Chapter 30: Chapter 30: A Deadly Weapon Stirs a Killer’s Heart
It was a peculiar feeling for Fang Zhen.
Solidifying the ability didn’t bring about any astonishing changes in him, nor was it as dramatic as suddenly mastering a completely unfamiliar power.
Right now, Fang Zhen could clearly recall the state of focus he entered inside the instance, as well as the inspired state he had found himself in during battle.
Because he could rember how it felt, Fang Zhen could now enter that state at will.
It was the sa for his Basic Spearmanship.
Fang Zhen didn’t feel much different, but the ability had undeniably been solidified. It would be hard to forget, even if he tried.
To make an analogy, it was a bit like learning to ride a bicycle.
Before you learn, you don’t know how to ride, and while you’re learning, it feels very difficult.
But once you learn, it becos second nature. It doesn’t feel like you’ve gained anything new, but you just know how to do it.
And you never forget.
This was exactly how Fang Zhen felt right now.
The experience was a subtle one.
After savoring the sensation for a mont, Fang Zhen stood up, strode into the living room, and unwrapped the blade of his Bright Silver Spear from its linen pouch.
The spear’s shaft had broken, but Fang Zhen had been prepared when he bought it. He had a spare alloy shaft at ho.
He pulled the alloy shaft from the gap between the sofa and the wall. It had a convenient screw-on design for easy assembly.
In no ti, Fang Zhen had attached the spearhead to the alloy shaft.
The spear was now a little heavier than it had been with the solid wood shaft. It had less flex but was far more rigid.
He held the spear, faced the training dummy, and thrust.
The spear was perfectly steady in his hands. With a flash of silver, the tip of the spearhead precisely struck the dummy’s throat, sinking halfway in.
He retracted the shaft, and the spear pulled free from the dummy’s throat.
His eyes glead.
He had used far less strength than before, yet his thrust was faster and more precise, traveling in the most direct possible line.
’So this is the "Thrust" of Basic Spearmanship?’
Fang Zhen was amazed.
Basic Spearmanship didn’t seem magical or flashy. Instead, its true mastery was hidden within its simplicity.
The thrust. The simplest, most direct path. There is only one.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Any path between two points that isn’t a straight line is not the shortest. The slightest deviation is an error.
Fang Zhen’s solidified Basic Spearmanship (Thrust) was, in theory, the most direct, shortest, and fastest path of attack.
Because it was the optimal path, it required the least amount of force and yielded the best results.
A realization dawned on Fang Zhen.
Suppose soone with the exact sa strength, speed, reflexes, and height as Fang Zhen were to duel him. If they both used the sa kind of spear and both went on the offensive...
...the winner would undoubtedly be Fang Zhen.
The reason was simple: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Fang Zhen used the correct technique and followed the perfect path, resulting in the shortest and fastest attack. In theory, he would always be faster than his opponent.
Soone who hadn’t mastered Basic Spearmanship (Thrust) would always be a fraction slower than Fang Zhen. No matter how many tis they tried, how hard they worked, or how close they ca, they could never surpass him.
It might seem like a tiny difference, but that tiny difference was an insurmountable chasm.
Crossing that chasm would be impossible without the guidance of a master and at least ten years of grueling practice.
A month to learn the staff, a year for the saber, a lifeti for the spear.
The level he had reached with Basic Spearmanship (Thrust) was akin to returning to true simplicity. With this single thrust, he had the bearing of a real-world spear master.
A light shone in Fang Zhen’s eyes.
As he realized what Basic Spearmanship (Thrust) truly represented, a wave of confidence washed over him.
Confidence always stems from true ability.
It didn’t matter what kind of ability; having an advantage bred confidence.
Fang Zhen clearly understood that as long as he had a spear in his hands, probably very few people in the real world could beat him in a one-on-one fight.
Of course, in a society governed by law, Fang Zhen had no intention of dueling anyone. But simply knowing for a fact that he was stronger than others was a massive confidence boost.
He was starting to understand the saying: "With a deadly weapon in hand, the heart to kill is born."
’Still, I should take it easy in the real world. I can let loose inside the instances.’
A man with nothing to his na loses his ambition.
A man with a weapon in his hand finds the will to kill.
There’s a lot of truth to that.
Fang Zhen let out a laugh.
He tested his "Thrust" a few more tis. It was incredibly consistent, a stable performance every ti.
Fang Zhen relaxed, feeling quite pleased.
Suddenly, Fang Zhen heard a soft notification chi from the computer room.
He was a little surprised.
Fang Zhen set the spear on the floor, walked into the computer room, and stood before the monitor.
A new window had popped up on the screen:
"Instance settlent complete."
"During instance settlent, character ’Fang Zhen’ was detected to be in possession of a key item. The follow-up instance, ’Dark Path - Act II,’ can now be unlocked."
"Unlock?"
"Note: This is a limited-ti instance. If you choose to unlock it and fail to clear it within the ti limit, it will automatically close. You will not be able to attempt the follow-up content again.
You have 24 hours to decide whether to unlock ’Dark Path - Act II.’
Countdown starting now
23:59:59
23:59:58..."
Fang Zhen stared at the ssage on the screen, sowhat surprised.
’There’s a follow-up instance? And it’s tid?’
A thought struck Fang Zhen, and he quickly ca to a conclusion.
’If I’m not mistaken, Dark Path - Act II is probably related to that town I saw from the hillside.’
’The chances are high. After all, as the second act, it has to have so connection to the first.’
’Usually, it’s a geographical one.’
’The Dark Path instance was in the Naless World, so Act II probably takes place in the Naless World as well... This ans all the knowledge I’ve gathered about the instance is still useful?’
The realization hit him.
He made his decision instantly.
’Of course I’ll do it!’
’The Instance Life System probably has tons of instances to unlock. If I were just playing for fun, it wouldn’t matter which one I chose. Different worlds might even offer new and exciting experiences.’
’But from the perspective of a real person entering these instances to get stronger and reap rewards, it’s always better to stick with what you know.’
’I’ve already deduced so much information from the Dark Path. The monsters in the Naless World probably share so common traits, like not being too strong, which is perfect for .’
’Since there’s an Act II, my familiarity with the environnt is a huge advantage. There’s no reason to give that up.’
’The only question is, what was the key item I obtained?’
Fang Zhen thought for a mont.
’The key item,’ he thought, ’must be either the Golden Holy Chalice and the Holy Plate, or that special insignia.’
’I was planning to sell the Golden Holy Chalice and the Holy Plate, but it looks like I’ll have to put that on hold.’
’I shouldn’t sell the Golden Holy Chalice and Holy Plate before I start the Dark Path instance. What if they’re the key items? At the very least, I should wait until after I’ve confird entry into Act II. It won’t be too late to sell them then.’
’It’s only a 24-hour window anyway. Even if I decide to go, I’ll need ti to rest and restock my gear. Besides, the ga already told
that Act II is tid. By delaying my choice, I can buy myself more ti to prepare.’
Having made his decision, Fang Zhen didn’t unlock the instance yet.
He planned to wait until the 23-hour mark the next day before confirming.
With his mind made up, Fang Zhen stood up, walked into the living room, and picked up his phone.
All that thinking was ntally taxing; his head felt a little hot.
Fang Zhen felt the ntal strain, but he wasn’t bothered. A good night’s sleep would take care of it. Besides, in his experience, while ntally exhausting work was tiring, he always felt a little sharper after sleeping on it.
Fang Zhen picked up his phone.
He had put his phone on airplane mode before entering the instance. Now that he reconnected it to the network, his phone imdiately began buzzing with texts and WeTalk notifications.
Fang Zhen casually opened WeTalk to see what the ssages were about.
As soon as he opened WeTalk, Fang Zhen let out a surprised "Huh?".
On his WeTalk, Tang Xiaojuan, the manager from the gold shop he’d added earlier, had sent him more than a dozen ssages in a row.
’What’s so urgent?’ Fang Zhen wondered as he tapped on Tang Xiaojuan’s profile picture.
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