SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 666 A different kind of tax

As Skyfall City succumbed to a silent death, its lands choked by a thick, lethal miasma that rendered the entire region uninhabitable, the global community finally grasped the scale of the disaster, triggering a massive wave of fury.

The ensuing outrage was nothing short of volcanic. Online forums were overwhelmed, newsfeeds crashed under the weight of updates, and streamers screamed into their microphones in disbelief. Reaction videos proliferated even faster than the NPCs in Skyfall were perishing. Every major guild across the continent was plunged into a state of total crisis.

The idea that a single individual could dominate the entire game through the use of poison seemed impossible, yet that was precisely what Damon was achieving.

Worse still, there was no countermeasure available to anyone.

Overnight, alchemists became the most hunted players in the game; guilds began recruiting them aggressively, pouring limitless resources into their advancement. These crafters became more prized than S-rank tanks and more coveted than legendary blacksmiths. Mountains of gold were offered by guilds to anyone who possessed even a rudimentary understanding of antidotes.

"Fifty gold an hour! We will fully subsidize your laboratory!"

"A mansion is yours! Just produce a cure!"

"Seeking alchemists! No experience necessary! If you can grasp a potion vial, you are hired!" However, such expertise could not be manufactured instantly. The alchemists themselves were in a state of panic.

"We don't have the recipes to counter that toxin!"

"What do you mean it's a hybrid neuro-rot mana corrosion viral decay essence-bleed cocktail?! How am I supposed to work with that?!"

Mastery in alchemy was not something achieved in a day. Even a master would likely fail to concoct a remedy for this plague. It was highly questionable whether even a legendary Grandmaster could devise a defense against the unholy toxins this man was broadcasting everywhere.

No amount of theoretical knowledge or potion lore could effectively neutralize a poison created by someone whose very physique served as a living laboratory for toxic arts. The world was forced to confront a bitter reality.

Earth Online possessed no natural defense against Damon’s existence. Skyfall had been erased. Nine Rivers had fallen.

While the NPCs remained largely oblivious—merely gossiping about the strange developments and slowly beginning to take notice—the players understood the gravity of the situation. Every player in the Light Faction was shivering with dread, terrified of which city would be the next to vanish.

Grinding reputation in a city, gaining the favor of NPCs, and accumulating enough influence to establish a guild base was an arduous journey. In the two to three months since launch, few had achieved such a feat. Only the elite guilds, commanding hundreds of thousands of players, held such prestige.

Most others were still working toward those goals. With the average player level hovering around 50, guilds were only just starting to fight for dominance in dungeon speedruns and first-clear achievements.

For the majority, it took weeks or months to carve out a place in a single territory.

Damon had liquidated two of those territories in less than sixty minutes.

Players who had invested hundreds of hours befriending Skyfall’s NPCs, finishing escort missions, gathering rare herbs, or grinding low-level dungeons for favor points watched their hard work dissolve in a toxic cloud.

Their headquarters were gone. Their city-wide buffs vanished. Their NPC contacts were permanently slain. Auction houses were wiped, and listed items were rendered void. The collateral damage from this single event was staggering. Entire guilds were suddenly homeless.

Dozens of mid-tier alliances logged in only to discover their home city had become a red hazard zone marked [UNSAFE – TOXIC REGION], with a recommended level shown as ???. World Chat was flooded with pure desperation.

"My housing permit?! My storage chest was in Skyfall. Please tell me it's not gone…"

"Is it even possible to reclaim a poisoned city??"

"My entire workshop is lost… Do you have any idea how long it took to max out my forging??"

"If Blood Domain attacks Dawnspire next, I’m uninstalling the game."

Simultaneously, secondary crises emerged. The collapse of two major Light Faction hubs caused market prices to skyrocket. Supply lines failed, trade caravans refused to move, and NPC merchants fled to safer lands, causing the cost of crafting materials to quadruple.

Horrified players watched as the price of iron ore surged from 30 silver to 6 gold in fifteen minutes. Light Faction players felt the end was near, while Dark Faction players celebrated with virtual barbecues. The Light Faction players, who had long looked down on others, were finally being humbled by massive losses.

Amidst this global turmoil, a single question burned in everyone's mind: which city would the Blood God strike next? Every Light Faction member stared at their maps with trembling hands. Guild leaders held emergency sessions through the night. Alchemists prayed their nerves would steady enough to brew a miracle before their home was targeted.

Because while building a home and earning reputation was a monumental task, the Blood God was deleting cities as if he were clearing out weak trash mobs.

Many guilds had already been crippled by the appearance of the abyss, and this new catastrophe seemed insurmountable. Just as the hopelessness peaked, a new notification flashed across the world chat.

It was a message from the man of the hour!

Blood God!

Blood God: All guilds may now offer tribute to Blood Domain. The cities belonging to those who pay the least… will be my next targets. Alternatively, guilds can pay a one-time tribute of 1 billion gold coins to secure the permanent safety of their city.

The world erupted once more. Elite guilds descended into chaos. Mid-tier guilds suffered emotional breakdowns, and small guilds wept in despair. Meanwhile, Dark Faction players were howling with laughter.

"Light faction is on their knees, let’s gooooo! Blood God for the win! Pay the tax or die lol!"

"What the hell?? This guy is literally running a mafia protection racket!"

"Tribute??? To a guild that’s only ten minutes old??? One man is bullying the entire world. Lol!"

"Is it too late to switch factions??? Is Blood Domain taking applications?? Asking for 500 friends."

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