Pushing open the large door and walking into the Lin Manor, what greets him is a waft of decay.
Speaking of which, in recent years, the places he's active in Miracle World are the more northern Light City. It's indeed been a few years since he's visited the residences here in Celestial Destiny City.
Mainly because over at Light City, gaining battlefield merits and fighting Demon Race monsters is more convenient. Located at the center of the continent, far from the frontline battlefield, if it weren't for the final chapter where the Demon Dragon Emperor led his army to the World Tree, he may not have had the chance to come over.
"The weeds here are really exaggerated."
The estate, long untended, is overgrown with weeds, some of the tallest even peeping over the wall.
Lynn, who indeed has the money to hire someone to tidy up the house, finds himself "newly arrived" and doesn't know where to find cleaning ladies, so for now, he has to deal with it himself.
Anyway, he used to be mowing down monsters all the time with unrivaled prowess, can't say much about his other skills, but he's really good at mowing.
"Saint Emperor's Sword, I entrust... what the heck!"
Even though using the Holy Sword to mow grass might be overkill, Lynn, accustomed to using his exclusive weapon, promptly took the Saint Emperor's Sword from his Spatial Ring.
But before he really used the Holy Sword to cut grass, a fierce burning sensation erupted from his right hand grasping the sword, as though it were set aflame.
"Clang"
The sound of metal hitting the ground echoed, as the Saint Emperor's Sword, which Lynn cherished as a treasure and was the only one in the server, fell onto the dusty ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Is this... being rejected by it?
Lynn raised his right hand, now burnt crimson, gazing at the dust-covered Saint Emperor's Sword, his mind in a whirl.
This Saint Emperor's Sword has accompanied him for at least three years, through eastward conquests and southern campaigns, northern expeditions and battles, having endured countless fights, according to the game settings, it's his exclusive Divine Artifact, tied to him as the first player, almost like a part of his body, how could it suddenly reject him?
Moreover, this rejection is so violent, as if it harbors a deep-seated grudge, wanting to burn him alive.
"Something's not right..."
After a moment of silence, Lynn faintly sensed a certain taste; this kind of strong rejection is unfamiliar to him, yet strangely reminiscent of something seen somewhere...
"Saint Emperor's Armor!"
As he thought more, Lynn dug out another exclusive Divine Artifact he wore only once, the Saint Emperor's Armor. Before he even equipped it, the same burning sensation as before came again.
"Light Holy Sword!"
This was the weapon Lynn had at level 700, kept after prolonged use, and not to his surprise, this Holy Artifact-level weapon sought to burn him too.
"Staff of Judgment!"
This was the weapon Lynn used at level 500, a common piece of equipment, but became obsolete in subsequent updates, so Lynn kept one as a collector's item, and it, too, burned fiercely.
"Golden Sword!"
This was from an earlier period when Lynn hadn't become a Saint Tier powerhouse yet. Due to its glamorous design, Lynn kept one, but when wielding this golden longsword, the burning sensation didn't occur.
"Silver Bracelet!"
"Shadowless War Axe!"
"Dragon Soul Necklace!"
"Demon Slaying Armor!"
...
Afterwards, Lynn tried over a dozen kinds of equipment, not only weapons, but also other equipment of varying levels, from early collector's items to high-end gear above level 900.
Without exception, the latter equipment posed no issues, everything wore and used normally.
"Exactly, this feeling is similar to the increased damage I see on Demon Race while slaughtering them... really, only Light Element equipment reject me..."
After a series of trials, Lynn almost concluded it wasn't his exclusive Divine Artifacts rejecting him, but all light attribute equipment were opposing him.
"Am I damned turning into a demon? Why treat me this way!"
Looking at the spread of "old friends" and "new loves" on the ground, Lynn was indignant.
The Light Attribute specifically restrains Demon Race and demonized creatures, as well as Living-dead beings under the Undead series, but Lynn was quite certain he was alive. With a fresh face, how could he be a living-dead?
Then it was obvious; he must have been tainted with demonic aura.
In game settings, any normal creature has the possibility of being demonized, naturally including players.
But unlike locals who once demonized become demonized creatures entirely, players, being outsiders, can eject the demonization status after one death and return to normal.
While demonized, a player appears as a red name to all NPCs and players, hunted wherever they go. If they dare enter any city, system NPCs will attack them. If players coveting their gear or harboring grudges won't miss the chance, they'll team up with NPCs to slay them, sending them to revival.
There existed once a player at level 900 and Demigod Level who accidentally got demonized by the Greed Demon King. Unwilling to lose some Experience Points from dying and reluctant to risk equipment drop, he maintained red name status for quite a while without relief.
However, over time, his supplies became problematic; unable to return to the city for potions made it hard for him to level up in monster zones or tackle bosses for loot, even buying potions became a hassle requiring friends to bring some for him frequently, but endured people's annoyance over time.
Eventually, he couldn't hold on and traded valuable gear to friends before seeking someone to finish him off, losing some Experience Points for rebirth.
Lynn hadn't been demonized before, given players' outsider trait, making them less susceptible to Demonic Qi as long as they're cautious against Demon Race bosses.
Only the super bosses at the top tier have a substantial chance of demonizing players, with only seven such entities: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust among the Seven Great Demon Kings.
Uh, hold on... possibly World Boss Demon Dragon Emperor too? Otherwise, how to explain the demonization traces on him?
Uh, wait again... why isn't he a red name? He's encountered a bunch of system NPCs, even entered the Human Race main city, yet no one attacked him...
Then he's... actually not demonized?
Why then does light attribute equipment burn him?
No way I'm not demonized but naturally Evil Race, right? Native demon can disguise avoiding red name sneaking into races' cities for reconnaissance, only revealing identity in combat status.
I, Lynn, a dignified Human Race Saint Emperor, couldn't possibly be an Evil Race! Could I?...