Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

A completely new attribute panel appeared before Chu Xiu's eyes.
【Shadow Wind Blade】

【Proficiency: Novice (5/200)】

【Casting Cost: 0.8—3.6 (increases with charge time)】

【Charge Time: 1s—2.2s】

【Power: 1.8—5.0 (decreases with distance)】

【Speed: 25m/s—38m/s (decreases with time)】

【Maximum Range: 28m—70m】

【Cooldown Time: None】

Looking at the newly upgraded Shadow Wind Blade, Chu Xiu's eyes lit up with surprise.

The upgraded Shadow Wind Blade had enhancements across all attributes! Although the increases weren't huge, together they significantly boosted the skill's combat effectiveness!

With maximum charge, the power even reached an astonishing 5.0!

Although Chu Xiu wasn't sure what this precisely meant, he was already impressed with the previous power of just 1.5.

A power of 5.0... If used in a close-range sneak attack, it could probably slice that ghoul in half!
"Now that I have attack power, I need to focus on defense!"

Chu Xiu looked at the ghoul's corpse nearby.

He first tried to extract the ghoul's eyeballs to see if they could be used to cultivate the Ghostly Eyes.

To his delight, he didn't even need to do it manually. Just thinking about it activated his Perfect Refinement talent automatically, and soon a notification sounded.

【Ghostly Eyes cultivation progress +4, current progress: 4/100】

"Not bad for an SSS-level talent," Chu Xiu praised inwardly.

"With this, I don't need to waste Karma Points on cultivating Ghostly Eyes. Just killing another twenty or so ghouls will do."

That number might seem far off, but Chu Xiu was confident that as his strength increased, the subsequent hunting actions would become smoother.

Feeling assured, Chu Xiu activated Bone Refinement, merging the remaining parts of the corpse into his Bone Armor.

The ghoul's strong vitality made the Bone Armor feel like it was on a major power boost, with the enhancement progress soaring!

The cracks on the left shoulder repaired visibly and became smoother and more robust!

By the time the ghoul's corpse completely disappeared, the Bone Armor had undergone a drastic transformation!

Its structure was more intricate, bristling with spikes, resembling a demon forged from bones!
Its defense reached 3.4, the quality upgraded to 【Excellent】, and most importantly, it finally unlocked the first enchantment!
Three options appeared before Chu Xiu's eyes.

【Vitality】 Your armor now has life-like properties, able to autonomously shift short distances to protect you and heal damage over time.

【Wind Ward】 Your armor's weight will be significantly reduced, and it will automatically trigger wind blades to counterattack when hit (Power: 0.4)

【Energy Absorption】 Your armor can absorb part of the energy from attacks, greatly reducing the impact on you.

"Wow—"

Looking at the options, Chu Xiu rubbed his chin.

All of them seemed desirable!

Each of these enchantments was highly useful!

But one can't be too greedy.

After some thought, he ruled out 【Vitality】 first.

Currently, the armor's coverage area was sufficient. Unless he faced enemies with highly precise attack capabilities, this enchantment wouldn't be very effective.

Between the remaining two, Chu Xiu finally chose 【Energy Absorption】 after much deliberation.

Given his current physique, a 20kg armor was heavy but manageable, especially for short battles against ghouls.

As for the counterattack wind blades, their power was too low. They might be somewhat effective against humans but would barely scratch monsters!

However, 【Energy Absorption】 would be highly effective against the ghouls' brute strength. He didn't want to end up like before, nearly having his bones shattered by a ghoul's slap!

After making his choice, mystical runes began to appear on the Bone Armor, giving it an ancient aura.
As Chu Xiu nestled within, he felt like an invincible heavy-armored warrior, impervious to both blades and blunt weapons.

"If I went back to ancient times now, I'd be unstoppable, a one-man army!"

This Bone Armor gave him an unprecedented sense of security.

"But it's still not enough!"

"Keep killing monsters and leveling up!"

Determined, Chu Xiu walked out of the room.

Yun Lu and the others were waiting next door.

Following their original plan, the four ascended to the thirteenth floor and reached a new ambush point.

After setting up, it was already noon.

Their stomachs growled in unison, and worse, each of them was parched with dry, cracked lips.

"Brother Chu, do you still have any mushrooms?" Li Shan licked his lips, "Yun Lu gave us some earlier, but it wasn't enough."

"Don't worry, I'm not asking for free. You can deduct it from my share of Karma Points. How about 10 mushrooms for 1 Karma Point?"

This guy was smart, knowing that Chu Xiu might not share the Karma Points, he asked for benefits in advance.

After some thought, Chu Xiu gave him two mushrooms and three to Yun Lu.

This girl was too kind-hearted and shy, traits that would lead to her early death in the apocalypse.

But her ability was very useful, and Chu Xiu needed to ensure her well-being.

"Thank you." Yun Lu accepted the mushrooms, feeling flattered.

Wang Long, envious, remained silent but eventually murmured, "We need to find water. A little hunger is manageable, but no water is life-threatening."

Chu Xiu rarely agreed with Wang Long and turned to Yun Lu, asking, "Are those monsters edible?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shan and Wang Long's faces changed. Li Shan whispered, "Brother Chu, those things are probably poisonous, right?"

However, Yun Lu hesitated for a moment, then unexpectedly nodded.

"I... I'm not sure. The ghouls feel like creatures hiding in sewers, emitting a foul stench, very disgusting, but I don't sense any danger."

Chu Xiu stroked his chin thoughtfully.

The reason he asked was that the equipment necklace he found earlier mentioned that the creatures mutated due to a curse, not poison.

So in a desperate situation, they might be used as food.

Of course, Chu Xiu wouldn't eat that stuff unless absolutely necessary. Although most of the curse's power seemed concentrated in the teeth, who knew how much remained in the body and if it could affect humans.

"Let's kill another monster and then check the rooftop. High-rise buildings usually have water tanks," Chu Xiu suggested.

Although the water in the tanks would likely be dirty, they knew how to make simple filtration devices, so it wasn't a big problem.

After confirming the water source plan, they resumed their tactic to lure ghouls.

Chu Xiu and Wang Long found hiding spots while Li Shan created noise.

This time, it didn't take long for a sound to come from outside.

As before, the ghoul immediately spotted Li Shan and attacked without hesitation.

However, this time, with his doubled strength, Chu Xiu swiftly pierced the ghoul's abdomen with his bone spear, lifting it like a trophy.

The ghoul let out a hoarse scream, and Wang Long stepped forward, smashing its head with a single strike.

【Killed a creature, Profession Experience +45】