Luckily, Wen Shi's choice turned out to be useful this time.
The notification sound was finally no longer routinely rejected.
"In the secret rivalry between the bride and the Earl, the castle's every dark night had hidden movements. Nobody knew that beneath these movements, another force was concealed. They were monsters struggling to survive in the gaps, treated like pests by the castle master, always crushed on sight. The bride saw them as sustenance, drawing energy from them to grow stronger."
"For survival, the monsters had to band together, using it to balance against the bride."
"Welcome to the Monster Alliance! Even though they welcome you, you are a treat in the eyes of monsters!"
"The main quest got updated. Player is reminded to check it out."
Wen Shi opened the panel and indeed saw a completely new main quest.
[Main Quest:
Counterattack of the Monster Alliance (Choose one to complete)
Optional Counterattack Objective 1: Revenge at the bottom of the food chain (within seven days, seal or kill the real bride).
Optional Counterattack Objective 2: Battle for the picture frame (they want to live in the frame that belong to the real bride, gaining the status of 'artwork').
The castle master wouldn't destroy his own creations, ensuring the monsters' safety from now on.
Quest reward: Blessing of the monsters.
Hint: Upon completing any of the objectives, the monsters will reveal a secret passage to help the player leave the castle.]
Blessing.
Upon seeing these two-syllable word, Wen Shi felt a leap in his heart, as if encountering the word "luck."
He discreetly glanced at the castle master.
The monsters wanted to completely deal with the real bride, but they didn't dare to harbor murderous intent towards the castle master, indicating that the latter's power was even stronger than imagined.
"What a hassle."
Who would consider cockroaches in their home as artwork? Getting the castle master to willingly allow the monsters into the picture frame was undoubtedly out of the picture. These two counterattack objectives was placing him in opposition to both the castle master and the real bride simultaneously.
Wen Shi's first consideration was how to obtain the picture frame.
Three ways: snatch, steal, deceive.
The first option was simply courting death, the second had only one chance, and once caught, it would definitely end in tragedy.
That left only deception.
However, the problem remained how to make a clean getaway after deceiving.
As Wen Shi attempted to sort out the logic, the castle master had already set down the cutlery.
"It's getting more enticing." The food brought by the guards didn't quite suit the castle master's taste, so he wasn't praising the steak on the plate this morning.
Wen Shi raised his head and saw an undisguised desire to indulge in eating in those eyes. He realized that the castle master refused his help not only because the real bride disliked him, but also because there was another hidden desire in the castle master: to kill him.
A regular player targeted by such a powerful boss would probably be frightened out of their wits.
Wen Shi remained calm because there was a more troublesome undead to deal with right now. This was an unpredictable time bomb. If the castle master wanted to kill him, he would at least follow the rules, but the undead wouldn't, and they could betray at any time, anywhere.
He continued to eat leisurely, then furrowed his brow.
When the castle master mentioned "enticing," he referred to the soul. The notification claimed that he was a delicacy in the eyes of monsters, but what did it mean? Wen Shi didn't consider it a good evaluation. He was now certain that when an NPC described something as enticing, it generally meant one thing: they wanted to kill you.
After dinner, Wen Shi went to the study.
The fluffy curtains swayed. Sensing the breeze passing by, he guessed it was Xie Tangyan.
"What's bothering you?" Xie Tangyan noticed he had something on his mind.
Wen Shi explained the faction matter in detail: "The picture frame and the bride are the monsters' top priorities to deal with, but now they seem to treat me as prey."
He emphasized the discomfort brought by that word "enticing."
After a brief pondering, Xie Tangyan asked, "Could it be that the word 'enticing' doesn't describe you?"
"Huh?"
"According to our earlier speculation, the host here suddenly used the word 'enticing' to describe you when I appeared. The monsters might have done the same," Xie Tangyan said, "Think carefully, when did they start paying attention to you?"
Wen Shi had very few interactions with the monsters, except for the first day when they were just chasing him normally.
He fell silent for a while, thinking of something, and suddenly his eyes brightened, "Big Sister, you're a genius! It's the undead."
Stripping away the facade of the instance's story background and looking at it from a more realistic perspective, there were no romantic factors in this instance at all.
Peng Lu mentioned that NPCs could be classified into six categories: Yin creatures, ordinary monsters, higher-level demons, malevolent creatures, evil spirits, and true spirits. The real bride far surpassed ordinary malevolent creatures, and if given more time, it might even evolve into an evil spirit.
The true spirit was capable of communicating with gods. The Earl definitely could not reach the level of a true spirit, so he must be an evil spirit.
If the real bride evolved into an evil spirit, she was highly likely to replace the Earl as the leader in this instance.
The quest mentioned that the real bride could absorb strength by devouring monsters. Surely, the monsters could also devour something to evolve.
The undead were higher-level demons and, in theory, could counter monsters, but these monsters were obviously not easy opponents. They could unite and even to some extent counter the real bride. Reversely, devouring the undead would probably be a piece of cake for them.
In simple terms, this was a food chain story of big fish eating small fish and ants uniting to devour an elephant.
The game served as a mediator, imposing restrictions on all parties while providing opportunities, allowing conflicts to occur in a relatively controlled manner.
Xie Tangyan saw the problem clearly and after finishing the analysis with determination, she said, "Then you can cultivate the undead well. They have great potential in the future."
If the speculation was true, the gap between monsters, higher-level demons, and malevolent creatures was not too large. As long as there were enough in number or had quite formidable weapons, they could overpower their opponents.
Wen Shi nodded. "The real bride may not like me, but she won't disregard mutual interests."
The monsters uniting pose an invisible threat to the real bride. Given the chance, she would eliminate them mercilessly. This gave him an opportunity to deal with the hidden danger of the undead potentially going berserk in their sleep.
"I have to talk to the real bride."
Xie Tangyan pulled out a book titled "Negotiation Techniques" from the bookshelf and handed it to him.
Wen Shi took it and casually picked up another book called "Self-Cultivation for Actors." He quickly flipped through it, then his eyes widened without warning, "Come on, crimson eyes."
Xie Tangyan: "..."
"Alright, veins popping out." The veins on his temple cooperated by pulsating.
"The final step, an unyielding and stubborn expression."
Catching Xie Tangyan's expression unintentionally, Wen Shi pondered and said, "Big Sister, you seem to be looking at an idiot."
Xie Tangyan turned away, avoiding his gaze for the first time, "You're mistaken."
Wen Shi practiced a few facial expressions and gestures that he might use later.
"Tonight, I have other arrangements."
Implicitly indicating he would act alone.
Xie Tangyan didn't stop him. "When you can't hold on, shout for help loudly."
Wen Shi nodded solemnly and went to the art studio alone.
In the quiet studio, he sat down for a few seconds, picked up a silver pen, and began to doodle on the canvas to pass the time.
Wen Shi's art style was highly abstract, with chaotic lines. Sometimes he applied force heavily, and other times he smeared large areas with shadows. However, what he painted were twisted monsters, vivid and lifelike.
By the time a bunch of monster figures leaped onto the paper, the sky had already darkened.
Evening was the playground for monsters, a consensus among players.
When the time was right, he started speaking to the air in the studio, "I know you're here. You're nostalgic but reluctant to come out and see me."
He made use of the clues provided by the notification without changing his expression.
"The monsters have formed a group. I can help you deal with the hidden danger."
The candle flame went out.
The temperature in the studio began to drop sharply. Wen Shi took out a flashlight. In the darkness, he became a living target.
There was no movement in the studio for a long time, as if time had stood still.
The scent of blood wafted to his nostrils, and the first thing Wen Shi sensed was the killing intent. Surprisingly, he relaxed a bit, as the real bride's appearance would make things much easier.
Wen Shi stated the reason for cooperation, "I turned the body taken last time into a Wandering Corpse. The monsters want to devour it, which is detrimental to me. If we cooperate, it's a win-win situation."
Peng Lu was killed by the real bride.
Wen Shi grew more excited as he spoke, almost dancing as he described the entire plan, then asked, "What do you think?"
He was certain that the real bride would agree. If the plan failed, it wouldn't affect him in any way.
A chilly wind blew, and the drawing paper mysteriously turned a page, revealing blood-red letters: Good.
With the answer he wanted, Wen Shi stood up and walked outside.
....
The corridor's lights remained as dim as ever.
As Wen Shi reached the dining room, the wall displayed chaotic black shadows, then twisted faces gradually "floated" out of the wall.
One of the faces almost approached Wen Shi's own.
In the dim glow, Wen Shi focused on the twisted face's eyebrows. Each monster had a uniquely beautiful organ mutation, and this face's eyebrows resembled distant mountains, making it much more pleasant to look at than its overall repulsive appearance.
Under the same faction, the monsters appeared voluntarily this time, not launching a direct attack on him like on the first night.
"Aaron…" The cold wall was the nest where the monsters resided. Apart from avoiding the area near the underground art studio due to fear of the real bride, they roamed every corner of the castle at night.
"Aaron, I am William."
[William. One of Aaron's friends. Not long ago, after a gathering, you both visited the gallery and met the castle master. You were invited as a psychologist. William was invited to attend the wedding.]
[Aaron, it hurts so much, please save me. I don't want to die."
[Katie. One of Aaron's friends. Not long ago, after a gathering, you both visited the gallery and met the castle master. Katie was invited to attend the wedding.]
"Save us."
[Catherine: One of Aaron's friends.]
...
Most of the people who died in the castle turned into monsters, and they were no exception.
"Aaron, come with…us. There's a secret passage in the castle that leads to…the attic."
The voice came in fragments, trying to convey a message to him.
"We want to live inside the picture frame."
"Don't let them crush us like cockroaches."
Wen Shi hesitated for a moment, "But you wanted to kill me before."
"My dear Aaron, we are being controlled by the devil, and our moments of clarity are brief."
Wow, was he really acting along with them?
"I see." Wen Shi swallowed and cautiously asked, "So, is there really a secret passage?"
"Of course. If we wanted to kill you, we would have done it already. Aaron, please save us."
Wen Shi strategically paused for three seconds.
The monsters played their biggest card, "If you want to leave this place, you can't do it without our help."
After pretending to hesitate, Wen Shi nodded, "Alright, take me to the secret passage, and I'll try to steal the picture frame for you."
On the third floor, there were hardly any lights at night.
Holding the lantern, Wen Shi stood in the middle of the corridor, but the limited light couldn't illuminate the path ahead. The wall's color changed, and the stone walls seemed covered in a thick layer of powder. Wen Shi vaguely smelled the stench of rotting flesh. The walls appeared like bloated, decomposing bodies.
He followed the monsters to the study and, as instructed, removed all the books from the shelf where "Beauty and the Beast" was located. As the last book was taken down, the shelf lightened. It automatically moved to both sides, revealing a hidden passage behind the wall.
A clever design. Even after staying here for so long with Luo Xiao last time, he didn't realize there was something behind that wall.
Before entering, he paused and said, "Everyone, follow closely. We don't want to be easily discovered."
There were no signs of the monsters leaving, but they symbolically moved back a bit.
Wen Shi stood at the entrance, hesitating, and lowered his demands, "You all want the picture frame too, right? None of us want to fail. William, Katie, Catherine…"
He listed the names of his old classmates one by one. "Just stick with me. I don't know the others, but everyone, please follow me. I… I'm a bit scared too."
Wen Shi usually resembled a thorny rose, resilient and dangerous. In reality, his appearance suited playing the role of a pitiful person, especially when his eyebrows drooped, showing his vulnerability.
The darkness couldn't hide the monsters' eyes. They were momentarily confused by the fragmented atmosphere.
The monsters whose names were mentioned had no objections.
But the other shadows inside the wall were unhappy. In an exaggerated posture, they twisted together. Wen Shi saw an exceptionally long and thin arm reaching out from a thin and elongated body, pulling at the heads of the monsters below, engaging in an odd struggle.
Before this conflict escalated into infighting, Catherine used her gentle voice to whisper something, achieving a brief compromise: half of the monsters stayed, while the other half accompanied Wen Shi.
Wen Shi started walking towards the secret passage, with monsters formed by his old classmates on both sides.
The passage was winding and gradually ascending, stretching quite a distance. Wen Shi stepped on something soft and sticky and looked down to find a mushroom.
It was quite damp all around. The monsters used the walls on both sides to move forward alongside him.
While Wen Shi was paying attention to the occasional mushrooms popping up, a slender black shadow emerged from the wall. The arm that had previously attacked its friend extended like soft clay, but this time it was heading for Wen Shi.
Wen Shi seemed unaware and continued walking.
Only when the shadow touched his neck did he react and dodged to the side, summoning the Wandering Corpse. As blood drained from him, Wen Shi's face and lips turned slightly pale, "My old classmates, what are you doing?"
"Fragrant."
The wandering shadows stared at him with eager eyes, but the fragrance they referred to was not the same as what the castle master mentioned.
After losing quite a bit of blood, the forcibly awakened Wandering Corpse finally appeared beside Wen Shi.
Wen Shi: "Good, now you're awake. Watch as Dad performs for you."
All the shadows instantly pounced, not at Wen Shi, but at the Wandering Corpse.
Wen Shi intentionally raised his voice as if he suddenly understood something and shouted angrily, "Ba—ards!"
He shielded the Wandering Corpse behind him and confronted the monsters.
As the monsters surrounded him from all sides, Wen Shi's handsome face displayed anger, "I promised to help you steal the picture frame, but you want to devour my friend!"
He ordered the Wandering Corpse to go back.
"Hand it over." The slender arm tightened around Wen Shi's neck.
Another arm from the other end grabbed Wen Shi's wrist. A shadow emerged from the ground, pulling his leg towards the wall, as if intending to tear him apart in this secret passage.
"I… will never betray… my friends." With his limbs seemingly about to be torn apart any second, Wen Shi endured the pain and spoke each word slowly.
[Wandering Corpse's loyalty to you +1]
[Wandering Corpse's rationality increases by 0.5]
"Aaron, you are too naive." Catherine's feigned sorrowful tone reached him. "After being a doctor for so long, you even treat that monster as your friend."
Yes, that's right, introduce me like that!
Wen Shi gritted his teeth and said, "I won't abandon, any one, of my friends."
[Wandering Corpse's loyalty to you +1]
[Wandering Corpse's rationality increases by 0.7]
Catherine's tone turned persuasive, "Aaron, hand over that thing, we are your true friends."
"No!" After another refusal, Wen Shi could barely speak. His throat was squeezed too tightly. His vocal cords were injured, causing him to emit only a whimpering sound like a young animal.
[Wandering Corpse's loyalty to you +2]
[Wandering Corpse's rationality increases by 0.8]
When it was dropping, it felt like riding a roller coaster, and when gaining points, it increased by a small increment. What was going on?
Even on the verge of death, Wen Shi didn't buy any items and tried to stop the shadows and run out to find Xie Tangyan for help.
Because it wasn't necessary. If these monsters wanted to kill him, they should have done it from the beginning, just like the first night they chased him, with a direct attack.
Now, killing him wouldn't help them steal the picture frame or devour the Wandering Corpse. It would all be in vain.
"Since you won't kill me…"
Despite suffocating, Wen Shi's face showed an unusual and cheerful smile. He mouthed, "Then, just wait to be killed."
The blood river silently flowed downward, submerging the mushrooms in its path. A graceful figure rose from the river, first reclaiming some blood, making the body more solid.
The monsters first noticed a paper knife, then the real bride standing in the blood river.
After a brief moment of astonishment, the shadows scattered in fear.
Wen Shi regained his breath.
The real bride wielded the paper knife with no expression on her face, one slash at a time. Her other hand wasn't idle either, as her bony fingers directly pulled out a shadow from the wall. The monsters were chopped into pieces like worms and swallowed into her belly.
The real bride didn't even blink as she continued to swing the paper knife.
"Aaron," the wounded monster cried out in pain, "You said you wouldn't abandon any friend. Save me!"
Disgusting.
Everything now was orchestrated by Wen Shi. Only a madman would try to stop it.
Despite his thoughts, he said, "When you wanted to harm my other friend, we were no longer friends."
Holding the lantern, Wen Shi looked indifferent as he watched the monsters being massacred, while opening a panel.
[Creature: Wandering Corpse
Current Rank: Advanced Monster, with a certain probability of transforming into a Corpse Guard.
Rationality Value: 3 (adequate loyalty can compensate for low rationality)
Loyalty: 5 (his loyalty to you is surprisingly not zero, he loves you a lot)
Summoning method: Blood summoning]