Chapter 34: Crow, Mad Dog
The Black Crow Ring was fully inlaid with curse stones, and its attributes underwent a massive change.
[Black Crow Ring]
Equipment Effect: Murder of Crows (Passive) — Can control 350,000 'Black Cursed Crows' from Extinguished Light Island and summon them to the outside world.
Description: Sinking… in the darkness… will you awaken?
Price: Cannot be sold, traded, etc. Can be discarded.
…
Su Xiao could now control a massive number of Black Cursed Crows, which had both advantages and disadvantages. Previously, when controlling tens of thousands, he could command a portion of them to attack a designated enemy.
Now, with a full 350,000, if he tried to order the Black Cursed Crows to attack a specific target, the mental strain would cause an Eighth Rank Contractor specializing in mental power to faint, unless that Contractor was an Undead System user.
At this moment, one could see just how strong the mental power of the insect girl Jila was. She could control hundreds of thousands of insect units to launch targeted attacks — this was an innate talent.
If he summoned all 350,000 Black Cursed Crows, Su Xiao could still control them, but only by issuing broad commands. For example, circling above a certain island, attacking enemies with specific characteristics, and so on.
If he issued a precise command like 'Attack the Western Sea King,' Su Xiao would either faint from mental exhaustion or be mentally foggy for a period of time.
Conversely, if Su Xiao issued a command like 'Attack bearded humans,' the mental burden would be much smaller. The concept of 'bearded + human' was far more general than 'Western Sea King.'
The Black Cursed Crows were different from the Wolf Cavalry. The Wolf Cavalry were intelligent soldiers; commands were given verbally and had nothing to do with mental power.
The War Lord bonus could be fully triggered, but as a cost, the 350,000 Black Cursed Crows formed a complete murder of crows. Once released, aside from not attacking their own people, these Black Cursed Crows were practically a natural disaster.
"You've already discovered it. This is the price."
The old hag's cloudy eyes hid some unknown secret.
"How many Demon Sea Gold Coins do I need to pay to replenish the Black Cursed Crows here?"
"No need. Take as many as you want, hehehehehe."
The old hag laughed, her shoulders trembling.
"..."
Su Xiao walked out of the small wooden hut. This old hag knew many secrets but said nothing. Sometimes, the free things are the most expensive.
After leaving the hut, Su Xiao looked at another wooden hut a dozen meters away. This hut was built from logs, looking rough but also dilapidated.
The black mist around this hut had only dissipated after the second stage seal of the Doom Number was lifted. Su Xiao stopped in front of the hut and pushed open the door.
Creak~
The door, made of logs and iron bars, opened, revealing dim candlelight inside. The room was about a dozen square meters, with barnacles and moss covering the walls — dark and damp.
On the innermost wooden wall, a humanoid outline could be vaguely seen. Only the face protruded; the rest of the body was flush with the wall, some parts even sunken into the wood.
"Hey, wake up."
Baha flew forward. Perhaps hearing the sound or sensing the presence of a living being, the face on the wall moved. With a cracking sound, it opened its eyes.
"Don't trust the crow, don't trust her. She ruined us."
The face muttered to itself, then closed its eyes again after a moment.
[Prompt: The Hunter has triggered the Achievement Quest: Eliminate the Crow (Quest content cannot be viewed. Completed after killing the Mist Keeper: Crow. This quest has no penalty.)]
The requirement of this quest was actually to kill the old hag from before. Put that aside for now.
"Face on the wall, why do you want to kill that old hag?"
Baha probed. The face on the wall opened its cloudy eyes again.
"You... who are you? Oh, I see. You've come to help the cursed people... gain freedom. This requires... Demon Sea Gold Coins. I am too weak... I need the power of the Demon Sea."
As soon as the face on the wall finished speaking, another prompt appeared.
[Prompt: The Hunter has completed negotiation with the Mist Keeper: Sea Devotee. Yes/No to consume Demon Sea Gold Coins, using the Demon Sea energy within them, to help the cursed people break free from the black mist's bondage.]
[Prompt: Each cursed person requires 50 Demon Sea Gold Coins to break free from the black mist's bondage and serve the Doom Number.]
Su Xiao still had 17,007 Demon Sea Gold Coins, enough to help at most 340 cursed people break free. He took out 17,000 Demon Sea Gold Coins from his storage space.
Jingle~
All the Demon Sea Gold Coins flew up. The face of the Sea Devotee on the wall opened its mouth wide, and the coins poured into it one by one.
At the same time, within the black mist of Extinguished Light Island, maniacal laughter and angry shouts rang out one after another.
"Freedom, I am free!"
An arm reached out from the black mist, followed by a cursed person rushing outward. The next moment, a large hand grabbed its head and threw it back into the mist.
A cursed person with pitch-black eyes, nearly two meters tall, walked out of the black mist. It took a deep breath.
"It smells like air. This generation's captain got the Doom Number without signing a Blood Pact. In hundreds of years, it's never been this good."
This cursed person gritted its teeth until they cracked. It let out a roar, and layers of sound waves spread, kicking up dirt half a meter high.
Similar scenes kept occurring at the edges of the black mist on the island. Only the strong enough cursed people were qualified to break free; the weak could only remain in the mist.
Su Xiao stood on the roof of the wooden hut, watching the changes on Extinguished Light Island. He had 7 Demon Sea Gold Coins left. They came quickly and went even faster.
"You, come closer."
Su Xiao selected a cursed person and released all the Black Cursed Crows, triggering the War Lord bonus.
Hearing Su Xiao's words, a cursed person stepped forward. It carried a serrated greatsword on its back, nearly 1.2 meters long, four fingers wide, with the hilt wrapped in tattered cloth.
Black Cursed Crows circled overhead, the War Lord title was triggered, and Su Xiao checked the cursed person's information.
Name: Cursed Person: Quake
Strength: 203 (True Attribute)
Agility: 187 (True Attribute)
Stamina: 198 (True Attribute)
Intelligence: 17
Charm: 1
Skill 1: Mad Dog Sword Technique (Technique Class, Passive, Lv.50+3): Increases sword-type weapon attack power by 492%, attack speed by 32%, and adds 527 points of curse damage per attack. After each attack on an enemy, attack speed increases by 3% (up to a maximum of 41% attack speed increase).
Skill 2: Death-Defying Body (Passive, Lv.55+10): Increases life force by 6,200 points, body defense by 27 points, reduces physical damage taken by 16%, dark damage taken by 19%, and curse damage taken by 95%.
Skill 3: Ferocity (Passive, Lv.56+10): Each time a melee attack hits an enemy, curse power invades the enemy's body, temporarily reducing the enemy's True Stamina attribute by 1 point.
Prompt: This effect can stack up to 8 times, lasting 300 seconds.
Skill 4: Deep Sea Eternal Hatred (Passive, Lv.57+10): The cursed person can activate the Hatred-Dwelling effect using buildings, trees, rocks, etc., ignoring matter to perform ultra-fast underwater swimming.
Skill 5: Furious Shark (Passive, X): The cursed person can transform into a sea shadow. This is a form change; True Strength attribute is converted to True Agility attribute, and combat style also changes.
Skill 6: Blood·Soul Power (Title, Passive, Lv.55+10): The equipped weapon gains a Bloodbath effect and is imbued with Soul-Burning power. Attacks deal 120 points of True Damage while simultaneously absorbing the enemy's life force to restore the user's lost health.
…
The cursed person's True Strength attribute was even higher than Su Xiao's own. This was due to the War Lord bonus, as Su Xiao had not yet broken through the 200-point attribute barrier.
However, the War Lord's attribute bonus was +20 to all True Attributes, meaning it only boosted True Attributes.
Overall, the cursed person's combat power was very strong. Not to mention anything else, just having a Technique Class ability meant it wouldn't be weak.
Of course, not all cursed people had Technique Class abilities; it depended on their strength in life.
"Captain, can I challenge you?"
Cursed Person: Quake grabbed the hilt of the sword on its back. The cursed people feared the captain of Extinguished Light Island and the Doom Number, but there were exceptions, especially now that they had regained consciousness.
"Of course."
"Then let's begin. If I win, you tear up my Blood Pact."
"Fine, but..."
Su Xiao stopped mid-sentence. Quake, who was about to charge, halted.
"Before fighting me, you must pass a trial."
"Trial?"
Quake tilted its head. While it was confused, the other three hundred-plus cursed people had already gathered around the hut where Su Xiao stood. A pair of pitch-black eyes stared at Quake. With just one command from Su Xiao, these cursed people would tear Quake apart in no time.
"The captain let us out of the black mist. Quake, where is your respect and gratitude?"
A bald cursed person spoke, its teeth grinding together.
"I'm a mad dog. Do you understand 'mad dog'?"
Cursed Person: Quake bared a mouthful of shark-like sharp teeth.
"Come with me. Go to the 'trial.' If you pass, you won't even need to challenge me; I'll help you tear up the Blood Pact."
"Really?"
"..."
Su Xiao walked toward the dock. He was very lucky to have encountered a simple-minded cursed person.
The group of cursed people followed Su Xiao onto the Doom Number, all stopping on the deck. Su Xiao pushed open the captain's cabin door, entered for a moment, and came out holding an ice-blue gem.
"Bring him in."
"Yes, Captain."
Several cursed people either pressed on Quake's shoulders or grabbed its neck, pushing it into the captain's cabin.
"Captain, I was just joking earlier. You... you wouldn't mind a mad dog's joke, would you?"
Cursed Person: Quake was reluctantly pushed into the captain's cabin. From its words and actions, it was clear that the cursed people's rationality had fully recovered; they all knew how to back down.
"I think highly of you. Your name is..."
"Quake."
"Mm, Quake. As long as you pass the 'trial,' you'll be completely free. Go in."
Su Xiao opened the Cursed Demon Chest, revealing a chaotic interior.
"Demon Chest!"
Quake shuddered. The other cursed people lowered their heads. In a very short time, their loyalty soared.
"Let me go..."
Amid Quake's roars, he was stuffed into the Demon Chest. The chest slammed shut with a bang. His longsword was now embedded in the wooden wall beside Su Xiao.
Su Xiao took out a timer and set it for 30 seconds. The second hand ticked. After 30 seconds, he opened the chest.
Quake's head poked out. His body had grown much larger, and his head was transforming into something like a canine. His teeth were sharper, and pale yellow drool dripped from between them.
Bang!
Quake nearly bit Su Xiao's hand. He had completely dropped the act. This guy hadn't been a cursed person for long. The last time the Doom Number was active at sea, he became a crew member, turning into a cursed person only in the past few months.
Su Xiao closed the chest tightly. This time, he set the timer for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, he opened the chest. Quake was still immersed in the chaotic curse power, his eyes full of hatred.
Seeing this, Su Xiao closed the chest again and set the timer for 60 minutes. He sat down on a wooden chair nearby. Winnie quickly brought a teapot and poured a cup of black tea.
60 minutes passed quickly. As soon as Su Xiao opened the chest, a black shadow shot out and disappeared from the captain's cabin with a whoosh.
Because the shadow was too large, the chest was cracked open. This thing was made of energy and would recover after a while.
"Quake ran. Bring him back."
"Hold him down! This bastard bit off my leg!"
"Can't hold him! Chase him!"
Over 500 cursed people rushed off the Doom Number to catch Quake. By now, Quake was at least five meters long, like a mad dog heavily corroded by curses.
It took over two hours for the cursed people to finally catch Quake. This guy ran incredibly fast. He was now locked in a metal cage, gnawing on the metal bars. The arm-thick bars were covered in bite marks.
"Quake, is this the form you dreamed of?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Quake stopped gnawing, his eyes fierce. After a moment, he lay down in the large metal cage. This was indeed the form he dreamed of. He had chosen to become this, just as he said before — he was born a mad dog, a mad dog that bites everyone.
"I'm... hungry."
Quake's throat made a strange sound.
Su Xiao had the other cursed people bring food. Quake ate ravenously. Seeing this, the other cursed people looked envious. Eating was useless for them. Although their senses of touch and taste had returned, food would turn into ash in their stomachs and then be vomited out — a terrible feeling.
Su Xiao tried to check Quake's attributes, but a prompt appeared. He couldn't check Quake's attributes because the curse power inside Quake was too strong, and his loyalty had dropped below 30 points.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about Quake running away during battle or attacking other cursed people. If that happened, he could instantly turn Quake into a shadow and drag him back into the black mist of Extinguished Light Island.
He couldn't release Quake normally; this guy was too aggressive. But he could release Quake during battle — this was a major trump card.
Quake's change tempted three cursed people. They all volunteered to enter the Demon Chest.
An hour later, the Doom Number's crew decreased by three. When those three cursed people were dragged out one by one, they all died on the spot.
Just as Su Xiao was waiting for news from Kaisa, a cursed person approached him. It was Amuns Murray, the ancestor of Commodore Murray.
"Captain, I want to enter the Demon Chest."
"You are responsible for commanding the cursed people in battle."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Amuns lowered his eyes. When he wasn't fully lucid, he was the one commanding the other cursed people in battle. Overall, his command wasn't great.
There was no helping it. At that time, Amuns was the most lucid of the cursed people.
"Captain, I... am weaker than the other crew members."
"..."
Su Xiao turned to look at Amuns. Amuns lowered his head slightly.
"Help me finish some things, and I'll return your freedom. After that, you can exist for 30 days — live like a normal person for 30 days."
Su Xiao manipulated the Doom Number to open the captain's cabin door. Amuns walked in, entered the Demon Chest on his own, and closed it, leaving only a crack.
Many cursed people saw this. Some showed respect, some looked on coldly, and some were indifferent.
Over two hours passed, and the Demon Chest still hadn't opened. Amuns had failed.
"Hahahaha! He's not a mad dog. Only a mad dog can succeed."
Quake mocked from inside the metal cage. This guy was occasionally lucid but mostly in a mad dog state.
With a creak, the Demon Chest opened. A gray-skinned arm reached out from inside.
Amuns's upper body crawled out. He exhaled cold air. After leaving the chest, he staggered forward. With each step he took, the cursed people on the deck stepped back.
"Captain, I... crawled out of hell."
Amuns stepped out of the captain's cabin. Gray-black aura spread around him. This aura represented death. The Doom Number's strongest cursed person had appeared.
Su Xiao sat on the railing of the Doom Number, looking at the black mist on Extinguished Light Island. His combat power had surged dramatically. Adding another 260 cursed people would bring the Doom Number's crew to 800, temporarily at full capacity. Now, he was desperately short of Demon Sea Gold Coins.
The key now was for Kaisa to complete the transaction as soon as possible. Once the first batch of gold coins was in hand, the cursed people could be replenished to full strength. Then, it would be time to deal with the Western Sea King.