Chapter 11: Shadow in Flight

On that violet card stood a diminutive man, his jet-black hair spiked upward like flames, his gaze cold, his expression colder still, and a third eye gleaming on his forehead. Clad entirely in black, he wielded a straight blade of modest length, while a black dragon coiled around his other arm.

[Hiei (Four-Star)]

Level: 0
Strength: 365
Speed: 500
Constitution: 301
Spirit: 334
Skills:
1. Evil Eye Master. When activated, Spirit increases by 100%, but life is depleted at a rate of 5% per second. Passive: Pierces illusions.
2. Shadow Thief of the Extreme. Passive: Sword attack speed increased by 20%, movement speed increased by 20% (Intermediate swordsmanship activates, intermediate physical skills activate).
3. Evil King Flame Fist Inferno. One of the Evil King Flame Fist techniques, striking with a fist shrouded in demonic flames.
4. Evil King Flame Sword. Another technique from the Evil King Flame Fist series; the blade is wrapped in demonic fire, infusing Hiei’s deadly swordsmanship with destructive power.
5. Ultimate: Evil King Flame Black Dragon Wave. Summons infernal flames to form a black dragon, unleashing devastation upon enemies. Alternatively, the black dragon can be absorbed, boosting all attributes by 200% for thirty minutes. The black dragon can be pre-cultivated on his arm, but requires Hiei’s exclusive sealing bandage for containment (Intermediate spirit training activates).

Bonds:
Yusuke Urameshi: Speed +4%
Kazuma Kuwabara: Strength +4%
Kurama: Spirit +4%
Snow Maiden: Constitution +4%

Exclusive Items: Sealing Bandage, Ice Tear Stone.

This was one of the four main protagonists from “Yu Yu Hakusho,” whom Han Feng had adored even more than the primary hero, Yusuke Urameshi.

A four-star hero card boasted a base total attribute of 1500 points, a full 500 more than a three-star. The beginner’s grand package looked lavish, but to Han Feng at this stage, only the Hiei card truly thrilled him.

He did not rush to equip the Hiei card in his second card slot, for he still held 1,000 diamonds unused.

The first tenfold draw guaranteed a four-star card.

Determined to indulge his extravagance to the end, Han Feng excitedly pressed the “Tenfold Draw” button!

Another dazzling radiance flashed!

[You have received the following items:]
[Item Fragment: Cloth Armor x5]
[Item Fragment: Dagger x2]
[Item Fragment: Combat Gloves x3]
!!!!

????

Where is my four-star hero card?

Why are there only item fragments?

Wasn’t a hero card guaranteed for the first tenfold draw?

Han Feng stared blankly at the list of items from the tenfold draw. His heart felt as if he had spent a fortune finally winning over his long-desired sweetheart, entered a private space together, only for her to suddenly announce her monthly visitor had arrived.

“System, where’s the hero card for the first tenfold draw?” Han Feng still clung to a shred of hope.

[The reward for the first tenfold draw is already included in the beginner’s package.]

The system’s maddeningly annoying voice shattered Han Feng’s last fantasy.

“This is fraud!” Han Feng cried out from the depths of his soul.

[Intellect is your fatal flaw.]

“...” Han Feng was left speechless. Just wait, one day I’ll bury you in money.

He fitted the Hiei card into his second card slot, then used the hero experience book from the beginner’s package to raise Hiei’s level to ten.

With each level gained, a four-star card received 150 attribute points; level ten meant an increase of 1,500 points, distributed automatically according to the card’s innate proportions.

Han Feng, ever lazy, evenly allocated the 600 free attribute points he’d gained from his own leveling.

With Hiei at level ten, Kenshin Himura at level zero, and his own level ten attributes, plus the 30% bonuses to strength, speed, and constitution from intermediate physical training, his stats were as follows: Strength 2049, Speed 2471, Constitution 1840, Spirit 1308.

At this moment, Han Feng felt only one thing: satisfaction!

He believed he could now arm wrestle with D-rank enemies—and win handily.

As the flamboyant Brother Dan would say, “I’ll take on ten at once!”

As for the ten skill points gained from leveling, Han Feng still hadn’t used them.

Drawing on his past experience, he knew that the skill tree’s intermediate and basic skills, whether martial or otherwise, required unlocking the relevant profession and either a skill book or instruction from an expert. In this remote, low-security star system, only the capital cities on habitable planets had such skill books or trainers.

Though the skill tree interface was activated, he felt no urgency for most of its skills. The only pressing need was the fundamental spirit training skill, “Basic Energy Cultivation.”

For Hiei’s ultimate skill, Evil King Flame Black Dragon Wave, intermediate spirit cultivation was necessary, and he hadn’t even begun the basics.

Though he now possessed a spirit stat, that was merely the result of attribute bonuses, not genuine cultivation.

Despite the system’s deception, he still chose to forgive it.

Satisfied, he closed the system panel and looked around—the surroundings were a shambles, with barely a spot to stand. Several corpses lay scattered near the house.

The sky had cleared, sunbeams pierced lingering clouds, illuminating the scarred earth, and the stains of blood shone vividly.

Being considerate, knowing there was a fairy-like girl in the house who must be innately fearful of corpses, Han Feng decided to dispose of the nearest bodies—and test his newfound abilities.

He approached Barlow’s corpse, flexed his arm, and in his previously empty right hand, a pure black flame suddenly appeared.

The black flame radiated intense heat, instantly withering the rain-soaked grass, yet the temperature had no effect on Han Feng whatsoever.

On the contrary, it felt warm and comforting.

From prior experience, he knew that although this world possessed fire-type abilities, black flames had never been seen before. This was Hiei’s exclusive power, and its temperature far exceeded ordinary fire—even magma.

With a casual gesture, several blobs of black flame shot toward the nearest corpses.

In mere seconds, the bodies were engulfed in black fire, reduced to heaps of ash within two or three seconds. A gentle breeze swept away the remnants, leaving not a trace—only the parched, cracked earth bore witness to what had transpired.

Removing his blood-stained coat, he washed the blood from his face under the broken, spraying kitchen faucet. One must maintain a respectable image in front of a beautiful woman—even if such stories had yet to unfold, one never knew.

Dusting himself off, Han Feng strode toward the secret room’s door.

The room was secure; when he’d built it, he used high-strength alloy, capable of withstanding small laser cannons and missiles.

As he opened the door, a beautiful figure instantly raised her pistol toward the entrance.

Ye Tianyi had waited alone in the safe room. There was no display screen connected to external cameras, so she couldn’t know what was happening outside, but the sounds of fierce fighting and explosions reached her ears.

The intensity of the noise made it clear the enemy’s firepower was overwhelming; Han Feng was alone, and she could do nothing but worry, silently praying for his safety.

When the outside finally fell quiet and Han Feng failed to return for a long while, she feared he may have met with misfortune.

Only when she heard the sudden opening of the safe room door did she, anxious, expectant, nervous, and uneasy, raise her pistol.