The moment Max heard the command from his Trainer, he reflexively used a skill.
Dracula was instantly affected by the Sajiao skill, causing his attack power and desire to attack to immediately soar to Max!
At this moment, he only had one thought.
This disgusting Little Blue Man in front of him was clearly Darian's subordinate; he had to eliminate him first!
Dracula made a swift decision and decisively attacked Max.
Because his movements were too fast, Max was caught completely off guard and was pierced through the chest by a sword.
"Hmm?"
Dracula immediately sensed something was wrong.
Not only did the pierced Max fail to bleed a single drop, but strange ripples of electrical current emanated from his body instead.
Just then, the lightning he summoned in the sky violently struck down!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening thunder roared continuously, and several bolts of lightning, moving too fast for the naked eye to track, shot directly toward Darian's location!
However, the instant the lightning was about to hit Darian, it seemed to be pulled by an unseen force, drawing strange arcs in the air, forcefully changing trajectory, and surging entirely toward Max!
Dracula: "???"
It's one thing for bullets to curve, but how can lightning curve too!?
Physics doesn't exist anymore!
Several bolts of lightning struck Max almost simultaneously, releasing dazzling electric light.
However, aside from being overcharged, Max seemed fine.
But Dracula, whose Great Sword was still embedded in Max, was miserable.
"Ugh ah—!"
The savage current instantly pierced his entire body through the sword. Before Dracula could even let out a complete scream, his body was charred black, his White long hair stood on end amid the electric light, and the crackle of burning flesh exploded in the air.
When the electric light dissipated, only a charred body remained on the spot, occasionally flickering with small electrical sparks, emitting a strong burnt smell. Its surface looked carbonized and brittle, at least ninety percent cooked.
Darian muttered, "This Shan Hai Jing ingredient, aged for over a thousand years, should be highly nourishing if eaten."
But soon, Dracula's charred body stirred again, as massive amounts of bloody energy emerged from beneath the scorched shell, continuously repairing the damage to his body.
Naturally, Darian would not allow his opponent to recover like this.
He lunged forward, grabbing Dracula's already carbonized head with his right hand.
Illumination Spell!
In an instant, a blinding, pure White radiance, brighter than the midday Sun, erupted from Darian's palm!
This light was pure and intense, as if a miniature Sun were held in his hand. The strong light even penetrated Dracula's skull, bursting out from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, casting several beams of light within the dim hall of the Ancient Castle Hall.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
A heart-rending scream echoed from the charred corpse.
Dracula's previously rigid body suddenly began to twitch violently, his limbs flailing wildly.
The Holy Light was like an omnipresent tide, surging along his blood vessels and meridians, eroding every inch of his body attempting to regenerate.
Under the cleansing of this sanctified energy, his regenerating flesh rapidly collapsed, and dark red energy steamed like boiling water, turning into wisps of green smoke in the light.
This move was remarkably effective; even Dracula's HP Bar was decreasing rapidly.
However, the bloody energy within Dracula's body was still resisting desperately, continuously repairing the tissues eroded by the Holy Light.
Consequently, a fierce Tug-of-War ensued inside his body.
On one side, bloody energy strove to regenerate flesh; on the other, the Holy Light ruthlessly purified and disintegrated it.
Caught in this repeated tearing between rebirth and destruction, Dracula endured indescribable agony. Every cell seemed to wail; he wished he could die!
As the HP Bar continuously dropped, the bloody energy surrounding Dracula visibly dimmed. The repair speed began to lag behind the destruction speed; newly formed flesh often collapsed in the Holy Light before it could fully solidify.
"Bastard!"
Accompanied by this roar filled with anger and pain, Dracula's body suddenly exploded into a sky full of blood mist.
The next moment, this blood mist rapidly divided into hundreds of Blood-Colored Bats, emitting shrill cries and scattering in all directions of the ancient castle.
After weighing the pros and cons, the King of Vampires made an extremely pragmatic decision.
That was to run away!
There was no choice; he had used every trick he had, yet he still couldn't defeat Darian, this human.
Since he couldn't win, it was better to temporarily retreat!
Dracula was certainly not someone with rigid thinking.
As an existence that had survived for countless years, he deeply understood the principle of 'where there's life, there's hope.'
Moreover, he had only just managed to awaken from his long slumber and return to the world of the living. He would never fight Darian to the death over a momentary fit of pique.
Besides, this wasn't running away—it was merely a Strategic Retreat!
Once he regrouped and established a Vampire Army, he would definitely seek out Darian again to avenge his humiliation.
"Trying to run?"
Just as the swarm of bats was about to scatter and flee, Darian narrowed his eyes and pulled a Gatling Machine Gun from his Game Inventory.
He pulled the trigger without hesitation; the six barrels of the Gatling began to rotate, emitting a chilling hum.
Da da da da da—!
The furious gunfire instantly swept through the ancient castle.
Bullets imbued with special energy poured out like rain, weaving an airtight net of firepower in the air.
Under the precise lock-on of the Grim Reapers Eye, every bullet activated auto-navigation, relentlessly pursuing the scattering Blood-Colored Bats.
Wherever the barrage passed, the swarm of Blood-Colored Bats was hit, letting out mournful shrieks and exploding into balls of blood mist in mid-air.
This one-sided massacre lasted less than ten seconds.
When the last Blood-Colored Bat was struck by an Energy Bullet and fell to the ground with a whimper, it did not turn into blood mist like its companions. Instead, it began to twist and deform, finally coalescing into Dracula's figure, who collapsed heavily in front of Darian.
Darian walked forward, a benevolent smile on his face.
"We meet again, Little Bat. Seeing as we have such destiny, how about I give you a Holy Light Gift Package to ensure you enjoy eternal bliss in Heaven after you die."
Dracula: "..."
Me going to Heaven is no different from a mouse running into a cat's den.
He struggled to stand up and flee, but Darian spoke first.
"Max, grab him!"
Max moved instantly upon hearing the command. With a flash of electricity, he blocked Dracula's path.
The next moment, he firmly gripped Dracula's shoulders and released all the electrical energy he had just absorbed!
Sizzle—!
Electric light flashed; Dracula was pierced by High-Voltage Current, and his entire body convulsed violently.
But unwilling to surrender, he used the magic of summoning lightning again.
Dark clouds churned above the ancient castle, and a thick bolt of lightning split the sky, heading straight for Darian!
However, the lightning took another wide curve in the air, striking Max squarely, giving Dracula—who Max was touching—a 'heart-to-heart' Electric Communication.
Max: ┑(￣Д￣)┍
Dracula: ┗( T﹏T )┛
"Little Bat, stop your futile struggles. I'll be quick."
Darian slowly approached Dracula. The runes on his mask wriggled and reformed, finally condensing into an exaggerated grin that stretched to his ears, appearing particularly terrifying in the dim light.
Dracula involuntarily swallowed, cold sweat trickling down his temples.
"Wait, no, don't come over here!"
Dracula died.
Under the continuous burning of the Holy Light, the King of Vampires, who had just finished his 'Revival Match,' returned to the fountain to await resurrection again.
It must be said, this guy was truly hard to kill.
Darian maintained the Illumination Spell at full output; the entire process lasted a full five minutes.
During this time, his mana was depleted, forcing him to drink a Mana Potion to sustain the output. Finally, with Max's cooperation, he completely emptied Dracula's HP Bar.
As the last trace of HP vanished, Dracula's body began to decompose, turning into fine ashes that scattered into nothingness amid the lingering glow of the Holy Light.
Following Dracula's death, the system's voice rang out.
[Task 'Undercurrent of Vampires' Settlement Complete!]
[Reward Obtained: Level 8 S.H.I.E.L.D. (HYDRA) Agent Clearance Qualification]
[Your S.H.I.E.L.D. (HYDRA) Identity Clearance has been upgraded to: Level 8]
[New Function Modules Unlocked!]
[Function One: Character customization system Activated!]
[Function Two: Skin System Activated!]
[Function Three: Recycling System Activated!]
[Character customization system: Players can freely adjust appearance features, including but not limited to face, race, gender, etc. Cooldown: one hour.]
[Skin System: When NPC Affection reaches 95, a one-time Skin Card for that character can be obtained. After using the Skin Card, the player will fully inherit all the NPC's abilities and equipment for a certain period. Attributes will be the highest value between the player and the NPC.]
[Recycling System: What should players do with unwanted, second-hand equipment and items after getting new ones? They can be placed in the Recycling System and exchanged for Experience Points.]
This Identity Promotion actually unlocked three functions at once!
The Character customization system is usually a one-time feature in most games, typically used when a player creates a character, making the appearance unchangeable once confirmed.
Yet now, it has become a constantly available, Permanent Function, meaning Darian can adjust his physical features whenever he wants from now on.
If he wanted to, he could even change his appearance from % to 13!
"I like this function!"
Darian chuckled, then turned his gaze to the Skin System.
This function was even more incredible.
As long as an NPC's Affection is raised above 95, he can obtain that character's exclusive Skin Card, essentially becoming a perfect replica of that character for a limited time.
Although these Skin Cards are one-time use, similar to most items, they could certainly produce miraculous effects at critical moments.
If he could raise the Ancient One's Affection above 95 and get her Skin Card, he wouldn't even flinch at fighting a Dimensional Demon God!
As for the Recycling System, this function was also practical.
It should be known that the game system often distributed strange equipment and items that Darian had no use for. Throwing them away felt like a waste, so they just gathered dust in the corner of his Game Inventory.
Furthermore, as his strength continuously increased, some equipment obtained early on clearly failed to meet his needs and was gradually replaced by more powerful gear.
Now that he had the Recycling System, these useless items finally had a proper destination.
Darian opened the System Interface with interest, deciding to try out this new function first.
After searching through his Game Inventory for a moment, he selected a Blood-Stained Pencil, which was the specialized equipment of a certain dog lover, but was completely useless to him.
He casually dragged the pencil into the Recycling System icon.
[Equipment recycled. Player Experience Points +300]
"That little?"
Darian was somewhat disdainful; this amount of experience was less than what he'd get from a simple Daily Quest.
He could only say it was better than nothing.
Operating with a clearance sale mentality, Darian began organizing his Game Inventory, tossing useless equipment and items one by one into the Recycling System, such as the Holy Sword of Physics, Emo Wig, Large Hemostatic Patch, and so on.
In addition, there were piles of C4 Explosives.
As the equipment and items in the Game Inventory were cleared out, Darian's Experience Bar visibly increased by a segment.
Just then, a row of white teeth suddenly appeared beside him.
"Is it resolved?"
Darian saw that it was Blade's teeth and nodded, "It should be resolved."
"Should be?"
Blade's brow furrowed slightly.
Darian told him truthfully, "Yes, Dracula possesses an Undying Body. Even if he is eliminated, he can still revive once certain conditions are met. We just don't know the specific Resurrection Mechanism yet."
In any case, his mission was complete, and whether Dracula could revive or not was no longer his major concern.
Compared to that, Darian was now more eager to try out the newly unlocked Skin System function.
He immediately looked at Blade's panel.
[NPC: Wesley Snipes]
[Codename: Blade Warrior]
[Affection: 85]
Darian and Blade had been teamed up for so many days that they had accumulated a deep friendship as comrades-in-arms.
Coupled with Darian saving him multiple times, Blade's Affection level had reached a relatively high standard.
However, it was still a bit short of 95 Affection.
Darian lightly coughed, "Blade, to be honest, I've always considered you my best friend."
Blade: "Can you settle the Bar Tab then?"
Darian's expression remained unchanged as he turned to Max beside him: "Max, to be honest, I've always considered you my best Pokémon."
Blade: "..."
In the end, Darian still couldn't test the new function.
Blade, that guy—he might be heart-to-heart with his brother, but he's playing mind games with him.
As for Max, he was purely destined to be a Wage Slave; his Affection level increased with money, but the higher it got, the harder it became to raise.
He decided to wait until he got back and consult Teacher Tony.
Having made up his mind, Darian did not immediately leave the ancient castle but instead leisurely explored the area.
It is well known that these types of ancient buildings usually contain Hidden Treasure Chests or Secret Storage Rooms, holding the Master's cherished treasures or valuable items.
Darian certainly wouldn't miss this excellent opportunity to loot Spoils of War.
Soon, he looted a pile of gold coins and antiques from inside the castle, stuffing them all into his Game Inventory.
Blade also wanted to join the looting.
He didn't have such high moral standards; Robbing the Undead to Enrich Oneself was always his style. Otherwise, what did you think he used to buy his expensive silver weapons and specialized gear?
Unfortunately, Blade's Manual Looting was far inferior to Darian's Automatic Looting; he only managed to grab a kettle before Darian took everything else.
Blade: "..."
Was this guy a Priest or a Thief?
He looked even more skilled at this business than a common Thief!