Chapter 42: Yuan Armor

That really was a somewhat speechless answer—but no matter how strong one’s spirit might be, when a person is killed, they die, and that fact never changes.

Here, Enshoen paused, his expression turning heavy as he said in a flat tone, “Nishizuka, I suggest you don’t look too deeply into this matter. Among the people I’ve encountered, the only exception was an old woman with the surname Uno. She felt different from the other frauds. This old woman was once a ‘Mikanko’ in her youth—basically a lower-ranking Shrine Maiden who lived among the common people. This is what she told me—ordinary people should not come close to filth and should stay away from the Nocturnal.”

“What did she mean by that…?”

“Probably advising me not to investigate further… She told me that, according to Western ideas, colds and fever are symptoms caused by a kind of virus or germ. Viruses and germs are not all the same, and the ways they harm people are different… In a similar way, those Strange Phenomena are quite alike—they come in many forms, not all identical. Some are tangible and have substance, so you can drive them away; others are intangible but still have substance, so you can avoid them; and then there’s a kind that is both intangible and without substance—even speaking its name can bring misfortune.”

Uncle Enshoen let out a long sigh: “She urged me kindly not to seek knowledge of these things, because even just touching them out of curiosity might stain you with this ‘Evil Filth’. If you really cause trouble, it wouldn’t just lead to your own death—you could drag others down with you.”

Hearing Enshoen’s words, Fang Jing sucked in a sharp breath and asked quietly, “So, those things come in various forms, like different viruses with different ways of causing illness. Some are dangerous, some less so; some can be avoided, while others, once you’re exposed, can spread to others like a cold virus.”

“Haha! I’m not sure, but ever since then, I gave up on investigating further. I myself have nothing to fear, but I shouldn’t cause trouble for others… Yuasa must have thought the same way.”

After saying this, Uncle Enshoen patted his shoulder: “Nishizuka, listen to me… Don’t think about these things anymore. After you return to Kitsuwa City, just forget all of this!”

Fang Jing let out a vague laugh to brush off the comforting words.

Deep inside, he couldn’t just wipe away these thoughts so easily—tangible things with substance probably refer to the kind of monster I encountered on the mountain. True, that kind of monster could likely be resisted, or you could run from it.

As for “tangible but without substance” and “intangible without substance”—he had no idea what those meant.

However, one thing he was very clear about: no matter what those two were, the huge humanoid shadow that appeared at the end in Mount Sagiri was completely beyond his understanding. He really didn’t want to run into that thing again.

Fang Jing didn’t stay long at the small clinic. He informed Enshoen and his son that he was leaving Semma City. Both Enshoen and his son Engu Ko objected, insisting he stay to recover from his injuries first. But he was firm, and they couldn’t persuade him to remain.

Before leaving, Enshoen asked for his contact information, saying he might visit Kitsuwa City sometime and look him up.

“Well then, let’s exchange our Twitter, Facebook, and LINE…”

The uncle seriously pulled out a pretty trendy Phone.

“No, I don’t have any of those.”

Fang Jing had no choice but to shake his head—after all, Nishizuka Tsukasa had absolutely no social circle or anything like that.

This really surprised Uncle Enshoen.

In the end, he still left his contact info, then shouldered his bag and left Semma City.

He took the train back. Once on board, Fang Jing began to reflect on what he had gained from this trip.

“There are still 29 points of Growth Value left. With that many points, as long as I learn a lot of skills, I don’t have to worry about increasing my Three Core Attributes…”

Fang Jing didn’t have any other good ideas right now. He felt that in this unknown world, this was his only way to protect himself. For the time being, he hadn’t found a better method.

Even Uncle Enshoen had told him that there wasn’t really anything in this world that could stand against the supernatural.

Wait… did I almost forget about that “Mummified Severed Hand”?

Mummified Severed Hand—let’s call it that for now.

(It actually looks more like a monkey’s hand. Maybe Mummified Monkey’s Paw would be more accurate… Actually, never mind. I feel like that might invite some kind of trouble.)

While the train car was mostly empty, Fang Jing secretly took it out and held it in his hand, studying it carefully.

No Yin Energy, no other sensations—this thing… just felt like an ordinary dried-up corpse.

“But then, that doesn’t explain what happened earlier… that strange fluctuation… Speaking of which, was the eight-legged monster afraid of what was inside the box, or the box itself?”

It was a real shame that the box itself was broken—shattered into pieces as if it had weathered away completely.

“The box is beyond repair, and I can’t restore it. Those unusual symbols on it could have been a clue, but with it gone, there’s no way to trace it now…”

However, that new Fate Fragment—Yuan Armor—seemed different from the Fate Grades on his panel.

Fang Jing closed his eyes. He had some vague inkling of how Yuan Armor worked, and it wasn’t what he had imagined.

Ever since the sixth Fate Fragment entered his body, he had sensed something extra inside him.

Later, he tried closing his eyes and focusing on sensing it. For some reason, deep in his mind, alongside the original skill panel, an image of a human body appeared.

And this human figure closely matched his own physical characteristics.

“This is inner vision—!”

In his inner vision, everything inside his body was displayed clearly: skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs were all visible.

In this unusual inner sight, his muscle tissues showed fine purplish-red threads, forming networks throughout the muscles, while the rest of his body mainly consisted of white and dark red muscle fibers.

Moreover, these purplish-red threads were mostly concentrated around his injured arm—his left arm. When he exerted a little force, the purple threads would cluster together.

I think… I’m starting to figure out how to use this thing.

In Fang Jing’s inner perception, the purple threads resembled a fibrous mesh spread throughout every inch of his body.

(The description for the Fate Fragment “Yuan Armor” read—Those with a will as strong as iron will receive the protection of the Fate Fragment “Yuan Armor”. Every time you train yourself, you gain an increase in armor.)

It should be a skill related to “armor bonuses.” In most games, the armor attribute acts as a buff that reduces damage from attacks.

“These purple net-like threads… maybe they appeared for this very reason. But what exactly are they useful for?”

His mind was full of questions, so he closed his eyes and dozed off for a little while.