[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-122":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283600,4467,"Chapter 122","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-122",122,"\u003Cp>William followed step by step behind the leading figure to the cave entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fresh soil and rock spread from beneath their feet in a fan-like scatter, stretching to the mountain’s base. The piled stones and path at the cave mouth vanished, replaced by a shattered slope: the soil first compacted into a density tighter than any road, then collapsed under immense weight, cascading down the mountainside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth and stone poured down; small streams of sand still trickled between the rubble, forming amber-colored waterfalls where mineral grains refracted the frost-white light of the daytime celestial body, glittering with a hard, crystalline beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft stepped into the moonlight, bathed in pure white, dust settling around him like mist lifting him onto a staircase of crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His golden hair gleamed like liquid silver, the blade still bearing traces of battle with the evil entity—suddenly he seemed less a man than a being from another realm, sent to guide the faithful of a god along a path from hell to earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it was psychological, but in his dizziness, William sensed an unfamiliar aura flicker across the figure before him. In that instant, the familiar Kraft became someone else, radiating an indescribable strangeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had no wings, to any unaware observer imagining at random, he might easily be mistaken for an angel—or something higher—contained within a human shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strange, unsettling sensation passed in an instant, yet he did not float or grow a halo; with a groan, he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, all motion drained, falling straight to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain caught his shoulder in time, slinging an arm across it to support half of Kraft’s body. “Hey, last stretch—don’t break your nose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike many who collapse from exhaustion, Kraft strained to keep his eyes wide open, as if trying to swallow every scrap of sight, breathing fiercely despite the swirling dust, sniffing the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a state of extreme fatigue, he displayed a pathological hunger to understand his surroundings—like a man strangled, instinctively expanding his chest to draw breath, yet never enough air ever satisfied him. William guessed this was a severe aftereffect of “sorcery,” reaching its limit after repeated use and a single explosive burst, just as physical exhaustion does.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s it going? Can you take two more steps? Five years ago I could’ve carried you down. Now, I’m not so sure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Terrible.” Kraft swayed like a drunk, finding balance between dizziness and the feedback from his feet, stepping firmly onto solid ground and easing William’s burden. “Let’s go. I’m not sure if those faces can follow us here—if you can’t hold me up and fight them, we’d better move faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they no longer found the original path, the collapsed earth had softened the slope of the first half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a grueling descent of about half an hour, Kraft finally regained his ability to move independently. For him, the greater toll was mental exhaustion; his physical strength remained intact, and on the latter half of the journey, he ended up supporting William, who shivered as he descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing through the noisy villagers, they arrived before the only house with light. The corpse sprawled across the threshold darkened their expressions instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kup? Yin Feng!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft drew his sword and charged into the house, bracing himself for the possibility of heretics holding hostages—or worse, the garrison personnel missing, dead, or worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave little thought to potential conflict. The man who had never killed a soul yet possessed vast experience in deadly combat was confident—even without spiritual senses—that a few villagers without crossbows couldn’t take him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone dared judge a professional by the standards of Kup or William’s sailors, he had no objection to giving them a costly, hands-on lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【A ten-year book friend recommended this reading app, Yeguo Reading! It’s damn good—I use it to listen to audiobooks while driving or before bed. Download here: yeguoyuedu】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… Peter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene inside was as expected: chaos. Overturned tables, charred oil stains on the floor, bloodstains near the door. Packages had been ransacked, their contents hastily piled together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, only the local guide lay on the ground, his waist wrapped in bandages of cotton cloth with a level of skill far below passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kup hid behind the door; once he saw who held the sword to him, he sheepishly lowered his hammer. “Mr. Kraft, you’re back—thank goodness you’re back…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time you hide, remember not to stand with your back to the light.” Kraft commented on the failed ambush, sheathed his sword, and turned to the other side of the door, where a small figure was slipping something behind her back. “And you? What are you holding now? I don’t recall teaching Kup to involve little girls in combat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended his hand. Though reluctant, Yin Feng surrendered the object she had tried to conceal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rusted dagger—not the crude, shapeless knife of an amateur blacksmith, but one forged from its inception to differ from tools meant for cutting clutter: double-edged, pointed, clearly designed for stabbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its presence here was rare, even valuable, yet it had received poor care. Unless its former owner was mentally ill, it should never have been left this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your spoils? I must say, Kup, your first real combat performance was excellent. I’m certain your grandfather would approve.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Wood never supported Kraft’s own participation in any combat outside training, but he adored young men bold enough to spar with him in the castle yard using real swords—even if they lost, often with one leg tied behind their backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, fewer dared to do so. Perhaps someday bringing Kup back could fill that gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My spoils,” Yin Feng corrected, watching him eagerly, waiting for him to return the dagger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?” Kraft pinched the blade, offering the wooden hilt—and noticed his fingers were sticky with half-dried blood caked onto the rust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, without Yin Feng’s help, I couldn’t have done this alone.” Kup felt deep regret—he wasn’t sure what standard he should meet, or whether this would lower Kraft’s opinion of him. But there was still room to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I swear, there’s a reason. The man who held this dagger was… strange. His smell reminded me of… when you treated me.” He recalled the scent but could not find the right word, only referring to the experience only the two of them understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kup saw William behind him, unsure whether to mention the ghostly movements that vanished and reappeared, and decided to speak privately with Kraft. “I think you’d want to see that man. Also, we used some of the captain’s strong liquor to clean the wounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft nodded, upgrading his assessment of Kup by one tier. “I understand. You did well. This can wait—first, let’s see your and Peter’s wounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their wounds clearly came from Yin Feng’s “spoils”—the thick rust was a perfect breeding ground for deadly bacteria. An open wound should be cleaned and redressed early rather than waiting days for a case study on tetanus infection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we…?” Kup instinctively covered his wound, remembering the pain like salt poured into a cut—he didn’t want to endure it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Clean it now, and I’ll handle your survival. Wait a few days, and God will handle it.” Wound cleaning and dressing were technical tasks; never trust a novice to do it properly, especially when the wound is on his own body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Curiosity drove Kraft to investigate why the deep-layer scent appeared on the heretic—but only after he finished examining the wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He summoned William to help pin down Kup, carefully using tweezers from the kit to pluck out rust flakes, dirt, and clotted blood, using up nearly half a bottle of liquor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Peter, still unconscious, the stab wound to his lower back was too deep. With current resources, cleaning the surface wound was all they could do. Since he showed no signs of shock or swelling, the renal arteries were likely untouched; the position also ruled out the abdominal aorta or other major vessels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damage to the kidneys or ureters was beyond his capacity to assess. His evaluation matched Kup’s exactly: if he didn’t die now, he might live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing all this, Kraft washed his hands and approached the hunched, dragged figure outside, lifting the hood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sunken face made unwinding the bandages difficult; he had to slowly, carefully peel each layer. What puzzled him was the number and volume of hard objects beneath the cloth—far more than the bones of a human face should contain.\u003C\u002Fp>",1422,"2026-06-20T02:15:55.761Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ed70a535326d292e45247075582e3e075bb2e0f5ed7014ed1600aa29717ebe33","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-123","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-121",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]