Hellsong town was a small city consisting only of a few dilapidated houses and shops. Residents here had big dark circles around their eyes, seemingly sleep-deprived and stressed.
They were all weary and suspicious of strangers, and they never answered the questions about the Castle on the hilltop that was forever shrouded in perpetual dark clouds, thunder, and rain.
However, their reply was an answer itself. They said that anyone who talked about the Castle would be cursed and die soon after.
Fortunately, the townsfolk did have stories of their own to tell. Some said that they were once attacked by a creature that looked like an ethereal man that had bat wings instead of arms, as well as large fangs.
Others claim that the Castle was haunted by ghosts and that the inhabitants near them could hear strange noises coming from within its walls late at night.
The stories all featured strange, beautiful beings with ruby-colored eyes and sharp fangs that could move as fast as the wind.
Some claimed that after those beings drank blood from unsuspecting townsfolk, the victim would turn into the same creature.
Creatures of the night.
Just like the setting in Mad Lab, the rundown town had plenty of quests that stalled the players. However, just like they did the previous time, Ren's party was going to proceed straight toward the Castle. They weren't here for the points anyway.
"Let's not waste time here and hurry to the castle," Ren said.
Amidst their venture towards the Fortress, Ren heard Sumeri talk about their encounter with Black Lion.
Though they had already decided to talk about it after they were forced log out later, Sumeri couldn't help herself to tattle.
"Nikolai and I were surprised when Black Lion suddenly showed up. They didn't even have a single member missing. It was ten against two . . . we were no match," said Sumeri with a disappointed shake of her head.
"Scar wasn't with them, though," she added. "It was just that . . . that new guy. The one with green hair. Apparently, he's a Chrono Mage, and hell . . . his spells are overwhelming."
Nikolai nodded, confirming his sister's story. "We could do nothing but die. He stopped us numerous times, and then his group finished us. It happened numerous times. That green-haired guy is so powerful, just like Mister Ren here."
Ren didn't comment. While the others were talking, he was in deep thought.
This Joker guy was beginning to intrigue him even more so than Scar. Ren knew that Joker was the reason why Black Lion won the guild wars, and now, probably the reason why Black Lion was leading the Halloween Event together with Sleeping Dragon.
And above all this, he was also curious about Sleeping Dragon's instant rise to the event. Was there someone on their side who had a rare class as well?
Ren was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Evie's tight hold on his hand.
Shifting his attention to her, he found her porcelain mask dripping wet from the rain. He knew behind the walls of her mask was a worried expression.
"You okay?" she asked.
Despite feeling troubled, staring at her made Ren feel that the world was a better place, and a smile naturally made its way to his lips.
"Yeah. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
The rain continued and poured harder like a hurricane the closer they got to Dracula's Castle.
The Castle was an imposing structure, and it was built to be that way. It sat on the hilltop, overlooking the town of Hellsong.
It had been there since the town's foundation, and over a century had passed since then. The Castle was one of those places that had seen its fair share of history, from wars to battles and everything in between.
When Vlad, better known as Count Dracula, moved into the area, he decided to build a fortress where he could live out his days in peace with the high wall surrounding it, stretching out as far as the eyes could see.
The Castle itself was made up of two parts: the main building and the keep. The main building was a large stone structure that looked like a medieval church. It had many levels and towers.
The keep was a separate structure attached to the side of the main building by a narrow bridge. It was much smaller than the main building, but it still had many floors and a turreted roof.
Both buildings were surrounded by a high wall topped with sharp spikes. There were also several towers along the outside of the walls.
The Castle was said to be haunted by the ghosts of Vlad's victims, as well as the many vampires and monsters under his command.
As they neared the Castle, the group heard screams of those who were tortured and killed inside the castle walls.
But it had a certain charm to it. The place looked exactly like the ones in vampire movies.
They even saw ghostly figures walking through the halls, making Leonel draw a sharp breath.
"T-this again."
"What do you expect? All the servers are like this," said Ragnar.
Isolde skimmed her jawline. "The ghosts here are tamed, though. At least their appearance isn't that gruesome."
While the others were talking, Ren recalled bits and pieces about the Castle.
The Castle itself was a sprawling complex, with several towers and turrets rising from its main body. There were multiple floors throughout the building, each with its own unique design.
Some of these floors were accessible only by stairs or ladders, while others had elevators, ledges, or ropes. In some areas, the floor was raised off the ground, giving the appearance of a floating room.
Their group's main objective was to get to Count Dracula as soon as possible, but they'd have to cross the maze inside.
Unfortunately, though, Ren didn't know any shortcut to the Count, so they had to navigate the map to get to the final Boss.
There were numerous entrances into the Castle, most notably through the front gates. Other entrances include a hidden tunnel located underground or a secret passage in the sewers that lead directly into the Castle.
The hardest was, of course, through the front gates since they'd be greeted with vampires, souls, and monsters in each area.
( . . . continuation on NOTES)
