Had Fang Senyan noticed this shadow at the beginning, he might not have paid it any mind, but after witnessing Lil use this very shadow to bizarrely withstand two sniper rounds from Jin Ximin, Fang Senyan dared not underestimate the seemingly harmless silhouette. He took a step back, pressing against a tree trunk, the distinct gleam of steel flashing on his right hand as he blocked.

Of course, compared to Jin Ximin, Fang Senyan, already possessing immensely rich close-combat experience, could not possibly be instantly decapitated by a single swipe. Lil, too, likely harbored no such unrealistic fantasy. With a resounding clang! Sparks flew from Fang Senyan’s wrist; his knuckles, protected by brass knuckles, emitted an extremely muffled sound upon metal impact, his entire body vibrating violently. In that instant, he understood the fundamental reason why Jin Ximin had been instantly reduced to a critical, near-death state!

“Calculating... Your Perception exceeds the opponent’s by 10 points or more. Detailed combat information unlocked.” “Calculating bonus for basic Concentration Melee Attack.” “Calculating Critical Hit Rate bonus and Suppression effect.” “Block successful. Enemy damage reduced by 1%.” “Theoretical damage from this enemy attack: 120 Damage + 42 Damage (This damage ignores defense, 【Blade】 Weapon Effect) + 60 Damage (Ability: Phantom Clone).” “Your Defense Rating is 225 Concentration, resulting in 47% damage reduction.” “Actual damage inflicted upon you by the enemy is: 120 x (1 - 40%) x (1 - 47%%) = 38 Damage + 42 Damage (Weapon effect priority) + 19 Damage!” “Your innate talent: Tenacity activated!” “Actual damage inflicted upon you by the enemy is now: 13 + 17 + 1 = 31.”

Watching the nightmare imprint immediately pop up the sequence of numbers upon striking out with his blade, Fang Senyan gritted his teeth fiercely, the word "aberrant" rising from the depths of his heart.

It was clear that the additional attribute of the deep blue weapon he held must be "Ignore Defense," and it possessed an authority akin to the "Crush" level of effect, allowing it to suppress the law of mutual pressure between Contractors!

Even more insidious, his rear shadow clone could also apply half of the main body's damage... Furthermore, this fellow had chosen H5 Strength as his secondary attribute, meaning he likely achieved a crushing advantage over Jin Ximin too! No wonder Lil abandoned his dual daggers to choose this seemingly ordinary yet incomparably fierce long saber!

When the saber swung out, four separate numbers immediately jumped out! Considering Lil was already an agility specialist with a high critical rate, those four numbers meant four separate critical checks! Jin Ximin did not possess the ability like Fang Senyan to suppress the enemy's critical hit rate by 10%! Therefore, for him, if just one critical hit occurred among those four numbers, it was naturally likely to result in a near-death blow!

From another perspective, although Jin Ximin benefited from the Silver Team's ability, "Sanctuary," granting a bonus of 100 Health Points, the flesh vine summoned by Makji just before death carried a curse that temporarily reduced a Contractor's maximum HP by 15%. Thus, his death was not entirely undeserved.

Strictly speaking, even Reef would find this long saber quite bothersome, mainly due to that 【Blade】 effect that ignores defense. But this was where the power of Fang Senyan’s innate talent, Tenacity, became evident. Though not yet fully awakened, it silently guarded Fang Senyan’s life like a final barrier. A fixed damage reduction of 25% seemed low, but with its unparalleled high priority, it offered a significant advantage in mid-to-early stage Contractor battles!

"It’s a good thing Reef told me that the basic attribute amplification granted to Reserve Hunters is temporary, and only upon officially becoming a full Hunter can one receive the bonus of twenty extra points in base unequipped attributes. Otherwise, this fight would have been incredibly difficult."

Fang Senyan mused internally. Seeing the ever-changing expression on his opponent’s face, Lil grinned sinisterly and raised his saber: "You think relying on equipment defense can stop me? I tell you, even if you clad yourself in an iron turtle shell, I will smash it open alive!"

With that, Lil charged forward again, the deep blue light flowing with the wild elegance of a tempest, flashing like a sudden downpour. Whether it struck or missed, after one blow, he would immediately retreat swiftly. Lil’s Agility must have already surpassed fifty; his advances and retreats were truly sudden and unpredictable, possessing an eerie, ghostly quality. Fang Senyan counterattacked twice but was skillfully evaded both times.

But as Lil launched his third strike, Fang Senyan finally grasped the rhythm of his movements. Just as he was struck and blood flashed, his long-prepared right fist slammed heavily into Lil's face!

Lil's attack was halted by this punch, sending him staggering back three or four meters. Yet, having taken the hit, the man instantly lifted his head, his eyes showing a mixture of pain and sudden understanding, before bursting into maniacal laughter: "Let me see, 23 points of 【True】 Damage! Does it feel weird to hit someone without the Crush effect? You want to crush me! I possess a full 26 points of Strength. Unless you, a Reserve Strength Hunter, have awakened!"

"But if you were a Strength Hunter who had awakened, would you stand by and watch your teammates die?" Here, Lil held a misunderstanding; he had always viewed Jin Ximin as Fang Senyan’s confidant. This was because Reef and Fang Senyan had saved Jin Ximin several times during previous defensive battles, all observed by Lil and Yu Ze.

Fang Senyan’s expression hardened. He did not answer Lil's provocative words, focusing entirely on parrying and counterattacking. In a short span, he managed to evade two of Lil’s strikes and successfully counterattacked with two punches! Lil immediately ceased his complacency, suppressing his triumphant mood and focusing entirely on the battle.

As the two grew more familiar with each other’s patterns, Lil was successfully countered with a punch by Fang Senyan almost every two or three saber swings! However, Lil also noticed that his opponent’s breathing was growing heavier, and his movements were starting to slow, so he fiercely pressed on.

About a kilometer away on the lingering battlefield, Reef and the awakened Mogansa were watching the progress of this fight extremely closely. It had to be said that this demonstrated the might of a full-fledged Hunter. Although Makji was dead, the flesh vine he left behind could still firmly restrain Mogansa, leaving him extremely weak and unable to break free under his own power. The heavy fog that had previously shrouded the area vanished after Jin Ximin’s death—clearly a tactic employed by him to prevent Reef and the others from notifying Fang Senyan of their sudden disappearance.

Since long-range team communication continuously consumed Universal Points, Fang Senyan had conveniently shut it down after confirming that Reef and Mogansa were safe. Though temporarily combat-incapacitated, the two could still monitor the drop in Fang Senyan’s health via the shared team intelligence.

And just as the battle reached a stalemate, suddenly, Fang Senyan’s health, which had been close to three hundred points, instantly surged back to full!

This bizarre turn of events immediately astonished Reef, who couldn't help but say hoarsely, "What happened?"

Mogansa’s jaw dropped, and after a long pause, he managed to say with difficulty, "This can only mean one thing: Sailor used that vial of Honorous High-Protein Injector!!"

Reef responded in disbelief, "But... but he clearly still had 300 health points!"

This dark-skinned brother, Mogansa, also opened his thick lips in surprise, asking uncertainly, "Could he have used it incorrectly?"

Reef shook his head, pondering, "Absolutely impossible! Drugs stored in the space are activated by thought; how could such a blunder occur! Unless..."

...

Watching the continuous flashing lights on Fang Senyan’s body, Lil’s expression immediately grew grim. Fang Senyan, however, immediately surged forward, revitalized, aggressively attacking without regard for injury, fully intent on suppressing Lil by trading blows! Lil appeared to be struggling to fend off attacks, yet he kept leaving cuts and gashes on Fang Senyan’s body.

Suddenly, Fang Senyan deliberately exposed his vital chest area, taking two consecutive slashes from Lil, but in doing so, he skillfully forced Lil into a corner formed by trees. He drew the Ambition pistol, aimed, and fired! His eyes blazing crimson, he roared, "Die!"

Lil, however, charged forward abruptly at that moment!

He bit down hard and took the bullet. Though splattered with blood from the lead projectile, he did not enter a weakened state. Instead, he braced himself, long saber thrust forward through the smoke, and plunged it into Fang Senyan’s chest!

Deeply inserted, piercing through chest and abdomen, the blade’s momentum did not cease, driving further into the vegetation behind him, instantly causing it to snap and shatter.

Vital Hit!

Critical Strike!

Warm blood mingled with shattered foliage, scattering wildly into the air, the atmosphere immediately saturated with a strong scent of iron!

Fang Senyan grunted, realizing he had been tricked, and rapidly retreated to bleed off the force!

But this blade, carrying the chill of death, this strike born of frenzied slaughter, had inflicted a severe wound upon him!

At this moment, the light indicating the use of the Honorous High-Protein Injector also flashed across Lil’s body—this was why he hadn't been felled by the shot. A cruel sneer curled on his lips: "You’re not the only one with the Merit Potion as a trump card! Idiot!"

In this instant, Lil gripped the hilt; the snakeskin-wrapped grip gave him a warm, reassuring feeling. The edge of this long saber was already stained with the blood of too many enemies, and today! The edge of this blade was destined to claim the soul of another enemy.

The piercing deep blue flash of the saber reappeared. Lil, filled with the immense superiority of impending victory, dragged the blade sideways. Fang Senyan immediately stumbled back, blood spurting wildly, his expression of horrified disbelief only fueling Lil’s satisfaction.