The Crimson Vale was once a prosperous land nestled between mountains, but centuries ago, it was cursed by blood and betrayal. Now, it was a forbidden zone. Monsters roamed the crimson mists, and even experienced cultivators dared not enter without a proper formation.
But Priyanshu Yadav? He walked through the crimson fog like a stroll through a garden.
"I can smell the death lingering in the air," he muttered, amused. "Just the kind of place I like."
The System chimed in with a mission.
[New Side Quest: Investigate the Curse of Crimson Vale. Optional: Discover the source of the Laughing Butcher's power. Reward: +1,000 Dark Karma, Skill Book: Shadow Puppet Killing Arts.]
"Laughing Butcher?" Priyanshu whispered. "Sounds like my kind of lunatic."
The deeper he went, the heavier the atmosphere became. Bones crunched under his feet. The trees were twisted and moaning like they remembered pain. Then—laughter.
It echoed, unnatural and sharp. A giggle. A chuckle. Then a deep, belly laugh—reverberating through the crimson mist like a taunt from the abyss.
"Another visitor?" said a voice. "It's been centuries. I was beginning to think they forgot me."
A man stood at the center of a crimson ritual circle, surrounded by the skeletons of hundreds. His robe was stained red, his eyes wild.
"You don't smell like the others," the butcher sneered. "What are you?"
"I'm your death," Priyanshu replied coldly.
The butcher threw his head back and howled with laughter.
"Do you think I care about death?! I killed myself once—just to see what it felt like!"
The battle began in an instant. The Butcher's blades moved faster than the eye, coated in cursed blood. Priyanshu dodged with minimal effort, analyzing every movement with precision granted by his system.
His Create and Destroy Domain expanded. The mist trembled.
"What is this power—?" the Butcher shouted.
"You're a clown in a haunted circus," Priyanshu smirked, "and I'm the fire burning it down."
He activated Death Reversal Seal, one of his hidden villain techniques, which returned a portion of his opponent's power back at them tenfold.
The Butcher screamed as his own cursed energy erupted from within.
With a final strike, Priyanshu used his new technique—Puppet Rend—and severed the soul from the body. The Butcher fell, laughing even as his body disintegrated into ash.
[Quest Complete: +1,000 Dark Karma. Skill Unlocked: Shadow Puppet Killing Arts.]
The crimson mist began to dissipate.
A young girl's spirit appeared, bowing deeply.
"Thank you for avenging us. Please, take this…"
She offered an orb filled with spiritual essence. It was one of the Nine Forgotten Souls—a key to unlocking one of the forbidden paths.
As Priyanshu walked out of the vale, he whispered:
"One more piece on the board. One step closer to domination."
And behind him, the cursed valley wept.