The cold moonlight reflected off the clear surface of the lake. Not far from the water, there was a naturally formed cave glowing with a faint fire.
"The wound on your back..."
Kagaribi looked at the youth sitting in silence. She watched the youth's fingers brushing against the blisters formed from rubbing wood to start the fire, and she hesitated to speak.
Cyan shook her head slightly. The wound on her back had stopped bleeding. As her health points slowly recovered, she could feel a tingling itch on her back. If left alone, it would heal completely before long.
Seeing that the youth was unwilling to speak, Kagaribi didn't know what else to say. She stared at the flickering flames in the fire, recalling the day's events. Crystal-clear tears slid down her cheeks. To marry her beloved should have been a happy occasion, but who could have known such things would happen today? She had nearly been strangled to death by her dying lover, and after his death, he had turned into a demon to hunt her down.
Kagaribi's feelings for Basara the Executioner were complicated now. She didn't know how to face him, or even if she should resent the man who had almost killed her.
Suddenly, cool fingers wiped away the tears on her face. Kagaribi looked up and saw those clear, silver-white eyes. On that expressionless face, a hint of concern was faintly visible.
"You... rest..."
Cyan looked at the tears on her fingers. She didn't know why she had done that. She turned and walked out of the cave. The sound of muffled sobbing came from behind her, and Cyan instinctively quickened her pace, her silhouette showing a hint of fluster.
After a long cry, Kagaribi's emotions stabilized. Women living in troubled times were naturally stronger than modern women; they would not indulge in sadness forever. Kagaribi walked out of the cave and looked at the youth. Even after such a heavy injury, the youth sat there silently without any change in expression, as if they felt no pain.
"What is your name?"
Kagaribi asked the silent youth. She didn't know how long they would be together, but she had a feeling that this youth would leave before long.
"..."
A name...
Cyan wanted to answer, but she realized she didn't seem to have a name. She shook her head and said nothing.
"You don't have a name? Or are you unwilling to tell me?"
"No... name..."
No name... what kind of boy is he?
Kagaribi stared at her for a while. From the way the youth spoke, she could tell they had only recently learned to speak. Looking at the appearance, it was a youth of sixteen or seventeen, but with skills unlike any ordinary person.
Could this youth be a secret agent trained for death?
Kagaribi thought of the two foreigners who had arrived at Cloud Hunt Village with the youth. Could his appearance be related to the demon slaughtering the village? No, I'm overthinking...
Kagaribi forced herself not to think that way. She took a deep breath and looked closely at the youth, noting the short, fiery-red hair with its various shades of different colors.
"How do you feel about the name Cyan ?"
"Cy... an?"
"It will be your name."
"Mhm..."
Cyan nodded slightly, accepting the name. She felt that if she were to live among humans in the future, she would need a human name.
"Help! You bastards, get away from me! Get back!!!"
A cry for help echoed through the air. Kagaribi stood up and ran toward the source of the sound. After a couple of steps, her sleeve was caught by the person beside her. Kagaribi looked at Cyan, wondering why she was being stopped.
"Dan... gerous... I... will... look..."
With that, Cyan let go of Kagaribi's sleeve and vanished before her eyes.
In the forest, the burly Westerner named Kent lay on the ground, his eyes wide with rage. He was covered in blood, having died from multiple stab wounds. Blood flowed from his injuries. Near him lay the corpses of two ronin.
Erni was backed against a large tree, looking fearfully at the surrounding ronin. They were scruffy men with ragged beards and ugly faces. The long katanas in their hands were full of notches, and their filthy clothes were greasy, emitting a strange odor of blood or something worse.
The second survival game issued by the Survival Space was to survive for 10 days in the world of Samurai Shodown Zero. Clearly, escaping the "Demon's" pursuit was just the first step. Survival in this chaotic world was not easy; in this era of turmoil, bandits roamed free and would do anything for money.
This group of ronin had finally encountered a woman in the deep forest, and they naturally wouldn't let her go. Even if they had lost two comrades, it was a price worth paying. Moreover, this woman was Erni, a foreigner with a striking figure. Her curves were obvious even through a conservative kimono.
"You filthy bastards, stay away from me!"
Erni shook as she held a wooden stick, waving it to try and drive away the three ronin closing in. The ronin, their eyes filled with naked greed and lust, swung their blades repeatedly until only a small piece of the stick remained in Erni's hand.
"Hahaha! Give up struggling! Just let us enjoy ourselves, and we'll let you die quickly!"
The ronin stared at Erni's chest, which heaved with her trembling breaths. They had never seen such a sight; even the beautiful courtesans in the pleasure districts were out of reach for poor wretches like them. Despite three corpses lying nearby, these ronin were still driven by their lust.
This person...
Cyan, standing on a tree branch, looked down at Erni surrounded by the three ronin. She recognized her and glanced at the corpse in the pool of blood and the two dead ronin.
Should I save her?
Cyan felt that saving this survivor had no value. Just as she was about to leave, she heard the angry, tearful curses and the lewd laughter of the ronin. A cold light flashed in her eyes.
Cyan dropped from the sky and landed in front of the three ronin. Before they could react, she punched one in the face. His head was like a stone hit by a high-speed projectile; half of his skull shattered instantly. Blood mixed with gray brain matter splattered everywhere. His tongue was still twitching as blood geysered from his halved head.
Immediately after, Cyan turned and punched another ronin in the neck. The sound of snapping bone rang out as the ronin's head twisted into an unnatural angle, sharp fragments of bone piercing his skin. His eyes bulged with shock, and he died before he could process what had happened.
"Mon... Monster!"
In a single instant, two comrades had died at the hands of this seemingly harmless youth. The remaining ronin was terrified and turned to run.
Cyan leaped up, her feet landing on his back while her left hand pressed down on the back of his head. With a thud, the ronin was slammed into the ground by her weight and slid for several meters. He let out a piercing scream, struggling violently and leaving a bloody trail on the earth. However, the slender, weak-looking hand of the youth held his head like a steel vice.
So... so terrifying...
Erni listened to the ronin's screams. Even though the man had just tried to rape her, seeing them killed so easily—and so brutally—by this beautiful youth made her hair stand on end. Her legs shook as she slowly edged away, instinctively wanting to distance herself from this expressionless youth who could kill without hesitation.
Cyan punched the man's neck, ending his screams as his bones shattered. The struggling hand fell limp, leaving blood-stained marks in the dirt where his fingernails had broken.
Cyan shook the blood from her hand. Noticing Erni's terrified look, she ignored her. To her surprise, a metallic card that looked like it was cast from black iron was floating over the ronin's corpse.
Picking up the card, Cyan received a prompt asking if she wanted to use it.
[Obtained Black Iron Card]
[Would you like to use it?]
"Use."
[Used Black Iron Card. Obtained 100 Survival Points, Soy Sauce Rice Ball]
[Soy Sauce Rice Ball]
[Type: Recovery Item]
[Function: Recovers 50 Health Points]
[Note: A very roughly made rice ball. A bit too much salt was added; it is recommended to drink plenty of water while eating]
[Detected Survivor 11766. First time opening an item card dropped by an enemy. Survival Mark functions activated. Inventory function opened]
An inventory to store items...
Cyan read the information from the Survival Mark and began searching the ronin's corpses for anything useful.
[Worn-out Katana]
[Type: Weapon]
[Attributes: Attack Power 1-5]
[Requirement: None]
[Note: This is a battered katana that can only be used to scare ordinary people. Can be exchanged for 10 Survival Points in the Survival Space]
Cyan picked up a katana that was so notched it could be used as a saw and saw its attributes.
Survival points...
Cyan's eyes lit up. She put the seven katanas into the storage space of the Survival Mark, intending to exchange them later. However, each worn-out katana took up one slot. Along with the rice ball, she had already used 8 slots. She had 10 slots in total. Clearly, the Survival Space wouldn't let survivors collect unlimited items for points.
"They disappeared?!"
Erni's eyes widened as she saw the seven katanas vanish. Seeing that Cyan didn't seem to have any ill will toward her, she cautiously stepped closer. Cyan turned to stare at Erni, her silver-white eyes filled with a hint of wariness.
"I can't even beat you, so you don't need to react like that," Erni said, raising her hands. She was worried this highly alert youth would rush over and kill her. Erni figured that in the eyes of this cold-faced youth, she was no different from the ronin.
"Cyan!"
Kagaribi arrived, holding a stone. Seeing the ronin's corpses and Cyan searching them, she walked over quickly.
"Cyan, are you hurt?"
Hearing Kagaribi's concern, Cyan shook her head and handed the items she had found on the ronin to Kagaribi.