Avatar of the Dead

The weather was exceptionally clear today. Sunlight shone upon the cold-hued Steel Walls, making everything feel warm and leaving one feeling refreshed in both body and mind.

Yet atop those steel walls, the warriors holding Steam Guns kept their faces tense from beginning to end, without the slightest relaxation. Their eyes held a desperate intensity as they continuously scanned every inch of ground below the walls.

Even beneath the warm sunlight, that tension was extremely apparent. It had not eased in the slightest.

"This is really unpleasant..."

In a secluded corner, the unarmed Fang Li stood beneath the sun, looking outside with a calmness utterly out of place with his surroundings.

Among newcomers who had just entered the space, Fang Li could be considered one of the very best.

There were two reasons for that.

First: mental fortitude.

Second: Innate Skill.

Although Fang Li was an ordinary person in every respect, his innate personality defect meant that he did not fear death. Once he encountered battle, he would undoubtedly display mental fortitude far superior to that of ordinary people.

Furthermore, although Fang Li's attributes were terrible, he possessed an Innate Skill.

That Innate Skill alone made Fang Li's value immeasurably greater than that of the other newcomers in the space.

"So, let me act alone from here on out."

Muttering to himself, Fang Li glanced around.

Upon the vast steel walls, warriors carrying Steam Guns remained on alert.

From Fang Li's position, he could see shadowy figures flickering in and out of sight within the forest beyond the steel walls.

The warriors kept glaring at those indistinct shadows, their expressions filled with tension and agitation.

Fang Li, too, looked toward the distant forest.

"Looks like those shadows are the Kabane."

The land beyond the stations had basically all been occupied by the Kabane.

Presumably, the Kabane lurking nearby would occasionally assault the walls and attack Aragane Station, wouldn't they?

That was what the warriors were worried about.

However, if the Kabane wanted to attack Aragane Station, they would have to climb over the walls.

With the warriors holding Steam Guns and occupying the high ground, the moment a Kabane climbed the wall, they would immediately spot it and shoot it down.

That was how a Station City was defended.

Once the Kabane climbed onto the walls, that station was basically finished.

"And without a Steam Gun, my guard duty is completely dispensable."

How could such an important guard post possibly be assigned to an outsider who did not even have a Steam Gun?

The reason the warriors had stationed Fang Li up here alone without giving him a weapon was merely because they wanted an extra pair of eyes. They had not expected anything from Fang Li at all.

In other words, Fang Li's job truly was dispensable. It was simply the warriors making things difficult for him.

"If that's the case..."

Fang Li looked around, saw that none of the warriors were paying attention to him, seized an opportunity, turned around, and headed into a patch of shadow.

Then, in a manner horrifying enough to make anyone gasp, Fang Li leaped down toward the forest below.

Bang—!

A dull thud suddenly rang out without warning in the vast forest.

A figure fell rapidly from midair, landing atop a dense patch of trees. He crushed and snapped countless branches along the way, bringing down a shower of leaves before smashing heavily into the ground.

"Hiss..."

The intense pain coursing through his entire body made Fang Li suck in a breath.

Only after a while did Fang Li clutch his waist and struggle to rise from the ground.

"I'm truly impressed with myself for not dying from that."

If ten people heard those words, at least eight of them would probably lose their temper with Fang Li.

If you knew that could kill you, you still dared to jump? You had to be insane.

Of course, Fang Li was not insane. If he were, he would not have specifically chosen such a densely wooded spot to reduce the impact and avoid dying from the fall outright.

Still, judging by Fang Li's complete disregard for death, that could count as a kind of illness.

No matter what, the fact that Fang Li had neither died nor broken an arm or leg was indeed fortunate.

"Now then..."

After the pain throughout his body had eased considerably, Fang Li moved around a little. With a calm expression terrifying enough to unnerve anyone, he drew a dagger from his waist, pressed it against his hand, and gave it a slight push, cutting a wound into his arm.

Crimson blood immediately seeped from Fang Li's wound and dripped onto the ground.

Before long, the blood formed a small pool, staining that patch of ground red.

Once Fang Li felt it was enough, he took a strip of cloth from his clothes and crudely wrapped it around the wound in a way that would make doctors and nurses faint, tying it off to stop the bleeding.

Then, Fang Li slipped into the nearby grass like a wolf waiting for prey, staring fixedly outside.

Whoosh—!

A slightly chilly wind swept past, lifting leaves into the air and carrying them into the distance.

Fang Li seemed to have completely turned into a statue. He did not move at all, remaining hidden within the bushes as his eyes stayed fixed on the bloodstained ground outside.

Kabane had an excessive reaction to blood.

The moment they caught the scent of blood, they would certainly follow it.

So, with the smell of blood appearing in a forest filled with Kabane, did anyone really need to guess what would happen next?

"Rustle... rustle..."

Amid the sound of leaves brushing together, a figure came staggering through the forest ahead.

The instant he saw that figure, Fang Li's eyes widened.

The thing that entered his sight was a true—monster.

It wore tattered clothing all over its body.

Its skin was colored like it had been infected by some virus, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.

Its arms hung limply at its sides.

Within its chest, a heart glowed, with root-like veins extending from it and covering the person's body like blood vessels.

That was...

"Kabane..."

Perhaps it had heard Fang Li's voice, but the Kabane that had been staggering closer slowly raised its head, revealing an ashen face.

"Ah... ahhhhh—!"

A beast-like cry erupted from the Kabane's throat, instantly echoing throughout the surrounding area.

That posture, that roar—it fully deserved the name of monster.

An undead monster born from those already dead—the Kabane.

Fang Li felt not the slightest fear toward it.

It could not be helped. That monster possessed far too many qualities that Fang Li would never fear.

"Already dead?"

"Undead?"

What a joke.

Was the thing before him already dead?

"No."

Because if it were dead, it would not move.

Was the thing before him undead?

"Of course not."

Because if it were undead, it would not have so many lines.

His eyes had unknowingly transformed into Magic Eyes bearing an icy-blue iridescence, staring fixedly at the roaring monster.

At that moment, Fang Li saw clearly.

He saw lines like a spiderweb, densely covering the monster known as Kabane.

Lines like graffiti, and like cracks.

Those were...

"—Death."

In an instant, Fang Li moved.

Swish—!

As the bushes were pushed aside, Fang Li shot out like a sprinter.

"Ahhhhh—!"

The man-eating monster finally noticed the movement. It abruptly turned its head, saw Fang Li charging straight at it, let out a terrifying roar, and lunged forward instead of retreating.

That lunge was swifter than any beast's.

That lunge was more dangerous than any attack.

Facing the savage monster lunging toward him, Fang Li merely tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception gleaming with cold light.

On one side was a monster baring its fangs as it pounced upon its prey.

On the other was a human gripping a weapon as he charged toward the monster.

Both sides had only one goal.

—To bring death to the other.

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