It was nearly dusk when Lü Bu heard the footsteps.
Unsteady. Dragging. Human.
He dropped low behind a bush, clutching both halves of his broken wooden spear. His heart thudded in his chest — not from fear, but from instinct. He had learned by now that the forest did not forgive mistakes.
And then he saw him.
A man.
Ragged armor clung to his frame. One arm was bleeding. A rusted sword dragged behind him, leaving a trail in the dirt. His eyes were wild. His lips dry.
A bandit — the kind that pillaged villages like Lü Bu's.
For a moment, Lü Bu couldn't move. The memory of fire, screaming, his mother's voice — it all came crashing back.
But the man stumbled again, groaning in pain. Weak. Wounded.
I can run. Hide. Wait until he's gone…
No.
This was the moment.
He didn't attack right away. He followed the man silently through the trees, studying his limping gait, the sword clutched in his good hand.
Every part of Lü Bu's body screamed caution.
He was smaller. He was unarmed. And this man had killed before.
But something deeper than fear pushed him forward.
The fire in his chest.
The one that refused to let him stay weak forever.
When the moment came, Lü Bu struck from the shadows — fast, low, with the sharpened end of his wooden spear aimed at the man's ribs.
The bandit grunted in pain and spun wildly, slashing with his sword.
The blade missed by inches, slicing through air.
System Alert
— Combat Initiated: First Human Opponent
— Skill Activation: Basic Spear Mastery [Lv. 1]
— Trait Bonus Applied: Combat Intuition
Lü Bu didn't think. He reacted.
He ducked under the next swing, slamming his second spear shaft against the bandit's knee. The man screamed and collapsed onto one leg — but with terrifying speed, he slashed again, grazing Lü Bu's shoulder.
Pain. Real pain. His first taste of a blade.
But he didn't cry. He didn't stop.
They struggled in the dirt, the boy and the bandit, one trying to survive, the other trying to kill.
But Lü Bu had something the bandit didn't — the will to rise.
He moved with pure instinct, using every inch of his training, every strike he'd practiced in silence.
And finally, with a sharp, savage thrust, he drove the spear into the bandit's throat.
The man gurgled. Twitched.
Then lay still.
Silence.
The forest around him went quiet.
Lü Bu stood there, breathing heavily, blood on his hands, chest rising and falling like thunder in his ears.
He had won.
System Update
— Enemy Defeated: Human Bandit (F-Rank)
— Basic Spear Mastery → Level 2
— New Skill Unlocked: Fear Suppression
— Body Refinement Progress: 18%
— Loot Gained: Rusted Iron Sword [Durability 43/100]
He dropped to his knees, staring at the sword.
Real. Heavy. Cold.
It felt different from wood.
More dangerous. More… true.
He didn't smile. He didn't cry.
He just took the blade.
Wrapped the wound on his shoulder.
And stood.
"This is only the beginning."
"I bled once, but next time… I'll bleed less."