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Chapter 69 – Have I Become Undead?
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 17:04:20 +0000 UTC
“The curse has been lifted.”
“Can you feel the changes in your body?”
Dracula’s voice echoed as he stared intently at Alex, his eyes filled with a trace of anticipation.
The hostility and hatred he’d shown earlier were now completely gone, as if their previous conflict had never happened.
Alex quickly focused inward again, checking his condition.
Nothing felt off. His body seemed perfectly normal.
Only then did he fully relax.
Looks like whatever that so-called curse was, the system had forcefully interrupted it.
The energy within the ring had been completely absorbed and neutralized by the system, turning it into an ordinary ring.
“What just happened?”
“And what curse were you talking about?”
Alex frowned slightly and looked at Dracula, his voice calm but laced with wariness.
“Come, child. Let’s sit down and talk slowly.”
Dracula’s tone had completely changed. He waved kindly, like an elder welcoming his younger kin.
“You trying to get cozy with me now?” Alex didn’t move, instead eyeing Dracula sideways.
“That little incident earlier was just a… wonderful misunderstanding. But now, we’re family. So there’s no need for you to be so defensive.”
“I won’t hurt you, child.”
Dracula smiled sincerely as he spoke.
Family?
Thinking back to when Dracula said ‘Welcome to the Undead’, Alex’s mind quickly pieced the clues together.
“This ring... it curses people into becoming undead?” Alex stared at Dracula in disbelief.
Then again, considering Marvel lore, wasn’t that exactly how the first vampires came to be? Cursed into existence.
“Yes, child.”
Dracula nodded solemnly. “And there’s no need to doubt—it’s already happened. You’re now one of the Undead. Welcome.”
“You really believe that?”
Alex gave him a suspicious look. Was this old guy blind? Or just losing his mind?
He was clearly still human—full of life, blood coursing through his veins, brimming with vitality. Nothing about him resembled the undead.
“I understand your doubts. Don’t worry, I’ll explain.”
Dracula spoke gently, as if truly treating Alex like a beloved junior.
“This ring can turn someone into one of the Undead, but the transformation isn’t always immediate.”
“It varies from person to person.”
“Some people change right away, while others go through a gradual, almost imperceptible process that takes time to fully manifest.”
“In fact, some never show any changes in their entire lifetime—but the Undead blood is already in them. It just doesn’t show on the surface.”
“For example, back in the 5th century, I was traveling through Hungary when a young duke came into possession of my ring by chance and triggered the curse.”
“But he didn’t change immediately. It wasn’t until decades later, during a devastating plague, that his Undead nature finally awakened.”
Seriously?
Alex was genuinely surprised.
But this did explain why Dracula was treating him like kin, even though he still appeared fully human.
That story about the Hungarian duke though... why did it sound so familiar?
“In my endless years of wandering, I’ve lost count of how many hands this ring has passed through. Most people never trigger the curse.”
“Only a rare few do. That’s why I call it fate—destiny’s gift.”
“And among all those who did, I’ve never seen anyone like you. The curse triggered with such intensity, yet you’re still able to hold the ring with no side effects. That’s completely unheard of.”
“Child, in a way, you and I are both unique.”
Dracula’s voice softened even more, his gaze full of affection as he looked at Alex.
Alex: “…”
This old bat had it all wrong.
The only reason Alex was fine holding the ring was because it had been completely neutralized—it was no longer magical at all.
Still…
He thought about it for a second. Maybe letting Dracula keep thinking this way wasn’t such a bad thing.
This was the progenitor of vampires they were talking about—well, technically second-generation, but with the first dead, he was as senior as they got.
Vampires were a massive group.
In the Marvel universe, they’d already infiltrated human society—business, politics, the military—you name it, they had a presence there.
Having Dracula as an ally might actually prove extremely useful in the future.
“Can I keep the ring?”
Alex looked at Dracula and asked.
Now that the ring was a dud, returning it might risk him noticing something was off.
“Of course. It’s yours by right. Keep it.”
Dracula looked pleased that Alex wanted to keep the ring.
In his eyes, that meant the boy had accepted his new identity as one of the Undead.
How gratifying!
“Normally, I no longer concern myself with Undead affairs—but you’re different. Consider this a gift.”
“There’s an ancient castle about… thirty kilometers from here, give or take. A vampire clan resides there.”
“They’re descendants of that Hungarian duke I mentioned. You can take the ring and go claim leadership of the clan.”
“Well then, child, I’ll take my leave. I look forward to the day your Undead nature truly awakens.”
As he spoke, Dracula patted Alex’s shoulder and stood up.
“What about the people here?”
Alex stood up too, glancing around at the unconscious bodies lying everywhere.
“Don’t worry. They’ll wake up in five minutes, with no memory of what happened.”
Dracula waved his hand casually. Then his body blurred into a whirlwind of shadows and vanished into the air—
Gone as quickly as he had come, not even a trace left behind.
Just as he’d said, moments later, the people scattered across the hall began to stir.
One by one, they opened their eyes and slowly got to their feet, their expressions dazed and confused.
A few seconds passed before clarity returned to their eyes.
