First Blood

Rumble~

Heavy trucks roared past, the furious cries of monsters rising from their cargo.

Each truck carried cages holding savage monsters, which snarled and roared as they passed the Quasi-Martial Artists.

"Luo Feng, Yun He." Head Instructor Wu Tong smiled casually beside them. "Good physical fitness and good blade technique don't necessarily mean you're strong. Some people's legs turn to jelly the moment they see blood or face death. They might not even manage to use a tenth of their strength."

"That's why we have the Martial Artist Combat Assessment! Its main purpose is to temper your resolve. You must learn to adapt to life-and-death battles with monsters. Remember, don't show mercy."

As Wu Tong spoke, he glanced at Yun He.

The corner of Yun He's mouth twitched, and he forced a smile.

"Understood." Luo Feng nodded solemnly.

I'm not like you natives who were born and raised here! I snuck into this world. Isn't it perfectly normal to have a little trouble adjusting when my surroundings suddenly change?

You have to give me time to adapt!

Inside, Yun He was already weeping.

Wu Tong continued, "These monsters are all the lowest rank, H-Class, equivalent to Beginner Warriors among us martial artists. Their weakness is their low intelligence, but their strengths are their bloodthirsty madness, aggression, and killer instincts. That's why every Combat Assessment leaves some Quasi-Martial Artists disabled or even dead."

"Everyone!"

An officer stood on the roof of a dilapidated three-story building inside the town and called out to the crowd, "This Combat Assessment follows the same rules as before. It begins at six thirty tonight and ends at six thirty tomorrow morning-a total of twelve hours!"

"The more monsters you kill, the more points you earn. Cut off the left ear of every monster you kill as proof!"

"Attention! Quasi-Martial Artists are forbidden from killing one another. Your every move is under surveillance. Anyone who violates this rule will be shot on the spot!"

"Results will be reviewed at six thirty tomorrow morning! Of the 1,681 Quasi-Martial Artists here, those whose scores rank in the top sixty percent will qualify as martial artists. The bottom forty percent will fail and have to wait until next time."

"In other words, only 1,009 of you 1,681 Quasi-Martial Artists will pass and qualify as martial artists. The remaining six hundred or so will fail!"

Many of the Quasi-Martial Artists immediately began murmuring. This Combat Assessment actually had a forty-percent failure rate!

Ignoring them, the officer continued, "A reminder: generally speaking, killing three monsters will be enough to pass. If you only kill two, it'll depend on your luck..."

"If you're badly injured, don't push yourself. Press the emergency button on your Communication Watch, and someone will come to rescue you immediately..."

The officer waved his hand and shouted, "Begin the assessment!"

The Quasi-Martial Artists poured into the town like a tide.

"Close the gate!"

Rumble!

The gate slammed shut.

The Combat Assessment had begun!

"Stay safe, everyone!"

"See you tomorrow morning."

After exchanging farewells, Yun He, Luo Feng, and Yang Wu quickly split up like everyone else, disappearing into the town like droplets of water.

Night fell.

Monster Town, situated in the wilderness, lay shrouded in darkness.

Only the large searchlights around the town's perimeter occasionally cast a beam of light across it. Most of the time, however, most of the town remained dark.

With a shield in his left hand and a longsword in his right, Yun He forced himself to stay calm as he walked along an abandoned street. Dilapidated houses stood on either side, cloaked in darkness.

Hrr, hrr~

An enormous dark shape, as big as an off-road vehicle, suddenly appeared ahead, blocking the street. A pair of blood-red eyes fixed on Yun He.

An Iron-Haired Boar!

It was renowned for its immense strength and exceptional defense.

Yun He had read about it online before, so he recognized the monster at a glance.

Drawing a shallow breath, Yun He tensed every muscle and stared hard at the monster ahead.

Come on!

My first blood.

I'm ready.

The Iron-Haired Boar lowered its head slightly and pawed the ground with its front hooves, its red eyes locked on the prey before it.

Boom!

Its four legs thrust powerfully against the ground, and the Iron-Haired Boar charged like a speeding off-road vehicle.

"Hmph!"

Yun He snorted softly and swiftly sidestepped the head-on charge. At the same time, his longsword flashed through the night like silver lightning and plunged into the side of the Iron-Haired Boar's neck. It felt like piercing leather as the blade sank forty to fifty centimeters deep.

Swish!

Pushing off with his feet, he pulled his sword free in one smooth motion, dodged the boar's iron-whip tail, and rapidly retreated.

Blood spurted several meters into the air like a fountain. Yun He barely had time to raise his shield over his head before it drenched him.

Boom!

The Iron-Haired Boar rammed into a nearby car that had been reduced to a rusty metal frame. Weathered by decades of sun and wind, the wreck came apart completely, sending components flying everywhere.

Hrr, hrr~

The Iron-Haired Boar let out agonized roars and struggled to its feet, but before it could turn around-

Shhk!

A flash of silver sword light plunged into the back of its neck, piercing straight through its throat and severing its cervical spine.

Yun He quickly withdrew his longsword and retreated, standing several meters away as he watched coldly while the Iron-Haired Boar twitched and gradually fell still.

Thick, foul-smelling blood spread across the ground, seeping over the street like ink bleeding outward.

The two wounds in its neck sprayed blood like burst water pipes, hissing as they gushed.

The pungent stench of blood filled the entire street.

Expressionless, Yun He avoided the spraying blood mist and stepped through the blood on the ground, reaching the Iron-Haired Boar in a few strides. His sword flashed, severing its left ear, and he turned and quickly left.

"Urgh~~"

Once he reached the street corner, Yun He could no longer hold it in. Bracing himself against the wall, he vomited.

Just then.

A Shadow Cat lurked in the darkness, crouching low with its eyes half closed to conceal its murderous intent. It approached silently from behind. When it was only seven or eight meters from Yun He, it suddenly sprang forward!

Swish!

Its sharp claws extended, and the Shadow Cat bared its fangs, aiming straight for the back of its target's neck to kill him in a single strike!

At this distance, it could reach its target in an instant.

But a dark shape suddenly appeared before it. Unable to dodge in time, the Shadow Cat slammed headfirst into it.

Thud!

With a muffled impact, the Shadow Cat crashed headfirst into the shield.

A sword flashed swiftly, piercing the Shadow Cat's chest through its heart and emerging from its back.

Yun He withdrew his sword, backed up a few steps, and leaned against the wall. His face was somewhat pale as he took several deep breaths.

Adrenaline surged through him, his blood raced, and his heart pounded like thunderous drums. His whole body trembled slightly.

His earlier nervousness had vanished completely, replaced by a shivering thrill, an exhilaration that coursed through his entire body.

But the nausea remained. It felt as though something was lodged in his chest, leaving him deeply uncomfortable.

Watching the Shadow Cat stop struggling a short distance away, Yun He panted and cursed, "You little piece of trash! Don't you have any honor? Trying to ambush me, huh? Good thing I reacted fast, or you really would've got me!"

Even now, Yun He felt a lingering chill of fear, a sheen of cold sweat coating his back. If he hadn't reacted in time, it really might have been game over.

Looks like I need to learn to adapt to this environment as soon as possible, or I really will end up dead.

He knew very well that his current state was no good. Both his mind and body were too worked up, and he had lost the composure a martial artist should possess. That could easily lead to disaster.

Exhale~

Inhale~

Yun He stayed alert to every movement around him while regulating his breathing, trying to calm himself as quickly as possible.

There was still a long night ahead.

Only after quite a while did he feel much better.

Yun He turned to look at the corpse of the Shadow Cat that had ambushed him. Fighting down his nausea, he stepped forward and cut off its left ear, then turned and vanished into the shadows of an alley.

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