Return, Hem Slightly Soiled

"Troy, Troy, sleep..."

"—Shut up! Go back to sleep!"

Bai Zhou reacted swiftly, raising the great shield in his hands and smashing it down with all his strength.

Just as the Wooden Horse's smile had spread halfway across its face, the door-sized shield descended from above, its heavy passage tearing through the air with a howl.

With a clanging crash as it hit the ground came the faint, muffled sound of old wood splitting—

Everything came to an Abrupt Stop.

The sung nursery rhyme was interrupted.

The Wooden Horse sank back into sweet, high-quality sleep.

"No offense intended."

Staring fixedly at the deathly silent shield, Bai Zhou muttered inwardly as he gripped the half-broken spear tightly in both hands and slowly backed away.

One step, two steps...

Thankfully, the great shield was like a dependable coffin lid, sealing the Wooden Horse beneath it so completely that it could not rise again.

Bai Zhou kept moving farther away, only finally letting out a long breath after putting a considerable distance between them.

A mysterious item!

And a mysterious item whose Last Will he inexplicably could not see...

If he brought it back to the Special Management Department, it would at least be an F-Class Black Box. It might even be an E-Class Black Box.

—But Bai Zhou was not tempted in the slightest. Instead, he was filled with lingering fear.

He was somewhat greedy, but he valued his life even more!

Even in the Black Box Special Management Department, sealing a Black Box required a complicated process and a precise method of containment.

This Wooden Horse was terrifyingly strange. Until he had some idea how to deal with it, it was best to let it keep sleeping.

Still, he could not make a move now, but that might not be the case later...

Bai Zhou silently marked the Wooden Horse's location in his mind as doubts welled up inside him.

What exactly was this "Troy" that the nursery rhyme sang about over and over?

Could it be related to Empress Irene?

Perhaps it was connected to the Inverted City overhead and could help him find clues about this era.

—I'll look it up after I get back!

After returning to the Stronghold, Bai Zhou set down the miscellaneous items he had brought back, rested briefly, and set out again.

He had already explored the surrounding area thoroughly. Only one final unknown region remained.

The Corpse Pit.

This time, Bai Zhou cautiously held up the half-broken spear as he finally crossed the dried riverbed and arrived beside the Corpse Pit...

The densely writhing Last Wills were still enough to make his hair stand on end.

Bai Zhou held his breath and tightened his grip on the broken spear, carefully observing the mummies and Skeletons from far away.

"What is this...?"

After studying the pit's edge for a while, Bai Zhou's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He quickly made a new discovery.

Aside from some severely damaged armor that was impossible to make out, the left breastplates of all those tattered "high-grade armors" seemed to bear the same symbol.

The symbol was a diamond-shaped shield, with a sword and blade crossed before it.

—It was identical to the emblem on Sacred Oath Slash, the Extraordinary knowledge Bai Zhou had acquired in the Gray Fog but had not understood...

Exactly the same!

"Crack..."

As Bai Zhou pondered this, a crisp sound of bone breaking suddenly reached his ears, making his scalp tingle.

The sound came abruptly from deep within the pile of Skeletons. In this utterly silent wilderness, it sounded in Bai Zhou's ears like a thunderclap.

"...What was that?"

Bai Zhou had just reacted and was about to retreat when the dense heap of corpses below suddenly bulged upward.

As the Skeletons and mummies at the top slid down, the densely writhing Last Wills scattered and crawled away.

Only then did Bai Zhou realize that beneath the dozens of eye-catching crimson [I Cannot Rest]—

There was another Last Will that did not belong.

[So Dark, so dark...]

The Next Second,

"Splurt!"

A skeletal hand covered in clusters of pustules shot straight upward from deep within the corpse pile!

Under the Red Moon's light, the bone claw looked horrifyingly pale.

"Crash!"

The corpse pile slid and collapsed to either side like rotten mud.

A swollen, pale, grotesquely obese monster covered in tumors slowly rose from within, bearing the Last Will [So Dark, so dark...].

Like an enormous, bloated "living maggot."

Under the scarlet moonlight, it raised a black wooden staff high.

—Calling it a wooden staff was giving it too much credit.

Bai Zhou had once possessed something similar in Evening City. It had been his Treasure Sword for cutting Reed and the tool he relied on to control flames and make a living.

Put plainly—

It was a Fire Poker from beside a stove.

"Hiss, hiss..."

The monster twisted its bloated neck.

Within those Eye Sockets crawling with plump white maggots, two rotten eyeballs squirmed and rotated, looking upward under the scarlet moonlight—

Then locking directly onto Bai Zhou.

"...?"

Standing at the pit's edge, every hair on Bai Zhou's body stood up. His heart seemed to be seized by something, its beating frozen.

"Run!"

He turned and fled without hesitation.

Stomp Stomp Stomp!

With the broken spear slung over his shoulder, Bai Zhou sprinted wildly, racing beneath the grand Blood Moon with all his strength.

Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air roared beside his ears.

A gust of cold wind struck the back of his head, and he instinctively bent over and twisted aside.

"Boom!"

A Skeleton flew past Bai Zhou's scalp, tearing through the air before crashing into the ground and blocking his path.

Shattered Bones and rotten flesh sprayed everywhere. A skull rolled around beneath Bai Zhou's feet for a long while, and the crimson Last Will [Let Me Rest] atop it no longer seemed frightening, only somewhat comical.

Now it definitely could not rest.

But a chill rose from the depths of Bai Zhou's heart.

—This monster could even use materials on the spot for ranged attacks?

The earth shook with heavy thuds. Taking advantage of that brief moment, the monster had already caught up.

Though it had a fat body covered in rotten flesh and enormous pustules, it was tall and long-legged. When it ran, it was like a rolling boulder, incredibly swift.

With only a simple calculation, Bai Zhou realized in despair that running away meant a slow death. He could not outrun it on foot and would only waste his strength for nothing.

—I have to fight!

A heavy, tangible pressure bore down on him.

Bai Zhou clenched the broken spear. The shaft creaked as it rubbed against the web of his thumb, while his palms were cold and damp.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..." The enormous figure trampled the earth as the Swollen Giant Monster charged toward him.

As the stench of decay rushed at him, it slowly raised its Pitch Black wooden staff, carrying an oppressive force that made it hard to breathe.

Bai Zhou's heart sank.

Things Have Come To This. He could only try that...

He stared intently at the staff's trajectory.

The staff slowly rose, then came smashing down at his head. The terrifying weapon was immensely powerful, its howl scattering rubble from the ground three meters away.

If that hammer blow landed, even the hardest skull would be pulverized!

But Bai Zhou seized the moment and rolled backward with all his strength before it struck—

"Boom!"

The wooden staff fell like a meteor from Beyond the Heavens. Mud and sand flew everywhere as a Deep Pit appeared out of nowhere.

"Roar—"

The Swollen Giant Monster howled at the moon and wildly smashed the ground.

"Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom boom!"

The wooden staff chased after Bai Zhou's figure, just like a game of whack-a-mole.

But Bai Zhou rolled about wildly on the spot, executing seven or eight consecutive rolls as he circled the giant monster without ever blocking even one attack head-on.

—Rolling was a required physical training course in the Black Robe Training Group, and as an outstanding student, Bai Zhou had scored full marks in it.

"Boom! Boom!"

The staff smashed heavily into the ground, but it could never keep up with Bai Zhou. Every strike landed in the gaps between his rolls.

Though the monster hated this little thing hopping around like a flea, the more furiously it roared and smashed, the more obvious the clumsiness of its movements became.

When Bai Zhou found an opening, he sprang to his feet with a kip-up and quickly retreated to widen the distance. The monster's wooden staff no longer even had a chance to touch him.

"That was close. Thank goodness..."

Bai Zhou, covered in dust and dirt, dodged the monster's pursuit once more and could not help letting out a breath.

Perhaps the passage of time had decayed its joints, or perhaps it was because too many tumors had grown on its body. Every movement it made carried an obvious stiffness and sluggishness.

It was too slow.

As Bai Zhou watched its intermittently sluggish movements, an utterly absurd thought arose in his mind—

Maybe I do have a chance to defeat it?

With that thought, Bai Zhou stopped merely dodging. As he circled the giant monster, he began searching for an opportunity.

"Boom!"

The wooden staff smashed down heavily again. Before the monster could raise its weapon once more—

Bai Zhou sprang upward with a sharp burst of speed, gripped the broken spear, and viciously thrust it forward!

"Pfft!"

It hit!

Bai Zhou's eyes lit up.

The spearhead pierced flesh. A muffled sound came from the monster's chest as several swollen pustules abruptly burst, and the nearby skin shriveled considerably.

But Bai Zhou, who had kept his eyes fixed on the monster, did not see the slightest trace of pain on that swollen, ugly face.

There was only calmness, and even... a hint of cunning?

—Something's wrong!

Every hair on his body stood up. Without bothering to drive the spear any deeper, Bai Zhou arched his upper body backward, yanked the spear free, and retreated at top speed.

With a bang, a pustule on the monster's stomach abruptly burst. An unnatural third arm shot out without warning, gripping a massive hand crossbow.

The decayed crossbow dripped green corrosive pus, while the loaded bolt also glowed with a faint green light, seemingly coated in a venom even fiercer than the pus.

Bai Zhou: "?"

"Whoosh—"

The trigger was pulled, and the bolt shot toward Bai Zhou's throat. Thankfully, the instant vigilance he had felt just now saved him and allowed him to evade ahead of time.

The projectile grazed past him. Its corrosive arrowhead sizzled against the ground, sending chills down his spine.

"Roar!"

Seeing its long-prepared ambush fail, the monster, whose expression had remained calm until now, finally flew into a rage. It thrust its head toward the retreating spear and bit down unwillingly—

The Black Gold Spear, made of some unknown but extraordinarily hard material, now seemed as soft as a tender steamed bun. A notch instantly appeared in it, and a hideous set of teeth marks was clearly visible on the shaft.

Yanking the spear back, Bai Zhou scrambled to his feet. From the corner of his eye, he saw the ground being eaten away with a hiss. A chill ran down his neck, and his entire body turned icy as though he had fallen into an Ice Cave.

The brush with death passed in an instant. This was the closest he had ever come to dying...

"—Despicable Local!"

Bai Zhou cursed aloud.

Was this how battles between Extraordinary beings were fought?

Or was it a unique feature of this civilization?

Sinister, cunning, despicable—they would stop at nothing!

When necessary, they could even use their teeth and saliva as weapons. Most importantly, they were skilled at disguising themselves and concealing their abilities, always keeping something in reserve.

—Even literally "keeping an extra hand hidden"!

Bai Zhou had been only a step away from returning his soul to Evening City!

...Though that was what he said, his chest heaved violently while the clarity in his eyes only grew brighter.

Because what he was best at was acknowledging his own shortcomings and learning from others' strengths.

Taking a loss was exactly right. Bai Zhou only deeply felt that he was far from "despicable" enough and that his fighting style was too straightforward.

He understood now...

Before this, he had possessed no concept whatsoever of combat between Extraordinary beings.

As Bai Zhou's first battle after stepping into the Extraordinary World, this pale Swollen Giant Monster was, in fact, his teacher in this regard.

So now he felt that battle... should be like this!

Honesty meant death. Righteousness could only lead to defeat.

He had to be more sinister, dirtier, and better at hiding and disguising himself than his enemy!

—Coach, I learned it!

Bai Zhou rallied his spirits, gripping the black spear marked with teeth marks, his bright eyes growing ever clearer.

From the giant monster's perspective, this damned "flea" rolling all over the place had become far more troublesome and disgusting than before—and far more infuriating.

Because the kid was simply too sly and slippery, only stabbing from safe gaps now and then, constantly catching it off guard and drawing blood.

Throughout this process, Bai Zhou's movements visibly became more agile, while the angles of his spear thrusts grew increasingly tricky.

Ma Zhenguo's Interpretation of Baguazhang, Military Boxing 16 Forms, Spearfishing Technique...

The professional "combat" knowledge he had acquired within the Knowledge Mist was gradually digested through practice. His thrusts and evasions were no longer chaotic, slowly gaining rhythm and form.

Within Fate Space, above the Black Sea, the White Sun blazed fiercely, continuously radiating light and heat, causing the spirituality within his body to faintly surge.

Stimulated by that spirituality, both Bai Zhou's speed and strength steadily increased.

His mind was especially clear. Many questions he had never understood before suddenly became obvious. He considered more when thrusting his spear, and his movements connected more smoothly.

Bai Zhou guessed with delight and regret... this was perhaps the most basic and crude use of one's own spirituality after an extraordinary being awakened their Destiny.

It couldn't be helped. He had not yet received Ya's special training, or he would not have been in such a passive position now.

Bai Zhou grew increasingly accustomed to his new strength. As he darted and leaped, even his rolling movements were nearly becoming afterimages!

Pustules were pierced with hissing pops, and the giant monster's roars echoed across the Wilderness.

At this moment,

In Bai Zhou's eager eyes, this pale Swollen Giant Monster was no longer some horrifying, disgusting monster, but a diligent practical-combat teacher training him to grow.

—Though this combat instructor was especially skilled at disgusting people.

Unable to reach Bai Zhou with the Pitch Black Short Club in its hand, it even began spitting at him with puffing sounds.

The saliva carried corrosive acid. It sizzled upon landing, accompanied by a pungent sulfur-like stench.

Although Bai Zhou tried his best to dodge, some droplets still splashed onto him, corroding his clothes with hissing sounds and billowing thick smoke.

Fortunately, the Special Management Department uniform was exceptionally durable, preventing injury to Bai Zhou's skin... but the pungent sulfur-smelling smoke still came rolling in, making him dizzy.

"Boom!"

Another strike crashed into the ground, and Bai Zhou narrowly dodged it.

Suddenly, the spirituality in his body surged. He jolted awake—

Why had his movements slowed?

The smoke...?

The smoke produced when the saliva corroded his clothes was poisonous!

The poison was silent, and its effects were extremely inconspicuous.

But it could gradually stack up until it completely paralyzed someone.

—So you had a dirty trick too!

Bai Zhou cursed aloud.

Yet at the same time, he came up with a bold idea.

Holding his breath, he rolled several times. After a while, Bai Zhou found an opportunity to leap backward, turn around, and run.

Only, his body staggered somewhat.

"Roar! Roar roar!"

Seeing that its scheme had succeeded, the giant monster stopped pretending. It let out an eerie, never-before-heard laugh and chased after him in huge strides.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The earth groaned as the giant monster charged straight at him, leaving its defenses wide open.

The next instant,

With a smack, Bai Zhou abruptly turned around. His entire body sprang more than half a meter into the air, twisting as he sent the spear upward behind his back. Its tip shot out sideways like a venomous snake striking.

—Return Horse Spear!

Bai Zhou's eyes were bright now, and there was no trace of staggering in his body.

I really was poisoned, but it wasn't that serious. I was pretending.

All warfare is based on deception, Coach. You taught me that!

"Shk—"

Before the giant monster's disbelieving eyes, the broken spear plunged into flesh, stabbing straight through its neck.

A black-and-red blood hole instantly appeared in its fat, pale neck.

Blood sprayed out, giving off billowing green smoke.

"Roar!!" Its pained howl rang across the wilderness.

Under the Blood Moon's gaze, the pale Swollen Giant Monster crashed to the ground.

"Sorry, I've graduated."

Bai Zhou finally let out a breath.

A cold wind blew past, making his body feel chilly.

Only then did he realize that his clothes had become an ultra-sexy battle-damaged version, leaving nothing but a heap of tattered strips.

Fortunately, it was finally time to reap the rewards and loot the corpse.

Just as Bai Zhou was about to step forward, he suddenly stopped in place and blinked twice.

Wait a second.

Could such a sinister, despicable monster really fall so easily?

Better test it...

Bai Zhou raised the black spear and slowly approached.

He only jabbed the giant monster from afar a few times before immediately leaping back nervously, remaining highly alert.

"..."

The giant monster lay facedown on the ground without making a sound.

It seemed to really be dead.

Bai Zhou nodded.

But he was still not entirely reassured.

His eyes rolled, and Bai Zhou came up with another plan.

Thus, his clear eyes turned serious.

He raised his arm and spear, aiming the dim spearhead directly at the giant monster's butt—

"Take my spear!"

He thrust with all his strength.

The strike was fast and fierce, tearing through the howling wind.

"Squelch—"

"Aooow—"

Pain, excruciating pain. The incomparably violent cry of agony seemed to shake even the Blood Moon.

The dangerous, swollen giant monster immediately clutched its butt and jumped three feet into the air. Where was the slightest sign of being dead?

"I knew you weren't dead yet!"

Bai Zhou backed away while cursing.

This monster had more wicked tricks than pustules on its body. Fortunately, Bai Zhou had learned to be underhanded from it as well.

Learn the enemy's strengths to defeat the enemy.

—So what exactly did this bizarre civilization used to do?

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..." Pustules burst one after another. The Pale Monster's body swelled even further, and its height rapidly increased, abruptly growing another two meters in the blink of an eye.

Billowing steam shot into the sky. The monster's eyes glowed Red Light as it roared madly, seemingly having completely lost its mind.

"This is... a transformation form?"

Though he did not know how long it could last, it could probably punch five Bai Zhous to death with one fist right now.

—And he couldn't dodge it.

Bai Zhou turned and ran for his life, putting every ounce of effort into it.

But the problem was—

Even so, he seemed unable to outrun it.

This size was no longer at the level of a monster. It was a "Super Beast."

Something that huge only needed to take two steps to match more than a dozen of Bai Zhou's...

Just then,

A tremendous boom came from the sky.

Bai Zhou jolted and instinctively looked up toward the sound.

At the edge of the Wilderness, atop the cliffs, within that inverted Giant City, the hands of over a thousand ruined Bell Towers all pointed simultaneously to exactly 36.

The next instant,

A thousand bells rang at once!

The bells descended from the heavens. Layer upon layer of Bell Wave ripples converged, resounding across the wilderness.

Sand and gravel rose, ruins trembled, and even the enraged giant monster stopped in its tracks.

Bai Zhou's ears nearly went deaf, but he discovered that something on his chest was vibrating madly.

This was...

Startled and delighted, Bai Zhou pulled out the Golden Pass that was vibrating incessantly against his chest.

So this was the condition for activating it again?

Return! Return!

Bai Zhou had no time to think further and immediately mobilized his spirituality, pouring it in.

Next Second,

The clamor by his ears seemed to drift away, and a familiar sensation welled up within him.

He knew he was about to "go back."

Then he turned around and looked at the roaring giant monster not far behind him.

"Just wait, Dead Fatty!"

Bai Zhou raised his middle finger high at this "Despicable Local."

Even in Evening City, where customs were different, the middle finger carried the same meaning as it did elsewhere.

"Once I'm back from special training, I'll scatter your ashes!"

After saying that, Bai Zhou reluctantly and regretfully looked toward the Stronghold nearby, where the items he had gathered from everywhere were piled up.

The next instant—

Golden light bloomed, filling everything before his eyes.

The magnificent golden light faded, and it took Bai Zhou quite a while to regain his vision.

The light from the Incandescent Lamp overhead spilled down, while the familiar smell of Coffee rushed toward him, bringing reassurance.

He had returned to Blue Star.

He had returned to the Dormitory Nest the organization had arranged for him.

"Welcome back... huh?"

Ya's voice carried confusion.

She took two steps back with a tap-tap, examining Bai Zhou before her. His clothes were in tatters, his body was covered in bruises, and he reeked of sulfur.

"Filthy and disheveled" was not enough to describe him. He was simply a miserable sight, enough to make those who smelled him sad and those who saw him weep.

Even stranger, Bai Zhou had left empty-handed, but returned carrying half a broken spear for some reason. There was even a clear, strange tooth mark on its shaft.

"—What did you do?"

"Weren't you going to the Knowledge Mist?" Ya's expression turned serious. "What happened?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Bai Zhou lightly patted his butt twice. Great patches of mud and sand immediately shook loose with a rustle, kicking up Smoke and Dust that filled the air.

"...Mm. The corner of my clothes is slightly dirty."

After a moment of silence, Bai Zhou coughed twice and said with a face full of wistful emotion:

"It was nothing more than... a little hardship."