Nightmare Despair

Chapter 105 Strong Hand
The next day, early in the morning.

Zhou Kai's biological clock gradually became more fixed, and he woke up on time, recalling the unremarkable battle of the previous night.

To ensure that the rate of erosion did not get out of control, Zhou Kai only explored the nightmare for three hours.

Now, looking across the entire town, the area around number 777 and the mansion on the high ground have been almost completely explored.

It's time to plan our next steps.

Zhou Kai opened the panel and found he had made a great haul.

[Character: Zhou Kai]

[Status: Erosion, Clear Mind, Vitality]

【Scars: Chariot - Part 1 (40/100)】

【Feature: Strengthens hand skin】

【技能：隼击术Lv4（1/100），索拉卡剑术Lv3（15/50），神秘学Lv3（1/50），综合格斗Lv3（1/50），轻盈步伐Lv3（17/50），枪术·射击Lv2（5/25）】

[Props:...]

[General Experience Points: 124]

In the panel, some skills level up automatically during use, while Soraka's swordsmanship and spearmanship gained extra points through the burning of the fireplace.

The chariot engraving level 1 advancement ceremony is nearly halfway complete.

The general experience points have also accumulated to an unprecedented 124 points.

The shelter also has relatively ample fuel and fertilizer.

Next, Zhou Kai plans to visit the clock tower area in the lower part of the town, which he had visited before, as well as the lakeside manor area.

“No records anywhere mention Westchester… but I always felt that as the head of the town, he couldn’t possibly be uninvolved in those matters.”

Zhou Kai rested his chin on his hand, analyzing the existing clues.

Exploring new areas, reviewing follow-up notes, the residence of the town's owner, Westchester... Zhou Kai plans to prioritize these objectives during tonight's mandatory conscription.

Zhou Kai is not in a hurry to go out.

At this moment, his mind was exceptionally clear, and he stared at the several skills on the panel, lost in thought.

His first thought was falconry.

Once you reach level four, without taking the secret medicine, your progress in this skill will almost stagnate.

Senior Brother Chen Ping had clearly pointed out that the Falcon Strike Technique was only a basic martial art and there was no need to be too obsessed with it. He suggested that Zhou Kai should focus his main energy on more advanced martial arts... That made perfect sense.

After all, it's better to spend five months mastering an advanced martial art than ten years perfecting the Falcon Strike Technique.

But Zhou Kai doesn't need to consider the time cost at all.

"Ten years? Eight years? No, for me, it only requires a little bit of effort and sweat..."

With his current strength, as long as he acts cautiously and doesn't go too high-profile, and doesn't provoke those monsters that can only be observed from afar, he can move around relatively freely, and his efficiency in gaining experience points is also significantly improving.

The effort and the reward are not commensurate?

error!

For Zhou Kai, investing in experience upgrades now might just pay off that very night.

"After being so stingy for so many days, it's time to treat ourselves to a big treat."

Zhou Kai's eyes suddenly sharpened as he stared at the [Falcon Strike] skill on the panel—he would max out the Falcon Strike skill!

The moment the thought crossed my mind, 99 experience points poured out instantly, and the entire panel faintly glowed.

After a while.

[You have consumed 99 general experience points, and your Falcon Slash skill has leveled up!]

[Current level Lv5 (max), since the skill has reached its maximum level, its characteristics have been further enhanced...]

[The 'Hand Skin Enhancement' has changed... You have gained a new feature...]

[Characteristic: Strong] The moment the fundamental technique reached its maximum level, a huge fluctuation was stirred up within Zhou Kai's body.

His aura suddenly surged, and he made another step forward in the True Strength realm!
A stream of heat, seemingly from nowhere, coursed through Zhou Kai's body, making his flesh ache and swell, before flowing into his hands and forearms.

A tremendous force erupted from his hands, enhancing Zhou Kai's defensive capabilities and finger strength. His skin, muscles, and bones became more resilient and powerful, also triggering some external changes.

His originally rough and thick hands suddenly became crystal clear, as if they were cast from jade.

Although this change was fleeting, and his hands quickly returned to normal, even that brief moment was enough to leave Zhou Kai bewildered and uncertain.

"Could it be because I don't have the medicinal properties of the secret medicine in my body right now? Why does it feel like... the style of things has suddenly become normal?" Zhou Kai frowned and muttered to himself.

What surprised him was not that his hands briefly turned into a jade-like state, but that this change was too normal, so normal that it perfectly matched his previous understanding of martial arts.

In his previous view, ancient martial arts should be like those described in martial arts novels, rather than like the martial arts in reality, which tend to develop in a "non-human" direction the more one practices.

He could understand the concept of "true strength" and the ability to unleash power throughout the entire body.

The Qi-inducing Realm... even the three realms that can transform into beasts, and the legendary fourth realm—it all seems bizarre and strange no matter how you look at it.

However, now that he has witnessed this normal change in his hands, Zhou Kai feels a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Some of the mysteries that had been troubling Zhou Kai are now beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

"Without the intervention of secret medicine, this is the proper trajectory of martial arts... Modern martial arts have long been inseparable from nightmares."

"These days, what we call martial arts is nothing more than a new path that uses the name of martial arts..."

Zhou Kai clenched his fists, carefully feeling the surging power within his body.

Without the aid of the secret medicine, the boost from this maxed-out Falcon Strike Technique wasn't particularly strong, but he felt remarkably secure, balanced, and at peace...

Should we continue cultivating the Nightmare Martial Arts of this world?

This idea first appeared in Zhou Kai's mind, but soon he had an answer.

"As long as Nightmare Martial Arts can make me stronger, minor changes in appearance are harmless..."

Zhou Kai got up, changed his clothes, washed up briefly, and left home.

His expression remained calm, but a lingering gloom hung between his brows.

Even with his greatly improved martial arts skills, he still couldn't smile when he thought about certain things.

"Besides the inevitable erosion, there's still danger chasing me... According to the Bureau of Extraordinary Events, the nightmare will grow stronger as the traveler survives..."

"Only by resolving the Nightmare Core as soon as possible can we reset the Nightmare's growth progress bar."

……

When Zhou Kai arrived at the Xishan Hotel in his own car, Hu Yuan had been waiting for him for a long time.

Upon seeing him, Hu Yuan greeted him with a broad smile: "Sir, you've arrived..."

The executive chair in the office has now become Zhou Kai's seat.

Hu Yuan, who has difficulty walking, has switched to a new wheelchair.

“Wei Bao’s condition has basically stabilized, and he is now recuperating in a hotel… I have also compiled some intelligence that you needed. Please take a look…” Hu Yuan said, respectfully presenting a document.

However, Zhou Kai didn't even glance at him, and walked out.

Hu Yuan was startled and quickly drove his wheelchair to catch up.

He frantically turned the joystick on his electric wheelchair, the motor humming, and he sprinted at full speed, barely managing to keep up with Zhou Kai's brisk pace. The scene was quite comical.

However, Zhou Kai had no intention of laughing and simply said, "Take me there."

Along the way, everyone at the Xishan Hotel, from executives to employees, looked as if they had seen a ghost when they saw Zhou Kai.

They were terrified and couldn't understand it at all.

What methods did Zhou Kai use to train that scheming, manipulative Boss Hu into such an obedient hound?

　This is the third update. I'm asking for your first subscription and monthly votes. If you're able to subscribe to all the updates, please set up an auto-subscription so you can subscribe as soon as it's released. Thank you all for your support. I'll continue to update frequently.

　
(End of this chapter)