Maric clasped his hands together and said with barely concealed madness: "You should know about the Prisoner pathway, right?"
"Yes, I've heard of it in Beyonder circles," Klein answered frankly.
*Of course, 'Beyonder circles' refers to the Nighthawks team and the
Maric, as if recalling something, was silent for a good ten seconds. The rhythmic sound of carriage wheels rolling over the cement pavement drifted in from outside the window.
He tousled his messy brown hair, his face slightly twisted as he spoke: "The Prisoner represents not only someone locked in a prison but also a repressed being whose spirituality and desires are bound by reason, body, and the world. Beyonders of this Sequence have strong bodies and keen senses, often possessing a silent exterior and a crazed interior. They master many criminal techniques and are adept at killing with any object at hand.
"Its corresponding Sequence 8 is called the 'Madman.' I don't think you know this, because even the official Beyonder organizations of the seven main churches don't have a full understanding of it. That secret organization's control over its members is beyond your imagination. Those twisted beings, whose bodies and souls seem bound, make it very hard to extract useful information from them through spiritualism and divination alone.
"Sharon and I endured and waited for a long time before we found a way to break the 'bonds' and successfully escape.
"Because the Beyonders of this pathway are all cursed and prone to madness, we didn't want to seek refuge with the seven churches. That would mean a complete loss of freedom."
*So that's how it is... No wonder the internal Nighthawk records don't have much information. They even lack the corresponding Sequences 8 and 7 of the Prisoner, which was information I was allowed to know at my level...* Klein suddenly understood and replied: "I really don't know what comes after the Prisoner."
Maric didn't nod. He looked at Klein with his brown eyes and continued: "Compared to the 'Prisoner,' the biggest characteristic of the 'Madman' is the ability to voluntarily and actively sacrifice reason and unleash desires in exchange for power. This provides an enhancement in all aspects except for a temporary lack of clarity in the mind. It's not a huge problem, and it even grants a strong resistance to certain supernatural abilities that disturb thoughts and affect the mind."
*Simply put, I'll kill myself first, so you can't kill me...* Klein couldn't help but quip inwardly.
"Starting from this Sequence, the curse gradually manifests. The 'Madman' is prone to losing control." The muscles on Maric's face twitched.
*Isn't this obvious? If someone's mental state operates at a low point for a long time, or frequently exhibits abnormalities, the probability of losing control would naturally be higher than other Beyonders!* Klein had his own understanding of this. He turned his head to glance at Miss Sharon, finding it hard to imagine what she was like during the 'Prisoner' and 'Madman' stages. Sharon, however, maintained her usual ghostly, ethereal, and quiet state.
Seeing that Klein had nothing to say, Maric slowly exhaled and said: "The next Sequence 7 is the 'Werewolf'."
*Starting to become non-human? Well, the 'Prisoner' with a crazed heart and the 'Madman' prone to losing reason are practically seen as monsters by normal people anyway... Hmm, 'Werewolf' is only Sequence 7, which is a bit lower than I expected...* Klein's thoughts suddenly wandered.
Maric, not noticing his distraction, continued on his own: "The 'Werewolf' is already a complete cursed one. Every time the Crimson Moon is full, they lose most of their reason, grow black hair all over their bodies, and their desire to kill and thirst for blood reach their peak..."
His voice also became a little ethereal, as if recalling his own arduous experience of enduring and suppressing himself.
"Werewolves have strong self-recovery abilities, as well as terrifying strength, agility, and speed. Their claws and teeth are comparable to the mystical weapons of the same Sequence and are poisonous. They also know some dark spells, such as controlling a target whose body has been immersed in the werewolf's poison for a period of time, turning them into a subordinate monster similar to a werewolf. The lifespan of such a monster is usually very short..."
After Maric finished, Klein gave a fair evaluation: At the Sequence 7 level, in terms of practical combat ability, the 'Werewolf' is considered average to slightly above average.
"A 'Werewolf' who cannot suppress their killing and bloodlust during the full moon will become increasingly cold and warped, gradually losing the emotions of a normal human." Maric added, with a hint of poorly concealed pride.
*This matches Mr. Azik's description of non-humans...* Klein subconsciously glanced at Miss Sharon again, instinctively imagining what she looked like when 'werewolfized,' but the cold stare she gave him almost made him shiver, so he quickly forced himself to look away.
Maric unconsciously licked his lips. Not in the seductive way a woman might, but in a type that gave a very dangerous feeling.
His gaze seemed to temporarily lose focus, as if recalling something.
After waiting a few seconds, he spoke again: "I am the corresponding Sequence 6, the 'Corpse'."
*Corpse... His appearance really matches that... No wonder he's always playing cards with a bunch of the same kind... So this is also considered a non-human, a truly living dead body...* Klein thought for a moment and said: "I heard from Caspars that you're not afraid of bullets?"
Maric nodded: "My body can become as hard as steel. Even if you fire a revolver at my head, it would at most give me a concussion. Only if you hit the exact same spot at least five times would you be able to break through my defense."