The file name was stripped of all marketing gloss: .
A new notification popped up in the game’s event log, written in old Hungarian dialect, translated instantly in his mind: “We see the architect. We see the hand that clicks.”
The hum of the server room was a low, digital purr, the only sound in Victor’s cramped apartment. It was 3:00 AM. On his monitor, a progress bar crawled forward, illuminated by the cold blue glow of the screen.
An hour passed. Victor arranged a marriage for his son with a Polish princess. A prompt appeared on the screen, but it wasn't the standard pop-up.
The gameplay was normal at first, though the atmosphere was heavy. There were no ambient sound effects of bustling courts or marching armies, only the sound of a slow, rhythmic drumbeat that seemed to sync perfectly with Victor's own heart.
Victor blinked. He checked the game's event files in his mind—he had read the wiki extensively. He didn't remember this event. He clicked the only option available: Accept.
“The bloodline is secured. But do you know the price of the ink?”
His own character in the game, the Count, walked into his throne room. The character's face was not a random 3D model. It was a perfect, photorealistic rendering of Victor himself, staring out of the screen with hollow, terrified eyes.