On closer inspection, a faint mist surrounded the old man in green, keeping every raindrop at bay.
"Our savior is here!"
"Is that Lord Han?"
"I know this trope! To be honest, I'm a game designer from another game. I've designed countless cutscene CGs. The situation here is obviously a cutscene! Which means we're safe..."
BANG!!
Before he could finish, the mound of earth beside the shelter exploded.
The mound flew high into the air, showering them with dirt.
-1!
-1!
-1!
The chunks of dirt had enough force behind them to cause damage, injuring the refugees inside the shelter.
The refugees had already returned with little health, and many were killed on the spot by the flying dirt.
The others screamed in terror and scrambled backward.
Shi Wuliao scrambled backward, rolling and crawling until he stopped against one of the shelter's pillars.
So much for being safe!
He cursed inwardly and looked up.
The old man in green, who had been at the village entrance just moments ago, had landed beside their shelter.
The commotion just now had been caused by the old man in green hitting the ground.
So you really don't treat us players like people, huh?
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Never bully a poor player!
Once I, Shi Wuliao, level up, I'll come back and kill you first, Lord Han!
Shi Wuliao thought resentfully. The other players were cursing too, saying every nasty thing imaginable.
But when Lord Han slowly turned his head and glanced at them, the scene fell silent at once. No one dared say another word. Only the rain continued to fall.
Only then did Lord Han turn his gaze away. With a grave expression, he looked ahead, and the faint mist around him thickened.
"Rain-grade Anomaly, leave Ancient Moon Village at once! This is my final warning!"
Fang Yue quickly shook his head. "Old man, I'm not an Anomaly! I swear! It's a misunderstanding!"
Lord Han's expression tightened. He stopped trying to persuade Fang Yue to leave.
Thud!
He took a step forward, and the muddy ground suddenly caved into a small crater. All the rainwater in it splashed high into the air, leaving a dry patch beneath Lord Han's left foot.
Fang Yue saw that step clearly, but in the next instant, the old man in green vanished...
Tap tap tap tap tap tap!
Dozens of small puddles suddenly burst open across the ground, sending water flying high into the air, but the old man was nowhere to be seen!
Holy crap!
Fang Yue was horrified. Before he could even move, a tremendous force struck his chest, sending him flying backward. He crashed into the mud.
Fang Yue hurried to his feet and looked up. A figure stood in front of him—it was none other than the old man in green, Lord Han.
But Lord Han looked bewildered and confused.
Fang Yue had no time to worry about him. He quickly looked down at his chest, but there wasn't a single wound. His skin wasn't even broken.
-2!
Only then did a large, awkward-looking damage number slowly appear above his head, quite unlike the "-1" damage from the rain. Fang Yue quickly looked away from it.
Ah, this...
That's it?
That's all? That's all? That's all?
So I'm this strong?
As he came back to himself, Fang Yue's expression gradually turned smug...
Then he saw Lord Han put away his wooden sword with a puzzled look, bend over, and slap both hands against the ground.
BOOM!!
The ground shook violently, like an earthquake measuring eighteen on the Richter scale.
The water around them was instantly blasted away. Mud flew in all directions, and the rain was swept aside, leaving a dry patch.
The ground abruptly sank, forming a crater five or six meters wide.
Fang Yue fell over, his smug expression wiped away.
He fell silent and looked up at Lord Han in terror.
Lord Han, however, was staring at Fang Yue in confusion.
Fang Yue: ...
Lord Han: ...
They stared at each other in silence. Only the rain continued to fall.
But numbers indicating Fang Yue's rapidly draining health were popping up all over his body, while Lord Han wasn't losing any health at all.
"I understand now,"
Lord Han suddenly said.
"You're not an Anomaly!"
No, wait. After all those theatrics, that's the conclusion you came to?
Fang Yue looked thoroughly exasperated.
"Of course I'm not. I told you I was human."
"But..."
Lord Han hesitated. "I can sense that you're not a Martial Artist either. You're an ordinary person, not an Anomaly. So why can you move freely in the rain?"
Lord Han's wooden sword was no ordinary weapon.
Its power was astonishing, but... it only worked against Anomalies.
Against a target that wasn't an Anomaly, it dealt no damage.
The health Fang Yue had lost earlier was only from being thrown through the air.
Lord Han used a wooden sword to kill Anomalies. For killing people, he had a different set of weapons and equipment.
But Lord Han had come in a hurry. When he heard there was a Rain-grade Anomaly, he grabbed his wooden sword and rushed to the village entrance. He hadn't expected that his opponent wasn't an Anomaly at all.
"That's rich... Old man, you're moving around in the rain just fine too."
"It's not the same."
Lord Han shook his head, but said nothing more. Instead, he reached out and helped Fang Yue up.
Lord Han's hand was ice-cold, with a faint frost coating it. Fang Yue shuddered as soon as he touched it.
"You're quite unusual, young man. May I ask what brings you to Ancient Moon Village?"
Although Lord Han no longer saw him as an enemy, he still tried to sound out Fang Yue's purpose.
"What brings me here... Uh, I want to get stronger."
"So you're here to learn martial arts. That won't be difficult. With your talent, our Ancient Moon Village would be happy to... Ahem!"
Just as he said this, Lord Han's expression suddenly changed. He covered his mouth and coughed forcefully. When he lowered his hand, his palm was covered in bright red blood.
That alone wasn't much of a surprise. But when Fang Yue caught sight of the number above Lord Han's head from the corner of his eye, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
-1100.
Damn!
A monster with over a thousand health!
Fang Yue shrank back and immediately corrected his attitude.
"Lord Han, I was out of line just now..."
"No matter, no matter. And you, young man..."
"Please, just call me Night Dawn."
"Night... Young friend Night, your name is rather strange."
Is Night Dawn really that strange a name?
Fang Yue felt a little put out. Well, I guess nobody would normally choose a name like that.
"That's my full name. You can call me by my nickname, Little Ye."
"Very well." Lord Han didn't stand on ceremony. "Little Ye, you seem talented, but you don't know much about martial arts. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
A real beginner's guide NPC!
Fang Yue's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Lord Han. I really do have a lot of questions. For example, why did those villagers call me a Rain-grade Anomaly? And what exactly is a Rain-grade Anomaly? Also, how do I learn martial arts and get stronger?"
Lord Han smiled faintly. "Rain-grade Anomalies are powerful Anomalies that can move freely in heavy rain. Ordinary Anomalies can only endure the rain for a short while before they have to find shelter.
"Their counterparts are Rain-grade experts. There aren't many Rain-grade experts in this area, and there are none at all near Ancient Moon Village.
"You can walk through the pouring rain at night without any equipment, or even a Soul Lantern.
"When ordinary people see you, they won't think you're human. They'll only think you're a terrifying Rain-grade Anomaly."
After a pause, Lord Han continued, "As for learning martial arts, once we get to the village, I'll have someone make the arrangements."
"I see... But what's a Soul Lantern?"
Before you continue