Because he didn't have many Wish-Power points on him, and previously there wasn't a significant safety risk, Tao Yu wanted to save up his skills for Deification. On ordinary days, when using Acceleration, he would typically expend just one or two points of Wish-Power simply as a gesture.
Now, with the one hundred and fifty points he had on him, his original plan was to save up three hundred for the Deification of "Python."
The consumption of Deification skills and that of training were somewhat similar, increasing rapidly. For instance, to Deify "Bullet Time" would require tens of thousands of Wish-Power units, while "Basic Breathing Technique - Modified" would need around thirty thousand.
The effect was likely excellent, but the cost-performance ratio was certainly not as economical as Deifying a common skill for the first time, and it wasn't something that could be accumulated in the short term.
The three hundred unit consumption for "Python" made Tao Yu curious, but he also felt that this ability could help increase his chances of survival.
But now, having seen the Facehuggers and the gut-spilling Pythons, he couldn't afford to keep saving up!
As regards the effects of bodily enhancement, he was still not quite bulletproof. His greatest destructive power actually depended on the capability of firearms, which is why Tao Yu's attention was focused on the "Basic Shooting" skill.
Even though this skill was merely at the level of having just reached Lv1 to be displayable, since it required feeding it with bullets, this skill was considered one of Tao Yu's relatively expensive abilities to use.
While Jose and his group were discussing the Facehugger's strange shape, Tao Yu already concentrated his mental energy on "Basic Shooting."
Soon after, as Wish-Power flowed in, the skill's orb radiated a strand of golden light.
"Basic Shooting??" Lv1: Expending a small amount of mental energy allows for minor shooting trajectory correction. Concentrating mental energy consumes more but can significantly alter the bullet's path and endow it with a substantial mental blast from the attached mental force.
After adjusting his will to "Basic Shooting - Modified," a hint of pleasure surfaced in Tao Yu's heart.
It's quite good, even surpassing his expectations! It not only significantly improved his hit rate but, when combined with the passive Dynamic Vision from "Bullet Time," it was like adding wings to a tiger, and it even added 'mental blast'—this type of 'magic damage'!
For an average person with low mental strength, attaching mental attacks recklessly might backfire and injure themselves. But Tao Yu, equipped with "Mental Immunity," wasn't afraid of severe backlash—it was more like a physical exertion, only bearing the burden of consumption.
Tao Yu's strongest attack now relied on external forces. Dealing with Pythons was still quite manageable, since this generation of Pythons didn't possess the ability to resist assault rifles. As long as he could lock onto the head, he could execute a kill.
This was also the reason why Tao Yu hadn't upgraded his shooting before; his firepower was sufficient, and his accuracy was enhanced by the passive Dynamic Vision from "Bullet Time."
But now with the appearance of Facehuggers and the parasitized Pythons, it was very likely that breaking their defense with assault rifle bullets would be a struggle.
Aliens had exoskeletons after all!
While not immune to gunfire, a standard Alien could withstand quite a few shots. The added defense from the Python Alien could ensure it withstands fire long enough to knock him out during its attack!
Whether it was a regular Python, a standard Alien, or a Python Alien, Tao Yu had a clear picture in his mind—that he could only take one hit.
At most, he could rely on the "One Proof Forever Proof" ability to use Wish-Power to recover a bit.
If he encountered a Python, he could hope that its way of feeding would be to swallow him whole, and he would escape from the stomach. But an Alien's cherry-sized mouth...
Thinking of certain images, Tao Yu quickly shook the mental contamination out of his mind.
With enhanced attack capability, Tao Yu felt a bit more confident, but thinking of the difficulty of dealing with Aliens, as well as the unpredictable number, still gave him a sense of urgency.
Seeing the others had finished studying the Facehuggers and the snake carcass without coming to any conclusion and were preparing to head toward the snake den, Tao Yu timely spoke up,
"Excuse me, Lord Wino, how well can your armor defend against assault rifles?"
Tao Yu's timid tone made Wino frown inside his helmet, then he responded through the helmet with a bit of distortion but still a lofty voice, sarcastically saying,
"What? Do you plan to shoot me in the back?"
This voice also made the others turn to look at Tao Yu, causing him to hurriedly wave his hands and say,
"No, no, no, you've misunderstood me. You are an important figure from the Inner City. Even if you lent me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare."
Tao Yu's statement didn't surprise anyone, nor did Li Le and the other Outsiders think there was a possibility of such a sneak attack.
This was a big figure from the Inner City, and they were banded together!
One would have to be mad to make such a boneheaded move.
Yet Tao Yu hesitated before continuing,
"Previously, I didn't feel much pressure just dealing with those Pythons because I wouldn't let Zhang Wei take the lead. It was sufficient to just fire away brainlessly. With my natural gift, it indeed wasn't difficult..."
Hearing this, the others also caught on because Wino's attire was clearly geared toward close combat.
If he were to dash forward to fight, an inaccuracy in shooting from behind Tao Yu could indeed lead to friendly fire.
Wino hadn't spoken yet when Li Le took the initiative, his eyebrows lifting as he said,
"Before coming here, one could practice Basic Shooting too. After entering, just add a bit of Yuan Force to get familiar; it shouldn't be that bad, right? My talent doesn't even have a shooting bonus, and I've already passed halfway to proficiency level 3. It shouldn't be a big problem as long as I pay attention to a few issues."
Before turning 18, Li Le had learned not only Basic Shooting, but also Gunfighting and Moving Shooting. After coming here and accelerating with Yuan Force, his shooting skills had indeed become quite strong.
"Brother Li must have heard a bit about me from Uncle Hu; it's mainly because my family couldn't afford the bullets to feed my practice. Since coming here, I haven't practiced shooting at all, I've focused solely on the Breathing Technique, Zhang Wei knows."
Tao Yu's face showed embarrassment.
"So what level is your shooting skill at?"
Wino asked, somewhat concerned, as his armor did offer decent bulletproofing, along with an under armor for extra protection. However, to maintain freedom of movement, there were still vulnerable spots it couldn't cover, unlike the integrated combat suits of those two from the Floating City.
If luck was truly poor, getting hit in the knee with a bullet would indeed be troublesome.
"Level 1, and my proficiency is almost non-existent, so I'd like to borrow some Yuan Force from the two of you. I'm willing to pledge this bottle of 'Joy' as collateral."
Tao Yu took out the 'Joy' that Joseph had given him, which caused several people at the scene to react with subtle changes in their expressions.
Walter and Chen Guan were envious, while Joseph, Wino, and Li Le all showed somewhat strange expressions.
Especially Joseph, who was somewhat at a loss for words. Isn't this very thing what I gave you?
You're pledging it back to me to borrow Yuan Force?
"Ahem, Joseph, your man, are you going to let him come over to me or not? His talents actually complement mine quite well."
Wino hadn't outright refused, but instead looked at Joseph with a somewhat playful gaze.
"A Rank B talent, what are you thinking?"
Joseph scoffed, rejecting Wino. Then he looked at Tao Yu with displeasure,
"If you wanted to borrow Yuan Force, you should have just asked me earlier. I gave this to you, and there's no need for collateral."
This magnanimous attitude made the other Outsiders show looks of envy, especially Walter and Chen Guan. They had started to think that Tao Yu, having upset Wino, would surely have a tough time; they revised a lot of their internal opinions.
Zhang Wei also looked moved, his expression hesitant, yet he still didn't dare to approach Tao Yu as he had before.
"Thank you, thank you, brother Joseph."
While saying this, Tao Yu passed over the thousand Wish-Power Metal pieces his parents had given him, dried up by usage.
After losing them to the Python and then killing that Python, he had effectively gotten them back.
This left Joseph weighing the bag and feeling a bit speechless himself.
One thousand. Although it was a small sum to him, it wasn't something to be outright ignored.
But thinking of Tao Yu's talent, he still promptly infused the bag of metal with Yuan Force.
To avoid infighting, the World Will ensured that, apart from some items and Yuan Force objects carried on their person, no Yuan Force was dropped when Pioneers killed each other. Trades of Yuan Force among each other mainly relied on these pieces of Wish-Power Metal being continually absorbed and infused.
Or, alternatively, some more efficient carriers of Yuan Force.
After Joseph completed the infusion and before passing it to Tao Yu, he said in a calm tone,
"However, you know we can't lend out Yuan Force for nothing. There's too much risk with possibilities like death or the inability to pay it back, so let's just say 90% returned for 130%, as a gesture."
Before Tao Yu could reply, Li Le chimed in from the side,
"That's the lowest interest rate for us Outsiders anyway. The skill installments you can choose from in the various town dojos are at this rate too, and before awakening, it's almost impossible to borrow at all. After awakening, it's very difficult for those with poor talent to borrow, so it's really kind of Lord Joseph to lend under such risky conditions."
Outsiders typically don't have much, and the death rate on the day of awakening isn't low, so it's normally impossible to borrow before that. Even after awakening, such 'low interest rates' were only encountered when studying for certain skill teachings, similar to 'student loans.'
Anyway, they weren't given Yuan Force, just taught skills; if one really couldn't pay back or got killed, the loss was manageable.
Tao Yu didn't hesitate at all and took the bag of Wish-Power Metal back, absorbing it and saying cheerfully,
"Of course, no problem. Thank you, Lord Joseph, for helping me out of a tight spot."
After absorbing, Tao Yu passed it forward again, saying,
"Could I get another thousand?"