Chapter 18: Metamorphosis and the Silent Night

The information recorded on paper can never compare to the vivid understanding gained from a living, breathing person.

There were still living people within the Principality of Maine, and for Mo Wen, this was undoubtedly good news.

The man with the crow mask rushed past Mo Wen. Seeing that he had no intention of fleeing, he shouted again, “You fool, if you don’t run now, do you want to die?”

Without turning back, Mo Wen’s gaze fixed on the humanoid doll striding out from the woods nearby, a faint smile playing on his lips. “I’ll try to take it down.”

Having just inherited the Thousand Wind Sword Technique, what better way to adapt than through actual combat?

Mo Wen had already recognized the approaching soldier doll as the “Standard Military Model Type One” he had encountered not long ago. The only difference was that this one wielded a knight’s longsword instead of a greatsword made of steel.

Though it seemed the performance of this military doll hadn’t deteriorated compared to the one in the confession chamber, Mo Wen was no longer the same as before.

“Madman!”

Hearing Mo Wen’s words, the crow-masked man cursed under his breath and quickly fled.

To confront a doll with nothing but flesh and blood?

If you want to die, fine, but I don’t!

After running about ten meters, the crow-masked man couldn’t help but glance back.

He thought to himself: with so few humans left, if we don’t help each other, extinction won’t be far off.

Though this one seemed crazy, any help was better than none.

But that glance back widened his eyes beneath the mask in shock.

The fierce soldier doll was actually being repelled by that seemingly not-so-strong young man?!

Is he even human?

Elsewhere.

Mo Wen exhaled a long breath, his eyes calm as he watched the military doll steadily retreat.

At this moment, he felt an indescribable sensation.

The sword was no longer just a sword—it had become an extension of his own body.

The Thousand Wind Style was a swordsmanship of supreme technique. Its core principle was to find the opponent’s weakness in battle and shatter it; if none was apparent, then one must create the opening.

Though it sounded mystical, the essence was simply to disrupt the enemy’s stance and center of gravity.

Every living body has a center of gravity, and so do dolls.

Once the center of gravity is unbalanced, the stance collapses.

The military doll’s charge seemed ferocious; the previous Mo Wen would have only dodged, but now, he could discern the doll’s weaknesses in a flash and exploit them.

Purely in terms of physical strength, even if he reached level 2.0, he would still be inferior to the military doll, but through skill, he was able to push it back.

This dramatic change was all thanks to the Thousand Wind Sword Technique!

“Thud!”

With a muffled sound, Mo Wen surged forward with a speed like a shadow.

This was a special power technique called “Swift Step,” which squeezed every last ounce of strength from the body to unleash extraordinary speed in a short burst.

As the military doll just stabilized its retreating steps, Mo Wen had already closed the distance, slashing down with his longsword.

The doll’s eyes glowed red as it raised its knight’s longsword to block.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Within mere seconds, the clashing of blades had occurred over ten times.

No matter the direction of Mo Wen’s strikes, the doll could always lift its sword in time to defend.

Though its defense seemed impenetrable, each clash transmitted a strange vibrating force into the doll’s body.

By the fifteenth strike, the accumulated vibration had reached a critical threshold!

“Clang!”

The sixteenth clash shattered the doll’s stance entirely; its knight’s longsword was raised, exposing its chest.

Now was the moment!

Mo Wen’s eyes sharpened as his longsword pierced through.

“Crack!”

The sharp tip tore through the hardwood chest armor, penetrating into the doll’s core.

The destruction of its energy core extinguished the red glow in its eyes instantly.

——

[Eliminated “Standard Military Model Type One (Black Iron),” gained 150 career experience points (Black Beast Crew Member)!]

[Rank]: Black Iron – Black Beast Crew Member Lv. 2 (100/200) → (250/200, eligible for upgrade)

——

“Ready to level up!”

Mo Wen’s heart leaped with joy.

Yet he did not immediately choose to upgrade. Instead, he turned to look at the crow-masked man who had frozen in place, grinning broadly.

“Handled it.”

The stunned man with the crow mask snapped back to reality.

After glancing a few more times at the fallen soldier doll, he took a deep breath and hurried forward, somewhat excited. “Are you… the legendary style swordsman?”

“Legendary? Style swordsman…” Mo Wen narrowed his eyes, responding in kind, “What, are swordsmen rare now?”

“Not just rare — nearly extinct,” the man said bitterly, shaking his head. “I see you aren’t even wearing a gas mask, so you must be an outsider, right?”

“Forget that for now. It’s almost dark; we need to get back to the shelter in town quickly.”

Mo Wen was not surprised to be recognized.

Though the man’s words were in the common continental tongue, his accent gave him away.

In these times, outsiders never conceal their identities once they speak.

Under the guidance of the crow-masked man, the two—or rather, three—headed into the forest.

Mo Wen glanced at Freya, who silently followed behind. Earlier, when he spoke with the crow-masked man, Freya had stood by his side, but the man had not noticed her presence.

“I’m Hank, a humble man. May I know your name, sir?”

“Just call me Mo Wen.”

The forest path was eerily silent, but as they walked, the two chatted.

The Principality of Maine was a foreign land; here, Mo Wen had no need to hide his name.

After answering, Mo Wen asked curiously, “Hank, why were you in the woods? Isn’t it dangerous?”

Hank led the way, brushing aside waist-high weeds beside the rocky path, his voice low. “I had no choice. Little Wendy had a fever, and the shelter was out of medicine. Only the herbs in the Venomous Serpent Wood could cure her.”

“Before it got dark, I left the shelter. I didn’t expect soldier dolls to be patrolling outside the city so early. Once spotted, I had to run for my life.”

“I was planning to take refuge in the little chapel in Saint Steel, but then I ran into you.”

Mo Wen caught a key phrase in his words: “Dark?”

“That’s right. Since you’re an outsider, you might not know,” Hank smiled bitterly. “Nighttime in Clark Town is also known as the Silent Night.”

“After dark, any figure outside a building is hunted down by patrolling soldier dolls.”

“In daylight, the soldier dolls are still around, but far fewer, and they guard fixed areas, so it’s easier to avoid them.”

“Come to think of it, the Silent Night has started earlier and earlier. Five years ago, it only began once it was completely dark, but now, there are so many patrolling soldier dolls already at dusk…”