Chapter 15: The Sin of Envy
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[Successfully recovered the corpse of a Scythe Owl larva. Obtained 2 Specialized Crystals and 2 units of High-Purity Aberrant Protein.]
[Successfully recovered the corpse of a Scythe Owl larva. Obtained 2 Specialized Crystals...]
One after another, every strike bringing a kill, Lu Ming’s pack gradually grew heavier.
100. 120. 150. 200.
The number of Specialized Crystals piled upward like water from a spring.
Each time he wiped out a wave of larvae, Lu Ming deliberately pulled the gate open. Sometimes, he even struck it with the hilt of his knife to make noise.
That way, he could lure over the next wave of larvae.
He repeated the process until the number of Specialized Crystals broke through three hundred and soared to 340. Only then did the slaughter finally come to an end.
After shutting the gate and sealing off the space, Lu Ming threw back his head and let out a long sigh.
Too easy.
Even cutting a watermelon required some care to make the pieces neat and even. These things only needed their heads and cores removed, and the crystals were his.
Sigh. It was a little lonely.
He opened his Spatial Pack and browsed through all his resources.
Three hundred and fifty milliliters of multifunctional sports drink, two compressed biscuits, 340 Specialized Crystals, and 364 lumps of High-Purity Aberrant Protein.
“High-Purity Aberrant Protein.”
It was about time he found out what it was.
“Appraise.”
[High-Purity Aberrant Protein]
Category: Special Food.
Description: A highly nutritious substance beloved by certain aberrant organisms. Once consumed, it provides a tremendous energy boost and accelerates their growth. To humans, however, this substance contains lethal toxins, and consuming it recklessly may result in death. It is recommended that the toxins be removed using an Aberrant Protein Processor, or that one reach the War King level of Specialization and rely on one’s own resistance to withstand them.
...
So it was food that could actually be eaten. Unfortunately, he had no way to consume it at present.
An Aberrant Protein Processor. The War King level...
It seemed he had obtained some rather advanced information.
There was nothing strange about aberrant creatures liking it. They had their own ecosystems and food chains.
It was not as though they would all simply wait to die because humans had yet to appear.
Lu Ming closed the pack. Since he had no immediate use for it, he would deal with it when the time came.
He opened the character panel and clicked on Specialization Level.
[Notice: A sufficient number of Specialized Crystals has been detected in the Spatial Pack. Would you like to consume 100 Specialized Crystals and raise your Specialization Level to Advanced Soldier?]
“Yes!”
A hundred Specialized Crystals flew out of thin air. They shattered, their energy gathering into thicker blue arcs of light that poured into Lu Ming’s body.
The sensation of prickling soreness and swelling pain struck him once again, this time far more intensely than when he had advanced to Intermediate Soldier!
His veins writhed beneath his skin. Blue radiance flickered from his eyes, while wisps of luminous patterns raced through his body!
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“Gahhh!!”
As Lu Ming threw back his head and roared furiously, a shockwave burst outward, sweeping across two meters!
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
Clenching his fists, now filled with power, Lu Ming felt stronger than ever before.
Three times! He was a full three times stronger than an Intermediate Soldier!
Was this the so-called limit an ordinary person could reach?
It was even more miraculous than he had imagined!
Riiip—
Suddenly, the filthy sports jacket around him gave a crisp tearing sound. From his right upper arm to his shoulder, the fabric split open completely.
Damn it!
Those were the eleven sets of premium sportswear he had spent several hundred yuan snatching up in a bundle on Pinduoduo!
He had worn them in rotation for half a year without a single problem. At the time, he had thought he had found a bargain. Now it seemed he had still been careless.
Huh?
Looking at the arm revealed through the tear, Lu Ming was somewhat bewildered.
Whose well-developed biceps were those? And whose thick, powerful arm?
Wait. Why was his stomach feeling so chilly?
Looking down, he saw that his sports jacket had ridden up to just above his navel, leaving his entire abdomen exposed.
More importantly, what were those glaring eight-pack abs?
It was true that he exercised every day, but only for the sake of good health. He had never specifically trained his muscles. Even he felt like touching those perfect muscle lines a couple of times.
And now that he looked more closely, he noticed that his trousers had shortened by a section as well, while his shoes had begun to pinch his feet.
Had his entire body grown?
There was no mirror here, so he had no way to examine himself properly.
Still, he could no longer wear his clothes or shoes. Once the time was right and he left the store, he would visit a clothing shop and search for something to wear.
There ought to be mirrors there too.
A mirror?
Wait. Hadn’t there been a function in the information panel that allowed him to observe a full-body image of himself by clicking on his portrait?
With that thought, Lu Ming hurriedly opened the information panel and tapped his portrait. A three-dimensional projection of his mirrored image unfolded before him.
The first time he saw the projection, Lu Ming was slightly stunned.
Reflected in his eyes was a face with sharp brows and bright, star-like eyes, three-dimensional features, and a handsome, masculine elegance.
His physique went without saying. Powerful without appearing bulky, slender without lacking strength.
Taken as a whole, if he were on Blue Star, talent scouts would chase him down several streets.
Was this really him?
Touching his smooth, clean-shaven face, Lu Ming did not know whether he should feel delighted or terrified.
You ask why he was terrified?
Even Frieza in Dragon Ball had failed to make such a wish come true after gathering all the Dragon Balls.
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What a load of nonsense! If you no longer even looked like yourself, how could you not be terrified?
Ah, well. Since the heavens insisted on making him bear the burden of the world’s envy, he could only leave matters to fate and accept this beautiful outcome.
Still, being handsome was one thing. Without a point of reference, a good appearance alone could not tell him how his height and weight had changed.
The system was strange as well. Since it could project a mirrored image, couldn’t it project one to scale within the space?
Staring at his projected reflection, Lu Ming subconsciously began estimating.
Unbeknownst to him, just as his consciousness began calculating his height and weight, the outline that had appeared when the Eye of Truth activated quietly emerged once more.
“This is... Could it be?”
“Appraise!”
Name: [Lu Ming]
Gender: Male.
Identification Number: 66666.
Age: 24.
Specialization Level: Advanced Soldier.
Height: Originally 175 cm. After two evolutions, Intermediate and Advanced, currently 183 cm.
Weight: Originally 62 kg. After two evolutions, Intermediate and Advanced, currently 85 kg.
General Functions: [???] [World Channel] [Trading House] [Spatial Pack]
Skills: [Basic Knife Art (E-Rank)] [????] [????]
Personal Information: Former resident of Blue Star, third-rate author, orphan, average social connections, cautious and steady temperament, slightly selfish, lawful citizen. Current sixty-six-thousand-six-hundred-and-sixty-sixth transmigrator of the Garan Apocalypse, survivor, and strategist.
Overall Evaluation: ???
...
Well, who would have thought that the Eye of Truth could appraise not only aberrant creatures and items, but humans as well!
He had never even considered this possibility. No, that was not entirely true. It was not that he had never thought of it; there had simply been too many things to consider, leaving him no time to explore the idea. The key information was astonishingly comprehensive.
Reviewing his height and weight once again, Lu Ming was completely satisfied.
One hundred eighty-three centimeters and eighty-five kilograms. There was no doubt that his physique had reached an impressive level!
The only thing that caught in his eye was the word “orphan” in his information. Somehow, that abrupt phrasing felt less like a statement of fact and more like a deliberate insult.
More surprising, yet entirely consistent with the nature of the skill, was the result of appraising the exclusive skills.
Without exception, they were all question marks. He could not see the slightest bit of information. Even the Overall Evaluation column had become strange.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that, now that he knew how to use the Eye of Truth, there was someone he desperately wanted to examine.
He opened the World Channel, selected the regional section, located the video files, and opened Chen Hai’s kill recording. Staring at Chen Hai’s figure, he said in a low voice, “Appraise!”
With a flash, an exquisite and detailed information panel appeared before him.
Remember Qianqian in one second:
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