Name: Yue Wu (Changeable Name)
Race: Human
Age: 17
Class: Priest
Affiliation: Ten Rings of Power
Strength: B+
Physique: SSS+
Endurance: SSS+
Magic Power: SSS+
Spirit: SSS+
Agility: S+
The current attribute interface was entirely different from the previous game interface. It no longer displayed raw data but rather a system of ranks.
As a Priest, Yue Wu’s Physique, Endurance, Magic Power, and Spirit were exceptionally high, even surpassing most elite Mages. While his Agility and Strength ranks were not low, for a Priest in the TEW game, possessing such attributes would make him an unstoppable mobile fortress—capable of tanking, healing, and dealing damage.
“What good are high attributes if most of my skills are for a Priest? I only have a few low-level Mage skills! If I had known I’d transmigrate, I should have learned all the magic at the Mage Association. How frustrating!”
“Ten Rings of Power… just you wait! I’ll make our guild’s name famous in this world!”
“I wonder if this world’s settings are the same as in the game? Logically, they should be, or perhaps it’s a progression of the storyline.”
“Let’s go! From now on, I am Yue Wu from the game, not Yue Wu from reality.”
“Time to move out.”
Though the map function was absent, having equipment and skills was more than enough. A Priest’s skills inflicted damage on both regular monsters and bosses in dungeons.
This particular dungeon belonged to the European Continent, and its monsters were predominantly vampires and werewolves. For Yue Wu, a max-level Priest, these creatures were utterly trivial. Two simple skills, Purify and Holy Light Orb, were all he needed to dominate the area.
“Human, wait.”
Just as Yue Wu prepared to rise from the throne and depart, a deep voice echoed from behind it.
“Who’s there?”
Yue Wu paused, momentarily abandoning his intention to leave. He strode directly behind the throne, intent on investigating before making his exit. Upon rounding the throne and seeing the source of the voice, Yue Wu froze.
“H-human, y-you don’t even bow before this King? H-how truly audacious.”
In a shadowy corner behind the throne stood a disheveled little girl. She had small demon horns and appeared to be only six or seven years old. The moment her eyes met Yue Wu’s, the little girl sensed the immense magical power radiating from him, along with an overwhelming pressure from his attributes, causing her voice to tremble uncontrollably.
“A King? Demon horns, crimson beast eyes, an unhealthy pale complexion… these are indeed the traits of a Demon King. But wasn’t the Demon King here a male demon? And that Demon King was defeated long ago. How could you be the Demon King? Little kid, stop messing around. Go on, shoo, shoo.”
Yue Wu scrutinized the little girl for quite some time before drawing his conclusion. Although she certainly resembled a Demon King, Yue Wu had seen the official game information for this dungeon’s Demon King boss, and all its details had been publicly released. Furthermore, he sensed no danger from her, so he decisively dismissed her claims.
Yue Wu remained completely oblivious to his max-level status. In other words, he was currently the most powerful individual in this world. Even if the Demon King of this dungeon were truly resurrected, facing Yue Wu would result in an instant, overwhelming defeat.
“I’m not talking to you anymore, little girl. Are you lost? Do you need me to take you home?”
“Human, how do you know m-my name?”
“Name? You’re called ‘little girl’?”
“‘Loli’ is my name.”
“Soga! Then I’ll take you home.”
Without waiting for her consent, Yue Wu simply scooped the little girl into his arms. She struggled for a moment in his embrace but couldn’t break free from his grasp, eventually giving up.
“Little girl, which way do you think leads out?”
In truth, Yue Wu had forcefully carried the little girl because, without a map, he was completely lost in the dungeon. Thus, this indigenous resident served as an excellent navigational guide.
“Human, do not be so arrogant! Even if your strength is great, you cannot bully this King like this!”
The little girl continued to resist Yue Wu’s authority.
“Who said I was bullying you? I’m just taking you back. It’s very dangerous here, really. You have to believe me.”
Yue Wu said with a shameless chuckle.
“…”
The little girl didn’t believe Yue Wu’s words at all, or rather, she didn’t even bother to listen.
“Human.”
The little girl finally gave up her resistance and pointed the way for Yue Wu. After a long while, she spoke again.
“What is it, little girl?”
Yue Wu held the little girl with his left arm, while his right hand wielded his staff, effortlessly casting Purify and Holy Light Orb to eradicate vampire bats, low-level vampires, and low-level werewolves.
“Why do I sense an incredibly evil aura emanating from you?”
Throughout their journey, the little girl had been deeply curious about the profoundly evil aura she sensed from this suddenly appearing human. It was an evil far more terrifying, even despair-inducing, than that of the Demon Realm’s supreme rulers.
“Oh, are you talking about the mark on my body?”
Yue Wu answered the little girl’s question without a moment’s thought.
“A mark? I sense a very strong evil aura from you.”
The little girl had never heard of a “mark” as Yue Wu described it. She shook her head, reiterating her confusion to Yue Wu.
“That is the Mark of Worldly Evil, the mark on my back.”
“Can I see it?”
“You want to see it? There’s nothing special to look at; it’s quite ugly.”
“Let me see it!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll show you, I’ll show you. Don’t get so agitated.”
Faced with the little girl’s impatience, Yue Wu finally agreed to let her see the mark on his back, the Mark of Worldly Evil.
Yue Wu set the little girl down, then turned his back to her and removed his top, revealing what lay beneath. It was a mark that nearly covered his entire back, with intricate, twisting lines that seemed to form no discernible pattern—in a word, chaotic. The lines were jumbled, yet they did nothing to diminish the intensity of the evil aura.
“Th-this… what kind of curse is this?! Even our supreme rulers would likely be unable to create such a curse.”
The little girl was utterly astonished upon seeing the mark on Yue Wu’s back.
“This is a world-class mark, pretty amazing, right? Out of the ten of us back then, they all let me have this thing.”
Yue Wu recalled the scene when he acquired the Mark of Worldly Evil. If it weren’t for the restriction of equipping only two marks per person, and their unremovable binding, he might not have obtained it. The Mark of Worldly Evil granted Yue Wu incredibly powerful abilities in the game: immunity to all dark-element attacks and negative debuffs. Moreover, it amplified his own negative debuff effects, transforming him from a mid-tier player into a top-tier one.
“Humans truly are abhorrent, sacrificing one of their own.”
The little girl suddenly felt sympathy for Yue Wu. Such a world-class curse was not something just anyone, not even a god, could easily bear.
“Did you say something?”
Yue Wu hadn’t quite caught what the little girl had said.
“No, human.”
“Hmm?”
“Would you consider forsaking humanity and becoming a demon?”
“Why?”
“Because humans are a selfish and treacherous race. Our demon brethren have suffered countless atrocities at their hands, and humans constantly proclaim us to be the most evil race, harboring ambitions to dominate the entire world. If you were to return to the human faction now, and their powerful individuals discovered the evil aura on you, they would execute you. So, would you join the demon race? We are not as other races portray us; we have always yearned for peace, but other races simply forbid it.”
“Relax, relax~! It’ll be fine.”
Watching the little girl grow increasingly agitated, Yue Wu put his top back on, turned around, and placed his hand on her head.
‘It feels so nice to touch~!’
This was Yue Wu’s thought as he stroked the little girl’s hair.
“Hmph! I won’t bother with you. Don’t come crying to me if humans end up killing you. I won’t save you then!”
The little girl slapped Yue Wu’s hand away and turned her head, refusing to look at him.
“You’re such a tsundere, aren’t you?”
Yue Wu chuckled. He felt a strong fondness for this tsundere and willful little girl, unconsciously treating her like a younger sister. He felt a pang of regret, knowing they would have to part once they left the dungeon.
“Tsundere? What’s that?”
The little girl didn’t know what ‘tsundere’ meant. She turned her head to look at Yue Wu, asking curiously.
“Tsundere is tsundere. Mm, that’s right, tsundere is tsundere.”
Yue Wu shamelessly explained, completely unaware of what he was actually explaining.
“Humans truly are evil!”
The little girl huffily turned away, ignoring Yue Wu.
“Here, this is a little welcome gift from me.”
At this, Yue Wu retrieved something from his Gate of Babylon-like spatial storage.
“What is it?”
The little girl turned, and her eyes widened in astonishment when she saw what Yue Wu held.
“This is called the Heart of the Progenitor. It will be very helpful to you. It’s yours.”
Yue Wu presented a necklace. It was a Saint-tier artifact he had dropped from a boss before his transmigration. He had checked its effects and found it useless for himself, but it would be incredibly beneficial for a little girl with vampire blood. Thus, Yue Wu directly placed the necklace around her neck.
“I won’t be swayed just because you gave me a gift! And even if humans really come to hunt you down, I still won’t save you, hmph!”
At Yue Wu’s actions, the little girl’s face instantly flushed crimson, and she bowed her head, too shy to look at him.
“Alright, let’s go. Which way now?”
Yue Wu, oblivious to the little girl’s change, simply picked her up again and continued on their way.
“That way.”
The little girl stammered, pointing a finger in a direction.
“Can you tell me your name?”
When they were only a few dozen meters from the dungeon exit, the little girl looked up, her face slightly flushed, and asked Yue Wu.
“Yue Wu. Just call me Yue Wu.”
“My name is Lori. Lori Dim Zhixiu Te.”
Yue Wu glanced at her, realizing she was correct; her name was indeed Lori, similar to ‘loli’. He saw a virtual overlay above Lori’s head displaying her name and her race.
Vampire!
Lori was a pure-blooded vampire.
“How old are you?”
Perhaps Yue Wu had simply asked out of curiosity upon discovering Lori was a vampire, but his casual question made her face flush even deeper.
‘W-what should I do! Is he… is he going to swear allegiance to me?’
‘Should I… should I accept him?’
‘But he’s human, and humans have such short lifespans.’
‘What to do? I… I think I’m falling for him.’
‘Maybe… maybe I can just turn him into a vampire later.’
‘Yes, that’s decided.’
Lori was utterly stunned by Yue Wu’s question, her mind racing with frantic thoughts about what to do next.
“Alright, we’ve reached the exit. I’m leaving now. Let’s say our goodbyes here.”
Yue Wu didn’t understand why Lori blushed whenever she saw him. In his eyes, Lori was just a little girl. Perhaps, he thought, being carried like this might be awkward for a girl, or for women in this world. So, upon reaching the exit, Yue Wu gently set Lori down and bid her farewell.
“Ah! So soon? Isn’t it just here? I can take you to live in the Demon Realm; life there is no worse than among humans.”
After Yue Wu released her, Lori looked at him with reluctance. She genuinely hoped he would stay and live with her, not wanting him to be discovered by humans with the curse he bore.
“Thanks, but if I really can’t make it, I’ll come find you.”
Yue Wu was grateful for Lori’s invitation to the Demon Realm, but he yearned to experience adventure in this new world. Having transmigrated, he couldn’t simply live a quiet life; he had to seize this opportunity. Exploring the world was a man’s true romance.
“Alright then. I’ll wait for you to come find me in the Demon Realm.”
Though Lori said this aloud, her true thoughts remained unknown, but one hand tightly clutched the item Yue Wu had given her.
“Then I’m off. And make good use of what I gave you. Goodbye, little girl.”
Before leaving, Yue Wu gently patted Lori’s head, smiling as he bid her farewell.
“He truly is the one I’ve chosen. I will cherish this token forever, always!”
Standing at the exit, Lori watched his figure gradually shrink in the distance, a blissful smile gracing her face, as if she were utterly entranced.