Nightmare Despair

Chapter 41 Swordsman
Everything fell silent, and apart from Zhou Kai panting heavily, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

But the withered and worn-out Moonlit Orchid amulet and the occasional throbbing pain in his head were telling Zhou Kai something.

He really did go through something...

"Mysticism...has gotten stronger again?"

Zhou Kai's face was ashen.

This skill originated from the most exquisitely crafted Morning Star Journal, which contained fragments of words from ancient priests of the Church of Light, rambling and incoherent, like the ravings of a madman.

Because of the system's vague prompts, Zhou Kai never considered taking the initiative to tackle this hot potato.

The only time this skill was upgraded was when he dealt with the "paper doll," and he was almost dragged into the illusion and died without knowing why.

And then, just now.

Just looking at the surge in experience points, Zhou Kai felt a chill run down his spine and up to the back of his head.

"If it weren't for the Moonlit Orchid Amulet, I would have been killed just now. This experience point is even higher than when I was hit by the paper doll last time, which means the level of danger is even higher!"

"Replenish the charm's durability."

Zhou Kai gripped the amulet tightly, feeling for the first time grateful for his flash of inspiration.

This thing is an absolute steal! Not only can it dispel blood tides, but it's also incredibly effective against this kind of invisible mental pollution.

He vaguely felt that the blood tide and this kind of psychological terror might have the same origin...

But the thought flashed through my mind and I had no clue what to do with it.

The Moonlit Orchid Amulet's durability has been fully replenished. Due to the extra experience points you have spent, the amulet's texture has changed.

You paid 3 general experience points.

[General experience points 15 → 12]

The amulet's appearance became visibly more refined.

The straw handicrafts that were originally as rough as those sold at roadside stalls have now become neat and sturdy, and you can even vaguely feel the skeleton made of metal wire inside.

This should be much sturdier now.

The durability limit and effect have likely both been improved.

Zhou Kai's gaze returned to the small desk; the strange notebook had vanished, as if it had never existed.

call……

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

I always feel like there's a pair of eyes watching me from the shadows.

"Hold."

He muttered a curse under his breath and quickly left the bedroom.

After searching through the other rooms without finding anything, he quickly went downstairs.

He planned to go out the back door of the house, cross the backyard, and search the other buildings.

However, just as Zhou Kai's hand was about to touch the back door handle...

He recognized a strange noise amidst the wind and rain outside the door.

That was the sound of metal scraping against a stone slab.

"There's something out there."

Zhou Kai's eyes narrowed, and he made a judgment instantly.

Should we take another route?

No... it's been delivered to my door.

Exactly what I want!

Zhou Kai gripped the axe tightly, lowered his body, and silently moved to a window that offered a view of the backyard.

A bolt of lightning ripped through the night sky, and the scene in the courtyard flashed by.

A dark figure was wandering in the rain, its body shape and outline similar to that of a normal person.

Zhou Kai instantly felt reassured.

"It's either a parasitic corpse or another kind of monster I saw the other day... Let's do it!"

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and adjusted his physical condition to its peak.

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

[Tip: Upgrading your Occult skills will allow you to gain more rewards during exploration/combat]

To be honest, if he had a choice, Zhou Kai would definitely not want to touch this terrible skill again.

This thing is like the inspirational setting in Cthulhu tabletop role-playing games. The higher the level, the more you can perceive those mysteries that ordinary people cannot understand, and the easier it is to lose your mind and die faster.

But... the current situation is that as long as he doesn't stop exploring, these bizarre encounters will only increase, and his occult experience will eventually grow on its own.

"Since experience points will increase sooner or later, why don't I actively level them up now to gain greater benefits?" Zhou Kai let out a long breath, and once this thought came to mind, he felt much more relaxed.

"Mysticism, add points to Lv2!"

You have spent 10 Universal Experience Points; your skill 'Mysticism' has been upgraded.

【神秘学Lv1（5/15）→Lv2（0/25）】

You begin to demand more from the nightmare...

In an instant, the stabbing pain in my head vanished, replaced by an unprecedented clarity.

This feeling was much stronger than when he was clear-headed; it was as if the world itself had become more vivid and real in his eyes.

"I hope my first prey tonight won't disappoint me."

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

The moment the door opened, a spray of water hit me head-on.

This spray of water was fast and heavy, accompanied by a whooshing sound; it was definitely not rainwater blown by the wind!
"Discovered?"

Zhou Kai's pupils contracted sharply. Without thinking, he swung the axe in his hand and chopped it down in the direction from which the water droplets were flying!

Zheng!
A sharp, piercing metallic scraping sound tore through the rainy night!

Zhou Kai's axe blade struck precisely the blade of a two-handed greatsword.

blah blah...

The force transmitted from the sword was astonishing; Zhou Kai's tiger's mouth trembled violently, and the muscles in his arm instantly tensed to their limit.

He smoothly slid the axe down the blade to absorb the force, thus withstanding the powerful blow.

boom!
A flash of lightning appeared in the distance, illuminating the courtyard in a stark white light.

Zhou Kai got a clear look at his opponent.

He was dressed in a full set of rusty silver armor, nearly two meters tall, with his face completely encased in an airtight helmet, leaving only a dark slit for observation.

It was a new enemy discovered that day!

Zhou Kai snorted coldly. Among the monsters that tore him apart that day, some were just like the silver-armored swordsman in front of him.

Fueled by rising rage, he suddenly exerted force, twisting his waist and abdomen, channeling all his strength into his arms.

The axe blade instead violently knocked the heavy two-handed sword away!

Taking advantage of the moment when the longsword went out of control and slashed towards the ground, Zhou Kai flipped his wrist and swung the axe horizontally, aiming straight for the swordsman's neck!

That's where the helmet and breastplate connect—the only flaw in this suit of armor!
boom!
A dull thud rang out as the axe struck the neck armor squarely, denting the nested plates inside.

If there were a living person inside, that blunt force trauma alone would have caused his brain to concusse and he would have passed out on the spot.

But Zhou Kai was facing a monster.

This all-out attack only caused its body to stiffen slightly, its neck unable to twist as if it were a rusty part.

"If I had my two-handed sword, I would have chopped your dog's head off right now!"

Unable to achieve his goal with a single strike, Zhou Kai immediately retreated and engaged in a brief entanglement with the armored swordsman.

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

Zhou Kai was like a hungry wolf circling a bull, constantly moving around, looking for weaknesses, and almost never got hurt.

The armored swordsman's movements became visibly slow and sluggish.

Wow!
The longsword tore through the rain and crashed down with tremendous force, shattering the courtyard wall of residence number 454 and sending bricks and stones flying everywhere.

In the darkness, Zhou Kai, relying on muscle memory and combat instinct, dodged the fatal blow a step ahead.

This guy is using Soraka swordsmanship!
That would make it much easier to predict.

Zhou Kai's mind raced. After dodging the sword, he lunged forward, his axe raining down on the armored swordsman's helmet!

My physical strength is being depleted rapidly.

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

On the other hand, the swordsman's damaged armor seemed to severely impair his movements, with every action accompanied by a harsh metallic scraping sound.

It's now!

Zhou Kai stepped on the swordsman's longsword, which he hadn't yet raised, and leaped high into the air, putting all his weight on the axe in his hand.

Bang!
The axe blade finally cleaved through the sturdy helmet.

The immense recoil made his arms go numb, and his tiger's mouth instantly split open, bleeding profusely, but he didn't care at all.

Just like when he fought the Wanderer, Zhou Kai's bloodthirsty desire was completely unleashed.

The more they fought, the crazier they became; the more they killed, the more ruthless they became.

(End of this chapter)