the real world was his true goal.
Fire pits were kicked over one by one, bonfires scattered.
Old Mand, with his burning blood, was like a fiery beast.
Tireless, constantly attacking, thrusting… charging… then crushing.
In the distance, a blaze suddenly appeared.
It was a blaze even more brilliant than Old Mand's.
If Old Mand was a crazed hyena, then the figure treading through the flames was a lion.
"Am I late?"
The surviving Undead players watched the figure appear, holding the Nightglow Shattered Blade of the Carrion Eater Queen, stopping Old Mand's rampage.
They collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
An inexpressible sense of security washed over them. Having such a reliable "big brother" NPC was definitely awesome in the game.
However, there was still a discordant voice.
"OMG, he's always got a girl with him!" (Referencing that Linde always brings a female character.)
…
The Shattered Blade flicked upward.
Old Mand's "advantage" was only against the naturally weak Undead. When facing a Grand Knight like Linde, the massive difference meant he couldn't even think about resisting.
His jaw was shattered.
Old Mand's strength was no match for Linde.
Slash, decapitate, victory.
Old Mand, who had been overwhelming the Undead and making them unable to lift their heads, was just a big oaf who could only take a beating when facing Linde.
They sang songs of triumph.
Star Dragon Outpost had achieved another victory, only a day after the last one.
The high frequency of battles led the soldiers of Star Dragon Outpost to mistakenly believe that they were still in a time of war between two countries, rather than an apocalypse where people were becoming increasingly scarce.
They had been in this place for over two years, and life had been pretty peaceful. Why had this group of Undead only been here for three or four days, and the fighting had never stopped?
The soldiers were confused and increased their patrols.
As for the final spoils of war, of course, they all belonged to Linde.
Not a single Undead had any objections. After all, the "story" was everything. These spoils would likely end up in a shop for them to buy later.
When you think about it that way, it's basically free loot.
"So, what rewards did we get for clearing this wild mob camp?"
"Does leveling up count?"
"I guess so, but it doesn't feel like enough."
"I think it's a hidden quest."
The Undead players whispered amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Linde, led by WhiteStockingsLover, saw three trembling, screeching Blood Lambs.
"Lord, don't let these little monsters' gross and disgusting looks, and their apparent weakness, fool you. They can actually tear off a person's arm and eat it raw!" WhiteStockingsLover, who was missing an arm, was in good spirits. "Plus, those guys were using these little monsters to make soup to increase their strength. You think we could farm them, too, and distribute the meat to the other Undead?"
Linde's eyes widened, and he looked at WhiteStockingsLover.
He realized the guy was asking completely seriously.
That's... pretty hardcore. Even if Linde knew that eating the Blood Lambs could temporarily increase strength and speed, it would also cause madness.
The Blood Lambs were clearly mutated freaks. Maybe they used to be people, maybe animals. The twisted nature of them was disturbing.
Linde could eat some mutated grain, but he would have a hard time eating a mutated freak. The madness from the two was completely different.
An Undead player eagerly tried, "Are we opening up livestock farming?"
"It's gotta be a berserk potion, I knew those wild mobs didn't just pop up out of nowhere. It's definitely to start a questline for us, giving us tool mobs to provide berserk potions and stuff."
"Blood Lambs are so cute. I want to raise one!"
Watching the eager Undead, Linde suddenly realized that letting them do their own thing might not be a bad idea.
"Undead, take care of the Blood Lambs, find food to feed them, and figure out how to breed them. Maybe you'll be able to get some of the Berserk Blood as compensation."
Linde: So, it's just livestock farming, huh? Bring it on.
There's no reason why I can't farm them if others can. Since Old Mand and his group could raise and eat them, that means they're reusable and have very little impact on the body. The biggest side effect is probably bursting and dying from the blood.
For the Undead, that penalty isn't too high.
"Is it really open?"
"All hail the Lord!"