Chapter 5: The Blood-thirsty One and Leveling Up

"Wait."

After Lucy finished speaking, Yun Mu still wanted to say something, but the world before her eyes was suddenly shrouded by a layer of gray mist.

And when the mist dissipated, she realized she had arrived before a new fork in the road.

【Battle Area lv1 (Apprentice)】

【Battle Area lv3 (Apprentice)】

"Is this where I choose the next area?"

She looked back, but could not see that charred wooden house.

"Forget it, I'll be able to see it again in the future anyway."

Yun Mu withdrew her gaze with some disappointment, then looked to the left and right sides.

In the area on the left, two active Bloodline Living Corpses could be clearly seen, while the area on the right only had one enemy, but its level was two levels higher than the area on the left.

She did not rush to make a choice, but instead looked down at the Blood Brewing Bottle in her hand.

【Blood Brewing Bottle (Blue)】

【Restores 10 HP each time it is consumed.】

【Capable of suppressing the 【Blood Thirst】 status.】

【Usage count 3/3.】

【In addition to the usage count automatically replenishing each time you enter the game, replenishing the bottle with a certain amount of fresh blood can also restore the usage count.】

【A wine brewed from fresh blood; aside from races that like to drink blood, no one would think it tastes good.】

"Drinking it once restores ten HP!?"

Good heavens, her maximum HP right now is only twenty-one, which means drinking one sip restores half, and drinking two sips is basically a Resurrection on the spot?

"Then let's go right!"

There was nothing to hesitate about; Yun Mu directly confirmed the direction.

It was just an area two levels higher than her; with an Artifact like the Blood Brewing Bottle to save her life, there certainly wouldn't be any problems.

Moreover, higher-level areas also meant better rewards; sometimes taking a risk wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Just like before, after she confirmed one path, the other path directly disappeared.

This time she didn't wander around looking for hidden items, but walked directly up to the figure standing in the middle of the road.

【You have encountered an enemy——【Blood-thirsty One lv3 (Apprentice)】

Blood-thirsty One lv3 (Apprentice)

Race: Bloodline

Maximum HP: 11

Attack 7, Spell Strength 4, Defense 0, Resilience 1, Dodge 8, Speed 6, Precision Correction 10, Critical Hit 2%

Trait: Scarlet Curse

Skills: Bite, Acid Spit, Clumsy Pounce】

The appearance of the Blood-thirsty One looked even more disgusting than a living corpse; if a living corpse was a dried-up jujube, then the Blood-thirsty One was a lump of rotting, stinking peach.

At this moment, the Blood-thirsty One standing before Yun Mu was covered in rotting, pus-oozing flesh, with small, unknown insects flying back and forth over its body.

Because the opponent's speed was 6 points, which was 1 point faster than hers, the first turn went to the Blood-thirsty One. Huh?

Yun Mu suddenly discovered that she still acted first in the first turn; after opening the panel and looking carefully, she realized why.

Because of the trait 【Fleet-footed】 +10% speed, her original 5 points of speed increased by 0.5, and since the game she created didn't have decimals, it was rounded up, changing her speed to 6 points.

And in situations where both sides have the same speed, the player acts first, so she still got to strike first in the first turn.

"Good, good, good."

A smug smile appeared on Yun Mu's face, and she used the skill 【Cutting】 to attack without hesitation.

【Dodge!】

A striking font appeared above the Blood-thirsty One's head, and upon seeing this line of text, the smile on Yun Mu's face instantly stiffened.

"No way, it can even dodge this!?"

She was completely dumbfounded, but no matter what she thought, the Blood-thirsty One had already launched its attack.

【Acid Spit!】

【Ranged/2 units damage/Spell Strength】

【Range 3】

【Base Precision 70/Damage Correction -80%/Corrosion 60%】

【Corrosion: Within three turns, -3 HP when acting】

Yun Mu watched helplessly as the Blood-thirsty One spat thick, green, foul-smelling liquid from its mouth toward her, and then, and then it was dodged by her.

【Dodge!】

"Phew, a false alarm." She breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

After a round of both sides feeding each other, the battle entered a normal phase.

【Cutting!】

【-5!】

【Bleeding!】

Yun Mu's turn ended, and then it was the Blood-thirsty One's turn.

First, Bleeding dealt 2 points of damage to it, and then it used the skill 【Acid Spit】 again.

【Dodge!】

"I'm really not cheating." Yun Mu looked at the text appearing above her head, then used the skill 【Cutting】 again, directly taking out the Blood-thirsty One, which only had four drops of blood left.

"Roar."

Accompanied by a roar of unwillingness, the body of the Blood-thirsty One turned into fly ash and dissipated.

【You have achieved a battle victory!】

Your maximum HP +1.

You have obtained the item 【Gold Coin】 *93.】

【Congratulations on leveling up! Your current level is: lv2.】

Your Attack +1, Dodge +1, Speed +1!】

A feeling of total refreshment surged from the inside out; with this level up, Yun Mu clearly perceived the changes in her body.

She seemed to have become more powerful, stronger, and more agile!

At the same time, memories that did not exist appeared in her mind once again.

She saw herself in the memory holding the Gray Iron Knife, dodging the Blood-thirsty One's attacks several times in a row, and then cleanly and efficiently hacking it to death with two slashes.

【Cutting lv1——lv2】

【Base Accuracy 80——85 / Damage Modifier -30%——-25% / Bleeding 40%——50%】

【Bleeding: Within three turns, -2——-3 HP when acting.】

After experiencing the feeling of becoming stronger for a while, Yun Mu continued to move forward, and soon, another fork in the road appeared before her.

【Battle Area lv2 (Apprentice)】

【Suiji Shijian】

Having already tasted the sweetness of a Suiji Shijian once, Yun Mu chose the Suiji Shijian without hesitation. Soon, a building constructed entirely of gray-black stone bricks appeared before her.

After she walked closer, the clear sound of hammering iron came from inside the building.

【You have encountered the building 【Blacksmith Shop】; here, you can upgrade one of your pieces of equipment for free.】

【1: Let me take a look! (Open Shop)】

【2: Not interested. (Turn and leave)】

【3: Hand over all the good stuff you have here! (Robbery)】

Ignoring the third option, Yun Mu chose one to open the shop.

【Gray Iron Knife (Gray) 【Free】】

【Inferior Leather Clothing (Gray) 【Free】】

"Damn it, the Blood Brewing Bottle doesn't even count as equipment!"

Her plan to upgrade the Blood Brewing Bottle for free fell through; with no other choice, she could only choose to upgrade the Gray Iron Knife.

【Gray Iron Knife (Gray) —— Standard Short Dagger (White)】

【Attack +5 / Bleeding Probability +5%】

【Backstab · Touxixi · Stealth Damage +10%, Critical Hit +2%】

【A weapon forged in batches like an assembly line according to a certain standard; it is usable, reliable, and at the same time, completely uniform.】

With a flash of white light, the somewhat dilapidated Gray Iron Knife instantly took on a brand-new look. Under the illumination of the blood-red light from the sky above, the sharp blade emitted a cold, biting glint.

"Not bad." Yun Mu nodded with satisfaction, then discovered that the shop page had not yet closed.

【Standard Short Dagger (White) 【300 Gold Coins】】

【Inferior Leather Clothing (Gray) 【100 Gold Coins】】

Isn't this what Gold Coins are for? Yun Mu glanced at the top right corner, which displayed the amount of Gold Coins she currently possessed.

124 pieces.

There was nothing to hesitate about; only when her combat power increased could she obtain more Gold Coins. Upgrade!

【Inferior Leather Clothing (Gray) —— Hunter Coat (White)】

【Defense +4 / Dodge +2】

【Enemy Critical Damage -2%】

【A coat made of leather according to the needs of hunters in a certain cold region; it keeps one warm without affecting movement.】

PS: In the game, levels are divided into eight types: 【Apprentice (Gray)】, 【Elite (White)】, 【Expert (Green)】, 【Master (Blue)】, 【Champion (Purple)】, 【Legendary (Orange)】, 【Epic (Red)】, and 【Myth (Black)】.

Among active skills, some skills can attack multiple units simultaneously; for example, the 【Blood-thirsty One】's skill 【Acid Spit】 can deal damage to two units at the same time, while the dodge probability is calculated separately for each attacked unit.

Additionally, the range of 【Acid Spit】 is 3; when the skill is released on the furthest target, the enemies behind the target will also receive skill damage.

For example, if there are four units in front, and 【Acid Spit】 is released on the furthest one—that is, the third unit—then the fourth unit will also receive skill damage.

(End of this chapter)