18 Chapter 18: Flames and Fangs
The pristine blue sky was a breathtaking sight to behold. The graceful dance between the fluffy white clouds and the birds enriched the limitless aerial vista.
However, this picturesque moment was abruptly interrupted as a colossal creature with membranous wings blocked the vertical pupils of the young man's honey-colored eyes.
Gasping for breath and with a pale, fragile appearance, the young man let out a trail of crimson from his mouth as his body hurtled towards the ground in a swift descent.
The deafening screeches of the creature echoed through the air as it plummeted down with him, crashing onto the pavement below like a cascade.
…
The sharp, piercing sound of glass shattering echoed through the area. Hiding from the sun's rays under the shadow of the apartment building, countless humanoid creatures crashed into the same spot.
Their hoarse, raspy voices mixed with loud bangs as their bodies collided with the hard, white pavement, growling like beasts.
Amidst the pile of bodies, a blaze of scorching heat suddenly ignited, expanding like an eagle's wings until it engulfed all the neglected plants in the area.
Adding to the chaos was the ringing of a bell that suddenly alarmed the entire Zhongyuan Apartment, drawing unwelcome attention.
The Blood Slaves, as they were called, ran wildly in search of a deep abyss as the unquenchable fire roasted their bodies.
Their screams were like a soothing flute trying to calm down rebellious kids who cried in agony.
Some of them dug into the ground with bleeding fingers while others used their long, pointed fangs to try and penetrate the bulletproof glass windows of the first floor.
Those who had not sought refuge in the darkness were slowly turning white as their bodies were consumed by the flames. Their ashes were carried by the passing winds, revealing a gem-like crystal with a blue light emanating from the center.
Meanwhile, beneath the massive bat-winged creature, towering at 2 meters tall with eyes that glared menacingly, something was moving.
The intense heat from the blazing sun had engulfed the creature's entire body, yet it could not be turned to ash. The membrane wings were riddled with holes.
But through the sea of flames, the movement continued, seemingly unaffected by the inferno above. Jin wriggled and squirmed, contorting his body like an earthworm, his eyes dilated with vertical pupils, allowing more light and vision to enter.
The faint and imaginary bloodshot color slowly changed back to his usual amber eyes. The first thing he saw upon stabilizing himself was the faint image of a hovering screen before him.
[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 5 Vampiric Bat!]
The text reflected on his retina. Though his brain was still processing, the curled lips from the corner of Jin's mouth showed an unbridled joy.
"Psst!" the final burst finally couldn't dampen his joy.
The next moment, Jin, who lay on the cold green grass under the burning fire that he could see through the visible bat wings membranes, burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! This creature finally died! And it's actually level 5!" he laughed while facing the blocked blue sky.
The crazy smile on his face and the hands wiping tears of joy from the corner of his eyes would confuse anyone. It lasted for a full minute before the laughter died down.
"So...they are actually this weak." Clearing his throat, Jin spoke while still feeling the sudden burst of power that came from his skill.
The sense of his bare hands piercing through the furry skins, the feeling of holding the twitching organs as the Vampiric Bats screamed at him, the intense battle where he almost became part of their kin.
"That's feel amazing!" Jin exclaimed as another screen popped into his view.
[Your wounds have been healed!]
[The parasite has been eliminated!]
The injuries and skinned parts on his thigh were slowly recovering along with the dispersing of the sudden strength boost. He didn't feel regret as the boost of strength from his passive skill dissipated.
"It's still mine and can be used in emergency situations like that." Though the power was great, the price was the same.
He needed to be injured to a certain or serious extent to get an increase in his attack power. He was not a person who felt comfortable having his body injured.
His previous joy came from the happiness after killing a mini-boss, the same happiness he felt when playing the game before.
"This is pure satisfaction," Jin smiled and then turned his head to the side.
As he guessed, there was a magic crystal lying next to him, its appearance as if trying to tell him,
'this is your reward, take it and you don't need to do a chore searching for this.' Though he didn't believe in this coincidence, nevertheless-
"It's also part of my luck," Jin thought with great anticipation, his glittering eyes already locked onto the magic crystal, and his hand already reaching for it.
CRUSH!
The feeble magic crystal crumbled into ashes under his tiny grip. Multiple screens hovered in the air, leaving Jin's eyes slightly stunned.
[You have destroyed a Tier 0 magic crystal!]
[Your high Luck has begun to take effect!]
[You have absorbed +0.50 Strength!]
[Congratulations, you have learned a passive skill!]
[New passive skill acquired: Iron Fist!]
[Iron Fist(Passive): The user's punches and kicks deal increased damage. The user gains a 15% increase in unarmed attack damage and a 5% increase in critical hit chance]
His whole body suddenly emitted a faint light that vanished in the blink of an eye. He could feel changes occurring the moment he acquired this passive skill.
"Nice!" Jin couldn't help but praise and smile. Now, he had a skill that could even save his ammunition.
After sorting his gains and testing the newly acquired passive skill, his hands touched the cold, soft bat wings membranes that were blocking his path.
SRTT!
Like the sound of ripping clothes, the membranes let out a bloody sparkle that splashed as if someone was squeezing lemon juice.
Those splashes were followed by tearing sounds, finally opening the scenery behind it.
But what he didn't expect was to see Wei Jingyi pacing back and forth, biting her bottom lip, and then turning around the moment she saw him finally emerge.
"Little Jin! I was very worried about you!" Wei Jingyi immediately hugged him, pressing her two well-crafted breasts against Jin's vest.
Jin could even smell the scent of mixed berries, a woman's smell through his nose, as his eyes traced the movement of her black ponytail.
"You should tell me honestly if you need my help." She suddenly snapped, pushed Jin's shoulder as she glared and held onto his shoulder tightly.
"Hmm, that's not possible, Miss Wei. And also, how did you get here?" Jin replied, slowly removing her hands from his shoulder.
He looked at her for a moment before glancing around the surrounding area.
His eyes remained vigilant until he saw many glittering magic crystals shining in the sunlight. Then, he refocused his attention on the woman before him.
"Didn't I tell you to stay outside? I'm alright, and this is my duty." Jin spoke sternly and was unaffected by her pleading.
Although this woman appeared worried about him and even risked her life to trespass and check on him, he knew what was behind her actions.
"Umm, y-yeah. I- I just want you to be safe. After all, I cannot see the rest of the security guards." Wei Jingyi spoke with a stutter and avoided Jin's cold and narrowed eyes.
After Jin heard her explanation, as expected, her answer accurately confirmed his suspicions.
"She just wanted free protection, but I admire her courage.
"The courage to enter the chaotic shooting area and the field where horrifying creatures were scattered," he thought inwardly and glanced at the sword hanging on her waist.
She is not a weak, feeble, and crying woman, but at least she is decent.
"Well, whatever. Go back right now. I need to check on the other tenants," Jin told her, and she nodded and walked away, standing behind the gate where the sunlight was the brightest.
"It seems she is already aware of these creatures, or else she is just a dumb person," he thought.
…
Meanwhile, Jin raised his head and looked at the broken glass windows. He had just dropped from the second floor of the apartment and landed on the small park ground.
The majority of the Blood Slaves that were after him were nowhere to be found, or perhaps already turned into ashes, leaving only some of them lurking in the shadows of the building and hiding below other cars, watching him like predators.
"Time to clean up," Jin muttered as he began stretching his muscles. Although his shotgun was on the second floor, it was not a problem for him.
With his newly acquired passive ability, these weak creatures were just food for him.
"But let me improve my stats a little bit. After all this time, I feel my speed is slowing down, and my reactions barely catch the glimpse of those ambushes by those vampiric fucker's bats."
[
· Name: Jin Tianyi
· Class: -
· Level: 8
· Race: Human
· Health: 119.4/119.4
· Mana/Stamina: 93/93
· Attributes: Strength: 26.4| Agility: 8.9 | Intelligence: 6.5 | Dexterity: 11.5 | Luck: 20 | Charisma: 20
]
[Free Attribute: 6]
Sitting atop the gigantic vampiric bat, basking in the sunlight that was slowly descending into the west, Jin's eyes scanned the transparent screen before him.
"Strength has the most points attributed to it. As for the others..." he muttered. Based on his knowledge from games, strength was related to endurance, health points, and physical attack power.
Agility was related to ranged combat, accuracy, and movement speed, while dexterity was related to reaction time. "All of this knowledge is based on games, but who knows if it applies to this game entity?"
That was the question that lingered in his mind from time to time. However, after experiencing situations where he used these attributes freely, he could be sure that 90% of it was similar to this.
"I don't need to increase intelligence for now, as I still don't feel a lack of mana or stamina when casting skills, and most of my skills are passive anyway."
He concluded and decided after looking at his stamina/mana points, realizing that they wouldn't be much help for now. "I want to test each attribute, but time is not on my side," he muttered, his eyes rolling upward.
Unknowingly, the sun had already entered his eyes' level. Since he had traveled from the port to this apartment and fought the gigantic vampiric bats, the sky had gradually become darker.
More pairs of red eyes from the large glass windows were watching him.
