What... Are You...

Atop the ruins, all was quiet.

No one answered.

A few seconds later, Old Li called out again, "Xiao Tong?"

Still no response.

"Why isn't that girl answering?" Old Li stood up and looked toward the ruins.

Old Wang scratched his head as well and raised his face to look up.

The next second.

His eyes widened.

At the edge of the third floor of the ruins stood someone.

It wasn't Xiao Tong.

It was the man in tattered leather armor.

He held a crossbow that gleamed with an eerie blue light.

That crossbow...

"What?! How is that possible?!" Old Wang blurted out.

Hearing this, Old Li looked up as well.

But Gan Ming had already aimed at him.

[Lock-On]

Tracking Shot!

Buzz! The crossbowstring vibrated.

Three blue-glowing bolts shot out at once.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three bolts did not fly parallel to one another.

The instant they left the string, they spread apart and closed in on Old Li from three different angles.

The moment Old Li saw the bolts, he raised his right hand, mana surging as he prepared to cast Shield Art.

However, it was too late.

The first bolt flew in from the front.

Pfft!

It pierced his throat.

-197! (Weak Point Hit, Critical Hit)

Old Li's hand froze in midair.

The mana for Shield Art had only just reached his fingertips before it was interrupted.

The second bolt came from the right.

Pshk!

It pierced through his right eye socket.

-131 (Weak Point Hit)

Old Li's body arched backward. His mouth hung open, but no sound came out.

The third bolt stabbed down diagonally from above.

Pfft!

It sank into his brow.

-141 (Weak Point Hit, Critical Hit)

Old Li's body fell straight backward, and his staff rolled from his hand.

[Awakened (Level 17) killed. Obtained 890 experience.]

From Lock-On to the kill.

Less than two seconds had passed.

The instant Gan Ming saw the kill notification appear, only one thought remained in his mind.

The Lock-On innate talent paired with Tracking Shot is fucking ridiculous!

Elsewhere.

Old Wang was completely dumbfounded.

Less than a second had passed between the first bolt being fired and Old Li collapsing.

His teammate, a top-tier healer with three specializations, had just... died?

Old Wang stood frozen in place. He withdrew his gaze and looked up at Gan Ming atop the ruins.

His hands were trembling.

"Why can you use Xiao Tong's crossbow..."

"Why do you have her skills..."

Halfway through his words, Old Wang's pupils suddenly contracted.

An absurd thought exploded in his mind.

Xiao Jing hadn't caught up to that man.

Xiao Jing was dead!

Xiao Tong was dead too!

This Awakened in tattered leather armor

had silently killed two of his teammates right under his nose.

"You!!!"

Whoosh!

Gan Ming gave him no chance to finish.

A bolt flew over and struck Old Wang squarely in the right shoulder.

-116!

Pfft!

The bolt pierced through his shoulder armor, its tip emerging from his back.

The impact sent Old Wang stumbling back two steps.

"Fuck! I'll fucking kill you!!!"

Old Wang let out a roar.

He drew the two short blades from his back with both hands, turned, and charged toward the stairwell of the ruins.

He was going up there.

He would use Chain Blade Slash to hack that kid to pieces!

But he had only taken three steps.

Whoosh!

Another bolt flew over, grazing past his ear and embedding itself in the broken wall ahead.

Old Wang ignored it and gritted his teeth as he continued charging.

As long as he rushed into the stairwell, the walls would block the bolts, making them useless!

But just as he was about to step inside, he heard a sharp whistle from above.

Old Wang reflexively looked up.

Gan Ming had actually leaped from the edge of the third floor of the ruins.

From a height of over twenty meters, he did not hesitate in the slightest.

At the same time, he tossed away an empty bottle with his left hand.

But the instant he landed.

Gan Ming's figure vanished into thin air.

Old Wang's heart gave a violent jolt.

He had watched the other man jump down with his own eyes, then disappear.

"Come out!!"

Old Wang roared as he turned and swung his swords.

He hit nothing.

His left-hand sword slashed vertically.

Nothing.

Was he behind me?

He spun around.

No one was there.

There was only dust from the rubble in the air and the sound of his own rapid breathing.

"Come out!! If you've got the guts, fight me head-on!!"

Old Wang crossed his blades before his chest, his back pressed against the broken wall as he watched his surroundings.

Suddenly!

Whoosh!

A bolt shot from behind a pile of rubble to his front left.

-117!

It struck his left thigh squarely.

"Ahh!!"

Old Wang dropped to one knee, his left leg instantly losing all support.

He twisted his head toward where the bolt had come from.

Whoosh!

The second bolt came from the right.

-95!

It pierced through his right forearm.

The sword in his right hand fell away.

"Fuck your mother..."

Old Wang braced himself on his sword with his remaining left hand, trying to stand.

Whoosh!

The third bolt.

-128!

His left shoulder.

Whoosh!

The fourth bolt, then the fifth.

The sixth!

Pfft!

-162!

Old Wang collapsed completely onto the gravel-strewn ground.

Six blue-glowing bolts were embedded all over his body.

Blood seeped from every wound, staining the gravel beneath him dark red.

He had less than 50 health left.

He wasn't dead.

His opponent simply wouldn't let him die.

Footsteps came from the front right.

Old Wang struggled to raise his head.

Gan Ming emerged from behind a low wall, holding the Cold Crow Repeating Crossbow in his right hand.

He walked up to Old Wang and looked down at the dual-blade wielder lying on the ground, covered in arrows.

Old Wang's lips trembled as he spoke with difficulty:

"You... what exactly are you..."

Gan Ming did not answer.

He raised his crossbow and aimed at Old Wang's brow.

He pulled the trigger.

Whoosh.

-189!

[Awakened (Level 16) killed. Obtained 780 experience.]

Old Wang's head snapped back, and he made no further sound.

Gan Ming crouched down.

He placed his right hand on Old Wang's corpse.

Soul Snatch.

[Soul Snatch successful!]

[Innate talent acquired: Double Blades (When dual-wielding weapons, damage from weapons in both hands increases by 15%.)]

[Specialization skill acquired: Dual-Wield Mastery (When equipping two one-handed weapons at the same time, attack speed +20%, dual-wield weapon accuracy +15%.)]

[Specialization skill acquired: Chain Blade Slash (Continuously slash with dual-wielded weapons for a total of 4 strikes, each dealing 85% physical damage. Cooldown: 14 seconds. Mana Cost: 14.)]

[Skill acquired: Heavy Strike (After charging, unleash a powerful attack that deals 180% physical damage. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Mana Cost: 10.)]

[Skill Acquired: Block (Raise a weapon to block frontal attacks, reducing damage by 50%. Lasts 3 seconds. Cooldown: 12 seconds. Mana Cost: 8.)]

[Skill Acquired: War Cry (Briefly intimidates nearby enemies, reducing their attack power by 10%. Lasts 8 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds. Mana Cost: 10.)]

[Skill Acquired: Shield Art. Duplicate acquisition converted into Talent Proficiency.]

[Skill Acquired: Physical Enhancement. Duplicate acquisition converted into Talent Proficiency.]

[Skill Acquired: Danger Sense. Duplicate acquisition converted into Talent Proficiency.]

Gan Ming put Old Wang's corpse into his ring.

Clatter. Two rings rolled onto the ground.

After picking them up, he walked over to Old Li's corpse three meters away.

He crouched down.

He waited three seconds.