Going Out

Drip...

Drip...

Pale gray bodily fluids trickled down through the gaps in the stairs.

Zhou Kai had gotten used to the monsters' meaty stench. To his nose, it was no different from medium-well wagyu.

After hacking the monster into pieces on the second floor, he carried them downstairs in batches and piled them beside the fireplace.

The fireplace wasn't very large, but it seemed like a bottomless pit when it came to fuel.

Zhou Kai efficiently stuffed most of the remains into the firebox, yet the fireplace showed no sign of being full.

[Burn Time: Five hours and forty minutes]

Roaring flames surged upward, and their light slowly drove the chill from Zhou Kai's body.

The invisible bacteria and spores carried by the rain were also reduced to ash amid the fire's hum.

Zhou Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It burns longer than Lan Ze and that pile of bugs combined. More than five and a half hours!"

Watching the countdown appear in the firelight, Zhou Kai remained calm.

This was breathing room he'd bought with his life.

As long as the monsters didn't start attacking the Sanctuary on their own as time passed, he'd be safe for the next five-plus hours.

There was no harm in staying by the fireplace. The ache in his shoulder hadn't fully faded, so Zhou Kai decided to rest a little longer and think about what to do next.

Just now, in addition to the usual experience points, he'd gained a Memory Fragment.

That had caught his attention.

"Is this what Occultism does...?"

Looking at Occultism on the skill panel, Zhou Kai had previously been reluctant to spend points on it.

After all... the on-screen prompt had been very clear: knowledge was a curse, a double-edged sword.

But now that Occultism could directly improve his combat rewards, the benefits outweighed the risks.

"I can put a few points into it later."

For now, it was time to look at that Memory Fragment.

The icon for [Memory Fragment] was a crumpled scrap of paper. It had appeared automatically in Zhou Kai's inventory.

He only had to think the command, and it would activate.

"Use."

In the next instant, the paper ball appeared out of thin air before Zhou Kai, burst open, and became a cloud of gray light that shot roughly into his eyes...

Zhou Kai's consciousness was forcibly shoved into a fixed point of view.

He had become the protagonist of this memory.

"Looks like I'm stuck until the memory finishes playing. Might as well watch."

"The fog's too thick. The caravan from down the mountain still hasn't come this month."

A woman with indistinct features sat by the window, spinning coarse cloth. Every so often, she looked out at the endless rain and thin fog.

"I'll go ask the Soraka lords."

Zhou Kai's viewpoint shifted. He took a postman's bag from a nearby coat rack, slung it over his shoulder, and grumbled, "The letters never arrive, and I can't send the ones I've written, either."

"Things have been going wrong nonstop lately."

The scene shifted.

The postman appeared near No. 1 Manor in Soraka Town... the enormous lakeside building Zhou Kai had seen from the balcony.

He hesitated by the roadside for a long while, then finally gritted his teeth and rushed toward a carriage heading for the manor's gate.

"Mr. Winchester! Honorable Lord Soraka! I'm your loyal postman..."

"Get lost!"

A riding crop whipped through the air in response, slicing through it with a sharp crack.

Zhou Kai cursed under his breath... Damn it, the postman had taken the lash, yet Zhou Kai could feel its burning sting, too!

The coachman reined in the startled horse, raised his crop again, and lashed the postman several more times.

The postman curled up in the muddy water, screaming.

The noble in the carriage drew back the curtain, gave him a contemptuous glance, and spat out two words: "Common trash."

Then the carriage rolled away.

The postman limped home.

His wife asked, "What happened?"

"I fell," he mumbled.

Suddenly, he noticed a blurry bottle on the table and let out a surprised "Huh?" "What's that?"

"Mr. Kailan from the Church came by," his wife replied. "He told us to plant these seeds."

"After that, we just have to pray to the flowers."

The postman took the glass bottle and held it under the oil lamp to examine it.

The bottle came into focus.

The seeds inside were... Moonlight Orchids!

The memory ended there, and Zhou Kai abruptly tore himself free of the first-person viewpoint.

Ignoring the lingering discomfort in his head, he glanced at the fireplace and used the fuel countdown to estimate the time... He'd been dazed for less than two seconds.

"Not long. I can live with that."

The memory had been brief, but Zhou Kai had still picked up a few key details.

First, the manor's owner—the man who seemed to run the town—was named Winchester Soraka.

Second, he'd learned where the Moonlight Orchids came from.

"The Church spread Moonlight Orchids? That fills in the missing information from the study."

The information couldn't benefit him directly yet, but there was something unexpectedly satisfying about slowly lifting the veil over the whole world with his own hands.

Soon, ten minutes passed.

Zhou Kai received the fireplace's first reward.

[The lost soul wandering in despair turned to ash in the flames... You received Jeff's legacy]

[...Universal Experience Points +1]

"So his name was Jeff..."

Zhou Kai felt a little wistful thinking that the hideous, terrifying monster had once been a diligent postman, who knew how many years ago.

But the sentiment didn't last long...

They had died and become monsters, but Zhou Kai had to keep living!

"Time to spend my points! Then I'm heading out to butcher them!"

Killing the Wanderer had given Zhou Kai a tremendous boost in morale.

There might be terrifying beings in this world with hands bigger than mountains...

But some of the monsters in town weren't too powerful to defeat.

As long as he picked his targets and hunted them quickly... he could grind for experience without drawing the attention of the larger groups.

This was a positive feedback loop he had to seize!

"First, reinforce the Two-Handed Sword, then level up Comprehensive Combat and swordsmanship!"

A moment later, Zhou Kai's panel had changed completely.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion]

[Skills: Comprehensive Combat Lv. 3 (0/50), Light Footwork Lv. 3 (3/50), Soraka Swordsmanship Lv. 1 (7/15), Occultism Lv. 1 (0/15), Falcon Strike Technique Lv. 1 (0/15)]

[Items: Residence Permit, Brand New Two-Handed Sword, Blood-Stained Axe, Oil Lamp, Rusty Kitchen Knife, Morning Star's Journal, Moonlight Orchid Seed (Full)]

[Universal Experience Points: 2]

He'd had six experience points left. After killing the Wanderer, that had become thirteen. Refilling the oil lamp cost one point, which the fireplace's reward soon replenished, bringing him back to thirteen.

Just now, Zhou Kai had spent two points to improve the Two-Handed Sword's sharpness and sturdiness.

He'd invested six points in Comprehensive Combat, taking it straight to level three and triggering a qualitative change.

He'd also put three points into Soraka Swordsmanship for a modest improvement.

That left him with just two points in reserve.

Whoosh.

Zhou Kai examined the Two-Handed Sword in his hand, its blade almost polished enough to serve as a mirror. It gleamed with a chilling light in the oil lamp's glow, sharp enough to cut a hair in two.

He was very pleased.

The two experience points he'd invested had been well worth it.

The sword was heavier, the blade sharper, and its destructive power greater.

The qualitative change in Comprehensive Combat made Zhou Kai feel as if his strength had surged out of nowhere. His whole body brimmed with explosive energy.

And then there were the sword-fighting instincts he'd gained from Soraka Swordsmanship.

Zhou Kai had never felt so confident.

"Then, let's go!"