Volume 1, Chapter 33: The Scourge of the Undead, Mordekaiser

"What the hell? What's going on?"

The sudden turn of events caught Lin Yu completely off guard. He had been so focused on checking his rewards that he hadn't paid any attention to the crown-like object. He never expected the thing to move, let alone burrow into his head for no reason.

"Boy, you dared to kill the successor I chose. Since that is the case, you shall take his place and become my new heir!"

Just as Lin Yu was reeling in shock, a sinister voice echoed in his mind without warning.

"An heir? Who exactly are you?" Lin Yu frowned. He was certain the voice came from the crown that had just entered his brain. What he didn't expect was that the thing could actually talk. Even though he had read plenty of web novels and knew many treasures contained soul fragments, it was hard to accept when it actually happened to him.

"Who am I? I am the Undead Scourge, Mordekaiser, a great God of Death!"

"The Undead Scourge, Mordekaiser?" Hearing this name, Lin Yu froze, and his expression darkened instantly. Then, memories of a past life flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

The Undead Scourge, also known as the God of Death, was a cruel executioner in the history of the God-Demon Continent, reviled by all humanity. For his own selfish ends, he had slaughtered nearly half the living beings on the continent, causing the human race's power to plummet and leaving them in a state of vulnerability that gave the Demon race their chance to rise. It could be said that if not for the Undead Scourge, the God-Demon Continent would never have fallen into a state where the Demons held the upper hand.

"You are the executioner who dragged the God-Demon Continent into the abyss of disaster?" Even Lin Yu felt a deep hatred for this cold-blooded butcher. If it weren't for the catastrophe caused by Mordekaiser back then, how could the humans of the God-Demon Continent be so powerless to resist the Demon invasion today? And if not for that, Blue Star would never have been dragged into this conflict, and his family in his previous life would not have met such a tragic end at the hands of the Demons. Lin Yu had absolutely no love for this Mordekaiser.

"Executioner?" The voice let out a scoff of contempt.

"Isn't it true? If it weren't for you, the God-Demon Continent wouldn't have ended up in this state," Lin Yu mocked coldly.

"I only wanted to save the person I cared about. Is that wrong?" Faced with Lin Yu's reproach, the Undead Scourge Mordekaiser's emotions clearly became agitated.

"I can understand your situation, but every debt has its debtor. That shouldn't be a reason for so many innocent people to be dragged into it," Lin Yu replied with disdain. Although he wasn't a saint, he could not condone the heartless slaughter of innocent civilians for the sake of personal gain.

He was no stranger to Mordekaiser's history from his previous life; in fact, it was legendary. Mordekaiser had been the most dazzling genius of his era. By the age of twenty, he had already broken through to become a Tier 9 Mage, an absolute legend at the time. He was once hailed as the only genius in the continent's ten-thousand-year history capable of defying the Heavens and achieving godhood before the age of fifty.

However, fate often closes a window when it opens a door. While his path in cultivation was bright and smooth, he suffered a devastating blow in his personal life. His beloved, Sophia, was critically injured during an experiment to develop a new magical skill and lay on the verge of death. Desperate to save her, Mordekaiser scoured the continent for a cure. He heard that the Holy Spring of the Light Church had the power to bring the dead back to life, so he traveled thousands of miles to seek their help.

Unexpectedly, he was ruthlessly rejected by the Church. The Pope at the time believed that Sophia was already dying and that using the Holy Spring would not only fail to heal her but would likely contaminate the sacred water. Faced with the Church's refusal to help, a desperate Mordekaiser turned to the forbidden art of Necromancy to save her. The result was inevitable: his efforts ended in failure.

From that point on, Mordekaiser completely succumbed to darkness. He blamed the Light Church entirely for Sophia's death, convinced that their refusal to act was the cause of the tragedy. To take his revenge, he cultivated relentlessly, breaking through to a Level 99 Mage in less than a decade—the first human in history to reach the peak of Tier 9 before the age of thirty. The first thing he did upon leaving seclusion was to summon an army of a million undead. Under his command, they launched a full-scale assault on the Light Church.

For the next hundred years, the entire continent was plunged into endless chaos and destruction, becoming a living hell. If not for several gods descending to perform miracles, forcing him to accept godhood, the God-Demon Continent would have ceased to exist. Because of that war, the human race declined rapidly, eventually allowing the long-dormant Demon race to take control.

"Innocent? If not for those people, would Sophia have perished? It was all their own fault!" Hearing Lin Yu's mockery, Mordekaiser clearly lost his composure. He let out a cold laugh, "Lin Yu, I didn't expect you to misunderstand me so thoroughly. Since you think I am an executioner, then I shall make you become an executioner in your own heart!"

"Why should I understand you?" Lin Yu sneered. But then, his eyes narrowed, and he stood frozen in place. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

In the game, NPCs should only be able to see his nickname, even if they were gods. For Mordekaiser to call out his real name in a fit of rage was chilling. Did this entity know his true identity?

Just as Lin Yu was reeling from the shock, a system notification chimed in his ear.

[Ding! You have been cursed by the God of the Undead, Mordekaiser. You must destroy the novice village you are currently in within three days. Quest Reward: God-tier talent, Art of Undead Refinement. Failure Penalty: Suffer the agony of the Undead Curse.]

[Undead Curse: While under this status, you will lose 1% of your maximum health per second. Cannot be removed!]

[Ding! Because you have gained the recognition of Mordekaiser, you have received the blessing of the God of the Undead, Mordekaiser. Your current personal attributes are increased fivefold!]

As the system notification faded, the great hall fell into absolute silence. Even the Undead Scourge Mordekaiser vanished, as if he had never been there. However, Lin Yu's expression remained grim. It wasn't just because of the curse, but because of that last remark. The entity knew his real name. What kind of connection did this Mordekaiser have to him?

When he tried to demand an explanation, he was met only with silence.

"Damn it!" Lin Yu's face darkened further. He hadn't expected Mordekaiser to pull a disappearing act. "It seems that if I want to figure out why he knows who I am, I'll have to wait until after I destroy the novice village."

Though annoyed, Lin Yu regained his focus. He didn't believe the entity would stay hidden when he went to turn in the quest. Still, the prospect gave him a headache. Destroying a novice village was no easy feat. According to his memories, there were plenty of NPCs above level 20, not to mention the Village Chief, a level 30 powerhouse.

As for giving up? That was impossible, as the result would be no different from waiting for death. The Undead Curse removed 1% of his maximum health every second; under that debuff, he would be sent back to the respawn point within two minutes, likely before he could even leave the village.

"Forget it. One step at a time, I suppose." Lin Yu gritted his teeth and sighed. The die was cast, and there was no point in dwelling on it; he had to think about what to do next. He had three days. Plus, with his attributes quintupled by Mordekaiser's blessing, combined with his "Absolute Defense" and other divine skills, he might actually have a chance.

Shaking his head, he took one last look at the empty stone hall and exited. There was no reason to stay now that he had cleared the area.