Chapter 72 This Time, I Bet on Myself to Win
The excruciating pain from the left eye, sliced by the military dagger, was intense.
Yet, Rast’s expression remained unflinching, and his movements showed no sign of disturbance.
Everyone is born tender and fearful of pain, and he was no exception.
However, having experienced more and endured greater pain, his threshold for pain was higher, making him more resilient.
Rast’s wrist twisted again, and with surgical precision, he sliced off his right eye with the military dagger.
As the intense pain from his eye socket surged again, his vision, already soaked in bl**d, turned completely void.
The bl**d mist, the town, the shattered cracks, the dark sky, and the bl**d moon…
Everything vanished, leaving only pure darkness, a world devoid of light.
Of course, along with it, the illusions that manifested in the bl**d mist, constantly tormenting his mind, also disappeared.
…
At the same time, another piece of Emblem Armor at Rast’s collar quietly shattered.
It transformed into a stream of pale silver light, gathering between his fingers.
It was a long-barreled sniper rifle, with a slender scope.
“Seven Layers of Vision.”
Apart from the heavy revolver named “Iron Pattern Moon,” this was the second piece of Emblem Armor Rast had obtained after transcending the Night World by clearing Deep Blue Harbor.
To any onlooker, his actions at this moment would seem utterly irrational.
Not to mention that under the cover of the bl**d mist, visibility in Frozen Water Town was severely limited, rendering a sniper rifle with a long scope useless…
Even without the obstructing bl**d mist—
A man who had blinded himself, now attempting to use a sniper rifle, was in itself a ludicrous notion.
The most plausible explanation would be that Rast had already been driven mad by the mental pollution of the bl**d mist, losing all basic logical reasoning.
However, at this very moment.
Rast was acutely aware that he was not insane.
He had a clear understanding of himself; he was indeed no ordinary Night Traveler.
Whether it was the mysterious Night Blade “Library of Fools” or the three-hundred-year cyclical experience in Deep Blue Harbor, both had endowed him with extraordinary potential and traits.
But in terms of mastery over supernatural abilities and sheer destructive power… due to a lack of accumulation, Rast at this moment could not compare to those of higher ranks.
After all, from the time he obtained the Night Blade “Library of Fools” to his understanding of the supernatural system based on the twenty-two Sequence Steps, only about five or six days had passed.
This was a limitation imposed by time.
The experience of spending years, even decades, honing a skill or achieving a goal in Deep Blue Harbor had taught Rast to respect the passage of time… Without the tempering of time, even the most formidable talent and exceptional ability were mere talk.
And now, the Calamity Echo of Frozen Water Town… had already claimed the lives of seventeen Night Travelers from Starry University.
Those Night Travelers responsible for scouting and pioneering the Calamity Echo were at least of the Third Tier, and even though Rast had now advanced to the Second Tier, they were still a whole tier above him.
Moreover, as top-ranked individuals on the Obelisk, the members of the strategy team had experienced the Night World many times, unlike Rodri, who had rank and a Night Blade but no practical combat experience.
Furthermore, those who entered were complete strategy teams, including Fran, who was ranked eighteenth on the Obelisk, just one step away from the Twelve Seats of the Round Table, and whose Night Blade combined both scouting and combat prowess.
It was impossible that none of them had noticed the anomaly of the bl**d mist, and they must have attempted to directly tackle the source of the pollution, the illusory bl**d moon itself.
But in the end, they all failed, becoming puppets controlled by threads, losing their selves.
So, from the very beginning…
Rast’s actions were not like those in Deep Blue Harbor, where he had ample information, considered every detail, every variable, and had a perfect plan that was destined to reach the desired outcome from the start.
Instead, it was a gamble.
A gamble with a success rate not much higher than clearing Deep Blue Harbor, and where failure would mean losing everything.
…
“Brother Rast… what are you doing?”
Grey asked, somewhat bewildered.
After all, she was just an underage girl, her mind and spirit not yet fully developed.
Now, she had to divide her attention between wielding the great power that interfered with time and resisting the corrosion of the bl**d mist on her mind, unable to withstand it.
She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on… All Grey could do was to endure as long as possible, buying time for Rast in front of her to k*ll her.
However, when Grey looked at Rast in the bl**d mist, she was still startled.
It was a figure who had lost both eyes, with empty sockets dripping bl**d.
He was holding a long sniper rifle, walking step by step into the distant bl**d mist.
“Nothing.”
“I’ve always been the type to plan before acting, to consider all possibilities and refine them until there are no loopholes before taking action, not really fond of the reckless, headstrong style.”
“But this time…”
“A certain woman took it upon herself to throw all the troubles onto me.”
“Then she left alone, and to this day, her fate is unknown.”
Even though Rast’s face, now without eyes, could only be described as terrifying, he was still smiling.
“So, let’s be crazy with her once.”
“Since Hiltina bet on me to win.”
“Then this time, I…”
“Bet on myself to win.”
…
Boom—
A pale golden light radiated from Rast’s hand.
[First Tier·Everything is a Weapon (Unlocked)]
[Imbues any object with the concept of a “weapon” and places it entirely under one’s control. If the object is already a fine-quality weapon, it significantly enhances proficiency. This skill originates from the legend of an unnamed knight who defeated a strong enemy with a tree branch.]
This was the description of “Everything is a Weapon” in the “Library of Fools.”
Imbuing all things with the concept and definition of a “weapon.”
If used by Hiltina, a rapier wielder, it would naturally allow her to wield a tree branch like a finely honed sword, cutting down strong enemies.
However, the weapon Rast was accustomed to was not a “sword,” but “bullets.”
Thus.
At this moment.
In the pale golden light.
The two eyeballs in his hand quietly solidified, transformed, and changed shape.
Finally—
The two bloodied eyeballs morphed into two pointed bullets with pale and bl**d-red patterns, taking on an aerodynamic, streamlined appearance.
Rast took out one of the pointed bullets and slowly loaded it into the magazine.
His vision was pitch black, empty, but Rast still heard the sound—
The crisp sound of a b*llet being chambered.
Thus, the mental suggestion that had been solidified for hundreds of years was triggered.
All thoughts, ideas, and notions unrelated to sniping… froze like a lake in winter.
The sound of the b*llet being chambered was the switch Rast had set for himself, forcing himself into a state of flow.
The passage of time slowed, and the world became silent.
He had indeed lost his vision by mutilating his eyes, but the complete state of flow and intuition granted Rast a sixth sense beyond the five.
The bl**d mist, the night sky, the town houses shrouded in threads, the ticking of the clock tower’s hands, the rustling of the evening wind through the distant forest… all irrelevant information was quickly perceived by Rast, then filtered and excluded.
Finally.
He caught the faint yet distinct heartbeat from the depths of the bl**d mist.
Thump—
Thump—
Thump—
With each beat, the bl**d mist and threads trembled in unison.
That was the source of the bl**d mist—the Pollutant.
At this moment, it had fully activated, a Pollutant that had gained life.
The moment he locked onto the heartbeat, Rast pulled the trigger.
The b*llet left the barrel, the muzzle lifted, and flames shot out.
At the same time, the bl**d mist surged, no longer an illusory mirage but solidified into substance.
In Rast’s perception, the heartbeat from the depths of the bl**d mist instantly changed position, appearing in a location completely opposite to where Rast had aimed.
This was the ability of the fully activated Pollutant… as long as it was within the bl**d mist domain it created, it could change positions without limit.
Even if the powerful Night Travelers before had resisted the mental pollution, the illusions and corrosion of the bl**d mist, and finally reached the source of the pollution, with just a surge of the bl**d mist… they would lose their direction once again.
Then, in the long search and evasion, they would exhaust all their will and energy, ultimately getting lost in the bl**d mist, becoming slaves controlled by threads.
This was how the previous Night Travelers had been defeated.
The pointed b*llet tore through the atmosphere, creating a piercing sonic boom.
Its power seemed unstoppable, but the trajectory’s end was already empty.
It seemed that Rast’s snipe, at the cost of blinding himself, was about to end in vain.
However, in the next instant.
Boom—
A clear light flashed.
The seemingly endless bl**d mist was abruptly pierced by a beam of light.
The spinning, speeding pointed b*llet suddenly reflected a dazzling radiance.
Like a towering lighthouse appearing abruptly on a foggy sea.
The beam dispelled the darkness and fog, illuminating a clear and distinct path.
[Obelisk·Navigator (Unlocked): The second-tier ability of the Obelisk Sequence, your eyes can see through fog and darkness, never losing direction even in the darkest, lightless sea.]
The second-tier ability of the Obelisk Sequence, Rast’s latest unlocked power.
An inherent skill bestowed upon his eyes.
And at this moment, even though Rast had cut out his eyes and used “Everything is a Weapon” to elevate them into sniper bullets… the “Navigator” trait solidified within his eyes had not dissipated.
Seeing through fog and darkness.
Never losing direction.
Swish.
The brilliant trajectory illuminated the eternal night, like a rainbow reflecting both dusk and dawn.
Then, it hit the source of all pollution in the depths of the bl**d mist.
(End of Chapter)
