Klara Village—Church.
“Bang!”
【Successful Heavy Blow, killed ‘Shadow Imp’】
【Experience +22, Pleasure +16】
【Level Up!】
【Current Level Lv.1 (Awakened), Experience: 14%】
【Current Pleasure: 16, Draws: 0】
【Environment Detected: Sacred Place · Church Ruins.】
【Status Detected: In Combat】
【Environment Adaptation... Initial Skills Granted】
【Holy Light Catalyst Lv.0 (0%): Tap a wound to quickly stop bleeding and stimulate muscle healing through mana vibration.】
【Redemption Strike Lv.0 (0%): A heavy, enchanted blow with great power.】
Following the system prompts, the Shadow Imp’s small body went limp, revealing the person behind it.
Bai Xuan gripped the thick wooden stick with both hands, his body covered in blood.
Right now, he actually felt a hint of pleasure.
One moment he was working overtime at his company, debugging code for a gacha game, and the next, his vision blurred.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the dim ceiling of a church and a small, pitch-black humanoid creature covered in wounds, pouncing toward a girl cowering in a corner.
Without time to think, Bai Xuan stood up, crept behind it, and swung the thick wooden stick in his hands with all his might.
The endless overtime, the never-ending revisions, and the fear of just having transmigrated were all concentrated into that one swing, vented out with brutal force.
As information flooded his mind, a surge of power welled up within him, strengthening his limbs. His body felt slightly more robust.
With the immediate crisis averted, Bai Xuan finally had a moment to observe his surroundings.
This was the style of a church hall he had seen countless times online. If not for what had just happened, he might have thought it was some kind of prank.
Besides the Shadow Imp he had just killed, there was a corpse dressed as a guard on the ground.
It looked like the guard had fought to the death with the Shadow Imp, but unfortunately, he hadn't made it.
Just then, fragments of the original body's memories began to surface. Bai Xuan shook his head to suppress them; there was no time to sort through memories right now.
Bai Xuan looked up, his gaze passing over the Shadow Imp’s corpse to the blonde girl in ornate clothing huddled in the shadows.
“Can you move?”
Bai Xuan forced what he thought was a reassuring smile and reached out to her, his hand stained with red blood.
“We need to run now, before more monsters surround us.”
The girl stared at him in terror. She recognized this face.
Today was supposed to be Julia’s travel day, just a typical outing to a village in her father’s domain for some leisure.
While passing the backyard of the village church, she had seen a boy shaking out washed bedsheets. The white fabric fluttered in the wind like spreading wings, framing his striking face and figure.
Just one glance, and the image had been pinned firmly in her mind like a painting.
Then the monsters invaded. The guards went out to resist them, leaving only one guard to protect her.
However, a small black monster managed to bypass the front line and reach the church, its claws disemboweling the boy in front of her in a single strike.
The guard had fought back desperately, leaving the black monster heavily wounded.
Now, the boy who should have been dead had actually stood up, picked up a thick wooden stick, and ambushed the monster from behind.
And now, in the empty church hall...
In the reflection of Julia’s pupils, the person from that painting, who should have been dead, was now flashing a twisted smile smeared with filth and blood, reaching out to her with a hand equally stained with gore.
Her fear reached a breaking point!
“Don’t come over here!” her scream was filled with pure rejection.
Bai Xuan’s footsteps faltered. “Wait, I—”
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, seemingly drawn by her scream.
Bai Xuan immediately raised his stick in a defensive stance, while Julia shrank further into the corner, terrified.
As the footsteps drew closer, two guards in damaged armor came into view.
“My Lady! Are you alright?!”
The guards rushed in, initially startled by Bai Xuan’s blood-soaked appearance, but they quickly saw the corpses of the Shadow Imp and their comrade on the floor.
Their expressions shifted instantly. One of them demanded sharply, “Did you do this?!”
Bai Xuan raised his hand to explain, but the other guard, seeing that Julia was unharmed, hurriedly grabbed his companion. “There’s no time! The monster tide is acting strange, we have to take the Lady and leave immediately!”
The questioning guard glared at Bai Xuan one last time but didn't press further.
“Forgive us, My Lady.”
He and his companion hoisted the nearly limp Julia up between them.
The other guard decisively tore open a faintly glowing scroll.
A magic circle expanded beneath their feet.
The guard who tore the scroll glanced back at Bai Xuan with a complex expression, as if he wanted to say something.
With a low hum, the air distorted, and the three of them vanished instantly.
Bai Xuan’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. The only sound left in his ears was the distant howling of monsters, a sound that made his scalp tingle.
“Aren't you taking me with you?!” His heart sank as a chill spread through his veins.
Snapping back to reality, Bai Xuan turned and rushed toward the church doors.
His eyes scanned the area frantically before he finally picked a direction where the howling seemed relatively sparse. There were ruins of collapsed wooden houses there that could provide some cover.
Having found his path, he stayed close to the stone walls and moved quickly.
Just as he rounded the corner of the church, a pale skeleton suddenly crashed into his line of sight!
It turned stiffly, dragging a rusted cleaver across the stone pavement with an ear-piercing screech.
“...!!”
The sight of the skeleton soldier nearly made Bai Xuan’s heart stop.
His mind went blank. Instinctively, his arm muscles tightened, and he swung the thick wooden stick toward the skeleton’s head.
At the same time, he activated the skill that had appeared in his mind.
【Redemption Strike】!
The stick was enveloped in a faint golden-white light. With a whistling sound, it smashed heavily against the skeleton’s skull with a loud crack.
Shards of bone flew everywhere, and the entire skeleton collapsed into a pile on the ground. Even the rusted blade snapped into two pieces, clattering to the floor.
【Successful Heavy Blow, Pleasure +1】
“It... it works!”
Bai Xuan leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. The hand holding the stick was shaking uncontrollably, and his back was soaked with cold sweat.
He stared at the broken bones on the ground, his mind slowly processing the situation. “There are even skeletons here.”
After calming his nerves, Bai Xuan thought of his status panel, and his information appeared before his eyes:
【Bai Xuan】
【Level: Lv.1 (17%)】
【Class: None】
【HP: 37/40】
【Mana: 20/25】
【Potential: ￥%…*&】
【Trait: Digitalization (Consumes mental strength to present the target's current state as data)】
【Skills: Holy Light Catalyst, Redemption Strike】
【Current Pleasure: 17, Draws: 0】
Skipping over the skills and traits, he stared at the 20 points of mana on the panel.
That 【Redemption Strike】 just now consumed 5 points of mana. He couldn't keep using it; he had to rely on sneak attacks to reduce his mana expenditure.
He formed a plan in his mind. Using the firelight and smoke as cover, he moved toward the edge of the village where the monster howls were the thinnest.
Rounding a half-collapsed wall, he saw a small green-skinned creature hunched over, eating something.
Bai Xuan held his breath. He was familiar with this look—it was a goblin from the movies and novels of his previous life!
He quieted his footsteps and approached slowly, the thick wooden stick gripped tightly in his hand.
Suddenly, he dashed out from behind it and smashed the stick against the back of its head! With a muffled thud, the goblin collapsed silently to the ground.
Before he could catch his breath, another skeleton wobbled out from the shadows on his right.
He repeated his previous tactic, circling behind it and striking the connection at the neck. An invisible white light surged into the bones, and the skeleton clattered into a pile of debris.
【Pleasure +2】
Hiding and dodging along the way, he finally reached the edge of the village, where a burly green figure appeared before him.
It was an elite goblin, half a head taller than the ordinary ones. It wore a piece of tattered leather armor, its tusks were exposed, and it was scanning the surroundings.
Bai Xuan crept along the base of the wall until he was behind it. His arms tensed as he waited for an opening, then he swung the thick stick with all his might toward the back of its head!
Rate on N.U.
