Chapter Eighty-Two: The Fall of the Upright and Incorruptible

Cave 154.

A black shadow darted back and forth within the cave. The hulking, mountainous figure of the giant Fallen was helpless against the swift-moving shadow, stamping its feet in frustration.

Boom!

The Fallen raised its foot high and stomped down fiercely.

Rare Mutant Ability: Earthshaker!

The ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake.

Fang Tang felt his body destabilize. His form flickered out of his Shadowstep state. Just as he regained his footing, he saw the Fallen charging at him headlong.

Mutant Ability: Mighty Impact.

Crash!

Fang Tang was rammed through the air, slamming heavily into a wall and leaving a deep crater behind him.

Fortunately, the protection of Steel Guardian kept him from serious harm. He merely felt his blood roil and his organs churned from the impact.

“Damn it, that thing’s huge and strong; getting rammed like that is no joke,” Fang Tang muttered, clutching his chest, his face grim.

This wasn’t his first time facing a fifth-tier Fallen—he’d had prior experience. But with each Fallen wielding different abilities, his past experience was of little help.

Still, adaptability was his forte.

He gripped the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow sword tighter and took a step forward, his body vanishing instantly.

The speed of Shadowstep was extraordinary—after all, it was Sequence 202, the highest sequence ability he possessed apart from his eyes.

Despite its size, the massive Fallen was surprisingly quick to react, not as clumsy as it appeared.

But the cramped space of the cave severely hampered the Fallen’s movements; a slight motion would send it colliding into the ceiling. This gave Fang Tang ample room to maneuver.

The razor-sharp Great Xia Dragon Sparrow sliced through the Fallen’s skin but couldn’t penetrate deeply.

Mutant Ability: High-Density Muscle Fiber.

Its defense surpassed even most defensive sequences.

This was also due to Fang Tang’s own strength. Though he had the power of the bear, the level difference was clear; he and the Fallen were evenly matched at best.

Luckily, he had “Sixth Time’s the Charm.”

This mysterious ability ensured that the decapitation trigger would activate by the sixth strike.

The Fallen already bore four wounds. Two more would activate the sixth strike rule.

After landing a hit, Fang Tang retreated swiftly. The Fallen’s massive fist crashed down where he’d just been standing, sending tremors through the ground.

Fang Tang darted behind the Fallen and slashed at its rump. Unusually, the decapitation effect didn’t trigger.

Perhaps the Dragon Sparrow simply disdained such bulging muscle.

A leg whip, carrying the force of a hurricane, swept toward Fang Tang.

He activated Shadowstep, circled behind the Fallen again, and slashed at its leg.

Decapitation triggered!

The Fallen froze, its head—level with Fang Tang’s own—fell abruptly to the ground, its stunned expression still lingering.

Perhaps even in death, the creature never understood why its foot was now connected to its head.

“Heh!” Fang Tang breathed a sigh of relief, nudged the head with his foot, and said, “Look at you—what’s the use of being so big? Against the power of rules, even the strong are but weaklings.”

The platinum treasure chest was pinned beneath the Fallen’s body. Fang Tang dragged the corpse aside and opened the chest.

The supplies were much like those from the previous platinum chest, but this one included a rocket launcher.

[Starting from the gold-tier chests, the chances of obtaining a Spirit-Bound item increase with each tier up.

Wrathful Rocket Launcher—After the arrival of the Twisted Rules, all conventional firearms became unusable. This rocket launcher had survived countless battles, only to be suppressed by the new laws. Furious, it became Spirit-Bound.

Spirit-Bound Ability: Firepower Suppression. Ten percent chance to fire four rockets in succession.]

“Not bad at all!” Fang Tang grinned, tucking the launcher into his phone’s storage.

He was well acquainted with the convenience of Spirit-Bound items. Having snagged another one for free, his mood soared.

After thoroughly looting Cave 154, he gazed at the wall, focusing his sights.

[The cave on the right is a good choice, and the Fallen inside is an intelligent type. As long as you speak politely, you’re sure to pass.]

Fang Tang: Hm?

Something felt off about that.

He silently made his way to Cave 155. Passing through the black mist, he saw someone hunched over a desk, studying blueprints.

Sensing Fang Tang’s presence, the Fallen looked up with the air of a pedantic scholar, scrutinized him from head to toe, and then shook his head.

“Clueless and slack—one look and I know you weren’t a good student. What are you doing here?”

Fang Tang: “...?”

He blinked, hoping his eyes would offer some guidance.

[Hahaha… He used to be a high school dean of discipline, but was dismissed for taking bribes. Since then, he’s lived in gloom—until the Twisted Rules descended, and he became a teacher once again… though only to a class of Fallen.

Fourth-tier Fallen, Rare Mutant Ability: Incorruptible Integrity. Perfect Mutant Ability: Punishment by Standing.]

“...”

That ability was… frankly, terrifying!

“Uh, I came here for that blueprint,” Fang Tang said, pointing at the paper in the Fallen’s hand, flashing a polite smile.

The Fallen adjusted his glasses, eyeing Fang Tang disapprovingly. “What’s your game? Didn’t do your homework so you’re trying to copy someone else’s? Are you looking to rebel?”

“...” Fang Tang was speechless, pointing at the walls around them. “Sir, this isn’t a school. This is a cave. And I’m not your student—I graduated college years ago.”

“Oh?” The Fallen looked at the walls, a flash of realization on his face.

He nodded, then said, “I know this isn’t a school. Since you’re here, you can stay and be my student. So what if you graduated? Ever heard of retaking classes?”

Fang Tang fell silent. He’d never met such a shameless teacher… Oh, right—he was a Fallen.

That explained everything!

Since the Fallen had no intention of giving up the blueprint, Fang Tang didn’t bother with more words. He slowly drew the Dragon Sparrow and advanced.

“What are you doing with that blade? Didn’t do your homework and now you want to threaten your teacher? Outrageous! I sentence you to stand for an entire class!”

The Fallen’s expression was one of bitter disappointment as he pointed lightly at Fang Tang. Instantly, Fang Tang found himself unable to move.

Perfect Mutant Ability: Punishment by Standing!

Fang Tang cursed inwardly, forcing a smile onto his face. “Sir, don’t be upset. My blade is my homework—I just wanted you to see how well I completed it.”

“When did I ever assign such an assignment?”

The Fallen eyed him suspiciously, clearly baffled.

Fang Tang replied, “You’re the dean, but our homeroom teacher gives out the homework. He likes blades, so I made this one.”

“Homeroom teacher?” The Fallen nodded in understanding, taking the blade from Fang Tang and examining it closely, nodding with appreciation.

“A fine blade, truly a fine blade!”

“What’s it called?” the Fallen asked.

“The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow,” Fang Tang replied. “It’s the pinnacle of ring-hilted sabers—I modeled it myself.”

“Excellent, excellent.” The Fallen nodded. With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed the blade.

“Your homework is well done, but you still have to stand as punishment. This is for showing disrespect to your teacher—understand?”

The Fallen narrowed his eyes, drawing out the words, especially the part about respecting teachers.

A flash of realization crossed Fang Tang’s mind. “Sir, why don’t you lift the punishment for now? I have another assignment to present to you.”