The King of Black Fog

Why did Yang Qinglan have to run so far away, didn't he see that I had already restrained the water buffalo?

Was that pygmy marmoset doing it on purpose to kill me?

It's only been a few days, how could this buffalo possibly be this strong?

Run, I can escape with my speed!

Rage, exhaustion, fear, timidity, all surged up at once.

And just at that moment, the water buffalo roared and activated its skill.

「Vent Anger」

[Vent Anger: Can be activated after experiencing a life-or-death crisis when at a disadvantage in combat]

[Effect: Strength＋5 (up to 10 max), Agility＋5 (up to 10 max), Intelligence−5]

The water buffalo's intelligence wasn't low, but after activating 「Vent Anger」, its intelligence dropped even below Li Changzhou's 3 points.

"Moo——"

The water buffalo's all-black eyes, like shattered glass, every crack red.

They looked like blood-red chains, locking up the clear black beads.

Its nostrils expanded, emitting a 'puff—' like a steamy jet.

Li Changzhou took a step back, unable to suppress his fear in front of the opponent's frenzied will and formidable strength.

"Moo!"

The water buffalo charged furiously, the mountains themselves shaking, its bellowing like thunder, Li Changzhou's ears filled with nothing but the thudding sounds of hooves trampling the earth.

The Bull Fist came with immeasurable great strength, as if it wanted to split the earth.

Li Changzhou tried to dodge with all his might, but without calmness, his agility couldn't be fully utilized, his head numb.

A punch landed squarely on his stomach.

In an instant, his breath was stolen, his eyes widened, the fist still seemed to be sinking into his stomach.

"Bang!" Li Changzhou was thrown into the sky like a cannonball.

"Cough!" Mid-air, he coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood, but this also allowed him to regain his breath.

"Thud!"

He crashed heavily onto the grass, blades of grass dancing wildly around him.

His entire body was in agonizing pain, his stomach felt like it was being ripped open, the powerful force piercing through his body, which felt as fragile as a flame in a windstorm.

If it weren't for 「Skin Enhancement」, that punch would have punctured Li Changzhou through and through.

But that punch also struck something else hard, even smashing it.

Li Changzhou struggled to stand, wiping the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes as if they were trying to break free from their sockets, filled with madness.

A person deprived of rationality either becomes a bullied fool or a fearless madman.

His blood boiling like hot water, streams of heat surged against his brain, which had gone numb with fear.

"You bastard, I will definitely butcher you today!"

"Moo!"

The alfalfa grass in the sky was blown by the wind into a textual shape between man and buffalo.

[Game Over]

[Current arena survival count: 20]

[Contestants, please proceed to the station for settlement]

"Boom!"

The fists of man and buffalo collided.

The system text was violently scattered, the grass beneath their feet like the surface of water, rippled by the pressure of the punches.

"Ah!"

"Moo!"

Man and buffalo forgot everything, each only wanting to kill the other.

Punch after punch collided.

The ripples in the alfalfa grew denser and denser, eventually even tearing.

The one-sided battle that was expected didn't happen.

「Control Dopamine」erased, adrenaline gushed out like water sprawling from beneath a lifted manhole cover.

The heart pounded, the body surrounded by heat, devoid of reason, Li Changzhou, who had fallen into madness, exhibited strength far beyond the 8 points shown on his identity card.

Even if it wasn't as much as the buffalo's 10 points, it was at least 9 points.

Suddenly, the water buffalo stumbled, as if slipping by the edge of a cliff, and fell out a distance.

Li Changzhou pounced like a wild dog, bellowing furiously, and kicked out desperately.

The water buffalo with a thud plunged into the stream, and Li Changzhou immediately rushed after it.

"What is my brother doing!" In the forest, Li Qianxia was anxious, doubtful, and worried.

Li Changzhou kicked the water buffalo away, just allowing it to break free from Yang Qinglan's line of sight, in an unruly battle.

Yang Qinglan, without a word, focused her gaze on chasing the water buffalo.

By the creek, Li Changzhou launched a flying pounce, suspended in mid-air, while the water buffalo lay in the stream, bellowing and kicking sideways.

A sense of suffocation once again choked Li Changzhou, with sharp pain piercing through his right side and spreading throughout his body.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

He bounced across the water's surface like a skimming stone, then slid over the water as if his fingertip plugged the spout of a water faucet before finally sinking into the water at an angle.

The water buffalo stood up to chase, but the force of gravity pulled it from behind, and it had to plant all four limbs on the ground to stabilize itself.

Li Changzhou suddenly stood up from the water, the icy stream drenching his hair, soaking his clothes, and whisking away his body heat.

But he felt as if his whole body was on fire.

He remembered the day his parents left.

They had a huge fight with the grandparents, his sister cried as she chased after them, intending to cling to their legs, begging them not to leave, but she was kicked away.

At that time, he too felt as if his whole body was on fire, countless times wanting to lift the stool he used for doing homework, and charge at them, ending their lives.

But he restrained himself, did not even break the tip of his pen, meticulously completed his homework stroke by stroke.

Li Changzhou suddenly looked up, his eyes fiercely ablaze.

The human-shaped shadow at the edge of the creek tilted its head as if puzzled, or perhaps warming up by twisting its neck.

"Today—I must—"

Injuries, exhaustion, fatigue, pain, they stacked up like mountains upon mountains, bearing down on Li Changzhou, pushing his body to the ground.

But he slowly straightened his back.

"—slaughter you!"

He took one step at a time, approaching the opponent.

The water buffalo, with limbs planted on the ground and eyes nearly completely red, also crawled forward.

Like two wild dogs locked onto the last piece of meat, both clung on to victory, neither willing to let go.

"Ah—"

"Moo—"

Angry roars and bellows collided, fists met with splashes of blood, the will to kill clashing through voice, strength, and blood.

Neither side would back down as they engaged in a fierce fight.

Both were extremely fast, their figures entangled, with Yang Qinglan attempting to use "Attract And Repel," but found that one moment she'd be seeing the water buffalo, and the next, it would be Li Changzhou in its place.

With punch after punch, Li Changzhou went completely mad, his handsome face filled with ferocity.

By the time he was too worn out to move, and his consciousness had somewhat returned, the water buffalo had turned into a pile of bloody muck.

He vaguely remembered that at some point, the water buffalo didn't seem right, its eyes returned to black, and after being beaten until it grew weaker, he passed out.

...

...

Li Changzhou woke up feeling not much discomfort in his body.

It was already dark, and they had returned to the stone cave where they'd been before, with the campfire crackling away.

"Brother!" Li Qianxia appeared in his vision, her expression one of excitement and worry.

Li Changzhou glanced at her and raised his hand, clenching it into a fist.

"Used the last bag of mosquitoes on you, Qing Lan came up with having you equip the Blood-sucking Gun and using blood from the two of us to help heal your injuries. Now there's just the two of us left in the instance, all the other contestants have left," Li Qianxia spoke of what happened after he fainted, speaking very quickly.

"How do you feel?" Yang Qinglan asked.

"Very good," Li Changzhou said, looking at the dark red, almost black, bloodstains under his fingernails.

The rest of him had been cleaned, except for here, where the traces of battle remained due to the difficulty of washing.

He sat up, pressed his thumb into the creases of his other fingertips, and flicked them.

"Hm?" His gaze drifted to the small radish squatting by the fire, "You didn't leave?"

"Mhm," the small radish nodded obediently, "If I had left, something very, very dangerous would have happened."

Li Changzhou pondered; he was suspicious of the goblin monkey and planned to kill it the next time he came across it, to seize "Avoid Death and Prolong Life" from it.

While he was pondering, Li Qianxia suddenly hugged his neck excitedly, exclaiming:

"Brother, you were indeed fierce, just like a wild beast!"

"Don't talk dirty."

"You fight like an idiot!"

"Hm?"