Li Mei, who had been covering her eyes and peeking through her fingers, watched as a clear bloodline suddenly erupted across the terrifying monster's face. Despite her aversion to gore, she found that the sight wasn't disgusting at all—on the contrary, it was… beautiful.
In the livestream, the chat exploded in excitement. The barrage of messages overlapped so densely that the screen was nearly obscured.
This prompted many users, desperate to express their exhilaration but drowned out by the crowd, to opt for paid comments instead.
[Tianri Zhaozhao sent a highlighted comment (CNY 100): "An attack swift as fire, a defense steady as a mountain—this swordsmanship is... incredible."]
[Yangguang Xiaoguo sent a highlighted comment (CNY 1000): "So this is the true power of an S-Rank Awakening Trial?"]
[Tongfen Xiaomei sent a highlighted comment (CNY 500): "Ah! I'm so happy, so thrilled!"]
Yang Yuanping frowned at the stream of paid comments flooding the screen. To him, these young people were simply throwing away money on meaningless words. Yet, on second thought, at least they were fully relaxed and immersed in this moment.
He turned off the chat, his gaze steady on the broadcast. The young man named Tong Gu, though only eighteen, exuded a rare sense of calm. Just watching his silhouette gave people an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Only people like him can bring hope to the world…
Tong Gu noticed a faint white glow above the fallen body of Momotaro, the yokai swordsman. A card emitting a soft light materialized out of thin air.
A drop?
In Game of Fate, everything in the mission world was tangible and usable. However, obtaining powerful items—such as bloodlines or skills—came with abysmal drop rates.
Only enemies rated White-Tier or above had a chance to drop loot cards, with the card's background color representing the enemy's tier.
Tong Gu had previously slain countless small fry without a single drop, yet now, this yokai swordsman had actually yielded a card. He reached out and picked it up, invisible to the NPCs in the scenario.
[Yokai Swordsman: Momotaro]
[Tier: White, Three Stars]
[Description: A yokai swordsman skilled in iaijutsu, emanating killing intent.]
[Effect 1: Crush this card to randomly extract one item, skill, or ability from Momotaro.]
[Effect 2: Place this card on yourself to temporarily transform into Momotaro, gaining his skills and abilities.]
In Game of Fate, all loot cards had these two effects. The temporary transformation ability was often a crucial countermeasure for players facing formidable enemies.
Tong Gu glanced at Yuan Zhe'nan, who was helping the blinded Ping Sanping to his feet. After a moment's thought, he crushed the card.
[You have used a loot card.]
[You have gained 500 Fate Points.]
[Extracting loot…]
Tong Gu silently prayed, Please don't give me that worn-out yukata Momotaro's been wearing forever.
[Extraction complete.]
[You have obtained: Sword Stance - Iaijutsu (D).]
The shattered card transformed into a stream of information that flowed into Tong Gu's body. With a mere thought, he suddenly gained a natural understanding of iaijutsu techniques, hand movements, and even muscle memory. If he wanted, he could perform them immediately.
Iaijutsu, huh?
Although it was only a D-Rank ability, iaijutsu had various styles across different worlds—be it the god-speed iaijutsu of the Flying Sword School in the Shogunate World or Zoro's One-Sword Style: Lion Song in the One Piece World. It had great potential for growth.
---
Elsewhere, Kato Masaru panted heavily, his entire body feeling cramped and unresponsive. Just a few meters in front of him lay the corpses of several black-clad individuals, some decapitated, others reduced to mush—gruesome and horrifying.
These were members of the Osaka Team.
"Run, Star of Hypocrisy! Escape now!"
A short-haired woman hiding in the stairwell anxiously whispered, her tone urgent. She, too, wore a black combat suit, her explosive figure revealed in full detail.
Yamasaki Anzu didn't understand why the Star of Hypocrisy wasn't running away. Surely he knew he couldn't possibly win against that monster?
Kato Masaru turned to look at the hulking beast devouring its prey—a towering figure over four meters tall, with a massive tail swaying menacingly even as it ate. It wore a giant hat resembling that of an ancient official.
"I'm scared, Grandma…"
Behind him, a trembling child clung tightly to his grandmother, who gently patted the boy's back to comfort him.
In front of them, the white-haired grandfather gripped a wooden stick, his expression tense as he stared at the monster.
Hearing the child's frightened voice, Kato Masaru thought of his younger brother.
I can't die. I have to go back and take care of him.
But this family didn't deserve to die, either.
Gritting his teeth, Kato Masaru suddenly regained control of his body. He stepped forward, standing between the family and the monster, and pointed to a narrow alleyway behind a building.
"Go! I'll hold it off!"
The grandfather hesitated, but the grandmother quickly thanked him and pulled her grandson to leave. Yet the terrified child refused to move, paralyzed by fear.
Yamasaki Anzu watched the handsome young man determined to save this family despite the danger. She felt an inexplicable emotion stir within her, but then noticed the monster's ears twitch slightly.
Something was wrong.
"It's noticed you! Run!" she shouted, raising her X-Gun.
The monster leaped high into the air, its massive claws gripping the building's walls before pouncing ferociously.
Seizing the moment, Kato rolled forward and picked up a fallen weapon. Spinning around, he fired at the monster.
A deep hum rang out as an invisible shockwave struck the creature. Its head swelled grotesquely before bursting with a sickening pop.
As Kato turned to check on Yamasaki Anzu, a shadow loomed. The creature's snake-like tail whipped up, ensnaring him.
Anzu tried to help, but the monster's hat split open, revealing a secondary maw bristling with teeth.
"Being a hero… isn't easy."
A calm voice interrupted Kato's despair. Looking up, he saw a tall man with a long sword, standing atop a distant rooftop.
Before Kato could process what was happening, white-hot sword slashes illuminated the air, cleaving through the monster in an instant.
Landing gracefully, the swordsman smiled warmly.
"But I admire every man who dares to try."
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