Descent into Bloodlust

The arena fell silent as Li Wei stood alone in the center, his katana gleaming under the harsh lights. The air was thick with anticipation, the crowd holding their breath as they waited for the carnage to begin.

Li Wei's lips curled into a cold, mirthless smile as he surveyed the ring of guards closing in around him. His hand tightened on the katana's hilt.

Li Wei's eyes flickered to the System interface that materialized before him:

┌────────────────────────┐

│ [System] Battle Parameters Initialized

│ Li Wei Status: │

│ HP: 1000/1000

│ Humanity Level: 70/100

│ Blood Lust: 30/100

│ Opponents: 150 Arena Guards

│ Average Guard HP: 500

│ Total Enemy HP: 75,000

│ Objective: Eliminate all guards

│ Reward: 15,000 XP, 7,500 System Points, Skill Upgrade │

│ Warning: Actions during battle may affect Humanity Level │

│ and Blood Lust │

└────────────────────────┘

"Let's begin," he whispered, his voice carrying an edge that sent shivers through even the hardened guards.

Without hesitation, Li Wei activated [Shadow Step], becoming a blur of motion as he engaged the first wave of opponents.

His katana sang through the air, finding its mark with deadly precision. Blood sprayed in crimson arcs as Li Wei's blade cleaved through flesh and shattered bone. The System chimed incessantly:

┌────────────────────────┐

│ [System] Guard eliminated!

│ HP: 0/500 │

│ XP gained: 100 │

│ System Points gained: 50

│ Humanity Level: 69/100 (-1)

│ Blood Lust: 32/100 (+2)

└────────────────────────┘

As the battle raged on, Li Wei found himself slipping deeper into a primal state of violence.

Each kill sent a thrill of excitement through his body, the taste of copper in the air fueling his frenzy. The crowd's initial horror gave way to morbid fascination as they witnessed the brutal spectacle unfold.

┌────────────────────────┐

│ [System] 50 guards eliminated!

│ Total Enemy HP remaining: 50,000

│ XP gained: 5,000

│ System Points gained: 2,500

│ Humanity Level: 60/100 (-10)

│ Blood Lust: 50/100 (+20)

│ Skill Proficiency increased: [Shadow Step] Level 4 > Level 5 │

└────────────────────────┘

Li Wei's movements became more savage, more instinctual. He was no longer simply fighting; he was reveling in the destruction he wreaked.

Bodies piled around him, the arena floor slick with blood and viscera. The air rang with the screams of the dying and the sickening crunch of bones being pulverized.

As his Blood Lust rose, Li Wei unlocked new, terrifying abilities. His strikes became impossibly fast, his strength inhuman.

Guards fell before him like wheat before a scythe, their attempts at defense futile against his slaughter. Limbs were hewn from bodies, Body split open, and heads rolled across the blood-soaked arena floor.

┌────────────────────────┐

│ [System] 100 guards eliminated!

│ Total Enemy HP remaining: 25,000

│ XP gained: 10,000

│ System Points gained: 5,000

│ Humanity Level: 45/100 (-15)

│ Blood Lust: 75/100 (+25)

│ New Skill Unlocked: [Crimson Frenzy]

│ Warning: Humanity Level approaching critical low. │

│ Further decrease may result in permanent changes to │

│ character status

└────────────────────────┘

The warning flashed before Li Wei's eyes, but he paid it no heed. The thrill of battle had consumed him entirely.

He activated [Crimson Frenzy], feeling a surge of power course through his veins. His eyes glowed an unnatural red as he launched himself at the remaining guards with a renewed energy.

The final phase of the battle was a blur of blood and screams. Li Wei moved with impossible speed, his katana leaving trails of Blood spilling in the air.

Guards fell by the dozens, their bodies torn apart by his relentless assault. Flesh parted like water before his blade, bones splintered under his strikes, and organs spilled onto the arena floor in a scene of horrific mess

As the last guard fell, Li Wei stood motionless in the center of the arena, his body covered in a thick layer of blood and gore.

His breathing was heavy, eyes wild with bloodlust. The katana in his hand dripped steadily, adding to the vast pool of crimson at his feet.

┌────────────────────────┐

│ [System] Battle Concluded!

│ All guards eliminated!

│ Total XP gained: 15,000

│ Total System Points gained: 7,500

│ Humanity Level: 30/100 (-40)

│ Blood Lust: 95/100 (+65)

│ Skill Upgrade: [Shadow Step] evolved to [Blood Shadow] │

│ New Passive Skill: [Crimson Aura]

│ Warning: Humanity Level critically low.

│ Character has entered [Berserker State].

│ Rational decision-making may be impaired.

└────────────────────────┘

The crowd remained deathly silent, the atmosphere heavy with fear and disbelief. Li Wei's gaze swept across the arena, searching for any remaining signs of life.

His eyes locked onto a figure stirring weakly amidst the destruction – a guard, desperately clinging to life.

Li Wei approached her slowly, his steps leaving bloody footprints in his walk. The guard's eyes widened in terror as he loomed over her. "P-please," The guard whimpered, "show mercy..."

Wei approached the guard, a wild smile spreading across his blood-spattered face. As he drew closer, he realized the guard was a woman. "Show mercy!" she cried out, dragging herself backward, leaving a trail of blood.

Li Wei pressed his foot Hitting down on her wounded stomach, forcing a fresh gush of blood surge out.

Show mercy !, I beg you she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. Show mercy!!!!!!

Hmmm Okay, mercy accepted," Li Wei said, removing his blood-soaked foot. The flow of blood slowed, but his smile only grew wider.

But it seems I need your hands for the biometric scan for the elevator.

"What?!!! she gasped, disbelief etched on her face. Li Wei grasped her hands, ignoring her cries of "No, stop, don't do it!" His face contorted with a twisted glee.

It won't hurt much. Try not to die," he said, his voice dripping with mock concern.

With a swift, brutal motion, Li Wei brought the katana down on her wrist. The sickening crunch of bone being sliced through echoed through the arena.

The guard agonized screams pierced the air as blood spurted from the stump of her arm. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the blood on the ground.

Li Wei stood up, holding the severed hand, blood dripping steadily to the floor. The crowd remained paralyzed with horror, unable to process the brutality they had just witnessed.

Walking away from the arena, Li Wei approached the elevator. He pressed the severed hand against the biometric scanner, leaving a smear of blood on the pristine Screen.

As the elevator doors slid open, Li Wei stepped inside and turned for one last look at the carnage he had done.

His eyes found the female guard. She lay motionless, the her life faded away. "How pity," Li Wei mused, "she couldn't make it after I spared her life."

As the elevator doors began to close, the System's interface appeared before him:

┌────────────────────────┐

│ [System] Upper Ground 2 Preparation

│ - [Shadow Step] ability will be deactivated

│ using it for the next 5 mins in the next

│battle.

│ It will reactive back upon full escape from the underground.

│ Warning: Humanity Level critically low.

│ Character actions may have unforeseen consequences. │

└────────────────────────┘

Li Wei stared at the system in disbelief, his blood-covered face twisting in anger. "Is the System fucking with me?

He growled, his voice echoing in the confines of the elevator as it began its ascent, carrying him towards his next challenge.

The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival at Upper Ground 2. Li Wei tensed, ready for whatever awaited him as the doors slowly slid open.

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