The night wind carried the stench of blood and sparks. The corpses in the forest had already vanished—Overlord Spear's assassins either dispersed into gray light or fled in disgrace. Only Xu Zhu, Ling Xue, and Fatty Third remained, standing silently on the torn grassland.
Fatty Third was drenched in sweat, collapsed on the ground, stammering: "B-Big bro… we're still alive?"
Xu Zhu didn't answer. His hand still clenched the stick, knuckles white. At the edge of his vision, waves shimmered, his head pounding like a hammer's dull strike.
—The toll of the Residual Edge had nearly torn his mind apart.
He could even hear dissonant whispers at his ears, countless thin threads screeching in his skull.
Ling Xue stepped forward, placing her hand over his on the stick. "Enough, Xu Zhu. You've already done more than enough."
Xu Zhu looked up into her bloodshot eyes. Her shoulder wound still bled, yet she stood rigid and unyielding.
For the first time, he saw light in Ling Xue's eyes—not the look of someone needing protection, but that of a true comrade.
…
The novice village plaza was packed with players. Many had witnessed the battle firsthand, and the live feed was already spreading like wildfire on the forums.
[Insane! He survived being surrounded by more than ten people!]
[Residual Blood Maniac, truly undying!]
[Cheat! He has to be cheating! Official, check him!]
[Lmao, then you try standing on one drop of blood!]
[Residual Blood Maniac is a beast!]
[Overlord Spear humiliated, hahahaha!]
The hype exploded. Supporters and doubters clashed in heated arguments.
Some players even began sketching icons of the Residual Blood Maniac for their signatures. A few small guilds shouted openly: "Residual Blood Maniac, join us!"
But others raged, demanding the officials investigate.
…
Inside Overlord Spear's headquarters, the air was icy.
The guild master's face was dark, palm slamming the table.
"Over ten of you, and you couldn't kill him? Useless trash!"
The vice master spoke cautiously: "Guild Master, his popularity has already overshadowed ours. The whole server chants 'Residual Blood Never Dies.' If we don't suppress this soon…"
"Then kill!" The guild master's eyes glinted with frozen hate. "World announcement—put a bounty on him! Whoever cuts him down earns a permanent guild seat and 5,000 gold!"
…
[World Announcement]:
Overlord Spear has placed a bounty on player "Residual Blood Maniac."
Reward: Gold ×5000, Permanent Guild Seat ×1.
The world froze for half a second, then erupted into chaos!
[Bounty!]
[Overlord Spear's gone mad—direct bounty on Residual Blood Maniac!]
[Who dares accept? He just slaughtered more than ten men!]
[5,000 gold though… that's a year's worth of real-life food!]
[The entire server's going insane…]
…
Xu Zhu leaned against a wooden wall, staring silently at the announcement before him.
Ling Xue stood at his side, voice low yet firm: "They want you dead. The whole world will know. What will you do?"
Xu Zhu was silent for a long time. His gaze sharpened gradually: "I have no plan. One drop of blood is enough."
Just then, a cloaked NPC passed through the crowd, pausing with an odd look at Xu Zhu, muttering under his breath:
"…This curse… should never have resurfaced in this era…"
With that, he turned and vanished into the night.
Xu Zhu froze, heart tightening slightly.
—The secret of Residual Blood was far deeper than he had ever imagined.