Blood slowly pooled on the ground into the stream, the cool water dragging it like tendrils down with it's current.
Michael knew his situation was bad, but he didn't have the energy to do anything. He just laid down under the cool wind, silently enduring the pain he felt.
The cut from his arm sent pangs of pain throughout his body, while the cut on his side bled profusely. If not for his instincts making him leap backwards, the blow might have been fatal.
Replaying the fight once more in his head, he couldn't help but wonder how he did all that he did.
In his previous life he was what they would call a typical geek or otaku, always avoiding trouble like a plague. Even when he couldn't avoid it, he could only hunker down and weather the storm, enduring everything that came his way.
A particular memory of when he got ganged up by three kids six years younger than him came into mind. The embarrassment he has felt at that time made him mark that day in his calendar as a day to never visit the game store.
With that in mind, seeing what he had just done to four of his assailants, while scaring two others away, Michael couldn't help but feel slightly proud of himself. Even though deep down he had an idea on what caused it.
The answer to almost all his answers since he came into this world. Xiao Ren.
"Urgh!"
The sound of someone's groan drew his attention. He looked towards the sound and saw that the first guy that attacked him, only to get knocked out in the stream was slowly coming to. His eyes started to twitch, showing activity, and his muscles started to tense.
Not good!
Looking at his condition, he knew he wasn't in any condition to have another fight with anyone, especially with all the Injuries, both inside and outside he had accumulated.
Using Rain for balance, he forced his buckling legs to stand up, ignoring the burning feeling he felt at his side, as he used his free hand to block his would, hoping to slow down or even stop the bleeding.
Once on his feet, he urged his body forward, dragging his legs, slowly but surely to the now rousing assassin. It was practically a race against time.
Thankfully, he managed to make it in time. He raised the sheathed rain up in the air, before using the sword like a bat.
CRACK
A sickening crack resounded in the air. Michael froze in shock, clearly not expecting that kind of force to come from his body. He stared at the now caved in portion of the assassins head, blood slowly leaking from it.
His breathing started to pickup and his heartbeat increased. Sweat started to come out like a gushing river as fear gripped his being.
"Is he dead?" He muttered. Michael could feel his heartbeat increasing, but he didn't care. His full attention was on the downed man.
Just when he thought he had committed murder, he noticed the man's chest slowly rise, before falling.
It seemed the blow was not hard enough to make the man brain dead as he was breathing, even though it was shallow.
"Haah!" Michael released a breath he didn't know he was holding as relief flooded his being.
"Pathetic!"
Michael furrowed his brows as he remembered someone insulting him.
Where did that come from?
Shaking away all useless thoughts from his mind, he then focused on himself. His arm which applied pressure on his wound was now dyed red with blood.
The amount of blood he had lost was alarming. Seeing his hand covered in blood, Michael's vision became blurry. He staggered backwards before maintaining his balance.
Shit! Time was running out.
Either he found a way to stop his bleeding, or he was dead.
Memories of medical practices that could be used in the field slid into his mind, as if someone had sent him chest sheets. Something he was grateful for.
Once again Xiao Ren's memories were coming in handy. Using rain, Michael cut the assassins robes apart and turned them into strips of cloth rags, which he rinsed in the streams waters.
While he was preparing his makeshift bandage, Michael spotted the herbs he had seen earlier not far from where he was. He noticed some herbs he remembered could be used for mild injuries, reducing the flow of blood.
Not wasting more time, he plucked some of them from their roots before getting ready to turn them to paste.
He considered getting a stone to grind them into mush, but seeing as his legs were shaking badly and his vision was getting worse, he knew he didn't have the luxury of looking for a suitable sized rock.
He was going to have to use his mouth to grind them. Michael paused a butter smile hanging on his face.
This wasn't going to taste good.
Throwing the herbs into his mouth, Michael begrudgingly chewed the herbs, their juices going all over his tongue, staining it green and yellow. The bitter taste of it assaulted his senses, causing his face to spasm.
Even though he knew he was doing it for his safety, he didn't enjoy any moment of the experience. After some time, the herbs in his mouth lost their physical turning into mush.
Faster than when he put it in his mouth, he quickly removed the mush from his tongue, spitting out the remaining on the grass.
He rubbed some of it on his arm, wincing at the pain, before applying the rest on his makeshift bandage.
Taking deep breaths, he put the bandage on the cut on his stomach. Pain greater than the one he felt before flared. Michael grit his teeth, forcing the scream rising up his throat back down.
He hurriedly tied the bandage round his waist, fumbling with his fingers in the process. When he was done, he fell on his but, panting heavily. Sweat rolling down his face.
'I hope to never experience that again.'
Taking some time to get himself, Michael got back to his feet. Using the remaining strips of rags he had, he turned them into ropes.
Testing the rope, he saw it wasn't that strong, just barely enough to do what he had planned.
He lowered his body, almost as if he wanted to squat, ignoring the groans his bones made and how uncomfortable he felt all round, and adjusted his frame so he could pick up the unconscious assassin.
When positioned, he lifted the man's hand, swinging it around his neck before grabbing a hold of his waist with his free hand. Once everything was set he tensed his muscles before lifting with everything he got.
Veins appeared all over his body as he exerted all the strength he could muster. The man's body barely left the floor, before he dropped him back I to the water, falling on his but beside the body, breathing like a dog in labour.
He noticed his makeshift bandage now had a tingle of red on it. It seemed like his actions had caused his wound to bleed faster.
This isn't going to work.
As if agreeing with him, his status screen that he had almost forgotten popped up once more
Here's an updated version of Xiao Ren's status screen remarks based on the new stats, keeping the tone consistent—witty, introspective, and a little sardonic:
---
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Xiao Ren
Race: Human
Age: 32
Title: Grand Elder (Remote Intelligence Outpost)
Condition: Frail Constitution, Chronic Illness, OCD (symmetry and orderliness), Poisoned
---
STATS (Average Human = 10)
Strength: 8 (↑ from 6)
(You're still not bench-pressing boulders, but hey—progress! At this rate, you might even win a tug-of-war match against a malnourished goat. Just don't expect to break doors down anytime soon.)
Agility: 13 (↑ from 12)
(You're nimble enough to dodge clumsy blows and leap over small obstacles without tripping. Not flashy, but effective. Think "ghost in the wind," not "bolt of lightning.")
Dexterity: 16
(Your sword doesn't just cut—it dances. You don't fight with brute force; you fight with elegance, like a sculptor chiseling fate one stroke at a time. Watch your hands—those are your real weapons.)
Intelligence: 18
(Brilliant, calculating, and terrifyingly aware. You don't just outthink your enemies; you see three moves ahead and five layers beneath. The body may be weak, but your mind? A damn fortress.)
---
Evaluation
You're still a glass cannon—sharp, deadly, but crackable under pressure. Your body complains, your heart races, and yet, you persist. You bleed, stumble, and adapt. There's something to be said for a blade that refuses to break, no matter how brittle it seems. Just remember: a sword is only as strong as the hand that wields it—and your hand's starting to steady.
---
Talents
Danger Sense
Someone tries to stab you in the back? You'll feel it coming like a change in the wind. Doesn't mean you can stop it—but at least you won't die surprised.
Sword Mastery
You don't just fight. You perform. Every swing, a stroke of genius. Every parry, a silent lecture. Most warriors train for decades to reach this level—and still fall short. You were born for this.
Synchronization rate: 7% (from 5%)
---
From a glance, Michael noticed a couple things that were different. First of all his strength and agility had gone up by a couple of points.
Agility he could understand because of what he'd been through the last couple of hours, but strength... It just didn't add up.
Unless... Strength was a mixture of physical strength and endurance aka toughness. If that was so, then he could also understand why it went up by two points.
Even though his strength stat has increased, Michael could only smile ruefully at how weak he still was.
Was his illness that bad for him to be weaker than the average human being?
He now realised his previous attempt at lifting a trained assassin over his shoulders was nothing but a pipe dream.
Sigh!
Glancing through the screen, he also noticed that something else was different. His synchronisation rate had increased. Before it was at 5%, now it was at 7%. What does it mean?
Promising himself to investigate his status screen at a later time, when he was not pressed for time, Michael decided to change his plans.
Instead of carrying them, couldn't he just drag them?
Picking himself off from the ground, Michael lowered himself just enough to grab the assassins arms before bending back up.
Taking a deep breath before tensing his muscles, Michael pulled with everything he had.
At first nothing happened as the body remained motionless in the stream. Veins bulged on Michael's arms and forehead, and his face was starting to turn red from exertion.
Just when he thought his plan was a bust, the body finally moved. Although slow, the body slowly made it's way through the wet soil, carving a path as Michael dragged the body at a snails pace towards a huge tree he had spotted near the treeline.
Time ticked by slowly, but he never gave up. Only when the body rested on the tree did he sit on the floor, totally exhausted.
If just one of them was this hard, how would the other three be like?
Time passed as he did the same thing over and over again, and before he knew it, all four assassins were tied up to a tree.
Michael sat right beside them feeling utterly drained. The whole process has been stressful, with him dragging them to the tree, while knocking some of them out when they were about to wake up.
He sat by the tree waiting, when he heard a groan. It was finally time.
He got up and crouched by the tree, watching the unconscious assassins begin to stir. Their faces twitched, breath returning in shallow spurts. He reached for the broken branch he'd prepared earlier, before using it to tap the first guy awake with it.
The man's eyes glanced around, as if confused on where it was, before settling down, when he noticed Michael in front of him. Confusion being replaced by recognition.
Before the man could make a noise, Michael stuffed his mouth with a rock, before holding it in place with a cloth rags.
"Wait a bit, you're friends are waking up soon."
True to his words, the three other assassins began to stir.
He knelt in front of them, directly backing the light, making his presence seem larger than what it was. Another tactic he'd learned from Xiao Ren's memories.
"Talk!" He rasped, voice rasped from disuse. Although surprised, he continued regardless "Why did you attack me.?"
No response. They calmly looked at him, Thier expression as calm as a lake.
His grip tightened on the branch. A mixture of emotions welling up within him.
Yes, he was angry that they attacked him with the intent to kill.
But yes also to the fact that he couldn't torture them. That just didn't seem humane to him.
As if sensing his delima, the woman in the group had a smug look in her eyes. Her chin tucked up in the air as if proving a point.
One of the men who managed to chew through his mouth restraint spat on the ground, while the woman scoffed.
Michael's eye twitched, and then something shifted.
A cold wave crept through his limbs. He felt it- the familiar loss of control. His spine straightened without thought. The swordmaster's poise returned. His voice dropped an octave, smooth as sharpened steel.
"Let's try again."
He stepped closer, the branch whipping out with force, hitting the man who spat on the face with so much force, the branch broke into two.
"Arghhh" the man screamed in pain as a huge gash, caused by the branch leaked blood.
The three other assassins eyes went wide. The attack was so fast, their eyes barely registered what had happened.
They looked between their now wounded comrade and Xiao Ren in front of them, clearly wondering how the vibe changed in such a second.
"Why did you attack me!" He asked once more, this time Rains hilt glinting as he pressed his fingers on it, the silver gleam of the blade reflecting the sun's light off it
The action a clear threat, promising repercussions if not answered.
Although startled, the group still remained quiet, except for the now wailing man with a huge cut on his face.
Seeing their response, Xiao Ren wasn't discouraged, but instead somewhat glad as a devilish smile made it's way to his face. The scar that dragged in from his eye to his mouth, lifted slightly , making him look like a beast in human clothing.
He slowly approached the tied up group, watching as they warily observed his every move.
He saw the way their eyes moved, their breathing patterns changed and their subtle body languages.
Obtaining enough information, Michael suddenly changed direction, this time heading for the lady.
He stopped inches before her body, crouching low, his face was a few centimeters from hers, when he whispered something in her ear.
"Death squad!"
The woman's eyes went wide and her breathing picked up.
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Ren was now sure that his guess was correct.
"Bingo." He stepped backwards, pacing Infront of the group, his hands behind his back, slowly playing with Rain, sheathing and unsheathing her blade.
"Next question." Stopping Infront of the shortest man in the group, he asked " how long has it been since I left the base!"
The man's eyes shook, clearly startled. He hadn't heard what Xiao Ren had whispered to his female comrade, but clearly it was something really shocking, based on her expression.
"I won't repeat myself again, how long has it been since I stepped out of the base!" Xiao Ren asked, Rain slightly drawn from her sheath.
Gulp.
The man remained silent, clearly being defiant.
"Haah," Xiao Ren sighed. "Such a shame... It'll be hard for you to hear me now."
Before anyone could process his words, Rain flashed out–one swift stroke. The man's ear hit the ground, cleanly severed. The blade was already back in it's sheath.
The action was smooth and precise, done with one clean motion as not even a strand of hair was cut off by mistake.
The area became silent as a chilling wind blew by. The man slowly looked downward, where he saw an ear lying on the floor.
"Arghhhhhhhhhh!"
"I told you I was not going to repeat myself." Xiao Ren said, walking the next person. The man in question was the one Michael had bashed his head in.
Seeing him shiver, the smile on xiao Ren's face increased slightly.
"I-i'm no...t goi-ng to ta_lk." The man stuttered, fumbling on his words.
His companions stared at him eyes wide in shock. They couldn't believe someone from the famed death squad was turned into a stuttering mess, after a short Interaction. But to be honest, they didn't blame him.
They didn't know if they would do better if they were the focus of Xiao Ren's terrifying gaze.
Xiao Ren stared at the man, his cold dark eyes a clear mismatch with the smile on his face, unnerving the man more.
"I didn't ask anything tho." Xiao Ren stared, waving his hands dismissingly. "I was just wondering what a man without a manhood will look like!"
!!!
All colour drained from his face as he looked at Xiao Ren's contemplating face, as if serious.
"I'll t_alk, I'll talk. Please... Anything but that!" He pleaded, squirming in his restraints.
"Smart choice." He said, the clicking sound of Rain entering it's sheath echoing.
Once more, the group were shocked as they hadn't even seen when he had started unsheathing his blade.
One thought crossed their minds:
"we messed with a demon!"