Volume One: The Apocalypse Descends Chapter 14: Successive Level-Ups

Insect-like creatures are known for their tenacity, and Xiang Chenguang’s strike failed to inflict fatal damage on the giant mantis. After crashing to the ground, it struggled to take flight once more.

Xiang Chenguang tugged sharply on the rope in his hand, causing the dumbbell-shaped hammerhead to swing horizontally across the giant mantis’s back.

Already unsteady in flight due to its injuries, the mantis now fell like a kite with a torn sail, dragged down by Xiang Chenguang’s immense force.

Remarkably, that pair of raptorial forelegs had withstood his blow despite his body and agility stats both being at eleven points.

Though the attack was sudden and not fully powered, the speed of those forelegs was terrifying. Such a monster could not be left alive.

As the giant mantis fell again, Xiang Chenguang stepped forward and swept it down with a precise strike aimed at its slender neck. The triangular head of the mantis was instantly severed, crashing to the ground.

It was only upon hearing the system prompt awarding him twenty spirit energy points for killing a zero-tier otherworldly insect that Xiang Chenguang’s taut nerves finally relaxed.

That encounter had been perilously close! If not for his mental attribute coincidentally reaching eleven points—the minimum threshold for transcendence—which sharpened his sixth sense, the mantis might have successfully ambushed him.

Had he died, his parents and Xiang Xiaoxiao would have surely fallen prey to the giant mantis as well.

From the system’s grant of twenty spirit energy points, it was clear the giant mantis was at the pinnacle of zero-tier creatures, just one step below first-tier beings.

According to the initial tier otherworldly creature compendium he had obtained, twenty spirit energy points represented the highest yield from zero-tier entities.

Reflecting on the incident, Xiang Chenguang realized his mindset had become complacent. Discovering these zero-tier otherworldly creatures were no match for him, he had neglected to take the system’s earlier reward—the initial tier otherworldly creature compendium—seriously.

Had he studied the compendium carefully and understood the giant mantis’s habits and abilities, he would never have nearly been caught off guard.

Determined, he vowed to thoroughly read the compendium once back and engrave its contents deeply into his memory.

The noise from Xiang Chenguang’s kill startled the last nearby spider beast. Its initial pounce froze, and it immediately turned to flee.

But how could it escape with spirit energy points at stake?

Xiang Chenguang yanked violently, tearing apart the chest-abdomen junction of a giant cockroach that already bore a large hole. Retrieving the meteor hammer, he swiftly threw it again, smashing the fleeing spider beast’s head with precision.

As for the strange mites, lacking eyes entirely and driven solely by instinct to seek prey by sound, they showed no fear and swarmed toward the convenience store entrance.

The two giant cockroaches were the most intriguing. They neither joined the mites in attacking Xiang Chenguang’s group nor fled. Instead, they fixated on the two spider beasts immobilized by their broken limbs from earlier blows.

Each cockroach circled an injured spider beast, occasionally attempting to bite.

Yet the spider beasts, though hindered, retained some fighting spirit, their curved, black fangs still formidable.

The cockroaches circled, provoking and exhausting their prey without launching a direct assault.

Meanwhile, the remaining six strange mites successively attacked Xiang Dongliang and Xiang Chenguang, who guarded the store entrance.

Xiang Dongliang now held the advantage in strength and agility over the mites. Armed with a blast-resistant shield and fork, he faced their attacks head-on without strain.

While blocking with the shield, he used the fork to counterattack, swiftly killing two mites.

Xiang Chenguang’s response was even more effortless. His focus remained mostly on the sky, wary of any sudden ambushes by strange otherworldly creatures.

For the mites rushing at him, he swept their forelimbs clean off with one strike, then struck their tougher chitinous side abdomens with another, knocking them to the ground.

Soon, all six mites were dispatched—three slain by Xiang Dongliang, and three crippled and toppled by Xiang Chenguang.

Only then did the two giant cockroaches abandon their harassment of the spider beasts and prepare to flee.

But their escape was too late. Two meteor hammer strikes from Xiang Chenguang smashed their abdomens.

Targeting their rear ends, and despite the cockroaches’ resilient vitality, nearly half of each abdomen was crushed, yet they still writhed painfully on the ground.

With that, the otherworldly invaders along the section of Mansion Front Street were cleared.

Only three toppled mites, two spider beasts missing most of their limbs, and the two half-crushed giant cockroaches remained—deliberately spared by Xiang Chenguang for He Wan and Xiang Xiaoxiao.

After killing these seven creatures, both women had enough spirit energy points to level up.

He called them out from the small shop where they were sorting supplies, handing them the blast-resistant rods. Xiang Chenguang held the meteor hammer at the ready to guard against aerial attacks, while Xiang Dongliang stayed close to shield them.

The two took turns wielding the rods. Xiang Xiaoxiao killed two mites, one spider beast, and one giant cockroach.

He Wan dispatched one mite, one spider beast, and one giant cockroach.

Except for the mites toppled by Xiang Chenguang, the spider beasts and cockroaches still retained some mobility. This time, Xiang Dongliang did not use his fork to restrain the monsters.

He stood guard with his shield beside the women, blocking threatening attacks while leaving the rest to their own efforts.

Thus, the process of killing the creatures was far from easy for the two women—truly a heart-stopping ordeal.

Exhausted and sweating, both were panting heavily by the end.

Yet their expressions were excited, as their spirit energy points had each surpassed fifty, allowing them to level up.

Following Xiang Chenguang’s advice, both allocated their single attribute point gained to constitution.

Feeling the power surge through their bodies, Xiang Xiaoxiao leaned close to Xiang Chenguang, then muttered disappointedly, “What’s this? They said enhancing constitution, but it just feels like my strength got a bit better. My height still hasn’t changed at all.”

Though her voice was barely a whisper, Xiang Chenguang’s fully transcendent senses—especially his sharpened sixth sense—caught every word clearly.

He couldn’t help but smile inwardly. That stubborn girl, how deep must her grudge be about her height?

Afterward, Xiang Chenguang kept watch alone outside the door, while Xiang Dongliang entered the small shop to help organize the supplies to be taken back.