This wad of phlegm was as big as a palm—my morning’s achievement in cleaning out my lungs.

If I hadn’t been able to focus my consciousness and observe my body in the finest detail, I could never have imagined just how filthy my lungs actually were.

All of this was the accumulation of years of breathing dirty air: PM2.5, PM10, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, car exhaust, industrial emissions, construction dust… all of it had built up in my lungs, forming this mass.

Once I expelled that phlegm, I immediately felt an indescribable ease in my breathing. Without a comparison, I wouldn’t have noticed, but now, my previous breathing felt like I’d been suffocating in a jar with my mouth and nose covered—utterly unbearable. It was hard to imagine how I hadn’t realized how labored my breathing had been before.

I took a deep breath, and it felt as if every cell in my body became more active from that single inhalation.

After clearing out the phlegm, my lung capacity increased by at least seventy or eighty percent. Humans need oxygen to break down energy, and this boost in lung capacity could double the efficiency of oxygen transport in the blood—enough to raise any creature’s stamina and endurance to a terrifying level.

I gently clenched my fist, secretly delighted: “Looks like clearing out my lungs first was the right choice. Next, I should clean out my digestive system, but that’s not something I can do here.”

I rinsed my mouth thoroughly and returned to the training ground, pondering how I could most quickly increase my physical strength and potential, when Instructor pushed in the lunch cart.

Instructor glanced coldly at the people in the training ground and said, “After lunch, there will be a hellish carnival. It ends when ten people are dead. Use this lunch break to think carefully about how you’re going to survive.”

Although I’d only been in this dark training camp for three days, I seemed to have already adapted to this bloody life. The thought of people being killed right before my eyes no longer stirred any emotion in me. I was just a bit surprised that Instructor had moved the carnival to after lunch, but it didn’t really matter—this was still a deadly game.

Lunch was a rare privilege for a few; most people just watched, making it a nasty affair. So everyone stared at the lucky few, while also guarding against those around them.

When Instructor shouted and announced the start of the carnival, my body, leaning against the wall, sprang up like a coiled spring.

A fist missed me by a hair, smashing into the wall behind me. The wall’s health dropped by four points in an instant, showing just how vicious and powerful that punch was.

Before I could strike back at the guy who was still grinning wickedly, a heavy kick landed on my lower back.

The force of that kick was immense, sending me flying sideways. I nearly stopped breathing midair—the brutal blow had shattered my spine.

My misfortune wasn’t over yet. Before I even hit the ground, a pair of large hands grabbed me by the chest and slammed me hard onto the floor with a dull thud.

It was just a kick and a slam, but everyone in this dark training camp was a bona fide killing machine—so ruthless and powerful that even a horse would be beaten to death, let alone me, just an ordinary middle schooler. Even though my physical fitness had improved a lot recently, I was still no match for these beasts.

After being slammed to the ground, I lost almost all my breath. Even if I were rushed to the best hospital immediately, many experienced doctors would declare that every extra breath I took was a medical miracle.

I had obtained Whitehair’s soul, my physical abilities had greatly improved, and I had learned boxing from Julia Carter, but I still couldn’t compare to the strong bodies of these killers in the training camp. What’s more, due to lack of experience, I hadn’t yet been able to apply what Julia Carter had taught me in actual combat.

Especially in this kind of melee, my shallow fighting experience was a fatal weakness.

With the last bit of my strength, I grabbed the big foot pressing down on my chest. Only then did I have a chance to unleash every ounce of my potential.

At the brink of life and death, I didn’t just unleash seventy percent—I pushed myself to ninety percent. My strength surged, and with a desperate twist, I broke the thigh of the person trying to finish me off. Normally, this would be my final blaze of glory, and the only outcome would be mutual destruction.

But… fortunately!

I still had the Golden Burial Shroud!

Vitality gushed from this person’s body, and the foot pressing down on me quickly lost all strength. My life, on the verge of extinction, was like a candle flickering in the wind—someone had just added another match.

The flesh and blood devoured by the Golden Burial Shroud was transformed into the purest life force, nourishing every inch of my body. After a brush with death, I barely managed to claw my way back. Playing dead on the ground wasn’t an option—last time I’d done that, I’d been knocked into a corner, but this time I was thrown into the chaos of battle. If I kept lying there, I’d easily be kicked to death. Once I regained a bit of strength, I suddenly rolled over and stood up.

In this kind of unrestricted chaotic battle, everyone is an enemy.