William Harper was simply at a loss for words, secretly complaining to himself: "Damn! Am I turning into the ultimate villain now? Isn't this just a budget version of Li Yuanhong? Sitting at home, and suddenly my status skyrockets. I haven't done anything, okay? I don't want to become the big bad villain! I don't even want this kind of status!"

　　William Harper was feeling troubled. This village had already been slaughtered, and even if he switched characters, there was no way to complete the newbie quest. How could he leave this place?

　　Suddenly, the system gave him a prompt: Enemy approaching!

　　The circular light screen not only provided coordinates, but also a three-dimensional map. On the map, a young man and woman were running toward him one after the other—the very two "warriors" who had just slaughtered the village. Both of them looked rather strange, as if they shared some tacit understanding.

　　The young man and woman were both quite young. The man looked like a high school student, dressed in a Republican-era student uniform, sharp and capable, with the air of a patriotic youth. The girl was a bit older, about twenty-one or twenty-two, still with a hint of childishness, like a college student who hadn't yet graduated. She held a long spear in her hand, her hair tied in a ponytail swaying behind her, dressed in a form-fitting athletic outfit that accentuated her attractive figure, blending both classical and modern styles.

　　Although William Harper had no interest in the village massacre, he knew that these villagers were most likely not real people, and these two weren't maniacs, just ordinary players. He was about to greet them when he saw the young woman raise her hand and hurl the spear at him. The throw was so fast that it was upon him in an instant.

　　Luckily, William Harper had just used a "thug-level" character card, giving him excellent physical abilities. In the nick of time, he leaned back, and the spear grazed the tip of his nose, striking the tree behind him with a thud, burying itself several inches deep, the spearhead embedded in the trunk.

　　"This little vixen really doesn't hold back!"

　　Before William Harper could even get up, he quickly allocated all the experience points he had just gained into Boneless Soft Fist. The light screen chimed repeatedly—ding ding dong dong, ding ding dong dong... By the time he straightened up, Boneless Soft Fist had already reached level ten.

　　Boneless Soft Fist, Fist Technique, One-Star Grandmastery!

　　William Harper's martial arts value hit a new high, reaching ten points.

　　Just in the time it took to tilt his head back, Young Mr. Harper had gone from a third-rate nobody in the martial world to a martial arts expert on par with an armed escort, feeling a bit proud of himself. He was quick-witted and immediately realized why the young woman wanted to kill him—ninety-nine percent sure it was because of the "Chain Quest—Demonic Blade Inheritance!"

　　No doubt, these two players who had completed the village massacre quest had also received the Demonic Blade Inheritance quest, so they wanted to kill him, making "ninety-nine this year, ninety-eight next year."

　　As William Harper stood up, he casually grabbed the spear stuck in the tree, braced his back, and pulled it out. He weighed and shook it. Although he wasn't skilled with weapons—never having learned to use them since childhood—he figured it was still better than fighting barehanded, especially with Boneless Soft Fist as his foundation.

　　The young woman was slightly stunned, clearly not believing that her all-out spear throw had failed to kill William Harper. The young man, a split second slower than her, reacted quickly, darting in close, attacking with fists and feet. His hands were like two short swords, poking and jabbing in a particularly sleazy manner, instantly leaving the young woman dazed. She only managed to defend herself for seven or eight moves before the young man caught her neck in a scissor lock and gave it a vicious twist. The young woman's head drooped, clearly dead.

　　After a moment, the young woman dissolved into a cloud of white mist and drifted away.

　　Only then did William Harper recall that when he killed the village belle Aunt Li, the same thing had happened. He couldn't help but complain, "This damn game even has visual effects to protect children!"

　　After killing his opponent, the young man reached out and grabbed a dozen or so cards from the white mist, shot William Harper a cold glance, and said indifferently, "Once my Meteor Sword Technique levels up, I'll come back to kill you!"

　　This young man, dressed as a Republican-era student, was truly the epitome of cool arrogance. After saying this, he turned and left, completely ignoring William Harper.

　　William Harper weighed the spear in his hand, thought about how he had almost been killed just now, the girl who had already been killed, and the threat to his own life. Suddenly, a surge of viciousness welled up in him. He took a running start and, imitating what he'd just seen, hurled the spear.

　　Somehow, this throw seemed to resonate with some secret technique—the spear shot out like lightning, with astonishing force.

　　The young man never expected William Harper to attack him from behind. Completely unprepared, he was pierced through the back and out the chest by the spear. He turned his face to glare angrily at William Harper, but only managed to widen his eyes twice before collapsing to the ground, dead.

　　William Harper's light screen promptly notified him that he had killed two "Demonic Blade Inheritors!" Apparently, the girl killed by the young man in Republican-era student attire was also credited to him, making William Harper mutter again, "So the kill list can stack—what a thoughtful design."