Level A Skill
The light sphere falling from the sky was a Skill Orb. By absorbing these orbs, players could acquire an initial skill. Although over 99% of these Skill Orbs were quite unimpressive, they were crucial for early survival. The orbs would disappear after twenty-four hours, and each person could absorb only one. No one could absorb the same orb twice.
On Jiangcheng Bridge, hundreds of Skill Orbs had fallen. The Dog-Men, creatures of level 3 or higher, were attracted by a golden orb. With nearly twenty of these Dog-Men around, nobody would be able to handle them for seven days. These Skill Orbs, existing for only 24 hours before vanishing, were particularly special and incredibly scarce, making them extremely difficult to acquire.
"The golden Skill Orb must be the skill Zhang Mu wants to acquire!"
Zhang Mu whispered, "Drive through them."
Panic spread across Fatty's face, but his mouth was covered, limiting him to whimpering sounds.
Zhang Mu said calmly, "Listen carefully."
Explosions, the roars of monsters, and the screams of humans resounded from the direction of Jiangcheng City. The chaos was intermingled, indicating that the city was probably overrun with monsters.
"Nowhere is safe now. The concentration of monsters is related to the density of the human population. Running back is a road to death," Zhang Mu spoke at a consistent pace, neither fast nor slow. "If you want to live, you have to follow my lead!"
Fatty's expression changed several times before finally settling down.
Seeing Fatty calm down, Zhang Mu continued, "I'm going to let go now. Don't start yelling again, or I'll chop you up before the monsters tear you apart, understand?"
Fatty nodded vigorously.
Zhang Mu released him.
Fatty's entire body of fat quivered. "Are we really going to drive through?"
"Less talking."
With a determined look, Fatty stepped on the accelerator, starting the truck and heading toward the bridge.As the pack of humanoid dogs saw the large truck approaching head-on, they all began to bark madly. Fearlessly, they didn't dodge or hide but charged straight towards the vehicle.
The result was harrowing. Eight or nine of the dog-creatures were immediately sent flying upon impact, with a few unlucky ones crushed under the wheels, the sound of their bones cracking, "kaka kaka," echoed beneath the truck. Splatters of blood smeared the windshield, and the driver, Fatty, was petrified. He floored the gas pedal, driving non-stop as the pack was completely scattered.
Bang!
One dog-creature leaped two meters high, lunging onto the windshield, its ferocious face and sharp teeth lunging into view from outside the car window. The sight was so terrifying that Fatty collapsed right there in his seat, a large wet patch forming on his pants as the smell of urine spread throughout the cabin.
Without a second thought, Zhang Mu grabbed a fire axe and swung it at the windshield. With a "whoosh," the glass shattered completely, sending shards flying everywhere. One piece sliced Zhang Mu's cheek, and the axe hit the dog-creature's head, causing it to lose its grip. It tumbled sideways and fell, the wheels rolling over its head, crushing the skull and spilling a horrific mix of brain matter and blood onto the road.
"Stop the car!"
Fatty, still in a state of utter panic and incapable of coherent thought, only screamed. Hearing Zhang Mu's shout, he instinctively slammed on the brakes.
Before the vehicle could come to a full stop, another dog-creature pounced on the right side, smashing the glass with a swipe of its claw. Before it could climb in, Zhang Mu raised his axe, bringing it down on the creature's neck. The tough skin split open, spraying warm, foul-smelling blood all over the driver's seat.
The creature didn't die but became even more frenzied from the injury, desperately trying to crawl into the car. However, the window was too small, and it couldn't make it through immediately.
Zhang Mu delivered another blow to the creature's head, the axe blade removing a large chunk of flesh and exposing the skull, from which blood gushed.
"Ao ao ao!"
The creature thrashed about wildly in a manic frenzy.
With the second swing of his axe, Zhang Mu heard a crisp "crack," as the creature's skull fractured.
Yet, incredibly, this thing was still not dead!
Finally, with the third strike, the heavy firefighter's axe completely split open the skull, and the nauseating brain matter mixed with blood spurted out, filling the car with a foul stench. The dog-man let out a mournful howl and slumped down, half of its body still in the car, but it had already lost its vitality.
Zhang Mu was enveloped in a glow, and an emotionless voice sounded in his ears.
"Notification: You have killed your first monster and earned player status!"
"Player information loaded!"
"Please select a profession!"
There were more than a dozen basic professions, including swordsman, knight, berserker, assassin, elementalist, summoner, and so on. The system would transmit the profession information to the player, and once a profession was chosen, it could not be changed. It would determine the direction of future development.
Without a second thought, Zhang Mu made his choice—Ranger!
"Profession selected successfully!"
Profession: Ranger
Health: 20 (100%)
Magic: 20 (100%)
Strength: 6
Constitution: 6
Agility: 7
Spirit: 6
Level-up Experience: 0%
Each profession could be adapted in numerous ways; there was no 'strongest' or 'weakest'. The Ranger was primarily a physical class, with attack power less than berserkers and assassins, defense less than shield bearers and knights, burst potential less than assassins, stealth abilities inferior to thieves, and long-range attack weaker than archers. Its attributes were very balanced in all aspects, without any particular strength, yet remarkably comprehensive.
The light around Zhang Mu receded, and a powerful force flowed into him, nearly doubling his physical strength, making him comparable to a robust man at his prime. He was now as fast as a professional athlete.
"Drive back!" Zhang Mu commanded.
Without hesitation, the chubby driver turned the vehicle around. More than ten dog-men seized the opportunity of the slowing car to pounce, scrambling all over the truck within moments.
"Don't panic!" Zhang Mu shouted, steadying his nerves as they faced the imminent threat.
With a loud roar, Pangzi slammed on the accelerator, and the truck crazily sped toward the bridge. The dog-men, caught off guard, were crushed under the wheels into a bloody mess. The others swarmed over the truck like ants, as it picked up speed, running wild like a beast unleashed.
Just then, a dog-man clambered up to the left window, shattering the glass with a fierce strike of his blade. "Ahh!" Pangzi yelped in fright, jerking the steering wheel. The truck lost balance, and the whole world seemed to flip upside down.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous noise, the ramshackle truck on the bridge toppled to its right side. The heavy body skidded forward a few meters as it hit the ground, sparks flying, debris scattering everywhere with an alarming crash.
"What the hell are you panicking for!" Zhang Mu, struck during the chaotic flip, found himself with a bleeding head, his health dropping to around 80%. He grabbed a hammer from the suitcase and handed it to Pangzi: "Take this, and defend yourself!"
Zhang Mu cleared the broken glass with a fire axe and quickly crawled out through the windshield.
The air outside was thick with the stench of blood, enough to make anyone feel like vomiting. Four or five dog-men bodies were completely flattened, their insides and blood smeared everywhere. But such sights and smells were all too familiar to Zhang Mu; he didn't feel the slightest discomfort.
A golden skill orb lay about fifty meters away.
Though the dog-men were creatures of strength, their level advantage meant they were no slower than Zhang Mu. It was virtually impossible for an ordinary person to compete with them in physical prowess.
One dog-man, trapped under the flipped truck, was struggling to free itself. Zhang Mu leaped from the truck and, without hesitation, delivered a mighty blow with his axe. The dog-man's head burst open, and it died on the spot. Zhang Mu's experience points immediately jumped from 0% to 28%.
The monsters on the bridge were mainly "Blade Hounds" and "Stick Hounds." The Blade Hounds were level 3 regular monsters, and the Stick Hounds were level 2. Killing a Blade Hound, especially one that was two levels higher, naturally yielded plenty of experience points.
Zhang Mu jumped down from the truck and dashed towards the golden skill orb. Just then, a Stick Hound blocked his way, swinging its club towards Zhang Mu's head. Unperturbed, Zhang Mu ducked, feeling the whoosh of air as the club missed his hair. Leveraging his forward momentum, he swung his firefighter's axe fiercely, striking the Stick Hound's abdomen. Blood and guts spilled onto the ground as the creature howled in agony and collapsed.
Zhang Mu delivered a final blow with his axe, splitting the Stick Hound's skull and ending its life on the spot.
The golden skill orb was now within reach.
Eagerly, Zhang Mu picked up the skill orb, about the size of a fist. The moment he touched it, a message was transmitted to him.
"Notification: Do you want to absorb the skill 'Divine Blessing' immediately?"
Yes, this skill!
"Divine Blessing Lv1," an A-level skill with a maximum of Lv9, consumed 50% of the mana. It made one invincible for one second, removed the cooldown (CD) for skills below the color level, increased all attributes by 25% for 120 seconds, with a cooldown time of 60 minutes.
Skills were categorized into seven levels: color, A, B, C, D, E, F. An A-level skill was extraordinarily rare and coveted. In two months, even D-level skills would become extremely scarce worldwide. Only those who defeated incredibly powerful boss-level monsters or accomplished exceptionally challenging missions could obtain them. Less than ten individuals possessed A-level skills, all luckily acquired from gifted skill orbs.
Invincibility!
Cooldown removal!
Attribute amplification!
This was undoubtedly a god-tier skill!
Before Zhang Mu could revel in excitement, two blade-wielding hounds charged at him with ferocious barks. These "Knife Hounds" were level 3 monsters, significantly more powerful than Zhang Mu in every aspect. Their weapon of choice was a rusty, hefty cleaver that sliced through the air with fierce force as it headed straight for him.
Without a second thought, Zhang Mu activated his skill, "Blessing of the Gods"!
The moment the humanoid hound's massive cleaver came down, Zhang Mu was enveloped in a halo of light. In this invincible state, he was impervious to harm. The attacking hound was repelled, stumbling backward from the force. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Mu swung his axe mightily. He knew it would take three or four hits to kill this creature. Targeting the head could inflict massive damage - and it did. With just one decisive act, the Knife Hound's skull shattered, its health points depleted instantly.
With a forceful swing, Zhang Mu threw his fireman's axe, striking the face of another oncoming Knife Hound. The creature was lifted off its feet and slammed heavily onto the ground. Its mouth was split open, tongue lolling out, broken teeth scattered all around, and it howled in misery, struggling to rise as its health points dropped by roughly 35%. Zhang Mu stepped on it mercilessly, finishing it off by completely crushing its head.
"Experience reached 99%!"
Amidst the chaos, the truck was besieged by four hound-like creatures, with one already clambering inside. From within, panicked and furious roars erupted. Axe in hand, Zhang Mu rushed forward, landing a heavy blow on the back of the "Stick Hound," reducing its health by 20%. He then dragged the creature to the ground. With a hefty swing, the axe came down, severing the spine, and blood spurted from the arteries, shooting up to a meter high.
"Notification: Level Up!"
With the system's prompt, Zhang Mu evolved into a level 2 ranger. Surrounded by a soft glow, his wounds healed rapidly, and his attributes substantially increased.
The effects of "Blessing of the Gods" had not yet faded, and his overall capabilities soared due to the level-up, now matching even a level 3 Knife Hound. Zhang Mu, brandishing his axe, knew a single precise strike to the head was sufficient to kill the hounds. Strikes to other vital areas would cause varying degrees of damage, but he was confident none would take more than four hits.
At that moment, the chubby guy's face was flushed red with exertion, yelling as he smashed down with his hammer. The blow shattered the dog-man's sharp fangs. He pounced, hammering down in a hysterical frenzy. His strength was astounding; within a few blows, the dog-man's face was battered beyond recognition. Blood splattered, covering him from head to toe. By the fourth hammer blow, the creature's head was smashed to pieces.
Zhang Mu quickly dragged the dog-man's body away from the front of the vehicle, shouting, "Pangzi, throw out the backpacks and suitcases. We need to get out of here!" After Pangzi hurled the luggage out, Zhang Mu yanked him from the overturned truck.
Still in shock, Pangzi touched the blood on his plump face. His legs were shaking uncontrollably as he stuttered, "Bo... boss, I killed... I killed a monster!"