Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Beneath the deep night sky, the agonized squeals of a third-tier wild boar echoed over the Twin Stone Mountains.
After being stabbed over a dozen times.
"Boom—"
A thunderous roar sounded, as if an earthquake had struck.
The massive body of the third-tier wild boar lay in a pool of blood, dead beyond doubt.
Chen Mo licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes gleaming with fierce excitement.
Exhilarating! He hopped off the boar and approached its front.
"Pfft!" The Ghost Knife pierced into the boar's tough skull.
After some effort, he extracted a third-tier Crystal Core, nearly the size of half a chicken egg, from the flesh.
Chen Mo glanced at the Ghost Knife in his hand and muttered,
"It's getting dull..."
"Looks like I need to find an opportunity to reinforce the Ghost Knife with a Jade Crystal Stone..."
As the heresy zombies he faced grew stronger, the Ghost Knife was becoming less smooth to use.
After all, it was just a weapon obtained by trading half an Indulgent-God carcass with a mysterious merchant, and its lifespan was limited.
Roughly estimated, the Ghost Knife was at its limit against anything below a fifth-tier heresy.
Chen Mo still preferred the silky sensation of easily slicing through flesh.
The Ghost Knife plunged deep into the boar's massive body.
Greedy for blood, it absorbed voraciously.
Along the pitch-black blade, strands of red blood essence spread, nourishing and restoring the energy consumed within his body.
"Phew..." Chen Mo exhaled, looking at the enormous wild boar carcass.
Unlike zombies, heresy creatures were edible.
The stronger an Abilities user's Abilities, the more they needed to eat each day.
For now, it was manageable, but after breaking through to the fifth or sixth tier...
Ordinary food would no longer satisfy an Abilities user's needs.
Apart from the special supplements provided by the military.
The carcass of such heresy creatures, rich in energy, was a decent source of food.
Using Heavenly power Abilities.
He borrowed the strength of the Indulgent-God.
Then wrapped it in molten iron.
The immense wild boar carcass floated up as if by magic.
***
Back at the mountain peak.
"Boom!" The boar's carcass fell heavily.
Chen Mo glanced at the woman by the campfire.
She had already absorbed the entire first-tier Crystal Core.
Curled up in agony by the campfire, her body trembled violently.
The power of the Crystal Core was ferocious.
She could die at any moment.
Chen Mo sliced off a bloody, beautifully marbled piece of wild boar meat.
He began roasting it over the campfire.
"Sizzle sizzle..."
The wild boar fat sizzled, the flames releasing a tantalizing aroma of meat.
It was a lengthy process.
Being heresy meat, what would normally take an hour or two to cook would now take much longer.
The deep night was silent, everything seemed so peaceful and serene.
Chen Mo looked up at the blood-red sky.
Stars twinkled brilliantly.
He couldn't help but close his eyes and doze off.
***
Although he had anticipated it.
What Chen Mo didn't expect was.
That the wild boar meat, after roasting all night.
Was still raw! He bit into the wild boar meat, and except for the outermost layer.
The inside was almost indistinguishable from raw.
But even so, in this post-apocalyptic world, it was still a great delicacy.
Having something to eat was good enough, and Chen Mo wasn't fussy.
At least it tasted good, better than bread, anyway.
"Munch munch..." The sound of chewing filled the air.
His strength, spirit, and vitality were restored to their peak.
After devouring the large chunk of wild boar meat, Chen Mo turned to the woman lying motionless beside him.
She appeared to be dead.
Chen Mo's face remained calm, his eyes devoid of any ripples.
This was normal.
Not everyone could awaken Abilities.
Not everyone dared to gamble on this one-in-ten chance.
Even if using a fourth-tier Crystal Core, which had a higher chance of success.
Chen Mo slowly stood up, dusting off his clothes.
Ready to descend the mountain.
But just then.
"Mmm..." A soft moan sounded.
The woman on the ground began to stir.
A faint circle of awakening patterns appeared on her right hand.
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She slowly opened her eyes.
Everything in front of her seemed unbelievable.
The world around her appeared much clearer through her eyes.
Her consciousness was no longer muddled and chaotic.
It was as if she had returned to the morning after a good sleep before the post-apocalyptic world, waking up to the morning sun, feeling utterly comfortable.
"I..." The woman looked around in disbelief.
Noticing Chen Mo beside her, she was greatly shocked.
"I'm not dead?!"
Chen Mo was somewhat surprised.
On two counts.
This woman had not only survived but had successfully awakened her Abilities.
For anyone, awakening Abilities for the first time was like being reborn.
Even someone with cancer would be restored to health.
No one could explain why.
It was as if all the cells in your body, except your consciousness, had been completely replaced.
Restored to the most peak condition.
The woman's injuries healed completely.
Her once gaunt and emaciated figure became full and rounded.
Unexpectedly, the woman's true appearance was quite attractive.
Apart from being a bit dirty, she had an oval face, a delicate nose, willowy eyebrows, and a youthful and pretty aura.
Her eyes were especially bright.
Still in shock, she stared blankly at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo said calmly, "Congratulations, you've survived."
The woman's body trembled, suddenly remembering something.
"I... seem to...have Abilities now?!"
Her face was full of surprise, looking at her no longer emaciated hands, feeling better than ever before.
"Thank you..." A sense of relief after a disaster welled up inside her.
During the absorption of the Crystal Core,
She felt countless times like she was about to die.
Like a drowning person suffocating, plunged into endless darkness.
Tears welled up in the woman's eyes.
Putting aside everything that happened in this post-apocalyptic world, she was just a recent college graduate.
After all she had been through, all she wanted was to survive.
Chen Mo remained silent, simply standing by quietly.
"After awakening Abilities, you'll be very hungry. There's some wild boar meat over there; it's a bit raw, but if you don't mind, go ahead and eat."
On the nearly extinguished campfire, there was still a piece of wild boar meat left...
Although it was also half-cooked.
The woman paused.
Wild boar meat?
In this post-apocalyptic world, where did the wild boar meat come from?
She was puzzled.
But soon."Gurgle gurgle..." Her stomach suddenly made noises.
Her face flushed red, and she looked down, embarrassed.
Indeed, as Chen Mo said, she was famished.
"Sorry..."
Chen Mo didn't mind.
Watching the woman chew slowly and still mindful of her image, he asked, "What Abilities have you awakened?"