The creature lunged at me. My heartbeat quickened, and adrenaline surged through my body.
Having no experience in combat, my body trembled. I managed to block most of its attacks, but it still wounded me. Cuts were clearly visible along my arms.
Slowly but surely, bit by bit, I began to corner it. It took over thirty minutes, but finally—
I had it cornered. I already had a plan. Knowing that continued attacks were useless, I grabbed a desk. Even though it was agile and fast, being cornered limited its movement.
I pinned it down and finally struck it with my axe, cutting off its head. As soon as it died, I collapsed, my body overwhelmed by the adrenaline crash.
But only a few minutes passed before the dread returned—if more creatures showed up, I'd be helpless. I had no strength left to fight.
I immediately absorbed the four corpses—each gave me 15 points. My total points became 105.
Nodding in satisfaction, I ordered the system to drop the rare creature.
[Description]
A rare creature that usually flies in the sky died due to exhaustion and fell from a great height.
[Does the Host want to absorb it?]
"Yes," I muttered. As soon as I said it, the notification echoed in my mind:
[1 hour is needed to fully absorb.]
I didn't waste any time. I quickly set up an array formation. My Qi had recovered bit by bit—enough to construct two layers of a Song Formation.
Once completed, I noticed my proficiency had increased by 14%. I smiled, feeling a wave of relief.
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed. During that time, I continued to study and practice the formation, eventually raising my proficiency to 17%.
[Host absorbed a rare creature within 5 loops. Special rewards granted.]
[Reward for absorbing the Black Unicorn: 1000 Points]
[Special Reward: Random Technique - "Body Refining Technique"]
[Body Refining Technique: A technique to refine the skin, bones, and organs. Consists of 9 layers, each one strengthening the cultivator's body.]
[Technique stored in System Inventory.]
Hmm... my points are now at 1105. I need to save them for the next Black Ticket.
Knowledge of the Body Refining Technique flowed into me instantly. But just understanding the first layer made my head ache.
To complete it, I'd need to get hit—or worse, punch a wall until my bones broke. Shaking my head, I thought, No way. That's too brutal. I'd rather get hit than do it myself.
I spent the rest of the night resting and treating my wounds, disinfecting the cuts with water.
Time passed slowly, and when I woke up, I checked the formation outside. The first layer had already been breached.
The second layer—one more hit and it would collapse. A shiver ran down my spine. If I hadn't set those formations, I might have been forced into my third loop.
I quickly repaired the outer formation and added another. Once everything was in place, I left to explore again. I needed more points—more resources.
Tomorrow, those two guys would return. Should I ask Lorraine for help?
I shook my head. I already knew the location of 27 creatures from my last loop. I just needed to act fast.
After another hour of exploring, I reached the location of seven dead little creatures. An hour later, I had gained a total of 135 points. I returned to my shelter—another hour gone.
I needed to keep practicing my formations. Tomorrow, those twins would raid this place.
Sitting down, I opened the system shop and browsed through the array formations. After 30 minutes, I found something useful:
"Cold Array Formation"
[Description]
A formation that stabilizes temperature to a consistently cool level—not too cold. The protective barrier is significantly stronger than standard 8th-tier formations.
[Cost: 300 Points]
I hadn't thought I needed this, but I suddenly realized the temperature kept getting hotter. I bought it immediately.
In my first loop, Lorraine had an air conditioner. Last night, sleeping without one was unbearable. I had thought the apocalypse would get colder—but I was wrong.
This formation didn't need immediate mastery, but its high defense was incredibly valuable. I planned to place it as the outermost layer, followed by the Song Formation as the final line of defense.
The Cold Array wouldn't cause backlash, which was fine—it was meant to exhaust enemies.
I scratched my head. I needed Blue Ores. But for now, I had to strengthen the formations.
For the next 4 hours and 30 minutes, I practiced both formations.
However, I realized that my Qi wasn't enough. After five attempts with each, my Qi was almost depleted.
I smacked my head in frustration. I needed a better spiritual root—or at least to cultivate more. I was likely still at Qi Refining 1st Layer.
Helpless, I couldn't train the formations further. But the good news was that I now had four layers in total:
Two Cold Array Formations to exhaust enemies with high defense.
Two Song Formations to retaliate when attacked.
The Cold Array Formation worked perfectly—the stable temperature helped me concentrate.
My proficiency improved:
Cold Array: 7%
Song Formation: 21%
Satisfied, I attempted to cultivate. I could feel Qi flowing through my body—but I couldn't absorb it all.
Five-spiritual root cultivation really sucked. Just reaching the next layer would take more than an hour.
I kept cultivating. Before I realized it, night had fallen. Nine hours passed.
Finally, I was on the brink of a breakthrough. One more hour, and—
Qi Refining, 2nd Layer!
I yawned, body sore. Stretching, I looked outside. Night had already arrived, and the array was nearly breached.
Only the last layer remained. I sighed in frustration.
My Qi had nearly doubled. Having an abundance of Qi felt amazing—but besides making formations, I had no techniques to use it.
Without wasting time, I repaired the nearly-breached formation and rebuilt three more.
Once everything was ready, I glanced outside—peace, for now.
But by morning, the two guys would arrive.
Before I could plan, I noticed the array formations being broken at an alarming rate.
In no time, both the first and second layers were breached.
I quickly created another formation—and then I saw it.
The horrifying Creature