Fading Footsteps

A week had passed.

During this time, Chen Feng had gained a thorough understanding of his Balrog form. The ability he acquired from pleasing the Burning Demon, Chen Feng had deliberately named:

Flameblade.

A blade entirely forged from pure power, capable of melting its target through intense heat, with the effects of armor-piercing and burning.

As a high-ranking demon of the Abyss, the Balrog possessed other abilities as well: Fiery Immolation, Demonic Horns, and Ascendant Wings

Fiery Immolation created a searing zone around the caster, similar to an enchantment, where anything that ventured too close would be burned.

Demonic Horns granted heightened senses, allowing the demon to easily detect enemies even in complete darkness.

Ascendant Wings enabled flight, making the Balor Demon one of the few entities in the Abyss capable of matching the might of creatures like bone dragons.

These were the benefits of the blood sacrifice.

The Balrog form significantly enhanced Chen Feng's melee capabilities. In combat, he could now rely on his physical prowess alone to fight enemies.

And the benefits of the blood sacrifice didn't stop there.

Chen Feng was only at the Silver Realm now, and he had only mastered the Flameblade. However, the sigil of the Balrog had been etched onto his chest. As his strength continued to grow, he would have the opportunity to unlock the demon's other formidable abilities.

Chen Feng was only at the Silver Realm, and the only ability he has mastered is the Flameblade. However, his chest has already been marked with the Balrog's Sigil. As he advances in realm, he will have the opportunity to comprehend several other mysterious abilities.

Tattered wings that drip with darkness, Razor-sharp Demonic horns glinting with malice, and a sword forged in the searing fury of molten lava.

If Chen Feng succeeded in fully awakening the Balrog's powers, his transformation might undergo a apotheosis—perhaps even turning him into a true Balrog.

But that was of little concern.

In this world, power was paramount.

For a summoner, close combat was typically a weak point. To improve their hand-to-hand combat skills, some summoners would even go so far as to modify their bodies.

Chen Feng felt fortunate that he had summoned the Balrog.

In the Abyss, most demons and creatures were grotesque and hideous, but the Balrog, with its fearsome yet dignified appearance, was among the few exceptions, considered almost attractive by Abyssal standards.

It was a pseudo-warrior profession.

With his transformation ability, Chen Feng could disguise himself as a strength-based professional. This could reduce his enemies' alertness in unexpected encounters.

Being in the Silver Realm now, Chen Feng was far more powerful than when he was in the Bronze Realm. If the strength of a Bronze warrior was akin to that of a martial arts champion or a boxer, then a Silver warrior was qualified to venture into the wilderness with confidence. Wounds mended swiftly, resilience to injury was unmatched, and bones were like iron—he could even survive a fall from the fifth floor without a fracture, as long as he didn't land on his head.

A metamorphosis.

Simply put, Chen Feng had left behind the limitations of ordinary flesh and blood.

Time passed slowly.

Chen Feng needed to stay in the Economic Development Zone for a while longer to gather food and water.

He searched.

A residential area called 'Xizeyuan' appeared in front of him. In the peaceful era, this was one of the top housing developments in J City, home to the wealthy and the elite, with luxury cars parked everywhere.

But now, the place was desolate.

The monsters didn't care about wealth. As long as it was edible, they would devour it.

There was a supermarket within the community where Chen Feng could restock his supplies.

A haunting silence filled the air.

Chen Feng had prepared himself for a fight. After all, residential areas like this were usually crawling with monsters, attracted by the scent of human flesh. But now, the place was eerily silent.

No...

To be precise, it was deathly quiet. There were no howls, not even a trace of zombies. This large residential area was like a dead zone—no living, no dead.

It was strange.

But Chen Feng pressed on. He was only here to gather some food, which wouldn't take long, and now that he was in the Silver Realm, he had the ability to explore dangerous places.

"The supermarket is near Building Three. It should take no more than five minutes to grab what I need and leave this place," Chen Feng calculated as he walked steadily forward.

"Who goes there!"

Suddenly, a low voice called out from ahead.

Chen Feng paused momentarily, then calmly looked forward.

A middle-aged man with a dark complexion stood there, tense and staring at Chen Feng intently.

"Who are you?" the man asked, his tone full of suspicion. His face was serious, and he held a crossbow in his hand. He was dressed in work clothes, stained with dried paint.

A worker.

It was clear that this man was a laborer, likely a painter.

"Don't worry. I'm just here to scavenge for some food. I'm alone," Chen Feng replied calmly.

Chen Feng had seen too many situations to be phased by a crossbow aimed at him. He had no intention of killing this man.

The man posed no threat to him.

If Chen Feng wanted to, he could kill the man three times over before the man even pulled the trigger. This was no exaggeration—after advancing to the Silver Realm, Chen Feng's reflexes had become several times faster than those of ordinary people. In a state of high alert, he could even dodge bullets.

The man glanced over Chen Feng, his wary expression gradually softening. He spoke, "I thought you were one of those undead freaks. Are you really out here scavenging for food with nothing but your bare hands?"

He lowered the crossbow, but his left hand remained tightly gripping the weapon, clearly still uneasy about the environment.

The crossbow was something the man had found in a shop. Although it wasn't a professional hunting crossbow, it was still a basic craft piece with some degree of lethality.

It was with this basic crossbow and a bit of luck that the man had survived these days in the apocalypse.

"Undead freaks? You mean the zombies? Clearly, they're corpses, but they can still move. And why is there not a single monster in this residential area? Do you know what's going on?" Chen Feng's voice was soft, but his words were clear.

"Yes, those living dead. Unless you aim for the head, you can't kill them. Monsters? I've only been here a short while, and there's no sign of anything around."

The man's tone was somewhat relieved. He had a large bag by his feet, filled with supplies. Today had been a good day.

The man had been through a lot of hardships recently. With food running out, he had no choice but to venture out in search of something to eat. Who would have thought he'd get lucky this time? He hadn't encountered any danger and had found plenty of food. If he was careful, it would last him half a month.

The man glanced at Chen Feng, thinking this young man was reckless—wandering around without even a weapon for self-defense.

Feeling satisfied with his haul, the man smiled at Chen Feng and said, "The supermarket is just ahead. There's still a lot of food inside."

"There are monsters wandering near the community gate. There's a low wall over there. If you climb over it, there's only a small path, which is relatively safe."

Chen Feng nodded.

The man was clearly a kind-hearted person. He pointed to the low wall not far away, where the community's greenbelt was located. The area was filled with trees and plants, blocking the view of the wall.

"Alright, I'll leave you to it. I might come back later since it's safe here," the man said with a grin, waving at Chen Feng before heading toward the low wall.

Swish, swish...

A sudden noise of shuffling footsteps.

Chen Feng turned around and walked toward the supermarket. Even ordinary people could move safely here, confirming that there were no monsters at all.

Despite the size of the community, not a single monster had appeared.

This was indeed a strange place.

But then, Chen Feng suddenly stopped.

The surroundings fell silent. Just as he was lost in thought, the sound of the man's footsteps vanished as if they had never existed.

Time passed slowly...

The community was so quiet that even the man's presence seemed to disappear in an instant.

Chen Feng paused briefly, then, with a hint of curiosity, slowly turned around and looked toward the low wall nearby.

He remembered clearly that just after turning around, the sound of the man's footsteps had completely disappeared, as if they had never been there.

How strange.

The man was just an ordinary person; it's impossible for him to have suddenly leaped over the wall. Something must have happened to cause this.

Chen Feng was intrigued.

He took a few steps forward, parted the grass with his right hand, ready for battle at any moment. There was nothing suspicious around, so he moved cautiously.

A huddled figure appeared in front of Chen Feng.

It was the man, lying naked on the ground, his skin flushed red, motionless as if he were asleep.

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes.

Asleep?

No!

He was...

Dead!