The only thing that Grace Bolton could be grateful for was that his leg had not been in contact with the weapon for long—almost just a brief touch. So, although his leg and foot were now badly scalded, the flesh mangled and the pain unbearable, at least it wasn’t a lifelong disability. After gritting his teeth and enduring for a moment, that dizzy feeling gradually faded away.

Looking up at the pile of armor and weapons, his ears twitched slightly as he caught a faint, almost imperceptible sound.

It was William Carter. He hadn’t taken the opportunity to escape while Grace Bolton was distracted, nor had he tried to launch another sneak attack. Instead, he was hiding like a mouse.

Grace Bolton’s face, already twisted and hideous from the pain, became even more terrifying.

If William Carter had simply run away, there would have been nothing he could do. Or, if William Carter had been a bit bolder and attacked him directly...

Grace Bolton shuddered involuntarily, not daring to think further. But he immediately dismissed that possibility—there was no way that orphan would have the guts to do such a thing.

However, since he hadn’t escaped, he was doomed to die today!

Now that William Carter had successfully activated the weapon, there was no longer any need for him to stay alive. Whether it was the pain from his wounded foot or the uncontrollable jealousy in his heart, Grace Bolton could not allow William Carter to continue living and jumping around in front of him.

Forcing himself to endure the pain, Grace Bolton hopped over step by step, picking up a chipped short knife along the way. Although his leg was injured and movement was difficult, he was still filled with absolute confidence that he could kill his opponent.

That kid was just someone who had never received any martial arts training. As long as Grace Bolton had even a bit of strength left, it would be enough to kill him.

However, Grace Bolton didn’t know that at this moment, William Carter, hiding behind a pile of discarded weapons, was not cowering in the shadows, trembling in fear, but was instead doing something within his ability.

When Grace Bolton had struck the back of his neck in the forge, William Carter had indeed passed out. But it was only for a very brief moment, because in his mind, a sudden flash of purple light appeared.

This purple light was extremely abrupt, and the instant it appeared, William Carter changed.

It wasn’t that William Carter suddenly gained some world-destroying power, but rather that his consciousness seemed to have been pulled out of his body in that instant. Although he could still control his body as usual, he felt as if he were watching from the sidelines.

Yes, that’s how it could be described—because of that strange purple light, William Carter’s consciousness split in two.

One half remained hidden in his body, while the other became an observer.

Perhaps it was precisely this strange and mysterious split of consciousness that put William Carter into an unprecedented state of absolute calm.

He watched Grace Bolton’s every move with this calmness—though perhaps “watched” isn’t the right word; “sensed” would be more accurate.

Because even with his eyes closed, he could fully grasp the situation around him. Of course, the range wasn’t large—just a little over ten meters.

But to him, this was already a magical experience.

With this almost cheat-like ability, nothing Grace Bolton did could escape his notice. Moreover, he could make the calmest and most correct judgments, keeping his body feigning unconsciousness so that Grace Bolton would not be on guard. Only when Grace Bolton kicked out, about to inflict serious harm on his body, did William Carter strike instantly and successfully injure his enemy.

After hiding among the discarded armor and weapons, William Carter’s body and consciousness remained in this state, like a cold machine, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

He naturally knew that attacking Grace Bolton at this moment was undoubtedly one of the best options.

But who knew if Grace Bolton had some trump card left? William Carter’s subconscious told him he didn’t want to be defeated at the last moment.

So, he followed the method he was most familiar with and trusted the most to save himself.

His gaze swept over the countless discarded weapons behind him, and without hesitation, William Carter picked one up. It was a broken blade, with the front half missing. Yet, under the weapon’s appraisal, its attributes were the highest among all the weapons around.

Sharpness +2.

After picking up this broken blade, William Carter didn’t pause for a moment and grabbed another discarded weapon.

Under the weapon’s flicker, the last bit of luster on this blade instantly disappeared, turning it into nothing but scrap metal. If any craftsman had forged such a weapon, the official in charge of inspection would probably have beaten him to death on the spot.

At this moment, William Carter knew he was facing one of the greatest challenges of his life.

If he couldn’t get through it, there was only death. The venomous look in Grace Bolton’s eyes made it clear what would happen if he fell into this man’s hands.

Hmm, it would probably be even more miserable than Grace Bolton’s half-crippled leg.