Chen Guo took stock of his capabilities.
His combat strength had soared to 341, thanks to the upgrade that significantly boosted his overall attributes and, consequently, his combat prowess.
Moreover, since only one talent contributes to combat strength, and he possessed dozens, the right mix could push his actual combat strength close to 500.
"Level 1 zombies are finite. It's high time I went after the more advanced monsters!"
"With my instant teleportation, if things go south, I can make a clean getaway!"
Chen Guo's teleportation, a replicated Eon-level talent, could whisk him away up to 99 meters. Coupled with his Desolate Level talent for super speed, it was a divine escape technique!
Armed with an ace up his sleeve for a swift exit, Chen Guo felt emboldened to take more risks.
So, he steered clear of the crowd and ventured deeper, leaving the desolate wilderness behind for a small town of ruins.
It was a sizable town, once charming and quaint, but now eerily deserted, with only the odd, chilling cries echoing through the air, enough to send shivers down one's spine.
The town's buildings lay mostly in ruins, overgrown with weeds—a clear sign it hadn't been inhabited for ages.
From the fractured stele at the town's entrance, Chen Guo learned the name of this desolate place: Blackwater Town.
"Cackle!"
"Ominous, so ominous—cackle—"
Upon entering the town, Chen Guo faced an assault from a hulking red-haired zombie.
This red-haired zombie, covered in a mane of fiery hair, was quicker and could even utter rudimentary human speech, though it spoke in cryptic phrases.
"Super strength!"
"Super vision!"
"Super intuition!"
"Burst of speed!"
Chen Guo understood the importance of giving one's all, just as an eagle does when swooping for a rabbit, and unleashed his full firepower from the get-go.
He deftly dodged the red-haired zombie's onslaught while landing his own blows.
The red-haired zombie was far tougher than a standard level one zombie; it took Chen Guo two rounds to bring it down.
"You have slain a level two red-haired zombie, earning 60 slaughter points!"
Pleased to see his slaughter points triple, Chen Guo nodded in approval, then proceeded to touch the red-haired zombie, beginning the copying process.
"Ding! Copy ability activated. You've replicated the red-haired zombie's Agility x4!"
A standard level one zombie could only mimic two points of strength, but this red-haired zombie could replicate a whopping four points of agility.
Agility and strength serve different purposes: agility boosts movement speed and critical hit chances, while strength increases attack power. Nonetheless, four points of agility are certainly more potent than two points of strength.
Chen Guo watched the red-haired zombies sporadically reveal themselves in Blackwater Town, his fists tightening.
"This place is a monster-farming goldmine. By taking down these red-haired zombies, I bet I can hit level three in no time!"
With that thought, Chen Guo cautiously entered Blackwater Town, ever vigilant of his surroundings.
Even though the red-haired zombies could only withstand his for two rounds, Chen Guo adhered to the principle that it's better to be safe than sorry.
He had to play it safe—no room for recklessness!
...
"Trial Challenger? By slaying a level 2 red-haired zombie, you've earned 60 Slaughter Points!"
"Trial Challenger? By slaying level 2 red-haired zombies, you've earned 60 Slaughter Points!"
"Trial Challenger? By slaying a level 2 red-haired zombie, you've secured 60 Slaughter Points!"
Chen Guo's frenzied spree of taking down level 2 red-haired zombies in Blackwater Town quickly became the talk of the chat channel.
Everyone was astounded.
A team that had narrowly defeated a level 1 zombie, with their captain left limping, exchanged bewildered glances.
"We struggled with a level 1 zombie, nearly biting the dust, and this powerhouse is mowing down level 2 red-haired zombies like it's nothing! Is the disparity between us really that vast?"
Another self-proclaimed elite squad was in uproar.
"Who is this enigmatic powerhouse? We've got seamless teamwork, yet it's a struggle to kill a level 1 zombie. Meanwhile, he's dispatching a level 2 red-haired zombie every few seconds? This is insane!"
"Too exaggerated, too overpowering, just incredible!"
Amidst the crowd's astonishment, the system notifications flooded the screen, culminating in a bombshell announcement:
"Trial Challenger? Has advanced to level 3!"
"Holy smokes, the boss has hit level 3!"
"I've barely scraped together 20 Slaughter Points, still miles from level 2, and the boss is already at level 3!"
"I'm dying to meet this big shot, I'd love to get on his good side!"
The trial challengers' curiosity about Chen Guo was growing, but since Chen Guo had concealed his identity, they were in the dark about who he was. All they could do was speculate.
Enter the Heavenly Realm Squad.
This elite group consisted of ten individuals, most of whom boasted Primitive Level talents, with their leader, Zhou Tai, possessing eon-level capabilities.
They were among the top teams in Beginner Village, known for their high efficiency in monster slaying. Despite sharing the spoils of their kills, the ten members saw their slaughter points soar.
Currently, each of them had racked up 70 slaughter points and were on the cusp of reaching level 2.
Yet, when compared to the enigmatic big shot, their achievements seemed insignificant.
"I, Zhou Tao, consider myself a chosen son of the heavens, but next to this mysterious big shot, I pale in comparison!" Zhou Tao declared to his team, "If we want to remain formidable in the long run, we must bring this big shot into the fold! Besides hunting monsters, we need to keep an eye out for solo trial challengers. We have to find this big shot and invite him to join our ranks!"
A team member piped up, "But what if he doesn't want to join?"
Zhou Tao replied confidently, "He'll want to. Men desire nothing more than money, power, and women! Money? I've got plenty, and I can give him whatever he asks for!"
"Women? We've got several beauties in our squad. If he's interested, we can even satisfy his needs for multiple partners!"
"Power? We can establish a major guild and make him the leader!"
"The key is to find him!"
Zhou Tao, a scion of wealth, understood that to accomplish great things, one must recruit top talent and offer them the most generous terms.
He meant every word; if Chen Guo agreed to join the Heavenly Realm Squad, Zhou Tao would spare no expense to provide for his needs.
The women of the squad didn't object either. They had witnessed the gruesome deaths of many at the hands of zombies and recognized that it was a time when only the strong survived.
To them, aligning with a powerful figure, even as a mistress, was nothing to fuss over.
...
Over in Blackwater Town.
Chen Guo was oblivious to the buzz he had created in Beginner Village. He had no idea how many were eager to win him over or how many were desperate to uncover the secret of his swift ascent to power.
Chen Guo had made a clean sweep of the red-haired zombies in Blackwater Town, racking up a third of the slaughter points needed to reach level 4. From these encounters, he had amassed an additional 20 points in Dexterity.
At this point, Chen Guo's stats were off the charts. He could take down these red-haired zombies in a single round. He took a moment to review his status on his panel:
Name: Chen Guo
Identity: Trial Challenger
Level: 3 - ???
Strength: 55
Dexterity: 77
Endurance: 49
Spirit: 52
Charm: 38
Innate Skills: Heaven Level Omnipresent Duplication, Super Vision, Super Spirit Sense, Super Strength, Teleportation, Energy Flood, Thunder Strike...
Skills: Military Boxing, Simplified Tai Chi, Mastery of Cold Weapons, Sichuan Cuisine Expert, Advanced Scout, Guitar Strumming...
Combat Strength: 469
Overall Assessment: A minor character showing signs of promise!