"Gulp, gulp, gulp..." Jiang Cheng gulped down the wolf blood, driven by his extreme hunger that almost made him lose his mind. Despite his decent education, he found himself compelled to drink the raw meat and wolf blood. But to his surprise, the wolf blood was easily digested by his stomach, quickly converted into the nutrients his body desperately needed, and absorbed by his cells. It seemed like no matter how much wolf blood he drank, it would be processed efficiently.
Finally, his HP stopped rising after reaching 2.5, not because it had reached a bottleneck, but because the rapid growth phase had ended. From now on, he could only gradually increase his HP through training or leveling up.
"Phew-" Jiang Cheng let out a long breath and stood up. Looking over at Tong Xiaorou and Yaya, who were waiting anxiously, he said, "You guys should drink some too. Just drink the blood. Don't eat the raw meat yet."
"Sure. Thank you!" Tong Xiaorou hurriedly let her sister drink first.
The little girl, famished for a long time, eagerly latched onto the wound and sucked the wolf blood greedily, eventually drinking enough for the time being. Then, she stood up and said, "Sis, have some too."
"Okay..." Tong Xiaorou nodded and then lay down impatiently.
Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng had completely recovered, feeling completely different. He now possessed a robust body, excellent hearing and vision. Though he didn't surpass an ordinary person's physique and strength by much, he relished the sensation of being powerful. Most importantly, the extreme hunger had dissipated, and the symptoms of low blood sugar had vanished, leaving him feeling refreshed and energized.
Despite not being fully satiated, his stomach was no longer uncomfortable. He refused to eat raw meat unless he lost his mind.
"My strength...probably equivalent to lifting about 200 kilograms now! What a big improvement!"
But this was just the beginning. Even if his level didn't continue to increase, he could still become stronger through training. However, he knew it would take time and couldn't be achieved overnight.
At that moment, Jiang Cheng felt that some of the game skills he had played in his previous life came to his mind, possibly due to the upgrade of his fusing skill. Even though those skills weren't directly displayed in his mind interface, he still knew they existed. He had a feeling that he could create them with his fusing skill.
[Jiang Cheng (Rank 1): LV.10 (0.00%)]
[HP: 2.5]
[Gathering (Level 1)]
[Fusing (Level 1)]
[Item Box: 6/20]
His rank had finally changed, becoming Rank 1.
In addition, his gathering and fusing skills had also reached Level 1.
Finally, there were ten additional slots in the Item Box.
"Not bad!" Jiang Cheng smiled in satisfaction.
At this moment, Tong Xiaorou stood up. She had finished drinking the wolf blood, but she was obviously not full yet.
Even Yaya was not full, because 90 percent of the wolf blood had been drunk by Jiang Cheng. His evolution required a huge amount of energy.
"Don't be in a hurry. We'll eat the wolf meat later."
Jiang Cheng said to the two girls. Then, he squatted down and placed his hand on the wolf corpse. With a thought, he said, "Collect!"
[Wolf Meat +2]
[Wolf Meat +2]
[Tenderloin +1]
[Wolf Meat +2]
[Wolf Bone +2]
[Wolf Skin +2]
...
Jiang Cheng's eyes lit up as he discovered that upon reaching Level 1 for his gathering skill, he could extract by-products and collect two sets of materials simultaneously. The speed of gathering had doubled, as well as the speed of gaining experience points.
However, even with the doubled experience points, he still needed more to continue leveling up. Thus, although the experience bar had not changed much, he continued to collect materials without much thought. After all, he needed to deal with the wolf corpse quickly and leave the area to avoid further danger. Although he was an Evolver now, he had just started evolving, so he couldn't afford to be reckless.
Tong Xiaorou and Yaya watched Jiang Cheng in confusion as he placed his hand on the wolf corpse, seemingly doing nothing. But soon, the wolf corpse began to crack, just like the giant tree from earlier.
In no time, with a poof, the wolf corpse dissipated, leaving only a pile of stinky blood and feces, as well as minced meat dregs. All the essence had been collected.
The two girls were stunned by the sudden disappearance of so much food. Yaya, at six years old, looked confused, while Tong Xiaorou appeared to have an idea and stared at Jiang Cheng in bewilderment.
Suddenly, Jiang Cheng heard some noises and stood up to look behind him.
Three people holding sharp wooden spears rushed over quickly. One was a tall and skinny man, the second was a thin woman, and the third was a relatively healthy little boy. They seemed to be a family of three.
Similar to the previous owner of Jiang Cheng's body, the tall and thin man always brought his family along when searching for food outside, to prevent them from being discovered by other Wildlings and taken for meat.
Although it was already dark, visibility was still decent. As soon as the three newcomers saw the dirty blood and meat residue in front of Jiang Cheng and the two girls, their eyes lit up with greed. They then glared fiercely at Jiang Cheng and the girls.
"You want it?" Jiang Cheng asked. Then, he looked at the animal skin water bag on the tall and thin man's waist and said, "You can have it, but you need to trade it for water. The kind of water that normal people can drink, not some strange liquid." He spoke calmly while tossing the bloody stick in his hand, plunging it deep into the ground right in front of the man.
The expressions of the man and his family changed slightly and they hurriedly took a few steps back.
The man looked at Jiang Cheng anxiously. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you mean what you say?"
"We've already eaten the good stuff. What's left here is just the residue. We're not hungry anymore and don't want to eat this kind of trash. But if you want it, you have to trade it with something," Jiang Cheng said flatly.
The tall and thin man glanced at his famished wife and son. He gritted his teeth, took off the beast skin water bag, and threw it over. Then, he glared at Jiang Cheng fiercely, as if he would kill Jiang Cheng if he dared to go back on his word.
Jiang Cheng caught the animal skin water bag and pulled the two girls back slowly, not bother to check if there was water inside. He retreated far enough before putting away the bag. He picked up Yaya and quickly left with Tong Xiaorou.
Seeing this, the thin man and his family behind immediately rushed over and began to greedily lick it off the ground, not even sparing the wolf feces.
Jiang Cheng lifted Yaya and led Tong Xiaorou as they ran for over a kilometer until Tong Xiaorou was out of breath.
"Let's head back to our hideout," he said.
With that, Jiang Cheng carried Yaya and continued walking while Tong Xiaorou followed behind, struggling to keep up.
Tong Xiaorou panted heavily as she caught up with him, looking hesitant to speak.
"I was awakened during a life-or-death moment," Jiang Cheng explained. "I'm an Evolver now."
"You're an Evolver?!" Tong Xiaorou gasped in shock, her suspicions confirmed. An unprecedented ecstasy surged through her heart. An Evolver was a high-class, superior being in her eyes, possessing immense strength that meant they could no longer be bullied or lack food, and had a greater chance of survival when danger arose. To her, it was an unattainable existence.
But now, her fiancé, Jiang Cheng, had become an Evolver.
Despite Jiang Cheng's poor treatment of her, he was still her fiancé, and as a child bride, she could benefit from his newfound strength.
"You really...?" Tong Xiaorou hesitated, afraid that she had misheard him. She wanted to confirm the truth.
"It's true. We won't have to starve anymore," Jiang Cheng said, looking at the teenage girl who was in shock and disbelief. He then smiled and rubbed her head, but his action caused the young girl to tremble, thinking he was going to hit her.
Yaya, who was in his arms, cried out in fear, "Brother-in-law, don't hit my sister!"
Jiang Cheng paused for a moment before continuing to rub the girl's head and saying softly, "I was wrong in the past. I won't hit you again in the future. Let's go, it's getting dark."
He then retracted his hand and continued to lead the way, remaining vigilant of his surroundings. Tong Xiaorou followed him subconsciously, but she still found it hard to believe. 'He used to punch and kick me and even blame me for not finding food. Why did he suddenly become so gentle? He's never rubbed my head before.'
Tong Xiaorou's eyes became slightly moist, but she still suspected that what had happened was just an illusion. She didn't dare to ask any questions and followed Jiang Cheng in silence.
Jiang Cheng didn't offer any further explanations and led the way quietly. Before long, they approached their hideout, but suddenly, a light appeared in front of them. Someone was approaching their hideout with a torch.
Jiang Cheng's expression shifted, and he quickly pulled Tong Xiaorou away to a safe distance. He listened intently as he heard one of the men said, "Search the area thoroughly. There are signs of people here, and there may be Wildling hideouts. Kill them all. These Wildlings are pillaging everywhere. If this keeps up, there will be no resources left around Elmwood Camp."
"Yes, sir!"
A group of people with torches or flashlights spread out and searched everywhere.
Tong Xiaorou and Yaya clamped their hands over their mouths in fear, their eyes wide with dread. Jiang Cheng's mind raced with questions. 'Are the settlers of Elmwood Camp planning to attack the Wildlings?' he wondered.
He cautiously led Tong Xiaorou away, his footsteps light and measured. They had no choice but to abandon their hideout.