After completing his first kill, Feng Yin sheathed the sword on his back. Following that initial battle, he gained a certain degree of confidence in his current Martial prowess. As long as he encountered another monster similar to that nameless Filthy Corpse, he was confident he could slay it easily. In fact, even if it wasn't a nameless Filthy Corpse, he could handle any similar "walking corpse" humanoid—unarmed, devoid of combat intelligence, and with comparable physical capabilities.
As for the "Spirituality" he obtained from killing the Filthy Corpse, he was no stranger to it. To put it bluntly, it was similar to currency, which could be used back at that wooden house during the intervals between clearing stages.
The White Crow did not wait for him; it had already flown ahead. Feng Yin quickened his pace to catch up. One man and one bird pressed forward through the fog in the passageway.
A few minutes later, after passing several empty cells, Feng Yin once again spotted a gaunt figure with its back to him. This time, the figure was not inside a cell but wandering in the passageway. He swiftly drew the sword from his back and switched to a two-handed grip—mimicking a stance he had seen in movies and video games back on Earth. Whether this posture was correct was unknown, and there was no need to dwell on it. Anyway, the enemies in this beginner stage were basically weaklings. Relying on the sheer weight of the Canfeng Sword, even if the blade didn't strike true, a single swing could bludgeon them to death.
Feng Yin advanced rapidly, closing the distance to the Filthy Corpse in just a few seconds. As his Speed increased, the distinct footsteps of his Metal Boots Armor striking the ground immediately attracted the Filthy Corpse's attention. It turned around at the sound, only to see a massive sword slashing down toward its face.
SLASH!
Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the Filthy Corpse was cleaved in two, spewing black blood all over the ground. A wisp of black mist dissipated from the remains on the floor.
[Banished Prisoner's Filthy Corpse, obtained Spirituality "2" units]
Another instant kill!
Feng Yin pulled his sword back and turned around, feeling quite satisfied. He wasn't satisfied with simply slaying the enemy, but rather with his combat strength in this Armor incarnation. He had already discovered a particular quirk—perhaps because his "soul" was merely attached to this Armor, he no longer experienced the various inconveniences of being "human." Upon seeing the hideous Filthy Corpse and the gory scene after slaying it, his mind clearly registered emotions like "fear," "disgust," and "shock." However, these emotions completely failed to affect the Armor's movements. His attacking power was not hindered in the slightest, and his strikes were terrifyingly steady. He felt very much like a ruthless killing machine.
After taking care of this second Filthy Corpse, Feng Yin encountered no further enemies along the rest of the way. Under the White Crow's guidance, he arrived at the end of the long, narrow passageway.
The end of the passageway opened up into a spacious area. It appeared to be a circular zone enclosed by stone walls. Directly opposite the passageway was an iron grate that had been violently forced open. At this moment, in the exact center of this circular area lay a long-extinguished campfire, into which a Spiral Long Blade was thrust. Several figures sat on the ground with their heads bowed around the campfire.
He thought, "Three Filthy Corpses..."
Feng Yin observed silently. It was no different from the end of the "Nameless Prison" level he had encountered in the game; the final challenge always involved fighting one against three. Moreover, if he remembered correctly, these final three enemies would be somewhat more formidable than the two Prisoner's Filthy Corpses he had used for practice earlier.
Out of caution, Feng Yin carefully peered through the thick fog and indeed spotted obvious differences. These three Filthy Corpses were all clad in Metal Armor and each wielded a weapon. Clearly, these were three "Prison Wardens."
As a veteran of the game, Feng Yin knew full well that these three Prison Wardens were specifically placed in the tutorial stage to drain a reckless player's Blood Volume. In the game, the Armor's Durability could not automatically trigger Recovery in the early stages; it could only be restored back at the "base" by consuming Spirituality. Since he still wasn't sure what would happen if he "died" here, Feng Yin naturally wouldn't waste his Durability as carelessly as he would when playing a video game. Dying in a game meant you could restart, but that didn't guarantee he could restart if he died now. He had to strive for a flawless, no-damage victory.
However, achieving a flawless victory wouldn't be quite so simple. Back on Earth, there was a classic saying:
"There is an insurmountable wall between the unarmed and the armed."
Armored and armed Prison Wardens posed a far greater threat than the barehanded Prisoner's Filthy Corpses from before, not to mention he had to deal with three of them at once. As Feng Yin observed and pondered, an idea quickly formed in his mind. These three Prison Warden Filthy Corpses were seated on the ground in a triangular formation. This meant there were certain angles from which he could launch a surprise attack and only be spotted by one enemy in the very first instant. Then, he only needed to seize the window of time it took for them to rise from their sitting positions to swiftly slay two targets. The remaining one would naturally pose no threat...
He put his thoughts into action immediately. Aided by the thick fog, Feng Yin slowed his pace and crept out of the passageway. Hugging the wall, he circled around until he reached an optimal angle. Two of the armed Filthy Corpses had their backs to him, while the third faced him directly. But right now, all three Prison Warden Filthy Corpses kept their heads bowed, like lifeless, silent objects.
Feng Yin silently unslung the Canfeng Sword from his back, and then—he explosively broke into a sprint!
CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK...
At the rapid flurry of footsteps, the silent, head-bowed Filthy Corpses detected the commotion and immediately raised their heads. The Filthy Corpse facing Feng Yin had already spotted him charging out from the fog, and it instantly attempted to stand up. Opposite it, the two armed Filthy Corpses with their backs to Feng Yin were much slower to react, as they couldn't see the target.
In the very next second, Feng Yin was already behind the two Filthy Corpses. First strike, Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain!
Although this first Prison Warden that Feng Yin targeted was clad in Armor, fortunately, it wasn't wearing a Helmet. Its skull, even more brittle than an ordinary human's, could not withstand the heavy edge of the blade.
SQUELCH!
The Canfeng Sword cleaved fiercely downward, burying itself deep into the Filthy Corpse's skull in the blink of an eye. First kill!
The commotion at such close quarters caused the neighboring Filthy Corpse to sharply turn its head. It was greeted by Feng Yin's outstretched left arm.
THWANG!
With a loud, forceful snap of the mechanism, the loaded Arm Crossbow fired a deadly Crossbow Arrow, plunging straight into the Filthy Corpse's forehead! Double kill!
After securing the double kill, Feng Yin didn't slow down in the slightest, fluidly yanking the Canfeng Sword out of the first Filthy Corpse's head. Meanwhile, the third Filthy Corpse opposite him was already charging madly at him, its right hand raising a Rusted Sword high.
A fleeting sense of panic did not hinder the actions of his ruthless metal shell. Instead of retreating, Feng Yin lunged forward. He gripped the sword with both hands and raised it above him in a guard. Right at that moment, the Filthy Corpse brought its Rusted Sword chopping down heavily, simultaneously reaching out with its left hand in an attempt to grab Feng Yin. Feng Yin pushed his blade upward to parry.
CLANG!
A few sparks flew. The Armor's strength was visibly superior to that of the Filthy Corpse, deflecting the opponent's One-Handed Sword straight up into the air. The Filthy Corpse stumbled backward. Seizing the opening, Feng Yin swung his sword in a vicious slash without hesitation.
SMASH!
The Canfeng Sword slammed heavily against the Filthy Corpse's Helmet-clad head, producing a deafening crash. However, although this panicked strike was heavy, the edge of the blade failed to hit the enemy squarely. Feng Yin was, after all, not a specialized Warrior. His grip on the sword wasn't exactly orthodox, and he hadn't properly adjusted the blade's edge during the spur-of-the-moment attack.
Fortunately, the sword was incredibly heavy. Under this fierce bludgeoning, the Filthy Corpse still suffered a significant falter. Though Feng Yin's swing went askew, he kept moving without losing momentum, directly barreling forward like a wild boar and knocking the Filthy Corpse off its feet. What followed was a barrage of Powerful Slashes of Hua Mountain. The fast and fierce Heavy Sword struck the Filthy Corpse violently, hacking at it until it couldn't get back up.
SMASH!
SMASH!
SMASH!
After an unknown number of blows, the Prison Warden Filthy Corpse was quickly battered into a bloody pulp by Feng Yin, despite the protection of its Armor. Finally, a wisp of black mist drifted from the corpse.
Triple kill!
[Banished Prison Warden Filthy Corpse, obtained Spirituality "2" units]
[Banished Prison Warden Filthy Corpse, obtained Spirituality "2" units]
[Banished Prison Warden Filthy Corpse, obtained Spirituality "2" units]
The same notification repeated three times. Feng Yin finally ceased his onslaught and slowly stood up. Lifting the Canfeng Sword, he let out a long breath, though he remained on high alert, cautiously scanning his surroundings. Thankfully, a fourth enemy did not appear.
Done!
Having killed a total of five Filthy Corpses, all he had to do next was pull out the Life Wedge, and he would have successfully cleared this starting level. He strode briskly over to the extinguished campfire, reached out to grip the Spiral Long Blade buried in the ashes, and forcefully yanked it out! As someone who had played the game, he knew this was the so-called Life Wedge—a focal node used to seal the power of his Armor.
CRACK!
An ethereal snapping sound echoed. The Life Wedge he had just removed transformed into golden light, which then dispersed into countless particles, all of them converging into his black Armor.
The White Crow swiftly flew out from the passageway behind him, landing on his shoulder and cawing noisily, "Not bad, not bad! A perfect performance!"
As it spoke, lines of information popped up before Feng Yin's eyes.
[Objective completed, Liberation Level increased by "1%"]
[Reward Skills — Stealing Step]
[Returning Shortly]
In the next second, endless gray fog blanketed his vision.