Character Flaws

Dax's hands trembled and blood flowed incessantly from his nose, yet he still fired the arrow held in his grip.

The arrow pierced through the fishing net and struck the crows. A triumphant grin spread across Dax's face; so what if they were Negary's followers, so what if they carried a plague? He had outsmarted them all the same.

From the moment his companion died, followed by two others succumbing to the plague, he had vaguely sensed the crows trailing them. He had gradually formulated this plan; it didn't matter if they died, as long as he killed these monsters and ensured they wouldn't carry the plague back to the village, that was enough.

One companion's eye suddenly burst open, a force piercing through the socket and spraying black blood everywhere. He collapsed to the ground and died with a crazed smile on his face.

Wang Yuan didn't stop. While ordering the wounded, dying crows to block the ones that were still unharmed, he charged toward the other man, his Interference Force surging out to kill him.

"Komoro, kill those crows!" Black blood spilled from Dax's mouth. He could no longer pull the bowstring and collapsed to the ground, his Gift of Life nearing its end.

Komoro held the bow and arrow with trembling hands. He had been able to shoot while following the others, but with them suddenly dead or dying, he became the sole attacker and found himself afraid to strike. After all, those were Negary's messengers.

"Don't be afraid, Komoro!" Dax shouted with his final ounce of strength, granting Komoro courage. He nocked an arrow and pulled the string.

Wang Yuan didn't even have time to regret leaving Komoro uninfected. His mind raced, desperately searching for a way to break the deadlock.

Only six crows remained now, three of which had suffered severe arrow wounds and were unlikely to survive. The main problem was that if Komoro wasn't dealt with, all these crows would die!

The white aura on him is still very dense. It would take me at least a few minutes to neutralize it and kill him, and those few minutes are enough for him to slaughter the remaining crows. Wang Yuan charged toward Komoro, but the white aura surrounding the man made it impossible for Wang Yuan to even attempt communication.

There must be a way. Wang Yuan forced himself to calm down. Seeing the blood left behind by the crows, he thought of a potentially viable plan: It's just that my Interference Force isn't strong enough.

Wang Yuan turned his head toward the dying Dax. Without further hesitation, he killed him, absorbing all the white aura and cool essence that emerged.

Dax's emotions were different from the other dead; they were filled with madness, tenacity, and satisfaction. His emotions and memories troubled Wang Yuan, but he sensed in his consciousness that another crow's presence had vanished.

Wang Yuan's Interference Force surged, wrapping around some of the crow blood on the ground, and he used every bit of his power to splash it onto Komoro's face.

Drenched in the foul-smelling blood, Komoro froze for a moment before screaming in terror, his shot going wide.

Although medical science here was not advanced—one could even say it was ignorant and backward—they understood that the plague was contagious. Especially the blood of the infected; once tainted, one would also be targeted by Negary.

"Did you kill my messengers?" A strange, familiar voice suddenly rang out, causing Komoro to gasp in shock as he frantically searched for the source.

But upon finding it, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground: "The... the dead have come back to life."

The one speaking was the deceased Dax. He lay on the ground, his eyes dull and lifeless, yet his mouth opened and closed like a fish struggling for air on the shore.

The voice was extremely strange, the pronunciation off-kilter; if one didn't listen carefully, it was hard to tell what was being said.

"Did you kill my messengers? Human!" This time the words were much clearer. Despite the lingering issues, Komoro at least understood what the other was saying.

"Y-you, you are Negary!" Komoro screamed in terror.

"You have killed so many of my messengers. I curse you. You shall die in agony from the plague; your skin will rot, your blood will turn black, and your bones will decay."

"No! Please, don't! I didn't mean to, it was all Dax forcing me! Spare me, great and honorable Negary, please spare me, lift your curse, please give me a chance to atone!" Komoro knelt and begged, shouting in panic.

"Is that truly so?" The dead Dax spoke in a strange tone, his words slurred: "You wish to atone? That is not entirely impossible."

"P-please, tell me, great Negary." Komoro trembled all over, his voice filled with a torrent of emotions: ecstasy, terror, resentment, regret, and humiliation.

"Heh heh heh!" Dax's corpse emitted a sound like grinding stone: "You killed my messengers, so naturally, you shall cultivate more for me."

The two remaining crows in the net finally struggled free. As for the wounded ones, they had already succumbed to their injuries; Dax and his group had coated their arrows in a toxic plant sap. Wang Yuan's thirteen mutated crows were now reduced to these two.

"My two messengers will follow you to help suppress the plague within you. You must spread my greatness and let more people help me cultivate messengers. Otherwise, not only you, but your entire village will suffer my curse and perish in the plague!"

"Yes, yes, yes, great Negary, I will follow your instructions," Komoro said hurriedly.

"Human, looking at your foolish appearance, it will be extremely difficult to accomplish anything. For the sake of your piety, I grant you the right to summon me. When you encounter difficulties, you may seek my help."

"Many thanks for the great Negary's favor." Komoro thanked him profusely before asking cautiously: "Then, I wonder how I might summon the great Negary."

"I am speaking to you through this vessel right now; just offer up whatever you have at the time!" After the corpse finished speaking, it clamped its mouth shut.

Komoro waited cautiously for a while before he was certain that the great Negary had departed, though the two pitch-black crows continued to stare at him with their dark eyes.

Wang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. The problem was finally resolved for the time being. Aside from the loss of eleven crows, things hadn't gone much differently than he had planned.

There were many reasons why this problem had occurred, but the most important one was that he was too weak. This weakness didn't just refer to his strength, but to many other aspects as well.

He had started as an ordinary person, a weakling. Even after becoming a remnant soul, his personality shifting, and gaining extraordinary power, he was still a weakling. His character had various flaws—he was prone to getting carried away and being careless. If he didn't change these things, such problems would happen again.

Wang Yuan's thoughts turned. He needed to become stronger, not just in power, but in character as well!