Chapter 212-2: Am I Playing the Game, or Is the Game Playing Me? (Part 2)

Words : 1625 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Unless he found a way to counteract resurrection, he could already faintly see the rise of these Undying in the near future. Though they lost some power each time they died, they still had far more opportunities to become strong than those who had only one life. Of course, Stanley had no fear. As a Level 15 powerhouse, no matter how strong the enemy, he had enough confidence to face them. Besides, these Undying were still far from fully developed. They were nowhere near posing a threat to him. Moreover, with the Dark Pact gaining these Undying, he might one day use them to acquire more resources. There were a few deathtrap locations containing treasure he had never dared explore. HunYuan silently wailed in his heart. This damn NPC, his brain was terrifying, he had accounted for everything. There was simply no reason to refuse. Especially after seeing the pitiful experiences of those players in Glory on the forums, he understood how incredibly lucky they were to have climbed into the Dark Pact’s circle. And even luckier to have caught the eye of a major figure like the Vice President of the Dark Pact, the dominant leader of Green City’s underworld. This was a huge opportunity for them. If they missed it, HunYuan was sure this NPC that so smart he gave him chills, would immediately find another group of players to sign the contract. And those other players, suffering in misery, would definitely sign. Just as Stanley had said: he wasn’t their only choice, but the Dark Pact was their only choice. “Lord Stanley, we’re willing.” After a brief moment of thought, HunYuan made the decision without hesitation. There was no point in acting coy, they were still too weak and needed a powerful force to shield them from the storm. “Very good. Drip your blood onto the scrolls and swear never to betray the Dark Pact. The incantation is...” Stanley nodded in satisfaction and began instructing them in the oath. These magical scrolls were something he had obtained long ago from an ancient ruin, over a hundred of them, used specifically to bind sworn oaths. Though not as powerful as the Soul Contracts of the God of Death, they still possessed strong constraints. Those who had violated such contracts in the past had met miserable ends, their very souls devoured. As the three finished signing the contracts, HunYuan suddenly heard a system notification. “Ding~ You have signed a loyalty contract with the Dark Pact. If you betray the Dark Pact, your character will be deleted. This account will be permanently erased, and all items and property will be reset to zero.” Holy shit. The three looked at each other, shock written all over their faces. Damn it, this contract was way too damn harsh. Betrayal leads to character deletion? What kind of bullshit game is this? Who’s the real player here? Are we playing the game or is the game playing us? At that moment, the three of them wanted nothing more than to jump out and give the game developers a good beating. This was outrageous. Stanley stood up now, a strong smile blooming on his face, he could feel the power of the contract. What he hadn’t told HunYuan, Thunderhands, or Cheng Kun was that the contract actually had a master contract and the master contract could control all subsidiary contracts. By coincidence, he had inherited the power of the master contract in that ancient ruin. So once the three swore the oath, he could now directly control their fates. Stanley could now sense the soul marks branded by the Lost Planes on the three of them. If he wished, he could erase their marks entirely. As a former follower of an Evil God, even though he was now constrained by Li De, he was far from a benevolent being. It was no surprise that these three rookies had been thoroughly exploited by this dark boss. “HunYuan, Thunderhands, Cheng Kun, congratulations on becoming partners of the Dark Pact. I will form a new department centered around you called Immortal Souls and assign one hundred intermediate warriors as its foundation. For now, Draco will oversee the department. Once you advance to Intermediate Professionals, management will be handed over to you. In the future, I hope you can recruit a group of elite Lost Plane warriors to join the Immortal Souls and contribute even more to the Dark Pact.” Hiss. The three of them, who had still been a little upset over the severe consequences of betrayal, instantly perked up. A hundred Intermediate Professionals? Those were Level 5+ mini-bosses! And it was a department built around them? Holy crap, this was insane. The three exchanged glances, faces full of joy. They were dying to jump onto the forums and flaunt the news. They already had a hundred subordinates while other beta players were still suffering under NPC oppression. It felt like eating a cold watermelon on a hot summer’s day, utterly refreshing. This was definitely worth it. “I’ll have Draco help you power up quickly so you can reach Intermediate Professional status. The Dark Pact of the future needs more Undying to serve it. HunYuan, I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Meeting Stanley’s deep gaze, HunYuan nodded decisively. Now they were well and truly tied to the same ship. Betraying the Dark Pact meant deletion, that price was too steep. Even if he were forced to delete his character now, he couldn’t bear it. If his effort over these past few days went to waste, he’d go insane. “Lord Stanley, we’ll do our best.” Stanley nodded, his tone becoming more solemn. “Work hard. When Majestic Iro returns, I believe he will reward you.” “Majestic Iro?” Thunderhands was curious. “That’s the President of the Dark Pact, right?” Stanley gave him a long look. “Yes. Majestic Iro is our protector here in the Dark Pact. He is also the Vice President of Demon Heart. You will have a chance to meet Majestic Iro in the future. Believe me, that will be the most unforgettable and glorious moment of your lives.” The three looked at one another. Seeing the reverence on Stanley’s face, a man who was already unfathomably powerful and the Vice President of the Dark Pact, they couldn’t help but grow intensely curious about Iro, whom they had never met. To command a massive force like the Dark Pact, and also hold a vice-presidency in Demon Heart, one of the three major powers of Green City’s underworld. One man held two seats among the three great underworld factions. What kind of legendary figure could that be? The three left full of anticipation. At the same time, they were eager to brag about becoming bigshots, commanding over a hundred Intermediate Professionals as subordinates, on the forums. Just imagining the jealous and bitter comments of other beta players thrilled them. Oh, the joy. Once the room was empty, the burly figure of Grote strode out from a room behind the main hall. His voice carried a hint of displeasure. “Stanley, are you sure these adventurers from another plane are worth it?” Grote looked puzzled. “They may have the ability to resurrect, but as Level 1 Warrior Apprentices, what value do they really have? Any random street thug could kill them a hundred times.” “Are they really worth such attention and resources from us?” To this Northern warrior, the resurrection ability of the Lost Planes adventurers didn’t compensate for their current weakness. It would take a long time for them to grow. And no one could guarantee that their resurrection wasn’t limited. If they invested a huge amount of resources in them and their resurrection stopped working, it would be a devastating loss. Stanley looked at Grote’s towering figure and shook his head helplessly. They had known each other for over a decade. Back when he was a Level 13 Dark Priest, Grote was already the captain of Viscount Berna’s guards. He knew Grote’s temper well. Even after being turned into a member of the Vampire Bloodline, that temper hadn’t changed a bit. “Grote, the bigger picture isn’t as simple as you think. Your foresight sees five years ahead. I’m thinking ten, even twenty.” Stanley’s eyes grew deep. “A force that wants to grow must never focus only on immediate gain. That’s something I learned from Viscount Berna. The Dark Pact rose from obscurity to become one of the three underworld giants because of Viscount Berna’s long-term planning. There’s no knight who kills a dragon in one blow, and no single harvest that feeds you for life.” He paused briefly before continuing. “If Lord Progenitor were here, do you think he would agree with what I’m doing?” At this final sentence, Grote froze for a moment, then replied with a strange expression, “No, Stanley. If Lord Progenitor were here, he wouldn’t sign contracts with those Lost Plane adventurers like you did.” Stanley frowned. “Oh? Impossible. I believe in Lord Progenitor’s vision!” Though he hadn’t interacted with Li De for long, Stanley could sense the long-term insight in his eyes. He didn’t believe Li De would give up on those who could resurrect. Grote suddenly burst into laughter. “Lord Progenitor would make those adventurers beg to sign a contract with him, crying and pleading for the honor. Not like what you did.” He patted his rear with satisfaction and turned to leave. Leaving behind a stunned Stanley. Make the deathless adventurers beg to sign a contract? Could that really be done? The young bloodline descendant Stanley... apparently hadn’t yet heard the legends of the King of Schemes.

Chapter 212-2: Am I Playing the Game, or Is the Game Playing Me? (Part 2)

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