Chapter 4: I’m actually pretty fierce in a fight

The Yiren Leader’s wooden cabin wasn’t large—just two stories high, with barely any sign of life inside. The old oil lamp on the table was ancient and battered; its flame flickered, casting a faint blue glow.

A mass of Gray Mist darted past at a speed almost too fast for the naked eye.

With a soft “puff,” the flame was snuffed out.

The cabin plunged into darkness, eerie and strange.

But every so often, a nearly off-key, cracked monster’s cry echoed, driving away much of the weirdness.

Good news: able to become Gray Mist and move swiftly, immune to physical damage.

Bad news: can’t turn back.

Chu Xiuyan: [Aaaaaah, Brother Tongzi, save meeeeee!]

Brother Tongzi, calm and calculating: [43%, 42%, 41%… While in Gray Mist state, your Pollution Value drops by 1% per second. Estimated to return to Human form in 40 seconds.]

Chu Xiuyan’s mind was especially clear at this moment: [So basically, I’m almost out of power. I need to find a charging station in less than half a minute?]

System: […You could think of it that way.]

Chu Xiuyan got it.

But a new problem arose.

The Blood Crystal Mine should be beneath the cabin, but in his Gray Mist state, he might ignore physical damage but was also unable to inflict any.

100% defense, 0% offense.

Ha.

Chu Xiuyan decided to use his shounen protagonist cheat.

He called out to the Yiren Leader who’d barged into the cabin, “Leader, don’t chase me! Why don’t we sit down and talk about the stars? The moon is so beautiful tonight, isn’t all this fighting boring?”

The Yiren Leader said nothing. Muscles bulged on his right arm, and Blood Crystal glowed crimson as he threw a full-force punch.

With a deafening sonic boom, the Gray Mist and even the cabin wall where it flashed past were blasted open, leaving a massive two-meter-tall hole.

The Gray Mist screeched to a halt, shocked—an exclamation mark popped up.

“Boss, you’re a real muscle-head, huh!”

“But you just wrecked your own house, hahahaha!”

Chu Xiuyan kept running wildly, his laughter especially manic.

The noise from the cabin drew the entire Stranger Settlement’s attention.

Over thirty Mutants hurried over, saw the battered cabin and their cold, house-destroying Leader, and were left utterly bewildered.

Too dark inside, they didn’t see Chu Xiuyan, now just a mass of Gray Mist.

One Mutant shouted, “Boss, what are you doing in there?”

Yiren Leader: “Killing a mole!”

The shouting Mutant was shocked: “With brains like ours, you think we could be moles?! Even Fanyi wouldn’t dare brag like that!”

Everyone around nodded in agreement.

Chu Xiuyan laughed even louder.

The Yiren Leader was furious, cursing, “Get back to your posts, or you won’t even notice when Humans invade!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the night sky suddenly burst into firelight.

Flaming arrows rained toward the Stranger Settlement, roaring like thunder, momentum unstoppable.

The Mutants surrounding the cabin had their attention instantly diverted.

Excitement surged; they scattered to dodge, eyes wild, battlelust skyrocketing.

“They’re here! The Humans are finally here!”

“Haha! Kill them!”

“Kill them all!”

Like a drop of water in boiling oil, murderous intent surged and spread through the Mutant ranks in an instant.

Blood, battle, death—these were instincts carved deep into every Mutant’s soul.

But the very next second, those Mutants, still grinning with twisted excitement, suddenly clutched their stomachs, bodies going rigid.

Inside the cabin, the Yiren Leader also stiffened for a moment, but quickly surged forward with even greater ferocity.

System: [You just used massive-scale control to make the Gray Mist mimic attack. Your Pollution Value dropped by more than half. Only three seconds left.]

Chu Xiuyan felt the Gray Mist slipping out of his control, speed slowing down.

But he spoke calmly to the onrushing Yiren Leader, “Feel that? Something alive is gnawing your guts from the inside. Tell me where the Blood Crystal Mine is, unless you want your OO to go beep—!”

System: [???]

The Yiren Leader froze mid-step.

Pollution Value: now zero.

Chu Xiuyan, back in Human form, slipped one hand in his pocket, cool and composed.

He looked utterly fearless.

The Yiren Leader was really bluffed.

Of course, it wasn’t the threat itself, but Chu Xiuyan’s current state.

A Human.

A Human disguised as a Mutant.

The Yiren Leader’s eyes flickered with heaviness and surprise.

He withdrew his attack, voice deep.

“Who exactly are you?”

Chu Xiuyan: “Blood Crystal Mine.”

The Yiren Leader snorted, lifted his leg and stomped down.

With a loud crack, the entire cabin floor split apart instantly.

The ground beneath Chu Xiuyan gave way, and he fell, weightless.

Turns out, the Yiren Leader had carefully avoided the floor with his attacks, and Chu Xiuyan, while in Gray Mist state, couldn’t touch the floor, so now he was forced into this desperate move.

…Though it wasn’t that desperate, really, since he had Recall! Hahaha!

Plus!

[I knew that beep-beep tactic would work! As expected of me—so clever!]

Chu Xiuyan boasted to the System.

System muttered gloomily: [You actually dared… you really dared say something like that…]

Chu Xiuyan ignored it. Now was not the time!

Under the cabin was a small mine.

With his limited vocabulary, Chu Xiuyan guessed it was about the size of his three-bedroom apartment.

It was fairly tall, but in the very back stood a massive, blood-red crystal more than five meters high. With smaller crystals scattered around it, the mine felt cramped.

The Yiren Leader jumped down too.

Now it was even more crowded.

Chu Xiuyan said, “You’re hogging the Blood Crystal Mine, trying to break through to the next level?”

Yiren Leader: “You’re an Awakened, but while disguised as a Mutant, your flesh, strength, and aura felt exactly like a Mutant’s. Is that your Awakened power?”

A hush fell over the mine.

Clearly, neither expected the other to answer.

So the very next second—

Chu Xiuyan bolted toward the Blood Crystal Mine, but as a Human he was too slow. In a flash, the Yiren Leader was on him, hand gripping his throat.

“Such a frail neck, easy to snap… As I thought, you’re more Human. Unlike Mutants, who are always absorbing Blood Crystal Energy from the air and stay strong, Humans’ powers run out and they grow weak. Pathetic.”

The Yiren Leader eyed the black-haired youth, whose face was turning pale from asphyxiation, voice slow and cold.

“I don’t care about your background anymore. You’re too weak. No matter how you struggle, you’re just a clown in front of true strength. Die, insect.”

He tightened his grip, feeling the blood flow beneath the Human’s neck.

But unexpectedly, instead of dying, the black-haired youth suddenly looked up, a glint of crimson flashing in his dark eyes.

“Boss, do you really like me that much? You’ve said so much to me!”

“Seems like you don’t know that villains always die for monologuing too long…”

Chu Xiuyan abruptly grabbed the Yiren Leader’s arm—the arm clutching his throat was studded with hideous Blood Crystals.

The Blood Crystals on a Mutant… weren’t they still Blood Crystals?

The Yiren Leader’s pupils shrank; a wild thought flashed through his mind.

“You—”

Crack!

The Yiren Leader howled in pain as the black-haired youth crushed a Blood Crystal on his arm.

The shards merged into Chu Xiuyan’s body through the wound.

System: [Pollution Value: 1%!]

Too little.

Sure enough, the Blood Crystals on Mutants could only be used by their owner.

But 1% was enough.

Snap!

Chu Xiuyan swiftly punched the Yiren Leader’s arm, seizing the moment he faltered to break free and dash for the Blood Crystal Mine.

The Yiren Leader quickly recovered, discarding any hesitation, eyes fixed on Chu Xiuyan’s fleeing back.

He could directly absorb and use Blood Crystal Energy?!

Human or Mutant?

Or maybe…

He steadied himself, shifted slightly, and raised his right arm.

Blood Crystal Energy surged through his flesh, concentrating in his fist. The air itself seemed to tremble.

The next second.

Boom!

Chu Xiuyan, mere steps from the giant Blood Crystal, jolted violently.

A fist-sized hole appeared in his chest. Blood gushed forth; his life ebbed rapidly away.

“You’ve lost.”

The Yiren Leader’s voice rumbled from nearby.

Chu Xiuyan forced himself to take another step, but collapsed to the ground, consciousness fading. His right hand still struggled forward.

System: [That’s enough, Recall now. The Yiren Leader is A-Rank, just one step from S-Rank. You’re no match for him.]

Chu Xiuyan didn’t have the strength to reply. He just wanted to laugh.

So that’s it—he’d gone after a high-level boss with a Level 1 newbie character, without even understanding the basics.

But still…

Aaaaah, so frustrating!

Chu Xiuyan gritted his teeth, his bloody right hand scrabbling desperately toward the front.

The System watched, almost wanting to sigh, a little unable to bear it.

It hadn’t expected its usually goofy, scatterbrained Host to hold out this far.

But—

Impossible.

It was only after seeing this Blood Crystal that the System realized the mine’s giant Blood Crystal wasn’t the low-concentration type from the Prison, but a nearly full-value Death Blood Crystal.

Even Mutants couldn’t absorb it. Even a brief touch would kill, agony like fire burning the soul.

The System was ready to activate Recall.

But to its shock—

The blood-soaked black-haired youth still hadn’t given up. With the last of his strength, he managed to brush the giant Blood Crystal with his fingertips.

In an instant, the entire giant Blood Crystal’s crimson energy began to boil, as if it had found an outlet, surging frantically toward the spot where the boy touched it.

Time seemed to stop. Even breathing burned.

The black-haired youth blinked, slowly stood up, and felt as if his soul and body were separated by a film, like playing a 3D holographic game…what a feeling.

Despite the bloody hole in his chest, he didn’t seem to feel pain. He raised a hand to brush his messy bangs upward, took off the windproof goggles he’d been wearing for style, and tossed them aside.

Then he yanked off the black collar around his neck, twirling it carelessly. Looking at the Yiren Leader, he curved his eyes and flashed a pure, dazzling smile.

“Leader, is it my turn now?”

His breath was still ragged, but soon it steadied, his tone soft and gentle, not the least bit abnormal.

But suddenly, his voice turned sharp and urgent, the air thick with blood and murderous intent, madness spreading.

His jet-black eyes turned blood-red, as if even his breath was tinged with a crimson haze.

“I’m going to crush your finger bones one by one, smash your skull underfoot! Hack your body to pieces and toss it in the garbage! Filthy flesh should rot underground! Leader, let me say it now!”

“—Die, insect!”

The black-haired youth laughed maniacally, eyes wild with crimson cruelty.

The hole in his chest was rapidly covered by savage Blood Crystal growth; blood-stained skin was layered with vicious Blood Crystals.

In a flash, he’d become a true Blood Crystal Monster!

The System trembled as it opened the detection interface—a blinding red filled its view.

[100%!]

Worse still…

Pollution Value hadn’t dropped!

Despite using so much power!

The System grew more and more alarmed.

With each clash of fists, Chu Xiuyan could rip off the Yiren Leader’s arm even faster.

Their legs met; Chu Xiuyan could shatter the Yiren Leader’s bones with a single kick.

In only a few seconds, the Yiren Leader, sensing things going awry and fighting at full power, realized with horror he was completely outmatched.

He was being crushed one-sidedly!

He was only a step from S-Rank—the world’s strongest!

It wasn’t his fault!

This Human, this Mutant—no!

“You’re not Human, not Mutant! You are—”

Before the Yiren Leader could finish, his eyes widened—a hand was buried in his chest.

Blood oozed down.

Chu Xiuyan’s face was covered in blood; his crazed expression faded, replaced by a bright, brilliant smile. “What am I, do you think?”

The Yiren Leader grabbed his arm, locking him in place.

A cold voice sounded behind.

“Monster.”

Fanyi had appeared at some point, special gun in hand, the black muzzle pressed to the back of Chu Xiuyan’s head. He calmly pulled the trigger.

The bullet was stopped by rapidly growing Blood Crystal.

Blood Crystal shattered, fragments flying everywhere.

Bang, bang, bang!

Bullet after bullet was fired, each stopped again and again by Blood Crystal.

No flaws!

Fanyi’s gaze grew even heavier.

As he swapped magazines, Gray Mist swirled at his feet. For a moment, his attention left the smiling youth’s face—and in that instant, someone seized him from behind.

Cold breath brushed his ear; the Gray Mist condensed into a familiar figure.

A hulking form, body covered in black crystals, empty crimson eyes, massive arms squeezing Fanyi’s neck.

Fanyi’s pupils contracted. “This is…”

Chu Xiuyan pulled his arm from the Yiren Leader’s chest and turned to face Fanyi.

Behind him, that towering figure toppled.

“Devouring, Mist Mimicry, able to directly absorb Death Blood Crystal…”

Fanyi stared at Chu Xiuyan, listing off his powers. “Not Human, not Mutant. Has a new race emerged in this world?”

Chu Xiuyan raised a hand, making a quieting gesture, eyes curving: “Shh.”

Then, the Gray Mist mimicking the Yiren Leader snapped Fanyi’s neck without hesitation.

The System shivered, checking the detection interface over and over.

Still that blinding red.

[100%!]

Split Personality!!!

The System sucked in a breath, an awful guess forming.

Just then, faint footsteps sounded above the mine.

A figure leapt down, landing not far from Chu Xiuyan.

Tall frame, tattered gray clothes, hair so messy it nearly hid his eyes—it was the Mysterious Uncle from the Prison.

The System felt its data was about to explode.

It stared hard at that [100%] in glaring red, hoping it would finally move.

Chu Xiuyan spotted the Mysterious Uncle and smiled.

“Welcome to my world.”

“Uncle, want to play something interesting with me?”

He lightly raised his right hand; crimson blood slid down his Blood Crystal-covered arm, drip, drip, drip onto the ground.

His smile was brimming with malice, murderous intent and excitement intertwining, making him seem crazed and unhinged.

The Uncle stood not far away, hands behind his back, voice calm and gentle.

“No. I’m here for my promise.”

Chu Xiuyan: “Hmm?”

“My companions have already taken the Stranger Settlement, and the Prisoners have been rescued. So, boy, will you come with me?”

Chu Xiuyan’s smile faded.

“You’re inviting a monster to join you?”

“I’m inviting a Human.”

The smile was gone from Chu Xiuyan’s face.

He strode up to the Uncle, presence surging, the scent of blood and killing intent thickening.

The System started madly refreshing the Pollution Value detection screen, hoping its data was faulty.

Chu Xiuyan stopped before the Uncle, voice strange: “You’re bold, Human. Congratulations, you’ve caught my interest.”

The System froze.

“In that case, make a contract with me, this monster.”

The System grew alert.

Chu Xiuyan curved his eyes, gave that pure, dazzling smile again, and raised his voice cheerfully.

“So! To save this world, make a contract with me and become a Magic Girl!”

System: [???]

System: [Aaaaaaah!]

It glared fiercely at the crimson number [100%], then violently shredded the real-time Pollution Value screen.

Worthless junk, totally useless!

Chu Xiuyan rubbed his arm; the Blood Crystals, as if just stuck on, all tumbled off with a crash.

…Though the Blood Crystals that fell turned transparent, showing their energy still remained within the boy.

But—

Suddenly, common sense was shattered.

So you could just rub those things off?

The Mysterious Uncle: “…Ah?”

The System, which had investigated for ages but never seen this before: [……]

It flipped back to the Pollution Value screen—just then, it dropped by one.

[99%.]

Chu Xiuyan sighed: [New battery feels great—fully charged is so refreshing.]

The System was silent for a long while, then spoke: [Did you hook up with the Blood Crystal behind my back?]

Chu Xiuyan had no idea how to explain—just this and that, then instinctively knew what to do.

Pollution Value dropped from 100 to 99, and he quickly lost consciousness, collapsing on the spot.

The Mysterious Uncle pinched his chin with one hand, caught the boy with the other, pondering in confusion: “What is a Magic Girl?”

Not long after.

“I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, aaaaaaaah!!”

Chu Xiuyan’s eyes flew open; above was a strange, spotless white ceiling.

His whole body was tightly bandaged, an IV hung beside him, and the surroundings felt familiar.

A hospital.

Chu Xiuyan: [Eh? I’m back?]

The System’s voice was completely flat: [I don’t feel like talking to you right now. You’ll stay here for a day, then return to the Wasteland World. Time in one world freezes when you’re in another.]

[Also, think about what to call the new comic featuring you as the protagonist.]

Chu Xiuyan beamed: [I’ve already decided! “What Should I Do After Becoming the Villain Boss When Catastrophe Descends”! That name totally matches the fight scenes I just had, right?!]

System: [I don’t want to talk to you.]

Chu Xiuyan: [Aha, I get it. System, were you worried about me back then? Pfft pfft pfft…]

[Ow! Why’d you shock me?!]