Death Knight.
Nol had almost overlooked this possibility. Both NPCs and Players shared a set of achievement systems. "Ruthless Tyranny" was an achievement that Players could attain, while "Harbinger of Death" was a title only NPCs might obtain. It was often born from brutal wars or from the dreadful seas of monsters.
There were no wars in "Tahe" nor were there environments designed as seas of monsters for Players. This achievement was pre-prepared, intended to be given to NPCs during some major events—a super high-level magic attack, a massive explosion, and so on.
The achievement didn't merely increase attack power. It merged with the acquirer's profession, giving birth to a special job direction. And for the basic profession of "Knight", the corresponding was "Death Knight". It sounded very much like a profession that should appear on an enemy boss.
"The most distinctive feature of the Death Knight is to turn the enemies they and their teammates have defeated into undead puppets, forming a Death Knight team in a short time."
Nol's eyes shone, looking almost as excited as the kiss he had just received.
If an average knight Player obtained this job change, they would probably experience both pain and joy. After all, knights leaned towards the light faction. When they used a light-based skill, they could demonstrate to the enemy how to "instantly evaporate my teammates".
However, Teest had no such concern. The Fallen Knight's skills had nothing to do with the word "light", making it a perfect match.
"It doesn't seem that special." Teest leaned against the bed, sat down on the floor, and mumbled, "We have plenty of undead creatures. You summon them all the time. Sharing some with me would be the same."
He seemed picky even when he got such a valuable profession.
Nol sat back on the bed and looked down at him. "If I shared them with you before, I would have had to split my attention to control them. Now I don't have to, understand?"
Teest hummed, "I don't understand."
From his tone, he was definitely doing it on purpose.
Nol sighed. He subconsciously wanted to play with Teest's long hair. He stretched out his hand but paused and withdrew it, feeling the gesture might be too ambiguous.
"The Death Knight's specialty relies on two skills: [Necrotic Conversion [Short-term]] and [Necrotic Dominion]." Nol gently explained, "The former allows the Death Knight to temporarily turn the enemies they kill into 'friendly' undead, while the latter allows them to command these 'friendly' undead creatures."
At first glance, there seemed to be no issue, but there was a clever loophole.
"I'm your teammate. In principle, the undead I summon would also be considered your 'allies'." Nol smiled.
He clapped his hands, and a skeleton bird flew in from the window. It obediently perched on Nol's finger. Nol extended his hand toward Teest. "…Try it."
Teest stared into the hollow eyes of the skeleton bird. The next moment, a strange black light flashed, and the bird tilted its head, then hopped onto Teest's shoulder.
It sat there stiffly, like a specimen.
"You can familiarize yourself with how the skill works," Nol said, relieved, feeling like he had safely deposited money into a bank.
The bird squatted on Teest's shoulder for a while, then fluttered up and landed behind Nol.
"What about you?" it asked in a clear voice.
Nol was startled by this sudden change and almost slid off the bed's edge. He quickly turned around, staring at the swaying skeleton bird. Teest remained silent with his eyebrows raised.
"It's just ventriloquism, best used to deceive targets," it said disdainfully. "So what about you, honey? What profession will you change into?"
"I'm not changing professions for now," Nol replied.
Teest momentarily relaxed his control, and the bird did a split, sitting down on the soft bed.
"What, not changing professions?" Teest said in his own voice, his eyebrows raised high.
"The previous me might have immediately changed into the 'Undying Priest'. Some of its skills aren't suitable for me, but it's the quickest choice to become stronger. Now I'm not so…in a hurry," Nol said with a hint of self-mockery in his voice.
Undying Priest was the only current job direction for a Lich.
It was a profession that emphasized survival, with most of its skills providing various survival buffs. For the cursed Nol, this kind of enhancement was almost negligible. And with Teest having the Death Knight profession, his means of self-preservation had increased considerably, so there was no need for Nol to worry.
There weren't many opportunities to change professions. Perhaps he should wait for a chance. Just like Teest did, seeking out a way to gain more special powers.
Teest looked up at Nol, and the skeleton bird flapped its wings, flying right in front of Nol's nose.
Nol cleared his throat. "Do you have any opinions to share, little bird?"
Before he could finish, the skeleton bird scattered into pieces. A hand reached out in front of Nol's chest, catching the tiny bones.
"I wanted to say goodnight, Nol."
Teest stretched his back in this position. "Such a long journey, you indeed need to rest well."
"Yes, such a long journey." Nol looked out of the window again. The outside was almost completely shrouded in darkness, which strangely comforted him.
"Goodnight, Teest."
...
"Can't sleep?" Malvina—Uncle Ma leaned by the guest room window, aimlessly wiping the glass with his fingertip.
The current succubus queen lay on the bed, staring at the empty wall opposite her. She nodded slowly.
Uncle Ma sighed. "During the day, you were chattering non-stop, I thought you were alright. There are still many succubi outside who want to see you, you know."
"I need a little more… time to adjust before facing the tribe," Queen Wilimina said softly. "Thank you, soul from another world."
After the truth of the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was revealed, the tragic story of the succubi didn't have the so-called "happy ending".
The elder succubi, led by Adonis, were understanding, but some young succubi born in harsh environments weren't satisfied—they believed that Hyacinth was thoroughly deceived by humans. They should have fought fiercely instead of starving pitifully.
Those Nightmares weren't that terrifying; a few outsiders wiped them out completely. Even if those few were strong, couldn't they have managed too?
If it weren't for the queen's initial prohibition, perhaps they would have found a way out long ago.
And for generations, the rulers fell into madness merely because of the effect of "being loved". It was inconceivable. There must be an issue with the heir selection mechanism, or perhaps there was a vicious curse on the "A Midsummer Night's Dream" they haven't discovered yet.
The tribe was starving. How could the queen be bothered with such trivial matters?
As a queen who "cared about these trivial matters", Wilimina had just freed herself from a distorted obsession when she faced sharp criticism. Malvina was the first to react, directly bringing her into the guest room to ensure her surroundings were quiet.
It all felt eerily familiar.
Looking at those young succubi, Ma Zhigang felt as if he were looking at his younger self—when he impatiently interrupted his daughter's plea, he probably had a similar expression.
"Don't take the rash words of those kids to heart," Uncle Ma said. "I don't think there's anything wrong with you. If you were really that obstinate, you would've despised me long ago. If an unknown person revived using my daughter's body, I wouldn't be able to stand it. Really, if you aren't rational, I can't imagine who would be."
The queen gave a weak smile.
"It's alright," she said. "Adonis and the others will help mediate. What concerns me more is… I wasn't clear-headed initially. I shouldn't have said those words to that person."
There was still worry deep in her eyes.
Uncle Ma sighed.
When he came in, the most agitated group was already questioning the queen's decision to surrender to the Lost Tower. They believed she wasn't strong or clear-headed enough; that she was appeasing Nol, a human of unknown origins.
At this point, if someone were to stir things up, the succubi would split on their own. Having once dealt with street thugs in his youth, Ma Zhigang had seen this situation many times.
That Teest was definitely not a simple character.
But aside from hoping he didn't have ulterior motives, they couldn't do much. The queen's response had been adequate. If worse came to worse, he'd go and plead with Xu Yue…
"Will you stay?"
As Uncle Ma pondered, the queen suddenly asked. Her voice was mixed with the crackling of burning wood, almost drowned by the flames.
Where else can I go? Just as Uncle Ma was about to reply, he realized that might not be what the queen was asking.
"Do you understand your daughter now?" she whispered. "…Will you stay afterward?"
For the first time, Uncle Ma looked outside the window. Dawn was approaching. The lower half of the view was a pitch-black forest, while the sky above started to turn cyan, which was quite beautiful.
On the day his daughter jumped off the building. Perhaps she saw a similar sky.
She didn't stay for it.
"I've understood that I can 'never truly understand her'." Uncle Ma coughed twice. "Didn't your queen say? Even if life is tough, at least being alive means there's a chance for change."
Gazing at the gradually brightening sky, his voice turned hoarse. "Like her, she couldn't bear it anymore, so she left first. I can still bear it… so I'll just take it one step at a time."
"I'll definitely stay here," he finally said. "With what Xiao Xu did, my gatekeeper job isn't over yet."
...
"It's almost dawn," Solo said with a hint of unease in his voice as he turned away from the window.
"It's almost dawn." Anakin took a deep breath.
Soon, they would witness the liveliest Player assembly in the history of the Tahe Continent.
Previously, to avoid arousing suspicions from special NPCs and for self-protection, top-tier Players seldom met collectively. Most preferred to focus on their own development and let lower-level members handle communications.
But now, with the server-wide announcement, everyone had to gather. This meeting included all the top and middle-tier Players, totaling over a hundred.
The Homeward Saints, Amazon, and Hermitage. The three major guilds in the game were all present.
In the nearly three months since they came to this world, Players had relatively rationally distributed their power—
The Homeward Saints was a pure combat guild. Utilizing supplies from the Temple of Life, everyone focused solely on leveling up and acquiring abilities.
Its leader was the famous professional Player "Hot Ash". Most members were also professional or amateur Players with good combat instincts.
Amazon was also a pure combat guild, but all its members were women.
The leader of Amazon, "Dorothy", was a corporate executive. She was skeptical of the Temple of Life's selfless aid and took away more than 80% of the female Players. Just because someone was good at the game didn't mean they had good character. Since the "intimate protection contact" function stopped working, several severe incidents occurred among Players.
Top-tier Players respected her decision. This way, even if the Temple of Life turned against them, the primary fighting power of the Players wouldn't be wiped out all at once.
Together with the non-combat guild "Hermitage", led by the university professor "Mentor", these were the Players' main supports.
While Anakin was nominally a member of the Saints, in reality, she represented Amazon and could be considered middle-tier. She focused intently as she entered the guild channel.
Upon confirming attendance, countless Player faces filled the room. Solo carefully moved out of the video frame and listened closely.
Most screens were palm-sized, with innumerable Player faces floating in the air.
In the center of the room were three screens, each the size of a 55-inch TV, showing the upper bodies of the three leaders.
"Hot Ash" was fully wrapped in armor, yet it was evident he was a young male with a standard physique.
He was of the rare "Blazing Knight" profession. Anakin had heard rumors that Hot Ash was preparing for his third profession advancement.
"Let's get straight to the point," Hot Ash said. "The announcement seems like a main storyline event. We've killed a lot of the Demon King's minions in the Desolation Island recently, which might have triggered the plot."
"The game developers probably want to do something like 'Facing the Demon King and uniting the Tahe races'—involving religious forces, the royal army, and perhaps monster forces—something like that?"
"It's better not to jump to conclusions so quickly. The world doesn't revolve around us," Dorothy, with her mature middle-aged female avatar, spoke gently but assertively. Her face was adorned with a unique mask that only Berserkers had. She had her arms crossed, which were covered with dark red tattoos.
"We should first make contact with Paradise and see the situation there. If we always think in terms of game mechanics, our thinking will be limited."
"I agree. Killing the Demon King to return is also a very gamified way of thinking," Mentor gently interjected. He spoke with a deep, refined voice and wore the long gray robe of the "Sage" healing class, with a veil covering his face and long gray hair tied back.
When opposed by two people, Hot Ash showed no anger. "Have you made any new discoveries on your side?"
"People studying geology and archaeology have been investigating the land," Mentor said calmly. "All I can say is that this world is much more real than we imagined."
"We discussed a similar issue last time. Let's discuss such matters in private." Hot Ash quickly shifted the topic. "The AI nowadays is far more advanced than we thought. Our topic right now is that server-wide announcement—there's no such thing as a server-wide announcement in the real world."
Mentor merely hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"The statement from the Temple of Life contradicts the announcement, doesn't it?" Dorothy smoothly took over. "We've also encountered those talkative monsters before but didn't capture any. The priest's explanation then was a conspiracy of the Eternal Church… What are they saying now?"
"To those religious fanatics, even stepping in shit outside is the conspiracy of the Eternal Church," Hot Ash said with a bitter smile. "They haven't said anything yet. They're probably concocting a more convincing explanation."
Good thing members of the Temple of Life weren't present. This hardly sounded like something a "Saint" would say. Anakin couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
"Okay, I vote for 'contact as soon as possible'," Dorothy said straightforwardly. "Whether we end up as enemies or allies after making contact, we need to reach out first, and the sooner, the better. Whether it's the Temple's NPCs or those Demons from the Church, any of them might play tricks."
Even through the mask, Anakin could feel the weight of the woman's gaze.
Hot Ash decisively responded, "The fanatics are watching, so the Saints should avoid being too involved. If you receive any related quests, please ensure transparency. We won't contest the rewards, and we can draft a contract later."
"Okay. My people will directly make contact. Mentor's side should look for those talkative monsters. His people are more discreet," Dorothy said.
Suddenly, her voice became louder. "This matter isn't a joke. I hope no one has ulterior motives. Even if the reward is a divine artifact, every bit of information that should be public cannot be missed. If anyone is found withholding information, Amazon will forever deny all protection."
"Same goes for the Saints." Hot Ash shrugged. "Once we have a clearer picture, everyone can be free, but not now. Every clue in the early stages might be critical."
Mentor gently nodded. "So, we've decided to disclose all this to all middle- and top-tier Players. Please manage your teams well… You can opt out, but please don't hinder the process."
Other attendees were muted. Anakin could only see them turning to something off-screen, speaking silently. She felt sweat trickling down her spine. Indeed, the decision she had made wasn't an easy one.
At this moment, she was essentially a traitor.
The Master of Paradise was an Earthling, not an NPC. Those talkative monsters were also their compatriots. They… They didn't enter this world through a game. This world might not be a "game".
By reporting this, she could rest easy. Even if the truth caused chaos, the big shots wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Sister…" Solo's voice trembled a bit. "Seeing how rational the leaders are, should we just…?" He hesitated and didn't finish.
Anakin knew he was scared. Her cousin was just a college freshman.
In this unknown world, being abandoned by the three major guilds was scarier than death. Moreover, the leaders' requests were reasonable. By keeping secrets, they might come off as arrogant and foolish.
Anakin interlocked her hands, realizing her palms were sweaty.
On the screen, the three leaders were still discussing, their voices overshadowed by a piercing ringing in her ears.
"For the sake of the Players, we must coordinate our relationship with Paradise." She heard herself say, her voice raspier than ever. "Before making a decision, I think we should meet Xu Yue first."