Dressed in a black regal dress, Sharron pursed her bloodless lips and tilted her head to look at Maric, nodding slightly.
Maric clasped his hands and said while concealing some of his madness, "You know about the Prisoner pathway, don't you?"
"Yes, I've heard of it in the Beyonder circles," Klein answered frankly.
Of course, these Beyonder circles refer to the Nighthawks and the Tarot Club... He sighed in his heart as he added.
Maric seemed to recall something, and he was silent for nearly twenty seconds. Outside the window, he could hear the rhythmic sound of the carriage wheels rolling across the concrete pavement.
He ruffled his messy brown hair and spoke with a slightly twisted expression on his face.
"Prisoners are those who are locked up in prisons, and that also corresponds to having their spirituality and desires constrained by reason, body, and the world. The Beyonders of this Sequence have strong bodies and keen senses, often possessing both a staid appearance and a crazy heart within them. They possess many criminal techniques and are proficient in killing with whatever they can casually acquire.
"Their corresponding Sequence 8 is Lunatic. I believe you aren't aware of this because even an orthodox Beyonder organization like the seven Orthodox Churches aren't fully aware of such matters. That secret organization's member wields powers that far exceed your imagination. Those nearly twisted bastards are bound, be it their bodies or souls. It would be difficult to obtain any useful information by just relying on mediumship and divination.
"Sharron and I had also put up with this and waited for a very long time before we found a way to remove this binding and successfully escape.
"As all the Beyonders in this pathway are cursed and have crazy characteristics, we don't want to rely on the seven major Churches. We would lose all our freedom, without leaving anything behind."
So that's the case... It's no wonder the Nighthawk's confidential information doesn't have much about this. It even lacked the corresponding Sequences 8 and 7 of Prisoner. It's something I could know based on the level I had at the time... Klein replied with a sense of enlightenment, "I really am not aware of the situation beyond Prisoner."
Maric didn't nod as he looked at Klein with his brown eyes and continued, "Compared to a Prisoner, a Lunatic's greatest characteristic is to be able to autonomously sacrifice their rationality and let their desires run amok in exchange for strength and enhancements in every aspect. Apart from not having clear thoughts during this period, there isn't much of a problem. They can even gain stronger resistances towards Beyonder powers that can disrupt one's thoughts and influence their mind."
To put it simply, I'll get rid of you first, and that will make it impossible for you to kill me... Klein couldn't help but lampoon.
"From this Sequence onwards, the curse will gradually appear. Lunatics easily lose control," Maric said as his facial muscles twitched.
Isn't that obvious? If a person's mental state has been operating at a nadir for a long time, or if there are frequent abnormalities, it would be abnormal if the possibility of losing control isn't higher than other Beyonders! Klein had his own understanding of this. He turned to look at Miss Sharron, feeling that it was hard for him to imagine what she would look like when she was in the Prisoner and Lunatic stages. And throughout this, Sharron maintained her ghostly silent and ethereal state.
Seeing that he hadn't said anything, Maric slowly exhaled and said, "The next sequence is Werewolf."
The mutation begins? However, in the eyes of normal people, the crazy Prisoners and the Lunatics who are prone to losing their minds are actually similar to such mutants... Well, Werewolf being a Sequence 7 is lower than I expected... Klein's thoughts suddenly wandered.
Maric didn't notice how he had gone adrift as he continued on, "A Werewolf is a fully cursed person. Every time the crimson moon becomes full, they will lose part of their sanity, grow black fur, and their bloodlust and desire for tasting blood would reach its peak..."
His voice gradually became a bit erratic, as if he recalled that bitter experience of enduring and repressing himself.
"A Werewolf has rather powerful rejuvenation abilities, as well as terrifying strength, agility, and speed. Their claws and teeth are in no way inferior to Beyonder weapons of the same Sequence, and they contain venom. They also know some darkness-related spells. For instance, targets who are under the Werewolf's control would become subordinates after a period of time, when a Werewolf's venom infiltrates their body for a period of time. They would become a monster like a Werewolf, and typically, these monster's possess very short lifespans..."
After hearing Maric's explanation, Klein made a pertinent conclusion.
At the level of Sequence 7, the Werewolf is above average in terms of actual combat ability.
"A Werewolf who is always unable to suppress their instinct to kill and their bloodlust during a full moon will turn increasingly cold and more twisted. Gradually, they will lose their feelings that a normal human would have," Maric added. There was an undisguised pride in his tone.
It fits Mr. Azik's description of mutants... Klein subconsciously looked at Miss Sharron, instinctively imagining her Werewolf form. However, her cold gaze almost made him shiver, and he quickly turned his head back.
Maric unconsciously licked his lips. It wasn't the seductive kind done by women, but the kind that gave people a sense of danger.
His gaze seemed to momentarily lose focus; leaving his recollections an unknown.
After a few seconds, he opened his mouth again.
"I'm at the corresponding Sequence 6, Zombie."
Zombie... Your outer appearance really does resemble one... It's no wonder you often play cards with a bunch of your own kind. It turns out that you are also a special kind of zombie, a real living zombie... Klein thought for a moment and said, "I heard from Kaspars that you aren't afraid of bullets?"
Maric nodded and said, "My body can be as hard as steel. Even if you used a revolver to fire at my head, I'll only feel dizzy at best. You'll need to shoot me five times in the same spot before you're able to break my defenses.
"And even if you break through my defenses, to a Zombie, all other forms of damage isn't lethal if the brain isn't destroyed.
"And my strength has been raised significantly from the foundation of a Werewolf. Furthermore, I wield a portion of death-related spells and can easily summon zombies and control ghosts. I can direct them and am proficient at using cold and decaying Beyonder powers."
Every Sequence in the Mutant pathway has different characteristics. There are very few changes in the progressive pathway... Klein pondered for a moment and asked, "Then, what about the curse of Zombie?"
Maric clenched his teeth and said, "I will thirst for the warm blood and fresh meat of humans. During the full moon, this state will be particularly serious. The only thing to be gratified about is that a Zombie's curse replaces the Werewolf's and Lunatic's curse. They do not exist together, and it's the same later on.
"Every time the crimson moon is full, I will be in great pain. If I don't give up on self-control, I will be in so much pain that I will lose my ability to fight. And if I indulge myself, I will also become less and less like a human, and the risk of losing control is very high.
"Even in normal times, I would always resist the desires in my heart and the strong malice in my heart."
Phew. Compared to the Beyonders of other Sequences, the others are so much better. Well, except for Abyss and Demoness... Klein suddenly had such a thought.
Maric paused and glanced at Sharron.
Sharron parted her lips and said in an illusory voice, "Sequence 5, Wraith."
Wraith? There's such a Sequence? It really is a Mutant pathway... Klein was slightly surprised at first, but then he felt that this was indeed the characteristic of a spirit body that could be easily transformed.
Having received the prompt, Maric added, "After becoming a Wraith, one can turn one's body into a real wraith and obtain the corresponding powers, such as moving through obstacles, hiding in mirrors, and directly attacking the soul of the enemy. They can jump through most things with reflections.
"And unlike ordinary wraiths, even with Spirit Vision, one will find it difficult to discover such a shadow unless they were a High-Sequence Beyonder.
"Yes, Wraith wields many death-type spells. There are many strange techniques, such as forcefully possessing the body and controlling the enemy...
"Her curse is that on the night of a full moon, she either consumes a certain number of human souls, or she becomes extremely weak. Choosing the former is equivalent to being on the brink of losing control at any moment."
Without waiting for Klein to speak, the similarly pale Sharron suddenly said, "Our target is also a Wraith."
"The Beyonder powers of Zombie, Werewolf, Lunatic, and Prisoner won't be lost as a result of advancement," Maric emphasized.
It sounds like my nemesis. I'm precisely afraid of the type who are impervious to revolver bullets and do not suffer immense damage when burned by ordinary flames... Simply put, I'm afraid of "ghosts"... Klein felt his heart thump a little.
After pondering for a few seconds, he asked, "What is the effect of the Sealed Artifact?
"Why would they restrain you?"
It actually made you willing to tell me your weaknesses and your curses... Klein had some general guesses.
Maric's expression was somewhat gloomy as he replied, "That cursed artifact that needs to be sealed is called ‘Scarlet Lunar Corona.'
"Up to a certain range, it can create effects similar to a full moon. For those who are already cold and warped, it would aid them with explosive strength, but we will become weak and lose our ability to fight. If I give up on myself, then I'd rather choose death!" Maric growled hoarsely.
I didn't expect a perverted and cowardly fellow like you to be a persistent person. Hmm, to be able to last until the Zombie Sequence is indeed extraordinary... Klein didn't interrupt him and listened to the next part of the story.
"The person who wears the Scarlet Lunar Corona is immune to the effects of the full moon, and they will gain terrifying speed and unimaginable rejuvenation abilities, as well as a number of relatively powerful darkness-related spells. However, it will make the wearer's blood gradually turn cold. They will freeze up, bit by bit, and if they do not stop in time or drink the blood of a living person, they will ultimately die as their blood freezes up completely." Maric seemed to greatly fear the Scarlet Lunar Crow.
After he was done, Sharron looked over at Klein with her calm blue eyes.
"Together with Steve are Zombie Jason and Werewolf Tyre.
"But as long as Steve is finished off, the others wouldn't be a problem."
Maric added, "If we succeed, the Beyonder characteristic left behind by Steve will be mine. The Scarlet Lunar Corona will belong to Sharron. The remaining spoils of war and the Book of Secrets will be your payment."
