Shi Lei's awakening of the Hawkeye ability led to a significant enhancement in his mental strength, setting him apart from the average person.
However, his other three attributes remained unchanged. The villain's eye data suggests that those who awaken only a single attribute are usually categorized as non-combat-type awakeners.
These individuals, apart from their single attribute, possess physical qualities similar to those of ordinary people and can only augment their strength through physical exercise.
They are incapable of using the nucleus for enhancement.
Therefore, Shi Lei is essentially a regular person with superior eyesight.
The risk associated with consuming the core is staggeringly high, with a 50% chance of death. Yan Yun, on the other hand, does not fit into the non-combat type category.
She can use the crystal nucleus for enhancement, and it's only the beginning of the apocalypse.
Can it be assured that her profession will not awaken any Holy Light abilities in the later stage?
Shi Lei was on the verge of seizing the crystal nucleus when Lu Yu's words echoed in his ears, causing his hand to halt mid-air and the smile on his face to freeze.
"Could eating it…can explode and kill me?" he queried.
"No, no?"
"Should I try?"
Lu Yu, uninterested in idle banter, once again extended his hand, gesturing for the other party to take the crystal. But would Shi Lei dare to take such a risk?
The answer was a resounding no.
Unless his life was hanging by a thread, he wouldn't gamble with it, even if the odds of death were as low as 10%.
Consequently, Shi Lei retracted his hand, his mood plummeting into a deep depression.
"Alright, boss, I'm useless!" he conceded.
"Actually, you're not entirely useless!"
Lu Yu casually commented, "Go to the door and gaze into the distance, you might find an unexpected surprise."
"Look into the distance?"
Caught by surprise, Shi Lei hastily positioned himself at the cake shop's entrance, squinting through the glass door to see what lay beyond.
At first, his vision was met with emptiness, but as time passed, the scene at the end of the street gradually came into view, causing Shi Lei's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Incredible!
How can I see so clearly?
This defies all logic…" Shi Lei found himself staring at a noodle restaurant located at the end of the street.
The restaurant's signboard was inscribed with a line of words, and like the cake shop, its entrance was a glass door.
Previously, from such a distance, the words on the signboard would have been unreadable to him.
But now, he could even make out the bloody palm prints smeared on the glass door, down to the individual droplets of blood.
"This is your power!"
Lu Yu declared unequivocally, "From now on, you'll be in charge of our team's reconnaissance missions." Shi Lei responded with a hearty laugh,
"Haha, no problem boss, consider it done!"
With a confident thump on his chest, Shi Lei gave his assurance. However, a thought suddenly struck him,
"But boss, how did you know about my ability?"
he asked.
"Does it seem strange?"
Lu Yu queried, not directly answering the question.
"Uh…"
Shi Lei, upon hearing Lu Yu's words, came to a realization and responded with a sheepish expression,
"Actually, it's not surprising at all." Given Lu Yu's predictive abilities, it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to know many things.
There were countless phenomena in this world that defied explanation. Take, for instance, the incident with Wu Qiang the previous day.
How could someone who was supposed to be at school suddenly appear in a hotel with the boss?
How could anyone rationalize that?
Having come to terms with this understanding, Shi Lei no longer harbored any doubts.
"Next, you'll be my cover, and I'll handle the monsters as much as possible!"
Lu Yu declared, not sparing any more time for him. He retrieved the Qingshou sword from his storage ring. Unlike weapons, which could improve their rank simply by absorbing energy, humans needed to surpass their physical limits through battle or the use of black iron essence in order to advance.
Lu Yu aimed to break through to the bronze level, but he didn't want to waste time searching for black iron essence. The only option left was to achieve the breakthrough through intense combat.
On this side of the hotel, Lu Yu is busy pushing the limits of his body.
In the school's canteen,
Chu Feng recuperates under the careful care of the "Poison Lady Dai Lian". And in the rental house three kilometers north, Xiao Fan, who was carrying a mountaineering bag, was also getting stronger.
On a construction site next to the rental house, he found a steel bar that was handy. puff! The steel bar was stabbed into the head of a high-level zombie.
The zombie was hit in the brain and fell to the ground. This zombie is already a high-level black iron. Black iron high-level zombies run at about the same speed as ordinary humans.
And there are also prototypes of various evolutionary routes. Such as creepers, lickers, etc. Although Xiao Fan only killed ordinary high-level zombies, it was not something that ordinary people could deal with.
The reason why he was so successful was entirely due to the changes in his body after he was bitten by a zombie. His own breath will no longer attract the attention of monsters.
Whether it's a sickle mantis, a lizard man or a zombie. No one seemed interested in him. Even if he took the initiative to stab these monsters with a weapon. These monsters just have instinctive resistance.
Then this resistance will stop directly after he leaves a certain distance. After discovering this situation, Xiao Fan was overjoyed. He even feels that the outside world is not the end of the world, but heaven.
"He was once a man of integrity, adhering to moral principles and fulfilling his responsibilities," Xiao Fan began, his voice laced with bitterness.
"But what about you?
You've not only belittled me but also tormented me to the point of hospitalization." He clenched his fists, his teeth gritted in determination.
"Alright then, if you all insist on tormenting me, I, Xiao Fan, will henceforth embrace villainy and ensure that each one of you pays the price." His gaze then shifted to the building opposite his rented house.
"Wang Shen, didn't your wife's dog bite me once?
You claimed that a dog's life is worth more than mine?
Since you're the closest to me, let's start with you. I remember your wife being quite attractive…" Wang Shen was a resident of Xiao Fan's community, known for his arrogance and domineering attitude.
No one dared to cross paths with him. His wife, Zhou Yan, once let their dog off the leash during a walk, which resulted in the dog biting Xiao Fan as he was returning from work.
In a reflex action, Xiao Fan kicked the dog. However, instead of apologizing, Zhou Yan accused him of instigating the dog.
"If you hadn't kicked my dog, why would it bite you?"
She had retorted. Despite her beauty, Zhou Yan was a shrew herself, with a knack for twisting facts to her advantage.
In the absence of surveillance in their dilapidated community, Xiao Fan was left speechless. Later, when Zhou Yan's husband, Wang Shen, arrived, Xiao Fan had hoped for some reasonableness. However, Wang Shen only echoed his wife's sentiments, even going so far as to say,
"The breed of my dog is worth more than your measly life." This statement was a deep blow to Xiao Fan's self-esteem.
Despite not being asked to compensate them later, Xiao Fan had to bear the cost of the rabies vaccine himself. Yet, an apology from them was still forthcoming.
Each time he recalled this incident, Xiao Fan was filled with a murderous rage towards the couple.
Previously, he had no opportunity to act on his feelings, but now the situation had changed. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Fan extracted the steel bar from the zombie's head.
His initial plan was to strategize on how to deal with the couple, but to his surprise, the steel bar pulled out a small, black, textured transparent spar.
The spar, smeared with blood and brain matter, was discovered by Xiao Fan.
"Huh?
What is this?"
Xiao Fan was taken aback and instinctively held the spar in his hand. Under the sunlight, the black lines on the spar appeared mysterious and unpredictable, while the spar itself was crystal clear.
Without giving it much thought, he quickly fetched a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and rinsed the spar.
The spar looked even more beautiful after being cleaned. "This stone is so beautiful…" Xiao Fan murmured to himself.
At this time, Xiao Fan suddenly had a strong urge to swallow the spar. This urge is like the urge when a vampire is hungry and wants to suck blood.
"Is this thing… edible?"
The crystal nucleus grows inside the monster's skull. Most people are terrified when they encounter a monster. Who would dare to crack open the head of a dead monster's corpse?
Under normal circumstances, monster corpses get eaten by other monsters, making it nearly impossible for humans to find the nucleus. No one would even consider consuming it.
However, Xiao Fan is an exception. Because of this, he was the first to uncover the existence of the crystal nucleus.
Meanwhile…
Unbeknownst to Lu Yu, the errand runner who had been roughed up by his predecessor three months ago was in the midst of a transformation that could only be described as revolutionary.
Lu Yu's combat prowess was so exceptional that the monsters couldn't lay a finger on him. His movements might have lacked flamboyance, but his reflexes and agility were unparalleled. Even a high-ranking sickle mantis failed to land a hit on him.
Armed with his razor-sharp silver sword, Lu Yu tore through the monsters like a predator among prey.
With each monster he defeated, he honed his killing skills, becoming more proficient and effective. His attacks quickened to the point where a single, well-aimed thrust to a critical area was often enough.
His only disappointment was that slaying these black iron-level monsters no longer boosted his sword's energy by a full point, but only a fraction.
However, this was a minor concern, given the formidable power of his silver sword
[Ding, congratulations on your enhancement level being upgraded to Bronze Elementary...]
boom!
Suddenly, the system beeped, and Lu Yu's cells ignited as his enhancement level rose. The intense burning sensation felt invigorating, akin to the relief brought by rain after a long drought. With renewed vigor but still facing remaining monsters, Lu Yu commanded,
"Little Jin, halt them!"
The towering figure charged out, colliding with the lizards. Little Jin knocked them down just as Xue Li and Yan Yun arrived to assist in eliminating the remaining threat.
Exhausted, Lu Yu collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath and wiping sweat from his forehead. The others observed him with understanding, recognizing his successful breakthrough to the next level.
In this post-apocalyptic world, everyone's body was undergoing evolution. Lu Yu's struggle was a clear sign of a breakthrough. After an indeterminate recovery period, he sheathed his azure sword and stood up, flexing his muscles.
Status
Name - Lu Yu
Age: 21
Height: 180 cm (approximately 5 feet 11 inches)
Hair: Messy Black
Eye: Greyish Blue
Charm: 96
Weight: 85 kg (approximately 187 lbs)
Vitality: 50 (normal adult male value is 10)
Mental Strength: 50 (normal adult male value is 10)
Strength: 50 (10 for a normal adult male)
Agility: 47 (10 for a normal adult male)
Enhancement Level: Bronze Elementary Level
Power Level: Wind Attribute
Villain's Exclusive Skills: Villain's Eye , Villain's Heart , Villain's Halo
Weapon :- Qingshou Sword ( Silver )
Pet :- 1. Xiao Jin ( Golden Fur Monkey ) - Bronze Elementary Level
2. Xiao Xi ( Lizard Monster ) - High Black Iron Level
His attributes had improved by 10 points across the board.
"Did advancing from Black Iron to Bronze result in a 10 point increase in all areas?"
Lu Yu mused. He had anticipated some improvement with this breakthrough, but the extent of it exceeded his expectations.
A thought occurred to him - would achieving Black Iron Essence also grant a 10 point bonus?
If so, pursuing that directly would be more efficient. However, the System quickly clarified that the Essence only functioned at a minimum Vitality level. The attribute gains were a result of the breakthrough itself, not the items used.
In other words, each breakthrough was akin to acquiring a new power. Lu Yu clenched his fist, now possessing five times the strength of an average human.
This exponential increase would make him a formidable adversary.
There was ample time left for Wei Jianjun to join forces against Chu Feng. However, the day's primary objective was the collection of Crystal Cores.
Lu Yu made the decision to preserve his energy and chose to spend the remainder of the day in quiet solitude with Yan Yun.
Wu Qiang cast his eyes over the floor, now a gruesome tableau of monster carcasses. A shudder ran through him as he realized that Lu Yu had single-handedly defeated over a hundred high-level creatures.
The true extent of Lu Yu's power was indeed a terrifying spectacle.
"Lu Yu, we've managed to find a good amount of crystal nuclei."
"Hand them over to me for now. We'll return and distribute them evenly!"
"You're heading back already?
But it's only three in the afternoon…"
"Let's conserve some energy and time, and retreat to our private world."
"A private…world?
With whom?"
"Naturally, with you!"
"Me?"
Yan Yun was momentarily taken aback, then blushed, "When did I ever express a desire to share a private world with you?"
"Well, the choice is yours!"
After enduring two grueling days together, Yan Yun had developed feelings for the charming yet mischievous Lu Yu.
So when she learned that he was interested in Li Wanning, she felt a twinge of jealousy.
But when she heard his proposition of a private world with just the two of them, her heart skipped a beat with hidden joy.
Could he genuinely desire such intimacy with her instead?
Was his interest in Teacher Li merely a fleeting fancy?
It was possible - this rogue Lu Yu had a penchant for teasing girls.
He might have mentioned Li Wanning just to rile her up!
Nonetheless, she maintained her composure and denied any interest in his proposal of a two-person world. She wouldn't let him know that he had managed to unsettle her.
Regrettably, she had misunderstood his intentions.
A/n :- Dear readers, I welcome your suggestions and feedback in the comments section below. Your support through Power stones will be greatly appreciated.