Pfft! Pfft!
It felt as if everyone was standing still, suddenly drenched by a bucket of paint; they all experienced a chilling sensation wash over them.
At the same time, the Polluted Blood rapidly solidified and hardened, forming thread-like fungal mats, resembling some sort of creation.
Everyone felt as if they were wrapped in the mucous of some organism, struggling for quite a while before finally breaking free.
"Ugh..."
"What the hell! What is this disgusting stuff?!"
"Are you all alright?"
"We're fine! We're fine! It's just this stuff that's making us sick."
"It's okay; the monster's dropped loot Sphere is still here."
One by one, the members of the team struggled to emerge from the carpet of blood, covered in a myriad of colors. They pulled out numerous cleaning tools, just managing to clear themselves off.
The players felt discomfort for a moment but soon returned to normal.
After all, they were demigods and legends; they had seen their fair share of storms, and this level of disgust was something they could endure...
However, someone suddenly exclaimed in terror, "Wait a minute!"
"Why do I feel something's off with my body?"
"Hold on—what's this negative buff?"
"I think I've got that buff too."
A wave of panic spread across their faces.
All of them noticed two buffs flashing over their bodies—
[Blood of the Holy Spirit]
[Description: Blood from the innate holy race, originating from a great land where all power and nobility converge. The blood infused with their life and soul will grant mortals a significant transformation.]
[Effect: 1 When you deal damage, half of the value will be converted to Holy Spirit damage (upon hitting, it will definitely take effect and cannot be reduced by any means).
2 While under the effect of Blood of the Holy Spirit, you cannot be killed by any damage...]
Crackle, crackle.
The Blood of the Holy Spirit buff existed on the players' panels for merely an instant, not even displaying any attributes before it abruptly shifted to another buff.
[Blood of Contamination]
[Description: Once upon a time... [Data Error] they would [Call Failed] No, they gaze upon you.]
[Effect: Under the influence of Blood of Contamination, you will continuously lose all attributes and maximum life force. The rate of decrease will incrementally increase. When your maximum life force or any attribute drops to zero, you will be annihilated!]
[Hint: Depending on the concentration of the Blood of Contamination you endure and your strength, you may suffer a more potent curse.]
[Hint: You can regain a portion of your weakened attributes and life force by killing other units infected with Blood of Contamination (they cannot be lower than one major realm than you). However, your Blood of Contamination thereafter will inflict a stronger curse.]
[Warning: Infection by Blood of Contamination after death will result in [Data Error][Cannot View].]
The description of Blood of Contamination seemed rather ordinary, appearing to be just a typical debuff. However, this buff also appeared to encourage players to turn on each other in a desperate struggle for survival, making it seem somewhat brutal. Yet, many demigods and legends had encountered far more terrifying curses before.
But still... the faces of the numerous demigods present were filled with fear!
For one, the curse was bizarre from its very description. What did "call failed" mean? What was "data error"? What did [Transcendence] have to do with "data"? And what exactly was being "called"?
Not everyone, unlike Sterl, had a cultural background that included the concept of online games; they simply could not comprehend why such terminology would appear. The strange characters sent chills down their spines.
In the end, the legendary player erupted into maniacal laughter and, like a spring, suddenly lunged at the retreating team.
Caught off guard, they truly fell victim to a surprise attack!
They weren't struck in the traditional sense. The legendary player, like an arrow, forcibly drove his head into the ground, his skull shattering like a fragile watermelon, yet his spine pierced the earth, anchoring him in place.
The legendary player's position was right at the center of the team!
Enhanced by the colorful light, the speed of this deceased legendary player was beyond what any demigod could react to!
Then, the legendary player swelled like a balloon, inflating to the utmost limit.
Bang!
The balloon exploded!
The colorful Polluted Blood sprayed out like fireworks.
The others, caught unprepared, were doused in it.
"Ahhh!!"
"What the hell!"
"Damn it, Zach has gone crazy, even in death he wants to cause trouble!"
...
The team was thrown into a state of panic.
This time, the intensity of the Polluted Blood was not as severe as before, and they easily crawled out from the coagulated fungal mass. However, everyone's expression was grim as they quickly checked the Blood of Contamination buff, relieved to find that the various descriptions on it had not changed.
"Wait, let's stay calm."
"This curse is extremely strange."
"We need to return to the main world, to the Hall of Valor, and see if there's any way to cure this." After the sacrifice of one member, the team leader, a demigod-level priest, decisively ordered. He felt an immense unease within.
He followed a deity who wielded divine authority over life. Although he couldn't resolve this curse himself, surely the god could handle it easily, right?
As the demigod priest analyzed the situation logically, his feelings of unrest only deepened. Especially after being hit by Blood of Contamination for the second time, he had an inexplicable sense that he was already dead.
"Yes! We need to go back."
"Let's move quickly; the entire hell might be undergoing changes."
"I've also privately messaged other teams; they haven't returned yet, and I don't know why."
"Haah!"
The players were originally discussing normally. However, the female player who mentioned messaging others wore a look of horror—not because she couldn't reach anyone, but because she had just noticed the streaks of rainbow-colored Polluted Blood marring her game panel, which looked extremely disgusting.
"How is this possible??"
The female player felt like she was about to go insane. This Blood of Contamination was not only polluting players but also tainting the [Transcendence] game system??
What kind of joke was this??
At that moment, a profound, indescribable fear enveloped her heart. The death of the legendary player hadn't shaken her much psychologically—after all, in [Transcendence], losing several friends and family members could happen during any instance, adventure, or boss fight. But now, she was truly frightened.
If even the game system had been corrupted, what could possibly happen next?
She felt an impulse to log off immediately to inquire about the legendary player. What had he felt in those final moments?
Theoretically, even if his account was gone, he should still be around.
As the female player thought about this, she knew she couldn't log off right now, but she instinctively opened the settings—