The Vampire Prince spoke so seriously, and even the wolf cub version of Anders growled solemnly.
But... "ulterior motives"?
Yu Deng was extremely puzzled, raising his head to look at Wen Luo, trying to read something different in the butler's expression.
Noticing the young master's gaze, Wen Luo slightly nodded and gently advised, "What they say is true. You must see through the intentions of those people. They might not have good intentions."
Yu Deng was confused, "?"
But in the normal timeline, wasn't it just these guys who were always kissing him?
Apart from kissing him a little too passionately at times and occasionally hurting him while doing so, they weren't bad overall.
They could barely be called obedient good puppies.
He looked at this one and then at that one, unable to help but ask, "Why are you guys insulting yourselves?"
Ronald: "…"
Wen Luo: "."
Anders: "…?"
The three non-human beings fell into silence for a while before they finally understood.
—Baby came from another timeline, and had already interacted with them from another period. This explained why the baby's attitude seemed so naturally intimate.
There was no one else, it was still them.
But thinking about it this way, they were merely... the past.
Once they realized that the baby's affection came from an unknown version of themselves in another timeline, and that it seemed their rivals had already succeeded, they became even more dissatisfied.
So it was this easy for their future selves to live such a happy life? How much did they take advantage of the baby?!
Yu Deng was unaware of their jealousy. He raised a hand to scratch his shoulder blades, frowning slightly at the itch, "My back seems a little itchy."
Could it be that his small wings were about to grow back again?
Yu Deng maintained the position for a while, but his hand grew tired, so he turned around to face the other men.
In their burning gazes, Yu Deng pulled down his shirt slightly, exposing the white skin on his shoulder blades.
The souls of these male non-humans were about to be swept away.
Yu Deng coquettishly ordered, "It itches, help me scratch it. I don't want to move."
The wolf cub was stunned for a moment, wanting to stretch its tongue out to lick him, but was pushed away by Ronald, who had a serious expression on his face.
Suddenly, a wolf's howl echoed through the room, followed by the sound of bat wings flapping impatiently.
"Don't fight!" Yu Deng scolded discontentedly. "You guys said you'd listen to me... Hurry up and help me."
The room fell silent again. The three looked at Yu Deng's innocent eyes, knowing that the clueless little vampire had no idea about their frustration and irritation.
The Vampire Prince silently stretched out his hand to help Yu Deng rub his left shoulder, while Wen Luo discreetly took the other side. Anders, a bit slower, simply lay on Yu Deng's lap, licking and nuzzling him.
The scene was bizarre yet silently harmonious.
"What's with you guys? Why do you all look so down?"
Yu Deng glanced at their gloomy and dispirited expressions, his tone a little lighter, "Anyway, when I open my eyes again, won't it still be all of you?"
...
In the normal timeline of the instance.
The shaking of the castle grew more intense, and the NPCs became more restless. Several players who had participated in the special game finished their missions and came out, shocked by the changes in the castle.
They had only done a side mission, and the whole world seemed to have changed? Which big-shot player was making a move?!
[Detected instance data disruption... Instance entering abnormal state... Parameters adjusting...]
The players exchanged confused glances, waiting for the system's announcement.
[Ding. Players who have completed four or more missions are considered to have completed the instance requirements and will be forcibly removed from the instance in ten minutes.]
[Players who triggered hidden side missions may choose to stay in the instance, but the consequences are at their own risk.]
[Players who haven't met the exit requirements may choose to survive for one more day in the crazed castle. Once the time ends, they will be considered to have cleared the instance, or they may compete for another player's exit slot.]
The last announcement echoed through the speakers, and the two players, Xiao Gao and Xiao Pang, who had just completed the exit requirements, were frozen in shock.
Damn! The last part sounds like they can kill each other—what kind of evil intentions does this instance have?
They became alert. Now only five players remained in the instance, two of whom had triggered hidden missions, so there was only one left…
Swish——!
A sharp throwing weapon flew toward Xiao Pang's throat from a distance.
Xiao Pang suddenly turned around and saw that the one attacking him was a player disguised as a vampire duke. Xiao Pang had seen this player before, and this player had once harassed the vampire young master, so he wasn't a good person.
"Hey, Xiao Pang, don't freeze up, dodge!"
The throwing weapon was inches away. Xiao Pang dropped to the ground, but the weapon curved and was about to strike him. Xiao Pang instinctively used his most precious mirror item.
Boom! The player impersonating the duke was caught off guard and struck by his own weapon, falling to the ground, soon lifeless.
[Ding, ten minutes over, players who have met the exit requirements will be teleported.]
Before the two players were teleported out, they never saw the big shot who caused the commotion—Yu Deng hadn't returned to the correct timeline yet.
...
On the top floor of the castle.
The reverse-tracing magic circle was now complete.
Ronald could clearly feel the change in the energy within his body, and Wen Luo and Anders also sensed some changes.
They understood—it was Yu Deng who had made the change in the past.
Of course, when interacting with Yu Deng in the past, they had subtle feelings of something different.
Soon, when Yu Deng returned to the correct timeline, the extra memories from the past would become complete and clear.
"This is it."
Qin Jun walked through the half-collapsed wall, standing calmly before the several bosses.
His coat was a bit messy from the fighting, and in his hand was a brilliant golden gem he had just acquired from a side mission, as well as a tracking item bought from the system store.
"Mm."
The Vampire Prince snapped back to reality, giving a faint nod as he placed the gem at the center of the magic circle.
This was the key to activating the reverse time-traveling magic, but it could only be obtained by someone who had infiltrated the castle.
The Prince's expression was inscrutable: "Thank you for bringing the catalyst for my little vampire."
"No need to thank me," Qin Jun said coldly, "He is the most precious person to me. This is something I should do for him." He added, "And in the future, I'll be able to see him again, more familiar than before."
...Although it was just his guess.
The non-human beings in the room nearly couldn't hold back, but since the magic circle had already been activated, they silently restrained themselves and waited. On the floor, the light from the magic circle grew increasingly intense, and the crow perched on the windowsill let out a hoarse call.
The golden light spun like a vortex, and when the crow's cries stopped, a slender figure emerged from the glowing whirlpool.
It was Yu Deng returning from the past.
The memories the non-human beings had of their time with Yu Deng also became clearer as he returned.
The joy of having regained something precious filled their emotions.
"Baby, you're back."
At the center of the magic circle, Yu Deng fainted again. He struggled to open his eyes, his face pale: "I feel awful..."
Immediately, four men surrounded him with attentive concern.
The closest man, the black-haired butler, seized the opportunity to hold Yu Deng, while the other men didn't dare to compete when the little vampire wasn't feeling well. They could only stand around regretfully, offering to massage him in an attempt to please him.
Yu Deng took a moment to recover before opening his eyes again.
The castle was clearly in chaos, with cracks all over the walls. His peripheral vision caught sight of the shattered coffin, but he was surprised to see it had already returned to its original form.
Dizzy, Yu Deng tilted his head back, his voice soft and faint: "Actually, I still don't really understand..."
The information was too overwhelming, and he felt dizzy trying to sort it out. Moreover, some things were unclear even to the men from the past.
He looked at the men in front of him: "Can you explain it to me again?"
No one could resist Yu Deng's adorable pout.
The Vampire Prince glanced at Qin Jun, who was standing beside Yu Deng, and, considering the gem, refrained from dismissing him, treating him as if he didn't exist.
He organized the information concisely and began to explain to Yu Deng.
"Baby already knows that the crystal contains power. Initially, it helped us improve our strength. But later, it stopped directly enhancing us and began altering the castle, attracting humans to come and take the crystal, while also informing us if there were sacrifices."
Sacrifices? Wasn't that what the NPCs called the players?
In the brief pause between the Prince's words, Wen Luo spoke up to continue the conversation.
"Young master, do you know why humans are called sacrifices?"
Yu Deng struggled to follow the thought: "Those humans... can... enhance?"
"Yes, by hunting these humans within the castle, we can increase our strength," the black-haired butler explained.
By killing a single vulnerable human, they could become stronger, and soon, everyone began hoping to find more such humans.
Under the crystal's guidance, they learned that these sacrifices appeared once every three years. The strength gained from killing them only lasted for three years, which made the intervals between the "banquets" naturally occur every three years.
The power gained in this way was like an addiction, drawing them deeper into the abyss, endlessly repeating and spiraling, impossible to break free.
Even centuries later, when the church had already fallen, they still clung to their so-called revenge frenzy.
Yu Deng widened his eyes, dumbfounded, and said, "What they're doing... this isn't even the realm of normal non-humans anymore."
It was just so terrifying to think about...
Anders finally found an opportunity to speak, agreeing, "Baby is really smart. This kind of power has side effects. Most non-humans have lost all reason, they're no different from monsters."
---
[Wow, so this is the full background of the world! It's absolutely terrifying, oh my god.]
[So this is the new ending! This didn't happen in the old castle dungeon, right?]
[No, the Vampire Prince, the butler, and the werewolf leader never appeared before. The old castle game didn't have such a complex setup; it was just a regular game where you completed three rounds and could leave.]
[I guess the hidden storyline now might be because of the difficult mode, or maybe because of Deng Deng's wife... I'm leaning toward the latter.]
Yu Deng's head was still spinning. "Then... why not stop holding the banquets?"
Upon hearing this, the Vampire Prince sighed softly. "Baby might laugh at me, but the truth is, even as a prince, I can't stop the banquets from happening."
"I've tried killing those who have turned into monsters, but once the banquet starts, they will appear again, and on the surface, they seem fine."
If described using a player's terms, they would be... respawning NPCs.
A mysterious force drives them to hold one banquet after another, caught in a frenzy. Only after the banquet ends can a small number of them regain their composure.
Yu Deng was still confused, but Qin Jun, who had been listening, understood the reason.
Since this was an infinite dungeon, the dungeon and the system's powers must be interfering with their actions, such as the restriction of the bosses' powers and the limiting of NPCs' thinking.
Because the dungeon still existed, those NPCs would keep respawning. As for the waves of humans willing to die as sacrifices, they were most likely players.
It was rare for these NPCs to even realize something was wrong.
The silver-haired vampire concluded, "The banquets in the castle have never been a tradition for us."
"To be precise, they are a curse."
The flames of revenge burned away sins and hatred, but also scorched themselves, trapping them in an inescapable nightmare.
[Ding. Congratulations, player Yu Deng, for discovering the Castle's Mystery: The Banquet and the Curse. ]
Cracks continued to appear on the castle's walls, slowly healing over time. Outside the window, the blood moon hung high, cold and silent, reflecting the moonlight.
Yu Deng stared blankly for a few seconds, his eyes suddenly brightening. "Wait, I destroyed the crystal core. Doesn't that mean this cycle should end?"
"Baby is really amazing. After it was destroyed, those transformed non-humans can no longer gain power." Ronald praised Yu Deng generously. "But... it might not be enough."
"Huh?"
"The young master, that crystal core is fused with His Highness the Prince's power, drawing from his strength to sustain the operation of the castle."
Yu Deng turned his head and glanced at the Vampire Prince who was squatting beside him. "Is that true?"
"Agnes didn't lie." The Prince extended his hand. "At the time, I didn't expect it to draw from my power and life. I fused with the crystal core, almost symbiotically with the castle, requiring periodic slumber."
As a prince, he could maintain the balance of power, but if he abdicated, it would mean that both his power and life would be drained by the castle.
Even after the crystal core was destroyed, this symbiotic state still existed.
"Ah..."
Yu Deng belatedly realized why the Prince had looked so downcast when he had mentioned abdicating earlier.
He recalled the Prince's face after crushing the coffin, and the way he had been backfired by it, his lashes lowering like a dejected kitten.
He had asked for such an unreasonable thing... though at that time, he hadn't known.
Yu Deng looked at the other two men. "What about you two?"
Wen Luo shook his head. "We carry this curse as well, but it's less severe than His Highness's."
"Oh, we once briefly collaborated to destroy the castle." Anders cast a somewhat disgusted glance at the other men who had shown interest in Yu Deng. "Then, we heard a strange warning sound, fell into slumber, and when we woke up, the castle had restored itself."
Through several attempts, they had come to understand that if the castle were destroyed, those of them still existing in this land would become fuel for its restoration, until death claimed them.
After revealing the biggest secret, the group fell into silence.
Before meeting Yu Deng, they had been somewhat aimless, unable to control themselves. But now, just the thought of Yu Deng falling into this cycle too filled them with frustration. Violent power surged within them, screaming that even if it meant perishing together, they would rather face that fate.
Yu Deng opened his mouth, but couldn't find the right words. "So... that's how it is..."
What a hopeless situation!! This dungeon is absolutely broken!
He felt sorry for the Prince, the butler, and the werewolf leader—they were all so pitiful. Right now, he didn't even want to seal them away anymore. The best he could do... was to form a contract with them.
Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise echoed from outside the castle.
Yu Deng hopped down from Wen Luo's arms, fluttering his small wings and wobbling out into the open air.
The group of men silently followed him.
The castle had started to tilt, and the surrounding dark forest was collapsing. The non-humanoid beings participating in the banquet were growing restless, barely under the control of the Prince's suppressive power.
[Player Yu Deng, please complete the task quickly. The dungeon is about to enter its repair phase.]
Yu Deng stood under the moonlight, lazily acknowledging the notification with an indifferent "Oh."
This repair... meant using his guides, the butler, and his prey to restore the castle with their power and even their lives, right?
He hated this dungeon. Such a sinful and painful cycle should be brought to a complete end.
"Baby, you seem troubled." Qin Jun looked at Yu Deng. Being a master of violent dungeon clearing, he easily understood Yu Deng's thoughts. "You want to destroy this place, don't you?"
The main system responded with a static hum, sensing the disturbance.
Yu Deng lazily lifted his eyes, looking a bit dejected. "Yeah... but I can't, can I?"
Qin Jun looked at the silent non-humanoid NPCs before him and, standing in front of Yu Deng, said, "A lot of the time, rules are something you figure out for yourself. Some rules you must obey, but others can be broken."
It was an abstract statement, one that would be hard for the native dungeon inhabitants to understand.
But Yu Deng, instead of being shocked or doubtful, just grew a bit curious. Qin Jun knew he had made the right bet.
The little vampire had realized something.
"Baby, if you can't break it yourself, let those guys help out." Qin Jun's mood brightened as he continued, completely unbothered by the dangers of being in the dungeon. He encouraged him, "As for the repair... if the dungeon is destroyed beyond repair, or if we cut off the source of its repair, it will lose its power to threaten us, right?"
Yu Deng's eyes brightened with understanding.
That makes sense!
However, the dungeon's restoration power came from those men. They had already been bound to the dungeon, and Yu Deng had no idea how to stop that process.
The clueless little vampire furrowed his brows, deep in thought, before suddenly coming to a realization.
Wait, wait! He could form a contract with them! Once he formed a contract, they would be his subordinates. That means they would be his people, right?
Yu Deng perked up. "I understand now!"
Qin Jun's eyes twinkled with amusement as he directly spoke to the silent men. "Hey, threaten us."
The three NPCs, restricted by the dungeon, were clever enough to immediately understand Qin Jun's intent.
Ronald patted Yu Deng's hair and coaxed, "Baby, go tear down the castle."
[Warning! Warning! The destruction of the dungeon is escalating! Player Yu Deng, please complete the mission immediately and prevent the target from destroying the dungeon!]
At the same time, a cold electronic voice warned Qin Jun.
[Player Qin Jun, please be aware, do not destroy the dungeon. In three minutes, you will be forcibly ejected from the dungeon.]
Tsk. Qin Jun ignored the main system and coldly threw an area-explosion item.
Yu Deng, on the other hand, was feeling dizzy. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed Qin Jun, who had previously shown strong intent to form a contract: "Qin Jun, do you remember my previous request? You need to listen to me."
"I know."
Although the little vampire seemed to share the same goal as the main system, Qin Jun believed that he was different... He tightened his arms, thinking that if it was the little vampire, he wouldn't mind cooperating.
The contract was formed, and faint golden lines appeared, connecting them briefly before disappearing.
The countdown began in Qin Jun's ears.
"Baby, I've been so obedient. Can you tell me your name?"
"Yu Deng. My name is Yu Deng," the little vampire lifted his chin and commanded his mission targets, "Don't tell anyone my name."
Qin Jun was stunned for a few seconds.
Yu Deng? In the player center, there were rumors that Yu Deng was a two-meter-three, muscle-bound man who could take on ten at once.
"So it's you, Deng Deng," the man's sharp and cold gaze softened with a smile. "I'll remember that. Well, I look forward to seeing you again."
With those words, Qin Jun was teleported back to the player center, leaving Yu Deng as the only player in the dungeon.
Yu Deng blinked, then looked up to see the other men approaching.
The Vampire Prince and the butler seemed uncomfortably nervous, afraid that Yu Deng would disappear like Qin Jun just did.
"What was that golden line just now? Did you form a bond with that guy?" Anders said with a hint of jealousy. "I want one too."
The two vampires put aside their worries and silently expressed the same desire.
Yu Deng: "?"
They had been slow with the mission progress earlier, so why were they now competing?
Well, it was just as well. He had planned to form contracts with them anyway.
"After all, if I form a bond with them, will I complete the task and leave?" Yu Deng asked.
[In theory, yes. However, I can help you temporarily suspend the contract process.]
"Okay."
Yu Deng smiled and looked at the men in front of him. "It can be done, but you all must submit to me and obey my commands."
The men looked at each other, each eyeing the others as potential rivals.
So, it seemed that the baby had said the same thing to all of them? Then they definitely couldn't fall behind!
These powerful non-humans became obedient as puppies around Yu Deng, vying for their master's favor.
Three golden lines appeared simultaneously, and the contract process was paused midway.
Yu Deng was satisfied with his mission targets. This way, he shouldn't be dragged back into the dungeon, right?
Suddenly, Yu Deng felt a surge of pure, overwhelming power coming from Ronald. It quickly filled his body.
"Eh?"
"Aren't you asking me to abdicate? Although I can't quite do it right now, I think this proposal is excellent," the Vampire Prince shared his power with Yu Deng.
"Such a brave and capable baby should sit on the throne."
Yu Deng, confused, now had the Prince's power. His small wings slowly lengthened, growing to about half a meter.
Does this mean... he can now do the demolition?
He tried waving his hand, and a burst of energy instantly blew the roof off the castle's annex, with no restoration taking place.
Yu Deng was startled by the huge commotion he caused. His bat wings flapped rapidly, and he quickly felt a small sense of pride.
So, he could be this powerful? He was scary strong now!
Yu Deng fluttered his bat wings and flew up, enthusiastically telling his mission targets, "Don't move around, let me do it!"
In the middle of his flight, he suddenly remembered something, slammed on the brakes, and asked the two vampires, "Is there anything important left in the castle?"
The two vampires shook their heads.
There was nothing worth holding onto in such a sinful place... Oh, correction, everything related to Yu Deng was worth holding onto, so they had already packed everything when the castle started to shake earlier.
Yu Deng then felt reassured and began to demolish the place.
[Player Yu Deng, what exactly are you doing???] The main system's electronic voice trembled, probably from frustration. [Why are you destroying the dungeon?]
Yu Deng tried to use the arguments Qin Jun had taught him to argue his way out: "I can't help it, you see, those powerful NPCs are all watching me, so I have no choice but to follow their orders."
Main System: [...]
Those NPCs were behaving like obedient dogs, okay!
At this moment, the witch Edith, Lady Claudia, and a few of Anders' werewolf subordinates emerged from the castle, followed by several vampire servants.
Clearly, they were among the few who still retained their clear consciousness. They were especially respectful toward the young vampire master. Witch Edith's crystal ball turned, releasing a beam of blessing light that floated toward Yu Deng.
They bid their farewells and, under the witch's lead, stepped into the void beyond the Black Forest.
As for those who had already been assimilated by the crystal core power and turned into monsters that only knew how to eat humans, they were crazily attacking all living things around them. Once the crystal core was destroyed, their forms gradually twisted.
Anders struck down the werewolf hunter who had killed the player during the game night.
The werewolf collapsed to the ground, turning into a pool of twisted pus. The vitality and power it had gained through killing and plundering completely vanished at that moment.
"Tch, we can't let them escape. They carry the cursed power."
Yu Deng, for the first time possessing such power, was excited to complete the task of destroying the dungeon. It was like a demolition team passing through, with a huge crash as the castle quickly turned into a ruin.
In mid-air, he heard Anders' voice and spotted a monster trying to escape, howling as it ran. He swiftly flew in front of the twisted creature trying to flee.
This monster had consumed numerous sacrifices and was incredibly strong.
Yu Deng pondered for two seconds and used his skill. The Black Mist domain instantly expanded, trapping the creature.
A wisp of black mist quietly extended out, wrapping around Yu Deng's slender, fair calf, the mist briefly curling at the bend of his leg.
Yu Deng curiously looked down but didn't have time to think. Before the skill's duration ended, he crushed the monster.
The miserable howls echoed through the skies, and the black pus on the ground twisted for several minutes before it finally went still.
Yu Deng shuddered slightly, torn between disgust and fear, but chose to continue fighting.
Brave Yu Deng, not afraid of monsters!
He flew into the air, his small sharp teeth showing as he spoke to the other monsters.
"Don't run, don't run away. If you keep running around, I'll get tired."
Despite possessing such overwhelming power, Yu Deng's voice remained soft, his innocent and bright eyes shining.
Bathed in the crimson moonlight, he looked like a pure elf, yet more terrifying to the monsters than any Asura or demon.
They heard this beautiful vampire with his eyes slightly squinted, his soft tail end lifting as he spoke.
"I'm going to tear down this dungeon, and none of you are allowed to leave."