Isolde looked down at the Silver-White Core in her palm.
The object resembled a peeled moon, its cold white light seeping through her fingers and slowly sinking into the dark red stitched mark on the inside of her wrist.
Immediately after, the bone nail in her chest suddenly lit up, sinking into her heart like tiny sparks and mending her wounds.
Red mist rose all around her as the system notifications refreshed frantically.
【Obtained: Fallen Fragment - Throne of Remains (1/5). Effect: Unknown】
【Fusing God-tier Item: Silver-White Core...】
【Generating exclusive skill...】
Two lines of crimson text floated before Isolde's eyes.
【You have obtained exclusive skill: Strangle】
【Skill Type: Damage / Soul】
【Skill Description: Consumes 20 Mana to summon Soul Threads, dealing 60 soul-slashing damage to the marked target. If the target is in a Feared, Corrupted, Weakened, or Betrayed state, damage is increased by 100%. If the target's Health is below 20%, it triggers the "Strangle" execution check.】
Isolde's brows twitched slightly.
Isn't this just a low-health execution skill?
Before she could think further, another notification popped up.
【You have obtained exclusive skill: Blood Banquet Substitute】
【Skill Type: Defense / Rule-based】
【Skill Description: Within the castle grounds, when the host takes fatal damage, the damage can be transferred to a guest carrying the "Blood Banquet Mark".】
The other three had clearly seen some of the system notifications as well.
Although they couldn't see the full skill descriptions, the words "Generating BOSS Exclusive Skill" were enough to scare them into shivering like three wet quails.
The text before her eyes continued to refresh:
【You have obtained exclusive skill: Banquet Verdict】
【Skill Type: Defense / Rule-based】
【Skill Description: Within the castle grounds, the master can host a special banquet, forcing guests with the "Banquet Mark" into the Verdict Arena.】
[All who step into the Banquet Hall are invited guests.]
A low rumble echoed from the depths of the Banquet Hall.
The high-hanging crystal chandeliers were swallowed by black mist. When they lit up again, the wicks had turned a ghostly blue.
The silver candelabras on both sides of the long table bent on their own. Wax dripped down the edges of the table, condensing into tiny black vines.
The floor tiles beneath their feet cracked and reorganized, and even the scent in the air shifted.
The three of them stared intently at Isolde, who was not far away.
They watched as her simple white dress slowly turned black from the hem up, as if the night itself were soaking into the fabric.
The once soft and thin hem grew lavish, adorned with delicate lace that shimmered in the surrounding firelight.
Her cascade of black hair fell down her back, and a semi-transparent black veil draped over her shoulders, making her look noble and elegant.
As her sleeves draped down, her fingernails gradually turned pitch black, their sharp edges glinting with a cold light like freshly ground blades.
She stepped over the floor covered in black blood and skeletal remains. As the hem of her black dress swept across the ground, the blood parted on its own.
The high-backed chair at the head of the table looked as if it had been carved anew by some unseen force. The back grew taller, bony patterns sprouted along its edges, and thin silver threads wound around the armrests.
The woman they had just been cursing as a "quest NPC" and a "plot tool" was now slowly seating herself at the head of the banquet table. Resting her chin lazily on her hand, she looked at them with great interest.
“Now, it is my turn to host you all.”
Zheng Chuan stared at the BOSS name highlighted in red by the system. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was hoarse.
“This has to be a joke...”
No one answered him.
For at this moment, Luo Qi and Meng Yinyin's faces had also turned incredibly pale.
Luo Qi still held his bow. He had originally planned to be the first to snatch the Silver-White Core the moment it hit the ground.
But now, his fingers were frozen on the bowstring, his back already drenched in cold sweat.
Meng Yinyin lowered her raised staff, squeezing out a grimace that looked worse than crying.
“Miss Isolde... we were pushed to our absolute limits just now and spoke without thinking. Please don't take it to heart.”
“Right,” Zheng Chuan chimed in dryly. “It's a misunderstanding. It was all a misunderstanding.”
Staring at the woman in the black dress at the head of the table, he braced himself and said:
“We killed that freak who didn't treat you like a human together. Look, we helped too, right? If we hadn't held him down, you wouldn't have been able to get this...”
Isolde just watched them silently, without saying a word.
The more silent she remained, the more panicked the three became.
Luo Qi was the first to break under the silence. Letting out a dry laugh, he began dumping the contents of his inventory onto the floor.
“All of these... I'm giving them back to you.”
As he spoke, he carefully watched Isolde's expression.
“I didn't really want to take them anyway; my hands just slipped. You are the master of the castle now, so surely you won't hold a grudge against people like us, right?”
But Isolde merely sat at the head of the table, remaining unresponsive.
Meng Yinyin bit her lip and also pulled out the Undead Afterglow and several potions she had acquired.
“I can give these up too.”
She looked up at Isolde, tears already welling in her eyes.
“We really just want to survive. This world is too terrifying. We just got here and don't know anything. We had no choice but to desperately grab onto every opportunity we could.”
Her voice grew softer. “You must understand that feeling, right?”
Isolde finally smiled, but her reaction sent an inexplicable chill down Meng Yinyin's spine.
Looking at her, Isolde suddenly recalled the bowl of hot soup from her past life.
Comparing it to the scene before her now, she found it utterly ironic.
“You want to survive?”
Isolde softly repeated her words, and the three of them nodded frantically.
Isolde leaned back in her chair, looking down at them from her high vantage point.
“Very well. But you must keep this banquet going.”
The expressions of the three froze simultaneously.
Isolde raised her hand and made a light sweeping motion in the air. The dark red array runes on the floor suddenly expanded.
The black blood covering the floor seemed to be drawn by some force, flowing backward along the lines and gathering beneath the long table.
Broken silver plates flew back to their places, the overturned high-backed chairs stood up one by one, and faceless servants emerged from the shadows. They stiffly pulled out the chairs for each guest, forcing them into their seats.
The Banquet Hall was once again clean and tidy, yet the atmosphere was even more chilling than before.
【Banquet Verdict has been activated.】
【Current Number of Guests: 3】
【The master may establish one banquet rule.】
A notification popped up before the three players simultaneously.
【Warning: You have entered a special Verdict Arena.】
【Please abide by the banquet rules established by the master of the castle.】
Zheng Chuan's face fell. He instinctively took a step back, only to find that the array runes beneath his feet had already blocked his path of retreat.
“What kind of stupid banquet is this?! I'm not participating! Let me out of here!”
Meng Yinyin forced out a weak smile. “Miss Isolde, we can give you all of our items. There's really no need to...”
“Why not?” Isolde interrupted.
She looked up, the blood-colored candlelight reflecting in her eyes. Though she was breathtakingly beautiful, they didn't dare to look at her for too long.
“You just said that you only wanted to survive. Well, I am very curious to see just how far you are willing to go to stay alive.”
Rate on N.U.
