Chapter 7: The Strongest Creature
Following the direction indicated by the glowing insect, Liu Xiang continued ascending while making sure to pass by noticeable landmarks - he'd need to find his way back eventually. Taking the bottle from his pocket, he glanced at the little bug inside. Seeing it resting at the bottom, he shook the bottle. The obedient little creature took flight and bumped against the glass.
Liu Xiang adjusted his direction based on the bottle's orientation before tucking it away again.
He didn't follow the initial guidance directly. Instead, he first climbed higher, planning to adjust his path only when the target location was at the same elevation. On one hand, the dense forest made navigation difficult - moving in straight lines made backtracking easier. On the other hand, he had no intention of retracing the lizardman's path. Who knew how many other hunters might be lying in wait?
That said, he had prepared somewhat for this expedition.
His belt was adorned with clumps of weeds and leaves. While this hindered movement, it provided decent camouflage - at least when crouched or prone, he'd be hard to spot at close range. Part of this was due to his obsession with ghillie suits.
Additionally, he'd smeared mud over his body to mask his scent.
After nearly two hours of arduous climbing, skirting a cliff face, Liu Xiang finally reached the mountain's summit.
Plopping down, he gasped for breath.
Climbing had never been easy, but this peak was on another level. Combined with the constant vigilance - watching his surroundings and footing - he was mentally and physically drained.
Though he'd reached the top, the ridgeline stretched surprisingly far. It reminded him of visiting Chongqing, where taking an elevator from the 1st to the 13th floor still left you feeling like you were on the ground level.
Whatever. Time to rest.
With no canopy obstructing his view, the landscape below unfolded before him.
"Ascending the mountain's peak, all other peaks seem small."
In the distance, beyond the forest, lay a vast hexagonal plain. Tiny moving dots and tendrils of smoke were barely visible, along with a winding river. That had to be where they'd first arrived. The thought of millions still struggling to survive there made Liu Xiang sigh.
He hoped Li Tianjia and the others had stabilized their camp - at least securing the basics.
So many humans, yet no skyscrapers, no traffic, no smog... It felt unnatural.
He tried to see farther - beyond the plain and woods - but the mountain wasn't tall enough.
The fatigue in his legs faded thanks to the bay leaves. Standing, he checked the bottle again. This time, the insect's direction pointed horizontally.
....
Stepping past an incomplete animal skeleton - the fifth he'd encountered - Liu Xiang also noted four traps along the way. Unfortunately, these had already been claimed as trophies and stored in the Defective Product.
Signs of intelligent activity grew clearer: well-trodden paths wound through the trees, putting Liu Xiang even more on edge.
Just as he pocketed the fifth metal trap, a familiar guttural clicking reached his ears.
The lizardmen he'd been hunting for had appeared.
Crouching low, he slowly parted the foliage for a better look.
Well, well.
Two lizardmen stood facing each other, trading aggressive clicks. One kept jabbing the other's chest with its tail tip - clearly a provocation.
Liu Xiang imagined their exchange:
Lizardman A: "The hell you lookin' at?"
Lizardman B: "Lookin' at you! What of it?"
The second lizardman finally swatted the tail away with a snarl, escalating the confrontation.
What began as shoving soon devolved into a brawl - teeth gnashing, tails lashing, the pair rolling across the ground in a tangle of limbs and scales.
At first, it seemed evenly matched - until one lizardman suddenly went limp.
The victor blinked in confusion. Had it really won so easily?
Then it noticed the thin, needle-like projectile embedded in its opponent's skull, oozing black and green fluids.
Wait, is this...?
Thunk!
An icy sensation pierced its eye - then darkness.
In its final moments, the dying lizardman glimpsed a shambling, leafy monster creeping from the shadows.
...
Liu Xiang separated the two corpses and stuffed them into the Defective Product. Even with three lizardmen and one giant beast inside, the pocket dimension was only a third full.
After covering traces of poison with dirt, he quickly left the scene.
[Galactic Order Notification: Cross-Domain Transmuted Lifeform Eliminated]
[+1 Origin Merit Point]
[+100 Galactic Order Merit Points]
[Cross-Tier Elimination Reward: +1 Free Physique Attribute Point]
[Galactic Order Notification: Cross-Domain Transmuted Lifeform Eliminated]
[+1 Origin Merit Point]
[+100 Galactic Order Merit Points]
[Cross-Tier Elimination Reward: +1 Free Physique Attribute Point]
Hiding in a thicket, Liu Xiang gleefully allocated both points to Agility (now 10).
He appreciated the system's death confirmations - critical in combat. Initially thinking the second lizardman was dead, he'd stayed prone until the reward notifications appeared.
No bonus for reaching double-digit stats. Expected. Otherwise, Olympians or bodybuilders would've been showered with rewards upon arrival.
Looting the two lizardmen yielded meager spoils:
Unknown-material breastplates ×2
Dark-red pills (use unknown) ×4
Punch daggers ×2
Belts ×2
Judging by their gear, these two were likely guards, not hunters. None of it appealed to Liu Xiang - the breastplates would negate his agility with their weight, and he lacked the strength to wield the daggers effectively.
Pity no poison vials. After experiencing its lethality, he'd have nominated the toxin for "Most Valuable Backstabbing Award."
A distant rumble of thunder heralded the storm's arrival. Soon, rain fell in sheets.
Liu Xiang seized the opportunity, moving swiftly toward his target under the downpour's cover.
Ten minutes later, the trees gave way to a clearing.
Twenty-odd stone huts dotted the area, flanked by a cliff. Atop it stood a larger stone structure adorned with animal skulls. Behind it, a five-meter-tall pillar bore the statue of some creature.
A two-meter-tall, crimson-scaled lizardman stood on the cliff, roaring at the sky while two others watched reverently. With each lightning flash, it brandished a rod-like object.
Liu Xiang ignored the ritual - his focus was on potential occupants in the huts.
Click-click!
The crimson lizardman pointed at one of the smaller ones - a scrawny specimen barely 1.5 meters tall.
The chosen lizardman knelt before its superior. From a pouch, the crimson one produced a glowing white object (details obscured by rain).
As the small lizardman accepted it, the light dimmed - while the pillar's statue began emitting a faint aura.
Then, impossibly, the small lizardman's body bulked up visibly.
Cheaters! Liu Xiang seethed. This whole race levels up by hacking!
System! Origin! I want to report these bastards!
No response.
Liu Xiang realized he needed to change his approach. The small lizardman had taken hold of a glowing orb, then the statue emitted some light, and it became stronger. The orb and statue were clearly problematic! If they're problematic, they must be taken
"Hehehe" Liu Xiang laughed weirdly.
....
The green viscous liquid dripped from the arrowhead, mixing with raindrops as it fell to the ground.
Liu Xiang's gaze locked onto the crimson lizardman's head. The rain would slightly alter the arrow's trajectory, but how much was uncertain. To be safe, he aimed for the head.
The first ritual had concluded. The crimson lizardman was summoning a second small lizardman forward while the first one slowly retreated, its body still twitching involuntarily. Clearly, the transformation process was uncomfortable and hadn't fully stabilized yet.
A spiderweb of lightning spread across the clouds. At the instant the lightning illuminated the darkness, Liu Xiang released his fingers. The poisoned arrow shot forth, piercing toward the crimson lizardman just as it reached for the glowing orb, accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.
As the thunder faded, the arrow had already pierced through the lizardman's neck.
Liu Xiang's second arrow followed immediately, this one targeting the lizardman still reveling in its growth spurt. The arrow struck the back of its head, and the creature collapsed mid-celebration.
The crimson lizardman had noticed Liu Xiang, but its torn throat prevented any roars. The small lizardman before it snapped out of its daze and turned to charge at Liu Xiang while emitting furious clicks.
Liu Xiang swiftly drew his third poisoned arrow, aiming at the charging lizardman, ready to release—
His peripheral vision caught movement—a head peeking out from one of the stone huts.
Cursing his luck, he twisted and loosed an arrow at that head instead.
The arrow struck squarely between the eyes.
Liu Xiang had only prepared three poisoned arrows—that had been his last.
Unfazed, he drew a fourth arrow and resumed aiming at the approaching small lizardman.
Thunk!
The arrow embedded in the lizardman's chest, but the damage was minimal. The creature barely paused before continuing its charge.
Liu Xiang threw his bow aside and pulled the machete from the Defective Product.
The small lizardman roared, leaping at Liu Xiang from less than two meters away.
Idiot!
Liu Xiang swung the machete diagonally downward with all his might.
The blade cleaved from the lizardman's left shoulder to its right abdomen, nearly bisecting it.
The underdeveloped creature died before even touching Liu Xiang.
Wiping green blood from his face, Liu Xiang quickly retrieved his bow, nocked another arrow, and fired at the staggering crimson lizardman.
This arrow struck squarely between the eyes, snapping its head backward and sending its body crashing to the ground.
Before Liu Xiang could catch his breath, two more lizardmen emerged from the woods surrounding the huts. Seeing their leader convulsing on the ground, they roared and charged.
Unlike the previous small lizardman, these two were muscular, wore breastplates, and wielded punch daggers. If they closed the distance, Liu Xiang was dead.
Panicking now would mean certain death.
Maintaining his rhythm, Liu Xiang drew, aimed, and released.
His fifth arrow grazed a lizardman's cheek, causing no damage.
For the sixth, he lowered his aim.
The arrow pierced through the nearer lizardman's calf and embedded in the ground.
The wounded lizardman tripped and fell.
The other veered around its companion, charging straight for Liu Xiang.
Liu Xiang fired what would be his last shot at this distance.
The arrow missed wildly, landing a full meter off target.
No—it had been aimed at the fallen lizardman all along. With a thunk, the arrow struck the struggling creature square in the face. At this close range, the force drove the arrowhead clean through its skull—instantly fatal.
Stowing his bow, Liu Xiang turned and ran.
The remaining lizardman was barely five meters behind him.
After a few strides, Liu Xiang drew his machete and spun to face his pursuer. Outrunning it was impossible—this would be a fight to the death.
The lizardman paid no heed to Liu Xiang's internal struggle. It stepped over the bisected corpse and lunged. To it, this puny creature wouldn't survive even a single blow.
It would tear this bastard apart limb by limb!
Snap!
Huh?
The lizardman felt a sudden chill at its ankle. Before it could look down—
Snap!
What!?
Its other foot was now trapped too.
Excruciating pain shot through its legs as the trap's teeth bit through bone. Looking around, it realized five more traps surrounded it.
Raising its head, it glared hatefully at this treacherous creature—
Only to see a flash of steel in the rain. A moment of disorientation, and it saw its own body, separated from its head, spurting blood...
Gasping for breath, Liu Xiang had no time to reflect on the battle.
He quickly opened the Defective Product, stowing the traps inside. There was no time to thoroughly loot the bodies—he hastily grabbed their belongings and stuffed them in.
Hurrying up the cliff, he found the crimson lizardman had stopped twitching. This corpse he would take with him.
Approaching the stone pillar, Liu Xiang pushed with all his might—it didn't budge. Of course, something standing firm here would have an immovable foundation. Glaring at the statue atop the pillar, he reluctantly admitted defeat—this treasure was staying put.
Regret? A little, but not much.
Entering the skull-adorned stone hut, the stench nearly knocked him over. Holding his breath, Liu Xiang indiscriminately shoveled anything valuable into the Defective Product. After clearing it out, he dashed into the smaller huts.
No time! No time!
"I want it all! I want it all!"
Two voices warred in his mind.
After ransacking five huts, reason overcame greed.
Liu Xiang slipped back into the woods, vanishing into the storm's embrace.
Where he had once crept cautiously, he now fled recklessly.
The pouring rain masked all sound, allowing him to crash through the undergrowth undetected.
Soon reaching his earlier resting spot near the summit, Liu Xiang barreled down the mountainside.
With over twenty huts, who knew how many lizardmen inhabited this area?
Only by escaping the Falling Star's Eye periphery would he be truly safe.
Half-running, half-tumbling down, Liu Xiang paid the price in blood—his black bodysuit torn in a dozen places, his body crisscrossed with cuts—but he reached the base in under an hour.
Collapsing spread-eagle in the grass, he gasped for air as pain and exhaustion flooded his senses. Bleeding could wait—some wounds had already clotted on their own.
Raindrops pattered against his face—indescribably refreshing.
"Hahahahaha!"
Liu Xiang laughed wildly, his mirth mingling with the storm.
Damn, that felt good!
Only now did he check his system messages:
[Galactic Order Notification: Cross-Domain Transmuted Lifeform Eliminated] *5
[+1 Origin Merit Point] *5
[+100 Galactic Order Merit Points] *5
[Cross-Tier Elimination Reward: +1 Free Physique Attribute Point] *5
[Galactic Order Notification: Primary Hazard Zone's Strongest Lifeform Eliminated]
[+10 Origin Merit Points]
[+1000 Galactic Order Merit Points]
[Primary Hazard Zone Elimination Reward: +5 Free Physique Attribute Points]
[Primary Hazard Zone Elimination Reward: Select Reward Type]
[Random Faith Ability (Beginner)]
[Spirit Energy Crystal (Fragmented) *1]
[Random Elemental Ability (Beginner)]
[Random Auxiliary Proficiency (Primary)]
A bountiful harvest!
And he'd killed the zone's strongest creature? That crimson lizardman was the apex predator of Falling Star's Eye's periphery?!
No way! That thing died without even putting up a fight!
Well... precisely because it didn't get to act, otherwise he'd be the dead one.
Six lizardmen, five elimination rewards—the bisected small one didn't count, meaning it had been at his level, untransformed. The one that grew on the spot must have already been transformed!
Had he just witnessed a lizardman's transformation process?!
Holy shit!
Was there a rewind button? Could that supreme lizardman please perform its ritual on him too?!
Damn it, he'd missed his chance!
And these zone rewards—what the hell was a "Faith Ability"? An "Elemental Ability"? And what about the energy crystal?!
System! Can you at least explain? I know nothing here!
Better save these choices for later—random picks might waste them.
He immediately allocated all 10 attribute points to Agility.
[Category] Organic Intelligent Lifeform
[Origin] Galactic Order
[Species] Human
[Gender] Male
[Titles] None
[Height] 1.76m (Planetary Measurement)
[Physique]
Resilience: 5
Strength: 5
Agility: 20
Burst: 5
[Spirit Energy] None
[Faith] None
[Elemental Affinity] None
[Proficiencies] [Archery: Beginner]
[Body Techniques] [Primary Precision (Passive): Slightly increases ranged accuracy]
[Spirit Techniques] None
With Agility now at 20, Liu Xiang felt power coursing through his legs. His wrists, shoulders, and arms moved with newfound coordination and strength. He could tell—his arrows would now punch straight through lizardman scales.