Samsara Space: They're all begging me to heal them one more time.

"What?"

The blond-haired man was taken aback and instinctively turned his head.

"roar--!!"

With a chilling roar, the shadow exploded open!

A zombie wearing a tattered police uniform, with half of its face revealing bare white bones, pounced out like a mad dog! Its speed far exceeded human perception, and its grayish-white dead fish eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light in the darkness.

"Oh my god!!"

The fat man and the bespectacled man screamed and ran away with their heads in their hands.

"Damn it! Die!!"

Although it was the first time the blond-haired man had ever seen such a scene, his extreme fear only fueled his ferocity. He roared, gripped the fire axe tightly with both hands, and swung it down on the zombie's shoulder with all his might!

This axe strike is so powerful and heavy that it can split open even a wooden door!

however--

"when!!"

A dull thud, like metal striking leather.

The fire axe blade sliced ​​through the zombie's rotting skin, but got stuck between the hard, iron-like collarbone and muscle fibers, unable to go any further!

[Combat Notification: You have launched a melee attack on the target.]

[Attack Power Calculation: 22 points (Attacker's Attack Power) vs 10 points (Defender's Armor)... Calculating...]

Theoretical damage dealt: 22 points - 10 points (armor reduction) = 12 points.

[No critical hit effect occurred.]

[Attack Location: Limbs; Damage Multiplier: 1.0x]

[Actual damage dealt: 12 points.]

This is the harsh reality. 12 points of damage is like a slight push to a zombie that has lost consciousness and whose body is stiff; it doesn't even cause it to stagger.

"What...why can't I pull it out?!"

The blond-haired man's expression changed drastically. He felt as if he had struck a tire; the axe hadn't budgeed an inch.

The zombie felt no pain at all. It roared and its claws, stained with black blood and virus, were already clawing at the unsuspecting blond man's neck!

The stench of death swept over us.

The blond-haired man's pupils contracted sharply, and he closed his eyes in despair.

"It's over..."

Just as the claws were 0.01 centimeters from the blond-haired man's throat, and he could even smell the stench emanating from the zombie's mouth—

A slender hand gently rested on the trembling shoulder of the blond-haired man.

At the same time, a voice, like a demonic whisper, rang out, audible only to blond-haired man:

"Do you want to live?"

Before Huang Mao could react, the cross Zhang Yuan was carrying suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light!

"God said, 'Let there be hanging.'"

"[Weapon Blessing], maxed out!"

Om-!

A golden stream of light instantly flowed into the blond man's body and surged wildly down his arm into the rusty fire axe!

The originally dull axe blade suddenly burst forth with a visible golden aura!

Zhang Yuan's 7-point physique was transformed into a terrifying multiplier at this moment!

[Constitution bonus assessment in progress... Skill multiplier is 1.28x]

[Base attack power +8 -> revised to +10.2!]

[Strength +3 -> Revised to +3.8!]

"roar!!"

Huang Mao felt a surge of scalding heat instantly fill his entire body. His arms, which had been weak from fear, suddenly swelled up and were filled with a violent force that seemed capable of tearing through steel!

The axe that was stuck in his hand was now as light as a feather!

"Die!!"

Yellow Hair instinctively exerted his strength again, without even needing any skill, simply releasing the brute force brought about by his surge in attributes!

Pfft—!

A flash of golden light.

The fire axe, which could barely cut through the surface of the skin before, now sliced ​​through like hot butter. The zombie's hard collarbone, spine, and even half of its rotting head were neatly severed by this single blow.

Divide into two!

Black blood splattered, and half of the corpse collapsed to the ground.

[Battle Results]

[Attack stats corrected: Strength +4 / Weapon Attack Power +10]

[Attack Power Calculation: 38 points (Attacker's Attack Power) vs. 10 points (Defender's Armor)... Calculating...]

Theoretical damage dealt: 38 points - 10 points (armor reduction) = 28 points.

[Critical Hit!]

[28 x 1.5 (critical hit bonus) = 42 points!]

[Fatal Strike: When the target is the head, the damage multiplier is increased to 2.0x.]

[A total of 42 x 2 = 84 points of damage were dealt]

[Target's health is reduced to zero.] [One-hit kill.]

Dead silence.

The entire sewer fell into a deathly silence.

The fat man gaped open, while the bespectacled man forgot to tremble.

Yellow Hair stared blankly at the axe still glowing with golden light in his hand, then at the zombie on the ground that had been split in two, completely dumbfounded.

This... I did this?

Did my axe strike cause such outrageous damage?

Just then, a soft round of applause broke the silence.

Zhang Yuan stood in the shadows, slowly taking out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping away a drop of black blood that had just splattered on his face. His eyes were as calm as if he were watching a well-rehearsed play.

"How are you feeling, Captain?"

Instead of his previous fawning manner, he scrutinized the still-dazed blond-haired man with an almost merchandise-spotting gaze, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"This is the experience of a 'pay-to-win' player."

Zhang Yuan stepped forward and gently patted the blond-haired man's stiff shoulder, his voice deep and seductive:

"Remember this, this power does not belong to you, but to me."

"That was a 'newcomer trial pack.' If you want to continue being that invincible war god... well, that depends on whether you can afford my price."

Huang Mao looked at the shattered zombie on the ground, then at the smiling Zhang Yuan. His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and his previous arrogance instantly turned into awe and desire for power.

He knew that he might never be able to leave this man for the rest of his life...

"This feeling...it's absolutely amazing!"

In the dimly lit sewer, blond-haired man stared at the still slightly warm fire axe in his hand, a look of ecstasy on his face. The overwhelming power coursing through his body, the feeling that he could easily tear apart a bull, made him feel like the protagonist of this train space.

"Hey! You, Zhang Yuan!"

The blond-haired man turned his head. Although his attitude remained arrogant, his tone had clearly lost some of its previous ferocity and gained a hint of longing: "Give me another shot of that light! I feel like I could cut down ten more!"

Zhang Yuan stood in the shadows, slowly adjusting his cuffs.

He wasn't worried that the blond guy would resort to violence out of greed or anger. The green shield icon in the lower right corner of his retina—the "Passenger Damage Waiver (Newbie Protection Period)"—was his greatest asset.

During the initial train mission, teammates cannot inflict direct harm on each other in any way. This is a fundamental rule of the system, designed to prevent newcomers from killing each other in a panic.

With this "get-out-of-jail-free card," he could comfortably be an elegant vampire in front of this group of outlaws.

Zhang Yuan glanced at the status bar on his retina again:

[Skill: Weapon Blessing] [Duration Remaining: 08:15]

"No rush." ​​Zhang Yuan adjusted his glasses, revealing a professional smile. "The skill is still active. But I must remind you, my mana is limited, and each spellcasting is a huge drain on my resources."

"Tch, it's just mana," the blond-haired guy waved his hand dismissively. "When we get the reward points later, I'll just give you a hundred to buy mana potions, okay?"

Zhang Yuan smiled without saying a word.

He did not explain that the system did not support point transfers at all, nor did he explain that there was no way to purchase blue potions during the mission.

Some pitfalls need to be climbed into and hurt before one realizes how precious the hand that helped him up is.