"ROAR... ROAR..."
A radiant light pulsed as Hellish Roar let out a suppressed, low growl, his voice tinged with a human-like ferocity.
His muscles bulged another size, and his height shot up to just over 1.7 meters.
Even more astonishingly, his equipment also began to change.
The Stone Axe in his hand gradually transformed into a black Iron Axe.
A beast-hide pauldron materialized on his shoulder, adorned with the fangs of several ferocious beasts, giving him a truly formidable appearance.
[Advancement successful! ’Hellish Roar’s’ Potential has been raised to Normal ★★★!]
[Attributes gained from this evolution: Power +6, Spirit +4, Agility +7, Constitution +5]
[Weapon: ’Rough Stone Axe (White)’ → ’Beastman Iron Axe (Green)’]
[Awakened Skills: Gale Step]
...
"Advancing not only improves equipment Quality but also awakens a new Skill!"
Shen Xing’s eyes lit up, and he quickly checked the new Skill’s detailed description.
[Gale Step: Upon activation, immediately increases movement speed by 50% and guarantees the next attack will be a critical hit.
Duration: 12 seconds. Cooldown: 75 seconds.]
...
’It’s powerful. Hellish Roar’s base speed was already incredible. If he activates Gale Step, won’t he just be able to fly?’
Shen Xing was pleased. He looked at the big green-skinned brute next to him. "Same as before. Show me your strength."
"Yes... Boss!"
Hellish Roar’s reply seemed more fluent than before, and his movements were more agile.
He gripped the Iron Axe in his hand and strode over to the giant black boulder on his powerful legs.
The muscles in his arm swelled, veins popping out like earthworms slithering beneath his skin.
He raised the Iron Axe and, with the force to shatter metal and stone, brought it down fiercely!
CLANG—
A piercing sound of metal striking stone rang out.
The moment the Iron Axe struck the stone’s surface, sparks flew and stone chips scattered everywhere.
When Hellish Roar withdrew his weapon, a crack appeared on the surface of the massive boulder.
With a loud CRACK, the entire boulder split in two right then and there!
Shen Xing’s eyelids twitched as he watched, his heart filled with joy.
Compared to when he was Two-Star, Hellish Roar’s power had once again taken a qualitative leap.
It was no exaggeration to say that he could now easily take on seven or eight One-Star Beastman Infantry of the same Level by himself.
With all preparations complete, it was time to officially begin exploring the outside world.
"Form up!"
At Shen Xing’s command, ten Green-skinned Orcs, carrying their Stone Axes, trotted over eagerly.
"Split into two groups of five. Five beastmen will stay here to guard the camp. Hellish Roar, you’ll take the other four and come with me."
He gave the order quickly. The beastmen took a few seconds to process it with their not-so-bright minds before splitting into two teams.
The four beastmen chosen to follow were clearly more excited than those left behind, already eager to get going!
At the village entrance, Hellish Roar and three other beastmen stood at the front.
As for the fourth, Shen Xing had called him over specifically to push the wheelchair.
After all, the journey would take nearly an hour and a half. If he had to push the wheels himself, his hands would get raw, and he’d slow down the group.
WHOOSH...
The Horse Lantern was lit. Its orange-red light spread out, instantly illuminating a ten-meter area around them.
The gray fog recoiled from the light as if it were singed hair, forming a wall of mist at the edge of the illumination.
Staring at the churning fog before him felt like being submerged in the deep sea, creating a sense of suffocation.
He waved his hand, and the small squad slowly stepped into the Fog.
[You have left your territory. Please be mindful of the Horse Lantern’s remaining burn time...]
The dense Fog was instantly dispelled by the Horse Lantern’s light, revealing the surrounding terrain.
Just like in the village, the ground outside was pure black, as if it had been scorched through by a widespread wildfire.
As they advanced, a few scattered, withered trees and some strangely shaped, rugged rocks could occasionally be seen at the edge of their vision.
Desolation stretched as far as the eye could see.
"This world... it’s really desolate."
Shen Xing sighed to himself, continuing to push forward while holding the Horse Lantern.
The four Green-skinned Orcs walked at the edge of the light, maintaining a steady, unhurried pace as they slowly advanced.
RUSTLE... RUSTLE...
A faint rustling sound came from the Fog, accompanied by that familiar, sinister chill.
Illuminated by the firelight, slender, pitch-black figures began to close in from all directions.
There were a full sixteen Lost Ones, even more than in the first wave that attacked the village.
This time, however, he only had five beastmen on his side, putting them at a numerical disadvantage.
But compared to the first battle, the Beastman Infantry’s strength had increased significantly.
"Hngh..."
A Lost One leaped out of the dense Fog, its charred claws extended, preparing to drag a Beastman Infantry into the mist.
But what met it was Hellish Roar’s Iron Axe.
SQUELCH!
The Iron Axe slammed into its charred body, carving a gash so deep the bone was visible.
But that wasn’t all. Hellish Roar reached out with a hand as large as a cattail fan, seized the creature’s head, and squeezed with all five fingers, crushing it out of shape!
CRACK—CRUNCH—
A series of scalp-numbing sounds followed as he literally crushed its head!
Immediately after, he pushed off with his legs and pounced on a second Lost One.
WHOOSH...
A swirl of cyan air wrapped around his legs, and his speed exploded once more.
—Gale Step!
Empowered by the Skill, he closed in on his target at a terrifying speed of nearly fifty meters per second!
The axe blade, wreathed in cyan energy, sliced down diagonally from the Lost One’s shoulder, cutting through its entire chest and cleaving it in two.
A critical hit!
Shen Xing watched the battle from his wheelchair, inwardly astonished.
Having reached Three-Star, Hellish Roar was beginning to show the true ferocity of a beastman.
"You guys, go too."
At Shen Xing’s command, the other four Level 2 Beastman Infantry immediately raised their Stone Axes and began hacking wildly at the nearby Lost Ones.
Although they were outnumbered, with a killing machine like Hellish Roar on their side, there was basically no suspense.
After a few exchanges, the sixteen Lost Ones were cut to pieces, while the Beastman Infantry had only sustained minor injuries.
Just as Hellish Roar was about to finish off the last monster, the Fog behind them suddenly churned.
WHOOSH...
A much larger black shadow burst from the dense Fog at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary Lost One!
This monster was nearly two meters tall, with an intimidating presence, and it looked identical to the Lost One he had encountered at Sichuan Pavilion.
Its target was clear: it lunged directly for Shen Xing, who was at the center holding the [Horse Lantern].
Because his forces were spread out, even the fastest of them, Hellish Roar, couldn’t get back in time to defend him.
[Lost One]
[Level: 3]
[Potential: Normal ★★★]
[Attributes: Power 15, Spirit 16, Agility 14, Constitution 14]
[Skills: Gray Mist Attack (Charges out of the Fog, increasing its movement speed by 50%. Its next attack will inflict a ’Bleed’ effect on the enemy.)]
[Talent: None]
[Bonds—Lost One (Active)]
...
’A Level 3, Three-Star Lost One. So this is how Lu Xiang was taken out by a surprise attack?’
Shen Xing thought to himself, ’The monsters in this world are really insidious. They all love to deceive and ambush.’
The moment the enemy closed in, he raised his right hand, his five fingers forming a grasping motion in the air.
An invisible Spiritual Hand materialized from thin air and slapped forward.
BANG!
The black shadow seemed to slam into an invisible wall, its advance halted by the [Void Hand] as it staggered back several steps.
"Get it. Chop it down."
The moment Shen Xing spoke, Hellish Roar was the first to charge over, furiously hacking into the Lost One’s back.
The other beastmen swarmed it, their Stone Axes raining down like hailstones.
In no time, they had chopped the Lost One into mincemeat.
"Clean up the battlefield."
Shen Xing gave the order, and the beastmen scattered, beginning to search the corpses of the Lost Ones.
He glanced down at the Horse Lantern.
About a fifth of the dark red oil inside had already burned away, which meant he had about an hour of exploration time left.
Two minutes later, Hellish Roar returned with the other beastmen who had finished scavenging, his hands cupped around a pile of glittering things.
[Obtained: Soul Stone *8]
[Obtained: Vinar Silver Coins *18]
[Obtained: Broken Soul *12]
[Obtained: Complete Dim Soul *1]
...
A complete Soul dropped from the Three-Star Lost One—a pretty good haul.
With this, he could probably get another Beastman Infantry to advance to Two-Star.
"Keep moving."
Under his command, Hellish Roar took the lead, with three beastmen guarding the flanks.
Another beastman clumsily pushed the wheelchair, following behind Shen Xing.
Their small exploration team moved slowly through the Fog, like a submarine in the deep sea.
As they moved, Shen Xing observed the surrounding terrain.
This area seemed to be a wasteland. Besides the black earth and sparse vegetation, he could occasionally see the remains of some buildings.
They looked like old camps and small settlements.
There were no roads in the entire wasteland, only pitted gullies and loose stones. The wheelchair jolted up and down as it rolled over them.
Shen Xing was almost thrown out several times, and his butt felt like it was going to fall apart.
He finally just had one of the beastmen lift him up, wheelchair and all, and place him on its shoulder. He held onto the sides of the wheelchair for balance.
Shen Xing wasn’t heavy anyway; he and the wheelchair together probably weighed only about 165 pounds.
With the Constitution of these Level 2 beastmen, carrying him for a while wouldn’t be a problem.
His vantage point suddenly rose by nearly two meters, and his field of vision widened considerably.
He had to admit, although being carried by a beastman was a bit ridiculous, it was actually quite comfortable, and the ride was no longer bumpy.
Shen Xing chuckled and half-reclined in his wheelchair, commanding the team from his high perch.
The minimap in the top-left corner was shrouded in fog, with a crooked line in the middle showing the path they had taken.
Besides that, he could also see a yellow dot of light in the center of the map, which marked the camp’s location.
"Boss... found... something."
Hellish Roar, at the very front, suddenly stopped and pointed forward with his Iron Axe.
Shen Xing followed his gesture and looked.
Through the churning fog, he could faintly make out a stone structure.
It was a diamond-shaped spire about three meters tall, which looked as if it were forged entirely from black crystal. Its surface was covered in circles of Ancient patterns.
[Black Crystal Tower (Extinguished)]
[Effect: Can be touched with the Horse Lantern to be reignited. Will periodically produce ’Black Crystal’ for the territory.]
[Efficiency: 5 hours / 1 unit of Black Crystal]
...