Chapter 21: The Corpse-Eating Fish King and the Demonic Possession

Dachun, currently submerged in the water, felt the ripples suddenly intensify as hundreds of red-named players swarmed into the trench.

Dachun’s heart tightened; this formation clearly meant the main team had arrived! Although they were obviously poor swimmers, their team coordination would completely crush these ordinary players. He didn't have much time left; even if he had to dig with his bare hands, he had to unearth some bricks to bury his loot.

Just then:

—System Prompt: Abnormal fluctuations detected in the sewer current. You hear a strange sound.

A boss? Whether a boss arrival brings fortune or misfortune is unpredictable; everything now depends on the power of this relic.

A flash of red light exploded before Dachun's eyes:

—System Prompt: You have triggered the sewer event involving poison bait and are carrying a special item, causing the hidden sewer boss "Corpse-Eating Fish King" to appear!

—Black Iron Pioneer City Announcement: Player "Dachun" has triggered the city's hidden boss, "Corpse-Eating Fish King"! A speed-kill of the Corpse-Eating Fish King will yield generous rewards.

...

Holy crap, I actually made the broadcast! What special item am I carrying?

The next moment, a massive black shadow appeared.

—System Prompt: Warning! Your Purification skill has detected a powerful tainted entity. The Aura of Might is activated; your attack priority has been downgraded.

At this moment, the players in the water scrambled to climb onto the banks in terror. Those who failed to reach safety were instantly decimated in swathes, leaving the trench filled with grey corpses.

Soon, only Dachun remained in the water. Others could reach the shore, but for him, climbing out meant certain death. He had to gamble that the beast would ignore him to feed on the King Dog’s corpse!

A red light exploded before Dachun’s eyes: —System Prompt: Warning! You have been locked onto by the Corpse-Eating Fish King!

Dachun felt his heart turn cold...

The shadow let out a ghostly wail and lunged at him. Dachun could see its massive, gaping maw!

Dachun instantly remembered the King Dog’s giant mouth. Back then, he had medicine to offer; now... he only had the spike collar. Fine, he would feed it a spike collar and gamble his life on it!

Dachun met the charge head-on, aiming straight for its throat with a diving header—then darkness! A crunching sound of bone breaking echoed in his ears.

—System Prompt: Your neck was subjected to the "Corpse-Eating Fish King's" biting attack. The King Dog’s spike collar is immune to damage! It triggers 4.6x melee reflection damage and deals a fatal piercing blow to the Fish King’s brain!

—System Prompt: Congratulations! You have solo-killed the "Corpse-Eating Fish King." Speed-kill record: 12 seconds. Kill rating: SSS! You have obtained the S-rank pet "Fish King Pet Egg." You have earned the achievement "Black Iron Heroic Citizen VIP 2" and can claim a reward of 2,000 mineral coins at the City Lord’s Mansion.

—System Prompt: Congratulations! You have leveled up to Level 8. Attack +8, Health +8, Stamina +8, Weight Capacity +8.

—Black Iron Pioneer City Announcement: Congratulations! Level 4 player Dachun has solo-killed the city's hidden boss, "Corpse-Eating Fish King." Speed-kill record: 7 seconds. Kill rating: SSS! Reward: S-rank "Fish King Pet Egg." Achievement unlocked: "Black Iron Royal City Honorary Citizen VIP 2"!

...

Holy crap, that actually worked? A one-shot kill on a boss that drops an S-rank pet!!

Dachun was deliriously happy at this miraculous turnaround. However, pets are considered equipment and must be insured, otherwise, they could be smashed into an egg and dropped upon death. Given his current "red-name" situation where everything he carries drops upon death, he had no choice but to summon the pet and fight his way through—

But at that moment, a strange wail echoed from the Fish King’s corpse, and a red light exploded before Dachun's eyes again:

—System Prompt: Warning! You killed the Corpse-Eating Fish King, releasing the evil spirit trapped within its belly. Your soul is incomplete, and your mental resistance failed. You have been possessed by an evil spirit. You have lost control of your body. You have gained the possession skill "Ghostly Dance."

Ghostly Dance: A dance that causes various discomforts to others.

...

The reversal left Dachun stunned. There was an evil spirit in the fish's belly? The fortune-telling hag was right; he had been possessed!

At this moment, Dachun’s gaming device flickered as if struck by lightning. The screen was a distorted mess, and his ears were filled with the wailing of the spirit!

Calm down!

Dachun realized the wail was a female voice! Recalling the "Ghostly Dance" and the previous prompt about carrying a special item—Dachun suddenly realized that his only special items were the dance costume and the diary. Could this spirit be the owner of the diary? So, the master had dealt with the dead dancer by throwing her into the sewer to be eaten by this fish! She must have appeared because she detected he was carrying her remains!

Having guessed her identity, Dachun immediately tried to soothe her: "Calm down, think of your mother, your sister. You are the hope of your family! I'm here to save you!"

The wailing did not stop!

Dachun panicked. What was her sister's name? Amy!

"Think of Amy! Amy!! I can still save your whole family!"

Still nothing! As an evil spirit, love probably wouldn't move her—only vengeance?

Dachun went all in: "I can also take revenge for you, against that Count Ramier-Khan who killed you—"

The wailing stopped instantly. A cold, sharp female voice demanded: "Take revenge for me?"

It worked! But this meant making an enemy of the Count...

Dachun felt extremely helpless: "Yes! So let’s work together. Don't control me and hurt me."

The voice sneered: "I’ve seen plenty of men like you! You’ll promise anything just to play along. Why would I believe you?"

Dachun immediately tried to build a connection: "No, I have someone I love who might have taken that same poison, and I have to save her! Her name is Vivian; she's a well-known dancer in the city. Do you know her?"

The voice sneered with disdain: "That bitch who’s trying every trick to squeeze into high society?"

Holy crap!

—System Prompt: Warning! You have held your breath for too long and are about to drown. You must surface for air.

Dachun was frantic. He tried flattering her again: "You did it for your family; your level of maternal love is something she could never compare to!"

The spirit continued to sneer: "You’re about to drown!"

Dachun had only one pathetic trick left: "Your status is high, please, spare me!"

The spirit laughed aloud: "I can spare you, but remember everything you said!"

—System Prompt: Warning! The evil spirit Eliane demands a soul contract. You must periodically complete Eliane’s tasks to end the possession. Once the contract is established, you will gain Eliane’s ability buffs, and it will be difficult to expel her using exorcism rituals. Please choose carefully!

She was holding him hostage!

Normally, if a player dies, they die, but he couldn't afford to die, especially in front of the big guilds—Accept!

—System Prompt: You have entered a soul contract with the evil spirit Eliane. You have regained control of your body. Your "Death Weakness" status is beginning to recover.

So, the possession was necessary to fill his empty body and recover from the weakness. It was worth it!

With that, the game device began to flash with blurry images of mansions and courtyards until it returned to normal. Dachun, having regained his sight, immediately used all his strength to burst out of the water!

—System Prompt: Congratulations! You have set a new record for holding your breath underwater. Your muscle memory has successfully recalled the basics of Beginner Swimming Level 1. You have gained an additional achievement reward: Talent Skill "Diving Mastery," Health +1.

Diving Mastery: Talent Skill. Your breath-holding time is increased, and you can further improve your swimming proficiency.

Holy crap, I actually learned a talent!

Looking at the players nearby who were stunned into silence, Dachun could imagine how shocked they must be! He continued the operation that had been interrupted.

—System Prompt: You have used the Fish King Pet Egg and obtained a Level 1 Fish King Pet. You may name your pet for free once. You have acquired your first pet. Achievement reward: Health +10, Stamina +10. You have unlocked the Level 1 Pet Equipment Slot and Pet Storage Space. The Level 1 Pet Equipment Slot can only deploy one pet; it can be upgraded to Level 2 after the player reaches Level 10.

Level 1 Fish King Pet: Attack 50, Defense 10, Health 500, Attack Speed 5, Water Movement Speed 10, Land Movement Speed 3, Stamina 200. Hunger: 0. Combat Special: Lacerate and Bleed. Passive Special: Fish King’s Aura. Production Special: Automatic Foraging. S-Rank Special: Evolution.

—System Prompt: Congratulations! You have acquired your first S-rank pet. Achievement reward: Health +50, Stamina +50. Pets can increase their level through combat or by being kept at the main city's pet training grounds. S-rank pets can evolve. Pets cannot exceed the player's level.

—System Prompt: Please pay attention to your pet's hunger level; if it exceeds 50, its stats will decrease. Summoning or recalling a pet takes a few seconds of channel time; be sure to prepare before combat.

...

Dachun was overjoyed. It was a little amphibious crocodile! It came with its own aura; it truly lived up to the 3S rating!

The key was that he was currently lacking stamina, and the two achievements alone added 60! Not to mention the pet's defense of 10, which meant it was immune to the melee attacks of Level 1 newbies. Even if the attacks of drowning newbies were discounted, as long as he hid beneath the Fish King, this Level 1 pet would be an invincible meat shield!

He was safe!

But the next moment, the team regained their senses and began to surround him from the water and the shore, launching a siege.

He had been happy too soon. With their numbers, they could endlessly drain the pet’s stamina and hunger! One relic and one S-rank pet were enough to drive the whole city crazy!

Fortunately, having recalled Level 1 swimming, he wasn't much hindered by his foot injury.

Dachun asked Eliane: "Eliane, do you know of any hidden places in the sewers where I can hide?"

Eliane replied: "No, I haven't been dead for long and don't know the layout."

Holy crap, you can't even point out a way to live? Dachun asked again: "What about the buffs from the soul contract?"

Eliane chuckled: "I see you're in a lot of trouble right now. Are you sure you want the buffs?"

"Isn't that obvious!" Dachun said anxiously: "I want them precisely because I'm in trouble!"

Eliane sneered: "The contract is reciprocal. So, you must first complete my first task: destroy Count Ramier-Khan’s manor. You have three days; the more you destroy, the better!"

—System Prompt: You have accepted the Evil Spirit Contract Quest "Destroy Count Ramier-Khan’s Manor"...

Holy crap! Dachun was frantic: "Look at my current state, how is that possible in three days?"

Eliane said coldly: "You brought this on yourself. My hatred cannot wait three days! When the time comes, you will bear the brunt of my wrath!"

Dachun wanted to cry. This game really was trying to screw players into the ground!

But stay calm—this was also a sign of its high freedom, right?

Dachun remembered something: "My individual destruction is limited. What if I get many people to go and smash and burn the Count's manor?"

Eliane laughed: "Even if you ask the gods to call down lightning and fire, I don't care, as long as I'm satisfied."

Could this be an event-based quest where it doesn't matter who completes it as long as the event occurs? With things as they were, he had no choice but to shift the disaster onto others!

Dachun immediately surfaced and shouted to the players around him: "Don't just chase me! The Count's manor is full of treasures—I couldn't take them all, and their defenses are weak! There are so many of you; go loot and burn the Count's manor! It's getting dark soon..."

He didn't really expect this to work, but there were still ordinary players who hadn't been killed yet. Once they knew, they would definitely spread the news. Who knows? Maybe some madmen would go and try it?