[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-52":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312434,4518,"Chapter 52: Rune Hound: Advanced Profession","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>Ancheng was neither large nor small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By evening, Fang Shi had finished distributing flyers and found the Trial Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a black tower standing firm upon the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only ten meters tall and two meters wide, yet it had nine stories, appearing utterly bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a short halfling stood nearly as tall as one story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to this, the gate stood wide open, its interior deep and dark, invisible to the eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment an ordinary person saw it, fear arose, and none dared enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi didn’t care at all—he’d been inside countless times before his rebirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew every secret within it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? This thing’s still here. Now I can confirm—it really wasn’t left by some later-day powerhouse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi approached the gate, stroking a palm print upon it, and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palm print was three centimeters from the door’s edge; the tower’s surface was pitch black, hard to spot unless you looked closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imprint was only a few centimeters deep, slender and elongated, small—like a woman’s palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if someone had pressed their palm into wet cement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, it was worlds apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tower’s material was unknown, yet incredibly hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a legendary warrior’s attack could not leave a single scratch upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this, one could glimpse the power of the one who left the palm print.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very likely, a deity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only such a being beyond mortal realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could leave a palm print upon the Trial Tower, a construct of creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, some once tried studying it for residual principles of law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sadly, they ultimately found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll just enter the tower like a good boy. Why overthink it? Without reaching legendary status, you can’t even touch the threshold of the principles of law.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mustard seed contains the Himalayas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stepping through the two-meter-high gate, Fang Shi entered a vast expanse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interior of the Trial Tower was far from narrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On either side stretched walls extending to the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center lay a hundred-meter-wide avenue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the First Layer: the Endless Labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A surprisingly thoughtful labyrinth that imposed no flight restrictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you flew ten thousand meters upward, you’d never see the walls’ end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stood like a pillar propping up heaven and earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, the Endless Labyrinth lived up to its name—it truly was endless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was a single maze or not was unclear, for even those who walked along one wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could never reach its end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it didn’t matter—the trial’s passage didn’t require you to traverse the entire maze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply staying inside for one day counted as passing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d be teleported out automatically when time ran out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your score was based on how far you’d traveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for how “far” was defined in the labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It depended on the level of monsters surrounding your location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher the monster level, the farther you’d traveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And you didn’t have to fight the monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether you could pass through their territory depended on your own skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you could kill them outright, that was best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not, stealth, invisibility, or containment—any method would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you passed, the Trial Tower counted it as your score.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Multiple-person teams weren’t restricted either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though teaming up carried a penalty to your passage score, sometimes it let you go farther.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rewards for going farther could easily offset the penalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for Fang Shi’s own cultivation hitting a bottleneck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And no one else being able to reach Level 5 in the short term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi would’ve teamed up to clear the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like some mage or priest to buff him, provide support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His strength could at least double.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No team is fine—I’m already as strong as a typical Level 1.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Far stronger than any other Level 5 cultivator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember the final passage score also factors in personal level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The lower your level, the deeper you go, the higher your passage score.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My strength far exceeds my level—that’s a huge bonus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi stomped his foot and leaped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon he reached the first crossroad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the center stood a humanoid creature gripping a spear, pacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its entire body was covered in thick armor plates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet at the joints, bundles of fibrous tendons were exposed, like skinless muscles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps the armor plates were this humanoid’s skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it walked, muscle fibers contracted in rhythmic pulses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A secret rune mark was carved upon its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its eyes, human-like in agility, glowed with intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a construct—living machinery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Said to have been born from an arcane experiment, a wizard’s war slave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why it existed in the Trial Tower, Fang Shi didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creatures inside the Trial Tower were bizarre beyond count; later levels held dragons, titans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even angels, demons, and devils existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi had no patience to communicate with the construct—he slashed at it directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The construct at the first crossroad was too weak—only in its newborn state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its biological level was under 1, and Fang Shi severed its head in one strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It died mid-charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its brain hadn’t even registered the attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though constructs were considered sentient, due to the Trial Tower’s influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing living beings, they only roared and hacked wildly—utterly incommunicative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his rebirth, some mages had even cast mind-affecting spells to uncover the Trial Tower’s secrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They gained nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spells could manipulate the creatures’ minds fine, but anything tied to the Trial Tower itself was blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if erased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Fang Shi wouldn’t waste time on such futile efforts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only wanted to pass efficiently—nothing else mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for how to proceed next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a labyrinth—endless, so just walk wherever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wherever you end up, that’s fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the labyrinth was alive—each entry changed its layout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memorizing maps was pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, monster levels at each crossroad were completely random.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t always harder as you progressed—sometimes they grew weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unlucky might fight all day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never encounter a monster matching their level, before being teleported out of the Endless Labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster at the second intersection is a Rune Hound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its appearance resembled a hairless large dog, its pale, sticky skin covered in strange, abstract tattoos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, this thing had no head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only a long neck extended from the center of its back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the neck was an unusually large stomach, crammed full of sharp teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the stomach swirled filth and acid, ready to spew forth at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This twisted, malformed creature filled Fang Shi with revulsion the moment he saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know if it was naturally born or the work of some mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was the work of a mage, then that mage was clearly insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To create such a grotesque lifeform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the Rune Hound was no weakling—it had a Level 3 creature rank, 37 HP, 20 Supernatural Strength, 14 Agility, 17 Constitution, and 4 Natural Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also possessed the feats Combat Reflexes I, Lightning Reflexes I, and Tracking I.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these stats, the Rune Hound stood out even among Level 3 creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Fang Shi was Level 3, he wasn’t sure he could defeat it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Equivalent to 22 points of Strength—it would crush you on contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn’t some clumsy, heavy-bodied earth elemental with brute force alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rune Hound’s running speed exceeded 40 meters per second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you encountered it, escape was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t assume the Rune Hound can’t track you just because it has no eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Spiritual Smell and Intuitive Blind Sight, it had 360-degree coverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Rune Hound’s perception, ambushes and stealth were jokes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These aberrant creatures all have absurd stats—and they’re all disgusting to look at.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, external spatial portals rarely spawn monsters this terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, humanity would be in trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Fang Shi charged toward the Rune Hound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were still Level 3, he’d turn and run at the sight of such a creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he barely managed to win, he’d be left crippled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was Level 5, with a pile of powerful feats—why fear it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rune Hound had sensed Fang Shi’s arrival long ago; had it not been for the Trial Tower’s restrictions,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its vicious nature would have had it strike the instant he appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Fang Shi attack first, the Rune Hound didn’t hesitate—it lunged forward on all fours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In its lexicon, the word “fear” didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had killed weaker Level 1 creatures before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was one Level 5 human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, the Rune Hound looked down on humans—specifically, physical-class humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In its life, such humans meant only fragility and trash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had lost count of how many such humans it had killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once it closed the distance, its prey had no chance of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it was three meters away, the Rune Hound’s serpentine neck suddenly snapped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It instantly closed the gap, its tooth-filled stomach gaping wide as it bit toward Fang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t the rotting zombie bites Fang Shi had faced when he first changed his class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a bite with 22 points of Strength, carrying immense kinetic force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its sharp teeth were like daggers, coated in foul, stinking slime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi saw all of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that also meant he reacted in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his stacked feats, his reaction speed equaled 24 Agility, and his Perception was 23—not for show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi easily dodged the Rune Hound’s attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spun and slashed at its neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Slashing Attack activated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target received fatal damage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dealt 33 damage to the target.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Rune Hound’s neck snapped cleanly in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even then, it did not die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stomach lying on the ground continued to gape, spewing a foul, stinking glob of slime toward Fang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi dodged effortlessly—had the intact Rune Hound failed to harm him, how much less could this dying thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Piercing Attack activated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target received fatal damage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dealt 33 damage to the target.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Target dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soul energy extracted. You gained 15 experience points and 1.5 Survival Points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“System detected player has reached Level 5.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have obtained partial information on your advanced class: Windblade Saint.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the data stream flash across his stat panel,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi sneered—such a powerful monster yielded so little experience? He’d get more killing a Firewing Bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, the Rune Hound’s reaction speed, boosted by feats, equaled 18 Agility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High attack, high agility, decent constitution—it was practically unbeatable for ordinary Level 3 physical-class players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic users could counter it, but only if they secured enough casting time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, the first strike alone would mean instant death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t be fooled by how quick and easy Fang Shi’s victory seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, life-or-death combat never involves flashy, drawn-out fights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victory is decided by a single strike to a vital point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Windblade Saint—what class is that? Sounds related to wind elements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a player reaches the level required for advancement, they gain fragments of information about their advanced class after each battle victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exact nature of the information largely depends on the battle participants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to legendary mages’ research, this may be similar to soul energy extraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brutally aggressive form of plundering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if the information prompt appears three times, the player has met the requirements for advancement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Level 6, they may choose to upgrade into one of these advanced classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the system won’t generously reveal the features or advantages of these classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players must guess themselves—or wait until enough others have transmigrated and data is compiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Fang Shi never imagined he’d be reborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond common classes, his knowledge of rare ones was extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s original plan was to train in the Trial Tower until he mastered Longsword Weapon Focus I, Longsword Weapon Specialization I, and Longsword Critical Strike I.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then advance into the class Sword Saint—without any prefix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a pure Sword Saint, though lacking elemental powers, still wielded pure sword qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, his mastery of sword weapons would surpass even masters who specialized exclusively in longswords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was only in theory—people are alive, the system is dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No class is inherently stronger or weaker; some classes might even be better off not advancing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying solely on class-upgrade abilities does indeed yield the above evaluation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But feats can be learned, can be comprehended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from a few special feats, most can be acquired with time—or sufficient insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m a Windblade Saint—why can’t I learn all the feats of the Sword Saint class?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I’ll have supernatural power alongside extraordinary sword weapon mastery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My strength will rise exponentially, far beyond what a mere Sword Saint could achieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi had obtained the notes of a Foundation Establishment disciple from the Heaven’s Sword Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They recorded many sword-training insights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could easily comprehend sword-related feats from them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t know the limits, this gave him far more options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it—I’ll take it one step at a time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My most basic goal: comprehend Longsword Weapon Focus I, Longsword Weapon Specialization I, and Longsword Critical Strike I.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Collect more of the other supernatural sword-based classes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then see if you can obtain a property-infused longsword and switch to the corresponding Sword Saint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most important task right now is to get through the labyrinth; I hope no insane monsters show up soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those with limited knowledge believe rank is everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The multiverse is so vast—what kind of monsters don’t exist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weak defeating the strong, the small overcoming the great, given a large enough base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds, even thousands appearing is perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knows? Somewhere in a corner, there might even be time dragon-line dog-headed sorcerers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next is the third intersection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Fang Shi approached the intersection, he was utterly stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell is this thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thank you to Dukou Dukou Dukou for the monthly ticket.\u003C\u002Fp>",2303,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4355d51148ebfe351bc3580cd9f72a33721de59be9f8ab807de47381107a8403","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-53","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-51",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]