What Just Happened?

"Clang... clang... clang..."

A low bell toll rang out. Fang Zheng opened his eyes and looked up at the sky before him.

"This is..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but soon Fang Zheng was startled to find that his voice had turned hoarse and gloomy. Not only that, he even felt something strange about his body—it wasn't the form he was familiar with, but more like a foreign shell.

What's going on?

Fang Zheng shook his head and slowly stood up. Only then did he realize he was in a graveyard. At this moment, he was clad in heavy armor, with a longsword and shield at his side. Judging by appearances, "Fang Zheng" should have been a knight laid to rest in a coffin.

I see. Only my spirit entered this world? No wonder I can leave anytime...

After moving his body a bit, Fang Zheng finally understood the concept of the Free World. It seemed that here, he wasn't using his own body, but one that already existed in this world. It was more like his soul possessing someone else. In Fang Zheng's view, this was essentially another "rebirth" for him. However, compared to his rebirth in the Main World, this one didn't seem to grant him any benefits. The original owner of this body left no inherited memories, and there were no items nearby to prove his identity. The only useful things were the shield and longsword at hand.

Is this another Game World? Could it be the Dark World again?

Looking up at the sky, which was as overcast as the Dark World's, Fang Zheng couldn't help but frown. But luckily, while this body didn't provide any memories of its past life, it did offer Fang Zheng some Combat Skills. And to his dismay, he found... they really were just Combat Skills!

Forget the flashy Sword Skills of the Main World—there weren't even any skills from the Dark World. What this body remembered were purely basic techniques for using weapons: thrusting, slashing, rolling, and blocking... all things Fang Zheng had learned from Stone before. The only difference was an added technique called "Parry," a skill to deflect an enemy's attack at the moment of impact and seize the opening for a fatal blow.

No flashy skills, no unique moves—just the most ordinary techniques.

This isn't the Dark World. Where is this?

Curious, Fang Zheng looked around, then stepped out of the coffin and followed a small path forward.

"Ugh... ugh..."

Just then, a gaunt, skeletal figure slowly crawled up from the ground, blocking Fang Zheng's path.

An enemy? A zombie? Or an Undead?

Staring at the monster before him, Fang Zheng's expression turned serious. He gripped his longsword tightly and, before the creature could fully rise, swung his blade down with a swift slash.

But to his surprise, the monsters in this world didn't seem as tough as those in the Dark World. One strike sent the thing crashing to the ground. Whatever it was, at least it was as weak as it looked.

Not much danger here? Can a world like this really train my Combat Skills?

"Swoosh!!"

Just as Fang Zheng was puzzled, a whistling sound reached his ears. Instinctively, he rolled forward without hesitation. A flaming arrow grazed past him, and when he looked up, he saw another gaunt, skeletal figure not far away, reloading a hand crossbow.

What the hell! These guys can use weapons?

Seeing this, Fang Zheng was taken aback. He'd thought the monsters here were like zombies, attacking on instinct alone. But they could actually wield weapons?

That's no good!

With that thought, Fang Zheng dashed forward, swinging his longsword down hard again, sending the creature back to its maker.

What a strange place...

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Fang Zheng frowned. Not only was the sky gloomy and dark, but even the Cold Wind that blew was icy. As far as the eye could see, everything was shrouded in shadow, making the whole world feel like burned-out ashes. The atmosphere was quite unpleasant.

Anyway, first things first—let's investigate this world.

After that, Fang Zheng followed the mountain path out of the graveyard, cutting down a few more "Undead" along the way, until he came to a bonfire. Staring at the pile of firewood, Fang Zheng felt as if he remembered something. He reached out toward the bonfire, and soon, a mysterious power seemed to quietly vanish from within his body. Then, with a "whoosh," the bonfire burst into flames.

"..."

Looking at the orange-red glow, Fang Zheng let out a sigh of relief. The monsters in this world didn't seem particularly strong, but gazing at the ruins around him and the endless dark clouds in the distance, Fang Zheng had a bad feeling. It seemed this world wasn't as simple as it appeared.

Keep moving.

After sitting by the bonfire for a few minutes, Fang Zheng decided to continue exploring this world. So far, he hadn't encountered a single living person besides himself, which made him uneasy. Could this be some kind of post-apocalyptic world? Was everyone dead except him? It couldn't be as ridiculous as "I Am Legend."

Besides, Fang Zheng didn't think these slow-moving creatures posed any threat. The Undead in the Dark World were also sluggish, but their strength and defense were terrifyingly high. Here, the monsters had neither defense nor speed. Several times, Fang Zheng charged right up to them before they even managed to get up, moving as slowly as ordinary people.

Can a world like this really train my Combat Skills?

After circling along the mountain path and killing a monster guarding a gate, Fang Zheng arrived at a plaza. It was empty, except for a massive knight in armor, at least two or three meters tall, crouched in the center. A battle axe lay beside him, and Fang Zheng could see a black Spiral Sword piercing straight through the knight's chest... No matter how you looked at it, he was already dead.

But Fang Zheng chose not to approach him. Based on his experience, something like this suddenly appearing in such a strange place was bound to be trouble. Either it was a trap or a boss. Either way, caution was the right call. So he decided to bypass the knight and explore further inside. And his persistence paid off—behind the knight, Fang Zheng found a building. But to his frustration, something seemed to seal the door; no matter how hard he pushed, the wooden door wouldn't budge.

Do I really have to take down that knight?

With no other choice, Fang Zheng returned to the knight's side and cautiously approached him. But contrary to his expectations, the knight didn't suddenly leap up, nor did any monsters spring out to ambush him. He just crouched there quietly, silently playing the part of a dutiful corpse.

Do I have to pull out the sword stuck in his chest?

After hesitating for a moment, Fang Zheng decided to draw the sword. Though his instincts told him that pulling it out would likely trigger a "boss fight," after fighting those earlier monsters, he felt they posed no threat and couldn't help him train his Sword Skills. But this was at least a boss—it shouldn't disappoint him.

With that thought, Fang Zheng didn't hesitate. He reached out, grabbed the Spiral Sword embedded in the knight's chest, and pulled it out.

"Gurgle..."

As Fang Zheng drew the sword, he saw the wound on the knight's chest begin to writhe with a dark, gelatinous substance, as if it were a living thing with its own will. Then it flowed back into the knight's body. This sudden sight startled Fang Zheng, but before he could react, the knight stood up, grabbed his battle axe, and swung it down at him with full force!

What the hell! Why are we fighting already? I'm your savior, damn it!

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Fang Zheng was shocked. He quickly rolled to the side to dodge the knight's axe, but to his surprise, before he could even get back on his feet, the towering figure charged straight at him, ramming into him and sending Fang Zheng flying. Then the knight raised his axe again and brought it down toward Fang Zheng.

Not good!!

Seeing the gleaming axe blade, Fang Zheng was terrified. He hastily raised his shield and, at the last possible moment, managed to block the strike.

"Clang!!"

A surge of immense force slammed into Fang Zheng, buckling his legs and nearly driving him to his knees. But the knight clearly had no intention of stopping there; after the first blow was blocked, he unhesitatingly swung his axe down again. This time, Fang Zheng could no longer hold out and was struck to the ground. Then he saw the knight leap high into the air, plummeting down with axe and body alike.

"Shluck!!"

The next moment, Fang Zheng only felt the blade mercilessly cleave into his body. His vision went black, and then everything around him sank into darkness.

Immediately after, Fang Zheng felt himself drawn upward like a drifting balloon, then slowly descend. When he opened his eyes again, all he saw was a crackling campfire and a battered old sword thrust into it.

"..."

Staring blankly at the fire before him, Fang Zheng was utterly dumbfounded. His mind was a chaotic mess, completely at a loss for what to do.

What just happened?

Where am I?

How did I die?!