Chapter Thirty-Five: An Unexpected Event

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There was no doubt about it. That was a monster.

Even from such a great distance, the creature’s intense demonic aura made Xiao Yan feel uncomfortable, every hair on his body standing on end.

Perhaps sensing Xiao Yan’s gaze, the monster’s eyes shifted and met his directly.

Within those blood-red pupils seemed to lie a sky of crimson. Beneath it stretched mountains of corpses and seas of blood, thick liquid flowing slowly as murderous energy surged toward the heavens. A deathly, desolate silence filled the scene, yet its edges were as sharp as blades.

Xiao Yan immediately covered his eyes. He felt as though they had been pierced through, the pain so extreme that his vision seemed to split apart.

If the pain he had endured over the past few days had not greatly increased his tolerance, he would have cried out long ago.

Xiao Yan’s nostrils flared. It seemed as if the overpowering smell of rust were churning through the air, even leaving a sickening sweetness in his mouth.

…

“What’s wrong, Third?”

“Third Brother?”

“…Nothing.”

Golden light leaked through the gaps between Xiao Yan’s fingers as he covered his eyes. After several breaths, it vanished without a trace.

“Hah.”

As the pain subsided, Xiao Yan slowly lowered his hand and blinked sluggishly. The stabbing sensation from before seemed almost like an illusion.

This monster was strong.

Xiao Yan lowered his eyes. His extraordinarily keen senses clearly detected the creature’s presence in the opposing team’s section.

Cold. Dominating. Reeking of blood.

This was the first time he had encountered a monster capable of leaving him in such a sorry state with nothing but a glance.

But how could such a formidable monster be together with a human?

He could not help wondering whether he had been mistaken earlier. Perhaps the monster had not really been standing on the new player’s shoulder at all.

Perhaps it had merely happened to appear there.

Heh.

Xiao Yan lightly rubbed the corners of his eyes, abandoning his attempts at self-deception.

This really was the first time he had encountered a combination of human and monster.

Could the new player see the creature?

Had the monster chosen to stay on the newcomer’s shoulder of its own accord, for some unknown purpose? Or was it the result of some compromise by the new player?

Or perhaps they had formed a mutually beneficial partnership?

Surely it could not be a master-and-servant relationship.

…

“Third, the game’s starting!”

Hm?

Xiao Yan raised his head in confusion, still somewhat distracted.

“Whistle!”

The shrill blast startled him into a sudden jolt.

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“Bang, bang, bang!”

The crisp, rapid thudding of the basketball against the floor was fierce and urgent, sending the atmosphere throughout the arena soaring to a fever pitch.

Voices surged everywhere, countless sounds blending into one another. The excitement was enough to stir the blood and set the heart pounding.

Yet Xiao Yan seemed not to hear any of it. His focused gaze searched for the new player.

He was not in the rest area. Had he actually taken the court from the very beginning?

The ferocious monster, however, had taken over the seat where the newcomer had been sitting earlier. Its eyelids were half-lowered, as though it were resting.

After what had happened before, Xiao Yan merely glanced at the monster before turning his eyes toward the court. He spotted the new player at once.

Even among a group of basketball players, the young man’s height was striking.

After all, the country was not like foreign nations. Where were they supposed to find so many players over two meters tall? Especially on the basketball team of a single university.

…

Still, how could this reveal what sort of relationship existed between the newcomer and the monster?

Perhaps the creature was resting. Perhaps it simply could not be bothered with him. In any case, when Xiao Yan once again directed his attention toward the monster, it did not react as it had before. Its razor-sharp gaze no longer seemed intent on piercing straight through his eyes.

Thus Xiao Yan openly shifted his attention back and forth between the new player and the monster.

He paid no heed to the possibility that the monster might be looking down on him.

…

In truth, Xiao Yan could feel it. As he encountered more and more monsters, and as the number of creatures recorded in the Demon Manual continued to grow, he seemed to be gradually becoming stronger.

He could sense the energy transmitted to him by the Demon Manual. That energy was slowly regulating and strengthening his body. His constitution had grown steadily better, and his five senses had become increasingly acute.

It had been less than two months since he first saw a monster. Although his body had undergone changes that could only be described as earth-shaking, he still understood little about how or why any of it had happened.

When it came to monsters, he was even more ignorant, practically wandering in darkness.

Yet he was in no hurry.

He had always been someone who took things as they came, and deep within him lay a powerful streak of laziness.

He rather enjoyed this hazy, half-drunken feeling of not demanding complete understanding.

Besides, he would grow stronger.

Of that there was no doubt. He had never questioned it.

When that time came, many of his current problems would no longer be problems.

…

“Ah!”

The entire arena erupted. Many people even leaped to their feet, leaning forward and shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Damn it, what’s going on?” Zhuge Yun had half his body hanging over the stands, his face filled with both anger and confusion.

“Why did he fall again?” Zhao Lüzheng looked utterly bewildered.

Xiao Yan’s brows drew tightly together, a sternness emerging in his eyes.

This was…

Their position had originally been excellent. They had gradually begun to seize the advantage.

Although the opposing team had gained a powerful newcomer, basketball was a team sport. Clearly, the other players had not yet fully adapted to playing alongside him, giving their own team an opportunity to exploit.

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Yet in the second half, no one knew what had happened. Whenever one of their players faced that new player, something inexplicable occurred. They either fell or suddenly froze, allowing the opponent to steal the ball with ease.

The score had drawn level, then been overtaken.

The opposing team’s jubilation only made the gloom on their side more pronounced.

They could not understand it. They had been on the verge of pressing their advantage—so how had they suddenly collapsed?

And the points they had given away were lost in such bizarre fashion. What was going on? Had none of them slept well the night before?

But no matter how much hair they pulled out or how wide they opened their eyes, they still could not find the slightest sign that the opposing team had broken the rules.

Could this truly not be some dirty trick on their opponents’ part?

How could that be?!

Xiao Yan stared into the new player’s eyes. Earlier, with the young man’s back turned toward him, Xiao Yan had been just as puzzled as everyone else by the repeated accidents.

But this time, the newcomer was facing him directly, and Xiao Yan saw everything with perfect clarity.

Those eyes suddenly turned scarlet. They became savage and icy, unleashing an overwhelming tide of killing intent.

For students who had spent their lives sheltered within an ivory tower, such pressure was simply unbearable. Freezing in place was already the mildest reaction. Some staggered backward, their legs giving way as they collapsed to the floor.

Those eyes…

Xiao Yan’s gaze shifted back to the monster. The cold, bloodthirsty quality was exactly the same.

However, the players who had been affected seemed afterward to have no idea what had happened. Their guilty, bewildered expressions made that perfectly clear.

What convenient eyes.

But wasn’t using them here rather like employing a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

A sliver of icy light flashed through Xiao Yan’s eyes.

…

“Ah!”

An even louder scream rang out.

Xiao Yan could not help standing up as well.

Crack!

His keen senses allowed him to hear the sound of breaking bone.

Another player on the court had apparently fallen victim to the same attack. Whether he had failed to notice or simply could not react in time, an opposing player charged straight toward him. Unable to stop himself, he stepped directly onto the fallen player’s foot.

Although the impact sent him tumbling as well, he dispelled the danger with an agile roll and emerged virtually unhurt.

The player whose foot had been crushed was not so fortunate.

The extent of his injury was obvious from his pale face, the beads of sweat as large as beans covering his forehead, and the fact that he could not even speak.

The whistle sounded, and the game was suspended.

…