"Ha… I guess what they said was true after all.." Xue Shen muttered in annoyance. He had been sitting behind the tree for what felt like hours, yet there were still no signs of any incoming wagon. The forest was quiet, only the occasional rustle of leaves breaking the silence as darkness soon approached.
"Stats."
[Name: Xue Shen]
[Level: 3 | EXP: 6 | 30]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 24 | Lifespan: 70]
[Race: Human]
[Cultivation: Mortal]
[Bloodline: None]
[Physique: None]
[Spiritual Roots: 1 | Status: Rootless]
[Talents: None]
[Unspent Stat Points: 0]
[Constitution: 0.4]
[Strength: 3.5]
[Dexterity: 1.8]
[Intelligence: 1]
[Endurance: 2.8]
[Perception: 0.9]
[Charisma: 2]
[Luck: 0]
[Skills: Blade Mastery: Level 0 | 3.5/10]
[Techniques: None]
"Hmm..? When did l unlock Blade Mastery?"
[You unlocked Blade Mastery because you killed a lifeform with a blade. Weapon mastery is determined by the specific weapon used to kill a lifeform. For example, if you had used a spear to kill, you would have unlocked Spear Mastery! Whatever weapon you use to kill, 10% of the EXP gained from the target is added to that weapon's mastery.]
'This was never a system function in the past…' Xue Shen sighed, adding yet another mystery to the long list already in his mind.
"And it's getting dark soon and there's still no signs of any incoming wagons." he said, with disappointment in his voice.
A few hours later…
Loud hooves suddenly awoke Xue Shen. He gripped his blade tightly and looked towards the dirt road. He saw only a wagon with dim lights, the rest was darkness.
He saw two men riding at the front, and a hood covering the wagon making him unable to see inside.
"Huh? Honey, why'd you stop?" a middle-aged woman called out from the back of the wagon.
The three in the carriage peered ahead and froze at the wagon blocking the road, their eyes drawn to the trail of blood that disappeared into the forest.
"Honey, grab our swords!" One of the men shouted.
The woman snatched up the swords and torches. With torches in one hand, swords in the other, they stepped onto the dirt road and paused, their eyes fixed on the trail of blood that disappeared into the forest.
"Should we check it out?" she asked.
"Are you insane? What if a monster did this, and it's still nearby?" one man whispered.
"But what if they're still alive? And even if they're dead, shouldn't we at least try to help them—or bring their bodies back to Lin City?" the woman countered.
The two men exchanged uneasy looks, each unsure of what to do, until one of them handed something over. The wife's concern for the possibility of a living victim weighed heavily on them—and, as she had said, if the person were dead, they could at least bring the body back to Lin City.
But despite all that, they were still reluctant, unable to make a decision.
Xue Shen watched from behind the tree lines. 'They're not coming..' he thought, then forced a groan. "Help!"
The three almost leapt back, all of them looking alarmed.
"See! I told you! They're still alive!" the woman cried out.
"Ha…" the husband sighed, the two men exchanging a glance before nodding in agreement. They decided to investigate, following the blood trail and the source of the groaning sounds, until they froze before Nan Li and her grandfather's rotting bodies.
"Oh my God!" the woman screamed, her eyes wide with terror and her face frozen in horror."
What kind of monster could do this?" another man choked, turning away from the gruesome sight of the two corpses.
"Wounds… from a blade…" one man whispered. The other man heard it and stared at him.
"Where are you? Friend?" the woman called out, her resolve strengthened by the sight of the two corpses—she was determined to help the seemingly injured person.
Hiding behind a tree, Xue Shen inched closer to get a better angle, but unfortunately for him, his foot stepped on a twig. "CRACK!"
The three froze, scanning the darkness on where the sound came from.
"Where are you?" one shouted. "Say something!" the husband yelled out.
Xue Shen weighed his options, then stayed silent.
"Where are you? We're here to help!" the woman called again.
A sick idea flickered through Xue Shen.
"M–Mercy! Please… You've already killed my father and sister! What more d–do you want—?" he said scared, his voice ragged with grief and terror.
All three heads swung toward the source of the sound, settling on a tree.
"Calm down! We aren't the killers of your family!" the woman cried out.
"Liar! You have swords! Why should I trust you!?" Xue Shen screamed, panic rising in his voice.
"Calm down. We were just passing by and saw the blood on the road. We're not here to harm you." the woman pleaded, inching closer to the voice.
"Stop! Don't get closer! Put down your weapons! Only then I can trust you!" Xue Shen barked.
They all looked at one another.
"Could this be a trap?" one man whispered.
"No way—he's just terrified! Any sane person who'd just lost their family would be frightened." the woman said.
"Ha.. Fine" the husband muttered, dropping his sword.
The other man squinted suspiciously but still followed along.
"We've dropped our weapons. We're coming closer, okay? Don't be afraid—we're not here to hurt you.." the woman called out in a calm manner, moving forward cautiously with her hands raised.
But then suddenly she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back.
Suddenly one of the men threw the torch to where Xue Shen was, and they saw that no one was there.
"I knew it!" He said after seeing no one there, he turned to where they had dropped their swords.
But just as he was turning, back to grab his swords, he saw Xue Shen standing directly next to them.
"Ha.. I hate people with brains.." Xue Shen said, sounding annoyed.
The three stared at Xue Shen, holding a blade in his hand.
"A trap! Damn it!" The husband said cursing.
"Good thing i'm here!" The brother said, pulling something from his robes—and immediately throwing it toward Xue Shen's face.
SWISH
The dagger barreled straight toward Xue Shen's face. He twisted his head to the left just in time—but then, suddenly, another dagger flew toward him, this one thrown not by the brother, but by the husband.
"Good thing!" The husband said with a smirk as he threw it.
SWISH
Xue Shen barely dodged the second dagger, feeling it graze past his face.
"Hmm.. Are you done?" Xue Shen asked calmly, tilting his head.
The two men's faces became grim. They had expected to kill Xue Shen with those daggers—but it had failed. And now, their faces indicated that they had nothing left.
"Alright then…" Xue Shen muttered. Suddenly, he picked up the swords and tossed one toward them.
"Let's see you fight for your pitiful life."
The brother's face lit up as he grabbed a sword in one hand and his torch in the other, then charged at Xue Shen.
"You shouldn't have done that!" he shouted, looking like he was about to swing—but suddenly instead he hurled his torch towards Xue Shen instead.
Xue Shen instinctively dodged, stepping away from the spot where the swords lay.
The brother quickly bent over and tried to snatch a sword.
But suddenly…
SHK
[Ding! 10 EXP]
[Ding! 1 EXP to blade mastery]
Xue Shen tossed his blade directly at the brother's head, his blade landing directly on head, killing him instantly.
He then calmly retrieved the blade from the lifeless body.
"BROTHER!" The husband cried out.
"Honey run!" the husband suddenly told the wife, "What? N–no!" She replied.
"GOD DAMN IT RUN! If you don't, our kids will grow up without parents!" The man screamed urging his wife to run.
The man saw that it was hopeless so he thought the best outcome was to at least, save his wife, if it meant sacrificing his.
The wife's face looked conflicted until finally she turned and started running into the forest, tears dropping down her face as she ran.
"All futile.." Suddenly Xue Shen started walking towards him, not sprinting but walking.
"Come. Embrace death." Xue Shen said calmly, spreading his arms wide as if to welcome the man into an embrace.
"You bastard!" the man roared, charging forward with his fist raised.
To his surprise, Xue Shen let the blade fall from his hand, it seemed like Xue Shen intended to fight barehanded, as to mock him.
CRACK!
Xue Shen's fist crashed into the man's face, bone, and teeth giving way beneath the blow. Blood spattered as the man collapsed, clutching his face and gasping in pain.
"That's it?" Xue Shen looked
disappointed, his voice sounded excited.
"Come on—get up. Show me! Show me how corrupted existence has made you! Let me see your will to live!"
He stomped down, again and again, each kicking heavier than the last.
"COME ON! SHOW IT! SHOW ME THAT DESPERATION! SHOW ME! HOW CORRUPTED YOU'VE BECOME!" Xue Shen yelled out, his voice filled with anger as he kept kicking the man.
CRUNCH.
The man's ribs shattered, a broken groan spilling from his lips.
"Uhhhhh—"
"FUCKING SHOW IT!" Xue Shen yelled even louder, and suddenly stopped kicking.
CRACK
Xue Shen kicked with his full might and kicked into the man's skull, shattering it.
The forest fell silent.
Xue Shen stood atop the man, breath somewhat steady, his eyes wide and gleaming with madness. Then, slowly, a frown spread across his face.
"You won't show it?" he whispered. "Fine…"
He reached down, grabbed his sword, and seized the man by the strands of his hair, dragging him through the ground as blood smeared the ground behind them.
"Let's find your wife…" he murmured, voice low and cracking with glee.
"Maybe she'll show it."
The man groaned weakly, unable to resist, as Xue Shen pulled him deeper into the dark.
"Ha… Ha…"
The woman's breath came in short, gasps. She could no longer run—only walk forward, her legs trembling.
"Uhh…"
A low groan echoed nearby. A man's voice. Her heart dropped to her stomach—she recognized it instantly. She imagined scene of her husband's screams flashed through her mind, and tears welled in her eyes.
Step… Step… Step…
Footsteps rustled through the fallen leaves, drawing closer.
She put a hand over her mouth, closing her eyes shut, and crouched down, curling into a ball—desperate to make no sound.
The steps grew louder… Then slower…
Step… Step..... Step...….
Until finally, the footsteps faded away into the distance.
She exhaled shakily, trembling, and began to rise—
CRACK!
A branch snapped beneath her foot.
"There you are…"
"Mmggghh!" Her husband groaned, thrashing weakly on the ground, trying to keep Xue Shen at bay.
KICK!
Xue Shen's boot smashed into his mouth, shattering his teeth and crushing his nose in an instant.
His hand swept through the darkness until he felt something—hair. His fingers grabbed ahold of strands of hair. He yanked it towards him.
"AHH!" "NO! NO! NO!"
The woman screamed, striking him with her fists, but her blows did nothing.
KICK!
"AGHH!"
"Fucking calm down, will you?" Xue Shen said, driving his foot into her stomach. She felt her ribs crack beneath the blow.
"Come on, lovebirds," he muttered,
"Let's see how bright you two light up."
He dragged both of them by the hair back toward the wagon.
When they arrived, the woman's eyes widened in horror. Her husband's head hung limp, blood pouring from his mouth.
"YOU BASTARD!" she screamed.
KICK.
"Holy Fuck! Can you be quiet?" Xue Shen said, his voice sounding annoyed, turning to her.
KICK. KICK. KICK. KICK.
Xue Shen's anger exploded as he stomped her repeatedly until she fell silent.
"Thank you… Fuck…" he sighed, regaining his composure.
"Ah.… Let's break your legs first."
He lifted his foot high and brought it down with full force.
STOMP. STOMP.
CRACK.
STOMP. STOMP.
CRACK.
The husband's screams faded to whimpers. His legs bent unnaturally.
"Your turn" Xue Shen said, turning to the woman.
STOMP!
"AGHHHH!" "STOP!" She shrieked as her bones snapped.
Xue Shen grabbed her hands and twisted—hard.
"AUHHHHHH! AGHHHH!"
Her arms contorted, twisting, her tendons tearing.
Then he did the same to her husband, who only groaned—unable to scream.
"Perfect," Xue Shen said coldly. "You two shouldn't be able to move now. Stay here. Don't go anywhere."
He turned to the wagon and took down the burning torch hanging from its side.
"Uh… uh… uh…"
The woman tried to crawl away, but without her working legs or hands, she only squirmed helplessly—like a worm.
"Oi. I said, don't move."
Xue Shen grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto her husband's body, then placed the brother atop them both.
He picked up a sword from the ground, walked back, and muttered,
"With this, you three won't be going anywhere."
He raised the blade and drove it through all three of them—pinning their bodies to the earth.
The man and lady groaned upon getting pierced.
Then, he pressed the torch onto the brother's robes.
"STOP NO! PLEASE NO!" She screamed, pleading for Xue Shen to not.
FWOOOOSH.
The flames spread, consuming the brother, and it began going lower.
FWOOSH.
The flames started burning up the woman's clothes.
"AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHH!" she screamed as the fire consumed her.
"MMMGHHHHH!" the husband groaned, burning alive below her.
Their screams echoed through the forest. This beautiful night air carried the stench of charred flesh.
Xue Shen stared blankly at the fire, expressionless.
"Do you see it? Do you feel the futility of your struggle! Fight all you want—you'll never live. You're chained… So savor this despair! Because in the end of it you will finally be freed… And find the peace that Existence denies!"
He kept his gaze on the three, smiling, feeling content that he had liberated three lives chained by existence.
[Ding! 10 EXP!]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
[Ding! 10 EXP!]
[Ding! Level Up]
[Ding! 1 EXP to Blade Mastery]
"I wonder…" he murmured. "Does human meat taste good?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"No… Not these. They'll be too burnt. I'll need one that's fresh—and a fire I can control, so I can regulate the heat perfectly..."