Methods Growing More Proficient

The battle that followed could almost be described as completely one-sided.

Naturally, it was the Kabane who were falling.

There were a full twenty or thirty Kabane rushing out from the depths of the forest.

In a direct confrontation, even with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Fang Li would have been surrounded and killed after taking down one or two.

After all, although the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception were powerful, they had a limitation that could only be called fatal.

That was, only by cutting the Death Lines could their effect be brought into play.

In other words, although they could ignore an opponent's defenses and inflict terrifying damage, they were completely useless if they could not hit.

Under such circumstances, with Fang Li's attributes having only AGI to show for them, he would absolutely die under the siege of a large group of Kabane.

The previous battle had gone so smoothly for two reasons. First, there had only been one opponent. Second, Fang Li's indifference toward death allowed him to devote himself completely to battle. He did not become timid just because it was his first fight, and his actions were extremely decisive and calm.

This was an advantage that other newcomers who had just entered the space could not possess.

Even if that advantage came from a flaw in Fang Li's personality, it was still an advantage.

However, being decisive and calm in battle did not mean Fang Li was particularly strong.

Judging by attributes alone, Fang Li was incredibly weak. With the sharpness of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and his lack of fear toward death, dealing with one Kabane was not difficult, and handling two or three was barely manageable. But facing twenty or thirty Kabane was unquestionably courting death.

Thus, Fang Li relied on an advantage all humans possessed in the battles that followed—intelligence.

Anyone familiar with Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress knew that although Kabane were monsters distinct from humans, they instinctively pursued blood.

That was absolutely a weakness that could be exploited.

Therefore, after slipping into the grass, Fang Li immediately untied the cloth wrapped around his hand and threw the blood-soaked strip aside. He then circled around to the other side and slipped directly into the grass like a vicious wolf watching its prey, waiting only to send the dagger in his hand into its prey's heart.

To prevent the blood seeping from his wounds from giving off a bloody scent and attracting Kabane, Fang Li even grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it haphazardly over his wounds. He did not worry in the slightest about inflammation or infection, and his decisiveness was frightening.

With that, what happened next was easy to imagine.

Taking advantage of the Kabane's bloodthirsty nature, Fang Li, having completely become an Assassin, used blood as bait to repeatedly lure Kabane in different directions. He himself ambushed them again and again from the grass, his Ice-Blue Demon Eyes fixed on the Death Lines wrapped around their hearts as the dagger in his hand pierced through without mercy.

When one Kabane fell and the others noticed Fang Li, turning with hoarse roars to swarm him, Fang Li had already slipped back into the grass. Like a venomous snake, he continued to use his Ice-Blue Demon Eyes to seek out target after target, waiting for an opportunity.

His practiced and decisive methods did not resemble those of a newcomer who had just entered the space, much less an eighteen-year-old student who had still been an ordinary person only a day ago.

Was this, too, something born from his indifference toward death?

From that perspective, perhaps the Main God Space suited Fang Li, who had been born with a personality defect, better than an ordinary world did.

Combined with those Magic Eyes so closely tied to "death," Fang Li had thoroughly become a Slayer, causing Kabane after Kabane to collapse into pools of blood.

Throughout the process, the space's system voice continued to echo in Fang Li's mind.

"Kabane killed. Obtained 100 Exchange Points."

"Kabane killed. Obtained 100 Exchange Points."

"Kabane killed. Obtained 100 Exchange Points."

"Kabane killed. Obtained 100 Exchange Points."

"Kabane killed. Obtained 100 Exchange Points."

Such lurking, baiting, and assassinations brought Fang Li tangible rewards.

Of course, he gained more than Exchange Points. He himself was growing as well.

As the slaughter continued, Fang Li discovered that he was gradually becoming more proficient at fighting.

No.

What he was gradually becoming proficient at was not fighting, but killing.

It was as though the darkness hidden deep within Fang Li's heart had been drawn out. Little by little, he began to understand how to better kill the prey before his eyes, prey covered in countless Death Lines.

He was practically a born executioner.

Moreover, Fang Li gradually became immersed in it, and his methods of causing death became increasingly skillful.

Talent... talent...

Was my talent in the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception? Or was it simply in the concept of "death" itself?

If Fang Li truly possessed a talent, then it should lie in the concept of "death," not in the ability known as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Otherwise, there was no way to explain Fang Li's instinctive methods of killing.

What... exactly is "death"?

With that thought in mind, Fang Li's dagger finally sliced across the Death Line on the last Kabane's heart.

Bang—!

The instant a sound like shattering glass rang out, the Kabane, its glowing heart extinguished, collapsed on the spot and never moved again.

"Kabane killed. Obtained 100 Exchange Points."

The entire area suddenly fell silent.

Only then did Fang Li, immersed in his understanding of "death," seem to awaken. He came back to his senses and noticed his surroundings.

The ground, once uniformly earth-colored, had been stained patch after patch with dark crimson blood.

Kabane after Kabane lay in those pools of blood, devoid of life.

Some, like the first Kabane Fang Li had killed, had missing limbs. Others were completely intact, with only their hearts pierced through.

From this alone, one could see Fang Li's progress in killing his opponents—from initially cutting off their limbs to render them helpless before finishing them off, to now achieving instant kills with a single strike.

And...

And I didn't feel any burden at all from using these Magic Eyes...

As mentioned before, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception were not an ability one could simply use at will.

They were Magic Eyes that required one to understand an object's "death" before one could see its Death Lines and produce extraordinary effects.

However, for the human brain to comprehend a concept like "death," something it was never meant to understand, imposed an enormous burden.

That was precisely why, in Tsukihime, Tohno Shiki, who possessed these Magic Eyes, often suffered intense headaches when using them. Only Ryougi Shiki in Kara no Kyoukai was immune to that side effect due to her unique nature.

And I... am I special?

Fang Li had no time to think about that question.

Because he noticed numerous shadows darting toward him from the other side of the forest.

Oh no...

This time, Fang Li was truly frightened.

The dark figures rushing in from all directions of the forest were so numerous that they could only be described as densely packed.

Without a doubt, every one of those shadows was a Kabane drawn by the scent of blood.

As for their numbers, even trying to count them would have been laughable.

No. No matter what, I can't deal with this many.

Even against twenty or thirty Kabane, Fang Li had needed to exploit their bloodthirsty nature, using lurking, baiting, and ambushes to kill them. If he faced that densely packed Kabane army head-on, there would not even be a place to hide.

Before long, this entire area would surely be filled with Kabane.

When that happened, Fang Li would be torn to pieces in an instant, without the slightest chance of survival.

Run.

That was the only choice.

Otherwise, Fang Li had only one road ahead of him: death.

Without any hesitation, Fang Li turned around and fled with all his strength.

Aaaahhhhh—!

Only then did the roars from behind him echo loudly through the air, like the cries of maddened beasts, sending fear through the heart.

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