The manner in which this person began their approach was steady, their footfalls measured, as if each step was taken with a calculated precision. Merely standing there, fists quietly clenched, they already appeared as an endless, towering mountain range, solidly planted in the darkness, a presence so firm that even the rain falling from the sky seemed to yield slightly.

Crowbar looked at the figure, clearly letting out a long, audible breath, yet his eyes still held a look of profound surprise:

"It's you?"

The person replied calmly:

"Of course, it is me. (Mobile Access:)\ This chapter was manually input by Chastity Hand."

Crowbar gave a cold sneer:

"It's truly a case of men dying for wealth and birds for food. Sailor, since you managed to crawl back alive from under the Troll's club, you should cherish that life instead of running out here to court death!"

The one who had stepped forward was naturally Fang Senyan, who had been holding his silence until now. As Crowbar finished speaking, he instantly received a series of urgent prompts from the Nightmare Sigil:

“Contractor ID 33192 has declared war on you!”

“Contractor ID 33192 has declared war on you!”

“The peace treaty between you will terminate in 10 seconds.”

“10-second countdown initiated.”

“Contractor ID 33192 initiated hostilities; 50% of the 6000 universal points forcibly deducted from him will be transferred to your account.”

Following this barrage of messages, Crowbar's face was etched with murderous intent as he approached, dragging his iron hook which trailed faint specks of deep blue light! His voice, erupting from his throat, was more like a roar!

"You fool! Do you think I am utterly spent, at the end of my tether? Do you imagine I’ve already unleashed my full strength? The most important thing for a person is self-awareness! If one's eyes only focus on profit, the ultimate result will be a humiliating death like a dog's! Now, you should be grateful to me, because I shall generously grant you three seconds to pray before I kill you!"

Fang Senyan’s expression was remarkably placid, as if Crowbar’s words were nothing more than background noise. This undoubtedly irritated Crowbar further, fueling a surge of savage impulse. With a 'whoosh,' he swung his iron hook down with full force. Fang Senyan swiftly turned his wrist, managing to catch the blow with the Butcher’s Cleaver axe he held, but he was clearly overpowered, stumbling back three or four paces.

Crowbar burst into wild laughter:

"With just that little bit of strength, you dare try to snatch an advantage from me?"

His laughter cut short as Fang Senyan suddenly surged forward, launching an axe strike aimed at the crown of Crowbar's head! Crowbar's eyes sharpened, and instead of dodging, he swept his hook across in a horizontal arc. With a sharp swish-la, a gruesome wound was torn across Fang Senyan's chest, but Crowbar’s face immediately paled—amidst the spattering blood, Fang Senyan’s expression remained unfazed, and he followed through with an equally vicious chop that landed on Crowbar's right shoulder!

The two traded furious blows for seven or eight rounds. Yet, the longer they fought, the more unsettled Crowbar became. The strength of the man before him was clearly below the fifteen-point threshold; he was completely suppressed by Crowbar’s own power. Combined with his deep-blue weapon, which had been enhanced to a full LV6, the enemy should have collapsed long ago. But the stark reality was that Crowbar himself was being steadily drained, his life force dipping below 50% and edging toward the danger zone!

In that instant, Fang Senyan deliberately took another blow from the hook, raising his head to meet it. Crowbar felt his heavy iron hook impact his opponent’s skull, creating a bizarre sensation of sparks flying, leaving only a faint white mark! Blood immediately saturated Fang Senyan’s hair, but he used the moment to lunge forward, closing the distance to Crowbar. The two men were face-to-face, breathing in the stench of sweat and blood, their ragged breaths seeming to collide violently! Veins bulged on Crowbar’s forehead; just as he was about to raise his arm to deliver a punishing strike, Fang Senyan, his face still calm, smashed a heavy punch directly into his left eye!

Blood mixed with the aqueous humor released from the shattered eyeball gushed forth with grotesque enthusiasm. Crowbar clutched his ruined left eye, his facial muscles contorted in agony, staggering backward in rage. Fang Senyan did not pursue, instead standing quietly in the darkness, possessing an indescribable mystery and unpredictability. He clenched his fists and stated coldly:

“I deeply regret to inform you, Mr. Crowbar, that this weakling you deemed fit only to be cannon fodder possesses enough strength to kill you ten times over!... Show me your true power, Crowbar. Let me see what you have been hiding!”

"Could it be that this guy is wearing exceptionally strong protective gear?" Crowbar, a veteran fighter engulfed by a mixture of shock and fury, quickly guessed the core of the truth. However, a sinister grin spread across his face as he retreated a couple of steps:

"You think just because your defense is high you have me cornered? Let me tell you, the price I paid to endure this humiliation for this day is far beyond your imagination! Anyone who stands in my way must die!"

As Crowbar finished speaking, a faint phosphorescent glow appeared in his left palm, gradually dispersing in the air until it clung to his iron hook like swamp gas. The hook, which had been radiating a deep blue light, slowly turned translucent, appearing as if wielded by a phantom.

"This is the Ghost Sharpening Stone I acquired from the world of The Lord of the Rings, costing a full three hundred Team Medals! This item allows my weapon to temporarily possess the traits of the spectral weapons used by those Hill-Folk Phantoms. It ignores any defense that reduces damage—be it personal abilities, armor thickness, or even the rules of the world! All must be shattered before the sharpness of the Ghost Weapon! ... So, perish!"

Crowbar shrieked this declaration while executing a bizarre, sweeping swing with the hook. Fang Senyan’s heart tightened; he genuinely had not anticipated that this fellow possessed such a terrifying artifact. He could only raise his axe to parry, but this time the block proved utterly useless. The faintly blue, semi-transparent iron hook passed directly through the axe head, aiming straight for Fang Senyan's chest!

The attack was devastatingly sudden. Fang Senyan, who was not known for his agility among Contractors, found evasion impossible. He desperately leaned backward, but it was clearly futile. However, the moment the light-blue, translucent hook made contact with the skin of Fang Senyan's chest, a burst of blue smoke erupted. The hook instantly reverted to a solid state, leaving only a shallow cut on Fang Senyan’s chest, while the smoke condensed into a ghost light before dissipating into an ordinary stone that fell into the mud below.

Simultaneously, both Fang Senyan and Crowbar received notifications:

“The Ghost Sharpening Stone’s property of ignoring physical defense and spatial rules is conflicting with Contractor ID 1018’s innate ability.”

“Data conflict detected, prioritizing judgment…”

“The Ghost Sharpening Stone’s priority is higher than the 40% damage reduction rule between Contractors.”

“The Ghost Sharpening Stone’s priority is higher than your damage reduction rules.”

“Under judgment…”

“Your hidden talent: Tenacity has priority over the Ghost Sharpening Stone’s priority, overriding it.”

“Considering the special function of the Ghost Sharpening Stone, all its damage reduction effects will be forcibly terminated, and it will revert to its unused state.” (The addition granted by the Ghost Sharpening Stone is quite unique; once applied, it acts like a form of magic, so once it’s nullified, it fails completely. As this item will reappear later, this clarification is necessary.)

Seeing this sequence of notifications, Crowbar’s face was filled with utter disbelief. Fang Senyan seized the moment of hesitation, rapidly closing the distance and crashing into Crowbar’s embrace. The advantage of his upgraded Basic Skill, Grappling Combat LV2, was fully realized—a shoulder check, a knee strike, followed by several relentless axe blows that hammered Crowbar backward in a spray of blood, forcing him to roll frantically on the ground to evade the assault. When he finally managed to stand again, Crowbar’s face was ashen, his features twisted, teeth grinding audibly. This wasn't just due to being beaten so severely; it was because even Crowbar himself could sense that the Sailor before him had completely suppressed him, forcing him into a decisive disadvantage!

In Crowbar’s eyes now, the man before him, who claimed to be a Sailor, was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable mist. This gave him a disorienting sense that he had severely misjudged the situation.

But his gaze remained firm, stubborn!

It was even laced with a mocking confidence.

"Reveal your last trump card," Fang Senyan sneered, his lips curving slightly. He suddenly clenched his fist, the sound of his knuckles cracking distinctly audible. Although he looked battered and bruised, his eyes burned like red-hot iron—intense and blazing. That look alone, even from a distance, projected an intimidating, unyielding steeliness that felt forceful, even suffocating.

Crowbar finally reacted, a flicker of genuine terror entering his eyes:

"You... How do you know that! Who told you! Who is it?"

Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of derision in his tone:

"No one told me. If you absolutely must point a finger, then it would have to be you."

Crowbar looked as if he had seen a ghost, stumbling backward a step:

"You... You... How is this possible!!"

Fang Senyan gave a dry laugh:

"Let me ask you, the Symbiotic Society is currently not under your leadership here, is it?"

Crowbar hesitated:

"Naturally not."

Fang Senyan continued:

"Based on the information you provided me, the leader coordinating the Symbiotic Society in this world has entered this environment multiple times. He likely possesses exceptional talent and ability in matters of mind and intellect, allowing him to gain favor with a key plot character in this world dominated by the Demon Race, thus achieving a high status. Simultaneously, the head of the Banks Gang follows his path. It is clear that your two factions are locked in a state of rivalry."

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