Broken Core [LitRPG • Cultivation • Post Apocalyptic • Romance]

Luna backed out of the rubble, her body aching and stiff as she started moving around. The forest was alive with life after the torturous night, and she moved to the river's edge.

Lapping up water, she warily peered into the river's depths. Forsaken liked to swim in the waters and she hastily drank what she needed to move on. Focusing on the sounds of the forest, she sensed a large creature lumbering around not more than a hundred feet from her. Downwind, she had the advantage as she started to sniff.

Blood was already in the air as she started to make her way through the trees. She had spent most of the night refilling her dantian and could now attack with Qi if needed. If the monster she was stalking was dangerous, she would kill it quickly and feast before moving on.

Lowering herself to the ground, she inched forward the last few feet and peered over the bushes. A small bear cub was eating the corpse of a Horned Rabbit. The cub was still larger than the rabbit by nearly double the size. Blood dripped from its maw as the sound of tearing flesh filled the air.

Careful not to disturb the bushes, she entered the small clearing and couched low. Filling her legs and claws with air element, she extended blades from her paws and leapt. Her silent approach took the bear unawares and she nearly severed its head before it could react.

Hitting the ground, she whirled and watched the bear take a stumbling step before collapsing. With a feeling of pride, she walked forward and started eating the rabbit. The bear's meat was too tough to eat without cooking, but the rabbit was perfect.

Soon, blood was flowing down her chin as raw meat settled into her stomach. After a few hurried minutes, she listened to another predator approach and took off running. She only wanted to fight when she had too. Replenishing her Qi would be taxing and slow her pace. For now, she needed to flee as far as she could. Ren and the other hunters would only venture so far from the village.

James slunk to the edge of a building, his knife in his hand as he listened to his surroundings. His soul thrummed with power as he moved to the doorway leading to his next target. The hounds were mostly solo Forsaken that only moved in packs when fresh meat was available. Like the area around his shelter.

With steps as quietly as he could muster, he slid through the doorway and scanned the building. He was in another shop, only this one had shelves that once held food and supplies. Everything was gone, apart from a few corroded strips of paper. The register was open and rusted beyond use and glass littered the ground, making his approach hazardous.

The hound was further into the building, likely in the storage room as he listened to it snuffle around. He could already picture the slunk over figure of the hound sniffing the ground as it sensed fresh blood in the nearby area.

Shifting his knife to a reverse grip, he stepped forward and promptly kicked a shard of glass. Wincing, he listened to the beast stop and he copied it. A moment later, it started to move again, coming closer as it sniffed the air. When it started to growl, he knew the fight was on.

Raising his hand, he siphoned the monster the moment it peeked into the room. With a roar, it charged out and he activated his new skill. Soul Strike hit the soul of the hound and exploded. The white flames of the monster blew outwards, escaping the creature's body as blood flew into the air. Flesh was rent as the hound slid across the ground, whining.

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All of that soul energy flowed into James, strengthening him, but putting his skill on some sort of cooldown. He could feel it in his soul that if he tried to use it again, he would tear a part off his soul. The pain would render him incapable of fighting.

Despite the restriction, the hound barely made it back to its feet before he siphoned what remained of its soul.

Soul absorbed. Soul Strength: 1.08

It wasn't much of a gain, but he had nothing but time to hunt many more Forsaken. The city was massive, and he had only traversed a small section of a few blocks. Not to mention that he had the underground layer to explore as well.

With a smile, he left the hound behind and started searching for another foe. His knife was held tight as he creeped down the street. The scent of fresh meat was rich in the air, and he could hear hounds gathering from blocks away. Their claws tore into the concrete as they jogged or ran towards his shelter.

It would be suicide to attack a large pack while out in the open and with that in mind, he hurried to a fire escape and started climbing. The rusty metal broke in several sections, clattering metal to the ground. He was surprised the ladder didn't collapse, preventing him from climbing.

Once he was on top of the four-story building, he overlooked the park. Nearly two dozen hounds were converging on the multitude of bodies that were spread around his shelter. With a small laugh, he held out his hand and latched onto six of them.

A pain flowed through his soul as it strained to absorb their souls. The distance between them was on the very edge of his limit and he was only half a block away.

Grinding his teeth, he rode out the pain as the hounds snapped their attention to him and abandoned their feast. The other hounds didn't give them a moment's notice as they fell onto the corpses.

The six hounds raced towards his building, their claws tearing into the hardpacked earth of the park. His smile grew as he felt the pain lessen as they drew closer. He could see their flames flickering and fading as they started digging into the walls of the building and began climbing.

Peering over the edge, he judged that he was pulling on their souls faster than before and thus, receiving less energy from them. The easier a creature was to absorb, the weaker the benefit to his soul. A piece of knowledge that he would file away for the future.

Before the six hounds reached him, he watched their souls flicker out and their bodies fell to the ground. Heads cracked open, spreading blood over the concrete as he turned his attention to the other eighteen Forsaken. They were feasting well, but he needed their souls.

Holding up his hand, he began siphoning. Another six monsters bled into him as they stopped eating and turned their attention to his building. Roaring into the air, they sprinted in rage. He continued to smile as his soul sent flickers of strength through his body while growing in strength.

He could feel it processing the souls it was eating. With a wicked laugh, he watched the new pack of hounds crash to the ground before they reached half way up his building.

Repeating the attack a third and fourth time, he gathered quite the number of corpses below him. The sound of hounds approaching around the city slowed and he could hear whining as many of them turned back. A few brave souls ventured into the park and scanned the shelter and his building.

They must have been smarter than he realized as they quickly backed away, their whines filling the air. With a frown, he listened to the nearby blocks clear of Forsaken as they clearly sensed a predator amongst them.

Looks like I will have to hunt them down. Dammit.

The sun was already high in the sky as he climbed down from the building. The fire escape collapsed the rest of the way, and he quickly avoided it as he hurried back to his shelter.

Stepping inside, he closed the door and sat down. Grabbing a bottle of water, he popped the cap and took a small drink. When his body protested against the water, he frowned.

Body resources full.

The simple message made him frown. Looking at the bottle, he slowly put the cap back on and set it aside.

Can I really only eat and drink when my soul determines it needs it? What the hell kind of system is that? Also, I haven't gone to the bathroom in over a day…

Turning to his soul, he found that his old core and spirit veins had been completely absorbed. The flickering flame was powering him fully as the small orb pulsed with life. Checking his Soul Strength, he smiled.

Soul Strength: 1.32

If he could hunt down a few more packs, he would reach the next level swiftly. Rubbing his hands together, he prepared to set out into the city again.