Nightmare Despair

Chapter 69 Hunting Day

This oil lamp is also quite remarkable.

[Item: Fu's Gift (Wick missing)]

The location of the lamp wick (tinder) is clearly written in the notes.

Morning Star took it to light the willow sticks.

As for why lighting a lamp could burn out the wick, Zhou Kai genuinely couldn't understand it.

Perhaps this is a manifestation of some peculiar rule in the nightmare world?

But it doesn't matter.

Even without the blessing of the fire of burning sin, this oil lamp is still a useful treasure.

After all, the prop instructions clearly state...

[Item Effect: Even ordinary flames burning here will be able to dispel dark power to a considerable extent...]

Zhou Kai had a thought and consumed one experience point.

The oil lamp was instantly refilled with fuel, and a brand new wick appeared out of thin air.

[You have consumed 1 experience point. This oil lamp can now be relit.]

[Note: Morning Star likes to snap his fingers, so Foul set 'snap his fingers' as the ignition command.]

After confirming that the oil lamp was working, Zhou Kai turned his attention to the yellowed parchment, which was the most important gift in the package.

Because of it, Zhou Kai will be able to decipher the pages in Morning Star's other notebooks that are written in a mysterious language.

Its existence means that all the notes left by Morning Star afterward are no longer incomplete and mysterious to Zhou Kai.

"It's a bit troublesome, I'll have to go back and learn some cryptography..."

The writing on the parchment is actually the code to decipher those mysterious characters.

If he could figure it out, Zhou Kai would be able to translate the cipher text into ancient Latin word by word.

This was a time-consuming and labor-intensive project, so Zhou Kai decided to leave it to be done in real life.

Next, Zhou Kai prepared to fully restore his status and give himself a boost.

Then, I went out and worked myself to the bone.

The piece of human skin that the decaying swordsman dropped felt like the back of his hand.

Zhou Kai followed his usual routine: he cut his finger and used his own blood to dissolve the human skin, turning it into viscous ink.

Dipping his brush in ink, he roughly traced the outline of the existing carvings on his arm.

The ritual of acquiring the mark is then considered complete.

[You absorbed Chariot I*1, Mark: Chariot Experience +3]

Three experience points are injected into the chariot's engraving.

The amplification effect is negligible; you'd need to accumulate around 50 or 60 points, or even break through to "Chariot II," before you could see any significant boost.

After attempting to seize the inscription, Zhou Kai absorbed the [some valuable memory].

He entered the perspective of the decaying swordsman from his previous life, moving through the blurred light and shadow.

However, the gains this time were far less substantial than when they entered Yabo Soraka.

Aside from gaining two points of Soraka swordsmanship experience, I only learned some extra knowledge about scraps related to engravings.

For example, the promotion through engraving is a complete ritual.

Those one hundred victories must be consecutive wins.

If you lose a game midway through the game, you need to win three more games to catch up.

In Zhou Kai's system, this means that for every defeat, three experience points are deducted.

However, the more favorable point is that... while running away is shameful, it doesn't count as a defeat.

Conversely, if the enemy is far stronger than oneself, successfully escaping can also be considered a victory.

"You win no matter what, right? I like it."

Zhou Kai grinned; these rules suited his taste.

"The arm armor also needs some repairs."

[You have consumed 2 general experience points; the heat-resistant gauntlet has been repaired.]

At this point, Zhou Kai felt that the necessary improvements had been completed. Several data points on the panel had undergone minor changes.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion, Clear Mind, Vitality]

【Scars: Chariot - Part 1 (5/100)】

【技能：综合格斗lv3（1/50），轻盈步伐lv3（13/50），索拉卡剑术lv2（14/25），神秘学lv2（0/25），隼击术Lv2（3/25）】

[Items: Residence Permit, Morning Star Notes (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Moonshine Orchid Seed (Full), Exquisite Moonshine Orchid Amulet, Sturdy Two-Handed Greatsword, Heat-Resistant Gauntlets, Fu's Gift (Common Fire), Falcon Wing Elixir *1]

[General Experience Points: 14]

"I can still reach level three in swordsmanship tonight without using general experience points."

Zhou Kai stood up, leaning on his two-handed sword, and peered through the crack in the door at the flickering red light outside.

After figuring out what the Willow People were and when the crisis would erupt, Zhou Kai's subsequent plans became much easier.

The legacy left by his predecessors continues to help Zhou Kai survive.

Snapped.

Zhou Kai snapped his fingers.

The oil lamp tucked behind his back immediately lit up.

The light was magical; it could actually penetrate Zhou Kai's body and shine straight ahead, like a built-in searchlight.

"It is indeed a good product, but we don't need it for the time being."

Zhou Kai smiled slightly, snapped his fingers again, and the oil lamp slowly went out.

"The hunt begins."

After briefly composing himself, Zhou Kai pushed open the door and went out.

The bronze-colored oil lamp was securely fastened to the buckle on the lower back of the belt.

The broad two-handed greatsword was dragged behind him by his right hand, which was clad in a gleaming silver gauntlet.

Lightning flashes occasionally streaked through the misty rain outside, but for the past few days, the most prominent feature here has been the infernal fire.

Zhou Kai looked towards the direction of the willow man with a look of relief.

Because of its presence and the presence of the Burning Flame, the scale of monster activity in Soraka Town will be suppressed to a minimum.

This will be Zhou Kai's perfect hunting day before the blood tide arrives.

With four hours and fifty-one minutes to go before the next wave of bloodshed, Zhou Kai, fully armed, stepped out of the shelter.

Temporarily, the survivors and some of the nightmares are in a state of flux, with offense and defense shifting.

……

The Willow People are currently lingering near number 777, which is located in the middle to high part of the town.

The influence of the incinerating flames is only strong in this area.

In the lowlands of the town, represented by Westchester Manor and the Clock Tower, it remains a haven for powerful and densely packed monsters, making it extremely dangerous.

Therefore, Zhou Kai's best hunting ground today would be near the Willow People and at a high point in the town.

"Then... let's fight our way to that mansion on the high ground of the town!"

Zhou Kai walked into an open space in the rain and looked up at the tall building beyond the hundreds of buildings on the long street.

At that moment, lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the dark area at the edge of the flames of incineration.

You can vaguely see that the town mansion with the architectural features of the ancient Salomon style is quietly waiting for visitors.

In his third journal entry, Morning Star wrote that after surviving the blood tide phase, his next target was the Western-style mansion.

There should be the fourth volume of the manuscript there, as well as possibly more discoveries.

The sooner Zhou Kai gets there, the sooner he can figure out the secret hidden in this nightmare.

No more stopping, let's set off immediately.

Looking back at his sanctuary one last time, Zhou Kai dragged his longsword and strode away.

He won't come back until the blood tide arrives.

……

(End of this chapter)