Ch. 4 - A Premature Strike

The Hunter's body remained shrouded in darkness, but floating above its head was a distinct health bar—an unmistakable marker straight out of a video game.

The bar wasn't in great shape, already reduced to 48%.

Was it injured? Could it be the handiwork of the hefty player from Room 201 last night?

Intrigued, Zuo Chengan focused his attention. The gentle shimmer of his Eye of Truth activated, and to his astonishment, even the Hunter had a description.

[Hunter (E): A prized creation of the Red-Capped Witch in the Alchemical Life series! Shower her creation with the right compliments, and you may just receive an unexpected surprise.]

Zuo Chengan's brows furrowed as he read the bizarre annotation.

Could the Witch be a clue for later? A hidden mechanic?

His thoughts were disrupted by the incessant chatter scrolling across the void-like barrage of spectator comments.

Stream chat on bullet screen:

[Who will tonight's lucky victim be? I'm so excited!]

[I'm hoping it's the girl in 203. Pretty girls make even being dismembered look cute.]

[Your wish might come true. Night of Screams is a beginner-stage dungeon, and its rules have long been cracked by veteran players. There are plenty of ways to clear it: brute-force kill every Hunter and skip ahead, or survive by figuring out the killing pattern.

[It's so basic—either they go forward in order, room by room, or they backtrack. So, it's 202 tonight, 203 tomorrow. You'll get your show soon enough.]

[Phew, what a relief. Perfect timing—I'll order some takeout and watch while I eat.]

[Killing by room order? That's ridiculously simplistic! Even a toddler could clear this instantly. Low-tier worlds really are as pathetic as they say.]

[Well, they're still a notch above actual monkeys. Besides, Night of Screams has a few hidden traps too. It's claimed plenty of player groups before. It's not as easy as it looks.

[But yeah, the people in low-tier worlds really have underdeveloped brains. Watching them is excruciating sometimes.]

[Remember that dungeon where the fastest way to win was to kill your teammates? And yet, those idiots chose the most complicated route imaginable. I wanted to slap them all!]

…

The stream's chatter continued unabated, a ceaseless cacophony of speculation and mockery.

Zuo Chengan gripped his axe tightly, ignoring the noise.

If the pattern held—tonight 202, tomorrow 203—then the day after, it would be his turn.

The Hunter had passed by the door to Room 204 a minute ago, moving at its steady, menacing pace.

By now, it should have reached Room 201 and started doubling back down the hallway, soon to choose a door to break through.

Zuo Chengan took a deep breath, holding it as he strained to hear the sounds outside.

Bang! Bang!

"AHHHH! FUCk! FUCK! WHY ARE YOU SO UGLY?"

The crash of a door splintering apart came almost in sync with the terrified scream from Room 202.

Zuo Chengan immediately recognized the voice—it was the same jokester who had blurted out, "Where on earth am I?" on the first day.

The man had been in good spirits before, even cracking jokes to lighten the mood. But after seeing the carnage left behind by the Hunter's first kill in Room 201, he'd gone silent. His humor had vanished, replaced by a haunted, brooding quiet.

The scream was short-lived, replaced by the sounds of a struggle.

It seemed the Hunter, still injured, couldn't dispatch its prey as cleanly as it had the night before. Instead, the man in Room 202 managed to fight back, even as his desperate cries for help echoed through the dark hallway.

"Someone, help me!"

The plea was loud, raw with terror.

Several rooms down the hall stirred with the faint shuffle of hurried footsteps—people reflexively rushing to their doors, compelled by the instinct to help.

But just as quickly, the fear of death yanked them back into hiding.

It wasn't their problem. Why risk their lives?

As the sound of frantic struggle filled the hallway, Zuo Chengan made his decision.

With a swift motion, he threw open his door, axe in hand, and stepped into the fray.

Almost simultaneously, the timid girl from Room 203 cracked her door open, trembling but clutching an axe of her own.

The man in Room 202, now dubbed "Silent Guy," had already resigned himself to death.

His wounds burned fiercely, and he was convinced his time was up. But seeing Zuo Chengan and the girl step out reignited a flicker of hope within him.

The Hunter was an unstoppable force—a hunchbacked, fur-covered nightmare with claws as sharp as razors. It loomed over its prey like an executioner in the night.

Yet, despite the darkness, Zuo Chengan raised his axe with precision, his Eye of Truth guiding him.

"Wait! Bro! Hold on!" Silent Guy screamed, dragging his bloodied body across the floor. "Let me drag it into the light from the doorway! You might hit me by mistake!"

"Relax," Zuo Chengan replied calmly. "I won't miss."

His confidence stemmed from the health bar hovering in his vision—his target was marked.

The Hunter's claws were buried deep in Silent Guy's stomach, pinning him down. Its eyeless face sported an unsightly, gaping mouth that stretched across its entire head.

With unsettling fervor, it began tearing into its prey, claws anchoring its position as it devoured him.

Zuo Chengan wasted no time. He swung his axe, aiming directly for the Hunter's head.

Thud!

The blade struck true, sinking into its skull. But it didn't go far—the bone was too dense, stopping the blade halfway.

"GRRRROAAAAR!" The Hunter howled in pain, abandoning its meal and turning its attention to Zuo Chengan.

Despite standing behind it, Zuo Chengan found himself facing its unnervingly flexible body as it twisted unnaturally, its shoulders pivoting to attack him.

Crash!

The Hunter's claws ripped through Zuo Chengan's wooden shield, forcing him to abandon his stuck axe and retreat.

He prepared to reposition when the girl suddenly stepped in to fill the gap.

With surprising ferocity, she shouted, "Take this! Double Kick!"

Bam! Bam!

Her two rapid kicks struck the axe embedded in the Hunter's head, driving it deeper.

The blade carved through, splitting the creature's skull entirely in two.

Yet, even with its head split, the Hunter didn't immediately fall.

Zuo Chengan's Eye of Truth showed its health bar plummeting—10%... 9.2%... 8.5%...

The bleeding was relentless, and its death was now only a matter of time.

Seeing this, Zuo Chengan exhaled softly. He had only stepped in to ensure the Hunter's health bar was damaged enough that, when his turn inevitably came, he could finish it off solo if no one else came to his aid.

He had planned to stop when the bar reached around 10%, but the girl's unexpected contribution complicated matters.

Who would've thought that this seemingly harmless girl could kick off 20% of the Hunter's health bar with just two moves?

"This… is the power of abilities?" Zuo Chengan muttered, a mix of admiration and caution in his voice.

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