[{"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-212":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},2283690,4467,"Chapter 212: Blind Combat","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-212",212,"\u003Cp>Without verbal exchange, information passed perfectly through a simple gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[We’re being followed]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not those mourners—they’d have left after laying the remains; no reason to linger here. Even newcomers have no cause to venture deep into a passage choked with bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless they’re other bored tourists—but for two to appear on the same day? Too much of a coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The follower seemed never to have considered being discovered, maintaining a deliberately light step, trailing at a distance. The winding passage and surrounding chambers obscured the light, and sound was swallowed by the bony walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone experienced in moving through darkness, hearing often matters more than sight; this inconsistent pacing was as obvious as a torch on a midnight street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t bad. Kraft took the lantern from Kup, feigned complete ignorance of the tail, walked normally for a stretch, then stopped in a relatively spacious chamber, hanging the lantern on a protruding fibula.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The misleading light suggested someone had paused here. Kraft drew his sword, pressed himself against the wall beside Kup, and waited in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The follower reacted quickly—and eagerly. Upon sensing the target’s footsteps vanish, he immediately slowed his pace, yet increased his step frequency, closing the distance swiftly to avoid losing track.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft guessed his mental shift: suspicion that the target had noticed the tail, or had slipped into some narrow side passage like an insect vanishing into an unreachable crevice, becoming a persistent mental stain. He had no choice but to move toward the last known location of the sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Muffled, hurried footsteps avoided shattered bone fragments. As they passed the nearest corner, they abruptly slowed, growing even lighter; the follower, delighted, realized his fears were unfounded—the artificial light now glowed from within a chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an almost inaudible click of metal blades closing, the faint light from the other lantern vanished from the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft rotated his wrist, adjusting the blade’s angle, ready to strike calmly the moment the opponent stepped into view, drawn by the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Professor Kalman hinted at this place or not, at least this time he wouldn’t leave empty-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the distance narrowed, footsteps became unmistakably clear—at least two, one light, one heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Complicated. Hard to decide whether to strike the first one the moment he entered, or let both in—this would introduce serious instability into what should have been a sure ambush, giving them time to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was a way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft hunched his body, pressing closer to the wall. Dozens of elbow and wrist bones pressed against his back, creating the illusion that the entire wall of the dead might tilt and collapse in shattered fragments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The follower paused at the doorway for a moment, but confidence kept him from hesitating. A figure leapt in with sword drawn, adjusting his stance mid-motion, aiming straight for the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second followed close behind, his robe concealing a streamlined armor curve, stepping in steadily to occupy the doorway, watching the first’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These weren’t amateurs. Far more dangerous than those who’d gained minor abilities and thought themselves invincible to blades. Kraft muttered a curse, abandoned any notion of holding back, and thrust his sword straight at the armored man’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, upon seeing the old, swaying oil lamp hanging from bone, the intruder instantly realized he’d fallen for a crude but effective trick. Furious, he whirled away—but instead of parrying, he swung down decisively in a desperate, life-or-death slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The window of opportunity was far shorter than expected, but Kraft needed even less time. The armored man, caught off-guard, barely twisted his neck—the blade pierced the fabric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No expected breakthrough, no bone-blocking, no insertion into bone seams. The blade scraped against a flexible chainmail link, its force shattering several rings and glancing shallowly across the skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chainmail. Labor-intensive, expensive armor, notoriously difficult to repair, often layered over vulnerable neck gaps—confirming his professional status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Kup, hampered by his weapon’s shorter reach, was driven back by a sweeping slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slight time advantage gained by the trick failed to translate into tactical superiority. Exploiting the opponent’s momentary lag, Kraft retracted his blade and delivered a vicious kick to the knee, leaving the stumbling armored foe to Kup, while he turned to face the other, who had just missed his slash and was readjusting his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one’s sword skill matched his battlefield adaptability. Gaining space, he reversed his earlier posture, immediately retreating to create distance, parrying the low, treacherous thrust, then meeting Kraft’s strike head-on—slightly weaker in force, he stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In mere seconds, without even seeing each other’s faces, they’d learned much: neither was an easy target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent sensed the physical disparity; Kraft worried Kup couldn’t hold out long against such well-equipped foes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Need a surprise tactic]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pretending to launch another assault, Kraft stepped closer to the wall. Their blades briefly clashed—he sensed the opponent hadn’t used his full strength; he too was holding back, preparing some small maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect. Kraft withdrew his blade instantly, sweeping it toward the hanging lantern. Whatever trick he planned, losing sight would cripple it—but some people were exceptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent likewise drew his blade, thrusting toward a direction Kraft hadn’t anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lantern]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lantern, struck from both sides, shattered along with the bone it hung from. Its aged, overused structure couldn’t bear the sudden load—it broke apart and tumbled, the flame crushed under a footstep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The environment plunged into total darkness. The swordsman stepped forward, thrusting based on the final afterimage of light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skill and wit—the only things surpassing brute strength—were the pride of those who trained diligently and were gifted, the key to turning the tide. Clearly, he believed darkness amplified his technical edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft shifted position to evade—but was stunned to find the opponent, amid chaos, had identified his movement by sound alone, switching thrust to slash in pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exceptional sensory-motor coordination, coupled with the courage to fight without sight—truly extraordinary combat skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being parried, the blade, like a venomous snake, reoriented along the clash’s direction, then reversed in a lateral slash aimed at Kraft’s side. Who in their right mind would train such a blind-fighting technique?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without specialized training, even the most experienced fighter, relying only on imagination, would struggle to survive the unceasing assault of darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad Kraft extinguished the lantern for a reason entirely different from his. Some are as good blind as they are sighted. Others see clearer when blind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a flurry of attacks, the swordsman’s mental map of position dissolved completely. He stood still in darkness, bracing for an attack from any direction. His companion, like Kup, lacked the sensory precision to locate targets without sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft finally had time to examine his first normal opponent. What his spiritual senses perceived far exceeded the fleeting glimpse under poor lighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the sword’s ornamentation was distinctive—the guard was circular, with wing-like extensions forming the handguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when he saw the man’s face, it struck him as vaguely familiar. After rummaging through memory, he recalled their brief encounter on the day he first arrived in Dunling—in the medical academy courtyard. They hadn’t even exchanged names. He never imagined they’d meet again here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Inquisition? Why are you following me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1199,"2026-06-20T02:15:56.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","dc668c1457bc86bdfb106d8bd882c53d132619a08308f8b81c43686bfa3e4aee","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-213","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-211",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]