Lost Prince (2)

Learning the origin of the prince was clearly tied to more than just lore. Listening patiently and responding with good in-game etiquette had already rewarded Dawei in the past. On a high-end map like the Cursed Forest, even the smallest decision could unlock entire branches of hidden content—or favor from important NPCs.

Besides, he'd noticed something else.

As soon as the prince began speaking, his character interface shifted. The system flashed subtle updates—status info, affiliations, minor profile details—but none of it could be interacted with.

"Figures," Dawei thought. "I'm not even officially registered in the game world yet. Until I complete or fail a god-tier mission, I'm just a blank slate. No prestige, no identity. A whiteboard."

Still, he could guess that whatever was shifting on the prince's panel wasn't random. Something was happening under the hood.

The story itself sounded like it came straight from a Western fantasy novel: a young prince, once chosen to be heir to a powerful throne, abandoned his kingdom in pursuit of something greater.

"I came to the Cursed Forest," the prince murmured, his voice rough but passionate. "It's said that Count Dracula resides here... He possesses the power of immortality."

Dawei immediately tensed.

There it was. The trigger point.

As the prince spoke, his breathing grew heavier. His body trembled slightly. His eyes glowed with a feverish obsession.

"I... I cannot leave this place," he confessed, voice quivering. "The cursed energies of this land bind me. I came in search of eternity—but now I'm trapped."

Vampires. Undead. Immortality. Classic tropes, yes—but in Mercenary World, tropes were often masks for deeper systems. He knew better than to dismiss them outright.

"I'm stuck here too," Dawei said, trying to probe further. "So what happens now?"

The prince didn't respond. He stared at Dawei intently. His tone grew lower, his words laced with desperation and something… darker.

"Tell me, friend… do you desire the power of eternal life?"

Dawei froze.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. What kind of question is that? Is this a branching path? A hidden job class? Am I about to become a vampire?!

He could feel it in his bones—this was a critical choice. One of those game-defining decisions you never forget. Accept the prince's offer, and who knows what powers or curses would follow.

But this was a god-tier mission.

And if immortality were that easy to get, the game world would be crawling with undead player gods. The system would never allow such a massive imbalance.

Dawei smirked. "Nah. I still want to give escaping a shot. Maybe there's a way out after all. Thanks for the hospitality, though—I appreciate it."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and exited the hut.

He didn't look back.

But he felt the prince's gaze clinging to him. Desperate. Hollow. Burning.

Favorability increased, a subtle prompt whispered across the HUD as he stepped into the misty night. Even after a polite rejection, the system rewarded him.

He stood outside and glanced back at the hut from a distance.

Two words echoed in his mind:Too strange.

The prince's story was full of inconsistencies.

There was no bed in the hut. No food. No personal effects. Just a flickering oil lamp burning endlessly, despite the lack of fuel.

He longed for immortality… and yet he spoke of giving that power to others?

It was contradictory. Suspicious. Unnatural.

Dawei lit a cigarette and exhaled into the dead air. "If I still can't see the red flags here, I might as well delete my account and start growing cabbage in real life."

He was sure of one thing now.

This NPC wasn't just some throwaway backstory character. He was either a plot device for the vampire count, or an anchor for a hidden branching path. Maybe both.

Wait.

Dawei's instincts screamed.

Nothing happens without purpose on high-tier maps.

He stepped back behind a tree and waited, watching the hut from the shadows.

A few minutes passed. Then ten.

Then—movement.

The oil lamp inside the hut extinguished on its own.

No wind. No visible motion. Just... gone.

And then, in that pitch-dark cabin, two red eyes flared to life in the prince's silhouette.

System Prompt:Warning: You are witnessing a hidden event. Do not interfere.

Dawei's pupils contracted.

Holy crap. He's transforming.