Berserk

Is this.

The feeling of power?

Liao Ji felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, causing every part of his body—which had previously been operating in a "low-energy" state—to be instantly reinforced and activated. Every cell in his body began to run at high capacity.

Even his every breath felt scorching, as if there were a roaring furnace burning within him.

Liao Ji clenched his fist. The surging sense of power transmitted through his senses made him feel that if he were to punch a tree right now, it wouldn't be impossible to knock it down.

Shifting his attention back to the battlefield, he saw that after his [Calamity Magnetic Pulse], the situation had become completely one-sided.

Without the threat of firearms, Irin was like a wolf among sheep. Once her disguise was stripped away, she was the true wolf in sheep's clothing. In less than a few breaths, she had dealt with all the remaining Kalleva gangsters.

It wasn't hard to see that the girl hadn't been bragging when she repeatedly told him she was the most formidable scavenger in the Black Cave.

Corrupted individuals could only reinforce their physical fitness, or at most, be granted supernatural abilities. But throughout the entire battle, the skilled and seasoned combat techniques Irin displayed were entirely the girl's own capability.

On the other hand, the fact that a teenage girl could possess such killing prowess and resolute determination made it hard for Liao Ji to imagine what kind of experiences she had endured, or perhaps, just how cruel this world truly was.

His reinforced body also significantly enhanced Liao Ji's senses; he could feel several gazes currently focused on him.

There was no need to elaborate on the owners of these gazes.

They were the side that should have been the protagonists of this conflict, but in reality, seemed to have merely been bystanders: the Haisha Bar group.

Indeed.

Brian was staring fixedly at Liao Ji.

To be precise, at this mysterious young man brought along by Irin.

The moment the girl spoke, the bar owner had recognized Irin, and through the girl's recent fighting, Brian had confirmed her identity even more thoroughly.

After all, the moves the girl used were all taught by him. Even if Irin had used them in a nearly cheat-like fashion, the foundation of the techniques remained unchanged.

And it was precisely because he recognized the girl as Irin that Brian was now frowning even more deeply, focusing his attention on the young man in the back.

If Irin's flashy fighting could still be explained by Brian as being within the range of a "normal person," then what the young man did completely exceeded his scope of understanding.

That.

What exactly was that?

To those onlookers, it looked as if a blinding white light had erupted from the young man's hand, and then all the Kalleva gangsters collapsed one after another, their firearms falling silent.

The young man hadn't even moved, yet he had rendered seven or eight Kalleva gangsters combat-ineffective.

Brian could only interpret it as the young man perhaps possessing some high-level interference weapon from the [Mechanical Alliance].

But of course.

Deep down, there was another possibility he was unwilling to believe.

That was.

This mysterious young man was a Corrupted!

And the light ring from just a moment ago was his ability.

Because if that were the case, combined with Irin's superhuman reflexes and strength, the conclusion was obvious.

Irin had also become a Corrupted!

"You've got some tricks up your sleeve, you old fossil!" After ending the battle, Irin had returned to Liao Ji's side.

The girl asked with a curious expression:

"Old fossil, how did you do that just now? That thing that made a crackling sound and then flashed like a stun grenade? It was amazing! It actually turned their weapons into scrap metal! If I had that ability, I wouldn't have to be afraid of those Kalleva guys anymore."

"How about it, old fos—cough, cough, Young Master, teach me!" Irin leaned in, acting spoiled in a rare display of affection.

"That's a skill you can only learn at six stars; you're still a long way off."

"Six... six stars?" Although the girl didn't understand what that meant, she could roughly judge from the context that it likely referred to the potential of a Corrupted.

Irin immediately perked up. Thinking that her combat power was so fierce now—sweeping through a Kalleva squad with ease—she was very eager to know her rating in the young man's eyes.

"Then, then, what star am I now?"

Liao Ji glanced at the girl's expectant face and said truthfully: "Three stars."

Fearing the girl wouldn't understand the positioning, he added:

"Most ordinary people have zero or one-star potential, and you have to be at least two stars to become a Corrupted. So, you're not bad—at least you're not like that bird-nest-haired guy, who is a bottom-tier two-star."

But Irin was clearly very dissatisfied with this answer: "Then, doesn't that still make me a pure cannon-fodder grunt character!!"

"You could put it that way."

"You... Hmph! If you don't want to teach me, just say so! Why do you have to put others down!"

"Is there a possibility that you were the one who insisted on asking? Besides, there are actually quite a few battle gods among low-star individuals; there's no need to belittle yourself."

Faced with Liao Ji's consolation, the girl became even angrier. Just as she was about to speak again, Irin finally realized if there was something strange in what Liao Ji had said earlier.

"Huh? Wait a second! Who did you just say was a two-star?"

Liao Ji gave the answer with his gaze.

He shifted his eyes toward the chaotic bar area not far away, the exact spot where the Kalleva leader, Grey Wolf, had landed after being sent flying by Irin's opening "face-smashing punch."

Liao Ji's judgment was simple.

He hadn't received any experience points for a kill from the opponent.

Considering that Irin's full-force punch could send a hundred-kilogram Kobold flying, and that it had landed directly on the most fragile part of the human body—the head—there was only one possibility if Grey Wolf wasn't dead yet.

It seemed the man realized he had been exposed.

From the previously silent bar area, amidst the gaps of the piled-up and overturned tables and chairs, a blood-red mist began to seep out.

Irin's expression changed instantly, and those from Haisha Bar who were slightly closer began to clutch their heads in pain the moment they came into contact with the blood-red mist.

Brian, the owner, was the only one who reacted in time; he quickly pulled those people back and shouted for everyone to get as far away from the red mist as possible.

No one was unfamiliar with the red mist emanating from the bar.

Because that was.

Corrupt Calamity!

Corrupt Calamity corruption!

"Hehehehehe, you brought this on yourselves!!" A hoarse, strained voice erupted from the wreckage of the bar.

Immediately after, with a "boom," the tables, chairs, and broken glass bottles weighing him down were shoved aside, and a swaying figure stood up from behind the bar.

Half of the figure's face was swollen and unrecognizable, with only the silhouette vaguely resembling the "Grey Wolf" from before. While this was partly due to the effect of Irin's "face-smashing punch," it was mostly due to something else.

The man's expression was hideous and twisted, his crazed eyes filled with blood-red veins.

From the man's bared left arm, Irin's sharp eyes could see the mark of a needle puncture.

"I was originally saving these... to use for climbing higher, but now I want you all to die! All of you, go to hell!!" The man roared, then pulled another reagent from his waist.

Inside the transparent vial, one could see a dark red, flowing liquid. Just a glance at it was enough to induce a feeling of nausea, as if chaotic hallucinations were appearing before one's eyes and whispers of madness were ringing in one's ears.

There was no doubt that it contained Corrupt Calamity. Even though a large amount of impurities were still visible, it was undeniably Corrupt Calamity that had been refined and extracted to a concentration high enough to liquefy.

Amidst Grey Wolf's manic laughter, the man plunged the needle, which glowed with a scarlet light, into his left arm, injecting the liquefied Corrupt Calamity solution into his own body.

Stop him!

He had to be stopped!

That was the only thought in Irin's mind at that moment.

Having become a "Corrupted" herself, Irin understood the terror and power of the Corrupted better than anyone. If she really let the opponent continue to absorb Corrupt Calamity and grow stronger, the consequences would be unimaginable!

But to the girl's surprise.

Just as she moved to act, the young man beside her reached out and blocked her.

When Irin cast an anxious and puzzled look his way, Liao Ji shook his head, then kept his eyes fixed on the changes occurring in the man opposite them with an expression of interest.

"Ugh, ugh, ahhhhh!"

"This is it, power, wonderful power, unparalleled power, the power to destroy everything!!" After a brief moan, Grey Wolf began to shake his head from side to side, letting out a crazed laugh.

The muscles all over the man's body began to bulge suddenly. His original gang uniform lasted less than half a second before being completely shredded. Grey Wolf's entire body grew a size larger, and those knotted muscle masses had long since transcended normal limits, hanging off his body like tumors, ugly and terrifying.

Though his appearance was unsightly, the increase in power was real. Grey Wolf used his blood-engorged arms, bulging with veins, to grab the bar table—an iron table that must have weighed over a hundred kilograms—and swiped it away as if it were a toy.

Dark red veins, indistinguishable from blood vessels or Corrupt Calamity, crawled all over the man's chest. Grey Wolf, having cleared the bar, walked toward the crowd step by step. It was clear that while the man's power had surged after injecting the Corrupt Calamity reagent, his sanity had also plummeted significantly.

He seemed to have been filled with arrogance and madness, not in a hurry to attack the crowd, but rather wanting to savor the fear and trembling of everyone in the bar.

At this, Liao Ji also moved, walking in the direction of Grey Wolf.

The girl beside him immediately wanted to follow and help. Even Irin felt intimidated by the aura Grey Wolf was radiating, but she was stopped by Liao Ji again.

"Leave him to me, you just stay here."

"Don't move from that spot." Liao Ji emphasized.

The young man's figure passed the girl and reached the center of the bar. Such a conspicuous target, combined with Liao Ji's provocative attitude of not taking him seriously, caused Grey Wolf to roar and launch an immediate attack on Liao Ji.

The man took a large stride, and the floor of the bar seemed to tremble along with him. He charged at the young man like a tank. Compared to the Corrupted Grey Wolf, who was over two meters tall and built like a giant under the stimulation of Corrupt Calamity, the young man's figure appeared so thin and small.

Grey Wolf swung his thick, hideous fist with force, creating a series of sonic booms as he smashed it toward Liao Ji's head. The man seemed to be able to already see the scene of the young man's head exploding like a watermelon.

"This is the power Kalleva has bestowed upon me! This is the price for going against us, Kalleva!"

Bang!

The heavy fist landed. Irin, in the back, forgot to breathe; she didn't even notice that she was nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, but out of trust in Liao Ji and obedience to his command, the girl remained where she was.

"Wh-what!" An exclamation escaped Grey Wolf's lips. His bloodshot eyes regained a sliver of sanity amidst the madness, and the man stared at the scene before him in disbelief.

His fist. It had been blocked.

To be precise, the young man had unhurriedly raised one hand and then effortlessly caught his full-force strike with a single arm.

"Im-impossible! This is impossible!"

Grey Wolf could not believe it. He tried to pull his fist back from the young man's palm, but a sensation like being clamped by iron pincers took hold, and no matter how much strength he exerted, he could not break free from Liao Ji's grip.

Only at this moment did Grey Wolf realize the gap between them—a gap as wide as a chasm.

"You, you're a Corrupted too! No, that's not right, there isn't a shred of Corrupted energy on you. Who, who exactly are you!!"

Liao Ji's answer to the man's question was simple.

It was the fist he had already prepared with his other hand.

Bang!

A second muffled thud echoed through Haisha Bar, and then, history repeated itself in a startling fashion. The two-meter-tall giant, Grey Wolf, was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing back into the bar counter once more.

This time, the wall behind the counter collapsed with a roar, caving in to form a large crater, and Grey Wolf's body lay limp like mud amidst the ruins of the wall.

Liao Ji did not let Grey Wolf off just like that.

Even though a large hole had been punched through the man's chest, the only reason Grey Wolf was still alive was due to the tenacious vitality of a Corrupted, allowing him to linger on the brink of death.

"No, don't kill me! You might not fear Kalleva, but they... they—no matter how well you cover this up, Kalleva will investigate it to the end!"

The limp and powerless Grey Wolf looked up at the young man walking toward him and began his final plea. To the man's surprise, the youth nodded, confirming his words.

"You're right. From the moment blood was spilled and someone died, this matter escalated. It might not just be Kalleva; even The Church will likely get involved in the investigation."

"Then, then let me go. I will... I will suppress all of this, and the Haisha Bar—I won't collect any more fees."

Grey Wolf's intermittent voice was cut off before he could finish.

"Compared to relying on others, I prefer to trust myself. So, my apologies, Mr. Mop-top."

As he spoke, Liao Ji produced a dark red crystal from his coat as if performing a magic trick.

The moment this dark red crystal appeared, Grey Wolf's eyes widened with a shock several times greater than before, even tinged with horror as he stared at the crystal mere inches away.

"A crystal... Crystallized Corrupted energy!? Impossible! Even The Church is still researching this technology. You, how could you!"

It seemed he had inadvertently obtained some other intelligence.

But when Liao Ji wanted to probe further, he didn't know if it was because Grey Wolf was already on the verge of losing control, but upon coming into contact with the high-concentration Corrupted energy radiating from the crystal, the man could no longer hear Liao Ji's words. He only shook his head in terror, roaring incessantly.

"Take it away! Take it away! Don't come near me, no, no!"

Liao Ji, of course, did not listen to Grey Wolf.

On the contrary.

Just as he had done with Irin, he pushed the [Corrupted Crystal (Small)] in his hand into the man's body.

The moment the crystal sank in—

"Ahhhhhhh, urghhh!"

A painful cry erupted from Grey Wolf's throat. His limbs began to twitch and struggle violently, but Liao Ji pressed down firmly on the man's body and began to observe him.

Unlike the young girl from before, this man did not have a contract with him.

In the blink of an eye, the man's blood vessels ruptured and his skin dissolved. Spiderweb-like Corrupted veins rapidly crawled all over Grey Wolf's body, followed by his eyeballs bursting, his face twisting into the likeness of a monster.

The power of the Corrupted began to repair the man's body, even filling the large hole in his chest with new flesh. But the price Grey Wolf paid was his life; his sanity was completely consumed by the Corrupted energy. His arms transformed into fleshy scythes and his feet into claws. In Liao Ji's game system, the designation for the man also changed.

[Low-tier Corrupted Corpse]

In Irin's words, this should be the Corrupted monster formed after a Corrupted "goes berserk."

"Hmm... so, without a 'contract,' using a [Corrupted Crystal] directly on someone else results in this? It seems that in this world five hundred years later, people's resistance to Corrupted energy has indeed dropped significantly. They can't even withstand the lowest-grade fodder, and it can directly catalyze a Corrupted Corpse monster."

"And judging by the strength of this Corrupted Corpse, it seems to be quite a bit stronger than the ones in the first playthrough?"

"But looking at it from another angle, does this mean these [Corrupted Crystals], which serve as fodder, can also be used as a weapon?"

"Hmm..."

In the midst of his observation and contemplation, the Corrupted Corpse monster below began to struggle with increasing intensity. Even Liao Ji began to feel the strain, finding it difficult to keep it suppressed. Furthermore, the buff from [Calamity Magnetic Pulse] in his status bar was about to expire, so he decided to put an end to this conflict.

Pulling out a handgun, Liao Ji pressed the muzzle against Grey Wolf's forehead. As long as it remained in the category of a "Low-tier Corrupted Corpse," the head was still a fatal weak point.

"Thank you for cooperating with my experiment. I've gained quite a bit."

"And with this, the whole incident will simply become a case of a Corrupted losing control."

"A berserk Corrupted went on a killing spree in the bar, we resisted with our lives, and in the end, we successfully put the monster down."

"So... try to be a good person in your next life."

Following Liao Ji's final eulogy for the man.

He pulled the trigger.

Bang!