The moon hung high over Big Wheat Village, casting a silver glow over the quiet courtyards.
Sipping hot herbal tea and enjoying the crisp night wind, Zani was reclining casually on the roof of the Iron Core Gym.
Ah, the bliss.
[Ding~] [New Quest: Hunt a Mud Boar] [Rewards: 30 EXP and Skin Tempering – Medicinal Cauldron Recipe] [Hidden condition: Capture and domesticate the Mud Boar] “A Mud Boar?” Zani muttered, gently lowering his teacup.
“I think I have heard someone mention it in passing.” Hmm.
I will ask around tomorrow.
For now, let me relax.
Time passed quietly, and before long, the Iron Core Gym fell completely silent, its inhabitants sinking into a deep slumber.
It was then that a dark shadow leaped silently over the high outer wall and stealthily creeping toward the main hall.
That was easy, Reo thought, a cruel smirk hidden beneath his black mask.
Now I just need to kill that Zani guy and I am done here.
But as he approached the main hall, he could not help but pause.
The heavy main doors were tightly shut, and there was no ground-level window in sight.
Having come directly without any investigation and asking around, he did not know that these training grounds, built during the Great Upheaval a century ago, were structurally designed to counter against sneaky people like him.
Now, Standing before the gates, Reo could faintly see ventilation openings near the high roof, but could he climb so far?
“Whatever.
They are just a bunch of mere mortals,” Reo scoffed, his killing intent flaring.
“I will storm right through the front doors!” Balancing his stance to maximize the power, Reo whipped a brutal kick directly into the iron doors.
BANG!
A clear dent was left in the metal.
and estimating the power two more such blows would completely undo the internal lock.
Meanwhile, inside the hall, the explosive noise jolted Zani violently awake.
BANG!
“Someone is trying to force his way in!” “Who could it be?!” Grabbing a solid iron dumbbell in passing to defend himself, Zani rushed out of his quarters.
By the time he reached the front, Bai and the five inner disciples were already gathered anxiously around the door.
“Who dares?!” Zani shouted.
BANG!
BOOM!
With a final, deafening kick, the iron gates on both sides flung open and A man clad entirely in black stood in the doorway.
“Who dares?
Of course it is I, your death!” Reo sneered.
Moving with swift, terrifying agility, and Before anyone could even react, he had crossed the distance, appearing directly in front of Zani.
But to the his absolute surprise, what greeted him was not a terrified mortal.
But, a heavy iron dumbbell weighting 200 kg swinging through the air.
BAM!
Possessing the raw, explosive strength of an average Skin Tempering expert, Zani slammed the iron dumbbell directly into the side of Reo’s head.
Skin Tempering experts possessed flesh tough enough to deflect ordinary mortal blades, but kinetic blunt force obeyed an entirely different physical law.
Bypassing the skin completely, the horrific impact violently rattled Reo’s skull, making him stop dead in his tracks.
As he Clutch his bleeding head, collapsing to his knees in pain.
It was only due to the profound resilience of his Skin Tempering foundation that he was even alive at all, but the agonizing pain tore through him.
“AAHHHH!” He screamed while writhing pitifully on the floor.
Meanwhile, Zani stood frozen after the attack, just Staring cautiously at the screaming man.
His mind a little blank from shock.
He does not know that his own wrists and shoulders were almost dislocated from all the power he used to swing the iron.
“What are you waiting for?!” Bai’s sharp, commanding voice snapped him out of his stupor.
“Kill him!” Driven by the guiding force of voice, pure adrenaline filled him and in blind panic, he raised the weight again.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Reaching out to stop the senseless battering, Bai firmly caught his wrist just as Zani raised his trembling, bloodied arms to swing a fourth time.
“I told you to kill him,” Bai said, his rugged face twitching slightly.
“Not to make him into minced meat.” Bleurgh!
Hunching over behind them, few disciples suddenly vomited violently onto the stone floor.
Hearing the sickening sound, Zani finally blinked and Looked down at his own handiwork, the overwhelming metallic smell of blood hitting his nose.
The gruesome, ruined sight of what he had just done to a human finally being fully registered in his mind.
BLAA!
Emptying everything he had eaten, Zani’s stomach violently rebelled.
“God damn it, not you too,” Bai muttered helplessly.
Spinning wildly, the world went dark as Zani collapsed, fainting dead away into the rugged instructor’s arms.
Morning.
Huff…
Huff…
Huff…
Jolting awake in his bed, Zani panted heavily, his robes completely drenched in a cold sweat.
The gory events of the night rushed back into his mind and He still couldn’t get over the stark, chilling reality: he had actually killed someone.
This world…
it is not peaceful at all.
He had known this intellectually since the day he transmigrated, but lately, his surging physical strength had made him a little arrogant.
Last night was the karmic payment for that arrogance.
He had come out unharmed this time, but what about the next?
What would have happened if he hadn’t decisively picked up that iron dumbbell when he did?
Would he be dead?
Looking down, both his arms were still hurt and faint pain ached in his body.
Although this much can be healed after a medicinal bath, it still freshen his memory from last night.
No.
I need to remain much more low-key from now on, Zani promised himself, letting out a heavy, trembling sigh to preserve his dog life.
Thinking about the sheer fragility of life brought forth the deeply buried, tragic movements of the body’s original host.
It was a very sad tale.
The boy named Zani had poisoned himself to death out of pure despair.
Last winter, a pack of wild wolves had slipped into Big Wheat Village undetected.
They had slaughtered at least thirty households before the Chief finally killed them all and Out of those thirty households, only Zani had survived unharmed, all because his desperate parents had locked him inside a secret cellar filled with beast-avoidance herbs.
He had lived.
But his parents, his relatives, his friends…
all of them were torn to pieces in that single, horrific night.
Left entirely alone in a cold, empty world, the original Zani couldn’t bear the overwhelming survivor’s guilt and grief.
So, he chose to follow his family to the yellow springs.
It was at that exact moment the transmigrator had taken over.
A heavy sorrow tightened Zani’s chest for the boy who had lost everything.
“Master Zani!” Breaking his melancholy, a crisp voice echoed from outside.
“Are you awake?” Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Zani struggled to opened the door, with his aching body, only to see Elisi standing outside, appearing as carefree and vibrant as always.
“Elisi.
What is it?” “Master, hurry up now!
Chief Sythe is waiting for you outside the main hall!” Skipping happily out of sight as if her duty was fulfilled, Elisi left.
Looking at her innocent, retreating back, Zani could only smile bitterly.
This girl…
she didn’t fully comprehend the bloody reality of what had happened last night.
Did She?
Outside the main hall.
Sitting at the wooden table, Bai and Chief Sythe were enjoying newly purchased tea leaves and chatting leisurely, as if they were old friends.
As Zani approached, he was instantly invited to sit and taste the tea too.
Thankfully, chief cannot see pass the cloths to see his swollen arms After some light conversation where Sythe praised and congratulated Zani for finding such a worthy instructor, the Chief finally asked for the real reason for his invite.
Hearing the sanitized version of the story, Sythe became furious, swearing to find the culprit and punish their faction.
The story that was being told to chief, was carefully crafted by Bai, and even he was unaware of it until he heard him narrate it.
Aa a mere mortal bludgeoning a martial artist to death was heaven-shaking news in a small place like Grains City; exposing the bloody details would only invite greedy wolves to investigate their secrets.
It was best to keep the matter hidden.
And so, Bai covered it all.
Even going as far to say the culprit fled in the end.
To which Zani, can only give thumbs up.
After a full sichen (hour), as the disciples started filtering into the gym to train, Sythe excused himself.
Now, only Zani and Bai remained seated at the table.
“Thank you, Brother Bai,” Zani said, his voice laced with genuine, lingering exhaustion.
“We just met yesterday, yet you did so much for me and this gym.
For that, I am truly grateful.” “There is no need to humble yourself over these small matters,” Bai replied smoothly, offering a warm, reassuring smile.
“We are in this together.” “Brother!” Clapping their hands together to signify their newfound camaraderie, the two men shared a hearty laugh.
However, deep inside the puppet’s hollow body, Little Leo was furiously gloating.
Humble?!
You mortal peasant, you should be kneeling and kowtowing to me!
For the first time in my noble life, I had to clean up a bloody murder scene and dispose of a corpse, and it was all because of your weak stomach!
Do you even know what would happen to you if my parents found out I was involved in something so gruesome?!