Translator: CinderTL
Upon arriving at the burial ground, Feng Qi didn't immediately head to the Star City Shelter.
He decided to wait for little black to arrive in this area.
If he entered the underground shelter now, the situation would likely repeat itself.
The final battle between little black and Suction Cup would turn the entire underground shelter into chaos, disrupting his studies and potentially damaging the database.
By waiting for little black, he could ensure the battlefield remained outside the shelter. This also allowed him to search for spirit plants in the area to help Suction Cup recover from her injuries, prolonging their final clash.
Hunting living dead and death worms here would also help him improve his strength.
If he tried hunting domain creatures within the abandoned city, Suction Cup wouldn't even leave him the scraps.
During his wait, he worried whether Suction Cup would devour the living dead after he killed them.
As a human, the thought of Suction Cup consuming corpses sent shivers down his spine.
But the truth was, Suction Cup showed no interest in these humanoid monsters.
He suspected this was due to Mu Qing's influence, as she had never harbored any malice toward humans.
As for why Mu Qing had slaughtered the city and massacred civilians, he believed there must be a reason, and he would strive to uncover the truth.
But Suction Cup would show no mercy to the death worms.
Every death worm he killed became sustenance for Suction Cup to restore her strength.
Ding-a-ling! A purple plant detected at the eight o'clock position. Excellent weapon fuel—at least enough to upgrade Suction Cup by +1!
Hearing the Narrator's prompt, he immediately turned to face the eight o'clock direction.
His gaze swept across the area until he spotted a purple plant growing amidst a pile of withered bones.
Shaped like a lotus flower, it sprouted eight slender stems from its center, each stem topped with a gourd-like fruit. Its appearance was truly bizarre.
Approaching the plant, he didn't pluck the fruits. Instead, he uprooted the entire strange plant, roots and all.
After examining the plant in his hand once more, he held it up to Suction Cup's mouth.
"Dinner time!"
Hearing those words, the slumbering Suction Cup reflexively opened her eyes, then opened her mouth and began devouring the strange plant held inches away, swallowing it whole, roots and all.
After a brief wait, a crystalline jade-like luster shimmered across Suction Cup's body, and her temperature began to rise.
To Feng Qi's astonishment, a tiny crack in the rune crystal on Suction Cup's left arm visibly healed before his eyes.
Although the rune crystal remained riddled with cracks, the healing effect this time was even stronger than after she had consumed three domain creatures.
The jade-like glow on Suction Cup's body intensified into a brilliant radiance as the small crack in the rune crystal healed, but it quickly subsided back to its usual calm.
Feng Qi could sense that Suction Cup had grown even stronger.
Thinking aloud, he immediately asked, "Narrator, what kind of spirit plant is this? Its effects are incredible."
I'm not entirely sure. Judging by its appearance... how about we call it the Eight Gourd Babies?
"I'm not fucking saving my grandpa here," Feng Qi retorted, rolling his eyes.
Your grandpa's in fine shape. I could still battle demons for three hundred rounds without needing your help.
Feng Qi: ...
Most of the time, the Narrator struck him as remarkably reliable.
In this desolate world, the Narrator's companionship alleviated some of his oppressive loneliness, but at the cost of enduring his constant teasing.
Sometimes he felt like storming into his own mind and battling the Narrator to the death.
While mentally flipping the Narrator the bird, he continued to roam the burial ground with Suction Cup, searching for new prey.
During this time, the Narrator repeatedly provided hints, leading him to discover four spirit plants in the area.
One of these plants was buried over a meter underground, yet even that couldn't evade the Narrator's powerful detection capabilities.
After several hours, little black still hadn't appeared.
He decided to focus entirely on hunting living dead and death worms.
After tearing another three-meter-long death worm in half, he offered the slime-covered carcass to Suction Cup:
"Dinner time."
Hearing his voice, Suction Cup's eyes snapped open. She lunged at the death worm, tearing into it with ravenous bites.
But after only a few mouthfuls, she suddenly began to gag, vomiting up a mass of black sludge.
Feng Qi: ...
Stunned by the sight, he couldn't understand why Suction Cup, who usually had such a hearty appetite, was throwing up.
Don't panic. Suction Cup is merely expelling indigestible material.
Understanding the reason, he stopped worrying.
But Suction Cup's next bizarre action left him completely dumbfounded.
Even though she hadn't finished expelling the indigestible material from her body, she hastily opened her mouth to continue eating, creating the shocking spectacle of her simultaneously vomiting and devouring food. Feng Qi stared in disbelief.
"This gluttonous trait truly runs in the family, just like Mu Qing."
Just like your optimistic personality runs in mine.
"Can't you be polite for once? Would it kill you to stop being so snarky?"
It would be worse than death.
Feng Qi: ...
Amidst this chaotic cycle of eating and vomiting, Suction Cup finally expelled all the black liquid from her body and devoured the entire death worm.
As jade-like luminescence flowed across her surface, the grime and filth slid off, restoring her to her usual adorable, wide-eyed appearance.
Heed my call, and merge with me, mighty suction-based weapon!
With the Narrator's melodramatic shout, Suction Cup leaped forward and latched onto Feng Qi's chest.
While mentally flipping the bird at the Narrator, Feng Qi turned his gaze into the distance, scanning for new prey.
Wandering through the burial ground, he continued his hunt. After an indeterminate amount of time, he felt a distinct change in his body.
A surge of qi and blood erupted from his skull, rapidly enveloping his entire form.
Under this crimson torrent, the original grayish-white bones began to transform.
As the crimson mist dissipated, the once-gray bones transformed into a pristine white, as if coated with a layer of color, giving the entire figure a much cleaner appearance.
Simultaneously, Feng Qi could clearly sense a significant enhancement in his strength.
Summoning his status panel, he confirmed that his prefix title had indeed changed:
Blood Source · Nightmare · Resilience (Level 4) · Very Robust Living Dead: Feng Qi
Strength Tier: Black Iron-Lower Tier
Prefix Title: Very Robust: +30% physical strength, greatly enhanced self-healing ability.
Resilience LV4: +4% muscle resilience.
Nightmare (Non-Upgradable Prefix Title): Allows intrusion into the target's consciousness to extract memories. Effectiveness depends on the user's mental strength. The ability associated with this prefix title improves as the user's mental strength increases.
Blood Source (Non-Upgradable Prefix Title): Condenses a blood core within the heart, significantly enhancing its operational efficiency. This ability can also be activated to instantly drain the blood core's energy, granting a burst of combat power. The ability's effectiveness scales with the user's bloodline strength.
Bloodline: Human (Primary)
Bloodline Evolution Points: 378/1000
Prefix Title Milestones:
Very Robust (Upgradable):
Third Milestone Progress: 0%
Resilience LV4 (Upgradable): 8%
"How lazy! I thought 'Robust' would evolve into a different title," Feng Qi muttered, examining his status panel.
Exactly! Wouldn't 'Very Robust' sound better? It just makes whoever designed this status panel seem so uncultured.
"Who designed it?" he pressed immediately.
How would I know?
Unable to get an answer, he abandoned the question and resumed his hunt for prey.
He refused to miss any opportunity to enhance his strength. Before, he had no choice; little black would kill him before he could finish many tasks. Now that he had time, he wouldn't waste a moment.
After all, improving his strength was crucial.
It would not only ensure his self-preservation but also provide a significant advantage when he eventually joined a team to explore the Domain Field for resources.
In his first battle after advancing Robust to "Very Robust," Feng Qi faced a living dead creature that reeked of a putrid stench.
He began testing the extent of his newfound power.
The results were astonishing. With a single punch, he sent the living dead flying three meters backward—his raw strength had more than doubled.
Other aspects were similarly enhanced. The hardness of his bones, the explosive power from his surface muscles, and more had all been significantly improved.
The thought that these enhancements from the Dream Realm would carry over to reality filled him with satisfaction.
Just then, the Narrator's voice materialized in his mind:
A remarkable improvement! You can now last 0.1 seconds longer against little black. Applause!
His smile instantly froze. He had been genuinely pleased with his progress, but the Narrator never failed to mess with his head.
"Mess with your head"? This is called motivation! If I don't crack the whip, you'll be grinning so wide your mouth will split to your ears. You're giving me nightmares tonight.
Feng Qi: ...
Ignoring the Narrator, he resumed hunting the living dead nearby.
However, compared to before, the milestone advancement percentage gained from killing the living dead was now pitifully small, making progress significantly harder.
In contrast, the "resilience" boost from his prefix title remained unchanged.
Whether he hunted death worms at LV1 or LV4, the milestone percentage gained remained exactly the same.
Intrigued, he asked, "Narrator, do you know why?"
Resilience, before completing its Major Advancement, is the lowest-tier talent ability. It simply can't compare to your innate talent. Each advancement of your innate talent is equivalent to a Major Advancement, naturally requiring a higher consumption of corresponding Qi and blood.
Hearing the Narrator's explanation, he understood immediately.
One was an improvement to the essence of life itself, while the other was an advancement of a single ability—they were fundamentally different concepts.
With the reason clarified, he continued wandering through the burial ground, searching for new prey.
After several more hours of relentless hunting, he upgraded Resilience to LV5, and the Robust milestone percentage reached 16%.
Just then, the Narrator's voice echoed in his mind:
Ahem, young man, pay attention to your surroundings and prepare to throw a one-time consumable weapon.
Hearing the Narrator's warning, he immediately turned to the east.
Little Black was rapidly approaching from the distance, the black mist swirling around her expanding and contracting like rhythmic breaths.
Glancing down at the Suction Cup clinging to his chest, a flicker of guilt crossed his face.
"I'll avenge you next time I return. Hold on for me a little longer."
Next time, and the next, and the next... how many 'next times' will there be? Your true nature seems to be resurfacing, little by little. It appears the Meng Po Soup is losing its grip on your memories.
Feng Qi: ...
Realizing the Narrator was once again subtly implying he was some kind of animal, he spat inwardly.
But Little Black was already upon him. He reached down and scooped up the Suction Cup clinging to his chest.
With a look of bewilderment on her face, he hurled her toward Little Black.
"Next time, I promise!"
(End of the Chapter)