Xu Que was incredibly excited, causing several stats in his personal information panel to rise continuously.
He knew that the Abyss had only just descended, and the fact he'd reached a ranking it had taken others a month to achieve in his previous life already put him ahead of ninety-nine percent of humanity.
After the initial thrill, Xu Que quickly calmed down. Though he'd taken a crucial step, he knew just how perilous the path ahead was.
Stay calm! I'm the Avenger! As long as I take each step with firm resolve, I'll avoid perishing in the Rift outbreak!
In his past life, Xu Que remembered vividly that in just over a month, on June 23rd at midnight, a massive dimensional rift outbreak would occur, resulting in numerous rifts all over Blue Star. Lower-level dimensional creatures would break through the first barrier at that time, marking the beginning of what future generations would call the Era of the Abyss.
Xu Que picked up the long knife on the ground and stepped deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, the sky outside suddenly trembled as the Cultivation Leaderboard radiated a beam of golden light in all directions.
With the dazzling brilliance of starlike golden light, three massive golden characters appeared on the leaderboard:
[Avenger]
This phenomenon instantly ignited Blue Star.
"Look up at the sky! There's text on the Cultivation Leaderboard!"
"What does 'Avenger' mean? Is it that movie from Country M?"
"That's definitely someone's codename or nickname! Hurry, we need to find him! He probably knows the rules of this apocalypse-like game!"
"It's in Chinese characters! He's got to be one of us! Avenger, you're awesome!"
"Avenger, please save us…"
The crazed response from the outside world was unknown to Xu Que, and even if he knew, he'd meet it with a blank expression. Right now, his only focus was growing stronger. Only by reaching Class S would he be qualified to glimpse the mystery behind it all.
All over, countries were now dealing with terrifying monsters, while covertly employing all kinds of methods to track down this "Avenger."
They knew his name appeared in Chinese characters, yet many experts assumed the Cultivation Leaderboard could only display Chinese characters and that his name might come from Country M's movie. Other languages, after all, were just too lengthy for such displays!
Various underground forces across nations were investigating, unaware that this nickname would ultimately lead them astray. To find someone based on a moniker alone was like searching for a single drop in a vast ocean.
Within the dimensional rift, Xu Que kept killing goblins, changing his knife whenever it dulled.
The deeper he ventured and the more he killed, the closer he drew to the forest's heart.
Swish!
Blood spattered as Xu Que defeated another goblin squad, panting while gazing into the forest depths.
Just as he braced himself for potential threats, a series of sharp whistling sounds hurtled toward him.
Xu Que didn't hesitate—he dropped down and darted across the grass.
He didn't look back to see what kind of creatures were attacking, but he was sure that if he stayed to fight, he wouldn't fare well. After all, ten years of apocalypse experience was not for nothing.
After retreating from the battlefield, dozens of blue-skinned goblins riding strange birds emerged, scanning the area and, upon finding no trace of their target, retreated.
"Hah…" Hiding behind a tree, Xu Que let out a heavy breath.
"Phew… I was right to leave, or I'd be trapped fighting the goblin patrols."
Actually, Xu Que could have fought them head-on, but he'd risk injuries, and that would delay his progress. After all, within this dimensional rift, if he didn't kill the final boss within seventy-two hours, he'd be stuck here forever… until he faced true death!
When only four hours remain, if any humans survive within the rift, the creatures inside gain a unique tracking ability, allowing them to hunt down any remaining humans, wherever they hide, until they're killed.
The universe is fair—no matter who holds the upper hand. Humans have their strengths, and dimensional creatures have theirs.
In his previous life, Xu Que and his partner, Duan Jiude, had accompanied Liu Ruyan's team into a Class C rift. They thought it would be easy to claim a dimensional rift for the benefits it would bring. Only after entering did they realize it was no simple Class C rift but an overpowered Class B one!
Though their team was well-equipped, they were no match for the creatures there. After fighting for over ten hours, half the team was wiped out.
Then, when only four hours remained, the creatures within the rift suddenly went berserk, leaving only six out of the remaining dozen members alive after just one hour.
If not for Xu Que's last-ditch assault on the boss, they would've all been trapped in that rift.
When Xu Que woke up, he was in intensive care. He'd expected to see Liu Ruyan by his side, but the nurse told him she hadn't visited since her first-day injury. The one who'd brought him in was none other than his partner, Duan Jiude!
Bringing his thoughts back to the present, Xu Que glanced up at the darkening sky and said with a quiet resolve, "Old Duan… This time around, I'll make sure we're unstoppable! And get you the best girl!"
As the forest gradually fell silent, Xu Que cautiously stood up, climbed a tree, and surveyed the surroundings.
Seeing no sign of any separated teams of dimensional creatures, he decided to continue his silent cultivation.
As spiritual energy flooded into his body, it felt like he'd activated a cheat code, with his cultivation rocketing up. Not long after, his third star was ignited.
Xu Que muttered to himself, "Damn…"
Though he'd expected this hundredfold auto-cultivation talent to be overpowered, he hadn't expected it to be this insane, completely surpassing the cultivation he gained from killing monsters.
Thinking about it, Xu Que realized why the so-called Emperor of Kun in his past life had high cultivation but little understanding of how to utilize powerful techniques!
This kind of training speed was flawless, but it lacked the real experience of battle. Xu Que knew, from surviving countless battles, just how invaluable combat experience was.
High cultivation without combat skills was like an advanced electromagnetic cannon without power.
Xu Que absorbed the surrounding energy at a ferocious pace, emptying the spiritual energy within a hundred-meter radius in no time.
Am I supposed to be a moving vacuum cleaner?
Just as Xu Que was debating whether to change locations to continue training, he heard a commotion from deep within the forest.
Opening his personal information panel, he noted his current status:
[Name: Xu Que]
[Cultivation: D-Class, Four Stars, 12%]
[Technique: None]
[Breathing Technique: Initial Level, Upgradable]
[Bloodline: None]
[Companion Beast: None]
[Honor Points: 213]
The Trade Hall remains locked.
Never mind; I'll find a spot to keep cultivating. After reaching seven stars, I'll go mess with those patrol squads!
Having made up his mind, Xu Que closed his information panel and headed to the left.
He figured the dimensional rift creatures hadn't hunted many humans yet, but he couldn't be sure of the strength of the bosses and other elite creatures. Along his way, he'd seen human blood traces but no bones, leading him to believe most of those in the subway station had likely been offered as sacrifices to the boss and elite creatures.
Not long after Xu Que departed, the goblin patrol appeared again, though this time, they spread out to track their prey.