Chapter 26

Lumian's mind was completely focused.

When the moment of truth arrived, he was less fearful than he had been earlier. Although his body still trembled a bit, at least he no longer felt as if he were about to collapse.

"I should have died five years ago. Thanks to Aurore, I've lived for five more years. What is there to be afraid of?" Lumian clenched his teeth and gave himself a mental pep talk.

In the next second, he saw the surface of the first trap, already dimly lit, become even darker.

A figure had approached it, blocking the light that penetrated the thick fog from above.

The figure was a monster, half-human and half-beast, carrying a hunting rifle. Its blood-red eyes scanned the ground, and its forward-bent "knees" bent further.

A moment later, it removed the hunting rifle, jumped up, and cleared the trap, landing on the solid, cracked ground.

Almost simultaneously, it turned its head, covered in greasy black hair, and looked toward the place where a slight noise had come from.

Then, it saw Lumian, who looked panicked, hurriedly getting up and trying to hide behind the wall.

With a low growl, the monster leaped high again, pouncing on its target.

It aimed for a spot slightly outside where Lumian had been, to prevent him from turning around and delivering a fatal blow while it was still unsteady.

Lumian, however, disappeared behind the wall, crawling and scrambling.

As soon as the monster landed, the soil beneath its feet seemed to give way.

It had no support and fell into the deep pit that had suddenly appeared, along with the dirt and ropes.

Splash!

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed, mixed with a noise that sounded like a rat's scream.

Lumian, who had taken cover behind the wall, felt a surge of intense joy.

The first step had succeeded!

This made the remaining fear in his heart diminish significantly. He picked up the steel fork beside him and ran to the edge of the trap.

The previous skinless monster's tenacious vitality had left a strong impression on him. Now, with the target still holding a hunting rifle, he did not expose himself above the pit but stopped at a distance and stabbed wildly with the steel fork.

Suddenly, the steel fork became heavy and stopped.

Then, a powerful force transmitted through the fork to Lumian, pulling him forcefully toward the trap.

Caught off guard, Lumian slid forward a step.

Without time to observe the scene at the bottom of the pit, he immediately dropped the steel fork, turned his body, and lunged toward the side of the wall that had not collapsed.

Bang!

His back felt a heavy blow, as if hit by a giant hammer.

Lumian's throat felt a sweet taste, and a distinct iron rust flavor rose up.

With a splash, he lost his balance and fell, rolling several times before regaining control of his body and getting up.

Almost simultaneously, he saw the half-human, half-beast monster jump out of the pit.

It held a single-barreled hunting rifle, its jacket torn at the chest and abdomen, revealing several gruesome wounds that had penetrated its body. Dark red blood, mixed with a pale yellow liquid, was flowing out, and internal organs were faintly visible.

Clearly, the monster had been severely injured by Lumian's trap, but it had not lost its ability to fight.

During its fall into the pit, it had adjusted its body position in time, avoiding vital areas like its head and chest, and preventing serious injuries to its legs and arms. Otherwise, it would not have been able to jump out of the trap.

As soon as Lumian saw the monster's condition, he immediately ran into the ruins of a nearby building without hesitation.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but a pre-planned strategy.

After all, he was not sure if the trap would work on the monster, and if it did, whether it would render it completely unable to fight.

If not, and the monster was only severely injured, Lumian planned to play a game of "hide and seek."

This meant using the environment to engage in a prolonged standoff, delaying the monster until it could no longer suppress its injuries, and its strength and reactions significantly declined.

Then, the opportunity would come.

Bang!

Another gunshot, and the area where Lumian had been standing was hit by lead pellets, with a bit of dirt splattering up.

Lumian, who had taken cover behind a partially collapsed wall, did not stay but crawled through the gaps in the ruins to the other side.

Before he could stand up, he heard a gust of wind from above.

The monster had jumped over.

Lumian immediately turned and crawled back through the gap to the partially collapsed wall.

Thus, he used the numerous collapsed buildings to his advantage, hiding and dodging, avoiding direct confrontation with the monster and evading its attacks.

"Hide and seek" was Lumian's strong suit.

Many times before, after playing pranks, he had relied on this skill to escape being beaten on the spot.

As the chase and evasion continued, time passed quickly, and Lumian gradually became a bit out of breath. The monster's running speed, jumping height, strength, and reactions were all noticeably weaker.

"Just a little more, just a little more. I still can't beat it now..." Lumian hid back in his previous position, leaning against the partially collapsed wall, forcibly suppressing the urge to counterattack.

Bang! His back was hit again, and he flew forward.

The partially collapsed wall behind him crumbled, with stones flying everywhere.

This time, the monster did not choose to circle around but turned its body and charged directly into the obstacle.

Under its full force, the already unstable partially collapsed wall could not withstand the impact.

However, the monster also lost more blood, and the ground turned dark red.

Although Lumian had not expected to be "crashed" into, his injuries were not severe, and his reaction was quick enough. He rolled with the momentum and hid behind a pile of stones that formed the remains of a house.

Bang!

The bullets from the hunting rifle followed, but they were a step too late.

— After knocking down the wall, the monster took more time to adjust its position.

It touched the bag hanging from its waist, found no more bullets, and discarded the hunting rifle, pouncing toward where Lumian was.

Lumian had already moved to a new position and continued playing hide and seek.

Of course, he did not dare to keep playing until the monster's injuries worsened and he fell. He was worried that the monster might flee if its condition worsened, and he feared that the prolonged time might attract other monsters.

After a few more circles, Lumian keenly noticed that the monster's movements seemed to be more difficult.

"Opportunity!"

He pretended to run to the side of a collapsed building.

Then, he stood there, drew the axe from his back, and adjusted his breathing.

In the blink of an eye, the monster turned the corner and appeared before Lumian.

Lumian made a quick decision, taking advantage of the moment before the monster could see the situation clearly. He lifted the axe and moved forward without hesitation.

He took a step, turned his body, and lowered his shoulder, intending to use the "shoulder charge" technique his sister had taught him to knock the monster back, then follow up with a swing of the axe at its neck.

Bang!

Lumian charged between the monster's arms and hit its chest heavily.

However, this charge was unexpected. The monster was like a solid wall, impossible to move!

"This..." Lumian's heart tightened, and he rebounded, preparing to dive to the ground to escape the monster's attack range.

At that moment, the monster's hand shot out like lightning, grabbing his neck.

It did not show any signs of difficulty in movement!

"Damn, I've been tricked!" Lumian's neck ached as he was lifted into the air.

A creaking sound followed, and his head quickly became dizzy.

In a panic, he swung the axe, but it missed the target and was knocked aside.

Lumian finally realized he had fallen for the monster's trick.

The monster was indeed close to its end but still had the strength to fight. It had feigned weakness to lure him into attacking, and he had underestimated its combat intelligence, leading to this desperate struggle.

The monster was also nearing its limit and could not immediately break Lumian's neck, but this did not affect the overall situation; it just took more time.

As his neck was about to break and his breathing became impossible, Lumian's mind began to numb, almost blank.

Blank.

On the brink of death, Lumian suddenly remembered the lady's words:

She had told him to use his special ability in this dream.

Special ability... Taking advantage of his nearly blank mind, free of distractions, Lumian quickly began to meditate.

The red sun instantly appeared in his mind.

Unlike before, when he used meditation to calm his emotions and the sun would disappear as soon as it formed, he tried to keep the sun in existence.

Soon, a voice, as if from an infinite height yet right beside his ear, pierced his mind.

Intense pain followed, along with a terrifying sensation of his heart almost jumping out of his chest. This made Lumian forget that his neck was still being squeezed by the monster, his bones about to break, and his breathing had stopped, his brain beginning to lack oxygen.

Splash, he fell to the ground.

The meditation was interrupted, and the indescribable strange voice disappeared.

But Lumian was still in excruciating pain, unable to check his condition or assess the surroundings.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally recovered from the near-death experience.

Lumian, without checking his neck, supported himself with his hands, lifted his head, and looked forward.

The half-human, half-beast monster was squatting nearby, its arms extended forward, head hanging low.

At this moment, the several penetrating wounds on its chest and abdomen were still dripping blood mixed with a pale yellow liquid, and its body was trembling violently.

What's wrong with it? Was it scared by the "special" ability I displayed? Lumian, regaining his thoughts, picked up the axe that had fallen nearby and approached the monster.

He did not give the monster a chance to recover, gripped the axe with both hands, and swung it down at the back of its neck.

Thud, the axe sank deep into the flesh, stopped by the bone.

Lumian, determined, pulled out the axe and continued to strike.

One, two, three, the monster's head, with liquid splattering, fell to the ground and rolled to the side.

Its body collapsed a second later.

Throughout the process, it did not resist, only trembling.

In the next second, Lumian's body bent forward, his hands hanging naturally, allowing the blood on the axe to drip continuously.

Pant, pant, pant, he finally could breathe a sigh of relief.