"Announcement: As night falls, the blood moon rises!"
"The blood moon will last for 8 hours. All warriors, please be prepared!"
As the announcement echoed through the world, the first night in this brutal realm had officially begun.
Jack glanced at the deep red moon hanging in the sky and turned to the two sisters. "It's getting late. Go back and rest early to replenish your energy. We'll set off together tomorrow!"
With the team now officially formed, there was nothing more to discuss. Jack was about to return to his cabin when he suddenly heard a strange sound—
"Coocoocooo…"
He furrowed his brows. "What was that?"
Before he could get an answer, Su Youwei's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.
"Boss, I'm hungry," she admitted shyly.
Jack blinked. "You can replenish your energy points by consuming energy coins," he reminded her.
For a moment, Su Youwei and her sister, Su Qiutong, looked utterly confused.
"What… is an energy coin?"
Jack stared at them in disbelief.
"The items you get from killing monsters... They work like experience points…" he started explaining but then suddenly realized something was off. "Wait… you don't even know about energy coins?"
The sisters exchanged guilty glances, their faces turning an even deeper shade of red.
"We… we didn't dare to fight the goblins today," Su Qiutong admitted in a small voice.
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose.
"So, you're telling me… you stayed indoors the entire day?"
They nodded hesitantly.
Jack let out a deep sigh. What kind of teammates did I end up with?
If it weren't for the unique auxiliary talents they possessed, he would have turned them away immediately.
If someone else were in my position, they might have refused to take them in…
But Jack wasn't "someone else." He was a practical man who valued efficiency over sentiment.
Since they were already in his team, he might as well help them—for now.
"I'll give each of you 10 energy coins," he said, pulling them from his inventory. "That should be enough to restore your energy to full capacity. Just remember to pay me back tomorrow."
Su Qiutong and Su Youwei's eyes lit up with gratitude.
"Thank you, Boss! Thank you so much!"
Jack waved them off. "Yeah, yeah. Just go to sleep early."
Before they could say anything else, he turned around and walked straight into his cabin, shutting the door behind him.
If they have any other problems, they'll have to solve them on their own. I'm looking for teammates, not burdens.
Jack understood that the killing world was only going to get harsher. He had made a good start, but that was all it was—a start. If the sisters wanted to be long-term teammates, they had to prove their worth.
There was no room for weakness in this world.
A New Day Begins
Jack slept deeply and woke up feeling refreshed. As soon as he stepped outside, he found Su Qiutong and Su Youwei already waiting for him.
"Let's move out," he commanded.
He opened the team interface and brought them into the squad.
Naturally, he set the item distribution to captain allocation. Since the sisters didn't fight, the loot belonged to him. That was only fair.
Without wasting any more time, the three of them set off toward the plains where Jack had hunted the mutant giant lizards the previous day.
Some people thrived on adventure and sought the thrill of the unknown.
Jack was not one of those people.
He was a strategist. If he found a profitable hunting ground, he would stay there until it was no longer useful. Efficiency was key.
As they traveled, Jack received a notification:
[Congratulations! Your Village Equipment Ranking reward has been delivered.]
His eyes gleamed as he checked his inventory.
Reward: 60,000 Experience Points.
Jack smirked. Now that's a generous reward.
He wasted no time putting it to use.
"You have consumed 7,000 experience points. 'Top-Grade Tang Sword +3' attributes slightly increased!"
"You have consumed 8,000 experience points. 'Top-Grade Tang Sword +4' attributes slightly increased!"
"You have consumed 9,000 experience points. 'Top-Grade Tang Sword +5' attributes slightly increased!"
His total spending: 24,000 experience points.
His Tang Sword +5 now had:
Physical Attack Power: +343
Strength: +77
Agility: +29
It was an excellent boost.
However, it's still just a Level 1 weapon. Eventually, I'll have to replace it.
He decided to save his remaining experience points for skill upgrades. Unlike weapons, skills were permanent and always useful.
Without hesitation, he poured his remaining points into his abilities.
"You have consumed 10,000 experience points. 'Flame Control' has been upgraded from Rare to Dark Gold quality!"
"You have consumed 15,000 experience points. 'Holy Light Illumination' has been upgraded from High-Level to Rare quality!"
Now, all of Jack's core abilities were at Dark Gold quality.
New Ability Effects:
1. Flame Control (Dark Gold):
Charge time: 1.2 seconds
Attack range: 50 meters
Deals (200% Spirit + Weapon Magic Attack) magic damage
Costs 2 energy points per use
Can also be used to enchant weapons for 30 seconds, adding (120% Spirit + Weapon Magic Attack) magic damage
2. Holy Light Illumination (Dark Gold):
Creates a light source within 100x100 meters
Deals (100% Spirit + Weapon Magic Attack) magic damage per second
Lasts 90 seconds
Reveals enemies within range
Both skills had no cooldown, making them incredibly powerful—but they consumed a lot of energy.
Jack tested the Flame Control ability, summoning a small fireball in his hand. It burned brightly, radiating intense heat.
"Not bad," he murmured.
Finally, he turned to the sisters. "Let's go."
Su Qiutong and Su Youwei followed him eagerly, unaware that Jack had just become significantly stronger overnight.
As they ventured forward, Jack couldn't help but smirk.
The killing world had only just begun, and he was already far ahead of the competition.
But this was just the beginning.
If others thought they could catch up…
They were dead wrong.
---
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