Chapter 600: The Stage Is Set

The Great Cemetery, Rebirth Altar.

Pale blue soul flames burned silently atop obsidian pillars, as robed acolytes chanted obscure incantations, guiding the wandering souls around the pillars toward the vessel upon the altar.

At this moment, a slender, graceful girl lay upon a pitch-black stone slab, like a flower yet to bloom.

She was no human girl, but a Lower Succubus hatched from a "Succubus Egg" and accelerated through the labyrinth's core by faith energy.

It is well known that souls require time to mature. If a life does not complete its full lifecycle, it cannot produce a complete soul—just as wheat grown solely by magic cannot bear robust ears.

To cultivate a Lower Succubus with a complete soul requires at least sixteen years, and the succubus must be given a "home."

From a cost perspective, this is clearly uneconomical. After all, Succubus Eggs are nowhere near as cheap or abundant as Imp Eggs, and the casualty rate of labyrinth monsters is often absurdly high.

But for the Great Cemetery, this problem does not exist. First, its adventurers no longer adventure; second, here, interesting souls vastly outnumber interesting bodies.

All that is needed is an "evil" ritual magic to implant a matured "soul mirror" into these bodies.

Then, "moderately" raise the resurrection cost and increase death penalties, ensuring players who choose these "expensive" characters dare not recklessly die.

The ritual ended; the pale green light faded.

【Feather of the Eagle】suddenly opened her eyes, and before adapting to the fragmented dizziness, her hand shot downward.

Nothing!

A flush of delight reddened her delicate face.

Success!

Instantly, her other hand darted to her chest, seeking the fruit of countless nights of grinding!

【Feather of the Eagle】: "...?"

It was a flat, straight highway—no curves at all, the only protrusion being the collarbones.

【Feather of the Eagle】, who had been delighted for less than a second, slowly turned pale.

The next moment, a piercing scream echoed from the altar.

"You fucking designers, show yourselves! All the lives I spent to get 36G—this is all you give me?!"

"F***, refund me!"

"Puke—give back my Contribution Points!"

【Feather of the Eagle】wept heart-wrenchingly, but her wails were doomed to be futile. The Demon King didn't care—how else would he be called the Demon King?

Even gods have selfishness.

Too small—the Demon King cannot see it.

It's not just the Demon King who cannot hear sorrow; the joys and sorrows beneath the altar do not connect.

Hearing the "wailing" cries, the acolytes all wore knowing smiles.

"Her cries are loud."

"A healthy succubus."

"The ritual was clearly a success."

They had feared most that the soul had failed to enter the body, wasting the Demon King's materials and producing a fool.

But it seemed, for now, this concern was unnecessary.

One acolyte glanced at the high priest.

"Any more?"

The latter shook his head gently.

"This is the last one today."

The altar in the VIP rebirth chamber primarily serves expensive "custom characters." Unlike the mass-production rebirth altars outside, it often sees no more than one or two orders per week.

Today, this room had exactly one customer.

"Off duty."

The acolytes, their work complete, smiled and turned to leave the rebirth chamber.

At the same time, a skeleton soldier hobbled onto the altar and placed a thin novice village outfit beside the Demon King's servant, then collapsed into a pile of bones with a "clatter."

The clothes were cheap—free, even.

The empty rebirth chamber now held only 【Feather of the Eagle】, sitting on the altar, unable to cry.

She had saved Contribution Points for nearly two years, staked it all—and received this result!

The promotional videos showed succubi with voluptuous figures, swaying hips, each step blooming lotus flowers, a single glance capable of bewitching every male.

Yet her slender frame, minus only a few items below the waist, was identical to her real-life body that had lived on instant noodles and malnutrition.

Without clothes on, you'd think she was male.

Even skinnier...

Is this right?!

Regardless, re-incarnation was now impossible.

With a complex heart, 【Feather of the Eagle】wrapped herself tightly in the clothes the Demon King had tossed her and stepped out of the dark, cramped rebirth chamber.

Outside the rebirth chamber's door, the Resurrection Plaza was already packed with onlookers, eagerly awaiting her appearance.

It wasn't that they were well-informed—【Feather of the Eagle】had long posted a preview on the official site, boasting she had customized an insanely powerful character, and that when she played, she'd be playing an entirely different game from everyone else!

Now, it was clear she truly was playing a different game. The instant her petite figure appeared on the Resurrection Plaza, the entire plaza was stunned!

"Wait a minute—can this game change your gender?!"

"Huh? Isn't that always been possible?"

"I didn't know! Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"You're a skeleton—what do you care? Did you ever serve the Demon King? Is this even your business?"

"Wait, this... doesn't match. I thought Feather of the Eagle said he was turning into a seductive mature woman."

"Bro, you're so kinky."

"Now Old Eagle's become Little Eagle."

【Feather of the Eagle】shook with rage, her delicate face flushed crimson like a ripe persimmon.

This was utter humiliation!

【Gou Shi】pushed to the front of the crowd, staring at his former "brother," dumbfounded.

"Holy shit, bro... how'd you turn into a loli?!"

【Feather of the Eagle】: "F***! How was I supposed to know?! I picked based on the promo video!"

【Pig-Headed Knight】scratched at the scales on his head, eyes darting.

"I heard there are two types of succubi—could it be... you weren't born from a mother?"

【Gou Shi】: "Hahahaha, f***!"

【Feather of the Eagle】shouted: "&@#%! You're the one not born from a mother! You're freshly hatched!"

Watching the furious "Little Eagle," 【Pig-Headed Knight】suddenly blushed, fingernails scraping his lizard-like face.

"Cough... bro, don't talk like that—I'll get excited."

【Feather of the Eagle】: "???"

【Minotaur Warrior】: "...?"

【Hu Wan】: "..."

【Ye Zhiqiu】: "..."

A brief silence fell over the air.

Seeing the deranged 【Pig-Headed Knight】, his teammates silently withdrew, leaving the scene to those who didn't know him.

Voices buzzed across the Resurrection Plaza—not all perverted, some even reasonable.

"After all, she's a Lower Succubus—low stats make sense."

"Could it be the promo showed a Capital Succubus, and you got a rural one?"

"Damn, is this game really this realistic? They do regional discrimination?!"

"It's Hell, after all."

"Ah, I'm out—I was gonna try to feel her up, but this is worse than feeling myself."

"?"

Still, sighs were rare.

After all, she was the server's first Succubus player. Most people could never save Contribution Points for so long—or even accumulate them at all.

Even the Demon King probably hadn't expected someone to actually bite into his painted cake.

And most players were thrilled for this first brave soul—eyes turned green as they stared at her.

Of course, many skeleton soldiers already had green eyes.

As Little Eagle trembled, wondering whether to flee this mess, another lizard-man player pushed to the front of the crowd.

These larger-model players always had an advantage in collision volume—ordinary players couldn't push past them without extraordinary power.

Swinging his thick tail, 【Can't Afford】's face oozed sleazy flattery as he leaned in, reaching out to grip 【Feather of the Eagle】's shoulder.

"Hehe, bro, others reject you, I don't care! Lights off, we're all the same—let me have a little fun!"

【Pig-Headed Knight】snapped back to reality and darted behind him.

"I'm next in line too!"

Facing two lizard faces dripping with drool, 【Feather of the Eagle】felt a chill race up her spine to the crown of her head.

"Get lost!!"

Seeing the demons and monsters about to form a queue, she had no choice—she kicked out with both feet.

Yet what she hadn't expected was that the two perverts, struck right in their vital spots, didn't fly backward—they let out excited screams.

"Oh oh oh! This is exactly the feeling!"

"Quick, quick! Again!"

Pian Yu Zhi Jiu: "???"

What the hell?!

Is there even one normal person in this maze?!

"Hey! What are you doing? Want to be thrown into the Demon Lord's dungeon? Break it up and get back to work!"

A foul-mouthed voice drifted down from above, followed by a small demon flapping its wings, baring its teeth at the clustered players.

Seeing the NPC arrive, the players who had been lining up immediately stirred, clearing a path for the Demon Lord's messenger.

Remembering the two kicks she'd just delivered, Pian Yu Zhi Jiu felt a surge of anxiety, her face tense, terrified her actions had been flagged as illegal PK and she'd be executed on the spot by the Demon Lord.

She'd spent two years' worth of contribution points, all spent on this tiny frame—there was nothing left to deduct. Even if she had ten thousand reservations about the product being misrepresented, something was better than nothing.

Fortunately, the Demon Lord understood—he instantly saw who had started it, and didn't hold her accountable.

The small demon landed, shook its wings, and swiftly pulled a black letter from its chest, handing it to Pian Yu Zhi Jiu.

"The Demon Lord has a new plan! You need to do this, then that, then this again… ah, anyway, the quest details are written on it—read for yourself!"

The surrounding laughter died instantly.

Those eyes, moments ago brimming with mockery, now seemed drenched in sulfuric acid, bubbling with acid.

Damn—

Hidden quest!

Pian Yu Zhi Jiu herself was stunned, then overwhelming joy surged through her—all her humiliation and resentment vanished with the tide of delight.

Before the Demon Lord, this is the prestige of a hidden class?!

She'd misjudged the damn designers!

In just two seconds, the succubus character's reputation flipped entirely—the square erupted in a clamor of envy, jealousy, and rage.

"What the hell! Triggered a unique hidden quest right after class change?"

"This is unfair! Where's the damn designer? Make him come out!"

"Fuming, shaking, cold—does high contribution point players get to do whatever they want? Is there no justice?!"

Of course there is.

Though the Demon Lord may not act like a human, within his vast graveyard, effort always brings reward. No matter how twisted the wish, he'll listen with a smile.

How he responds, however, is another matter.

Ignoring the jealous clamor behind her, Pian Yu Zhi Jiu snatched the letter.

Watching the messenger fly off, she lifted her small chin, staring down at the frantic crowd through her nostrils, her grin stretching nearly ear to ear.

"Envy me, trash! From now on, we're not even playing the same game! Heh!"

Though she lacked a bosom to rival the waves, the fully reborn "Little Hawk" had just shot down the entire crowd with a single glance.

Doesn't matter how she did it—just ask: was the wish fulfilled?

Without a word, Pian Yu Zhi Jiu bounced happily after the small demon toward the grand hall, leaving behind her a triumphant silhouette and a tail swaying proudly behind her.

Wan Bu Qi, who had been wriggling for ages without a second footprint, finally crawled off the ground, wiping saliva from his lips with a scaled arm.

"Damn… there's definitely some shady py deal behind this."

Countless "animals" nodded in agreement.

The damn designer—

Too cruel!

Tonight's official forum was bound to erupt in a bloody storm—but that, like the Demon Lord's unfathomable chessboard, was another matter entirely for the pieces caught within it…

…

Nightfall, Collin Manor.

A fox-eared maid, carrying a kerosene lamp, patrolled the manor's corridor and froze when she saw a shadow standing there, her heart leaping to her throat.

But soon, she exhaled in relief.

The figure wasn't Miss Collin—it was Miss Padrich.

Knowing the person she was waiting for wasn't her, the night patrol maid tactfully altered her route, avoiding the quiet corridor.

Beneath the dim yellow light, Mia's cheeks flushed faintly pink. She wore a soft silk nightgown, as if she'd tossed and turned in bed for hours without sleep.

At this moment, Miss Padrich had none of the haughty, lively demeanor she'd shown before Vivian—she looked like a soaked cat, every strand of hair drooping with dejection.

Watching Mia standing at the doorway of her bedroom, Luo Yan stopped, paused, then said:

"Go to the lounge."

Though Mia didn't speak, just by her expression he already knew what she was holding back.

Mia softly murmured "Mm," and followed behind him.

They moved to the lounge, where the fox-eared maid had just finished patrolling, poured them each a cup of hot tea, then bowed and withdrew respectfully.

After the maid left, the room held only the monotonous ticking of the wall clock. Without Vivian's chaos, the entire manor seemed to have fallen asleep.

Staring at the steam curling from her teacup, Mia nervously cradled it, her toes inside her sandals curling involuntarily.

"I… bragged."

Hm?

Luo Yan raised an eyebrow, gently blowing on the fog above his cup.

"What did you brag about?"

"It's… about the Intelligence Bureau."