Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1661: Chapter 964: Setting the Rules (2)

Just as Chen Nang provocatively slashed his face with a sword, the Butcher seized the opportunity. In the instant when Chen Nang hadn’t had time to retreat, he raised his left foot and stomped heavily on the ground.

As his foot hit the ground, an invisible force exploded outwardly from the focal point he created, causing a ripple across the earth. Chen Nang’s smooth movements abruptly stuttered. Though it was only for a moment, it was enough for the Butcher, who had been waiting for just such an opportunity.

This move also surprised everyone present. Butterfly Lady and Sick Ghost had peculiar expressions; they hadn’t expected the Butcher to have been hiding such a trick up his sleeve.

They assumed the Butcher only had the Bone-cutting Saber and the Rubber Coat as Magic Artifacts. They didn’t expect that his dirty shoe was also a Magic Artifact.

"Interesting," Ku Daoist said, slipping his hands into his sleeves, and watched with narrowed eyes.

But the One-eyed Monk did not express any surprise; with his keen observation, he had long deduced that the Butcher was hiding a third Magic Artifact.

With his attack successful, the Butcher slashed horizontally with his blade, gripping the back of the blade with both hands, aiming to slice Chen Nang’s neck. This strike would be enough to slice off his head in a decisive finish.

Overcoming the strong with the weak, today the Butcher would certainly make a name for himself, catching the eye of the Ming Emperor Ye Xiao. The Butcher knew very well that if he wanted to have a good future, he must win over this young man.

Just as the Butcher’s blade was about to touch Chen Nang’s body, the next moment, a chill went through the Butcher’s heart. He noticed that Chen Nang seemed entirely unperturbed, with the same ambiguous smile as before, completely unaware of the impending threat of death.

This shook the Butcher’s confidence. He couldn’t tell if the opponent was genuinely in control or just bluffing.

If there was a trap, he could still retreat in time, but he hadn’t noticed anything. Once he missed this chance, it would be difficult to catch his opponent off guard again. After sparring with him, he knew all too well that he was not a match for this guy.

With a decision made in an instant, the Butcher resolved fiercely to gamble once and for all.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging forward, his movements growing more and more aggressive, determined to decapitate the man who had repeatedly provoked him.

"Thunk!"

The scene he anticipated, of a gruesome beheading with blood spurting everywhere, didn’t happen. On the contrary, the Butcher felt a pain in his chest. Immediately, the "immobilized" Chen Nang, as nimble as a bull, sidestepped perfectly, avoiding the Butcher’s reckless charge.

After all this, Chen Nang didn’t look back. He sheathed his sword gracefully, exuding the demeanor of a Western knight in every gesture, while the Butcher who rushed over staggered in his steps, with a bloom of blood blossoming on his chest. He took a few difficult steps forward before collapsing to his knees with a thud.

Others might not have seen it clearly, but the One-eyed Monk did. In that split second, the young man executed his Illusion Sword; the sword appeared at his side, yet he had already positioned himself for a thrust, and the mindless Butcher foolishly ran straight into it.

In a way, the Butcher committed suicide by charging onto his opponent’s sword edge.

"It’s a pity, that man’s Curse Technique never got a chance to be used," Ku Daoist shook his head slightly with a tinge of disappointment.

"What can you do, the Butcher was just too weak. Being weak wouldn’t have been a problem if he wasn’t always so self-satisfied, cluelessly foolish," the One-eyed Monk concluded about the Butcher.

Kneeling on the ground, the Butcher somehow managed to prop himself up without collapsing entirely. Chen Nang had stabbed him right in the chest, but it hadn’t pierced his heart, so he wouldn’t die immediately. freewёbnoνel.com

This wasn’t an act of mercy by Chen Nang but rather Yang Xiao’s demand. He needed a living... test subject.

Realizing the contest was over, Yang Xiao stepped forward, took out a blood-red pill from his bosom, and walked over to the kneeling Butcher.

Seeing Yang Xiao approaching, the Butcher turned deathly pale and couldn’t help but plead loudly for mercy, "C-Captain, give... give me one more chance, please... I beg you!"

Without saying a word, Yang Xiao grabbed his jaw, pried open his mouth, and forcefully stuffed the red pill inside. The Butcher, swallowing the pill, fell to the ground, coughing violently, alarming everyone who witnessed it.

Butterfly Lady, Sick Ghost, and the others were too frightened even to breathe heavily. Now that the Butcher was dead, the weakest left were only those of them who weren’t even at the Mid-stage Ghost Level. If newcomers arrived, they would likely be the next ones chosen.

Not becoming stronger only leads to death, that’s the rule this young man set for them.

"I’ve given him a pill; you’ll find out its effects yourselves."

"I need to announce two things: First, accelerate your integration. In a week, we will undertake a mission, and I’ll announce the list of selected personnel then. Before departure, everyone must take such a pill, and upon successful completion of the task, I will give you the antidote."

"Second, I won’t tolerate freeloaders. Our team will be fixed at 8 members, excluding myself. From time to time, I will send in newcomers to replace the old; survival is for the strong."

"If you don’t want to be chosen by the newcomers to be eliminated, improve your strength quickly."

"In the future, we will operate on a merit system. You earn merit for killing, for handing over Magic Artifacts, and there are extra merit points for completing tasks."

"I know you are curious about what merits can do. Firstly, they can be exchanged for Magic Artifacts. You can request any type of Magic Artifact you desire, and as long as you accumulate enough merit, I will find a way to help you obtain them. Secondly, they can improve your living conditions; you can exchange merit points for anything you need, but be mindful of the limits—I don’t like those who make exorbitant demands."