Everything turned black. There was no sound and nothing else.
It lasted for what seemed like an eternity before Ryder was able to feel his hands and legs.
He opened his eyes, which were blurry initially, but they soon became clear as he saw the roof.
He looked to his left and noticed the familiar table.
"I'm back in my room? Is this a game over? Why wasn't there an announcement of that?" Ryder muttered as he sat up.
He picked up his phone that was lying on the table and looked at the time.
"What the heck? I'm in the past?" Ryder exclaimed as he frowned.
"That shouldn't be possible unless I died, and even then, I should be healed instantly because of the Nature Healing!" Ryder let out as he got off the bed.
"Janus, can you explain? Did this freaking game again kill me in real life mysteriously?" Ryder said with an annoyed look on his face as he looked at his chest that seemed perfectly fine, but it was somewhat itchy.
He took off the shirt and saw a strange black-winged creature mark on his chest. The Mark was disappearing slowly as if it was being wiped. He felt a burning sensation as well, but that was not too painful.
"Janus, Answer me," Ryder inquired again.
<Ding… A main-mission has been issued to the main host>
<Have the Vampire King thank you without telling a single lie>
<Rewards for completion: Good relationship with the Vampire Clan>
<Reward for completion: 200 Origin Points>
<Punishment for failure: You will be stuck in an infinite time loop>
<Time limit: Unlimited>
<Note: Until the mission is completed, you will stay in the time loop>
Ryder just stood there blankly as he looked at the empty air before him.
"The heck is with this. You're not answering me, and now I'm in a time loop? I thought we were cool. Why are you fuckin me again?" Ryder wanted to cry, but no tears came out.
He understood the meaning of the time loop. It meant that this same day would keep repeating until he finished the mission, which might take a long time, considering the fact that he wasn't supposed to lie.
"How can I even have him thank me without lying. I killed his men, and he's here for fucking revenge. That dude will rip me to shreds if I don't lie. And if I tell a single lie before him, it would probably end up with me dying. This is a freaking mess!" Ryder let out as he walked back and forth with a concerned look on his face.
"Was it you who took me back in time to start this quest? My healing should've healed me over eight times, at least," Ryder asked again, hoping for an answer from Janus.
<Janus did nothing of that sort. It was because the host's soul had died. The Bracelet took you back in time>
Janus answered Ryder in an emotionless tone.
"My soul died? What does that mean? It's a freaking game. How can my soul die in it! Wait a minute; I think I'm starting to understand," Ryder muttered with a stunned look on his face as if he hadn't expected this.
<Did you really guess it? I couldn't tell you anything related to this for certain reasons, but maybe it has started now>
Janus' voice contained a little bit of hope.
"I do understand everything now. This is not just a game. This is much more than a game… this is a crappy game! It destroys souls! Those fucking bastards released this bugged game to the public, and the freaking IMC certified it for safety. They are all corrupt! This game is faulty and not safe at all!" Ryder cursed out loud as he smashed his fist on the wall.
<That…ah… Do the mission, and don't think too much. One day you might come at the answer>
Even Janus seemed stumped for words as he replied.
"Hey, tell me more about the time loop, at least," Ryder let out, but Janus didn't reply.
Ryder asked again and again, but he didn't get a reply.
"Should I tell Shu to stop playing it? I can revive, but he can't. If this game is really that dangerous, then he might die as well," Ryder muttered as he thought for a while. "He wouldn't believe me though. I can't just tell him that I died, and that's why I know."
'I guess I'll see how it goes. Probably I died because of that Curse thing. I'm already treading in a strange territory in the game that wasn't available last time for players. It might be because I came in contact with the final boss level Character and died by his hands, which caused this bug for me,' Ryder thought as he walked back to his bed and sat down.
He could see the pizza box nearby, so it was after he had eaten, but he still felt a little bit hungry. Alice wasn't home at this time, either.
He again ordered a pizza before he started thinking about a way to solve the problem. How could he make the Vampire King to thank him when he was coming there for revenge, all while not telling a single lie.
"Well, I don't have anything. Not a single idea. It seems impossible!" Ryder held his head after he couldn't come to an answer even after thinking for a long time.
"Should I call someone from the deity phone that can help me talk to Mythical People? The last time I got advice from the bread boy, that was good. I can talk to someone good this time that would have an expertise in this field," Ryder muttered.
He ultimately decided on doing it since he didn't have a better idea.
Ryder brought out the deity phone and used some origin points to credit it before he started going through contacts.
"There it is. I can call Dracula. He seems like someone who can give me an accurate answer. He was also a Vampire according to the myths. He was pretty powerful too. He should be the best person to talk to," Ryder muttered as he looked at the name of Dracula.
Ryder tapped on the call icon.
His call was connected, and Ryder was able to hear the caller tune, but he instantly got the phone away from his ears since the caller tune seemed like it was the sound of thousands of bats screaming.
"What do you want?"
Ryder heard a heavy voice from the other side. He instantly brought the phone close to his ears.
"Hey, Am I speaking to Dracula?" Ryder inquired.
He had never imagined that he would ever say this line in his lifetime, but since Ryder had met Janus, all of the weird things were happening.
"Yeah, what do you want? Hurry, I don't have all day to waste on the phone," Dracula said.
"Right. I had a problem, and I was hoping that you can help me find an answer," Ryder started explaining.
"So, there's a powerful Vampire. He's like the king of Vampires in this land. I entered his land sneakily to take something that belongs to me. His General found us, and I had to kill him. Now the Vampire King has found out blood there, and he has linked the killers to our kingdom. He is on our way here for revenge. I don't want there to be a fight between our kingdoms. I also need him to thank me, but I can't tell a single lie. What is the best way to solve this problem, according to you?" Ryder inquired in a serious tone.
"Simple. Have someone shoot a Garlic Arrow in his chest. Go there while he's weak, acting like a passer-by. Take the arrow off. He'll probably thank you. You won't have to say anything," Dracula replied without taking even a second to think about it.
"That's a good idea, but I'm not sure if garlic is effective on him. He's a different kind of Vampire that isn't hurt by garlic," Ryder replied.
"Strange. Alright then. When he's resting inside a building during the day, have that building destroyed. He will be hurt by sunlight. Give him an umbrella to save him while his skin is burning, and he'll thank you," Dracula again replied casually.
"You're definitely joking. Are you sure that you're the real Dracula? It's not a scam by Janus, is it?" Ryder asked with a suspicious look on his face.
The Dracula he heard about was a serious entity who was the most fierce, but the guy he was talking to sounded like he was a troller.
"Look, kid. I'm not going to show you my id card here. It's your choice if you want to believe me or not," Dracula let out in an annoyed tone.
"Alright, forget what I said. Also, he isn't affected by sunlight either. Can you tell me of a different plan?" Ryder inquired as he shook his head.
