"Because I don't know what it is either, I can only answer based on the cards you draw. You can treat it as divination."

Charles Carter glanced at the cards on the table, said nothing more, and casually drew three from the middle.

In fact, even now he didn't really believe what the woman was saying. Basically, it was a case of grasping at straws—just giving it a try. If it didn't work, he'd only be out a few dozen yuan, which he could just consider as a crazy Thursday treat for a friend.

He flipped over the first card. The main image was a huge eye, with a blurred background on the card, as if it were the silhouette of a person.

The second card was a round jade pendant carved with a dragon, the background resplendent in gold, like a dragon throne in a palace?

The third card was pitch black, like a pure black curtain, but faintly outlined in gold, sketching the face of a god or Buddha, though the details were unclear.

The woman remained silent for a long time.

Charles Carter was a bit speechless too. "Why are you still closing your eyes? Can you even see?"

"This first card is nothing more than an eye on the back," the woman finally seemed to snap out of it and spoke slowly. "It can slightly enhance your vision, but more importantly, it lets you see what's behind you."

You really can see... Charles Carter was stunned for a moment, suddenly finding it a bit interesting.

What he hated most was being ambushed—wasn't this just perfect? Whether or not the woman was deliberately interpreting things based on his dream, at least the picture really was an eye on the back.

Could this card draw actually be reflecting his subconscious?

"Then... is the second card a location? What does this jade pendant represent?"

The woman fell silent again. After a long while, she suddenly said, "You'll know once you go in."

Charles Carter: "???"

The woman suddenly reached out and picked up the eye card. Charles Carter didn't even see her hand move before the card was pressed to his forehead.

The next moment, the world spun, and Charles Carter vanished, as if he had never existed here.

Even the eye card disappeared along with him, while the other two remained on the table.

The woman picked up the last black card, sat quietly for a few seconds, and murmured to herself, "I didn't expect... he could actually draw out my foundation..."

She slowly opened her eyes, her pupils black as ink, like a desolate night—cold and deathly still.

"Kill the demoness? Heh... I'll be waiting for you."

Chapter 2: The Sword Not Yet Worn

Dusk.

The setting sun was like blood.

Wild crows circled above, around a lonely village. The shrill cries of the crows intertwined with the screams and wails from the village, making the place seem even more like a hellish prison.

Charles Carter stood dumbly behind a tree in the distance, looking at the chaotic scene in the village. He hadn't even recovered from the discomfort of traveling between two worlds when a small village on the verge of massacre appeared before his eyes.

Broken doors and window planks were scattered everywhere, the stench of blood wafted from every household, corpses lay in disarray outside doors and windows, naked female bodies discarded carelessly on the road, all bearing the marks of violation.

Black-clad men were still rampaging everywhere, breaking into houses, looting valuables. With his enhanced vision, he could clearly see someone dragging a woman out to be assaulted in the street, while a group of black-clad men laughed heartily.

So this is what they call "the starting location will be in a safe place"?

Appearing in the woods outside the village, not directly inside it, with the murderers unaware of his presence so he could sneak away—was this supposed to be safe?

He saw a black-clad man leading a yellow ox and dragging a pile of bloody loot, shouting impatiently, "That's enough, how many flavors can these village girls have? The sun's about to set, kill them all, don't leave any trouble behind."

Seeing a black-clad man raise his butcher's knife, about to hack down at a child nearby, Charles Carter's anger surged and he could no longer hold back. He grabbed a thick branch from the woods and charged out.

Why is it that every time I dream, the broadsword I always have is gone... Whatever, to hell with safety, isn't this just a dream! From experience, if I die, I'll just wake up—then I can go back and ask that blind woman what the hell she's up to!

"Whack!" The stick whistled through the air, catching the black-clad man off guard and knocking his knife aside. Charles Carter didn't stop, swinging the stick in a wide arc and landing a solid blow on the man's face, blood spraying everywhere.

The black-clad man clutched his head and screamed, while the others stared in shock. Charles Carter quickly grabbed the child behind him and turned to run. Obviously, he couldn't take on a whole group—saving the person was the priority.

Someone suddenly sneered, "There's still a survivor? Kill him."

The black-clad men grinned viciously and chased after them. How could Charles Carter and the child outrun them? He could clearly "see" the scene behind him—a long blade was already swinging down toward his neck.

The eye on the back—does it really work?

Charles Carter twisted aside just in time, blocking with the stick, which was instantly chopped in two. He dodged quickly, but the blade left a long gash on his face.

But in that moment of delay, the child was already cut down by another.

Charles Carter ignored the pain on his face, his mind blank.

The child was dead... just like that, hacked to death right in front of him, and he couldn't save him.

It seemed there were no living people left in this village...

"Damn it!" Charles Carter roared in fury, swinging the half-broken stick like a mad tiger at the attackers.