Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The most savage fight seemed to provide unbridled, raging power directly to this demon's chosen one.

The more one plunged into madness during combat, the more one could receive feedback from the strength.

Utilizing a burst of murderous intent to repel Bai E in that instant, taking advantage of the brief imbalance in Bai E's body, the Blood God suddenly initiated a sprint and with one punch... shattered the night vision goggle strap on Bai E's face.

The countless attacks earlier had informed him that Bai E's physical strength was even more formidable than his own; to completely defeat this once-despised ant in this battle, he first had to render him unable to see in the Dark Environment, to stand a chance of achieving final victory.

He had had numerous opportunities to destroy this device in the prior fight, but he did not make a move.

It was only after realizing that there was indeed a possibility of defeat that he made this ultimate choice to ensure victory.

Shattered...

The previously sickly green field of view disappeared, and the world became pitch black.

Bai E touched the remnants of the night vision goggles within reach of his fingers, finding that the lens area was already twisted and cracked, rendering the whole device incapable of fulfilling its intended function.

He simply yanked it off and threw it away.

The Dark Environment?

Not panicked.

This wasn't the first time he had found himself in such a predicament.

The self-training he had undergone deep in the forest, facing the wolf pack before setting out, was precisely for coping with the situation he faced now.

External objects after all are unreliable; it's the true strength that belongs to oneself that can stand unbeaten at any moment.

The Blind Fighting attribute he had trained was indeed important, but a calm and collected mindset when dealing with darkness was clearly more critical.

Bai E closed his eyes, completely shutting off the channel of observing the outside world through vision, and distributed all his attention more intently on his hearing and touch.

The level 2 Blind Fighting began to take effect...

Bai E cautiously took half a step back, crossing his hands in front of him, waiting for the opponent to make the first move.

"Whoo~"

The howling wind above his head was fierce, and the sound of wind being torn by fists was not so noticeable mixed within it.

Hesitating slightly in the distinction, the Blood God's fist was already close to his body, missing the optimal moment to block.

"Bang!"

The effect of Absolute Defense was still present, and Bai E merely took two steps back to deflect the force.

Tilting his head slightly, Bai E tried to filter the roaring of the wilderness wind, gradually getting accustomed to the "abnormal" sounds in this environment.

"Your progress is indeed significant..." the Blood God's voice sounded rather boastful.

With a twitch of his ear, Bai E seized the opportunity and burst forward instantly.

Passively waiting was never his style; he seized every possible chance to take the initiative!

He was no longer the weakling that had just arrived in this world; with the strength he possessed now, if he lacked the confidence and courage to subdue his enemies in battle, he would find it difficult to face the questioning of his own heart later.

In the interlacing of four hands, every bit of rubbing between palms and wrists was clearly transmitted to the brain through the ubiquitous tactile nerves on his skin.

Blind fight! Blind fight!

Confronted with the Blood God's hands blocking his attack, Bai E captured every thread of muscle resistance during the brief entanglement.

Even without the sight, his combat instincts still caught a sliver of chance with hearing and touch!

Parting the Wild Horse's Mane!

The midsection wide open!

Forcibly breaking through the Blood God's center, Bai E took advantage of the situation to move in, landing a fierce Iron Shoulder strike to the opponent's chest the next moment, and with his left hand, he immediately grabbed the opponent's right hand that attempted to pull away.

Thinking of fleeing?

Once you're in close, don't even think about getting away!

Even if the Blood God were to burst out with murderous intent again like he did just now, having experienced it once and with mental preparation, Bai E was confident that he would no longer be affected as much.

As joint techniques accompanied his footwork, Bai E's form shifted.

His familiarity with the opponent's body size allowed him to understand the opponent's position along the arm; his whole body, under the enhancement of "Whip Tail," was as flexible as a whip, engaging in close combat with the Blood God.

"You shouldn't have spoken," Bai E said with a cold tone.

Having completely given up on sight, Bai E's sense of touch became even more precise; but whether it was an illusion or not, the strength exerted by the Blood God seemed to have diminished from earlier?

Bai E did not understand the mechanism of the demon-bolstered strength, but the tangible change was evident before his eyes, and he had to seize the opportunity.

The prolonged battle reduced the Blood God's defensive ability to a nadir, and the tangible feedback from flesh-on-flesh contact let Bai E know that his attacks had breached the Blood God's defenses.

[Use close-quarter attacks to breach the target's defenses, Combat Specialization experience +22.](Stacked)

[Deal 18 points of strike damage to the target!](Stacked)

The battle information from the panel popped up belatedly.

Expending the last remnants of his action power reserve, Bai E stopped saving for Absolute Defense.

Instant Kill Hundred Heads!

Heavenly Twin Palms!

"Crack!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A crisp sound of breaking bones.

The twin palms that struck the Blood God's jaw nearly snapped the spine, and the jawbone dislocated and fractured under the blow.

Quadruple!

"To count as one hit" means... kinetic energy stacking!

Ten strikes with a power level of 10 might not break defense, but a single attack with a power level of 100 is enough to make any opponent crumble.

Turning palm into fist, he brought his bent elbow thundering down!

Apex Elbow Strike!

Once he grasped the opportunity, Bai E would never give his opponent a chance to turn the tables!

"Bang!"

[Deal 62 points of strike damage to the target! The target has entered "Critical Injury Status"](Stacked)

"Drip~ Drip~"

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and Bai E, expressionless, gripped the Blood God's neck, which was already limp, and pressed him against the wall.

Slowly opening his eyes... they shone like the morning star.

In the darkness, Bai E couldn't see the other's expression, but he didn't care.

Just as he had promised before, Bai E asked softly,

"Why?"

Why embrace the demon? Why harm teammates? Why... become what you are now?

"Why..."

Bloody God's voice was fragmented. Bai E's assault had nearly shattered many of his vital organs. Even if he were brought to the military's medical room now, it would probably be a troublesome issue, let alone being hundreds of kilometers away from the base, in the midst of the Dark Cave.

The red light had long since faded from Bloody God's eyes. Only after Bai E thoroughly defeated him did he seem to wake from some delirious dream, with everything he had done vividly returning to his mind.

'What have I done...'

The artificial human's original loyalty resurfaced, once again taking control of his body.

"Be careful..."

He struggled to speak, offering up all his experience to those who came after.

"Be wary of your desire to fight... it will lead you to the abyss."

"Beware of your fear... you can confide in your comrades."

"Be careful of your discontent..."

Beneath his usually expressionless face was a heart scarred in ways no one knew.

He was afraid, so he never dared to break the rules, failing to achieve any truly outstanding combat feats to this day.

He numbed himself with combat, drawing sole meaning for his life from the cheers following victory.

The rumors and gossip of others gradually made him feel entitled to the legendary Gene Optimization Solution, and the persisting sense of loss slowly grew into discontent.

He was afraid of failure.

He chased victory.

Thus, he disappointed both his comrades and that great will watching over him.

The automatic response was him masking his fear in the face of danger to the extreme, and ultimately, his fear of Bai E led him to sabotage the night vision goggles as a tactical strategy.

The betrayal of combat incited disapproval from their "Master", and the power that supported his own fighting began to recede like the tide.

From the moment he sabotaged Bai E's night vision goggles, he had already betrayed the concept of "combat" itself.

If everything could be done over...

Would he suppress his combat desires, overcome his fear, or suppress his discontent... becoming a super soldier his comrades could rely on?

Or would he remain loyal to combat itself and completely burn himself out in the pinnacle battle against Bai E, potentially even returning his soul to the "True God"?

He didn't know the answer.

But now, it was all too late.

Everything had abandoned him.

"It wasn't me..." Bloody God struggled to extend his powerless right arm, pointing to the depths of the cave, "It's there... the source of it all."

"I never embraced the demon voluntarily..."

A dying man's words are good.

Opening his eyes to confirm Bloody God's location, that explosive caption once again floated above his head—

[95A09/Bloody God (Human) (Chaotic) (Elite)—Using "Lucky Strike" to kill drops: Guaranteed (Fresh Meat*2400, Combat Experience 2500 points); Probability (Trait: Blood of Regeneration, Mastery: Combat Specialization Layer +1, up to level 6, Mastery: Nimble Weapon Specialization Layer +1, up to level 6); Possible (Skill: Extreme Pain Relief, Specialty: Rage Torrent).]

Back to the way he looked when they first met...

Demons are born from all creatures' myriad emotions, and any poor emotion could become a channel through which demons erode humanity.

Combat, fear...

As Bai E's contact with this world deepened, his strong link led to his own emotions becoming more and more intense.

It's fine to fight, but not to be overly zealous.

It's fine to be afraid, but one must brave it.

Any poor emotions must be addressed head-on positively.

So... what about discontent?

Facing unjust treatment, what should Bloody God do?

What should I do?

Conform? Or change?

His mind momentarily drifted to the distant future, and Bai E narrowed his eyes, pulling his wayward thoughts back.

[Activate "Lucky Strike".]

The path you have not walked, I shall continue for you.

[Struck the target's vital point, inflicting 12 points of fatal damage!]

[Target's breathing has ceased, and vital signs are lost.]

[Obtained loot: Fresh Meat*2400, Combat Experience 2500 points, Trait: Blood of Regeneration, Mastery: Combat Specialization Layer +1, up to level 6, Mastery: Nimble Weapon Specialization Layer +1, up to level 6, Skill: Extreme Pain Relief, Specialty: Rage Torrent.]

[Trait—Blood of Regeneration, the body's physical condition is being transformed, countdown: 9 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds until effect...]

Completely plundered!

But that wasn't all.

There was an unexpected gain—

[...Progress 2542/500, you have successfully increased the Specialty—Blind Fighting to level 3.]

[...Progress 2042/1000, you have successfully increased the Specialty—Blind Fighting to level 4.]

[Blind Fighting (Level 4): "Dark Environment" Insight (Hearing) performance +4, Insight (Touch) performance +3, Insight (Smell) performance +2.]

The experience burst from the Lucky Strike unexpectedly was also applied to the level increase for the Blind Fighting specialty.

After using the last opportunity, the charge returned to a non-usable stage at 70/100.

But regardless, compared to that one explosive opportunity, Bai E trusted his basic abilities that were always available to use.

He looked up slightly, gazing in the direction pointed by Bloody God.

The lair of the demon was calling out to him...