Swordsman

Everything returned to silence; save for the heavy, ragged gasps of Zhou Kai, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

However, the shriveled, tattered Moonlight Orchid Amulet and the intermittent, stabbing pains in his brain were both telling Zhou Kai otherwise.

He had indeed experienced something just now...

"Occultism... it got stronger again?"

Zhou Kai's expression turned as dark as ink.

This skill originated from that Morning Star notebook, the one with the most exquisite exterior, which contained fragments of ancient rituals from the Church of Light—incoherent and rambling, like the ravings of a madman.

Because of the system's vague and ambiguous prompts, Zhou Kai had never considered touching this hot potato voluntarily.

The only time this skill had leveled up was when he dealt with the "Paper Doll," an encounter where he had nearly been dragged into an illusion and died without even knowing why.

And then, there was just now.

Just looking at the massive surge in experience points, Zhou Kai felt a lingering fear; a chill crawled up his spine and settled at the back of his head.

"If I didn't have the Moonlight Orchid Amulet, I would have been done for. This amount of experience is even higher than last time with the Paper Doll, which means the danger level was even greater!"

"Restore the amulet's durability."

Zhou Kai gripped the amulet tightly, feeling grateful for the first time for that flash of inspiration he'd had back then.

This thing was an absolute steal; not only could it dispel the Blood Tide, but it also had miraculous effects against this kind of intangible mental corruption.

He vaguely felt that the Blood Tide and this sort of psychological horror might share the same origin...

But the thought flashed by, leaving no trail to follow.

[The Moonlight Orchid Amulet's durability has been restored. Because you spent additional experience points, the texture of the amulet has changed.]

[You have paid 3 General Experience Points.]

[General Experience Points 15 → 12]

The appearance of the amulet became visibly more refined.

What was once as rough as a roadside straw-woven handicraft had now become neat and compact, and one could even vaguely feel a skeleton made of metal wire inside.

It should be much sturdier now.

The durability cap and its effects had surely both been improved.

Zhou Kai's gaze fell back onto the small desk; the eerie notebook had vanished, as if it had never existed.

Hoo...

Even though he hadn't fought any monsters head-on, Zhou Kai's heart was pounding uncontrollably, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

He had the distinct feeling that a pair of eyes in the shadows was watching him.

"Damn it."

He cursed under his breath and quickly retreated from the bedroom.

After circling through the other rooms and finding nothing, he walked quickly downstairs.

He intended to exit through the back door of the mansion, cross the backyard, and search the other buildings.

However, just as Zhou Kai's hand was about to touch the back door handle, he discerned an unusual sound amidst the wind and rain outside.

It was the sound of metal scraping against stone slabs.

"There's something outside."

Zhou Kai's eyes narrowed as he made an instant judgment.

Take another route?

No... it had come to him.

Just as I wanted!

Zhou Kai gripped the axe in his hand, lowered his body, and moved silently to a window that overlooked the backyard.

A bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, and the scene in the yard flashed into view for a split second.

A black shadow was wandering in the rain, its silhouette similar to that of a normal person.

Zhou Kai felt confident in an instant.

"If it's not a Parasitic Corpse, it's that other kind of monster I saw the other day... Let's do this!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and adjusting his physical state to its peak.

But before pushing the door open, his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the skill panel.

[Prompt: By leveling up Occultism, you will gain more during exploration/combat.]

To be honest, if he had a choice, Zhou Kai absolutely did not want to touch this cursed skill again.

This thing was like the Sanity stat in a Cthulhu tabletop game; the higher the level, the more one could perceive those mysteries beyond human comprehension, and the easier it was to lose one's mind and die all the faster.

But... the current situation was that as long as he didn't stop exploring, these bizarre encounters would only increase, and the Occultism experience would eventually rise on its own.

"Since experience points will increase sooner or later, why shouldn't I take the initiative to upgrade now and exchange them for greater gains?"

Zhou Kai exhaled a long, stale breath. Once this thought became clear, his entire being felt unexpectedly relaxed.

"Occultism, add points to Lv2!"

You have spent 10 General Experience Points. Your skill "Occultism" has leveled up.

Occultism Lv1 (5/15) → Lv2 (0/25)

You have begun to demand more from the Nightmare...

In an instant, the needle-like, throbbing pain in his brain vanished, replaced by a sense of clarity he had never experienced before.

This sensation was far more intense than the Clear-Headed state; it felt as if the very world had become more vivid and real in his eyes.

"I hope the first prey of the night won't disappoint me."

Zhou Kai licked his dry lips and slowly pushed open the back door of Residence 454.

The moment the door opened, a spray of water slammed into him head-on.

This spray was fast and heavy, carrying a whistling sound as it cut through the air—it was definitely not rain blown by the wind!

Was I discovered?

Zhou Kai's pupils constricted. Without a second thought, he swung the axe in his hand with all his might, hacking downward toward the direction from which the spray had come!

Clang!

A sharp, ear-piercing sound of metal grinding against metal tore through the rainy night!

Zhou Kai's axe blade had precisely struck the edge of a Two-Handed Sword.

Skree...

The force transmitted from the sword was astonishingly great. Zhou Kai's web between his thumb and index finger shook violently, and the muscles in his arms tensed to their limit.

He took advantage of the momentum to slide the axe head down along the blade to dissipate the force, only then managing to withstand the heavy, powerful blow.

Boom!

A flash of lightning erupted in the distant sky, illuminating the courtyard in a ghastly white.

Zhou Kai saw the appearance of his opponent clearly.

It was clad in a suit of rusted, full-body silver armor, standing nearly two meters tall, its face completely encased in an airtight helmet with only a dark, narrow observation slit left open.

It was a new type of enemy he had discovered that day!

Zhou Kai let out a cold snort. Among the monsters that had torn him apart that day, several were just like this Silver-Armored Swordsman before him.

Fueled by rising anger, he exerted force suddenly, twisting his waist and abdomen, pouring the strength of his entire body into his arms.

The axe blade actually sent that heavy Two-Handed Sword swinging wildly away!

Taking advantage of the opening where the longsword was out of control and hacking toward the ground, Zhou Kai flipped his wrist and swept the axe out horizontally, aiming straight for the swordsman's neck!

That was the junction between the helmet and the chest plate—the only weak point on this tin can!

Bang!

A dull thud echoed as the axe slammed solidly into the neck armor, causing the nested plates there to cave inward.

If there were a living person inside, this blunt strike alone would have caused a brain hemorrhage and knocked them unconscious on the spot.

But Zhou Kai was facing a monster.

This full-force blow merely caused its body to stiffen for a moment, its neck unable to turn, as if it were a rusted part.

"If I had my Two-Handed Sword, I would have chopped your dog head off with that strike!"

With the attack failing to achieve a complete kill, Zhou Kai retreated immediately, engaging in a brief skirmish with the armored swordsman.

He was more agile and more familiar with the fighting style of this body.

Zhou Kai was like a starving wolf circling a bull, constantly maneuvering and searching for openings, barely sustaining any injuries.

Meanwhile, the armored swordsman's movements were visibly becoming sluggish and stiff.

Whoosh!

The longsword tore through the curtain of rain, descending with the force of a thousand jun, smashing the courtyard wall of Residence 454 into pieces and sending bricks and stones flying.

Yet, in the darkness, relying on muscle memory and combat instinct, Zhou Kai dodged this fatal blow a step ahead of time.

This guy is using Soraka Swordsmanship!

That made it very easy to predict.

Zhou Kai's mind raced. After dodging the sword, he pressed forward, his axe raining down like a storm, clanging fiercely against the swordsman's helmet!

His stamina was depleting rapidly.

But the surging adrenaline and his extremely calm mind allowed him to temporarily ignore the exhaustion of his body.

Conversely, the damage to the swordsman's armor seemed to severely hinder its movements, every action accompanied by the harsh sound of metal grinding.

Now is the time!

Zhou Kai stomped his foot onto the swordsman's blade before it could be raised, leaping high into the air to bring the full weight of his body down upon the axe in his hands.

BANG!

The axe blade finally cleaved through the sturdy helmet.

The immense recoil left his arms numb and his palms instantly split open, blood streaming down, yet he paid it no mind.

Just like that life-or-death struggle against The Wanderer, the bloodthirsty desire within Zhou Kai's heart was thoroughly ignited.

The more he fought, the madder he became; the more he killed, the more ruthless he grew.