The girls started teasing, abandoning their meal.

Xu Lang shrugged. Although the Transcender title was incredibly powerful and even Epic level, he felt it wasn't as practical as the Uncommon-grade Blood Will Executor.

The Blood Will Executor was the foundation of the Blood Grudge playstyle.

Of course, if the foundation was missing, it could be rebuilt—like by filling it with lives or something.

"Fine, I'll put it on now." Xu Lang felt the words came out a bit odd.

Once he equipped the title, other players could check it too. Even if they couldn't know the exact effects, an Epic-level title was enough to scare people off.

The moment he swapped titles, a strange surge of power rose from the depths of his heart.

His control and understanding of skills reached an entirely new level!

Then, he took the title off again.

That feeling of power vanished instantly, along with the insights he'd gained from it.

Honestly, a bit underwhelming.

Just as he was testing it back and forth, a prompt appeared.

[Detected that player "Xu Lang" possesses two Dorm Owner Tokens—"Mad King Building Basement Key" and "Mad King Dormitory Map"—along with two native Mad King Building titles, "Blood Will Executor" and "Transcender." Hidden title mission "Black Crown" triggered.]

[Hidden Mission "Black Crown"]

[Mission Objective: Sacrifice two native Mad King Building titles to obtain a brand-new title.]

[Mission Reward: Unknown]

[Mission Countdown: 03:00]

A time-limited mission with only three minutes!

Xu Lang's pupils contracted violently, his mind racing with countless thoughts. "Does anyone here know about the Black Crown?"

None of the girls were stupid; they immediately realized something unusual was happening.

However, none of them knew what the Black Crown was.

"Xu Lang, what happened?" Sherry asked.

Expressionless, Xu Lang processed the thoughts swirling in his head while briefly summarizing the situation.

When the girls heard about the three-minute countdown, they all held their breath, not daring to speak rashly.

Sherry's eyes glimmered with sharp intelligence as she said, "The three-minute countdown means the Mad King Building wants you to make a decision quickly. This could be a trap, but it could also be a 'kind consciousness' giving you a benefit..."

Similarly, it could also be the malicious consciousness of the Mad King Building deliberately messing with them.

No one had confirmed that the Mad King Building had two separate consciousnesses—good and evil—but it was a convenient way to analyze the building. Even if it might be wrong, it was the best they had for now.

Sherry paused for three seconds, then continued, "Merge them, Xu Lang. You can always kill people again."

With three titles at his disposal, Xu Lang had only ever worn the Blood Will Executor, showing he didn't really care much about the other two.

"Alright." Xu Lang nodded.

The Demon King Castle wasn't short on strategists.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Ruyan could assess the situation with about seventy to eighty percent accuracy. Getting the exact right answer was unlikely, but the general direction wouldn't be wrong.

In battle, Wang Yazhi's decisions were the most efficient.

But when faced with a binary choice like this, Sherry's judgment was usually the most accurate.

The reason was simple—this mixed-race teacher had an exceptionally sharp mind. She read widely and could more easily see through the essence of things.

It was wisdom, not raw calculation.

Once the decision was made, two beams of light burst from above Xu Lang's head, shooting into the ceiling of the Demon King Castle and vanishing into an unknown place.

"Does this need incubation time too, like the Weapon Armory?"

Just as doubt crept into Xu Lang's mind, a black crown materialized out of thin air!

The crown appeared above his head, radiating black light. Particles like fragments of black diamonds flickered on and off within the beam, illuminating Xu Lang completely.

Everyone present was irresistibly drawn to the crown, as if it possessed an immense, magnetic allure—even Firepower Girl, standing at the edge, was no exception.

She stared at the crown and actually raised the Flame Dragon rifle, a thought of seizing it surging within her!

The data stream in her brain went into chaos in that instant, as if infected by the most terrifying virus!

Fortunately, this loss of control lasted only a moment.

In the blink of an eye, the black crown settled onto Xu Lang's head!

"What happened to you all?" Xu Lang grabbed the crown on his head with both hands, his expression dark as he looked at the girls.

The moment the crown appeared, he simultaneously sensed an overwhelming wave of malice radiating from all of them!

And if he wasn't mistaken, their pupils had just turned pure black!

It was an absolute darkness, darker than even a black hole!

"Huh?"

The girls snapped out of it, their expressions turning horrified.

"What just happened to me?" Zhen Lu asked, her face filled with lingering fear.

Recalling the feeling from just moments ago, a wave of intense chills ran down her spine. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Was that really me just now? It felt like I was possessed!

Wang Yazhi's cheek twitched. Staring at the black crown atop Xu Lang's head, she took a deep breath to suppress her terror. "This crown has a dark power. I feel like the most primal evil in my heart was summoned!"

Stripped of the cloak of morality, it was even more horrifying than standing naked in the middle of the street.

Morality wraps the soul!

Clothes wrap the body!

Just now, the ugliest side of their souls had been laid completely bare!

It was a primal desire and sin—unforgivable, incomprehensible, impossible to diminish, growing only with life itself!

"Same here!" Xu Xiaomeng chimed in vigorously, a chill running down her spine.

Cao Yaxuan pressed a hand to her chest. "Xu Lang, if every time you swap titles, it has this effect, then this is a crowd-control skill!"

She was already scheming again!

Xu Lang's mouth twitched, and he actually tried it.

When he swapped in the Sole Survivor title, the black crown disappeared. When he equipped the Black Crown title again, the crown reappeared above Xu Lang's head.

But this time, that irresistible pull on the very essence of life was gone.

King or subject, the decision was already made. No further debate needed.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and finally had the presence of mind to examine the black crown's details.

The black crown was crudely shaped yet exuded a strange elegance. Xu Lang remembered his experience in the Mad King Trial; the architectural style there had the same feel—rough, domineering, and ornate—an entirely new artistic style distinct from anything on Earth.

The crown's main body, like black diamond, was entwined with interlocking golden thorns. These thorns shimmered with a restrained golden light, radiating a sense of sacred, supreme authority—like the inviolable scepter of a king.

[Black Crown (Unique): While this title is equipped, each time a powerful force or faction is conquered or subjugated, a line will automatically form on the crown, providing attribute bonuses, intimidation bonuses, or special abilities. This title is unique to the Mad King Building. If the wearer dies completely, it will automatically transfer to the new king. He who bears the crown must bear its weight.]

[Currently conquered faction: "Mad King Building Player Group"]

[This faction can provide the following two enhancements for the crown. Please make a selection as soon as possible.]

[One, Endless Challenge to the King: All hostile faction targets' SAN values temporarily drop to zero, entering a berserk state to challenge the "king." The aura's radiation range will increase with the number of "fallen" deaths. Initial radiation range: 10 kilometers.]

[Two, Strength and Authority: Constitution and Spirit attributes both increase by 12%. "Intimidation" increases by 5%.]