"Tsk..."
A surge of emotion accidentally aggravated the wound on his shoulder.
A sharp pain shot through Han Ning, making him shudder involuntarily.
"With this injury, hunting is out of the question for now. At the very least, I need to heal first."
Gritting his teeth, he unwrapped the blood-soaked bandage, exposing the gruesome wound to the air.
Near his left collarbone, a deep claw mark reached down to the bone, with flesh torn and edges tinged an unnatural grayish-white.
Had he dodged even a moment later, that bone spike would have sliced through his carotid artery.
The sight of the wound sent another wave of dread through Han Ning.
Closing his eyes, he placed his palm over the injury, a faint emerald glow emanating from it.
[Rejuvenation (Beginner) Proficiency +1, Current: 38/100]
The life-infused green light seeped into the wound, bringing a tingling sensation.
Flesh and blood slowly writhed under the healing effects of Rejuvenation.
"Rejuvenation's proficiency is too low. The healing effect isn't ideal."
Frowning, Han Ning checked his Druid Panel.
[Class: Beginner Druid (Lv3)]
[Spiritual Power: 15/20]
[Skills:
Vine Manipulation (Intermediate): 182/200
Rapid Growth (Beginner): 78/100
Rejuvenation (Beginner): 38/100
Tree Skin Art (Beginner): 12/100
Animal Companion (Beginner): Snowflake (Swamp Crocodile Lizard Lv1 Growth Progress: 34/100), Skill Proficiency (27/100)]
His Intermediate Vine Manipulation had reached 182/200 proficiency, just shy of leveling up.
But unlike the beginner version, simply practicing indoors—summoning vines to lash at air or entangle furniture—no longer increased proficiency.
Han Ning clearly remembered that no matter how much he practiced indoors these past few days, his Vine Manipulation proficiency remained stagnant.
It seemed only through real combat pressure—clashing with those monstrous scales, wrestling, even having the vines torn apart—could the skill absorb the "nutrients" needed for growth.
"Perfect time to train other skills while recovering."
This experience taught him that in a monster-infested wasteland, survivability always came first.
Healing, defense, and logistics were just as crucial as offensive capabilities.
...
Knock knock, knock knock knock.
Just then, a gentle rapping sounded at the door.
Snowflake, lying on the floor, immediately perked up in alert.
"Relax." Han Ning patted the lizard's head.
He didn't need to ask—he already knew who it was.
Approaching the door, he opened it to reveal Liu Feng standing outside.
Alone, Liu Feng carried a waterproof cloth-wrapped bag.
"Brother Han Ning." Liu Feng smiled, lifting the bag. "Brought some things. Wanted to talk."
Han Ning remained silent for several seconds, blocking the doorway instead of stepping aside. "We have nothing to discuss."
Liu Feng outside seemed to have anticipated this reaction. With a bitter smile, he said—
.
"I know you're angry. I'd be angry too if I were in your shoes."
"That bastard Chen Yan... he really was out of line. He was scared out of his wits by that giant lizard, panicked... I'll apologize on his behalf."
Liu Feng bowed slightly to Han Ning.
"Are you his father? Why do you have to apologize for him?" Han Ning remained unmoved.
Liu Feng's face twisted with bitterness:
"To be honest, Chen Yan and I... we go way back. His father and mine were comrades-in-arms. I'm two years older than him."
"Three years ago, my father passed away from illness, and Chen Yan's family helped me a lot..."
"It's like choosing between my own flesh and blood."
"This is my fault. I didn't handle it well."
"Enough with the excuses," Han Ning waved his hand, cutting him off.
It wasn't just Chen Yan—Lu Minghu and Zhou Wan were probably also deeply connected to Liu Feng.
Lu Minghu had been hesitant, swaying like a reed in the wind when danger struck, but at least he still had some shred of decency.
That was why Han Ning hadn't given him trouble.
As for Zhou Wan, she acted detached, but Han Ning could sense from the way Liu Feng called her name that their relationship wasn't ordinary.
"Fine, let's not talk about Chen Yan."
Liu Feng paused, his tone growing more earnest,
"But brother, in times like these, sticking together is the only way forward."
"I've been trying to reach out to residents on other floors these past few days, hoping to find others who've Awakened abilities."
"If there are more Awakened, I can help you form a new hunting team—completely independent. I won't interfere at all."
"No need," Han Ning replied flatly. "I'm used to working alone."
Liu Feng sighed:
"I know you're capable, but one person can only do so much. You've seen how dangerous the road to White Egret Port is... Even if you won't join a team, I hope we can at least travel together when the time comes. We'd have each other's backs..."
"I said no."
Han Ning shook his head, his tone final,
"I appreciate the gesture, but take your things back."
With that, he ignored Liu Feng, closed the door, and turned toward the living room.
Silence settled outside.
After nearly half a minute, the faint rustle of a plastic bag being set down reached his ears, followed by Liu Feng's barely audible sigh and receding footsteps.
Han Ning listened as the footsteps faded away, his resolve unshaken.
Chen Yan's cowardice—even his underhanded malice—and Liu Feng's hesitation had shattered any trust he had in this makeshift group.
No matter how much Liu Feng talked, he refused to cut ties with Chen Yan. That said it all.
So-called "having each other's backs" was just a fragile illusion when death loomed.
He'd rather face the unknown dangers alone than trust his back to unreliable people again.
This time, he'd been naive.
He walked back to the door, opened it a crack, and hauled the heavy bag inside.
Unwrapping the waterproof cloth, he found two sealed jugs of water, several packs of compressed biscuits, two boxes of self-heating rice, and two pounds of beef jerky carefully wrapped in foil.
In this apocalyptic world, these were precious supplies.
Han Ning's lips twitched, but his expression remained blank.
The other man's attempt to smooth things over with resources was painfully obvious.
He accepted it—not out of forgiveness, but because these were tangible survival resources. There was no need to refuse them for the sake of so-called pride.
In this world, survival was the only truth that mattered.
In the following days, Han Ning stayed indoors, focusing on improving the proficiency of his other skills.
The wound on his left arm was his top priority.
Practicing Rejuvenation was straightforward—he repeatedly cast the skill on his injury, draining his Spiritual Power while increasing his mastery.
Next was Tree Skin Art, for which he devised a method.
First, he activated Tree Skin Art, covering his entire body in bark. Then, he directed Snowflake to use her sharp claws to tear at the bark like a cat scratching a post.
Whenever the bark broke, he would repair it, simulating combat conditions.
Finally, there was Rapid Growth, which he practiced by continuously casting it on crops.
Previously, his Spiritual Power had been too limited to spare much for the plants.
But now that he wasn't practicing Vine Manipulation, and his overall Spiritual Power capacity had doubled, his proficiency in Rapid Growth improved rapidly.
Time flew by as he trained diligently…