Chapter 18

"Nima, night and day are no different; where are the monsters?"

Chen Shicheng groped his way into the forest, holding his sword under the dim moonlight, looking around bewildered, and saw no Frenzy monsters at all.

He, not believing in Evil, found a big tree and climbed it, trying to expand his field of vision from above.

The result was that he only startled an owl, provoking a filthy "gugu" hoot, and saw not a single trace.

Wait, there is some gain! Far to the southeast, Chen Shicheng suddenly noticed, in the Darkness, a faint flickering of firelight; though distant and unclear, it was far better than him and a headless fly bumping around blindly.

After briefly confirming the direction, he leapt from the canopy and set off toward the firelight.

At first, because he couldn't see the tangled branches and blocking shrubs in the forest, his pace was slow, but as time passed his speed increased.

Even without learning any displacement Skill, his extraordinary physique let him run at Bolt speed through the forest.

Moreover, the more he ran, the more exhilarated he became, gradually immersed in the Wind‑blazing thrill.

Suddenly, Chen Shicheng's view cleared, and before he knew it he had burst out of the forest.

Before him lay a vast clearing dotted with countless small mounds of earth; near the edge, several wild dogs with green‑glowing eyes were frantically tearing the exposed limbs and severed arms from the mounds.

If I'm not mistaken, this appears to be a mass grave.

On the opposite side of the mass grave, a one‑meter‑tall bonfire blazed, lighting the clearing and exposing a dozen wild monsters.

These monsters resembled humans, but with snarling faces, ragged clothes, pallid swollen flesh, emitting meaningless shrieks, and staggered toward a man by the bonfire wielding a sharp sword.

Blocked by the monsters, Chen Shicheng couldn't see the man's features, but unsurprisingly the man must be a player, likely of high level.

Otherwise no NPC would deliberately come to this creepy place at night to grind seemingly endless monsters.

【Lv. 7 Rotting Corpse (Frenzy)】

A level‑7 Rotting Corpse stretched its arms, slowly lunging at the surrounded man; the man remained unflustered, merely swinging his sword, and several corpses were cut down.

Even those corpses that didn't die instantly and tried to scramble up were incinerated by a fireball the man waved, after which he calmly readjusted his stance and kept slaying monsters that knew no Fear.

Chen Shicheng did not rashly intervene, standing aside to watch the man kill, and only after the last corpse fell did he enthusiastically wave a greeting.

"Buddy, do you know any other grinding spots?"

The man, back turned, said nothing; with a flick of his right hand a mask painted with a Peking opera face appeared, which he placed on his face before slowly turning.

"Player?"

The man's voice seemed deliberately disguised, hoarse and deep with a hint of surprise.

Chen Shicheng frowned, glanced at the theatrically expressive man, smirked, took a novice robe from his inventory, tore a piece to tie around his face, lowered his voice and said, "Hmm, I'm also a player; buddy, I'm not competing with you for grinding spots, do you know—"

"The third Closed Beta has started? You're a newcomer just entering the game?" before Chen Shicheng could finish, the man cut him off, "Hehe, just grinding monsters, didn't expect a pleasant surprise."

"What do you mean?"

The man said nothing, just lifted his sword and stepped toward Chen Shicheng; the first two steps were normal, but on the third his whole body surged forward dozens of meters, instantly arriving before Chen Shicheng, the sword thrusting straight at him.

"Damn, what are you doing!?"

Chen Shicheng drew his Tang Sword at top speed, narrowly deflecting the thrust toward his own tip, then hurried back a few steps to create distance.

"Hmm, a newcomer can block my sword; your Ancient Relic must be extraordinary," the man tilted his head, glanced at Chen Shicheng, and a light laugh came from beneath the mask.

"But it'll be mine soon!"

Saying that, the man pressed forward, his treasured sword dancing wildly, each slash faster and fiercer than the last.

Facing the storm‑like onslaught, even Chen Shicheng, whose Basic Sword Technique had already surpassed the max level, couldn't help but show a grim expression.

The man's level must be at least around nine; otherwise, with Attribute comparable to a level‑seven player, he couldn't resist so fiercely. The force from his sword gave Chen Shicheng a feeling of helplessness akin to a fresh player confronting a soulless bandit.

Moreover, the man hadn't yet used his full strength; the fireball he flung while killing monsters hadn't even been employed! "The Ancient Relic isn't a guaranteed‑drop gear; even if you kill me once, it won't help!" Chen Shicheng shouted amid his strenuous block.

"If one time fails, try twice; if twice fails, thrice. At worst I'll find you in reality, and then I can take the Ancient Relic from your corpse."

While Chen Shicheng had to search for pauses in his speech, the man spoke fluidly, and the information he revealed gave Chen Shicheng a chill.

"Do you have to be so ruthless! Killing in‑game isn't counted, but you won't spare me in reality?"

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck his mind, recalling the photo the officer Song had shown him earlier, "You're the one captured from behind!"

"Captured from behind?" the man stammered, and his sword involuntarily hesitated a fraction.

Chen Shicheng seized the moment, slipped out from behind his sword shield and stepped back, raising his sword cautiously, "The nation can't be unaware of this game, and with their mobility they may already have organized teams; you don't think you can stay untouchable forever, do you?"

As he spoke, Chen Shicheng's peripheral vision kept scanning the surroundings, seeking an escape, but recalling the man's speed when he approached, a wave of despair rose in his heart.

Having never learned any acceleration Skill, how could he outrun a man with displacement abilities on foot? Could today be his first death in the game? Fortunately, he had bound the Qinglou resurrection point before leaving; otherwise, if that nearby respawn were blocked by this man, it would be truly disastrous.

And logging out directly probably wouldn't help; the person may log out, but the character remains in the game, and later could die even faster.

"MD, had I known not to rashly come check the situation, why am I so lacking?"

(End of Chapter)